The Carter Report presents
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The Living Word
around the world.
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Hello, friend. I'm John Carter.
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Welcome today to
The Carter Report.
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In Los Angeles, there are about
a 100,000 plus gang members.
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There are places
where you and I can't go,
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but my guest goes there.
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His name is
Pastor Willie Garcia.
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Welcome today to
The Carter Report.
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God has His time and
His place for everything.
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And the time and the
place now is Latin America,
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including Cuba.
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Time magazine talks about
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the second
Protestant Reformation
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and describes how
hundreds of thousands,
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even millions of Latinos
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are coming to
the Gospel of Christ.
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I'm not an armchair theologian.
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I'm speaking
according to experience.
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I have seen it with my own eyes.
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Recently, we went
down to El Salvador.
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There I spoke in the
largest football stadium
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in Central America
with the biggest crowd
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that that football
stadium had ever, ever seen.
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They came not to
see a football match,
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but to hear about
the blood of Christ.
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Millions are coming
to a knowledge of God
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in Latin America.
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Doors are opening in Cuba.
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Who knows, we may
be going to Cuba soon.
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As the doors open
by the grace of God,
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we are going to
step through those doors.
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And we want you to step
through those doors with us
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and be part of our team
for such a time as this.
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Please write to me,
friend. Don't put it off.
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Write to me, John
Carter, post office box 1900,
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Thousand Oaks, California 91358.
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In Australia,
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write to me at
Terrigal, New South Wales.
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Be part of the
second Reformation.
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Join us and see
the miracles of God.
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Amen.
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Welcome back to
The Carter Report.
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My special guest
today is a great man of God,
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Pastor Willie Garcia,
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who is a pastor to
the gangs of Los Angeles.
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Pastor Garcia, welcome today.
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Thank you, Dr. Carter.
It's a joy to be here with you.
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It's always a
privilege for us to have you
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come with us on
our overseas campaigns,
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come to our church to sing.
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You bless us wherever you go.
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And we look upon you as
one of God's great saints.
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You were with
us in Port Moresby,
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one of the most
dangerous cities in the world.
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Remember Port Moresby?
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I certainly do.
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Some say Port Moresby
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is the most
dangerous city in the world.
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Do you remember,
cast your mind back,
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one night we had a
crowd of about 140,000 people,
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and you saw something
flying over the audience.
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You were
singing. Tell us about it.
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The whole
campaign had been exciting.
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I had never experienced
anything like it in my life.
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I've see films
and I've heard people
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talk about crowds such as this,
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but never stood
in the midst of it.
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And throughout the course
of the time that we were there,
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it was just wonderful.
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I was singing just
before you came out to speak.
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Yeah, I was listening to you.
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And I was singing the song
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'Blessed be the
Lord God Almighty',
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and I had my eyes closed
and the song transitioned
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from English to Spanish.
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And as soon as I
started singing in Spanish,
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I heard this roar
from the audience.
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And I thought to myself,
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"My God, they're
enjoying the Spanish lyric."
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And when I
opened my eyes to look,
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this white dove
was coming right at me.
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Amazing.
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And then just flew over my head
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and it was that that
the crowd was applauding.
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It seemed to be as
if God was telling us,
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"Do not fear, I'm in the midst."
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And I think it happened
twice while we were there.
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Yes.
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One time I actually saw
it circling the audience,
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flying over the
complete audience.
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You did? Yes.
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And then just, just take off.
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And I think that
was the first time,
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I don't think a
lot of the people
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were aware of it at that point.
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No, somebody, a
pastor came to me
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after the first time.
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And he said,
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"My church members
want to talk to you."
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I said, "Yes."
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"They declare that
they saw a white dove."
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Now I didn't see
the dove, it was--
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You know, the meetings at
that stage were in the dark.
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Right. We were showing pictures.
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And all these people, they
said they saw a white dove.
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But it was the night
when you saw the dove,
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when we had this vast crowd.
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Some say we had
150,000 plus people.
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I don't doubt it.
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But I discovered
only the other day,
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somebody wrote to me,
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a man in Australia by
the name of Phil Ward.
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And somebody had contacted him.
Now Phil Ward is a journalist.
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Yes.
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The white dove
was also seen at the--
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on the Saturday morning
at the baptism at Ela Beach.
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I never saw the
white dove there.
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I didn't either.
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But they said tens of
thousands saw the white dove
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coming over the sea.
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Amen.
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But on the last night,
when the white dove came,
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it seemed to come with power
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and the audience became
filled with the spirit of God.
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Yes, yes, yes.
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It was the most exciting thing
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I had ever witnessed in my life.
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I've never
experienced anything like that,
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not a
manifestation of God's presence
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and power like that.
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What impressed you
most, Pastor Garcia,
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about the meetings
in Papua New Guinea?
