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>> Welcome to It Is Written
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Canada.
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Thank you for joining us.
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Our special guest on It Is
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Written Canada today is Jerry
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Shiel who has become a friend
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of ours and he lived on the
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streets from when he was a
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teenager, he kept getting into
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trouble with the law because
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of drugs and violence and that
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meant that he ended up in and
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out of jail.
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>> Then Jerry hit it big time
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working as a model in Los
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Angeles and Dallas, but God
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had other plans for his life.
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Jerry, we are so excited to
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hear your intriguing story.
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Thank you so much for joining
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us on It Is Written Canada
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today.
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>> Well, thank you.
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It's a pleasure, Mike and
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René, to see you again.
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It's a gift, thank you.
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>> So, Jerry, I want you to
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take us back to those early
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years, you grew up in a big
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family in Ontario, how did the
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experience you had then
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influence the choices that
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you made?
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>> Yes, first of all, I would
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like to say a couple things is
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that this is a testimony of
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Jesus, of His grace, and what
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can happen when you exercise
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your freedom of choice.
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And Revelation 12:11...
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The other thing is is that
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what I'm gonna be sharing is
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just a point of reference, not
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a place of residence and I no
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longer live there.
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Praise God for that.
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The other thing is is that
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what I'm gonna be sharing
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about our folks.
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Mom and Dad, they did the best
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that they could with the tools
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that they had and I thank them
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very much for it.
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As a youngster, I'm fourth of
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nine, six girls and three boys.
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And when I was about a year
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old, my mom had a nervous
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break-down and our family was
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split up with other members of
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the church and then once she
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became out of the hospital,
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she-- we all got back together
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again in the family.
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And also, actually before I
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was born, my older sister,
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Mary, said, "And the next boy
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we have, let's call him
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Moses," and that's how I got
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my legal middle name is Moses.
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>> So this was a tough time
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for you.
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You ended up living with some
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church family for a while then
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you came back home.
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Where would you go when you
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went through tough times?
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>> Well, Dad was a firm
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believer in corporal punishment.
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He came from an Orthodox
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background then he became
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Seventh-day Adventist, and so
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the law was very important to
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him and so whenever I would do
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something that was serious, it
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was a lecture of God,
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then the strap.
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So I started associating God
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with discipline and pain and
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also when I'd see my older
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sisters get disciplined, it
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really caused confusion in me
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because I was associating God
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with punishment and pain.
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And that would hurt, very
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confusing, and I would go down
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by the river, my spot by the
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river, I'd just sit there,
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sometimes fish, but sometimes
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just sit there and just could
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be by myself and actually in a
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lot of pain.
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And I could recall when Dad
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would be giving me the
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discipline that I'd be
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thinking, "Dad, I don't wanna
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"hear anymore about God.
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"I just want you to get to
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"know what I'm going through,
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what's going on in my mind."
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And I wish I might've-- I
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could've said it to him.
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At that early age, I started
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to lie a lot because I didn't
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know how to deal with conflict.
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I think that's probably one of
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the reasons why.
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I'd just start lying, lying
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and stealing.
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Again, even though Dad believed
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in corporal punishment, never
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do I ever recall on the farm
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when the equipment broke down
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or not enough rain or
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whatever, that he even raised
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his voice at us because of
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that, it was just that he just
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believed in that one thing and
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that's that punishment.
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But he had a good, kind heart,
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too, though.
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>> So then, Jerry, your dad's
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strictness really affected
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your picture of God.
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>> Yes, yes it really did and
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just as some mean old character
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up in the sky.
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>> So what about outside of
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the home?
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How were you influenced, like,
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at school, at church?
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>> Well, I failed grade one
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and I failed grade two and I
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can recall having a
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parent-teacher-student
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get-together, I think it was
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in grade two, and the teacher
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just said to my parents while
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I was present that, "Your son
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is backward."
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And so, in other words,
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something's wrong with me, I'm
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retarded or whatever it was,
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and my self-esteem was very
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low, very, very low.
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I can recall also that I'd
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always get the lowest marks in
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the class and at that time
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they had, with a red marker,
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it'd be a happy face if you
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did well and it'd be a crying
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face if you just squeaked in,
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I mean a sad face if you just
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squeaked in, and a crying face
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if you failed.
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And I recall that whenever I
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got a sad face, I thought I
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struck gold 'cause most of the
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time it was a crying face.
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So that's what I associated
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with, right?
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Also with the teacher, back
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then one teacher would--
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whoever had the lowest mark in
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the class would put their mark
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up on the doorway so when you
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go in and out of the classroom,
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everybody would see it and guess
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whose mark would be on there.
