Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz says aside from his parents, he would not be where he is now aspiring for the presidency of the greatest country in the world without a pastor named Brother Gaylon Wiley.
Writing for Charisma News, the senator from Texas shared intimate details of himself and his family and how they all found Jesus Christ.
He mentions one all-important date that will forever be etched in his family's consciousness: April 15, 1975. At precisely 11 p.m. on that date, his dad Rafael, formerly a die-hard atheist, dropped to his knees after being hit "like a sledgehammer" by the words uttered by pastor Wiley who convinced him to give his life to Jesus.
A year before his father's transformation, Cruz says his dad left him and his mother in Calgary, Canada for reasons he could not understand since he was just three years old then. At that time he says both his parents were hard drinkers and neither were Christians yet.
But after getting baptised by Brother Wiley, his father flew back to Calgary and rejoined him and his mother.
Cruz says his father then brought his family to Houston. His mother eventually became a Christian, too. "Thus, by age 4, I was blessed to be being raised in a Christian home with two strong (but new) believers as parents," Cruz says.
He says his family attended Clay Road Baptist Church in Houston and pastored by the same Brother Gaylon Wiley who led his father to Jesus Christ.
Cruz says his own personal transformation came when he was 8 years old during their church's summer camp where he tearfully gave his life to Jesus.
"And it changed my life. To have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, to know that God's only Son died to pay for my sins, that I was fallen that I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, nothing is more important to me. I am a new creature in Christ, and its central to who I am today," Cruz says.
"I couldn't run for president without relying heavily on my faith. When I have doubts, He comforts me. When I am weak, He gives me strength," the senator says. "From the day we launched the campaign, Heidi [his wife] and I have prayed simply that His will would be done. Each day, we try not to seek His hand (asking for help winning the race), but rather to seek His face (praying that his love and glory would be seen every day in the campaign)."
Cruz says when he fights "to defend religious liberty, it's not purely a constitutional matter; it's a lifelong passion and personal commitment. When I stand to defend life and marriage, it is a core tenet of my faith. And when I lead the fight for Israel, it both profoundly benefits our national security and also honors God's promise in Genesis 12:3."
He says not too long ago, during a political rally in Tennessee, he got the surprise of his life when he met Brother Gaylon Wiley again after 34 years. He says he was just 10 years old the last time he saw him. "I had tears in my eyes, to see him after so many years. Afterward, I gave him a really long hug, and said, 'Thank you, thank you for that night in 1975 sharing the gospel to my father.' He simply pointed upward and said, 'To God be the glory.'"
In trembling voice, Cruz says he told Brother Wiley, "If you hadn't shared the gospel that night, my entire life would have been different. I would have been raised by a single mom. She likely would never have known Christ, which means, in all probability, I wouldn't either. Living without my father in the house, and without Jesus in my life, I would have been far more likely to make bad decisions, whether turning to drinking or drugs or even worse. And I never would have met my wife, Heidi, a beautiful Christian woman who was the daughter of missionaries, which means we never would have been able to raise our daughters Caroline and Catherine in a Christian home, where they are taught the Word of God each day.
"All from your sharing the gospel to my father at 11 at night on April 15, 1975. Ripples in a pond, lives changed for three generations. Thank you so very much for heeding the call. For spreading the Good News."