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I think the hunger
that I experienced,
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or was able to see
in the faces of people,
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and by that I mean
the spiritual hunger
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that they seemed to have.
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These people walked for miles
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to come to the
Pacific Arena, the stadium.
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And they were the
most orderly, polite people
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I have ever seen
or met in my life.
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I was actually able
to walk amongst them
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in that crowd and not get,
you know, pawed all over or--
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My wife Beverley
walked out there, too.
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They were just so
amazingly gracious.
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And their faith,
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I know beyond a
shadow of a doubt
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God honored their
faith night after night
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as they journeyed
from miles around,
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from the highlands,
from whatever villages
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they might have come from.
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I've seen photographs of people
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hanging off a
truck in big numbers.
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And we actually witnessed that
on our way back to the hotel
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after the campaign.
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I mean, the streets
were full of people.
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Yes, walking for miles.
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Thousands, tens of
thousands of people.
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Our hotel I think
was eight miles or so,
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eleven miles
away from the stadium,
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and we could see
people walking all the way
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along our route and beyond.
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I was told
something just the other day
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which will interest you.
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They say that down the
road there were other stadiums,
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outdoor stadiums,
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and people were
footing those stadiums.
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Really?
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Now they
couldn't see the screens,
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but they could
hear the preaching.
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That's right.
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And they say we had no idea
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how many tens of
thousands were standing,
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you know, miles away,
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listening to the
preaching of the Word.
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Amen.
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Well, I saw the
technicians and your team
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setting up screens
and extra PA speakers
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on the side to accommodate that.
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And they mentioned
that beyond the stage,
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at the opposite
end of the stage,
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there was another
small soccer field
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or something that
was full of people.
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The parking lots
surrounding the stadium--
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And the streets.
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And the streets
were just full of people.
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And I just marvel at
God's unconditional love
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and his willingness to
do whatever is necessary
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to use people like
us to reach these souls.
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Your singing has a way
of touching people's hearts.
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I've seldom, if
ever seen anybody
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who has the
rapport with an audience
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that you have, Pastor Garcia.
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When you sing, the
people respond to you.
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And I can remember you
came up one night on the stage
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when I was making an altar call.
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Remember that? Yes.
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And I got you to come up,
and you talked to the people
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and the Spirit of God was there,
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and people were coming forward
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and giving
their lives to Christ.
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This was in what they say
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is the most
dangerous city in the world.
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I've got to tell you this,
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haven't had
opportunity to tell you this.
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A journalist from Australia
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contacted me
recently and he told me,
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"Did you know" he said,
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"thousands of gang
members came to the meetings."
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And they sat way at the
back so you couldn't see them.
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But they were
sitting in their own groups
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and they weren't mingling,
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because they had been
at each other's throats,
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killing each other.
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But in the meetings,
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you had a spirit of
peace and tranquility.
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Absolutely.
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Now Beverley, a lady walking
out there among the people,
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the multitudes, no
reason to be afraid.
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No. No gang activity.
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You know, the greatest antidote
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to gang activity is what you do,
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the preaching of the Gospel.
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Yes.
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Now you came with
us to Johannesburg.
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Yes, I did.
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Tell us about that?
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I just loved it.
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I really was impressed by,
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and it was just
the unique manner
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in which you
captured the audience,
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the way the Lord uses you
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with your background
on history and archeology.
00:10:56.28\00:11:00.16
And so that was a
different type of audience.
00:11:00.19\00:11:03.02
Completely different, isn't it?
00:11:03.06\00:11:04.39
Yes.
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And then the way
you being to align it
00:11:05.79\00:11:08.50
with the scriptures,
00:11:08.53\00:11:10.00
and how responsive
the people are, one,
00:11:10.03\00:11:12.20
because, their interest
in history and archeology,
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I don't know very many people--
00:11:14.97\00:11:16.87
People wonder
why we do it, Willie.
00:11:16.91\00:11:18.57
And the reason we do it,
00:11:18.61\00:11:20.71
I was brought up
in a secular country.
00:11:20.74\00:11:22.91
I wasn't brought
up with people saying,
00:11:22.94\00:11:25.11
"Hallelujah! Praise the Lord."
00:11:25.15\00:11:27.05
Australia is a secular country.
00:11:27.08\00:11:29.25
And so we devised a means
of reaching secular people
00:11:29.28\00:11:34.09
with biblical
archeology and astronomy
00:11:34.12\00:11:37.49
and then leading
them to the Bible
00:11:37.53\00:11:39.63
and then leading them to Christ.
00:11:39.66\00:11:41.26
The facts cannot be disputed.
00:11:41.30\00:11:43.40
And the way you
presented the Gospel
00:11:43.43\00:11:46.67
through that means was
just, it was overwhelming.
