I was called to the ministry, very young in life. When I was four years old, I remember looking up at the Pastor knowing that one day I would be one myself.  I wish I could say that the road was easy and lined up the way I thought it would be. If it where for no other reason that my parents went to church at the time, it was to bring me to Christ. I am convinced now that my salvation was one of the reasons God had my family in church then.

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My parents left the church a few years after this vision was given to me. My father went back into the drug/drinking life. My mother found some freedom and started a party life then as well. It was a slow fade away from God for my parents, that lead to the ugly divorce that came when I was in sixth grade. The divorce was the climax of the fall away from the church. My parents got into a huge fight one night and my father was on a mission to kill my mother. I remember running in the middle of the night through the desert of Three Point, Arizona. We had to sneak to the neighbor’s house which was about a mile away. I felt alone and scared.

Being a young man without a father is never easy. I did not have a book knowledge of God during this time, but a different discovery relationship with Him. It was personal.  I must go back to a word that was given to me when I was about four or five. The scripture that was given to me was Psalms 119:11 “I have hidden Your word in my heart, so I will not sin against You”. I didn’t understand until later in my life why this scripture was given to me.

I also made it through two tours in the military. Both Iraq and Afghanistan brought loss. This led to a time in my life where I had a lot of anger. Everything made me angry. I used the internet and alcohol to try and mask the pain. God would not let me go too far down this road. With conviction and leading back to where He wanted me to be. I was relieved of this anger one day by the power of God.

I was driving down I-5 the interstate down Washington State. Someone cut me off and anger started to build up in me. At that moment I heard the word “tetelestai”, I did not know until later in bible college that the word meant “It is Finished”. What I did know then though is that I had peace and my anger was gone. This was a time of instant healing.

when I see all the things that God has brought me through, I can live a life of victory. Through the power of God and that personal relationship with Him. I pray for in Jesus name that if this life doesn’t seem awesome now that God will relieve you of your pain. That the savior will give you a vision of the glory to come. That no matter what happening to you, that God will bless you. That through all the struggle and pain, joy will still fall upon you. Amen

                                                        PS. Jesus Garcia
                                                       Freedom River Church