Former gangster Mariusz M, right, and his partner Iga being baptised after both their lives were transformed.,,,
A former gangster has told how finding faith transformed his life and gave him strength to face cancer.
Mariusz M said turning to God melted his lust for crime and set him on a new path of love and grace.
The 38-year-old from Poland said his troubles began in his teens.
“My brother had a nightclub with prostitutes and was living a gangster lifestyle which really impressed me.
“But three days before my 18th birthday he was arrested and sent to prison. I was really angry and that became a big part of my life.”
Violence, stabbings, weapons and drugs followed as Mariusz became embroiled in crime.
But things changed when the friend who had taught him to fight gave his life to Christ.
“Tomasz told me about God, that no matter what I thought about Jesus, he loved me very much.”
Some months later, Tomasz asked Mariusz if he would like to become a Christian too. As Mariusz said yes, his transformation began.
“I was overwhelmed with love. I started praying and reading the Bible.
“I was so different. From a man who wanted everyone to fear him, I became a man filled with God’s love and grace.
Life began to look up as God led Mariusz into an engineering career. But it was not plain sailing. A move to Germany a few months later threw him back into drugs and away from faith.
And after moving to England, a six-month failed marriage in 2018 left him in financial trouble.
Then cancer struck. Violent chest pains put Mariusz in hospital in Coventry, where a scan revealed a melon-sized tumour.
“When the doctor told me it could be cancer it felt like someone had turned off the light in my life. I called out to Jesus for forgiveness. I felt unclean because I had turned away from him.”
Mariusz’s new partner Iga visited him in hospital. Shocked by their situation, she visited Leicester Elim Church, where she found support and faith and was baptised.
As the couple settled into the church, Mariusz was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and began chemotherapy. After four sessions, he was delighted to discover his tumour had shrunk by 80% and his blood showed no cancer cells.
“Maybe this sounds silly, but I’m grateful to God for the cancer because I learned so many lessons from it: how to be humble, how to repent,” he says.
“My relationship with my family is healed, as well as my soul and heart.
“I believe God used this cancer to bring me closer to him and fix the mess in my life.
“It’s amazing what freedom we find when we allow Jesus to come in and deal with our hurts, pain and failings.”
