The weight of Angel Coyllo’s past was crushing him.

It’s hard to blame him. He was abused by his father as far back as his memory could bear to take him. At nine, his father gave him away to work without pay. As the oppression continued, resentment and hatred built inside. He developed a stuttering issue and became the object of mockery, further fueling his rage.

Sadly, when he started a family, he transferred his feelings to his wife and kids.

When he walked into the Buckner Family Hope Center Villa Hermoso in Lima, Peru, he was in shambles, suffering from panic attacks and servere anxiety. Hatred and pain are paths to such places.

Buckner began working with Coyllo. Accepting Christ as his Savior jump started the transformation. He began to see himself and the world around him differently.

It reminds me of what Paul says in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

When Coyllo began thinking differently, he began acting differently as well. He focused on creating the loving family he never had as a child. He committed himself to his wife and children and now looks to the Lord for strength.

Coyllo walks down the street proud of the man he is, knowing his life is in the hands of God. He is a walking embodiment of 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

This post was written by Peru country director Claudia Leon.