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So as a youngster, I would
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take it out in violence in the
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school yard.
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So it did affect me a lot.
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At age eight I was in trouble
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with the police with, at that
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time, if you didn't have a
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stamp, you just put a nickel
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on it.
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[MIKE] You would tape it onto
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the envelope.
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>> You would tape it onto the
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envelope and I found that out
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at eight years old so I was
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out stealing mail.
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I didn't know how serious that
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was, but I had all this mail
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stacked and they didn't know
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where all the mail was going,
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but we had a crawl-space in
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our house and I had all the
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mail stacked there and I was
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collecting the money and I got
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in trouble with the police so
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it was my first time in
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trouble with the police.
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And at church I was-- offering
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plate, I can recall times when
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the offering plate would go
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by, I'd steal money off the
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offering plate and Dad would
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catch me then get home on
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Sabbath and get the strap,
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first tell about God then get
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the strap.
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I never recall Dad asking what
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was going through my head or
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anything and I really didn't
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know myself, I knew it was
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wrong, but I would be stealing.
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And when they'd have, like,
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stand up and do your memory
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verses, oh man, I'd just be
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sweating under the arms, it
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was just agony to be talking
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and go in front of anybody
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'cause I couldn't remember it.
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I didn't know at that time
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that I had dyslexia and I just
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thought I was dumb, you know?
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It was tough.
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And about the age of twelve in
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that area, an older youth from
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church came onto me sexually
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and then-- it was an older
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female.
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So that was my two experiences
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sexually and it really threw
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me sort of for a loop mentally
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and that, then I start getting
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into pornography at that time.
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>> So, Jerry, how did all
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those experiences affect
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your life?
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>> Well, when I was young, I
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would sneak out from the farm
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and head into town and hang
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out with people at night time
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and those guys were actually
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people who were hurting, too,
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and wanted a sense of
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belonging and we started a
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street gang.
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And I also I got more involved
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and more promiscuous with women.
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Just that pain that was in my
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life and got more involved
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into the drugs and drinking.
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>> Sounds like you were
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drifting further and further
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from your parental home.
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[JERRY] Yes, around 16 is when
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I left.
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Now, I wasn't kicked out, I
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left, I knew the rules, but I
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chose to leave and from there,
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I start just living on the
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streets in old cars, hallways,
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bathrooms, laundromats,
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wherever I could find a place
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to stay.
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>> Mmm, we're living in
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Canada, so it's pretty cold
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out there.
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>> Yeah, and you know the sad
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thing is, too, is that I'd
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meet some women, you know, and
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I know I could get fed so I'd
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spend time with them, OK, then
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I'd get fed then leave the
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next day so that was the other
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way of being on the streets in
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that whole scene.
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>> What about food?
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>> Oh, food.
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Well, I can recall times when,
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Dairy Bar in Port Dover,
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Ontario, sitting down with
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other people and I didn't have
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any money and I would ask for
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a cup of hot water and get
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ketchup and I'd make my
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ketchup soup.
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You know, the sad thing is is
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that I never pan-handled from
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people, but I stole from them.
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And what was going through my
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mind at that time is that I
00:11:13.13\00:11:15.67
had such a fear, insecure, and
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I had such a fear of rejection
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that if I asked somebody for
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something, if they said "no,"
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that would really hurt, but I,
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in my mind, I just stole.
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Sad, but that's what I did.
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>> So, Jerry, while you were
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away from home did your parents
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or anyone in your family ever
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come looking for you?
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>> Yes, I was in Kitchener and
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I don't know how they found--
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my dad and my brother came and
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we went to the car and I was
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sitting in the back of the car
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and I remember Dad giving the
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food and when I was having the
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food, Dad just turned around
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and very kindly said to me,
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"Would you like to come home?"
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And, you know, a part of me
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wanted to go, you know, but
00:12:07.52\00:12:10.26
there's an addiction on the
00:12:10.26\00:12:12.03
street, too, that lifestyle.
00:12:12.03\00:12:15.16
And also I didn't wanna go
00:12:15.16\00:12:18.53
home because I didn't want any
00:12:18.53\00:12:20.10
more about religion
00:12:20.10\00:12:21.74
so I said "no."
00:12:21.74\00:12:23.44
And I know, I remember I can
00:12:23.44\00:12:25.51
see my dad's face, the pain
00:12:25.51\00:12:28.28
that was there when I said "no."