00:11:46.70\00:11:49.67
Did you enjoy Johannesburg?
00:11:49.70\00:11:51.04
Absolutely, the people there
were just so, so kind to us.
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And you had a fan club there.
00:11:54.98\00:11:57.31
Don't you remember?
00:11:57.35\00:11:58.68
You know, I do remember that.
00:11:58.71\00:12:00.62
And for that I thank
God for today's media.
00:12:00.65\00:12:04.05
You know, that people
were able to Google me.
00:12:04.09\00:12:06.96
What was your group called?
00:12:06.99\00:12:08.69
Thee Midniters.
00:12:08.72\00:12:10.06
Thee Midniters.
00:12:10.09\00:12:11.43
Yes.
00:12:11.46\00:12:12.79
A famous group around the world.
00:12:12.83\00:12:14.16
And when Pastor Willie G.
00:12:14.20\00:12:16.03
or Little Willie,
as I used to call him
00:12:16.06\00:12:19.40
many years ago, when
he went to South Africa,
00:12:19.43\00:12:22.30
the people knew him,
00:12:22.34\00:12:24.07
because this man was
famous around the world.
00:12:24.11\00:12:26.07
It was amazing to be
welcomed in such a manner.
00:12:26.11\00:12:30.45
And then for me to be
able to impart to them
00:12:30.48\00:12:32.68
that I wasn't that guy anymore.
00:12:32.71\00:12:35.12
No.
00:12:35.15\00:12:36.48
That something
miraculously had happened to me.
00:12:36.52\00:12:38.75
Yeah, He touched you.
00:12:38.79\00:12:40.12
Jesus touched you.
00:12:40.16\00:12:41.49
Yes, He did.
00:12:41.52\00:12:42.86
But as you sang to the people
00:12:42.89\00:12:44.23
in that desperately
needy place, Johannesburg,
00:12:44.26\00:12:47.90
the most
dangerous city in Africa,
00:12:47.93\00:12:51.33
you could see people
responding to the music
00:12:51.37\00:12:54.00
and responding to the
preaching of the Word of God.
00:12:54.04\00:12:57.07
So I just want to say
to you, Pastor Garcia,
00:12:57.11\00:12:59.81
you've touched my life.
00:12:59.84\00:13:01.18
Praise the Lord.
00:13:01.21\00:13:02.54
You've blessed my team.
00:13:02.58\00:13:03.91
We would go with you anywhere.
00:13:03.95\00:13:05.51
Praise God.
00:13:05.55\00:13:06.88
We would ask you to
come with us anywhere.
00:13:06.92\00:13:08.92
We are hoping to go to Cuba.
00:13:08.95\00:13:13.09
We would love you,
if the doors open up
00:13:13.12\00:13:15.76
for you to come with us to Cuba.
00:13:15.79\00:13:18.46
I think they'd know you in Cuba.
00:13:18.49\00:13:19.83
Gloria a Dios, yes.
00:13:19.86\00:13:21.70
And we'll back, don't
go away, after this break.
00:13:21.73\00:13:25.87
You can have all the silver.
00:13:42.55\00:13:46.92
You can have all the gold
00:13:46.96\00:13:50.46
Just give me Jesus
00:13:50.49\00:13:56.53
You can have all the wisdom
00:13:56.56\00:14:00.90
This Earth can hold
00:14:00.94\00:14:04.21
Just give me Jesus
00:14:04.24\00:14:07.14
Give me Jesus
00:14:07.18\00:14:08.98
When I'm lonely,
and I have nowhere to go
00:14:09.01\00:14:14.15
Give me Jesus.
00:14:14.18\00:14:15.78
He's the only
one who loves me so,
00:14:15.82\00:14:21.12
Give me Jesus
00:14:21.16\00:14:22.92
Because Jesus is all I need
00:14:22.96\00:14:29.66
You can have all the spotlights.
00:14:36.20\00:14:39.64
You can have all the fame
00:14:39.67\00:14:43.08
Just give me Jesus
00:14:43.11\00:14:45.78
You can have all the success,
00:14:49.38\00:14:53.62
have your well known name
00:14:53.66\00:14:57.23
Just give me Jesus
00:14:57.26\00:14:59.79
Give me Jesus when I'm lonely,
00:14:59.83\00:15:03.37
And I have nowhere to go,
00:15:03.40\00:15:06.87
Give me Jesus.
00:15:06.90\00:15:08.54
He's the only
one who loves me so
00:15:08.57\00:15:14.04
Give me Jesus
00:15:14.08\00:15:16.18
Because Jesus is all I need.
00:15:16.21\00:15:22.68
He's been my closest
friend when no seemed to care.
00:15:22.72\00:15:27.92
I'm John Carter.
00:15:29.42\00:15:30.76
Welcome back to
The Carter Report.
