I can still remember the day that I became a Christian. It was on June 27, 1994, at a John Jacobs and the Power Team Crusade in Eugene, Oregon.

I was assigned to be the security guard to help maintain crowd control. I can remember at the time I was not all too thrilled at being given this assignment and tried very hard to get out of it. But, my boss simply would not let me. This was a 4-day assignment. I was also assigned a motel room close to where they had the crusade.

I remember when Mike (one of the Power Team members) asked if I was a Christian. I replied "Nope, and I am doing just fine without Jesus in my life and have no desire to become a Christian." I think that Mike was shocked at how fast I answered his question. I remember a few minutes later after he left, he came back with the rest of the 6 members who had come. Now you have to understand that I am only 5 feet 3 inches tall, and these guys stood an average of 6 feet, weighing 220 to 250 pounds of all muscle. So, in a way, I was a little scared when all of them approached me.

We all sat down, and they asked me why I was not a Christian. I remember telling them that I was brought up by very strict, adoptive Catholic parents and that I was sent to Catholic school (which I hated), so I hated having "the Word" shoved down my throat and not having a free choice. So I made a promise to myself that once I was free of my childhood home, I was not going to have a thing to do with church again. I think that they were shocked at how strong-willed I was and how I was unwilling to change my ways.

Well, that did it. They opened up the Bible and started to share God's Word with me. I could see that I was not going to win this battle so I listened. Something inside me began to melt and before I knew it, I was in full-blown tears and asking Jesus to become my Lord and Savior.

Well, that was 12 years ago, and I am still a Christian. And, because of having Jesus in my life, I have seen many new and wonderful places. I’ve been to Washington State, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Texas, Florida, Maryland, Delaware, Idaho, Nebraska, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, and now my current home, Virginia.

Something I must also share is I now believe that God brought those men into my life for a reason, and, that in his own time, he will reveal what he has in store for me. No matter where the Holy Spirit may lead, I will follow.

I don't know where to begin, but I'd say the end and beginning for me was in July 2003, in my sister Kim's car. We were on our way to her house. I can remember as if it were yesterday. Kim picked me up from my apartment after my roommate and I had a very serious disagreement. We were at the intersection of Annapolis Road and Route 3, when she said to me "All you have to do is give your life to Jesus." I had always thought a person had to attend religious services, talk to a pastor or "clean up your act" to get saved. I thought it was by a person's works that salvation is earned. That day, I repented of my sins and gave my life to Jesus. It took about two more weeks before I stopped using drugs. In fact, even when I went to the Triumphant Church with my sister prior to the day of my salvation, I was still using.

On Friday, August 8, 2003, I began to lift up God with my obedience to Him. On Saturday, August 9, 2003, Pastors LeRoy and Rita Thompson came to my sister's home to pray for the Lord's deliverance and healing in my life. At the same time, the church elders were praying in agreement. Through the Holy Spirit, the pastors urged me to find a place that night where I could get treatment. My sister and I went to a nearby hospital, but were told that the detox program would not be accepting anymore intakes for the next two months. Then, the hospital associate told us about a place called Save the Seed (STS), a deliverance ministry in Waldorf, MD. He called the facility. I was told to come to their Sunday worship service the next day, August 10, and that I needed a sponsor. Kim volunteered to be my sponsor. I went into the ministry not knowing what to expect. That day, I entered the Seed. On May 21, 2004, I graduated from the ministry through obedience to God.

When I walked through the doors of STS, I had no knowledge of what faith is. But since then, God, our Creator, has revealed to me that I've always had faith. He creates us with the ability to have faith. The problem was I put faith in the wrong things.

God is the reason that I'm not on drugs, don't smoke cigarettes or drink. He always had a plan, a purpose for my life. Since I was 12 years old, drugs had played an important part in my life. This year, 2004, is very special. It's the first time in 32 years that I've been free from bondage to drugs.

It's not easy. The mind is a battlefield for Satan, and he will replay your past and tempt you. But, I've got the best weapon ever, Jesus, my Lord and Savior.

The work that God is doing within me continues. Salvation is a gift from God. By God's grace through my faith in the blood of Jesus Christ, I am saved. To this day, I repeat two scriptures when it gets difficult:

Proverbs 3:5 (KJV)
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

Matthew 6:33 (KJV); Jesus the Christ speaking:
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."