00:12:28.28\00:12:30.08
¤I've wandered far
00:12:32.21\00:12:36.08
¤away from God
00:12:36.08\00:12:40.96
¤Now I'm coming home
00:12:40.96\00:12:47.83
¤The paths of sin
00:12:47.83\00:12:51.63
¤too long I've trod
00:12:51.63\00:12:55.97
¤Lord, I'm coming home
00:12:55.97\00:13:03.68
¤Coming home, coming home
00:13:03.68\00:13:11.15
¤Nevermore to roam
00:13:11.15\00:13:18.86
¤Open wide Thine arms of love
00:13:18.86\00:13:26.30
¤Lord, I'm coming home
00:13:26.30\00:13:33.31
¤My only hope
00:13:33.31\00:13:37.55
¤my only plea
00:13:37.55\00:13:42.18
¤Now I'm coming home
00:13:42.18\00:13:48.56
¤That Jesus died
00:13:48.56\00:13:52.33
¤and died for me
00:13:52.33\00:13:56.46
¤Lord, I'm coming home
00:13:56.46\00:14:03.24
¤Coming home, coming home
00:14:04.51\00:14:12.61
¤Nevermore to roam
00:14:12.61\00:14:21.12
¤Open wide Thine arms of love
00:14:21.12\00:14:29.20
¤Lord, I'm coming home
00:14:29.20\00:14:39.44
>> So, Jerry, you weren't
00:14:43.95\00:14:45.41
ready to come home yet.
00:14:45.41\00:14:47.28
So what happened after you
00:14:47.28\00:14:48.65
told your dad, "No, I'm not
00:14:48.65\00:14:50.52
coming home?"
00:14:50.52\00:14:51.92
>> Well, I continued to live
00:14:51.92\00:14:53.29
on the streets wherever I
00:14:53.29\00:14:55.86
could stay and the-- more into
00:14:55.86\00:15:00.86
the drugs, into the crime life
00:15:00.86\00:15:03.10
and got charged for, you know,
00:15:03.10\00:15:07.34
for break-and-enter so I got a
00:15:07.34\00:15:08.97
year in jail for that then I
00:15:08.97\00:15:10.81
was dealing in drugs and I got
00:15:10.81\00:15:12.81
four months for that, then a
00:15:12.81\00:15:14.74
drug-dealing partner I had, he
00:15:14.74\00:15:17.01
did something that he shouldn't
00:15:17.01\00:15:18.61
have done and I did something
00:15:18.61\00:15:20.25
I shouldn't have done, a home
00:15:20.25\00:15:22.05
invasion, and so I end up
00:15:22.05\00:15:26.76
staying in the London County
00:15:26.76\00:15:28.26
Jail for seven months.
00:15:28.26\00:15:29.66
And when I was there...
00:15:29.66\00:15:31.69
the characters that were there
00:15:33.80\00:15:35.56
were pretty heavy dudes, you
00:15:35.56\00:15:37.63
know, and the one individual I
00:15:37.63\00:15:40.84
became closer with and I just
00:15:40.84\00:15:43.07
knew that I was going deeper
00:15:43.07\00:15:44.74
than what I should have been
00:15:44.74\00:15:46.14
going deep into.
00:15:46.14\00:15:47.31
So since all my charges were
00:15:47.31\00:15:49.34
dealt with, I could be
00:15:49.34\00:15:50.88
transferred, so I just asked
00:15:50.88\00:15:52.41
the warden, I just said, "Hey,
00:15:52.41\00:15:53.62
"you know what, I'm starting
00:15:53.62\00:15:55.12
"to lose my mind here, can I
00:15:55.12\00:15:56.82
start going to do my time?"
00:15:56.82\00:15:58.39
And he said, "Yes," so they
00:15:58.39\00:15:59.95
transferred me to the jail to
00:15:59.95\00:16:01.62
where I was to go.
00:16:01.62\00:16:03.49
[MIKE] So God was working in
00:16:03.49\00:16:05.09
your life as well because you
00:16:05.09\00:16:06.49
just about lost your life
00:16:06.49\00:16:07.76
one day.
00:16:07.76\00:16:08.66
>> Yes, it was when I was in
00:16:08.66\00:16:11.17
Port Dover, there was a boat
00:16:11.17\00:16:13.03
called Aletha B. and I was on
00:16:13.03\00:16:15.27
the streets at that time and
00:16:15.27\00:16:18.01
they had bunks in there so I
00:16:18.01\00:16:19.94
was sleeping on the Aletha B.
00:16:19.94\00:16:21.51
and I was working on the
00:16:21.51\00:16:22.98
Aletha B. and I don't know
00:16:22.98\00:16:24.68
exactly what happened, but I
00:16:24.68\00:16:26.55
didn't come to work and when I
00:16:26.55\00:16:28.98
did come back, I went to a
00:16:28.98\00:16:32.12
little restaurant where the
00:16:32.12\00:16:33.59
fishermen hang out and Loppy
00:16:33.59\00:16:34.89
Coleson, one of the fishermen
00:16:34.89\00:16:36.06
came out and said, "Shiel, did
00:16:36.06\00:16:37.39
you hear what happened?"