00:15:30.79\00:15:32.49
And my special guest
today is Pastor Willie Garcia,
00:15:32.53\00:15:36.87
formerly of the...
00:15:36.90\00:15:38.63
Midniters
00:15:38.67\00:15:40.00
The Midniters.
00:15:40.04\00:15:41.37
They were once quite
a group, weren't they?
00:15:41.40\00:15:42.74
Yes, they were.
00:15:42.77\00:15:44.11
Tell me a bit
about the Midniters.
00:15:44.14\00:15:45.47
Well, it's a group
00:15:45.51\00:15:46.84
that I started
with in high school,
00:15:46.88\00:15:48.58
back in 1960.
00:15:48.61\00:15:50.48
In Los Angeles?
00:15:50.51\00:15:51.85
In Los Angeles,
East Lost Angeles.
00:15:51.88\00:15:53.65
I grew up in South
Central Los Angeles.
00:15:53.68\00:15:56.02
That's a rough area, isn't it?
00:15:56.05\00:15:57.39
It's a rough area.
00:15:57.42\00:15:58.75
It was a rough area
growing up, as well.
00:15:58.79\00:16:01.09
Very notorious
gang called 38th Street,
00:16:01.12\00:16:05.76
movies and Broadway musicals
00:16:05.79\00:16:08.06
have been written
about the 38th Street gang.
00:16:08.10\00:16:10.73
Tell me about Thee Midniters.
00:16:10.77\00:16:12.33
Thee Midniters is a
group of individuals that I met
00:16:12.37\00:16:16.40
when I started
going to high school.
00:16:16.44\00:16:18.24
Some of them were
in the music program
00:16:18.27\00:16:20.24
and some of the others
were just working-class kids
00:16:20.28\00:16:24.28
there in East L.A.,
and I joined up with them.
00:16:24.31\00:16:27.82
We weren't Thee
Midniters in the beginning.
00:16:27.85\00:16:29.98
The first name that we had
for the band was The Gentiles.
00:16:30.02\00:16:33.82
The Gentiles.
00:16:33.86\00:16:35.26
And The Gentiles.
00:16:35.29\00:16:36.62
The Gentiles.
00:16:36.66\00:16:37.99
We didn't even
know what it meant.
00:16:38.03\00:16:39.36
No.
00:16:39.39\00:16:40.73
But we had a drummer,
his name was Jerry Ainsworth,
00:16:40.76\00:16:42.90
and his father was
a Russian Orthodox Jew
00:16:42.93\00:16:46.60
and he was actually a Rabbi.
00:16:46.63\00:16:48.64
And Jerry's dad would
yell at us every Wednesday.
00:16:48.67\00:16:52.24
Not so much at us, but
he was yelling at Jerry,
00:16:52.27\00:16:54.68
"What are you doing
with those Gentiles?"
00:16:54.71\00:16:58.01
They're unclean.
00:16:58.05\00:16:59.38
So you were called the Gentiles.
00:16:59.41\00:17:01.32
So we, as a dig to his
dad, we called ourselves--
00:17:01.35\00:17:04.82
we called the band The Gentiles.
00:17:04.85\00:17:06.69
So he had to see that
00:17:06.72\00:17:08.06
as he walked
around Boyle Heights
00:17:08.09\00:17:11.66
on a daily basis,
because we used play a lot
00:17:11.69\00:17:13.83
at the Carpenters'
Hall, the Paramount Ballroom.
00:17:13.86\00:17:17.27
He would see our name on
the posters, 'The Gentiles'.
00:17:17.30\00:17:19.40
But then you
became the Midniters.
00:17:19.43\00:17:21.07
We became the
Midniters because The Gentiles
00:17:21.10\00:17:23.30
wasn't as glamorous as
some of the other bands,
00:17:23.34\00:17:26.47
the names that the bands had.
00:17:26.51\00:17:27.84
Now, the Midniters
became quite famous.
00:17:27.88\00:17:29.58
We did. We did.
00:17:29.61\00:17:30.95
We had our first
hit record in 1964.
00:17:30.98\00:17:35.95
I just graduated
from high school.
00:17:35.98\00:17:37.39
I just turned 18-years-old,
00:17:37.42\00:17:40.06
and we recorded a song called
'Land of a Thousand Dances'
00:17:40.09\00:17:44.76
at a live rock and roll
show at East L.A. college.
00:17:44.79\00:17:48.36
And so this was big thing
for a young man, wasn't it?
00:17:48.40\00:17:51.03
Oh, absolutely, absolutely.
00:17:51.07\00:17:53.54
I never dreamed that,
00:17:53.57\00:17:55.97
that success would
find me at such a young age
00:17:56.00\00:17:59.27
or that I would ever experience
00:17:59.31\00:18:01.28
the dimension of
success that we had.
