About Me

My Testimony

A son of hard-working Mexican migrant parents, I learned early in life to overcome adversity, hardships, and life-or-death dilemmas to follow God’s path for me. Born and raised in a small Texas town, I grew up in a rural community among ten siblings who, with our parents, crowded into a small, two-bedroom home with a single bathroom. I was the seventh of eleven children – eight boys and three girls. There were two sets of twins, including my sister and me. We were very poor with barely enough to eat and had few necessities to provide for our family. We learned to depend on one another for survival and comfort. But our family was not without problems. My father was an alcoholic. When drinking, he would become very abusive verbally, emotionally, and physically toward my mother and siblings, as well as me. I was always afraid of my father when he came home late at night, because we never knew which mood he would be in or how badly we would get beaten. Despite his hard work each day in the cotton fields to make sure we were fed and had a roof over our heads, my father could easily become violent at the slightest provocation. His temper was probably fed by harsh working conditions and bleak prospects, and he had no one but us to take out his frustrations on. We knew that, and yet it was horrible to watch him come through the front door, weaving on his feet, smelling of alcohol, and thundering at the top of his lungs, “Where’s my supper? I want it NOW!” Everyone would scatter to do his bidding, my mother most of all, but in return all she got was ridicule and criticism, as well as occasional pushes and slaps. Maybe that is why I enjoyed my school studies. I loved paging through the textbooks to see interesting pictures of faraway lands and historic people. All of them held special significance for me. I, too, wanted to do something to help others, as so many of these textbook people had done. Yet, going to school was always a challenge and intimidating,because every day in the halls and on the playground I would get bullied, hit, mocked, and laughed at. Students made fun of me for wearing the same jeans and shirts to school over and over again, because my parents had no money for new clothes. We were lucky to get shoes, and when we did, they had to last a few years, even with holes in them. There were no ‘dress shoes’ and ‘play shoes,’ just one pair that we wore every day. I would hear at home and at school that I was a loser, a mistake, that I would never amount to anything, and that I should never have been born. I felt worthless in others’ eyes, and my own. But due to my love of learning, I graduated with high marks. I also was an accomplished athlete. By the end of high school I was voted Most Likely to Succeed. Looking back, I can attribute my success to three things that no one could ever take from me: 1.I had HOPE! I knew that if I believed in myself, things had to get better. They couldn’t get any worse. I began to understand even as a young man that my purpose in life was to bring hope to those who had no hope, and to be a voice for those whose voices could not be heard. 2.I had a Dream! I would escape to the woods or a pasture covered with wildflowers and dream of one day standing before audiences to help them find their purpose and passion. Offering my message of inspiration and motivation could encourage them to be all they were born to be – champions in life! I had a dream that guided me through childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, and it has brought me to where I am today. My goal now is to help humanity DREAM again. 3.I had a Purpose! I knew deep inside that I had been created with a purpose to inspire, encourage, and motivate others through understanding and compassion. I knew I was not here to merely exist, but to pursue a life of meaning. I wasn’t put on earth to be ordinary, but to become extraordinary! “I remember going to work out in the fields to pick cotton, green beans, watermelons or whatever was in season. Everyday, I would tell my fellow migrant workers that one day I would stand in front of millions bringing a message of hope to the hopeless and would be a voice to the voiceless! They all thought I was crazy. They called me the “dreamer.” They would tell me that my great grandparents, grandparents and my parents were migrant workers and that I to would be a migrant worker all my life. But I would insist, no, no, no!! Un dia! Un dia! Voy a traer un mensaje de esperanza a millones de gente! I would speak my dream daily. Then one day I began to believe my dream. Until one day, un dia, I became my dream and walked into my destiny and purpose!” No abuse or hardship could take those things away from Ruben. Through my up bringing, my education, and my faith, I learned to view obstacles as opportunities, stumbling blocks as stepping stones, and setbacks as a setup to take me where God wanted me to be so that I can bring HOPE to the hopeless, and be a voice.