00:16:37.39\00:16:38.53
I said, "No."
00:16:38.53\00:16:39.83
And he said, "You know what,
00:16:39.83\00:16:41.13
"you didn't come and Dale got
00:16:41.13\00:16:42.43
his brother, Wayne, and the boat
00:16:42.43\00:16:44.03
capsized this morning and both
00:16:44.03\00:16:46.10
of them drowned."
00:16:46.10\00:16:47.97
And I think about it, that
00:16:47.97\00:16:50.01
Wayne was a stand-up guy, my
00:16:50.01\00:16:52.04
age, and he dies and it should
00:16:52.04\00:16:57.45
have been me working on that
00:16:57.45\00:16:59.05
boat, but it reminds me of how
00:16:59.05\00:17:01.98
Christ stood in for us, an
00:17:01.98\00:17:04.29
innocent person, and it was
00:17:04.29\00:17:06.99
pretty tough at that time.
00:17:06.99\00:17:08.92
[RENÉ] So, Jerry, did you ever
00:17:10.49\00:17:12.69
settle down and get a
00:17:12.69\00:17:14.30
steady job?
00:17:14.30\00:17:15.53
>> Well, I made my way out to,
00:17:15.53\00:17:16.93
after getting out of jail, I
00:17:16.93\00:17:18.80
made my way out to Victoria,
00:17:18.80\00:17:21.80
I was about 20-some years old
00:17:21.80\00:17:24.31
and sweeping floors in
00:17:24.31\00:17:26.04
construction sites and working
00:17:26.04\00:17:28.54
as a bouncer in a gay bar and,
00:17:28.54\00:17:30.15
you know, and all these
00:17:30.15\00:17:31.68
different places, right, just
00:17:31.68\00:17:33.35
jobs, whatever I could get.
00:17:33.35\00:17:35.02
And one day I was at a mall
00:17:35.02\00:17:39.85
and a lady approached me and
00:17:39.85\00:17:41.56
she said, "Have you ever
00:17:41.56\00:17:42.79
thought of modelling?"
00:17:42.79\00:17:43.79
And I said, "No."
00:17:43.79\00:17:44.93
And she says, "Well, my
00:17:44.93\00:17:46.19
"husband and I, we have an ageny
00:17:46.19\00:17:47.76
and we can give you work."
00:17:47.76\00:17:49.80
And I didn't wanna pay.
00:17:49.80\00:17:51.17
She says, "Well, we'll train
00:17:51.17\00:17:52.60
you."
00:17:52.60\00:17:53.44
So they trained me and I did
00:17:53.44\00:17:54.80
my first show out of Victoria
00:17:54.80\00:17:57.21
and from there I left and I
00:17:57.21\00:18:01.98
went to Los Angeles.
00:18:01.98\00:18:03.85
>> Hmm, what was that like?
00:18:03.85\00:18:05.05
Living in Los Angeles,
00:18:05.05\00:18:06.25
Hollywood...
00:18:06.25\00:18:07.48
[JERRY] Well, you know, as they
00:18:07.48\00:18:09.35
say, it was a crazy time in
00:18:09.35\00:18:11.02
1977, and, you know, and the
00:18:11.02\00:18:12.75
other sad thing, too, is that
00:18:12.75\00:18:14.99
I was hurting at that time
00:18:14.99\00:18:17.73
also and I was actually
00:18:17.73\00:18:20.63
thinking, "I'm gonna go to
00:18:20.63\00:18:22.30
"Hollywood, Beverly Hills, I'm
00:18:22.30\00:18:24.93
gonna find some rich woman."
00:18:24.93\00:18:26.47
That's what I actually was
00:18:26.47\00:18:27.84
thinking, survival.
00:18:27.84\00:18:29.44
And I was there not too long
00:18:29.44\00:18:31.67
and I end up with-- I got a
00:18:31.67\00:18:33.27
personal manager and did the
00:18:33.27\00:18:35.98
training and, but all that
00:18:35.98\00:18:37.98
time I was just, you know,
00:18:37.98\00:18:40.02
into the drug scene and the
00:18:40.02\00:18:43.05
music scene with musicians and
00:18:43.05\00:18:45.82
I'd be sent out to a TV show,
00:18:45.82\00:18:48.52
actually The Jeffersons, to
00:18:48.52\00:18:50.29
read, they wanted a male model
00:18:50.29\00:18:51.96
in this part and I couldn't--
00:18:51.96\00:18:53.46
I had the script, I couldn't
00:18:53.46\00:18:55.03
remember the lines and, again,
00:18:55.03\00:18:57.37
I didn't know that I was
00:18:57.37\00:18:59.27
dealing with this dyslexia.