00:18:01.31\00:18:03.95
But Thee Midniters
became one of the most popular,
00:18:03.98\00:18:07.72
one of the most famous groups
00:18:07.75\00:18:09.65
in the United States of America.
00:18:09.68\00:18:11.22
Yes, we did.
00:18:11.25\00:18:12.59
And you were
called Little Willie.
00:18:12.62\00:18:13.96
Little Willie G. Yeah.
00:18:13.99\00:18:16.42
Now tell me, how did
you come from Thee Midniters
00:18:16.46\00:18:20.86
to become what
you are, a Christian?
00:18:20.90\00:18:23.33
Well, I would say all the basics
00:18:23.37\00:18:26.43
were there growing up.
00:18:26.47\00:18:27.80
I grew up in a godly home.
00:18:27.84\00:18:29.20
My parents loved God.
00:18:29.24\00:18:30.61
Praying mom--
00:18:30.64\00:18:31.97
Oh, you were
blessed. I was blessed.
00:18:32.01\00:18:33.58
I knew you a lot of kids
who didn't have both parents
00:18:33.61\00:18:36.85
or were raised by
their grandparents,
00:18:36.88\00:18:39.05
and so I was blessed growing up,
00:18:39.08\00:18:41.45
you know, a good work
ethic, we went to church,
00:18:41.48\00:18:44.89
I grew up
traditionally in Catholicism.
00:18:44.92\00:18:48.56
So-- Spanish
background, of course.
00:18:48.59\00:18:50.06
Spanish
background, it was there.
00:18:50.09\00:18:51.89
But we learned a healthy respect
00:18:51.93\00:18:54.66
for people, for property--
00:18:54.70\00:18:56.56
And for God. And for God.
00:18:56.60\00:18:58.00
And the Church. And the Church.
00:18:58.03\00:18:59.63
And I believe we possessed
00:18:59.67\00:19:01.17
a lot of the
characteristics of a Christian.
00:19:01.20\00:19:03.44
Absolutely, you did.
00:19:03.47\00:19:04.84
But we did not have Christ.
00:19:04.87\00:19:07.54
And so throughout the
course of my young life,
00:19:07.58\00:19:11.98
I always thought, you
know, because my parents had,
00:19:12.01\00:19:15.22
we went through the
rituals of the church
00:19:15.25\00:19:18.72
I thought I was a
shoe in the heaven.
00:19:18.75\00:19:21.02
Of course, saved by works.
00:19:21.06\00:19:23.09
Yeah. Who needs grace?
00:19:23.12\00:19:25.43
But over the
course of the years,
00:19:25.46\00:19:28.10
after traveling
the world with the band
00:19:28.13\00:19:32.03
and experiencing success,
00:19:32.07\00:19:34.47
I had everything that a
young man could ever want.
00:19:34.50\00:19:37.74
I had reputation, I had
money, I had possessions.
00:19:37.77\00:19:40.94
And you had fame.
00:19:40.98\00:19:42.31
I had fame, but there was
something missing in my life.
00:19:42.34\00:19:47.02
And I believe with
all my heart, Dr. Carter,
00:19:47.05\00:19:49.55
that when God created us,
00:19:49.58\00:19:52.02
He created us intentionally
to be miserable without him.
00:19:52.05\00:19:55.26
Did you know?
00:19:55.29\00:19:56.62
You as a Catholic,
you know Saint Augustine.
00:19:56.66\00:19:59.53
Yes. Augustine.
00:19:59.56\00:20:01.66
He made a tremendous statement.
00:20:01.70\00:20:03.60
He said, "Our
souls were made for God,
00:20:03.63\00:20:07.14
and they cannot rest
until they rest in Him."
00:20:07.17\00:20:11.51
Can you comment on
that? Oh, yes, absolutely.
00:20:11.54\00:20:13.74
That was it. I was restless.
00:20:13.78\00:20:16.08
I knew that there was
something missing in my life,
00:20:16.11\00:20:19.38
and I tried to fill it.
00:20:19.41\00:20:20.75
My first addiction was success.
00:20:20.78\00:20:23.12
It wasn't alcohol, it wasn't
immorality, it wasn't drugs.
00:20:23.15\00:20:26.35
My first addiction was success.
00:20:26.39\00:20:27.89
So you're telling me
that you can have fame,
00:20:27.92\00:20:30.36
you can have lots of money,
00:20:30.39\00:20:31.86
you can have lots of popularity,
00:20:31.89\00:20:33.90
but you're not
going to have peace
00:20:33.93\00:20:35.63
if you don't have Christ.
00:20:35.66\00:20:37.00
That's right. Until you
rest in Him and with Him.
00:20:37.03\00:20:40.04
I was restless.
