My name is Jorge, and I was born in Medellín, once the most dangerous city in Colombia. Growing up in the shadows of Pablo Escobar's legacy, the streets of my barrio were flooded with violence and temptation. By the time I was fifteen, I had been recruited as a sicario, a hitman, by one of the remaining cartels. Violence was all I knew, and my heart was as cold as the steel of the gun I carried.
For years, I wandered in darkness, consumed by my own anger and the chaos that surrounded me. I was known in Comuna 13 as a ruthless enforcer, feared by many. I thought power and money would fill the void in my heart, but the more I pursued them, the emptier I felt. It was a night in early 2025, as I sat alone in a dingy bar in Laureles, that my life took an unexpected turn.
I met an old friend, Andrés, who I hadn't seen for years. "Jorge," he said, "I've found something incredible, something that changed my life completely." He talked about Jesus with a conviction that I couldn't ignore. Andrés had been in the same life as me, but now he was different—radiant and at peace. Intrigued but skeptical, I agreed to attend a church service with him.
The church, a humble building on the outskirts of Medellín, was filled with music and laughter. Despite my initial discomfort, I stayed. The pastor spoke of forgiveness and redemption, words that seemed foreign to me. But then he said, "No matter how deep your sins, Jesus' love is deeper." Those words pierced my heart.
For the first time, I knelt down and prayed, "Jesus, if you're real, change me. Take this burden from my heart." That day, something changed inside me. It felt like a warm embrace, a light piercing through my darkness.
Life after that moment wasn't instantly easy, but it was filled with hope. I left the cartel, risking everything, and found solace in a community of believers who supported me. I began volunteering at a local youth center, sharing my story to prevent others from taking the path I once did.
Today, I walk the streets of Medellín not as a feared sicario, but as a humble servant of Christ. "Jesus saved me," I often say, "He gave me a new heart and purpose." I am a testament that even the darkest past can be redeemed through His love.