00:18:59.27\00:19:01.07
But all that time I was just
00:19:01.07\00:19:02.77
hurting, hurting in my life.
00:19:02.77\00:19:05.87
And also I had a friend of
00:19:05.87\00:19:08.01
mine, she worked for head of
00:19:08.01\00:19:10.18
promotions for RCA Records so
00:19:10.18\00:19:12.01
she'd go to these functions,
00:19:12.01\00:19:13.92
and they were like big parties
00:19:13.92\00:19:15.38
and she asked me if I'd
00:19:15.38\00:19:17.75
chaperone her and I said,
00:19:17.75\00:19:20.19
"Sure," and she was a
00:19:20.19\00:19:21.32
photographer for-- a
00:19:21.32\00:19:22.76
professional photographer also.
00:19:22.76\00:19:24.33
So it was a platonic friendship
00:19:24.33\00:19:25.93
and I'd just go to these parties
00:19:25.93\00:19:27.66
and just watch out for her.
00:19:27.66\00:19:29.33
She'd go and mingle with the
00:19:29.33\00:19:30.80
people she'd need to mingle
00:19:30.80\00:19:32.10
with and I'd stay back then
00:19:32.10\00:19:33.30
she'd motion for me and I'd
00:19:33.30\00:19:34.97
come in and just sort of let
00:19:34.97\00:19:37.74
them know that I was-- we were
00:19:37.74\00:19:39.91
together.
00:19:39.91\00:19:41.08
>> So, Jerry, now you're doing
00:19:41.08\00:19:42.74
modelling, did that boost your
00:19:42.74\00:19:44.38
self-esteem a little?
00:19:44.38\00:19:46.21
>> Yes, it did, but it was
00:19:46.21\00:19:48.75
phony, it was a phony lifestyle
00:19:48.75\00:19:51.29
and I was phony and--
00:19:51.29\00:19:54.39
but to tell you the truth, I
00:19:54.39\00:19:56.22
was more interested in the
00:19:56.22\00:19:58.23
drugs and the partying and
00:19:58.23\00:20:00.16
hanging out with people than I
00:20:00.16\00:20:01.76
was with that.
00:20:01.76\00:20:03.53
It was a phony life,
00:20:03.53\00:20:04.97
a hurting life.
00:20:04.97\00:20:06.47
>> Jerry, did you stay in Los
00:20:07.50\00:20:09.00
Angeles then?
00:20:09.00\00:20:10.54
>> No, what I did is a sent my
00:20:10.54\00:20:12.21
headshot out to Kim Dawson
00:20:12.21\00:20:14.04
Agency in Dallas and she said,
00:20:14.04\00:20:16.01
"Come on out."
00:20:16.01\00:20:17.55
So I went to Dallas and I was
00:20:17.55\00:20:19.98
getting work there fairly
00:20:19.98\00:20:21.68
quickly, but at the same time
00:20:21.68\00:20:23.42
dealing with an eating
00:20:23.42\00:20:25.55
disorder, even in Los Angeles.
00:20:25.55\00:20:27.72
I'd eat and, like, on a--
00:20:27.72\00:20:30.93
waiting for between shots or
00:20:30.93\00:20:32.99
whatever, there'd be food there
00:20:32.99\00:20:34.50
and I'd be just eating donuts,
00:20:34.50\00:20:36.10
maybe twelve donuts and pecan
00:20:36.10\00:20:38.27
pie and then just go until my
00:20:38.27\00:20:40.07
stomach ached and then go back
00:20:40.07\00:20:42.67
out and throw up and just come
00:20:42.67\00:20:44.11
back over and do it again.
00:20:44.11\00:20:45.71
But the amazing thing is that
00:20:45.71\00:20:49.18
feeling that pain was better
00:20:49.18\00:20:51.51
than feeling nothing at all
00:20:51.51\00:20:53.08
at that time.
00:20:53.08\00:20:54.65
>> So, Jerry, were you aware
00:20:55.78\00:20:58.22
that God was working on your
00:20:58.22\00:21:00.16
heart at all during this time?
00:21:00.16\00:21:03.29
>> I don't know if I was aware
00:21:03.29\00:21:06.33
that He was or not, but I knew
00:21:06.33\00:21:08.30
my parents were praying for me.