00:20:40.07\00:20:41.77
I tried filling
that place in my heart
00:20:41.80\00:20:45.04
that rightfully
belongs to God with success,
00:20:45.07\00:20:48.01
with drugs, with alcohol,
00:20:48.04\00:20:49.88
with immorality,
with possessions.
00:20:49.91\00:20:53.52
Paul says,
"We're always learning,
00:20:53.55\00:20:56.02
but we're never able to come
to the knowledge of the truth."
00:20:56.05\00:20:59.55
And that was me.
00:20:59.59\00:21:00.92
So here you are,
00:21:00.96\00:21:02.39
you're very
successful with Thee Midniters.
00:21:02.42\00:21:05.33
You've got plenty of
money, you've got fame,
00:21:05.36\00:21:07.26
you've got
fortune, you've got cars.
00:21:07.30\00:21:09.33
You've got what the
human heart desires,
00:21:09.36\00:21:11.77
but you don't have peace.
00:21:11.80\00:21:13.13
I don't have peace.
How do you find Christ?
00:21:13.17\00:21:14.67
Or how does Christ come to
you, a young man in Los Angeles?
00:21:14.70\00:21:19.31
My dad was a
student of Proverbs,
00:21:19.34\00:21:21.78
of the book of Proverbs.
00:21:21.81\00:21:23.14
He was? Yes.
00:21:23.18\00:21:24.51
And we just thought
dad was witty, you know.
00:21:24.55\00:21:28.95
But you discovered
later it wasn't original.
00:21:28.98\00:21:31.59
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:21:31.62\00:21:33.66
But my dad was always, you know,
00:21:33.69\00:21:35.42
giving us these
witticisms, right?
00:21:35.46\00:21:37.63
So we'd say, "Wow, that's cool."
00:21:37.66\00:21:38.99
You know, and in the hopes that
we would apply it to our lives.
00:21:39.03\00:21:42.13
Yes.
00:21:42.16\00:21:43.50
When I had my first hit record,
00:21:43.53\00:21:45.07
my dad spotted something in me.
00:21:45.10\00:21:48.70
Shortly after, I guess,
00:21:48.74\00:21:50.47
you know,
success will change you.
00:21:50.51\00:21:52.17
Yes. It will change you.
00:21:52.21\00:21:53.88
It'll change the people that
hang around with you as well.
00:21:53.91\00:21:58.91
And my dad, he told
me something one day.
00:21:58.95\00:22:01.58
He said, "Proverbs
16:3." That's all he said.
00:22:01.62\00:22:05.42
Usually he would
quote the scripture.
00:22:05.45\00:22:07.96
It took me 21 years to
go look that scripture.
00:22:07.99\00:22:12.66
What does it say?
00:22:12.69\00:22:14.03
It says, "Commit to
the Lord whatever you do,
00:22:14.06\00:22:16.56
and all your
plans will succeed."
00:22:16.60\00:22:19.70
My dad spotted
00:22:19.73\00:22:21.07
that I was becoming
addicted to success.
00:22:21.10\00:22:23.27
Yes.
00:22:23.30\00:22:24.64
And he knew that
the kind of success
00:22:24.67\00:22:26.27
I was
experiencing would never fill.
00:22:26.31\00:22:28.44
It doesn't last, and it doesn't
fill the void in the soul.
00:22:28.48\00:22:30.88
It doesn't last, no.
00:22:30.91\00:22:32.25
So, but tell me how
did you find Christ?
00:22:32.28\00:22:34.98
How did your life turn around?
00:22:35.02\00:22:37.02
Because now, you are a
minister of the Gospel,
00:22:37.05\00:22:40.29
ministering to the
gangs of Los Angeles.
00:22:40.32\00:22:42.99
Buy the grace of God,
00:22:43.02\00:22:44.36
I had moved back to Los Angeles
00:22:44.39\00:22:46.36
after living in San
Francisco several years.
00:22:46.39\00:22:48.96
I loved San Francisco,
00:22:49.00\00:22:50.77
because if you enjoy sin,
00:22:50.80\00:22:53.17
San Francisco was
the place to live.
00:22:53.20\00:22:54.54
That's the place to go.
00:22:54.57\00:22:55.90
In the '60s and the early '70s.
00:22:55.94\00:22:57.41
And right now too.
00:22:57.44\00:22:58.81
Yeah, and my dad called one day.
00:22:58.84\00:23:02.14
He said, "When
are you coming home?"
00:23:02.18\00:23:03.51
And I said, "Well, I'll
be down to visit you and mom,
00:23:03.55\00:23:05.55
you know, shortly."
00:23:05.58\00:23:06.92
He says, "No,
no, not for a visit.
00:23:06.95\00:23:08.65
I need you to come home."
00:23:08.68\00:23:10.09
I said, "Well,
are you all right?"
00:23:10.12\00:23:11.45
I got concerned
that maybe they were ill.
00:23:11.49\00:23:13.49
And he says,
"No, I'm gonna retire
00:23:13.52\00:23:15.76
and I need you to
come and watch the house.
00:23:15.79\00:23:18.59
You don't have to live in it,
00:23:18.63\00:23:20.10
just find someone
decent enough to take it over,
00:23:20.13\00:23:22.90
rent it to them and
then you can go back
00:23:22.93\00:23:25.13
about your life."
00:23:25.17\00:23:26.60
And I moved back
down to Los Angeles to,
00:23:26.63\00:23:29.84
you know, fulfill my
parents' expectation.
00:23:29.87\00:23:34.21
When I came back to Los Angeles,
00:23:34.24\00:23:36.21
I started doing things
that I said I would never do.
00:23:36.24\00:23:39.11
I mean, I was
already experimenting,
00:23:39.15\00:23:41.35
doing hallucinogenics
and smoking weed,
00:23:41.38\00:23:45.89
and a lot of cocaine.
00:23:45.92\00:23:47.36
There was a lot of
cocaine in our life,
00:23:47.39\00:23:49.49
at that point of my career.
00:23:49.52\00:23:52.09
But I started doing heroin.
00:23:52.13\00:23:54.16
I came back to L.A.
00:23:54.20\00:23:55.53
That's one of
the worst, isn't it?
00:23:55.56\00:23:56.90
One of the worst.
And I started doing that.
00:23:56.93\00:24:00.54
I started doing something
I said I would never do,
00:24:00.57\00:24:03.04
because coming back to L.A.,
00:24:03.07\00:24:05.44
a place that I had
worked so hard to get out of,
00:24:05.47\00:24:09.74
I went through a
period of depression.
00:24:09.78\00:24:12.68
And so for four years,
00:24:12.71\00:24:14.35
I not only did heroin,
I not only shot heroin,
00:24:14.38\00:24:17.99
but I became a
import-exporter of heroin.
00:24:18.02\00:24:22.69
I would go down to Mexico
00:24:22.72\00:24:24.53
and we would smuggle
drugs into the country,
00:24:24.56\00:24:27.10
and I became a
distributor of heroin.
00:24:27.13\00:24:30.13
And it was during
this time in my life
00:24:30.17\00:24:33.34
that my marriage
was going nowhere,
00:24:33.37\00:24:37.27
my wife, by the grace of God
00:24:37.31\00:24:39.91
and her love for
me, she stayed with me.
00:24:39.94\00:24:41.81
We had two young daughters.
00:24:41.84\00:24:43.75
And I began to look at my life.
00:24:43.78\00:24:45.31
The devil just
had me in his grips.
00:24:45.35\00:24:48.12
My wife had a great job
working for Capital Records.
00:24:48.15\00:24:51.02
She used to work
for Kenny Rogers,
00:24:51.05\00:24:53.36
and she had great job.
00:24:53.39\00:24:56.29
But I wasn't doing very much
00:24:56.32\00:24:57.86
except living
off of my reputation
00:24:57.89\00:25:00.50
as that of Willie G.,
00:25:00.53\00:25:01.86
the lead singer
of Thee Midniters.
00:25:01.90\00:25:04.30
I took her to work one morning.
00:25:04.33\00:25:05.67
I came home
00:25:05.70\00:25:07.04
and I couldn't get in the house.
00:25:07.07\00:25:09.67
I opened to door,
00:25:09.70\00:25:11.31
but there was like
an invisible barrier
00:25:11.34\00:25:13.54
preventing me from
walking into my home.
00:25:13.58\00:25:16.51
And I looked around,
00:25:16.54\00:25:18.55
and all I could
see was the things
00:25:18.58\00:25:20.65
that you gather over the years
00:25:20.68\00:25:22.65
that say you're important,
00:25:22.68\00:25:24.02
that you've
accomplished something.
00:25:24.05\00:25:25.39
Stuff.
00:25:25.42\00:25:26.76
All the awards and stuff
00:25:26.79\00:25:28.12
that you put on the
walls to remind yourself
00:25:28.16\00:25:29.76
that you're great, you know.
00:25:29.79\00:25:31.53
And I heard this
voice in my head,
00:25:31.56\00:25:34.93
as if I had on headphones.
00:25:34.96\00:25:36.93
It said, "See,
Willie, you've had it all.
00:25:36.97\00:25:39.60
Everything you've desired to do,
00:25:39.63\00:25:41.37
everything you set out
to do, you've accomplished.
00:25:41.40\00:25:44.01
The only thing left for
you to experience is death."
00:25:44.04\00:25:47.68
I didn't know it was the devil.