00:21:08.30\00:21:10.50
But one day when I was in
00:21:10.50\00:21:12.80
Dallas and I was at the YMCA
00:21:12.80\00:21:14.80
and this sort of rugged looking
00:21:14.80\00:21:16.44
character, a little older than
00:21:16.44\00:21:17.87
myself, he just said to me, so
00:21:17.87\00:21:19.17
he introduced himself, asked
00:21:19.17\00:21:20.68
me what I did, you know, and I
00:21:20.68\00:21:22.48
made it sound pretty good and
00:21:22.48\00:21:24.05
I said, "What about you?"
00:21:24.05\00:21:25.48
And he goes, "Well, I used to
00:21:25.48\00:21:27.05
"ride the rodeo and the Lord
00:21:27.05\00:21:29.22
"called me out of it and I'm
00:21:29.22\00:21:31.02
studying for the ministry."
00:21:31.02\00:21:32.79
It was the first personal
00:21:32.79\00:21:35.29
testimony, very brief, but
00:21:35.29\00:21:37.46
this guy was real and he was
00:21:37.46\00:21:40.03
going to the Baptist Church
00:21:40.03\00:21:41.53
and he invited me to go to the
00:21:41.53\00:21:42.90
Baptist Church a few times so
00:21:42.90\00:21:44.13
I went a few times with him.
00:21:44.13\00:21:45.90
And-- but one day I was going
00:21:45.90\00:21:49.84
by this farmer's market and it
00:21:49.84\00:21:52.24
was closed and I picked up
00:21:52.24\00:21:53.71
this watermelon, I stole the
00:21:53.71\00:21:55.04
watermelon.
00:21:55.04\00:21:56.04
I didn't need to, I had money,
00:21:56.04\00:21:57.55
I stole this watermelon, still
00:21:57.55\00:21:59.01
a hold on me, and went and
00:21:59.01\00:22:01.32
shared it with this guy.
00:22:01.32\00:22:02.82
I didn't tell him I stole it,
00:22:02.82\00:22:04.45
but I went and shared it
00:22:04.45\00:22:05.69
with him.
00:22:05.69\00:22:07.06
Anyways, sometime after that,
00:22:07.06\00:22:08.86
it was at a roommate, she was
00:22:08.86\00:22:11.59
actually a platonic roommate,
00:22:11.59\00:22:13.76
she was an officer, police
00:22:13.76\00:22:15.50
office, Dallas Police Force
00:22:15.50\00:22:16.83
and her and I would get high
00:22:16.83\00:22:18.27
together and I-- one day,
00:22:18.27\00:22:21.07
before my appointment with an
00:22:21.07\00:22:24.31
advertising agency, I had my
00:22:24.31\00:22:27.08
portfolio in my hand and I was
00:22:27.08\00:22:29.84
going down, I was early and I
00:22:29.84\00:22:31.55
was sitting beside this river,
00:22:31.55\00:22:33.55
and I like rivers, and I had
00:22:33.55\00:22:35.55
this in my hand and sitting
00:22:35.55\00:22:38.85
there and having all that pain
00:22:38.85\00:22:41.59
in my life and I remember
00:22:41.59\00:22:45.19
calling out to God.
00:22:45.19\00:22:48.33
And I don't know the exact
00:22:48.33\00:22:50.00
words, but I knew it was to
00:22:50.00\00:22:52.23
surrender and ask Him for a
00:22:52.23\00:22:54.40
change in my life.
00:22:54.40\00:22:56.00
And I had a peace, hard to
00:22:56.00\00:22:57.84
describe, it was a peace that
00:22:57.84\00:22:59.51
I got.
00:22:59.51\00:23:00.61
And I'd been on many drugs and
00:23:00.61\00:23:01.98
experiences, but it wasn't
00:23:01.98\00:23:03.21
like that.
00:23:03.21\00:23:04.55
It wasn't a feeling, it was an
00:23:04.55\00:23:06.38
awareness.
00:23:06.38\00:23:07.95
And I remember sitting there
00:23:08.98\00:23:10.75
and having that peace.
00:23:10.75\00:23:12.92
And I said something along
00:23:12.92\00:23:14.49
the lines of, "What now?"
00:23:14.49\00:23:16.39
And it was not an audible
00:23:17.69\00:23:20.43
voice, but it was, "Do you
00:23:20.43\00:23:24.27
"know that watermelon that
00:23:24.27\00:23:26.07
you took?"
00:23:26.07\00:23:27.34
It wasn't condemning neither
00:23:27.34\00:23:29.84
and I'm going, "Yes," like this
00:23:29.84\00:23:33.38
And I felt something on my
00:23:33.38\00:23:35.18
shoulder, it was warm,
00:23:35.18\00:23:37.18
felt something on my shoulder
00:23:37.18\00:23:39.28
and it was like a little
00:23:39.28\00:23:40.72
nudge: "Let's go make it right."
00:23:40.72\00:23:44.55
Total different than being
00:23:44.55\00:23:47.42
charged or getting the strap
00:23:47.42\00:23:49.22
or even  a "go to hell" or
00:23:49.22\00:23:51.03
whatever it is, "Let's go make
00:23:51.03\00:23:52.99
it right," it was teamwork.
00:23:52.99\00:23:54.50
And I'm going, "Yeah," I made
00:23:55.60\00:23:56.80
a commitment then, had the
00:23:56.80\00:23:58.23
appointment at the advertising
00:23:58.23\00:23:59.73
agency and as I was going to
00:23:59.73\00:24:02.04
see this farmer market,
00:24:02.04\00:24:04.64
whoever who it was, I had this
00:24:04.64\00:24:06.51
battle going on in my mind was
00:24:06.51\00:24:08.28
like, "Oh, it's just a minor
00:24:08.28\00:24:09.68
"thing, don't worry about
00:24:09.68\00:24:11.18
that," and the awareness I was
00:24:11.18\00:24:12.91
getting, "No, it's OK."
00:24:12.91\00:24:14.18
I'm with you."
00:24:14.18\00:24:15.52
So I was going through that
00:24:15.52\00:24:16.69
struggle and there was a bit
00:24:16.69\00:24:18.02
of fear building up 'cause I'd
00:24:18.02\00:24:19.95
never said I was sorry to
00:24:19.95\00:24:21.49
anybody before.
00:24:21.49\00:24:23.43
And I went to this person, I
00:24:23.43\00:24:25.23
remember he had long hair,
00:24:25.23\00:24:26.96
long as yours, René, and I
00:24:26.96\00:24:28.83
said, "Hey, man, I took a
00:24:28.83\00:24:30.17
"watermelon off your truck and
00:24:30.17\00:24:31.57
I'm here to make it right,"
00:24:31.57\00:24:32.90
and he said something, he goes
00:24:32.90\00:24:34.44
something along the lines of,
00:24:34.44\00:24:36.47
"Why are you doing this?"
00:24:36.47\00:24:37.87
He says, "I've never had
00:24:37.87\00:24:39.31
"anybody-- I've had stuff taken
00:24:39.31\00:24:41.14
"off this truck, but I've never
00:24:41.14\00:24:42.68
"had anybody come and
00:24:42.68\00:24:44.28
make it right."
00:24:44.28\00:24:46.15
And do you know what?
00:24:46.15\00:24:48.15
I shared with him a short
00:24:48.15\00:24:50.69
personal testimony, that's the
00:24:50.69\00:24:52.22
only testimony I had is that
00:24:52.22\00:24:54.09
what happened by the crick and
00:24:54.09\00:24:56.09
I shared what God had done for
00:24:56.09\00:24:57.76
me, "And the Lord put on my
00:24:57.76\00:24:59.59
"heart to come and see you and
00:24:59.59\00:25:01.46
make it right."
00:25:01.46\00:25:02.86
My first time ever apologizing
00:25:02.86\00:25:05.33
to somebody, first time I ever
00:25:05.33\00:25:07.40
made restitution.
00:25:07.40\00:25:09.17
>> Jerry, did you ever start
00:25:09.17\00:25:10.24
going to church then?
00:25:10.24\00:25:11.94
>> Well, besides going to that
00:25:11.94\00:25:13.78
church a couple times with
00:25:13.78\00:25:15.31
that cowboy, one day I was out
00:25:15.31\00:25:18.08
for a walk, it was towards the
00:25:18.08\00:25:19.71
evening time, it was after a
00:25:19.71\00:25:21.32
little bit of rain, and it was
00:25:21.32\00:25:22.78
in Dallas and I remember
00:25:22.78\00:25:24.89
seeing this magazine on the
00:25:24.89\00:25:27.36
ground, asphalt, and I looked
00:25:27.36\00:25:30.59
at it and it was a little baby
00:25:30.59\00:25:33.70
crawling up the flight of
00:25:33.70\00:25:35.26
stairs and on the top was,
00:25:35.26\00:25:37.70
"Signs of the Times."
00:25:37.70\00:25:40.37
I remember seeing that at home
00:25:40.37\00:25:43.14
not that magazine, but the
00:25:43.14\00:25:44.47
Signs of the Times magazine
00:25:44.47\00:25:46.91
and I flipped it over and it
00:25:46.91\00:25:49.24
was the address of the Dallas
00:25:49.24\00:25:51.58
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:25:51.58\00:25:54.12
And I took that and I start
00:25:54.12\00:25:55.62
going to the Dallas Seventh-day
00:25:55.62\00:25:57.12
Adventist Church and that's
00:25:57.12\00:25:58.59
when I was baptized there.