00:25:47.71\00:25:50.15
But, you know, when
you're, when you're,
00:25:50.18\00:25:51.91
you know, you
dance with the devil,
00:25:51.95\00:25:53.28
you're gonna get stepped on.
00:25:53.31\00:25:54.65
Yeah, you are.
00:25:54.68\00:25:56.02
As soon as those words
00:25:56.05\00:25:59.15
were repeated in my mind,
00:25:59.19\00:26:01.92
I was released and
I walked in the house.
00:26:01.96\00:26:04.26
And without thinking,
00:26:04.29\00:26:05.63
I just went over to
where I kept my stash.
00:26:05.66\00:26:07.73
My stash is my drugs. Yeah.
00:26:07.76\00:26:09.63
And so I gathered them,
and I went to the family room
00:26:09.66\00:26:12.43
and I sat it on a tray,
00:26:12.47\00:26:13.94
and I sat there
trying to get the courage
00:26:13.97\00:26:16.10
to cook up 4 grams of heroin
and inject it into my body
00:26:16.14\00:26:19.87
and end my life.
00:26:19.91\00:26:21.24
Goodness.
00:26:21.28\00:26:22.61
And as I sat there,
00:26:22.64\00:26:24.08
Doctor, I became to discover
00:26:24.11\00:26:25.48
that I really
didn't want to die.
00:26:25.51\00:26:27.42
Nobody wants to die. No.
00:26:27.45\00:26:29.32
And I started thinking
00:26:29.35\00:26:30.69
there must have
been something in my life
00:26:30.72\00:26:32.32
that I did
good, that I did well,
00:26:32.35\00:26:35.09
all the
telethons for Jerry Lewis,
00:26:35.12\00:26:37.19
and the March of Dimes.
00:26:37.23\00:26:38.89
And there must
have been something
00:26:38.93\00:26:40.93
that I had done in my life
00:26:40.96\00:26:42.43
that was worthwhile and good
00:26:42.46\00:26:43.80
that I can at
least go on living by.
00:26:43.83\00:26:47.07
And the devil just
had me in his grips.
00:26:47.10\00:26:50.31
But during that
darkest moment of my life,
00:26:50.34\00:26:53.04
the telephone rang,
00:26:53.07\00:26:54.84
and I answered
that phone reluctantly.
00:26:54.88\00:26:58.25
I didn't want to answer it
because it was distracting me
00:26:58.28\00:27:01.18
from what I was trying to do.
00:27:01.22\00:27:03.45
At the other end of the line
00:27:03.49\00:27:04.82
was a young man
named Tony Garcia,
00:27:04.85\00:27:06.62
no relation, but he's
someone I went to school with.
00:27:06.65\00:27:08.86
No relation.
00:27:08.89\00:27:10.23
No relation family wise,
but I went to school with him.
00:27:10.26\00:27:13.06
I played in bands with him.
00:27:13.09\00:27:14.66
I always knew there was
something different about Tony.
00:27:14.70\00:27:16.70
I just never knew what it was.
00:27:16.73\00:27:18.77
Well, that day on the telephone,
00:27:18.80\00:27:20.14
he was excited
that he found me home.
00:27:20.17\00:27:22.57
And to make a
short story longer,
00:27:22.60\00:27:27.24
he invited me to hear a
band that he was playing in,
00:27:27.28\00:27:31.21
and that they were
recording television programs
00:27:31.25\00:27:33.98
that we're being aired
00:27:34.02\00:27:35.35
in Mexico Central
and South America.
00:27:35.38\00:27:38.25
And opportunist that
I was, I agreed to go.
00:27:38.29\00:27:41.76
And I ended up
00:27:41.79\00:27:43.59
at another local
television station
00:27:43.63\00:27:47.03
called KTBN, Channel 40.
00:27:47.06\00:27:50.33
And it was there
00:27:50.37\00:27:51.70
that I was exposed to
the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
00:27:51.73\00:27:54.17
Now we're going to
take a little pause.
00:27:54.20\00:27:56.87
And we're gonna be back
in just a moment or two,
00:27:56.91\00:28:00.68
and Pastor Garcia
is going to tell you
00:28:00.71\00:28:02.74
how he escaped
the world of drugs
00:28:02.78\00:28:05.95
and became a
minister of the Gospel,
00:28:05.98\00:28:09.18
so that now he
preaches the Gospel
00:28:09.22\00:28:11.55
to the gangs of Los Angeles.
00:28:11.59\00:28:13.25
Don't go away, we'll be back.
00:28:13.29\00:28:15.26
Who was is, and is to come
00:28:25.13\00:28:30.14
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
00:28:30.17\00:28:37.45
Who reigns forever more
00:28:37.48\00:28:42.78
Evermore
00:28:46.39\00:28:50.43
Hallelujah!
00:28:50.46\00:28:51.79
Glory to God
00:28:54.60\00:28:55.93