00:25:58.59\00:26:00.92
And the peace that I was
00:26:00.92\00:26:04.03
experiencing was just total
00:26:04.03\00:26:06.66
peace from before and I knew I
00:26:06.66\00:26:10.53
was on the right track.
00:26:10.53\00:26:12.77
Also at that time, I was
00:26:12.77\00:26:14.47
really thinking of what I
00:26:14.47\00:26:16.04
should be doing, you know, do
00:26:16.04\00:26:17.74
I stay in this because my
00:26:17.74\00:26:19.41
heart was being changed that I
00:26:19.41\00:26:23.71
wasn't as interested in doing
00:26:23.71\00:26:25.71
that work anymore.
00:26:25.71\00:26:27.88
So what I did is I start
00:26:27.88\00:26:29.55
praying for a sign of what I
00:26:29.55\00:26:32.05
should be doing, if I should
00:26:32.05\00:26:33.86
be going back to Canada or
00:26:33.86\00:26:35.36
staying here.
00:26:35.36\00:26:36.89
>> So, Jerry, you prayed for a
00:26:36.89\00:26:38.39
sign, whether or not you
00:26:38.39\00:26:39.96
should stay in or leave the
00:26:39.96\00:26:41.53
modelling industry, but we've
00:26:41.53\00:26:43.10
run out of time so you're
00:26:43.10\00:26:44.40
gonna have to share that with
00:26:44.40\00:26:45.53
us next week.
00:26:45.53\00:26:46.33
Can you do that?
00:26:46.33\00:26:47.54
>> Sure, will do.
00:26:47.54\00:26:49.04
It will be a pleasure.
00:26:49.04\00:26:50.44
>> So, Jerry, before we end
00:26:50.44\00:26:51.91
our program today I wonder if
00:26:51.91\00:26:53.31
I could ask you to please pray
00:26:53.31\00:26:54.61
for us.
00:26:54.61\00:26:55.58
>> A pleasure.
00:26:55.58\00:26:57.71
Dear Heavenly Father, we just
00:26:57.71\00:26:59.08
wanna say, Lord, thank You for
00:26:59.08\00:27:00.32
Your love, thank You for Your
00:27:00.32\00:27:01.42
grace and thank You for the
00:27:01.42\00:27:02.88
precious gift of salvation.
00:27:02.88\00:27:05.25
Lord, thank You for giving us
00:27:05.25\00:27:08.59
that freedom of choice, no
00:27:08.59\00:27:10.89
matter what the cost was.
00:27:10.89\00:27:13.06
Lord, and we also thank You
00:27:13.06\00:27:14.73
that when we stumble and fall,
00:27:14.73\00:27:16.26
and sometimes even intentionally
00:27:16.26\00:27:18.13
stumble, that You don't stand
00:27:18.13\00:27:20.40
there with size 13 steel-toed
00:27:20.40\00:27:21.94
boots to grind us into the
00:27:21.94\00:27:23.44
ground, but it's Your love
00:27:23.44\00:27:25.11
that draws us to repentance so,
00:27:25.11\00:27:27.18
Lord, we thank You for that.
00:27:27.18\00:27:28.58
And I'd just like to share
00:27:28.58\00:27:29.91
that if anybody watching this
00:27:29.91\00:27:31.45
is going through some struggles
00:27:31.45\00:27:33.31
in life, God is calling you
00:27:33.31\00:27:34.88
to come home.
00:27:34.88\00:27:36.65
Thank You, Lord Jesus, in
00:27:36.65\00:27:38.22
Jesus' name, amen.
00:27:38.22\00:27:39.99
>> Friends, our free offer
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00:27:44.23\00:27:46.13
that will change your life.
00:27:46.13\00:27:48.13
It is entitled The Invitation.
00:27:48.13\00:27:50.43
[RENÉ] The Invitation is a
00:27:50.43\00:27:52.03
very powerful book containing
00:27:52.03\00:27:53.84
true stories of people who
00:27:53.84\00:27:55.60
were destroyed by circumstances
00:27:55.60\00:27:57.84
and rebuilt by God's love.
00:27:57.84\00:28:00.48
This is our free offer
00:28:00.48\00:28:02.41
for you today.
00:28:02.41\00:28:04.01
>> We want you to experience
00:28:05.91\00:28:07.25
the truth that is found in the
00:28:07.25\00:28:09.12
words of Jesus when He said,
00:28:09.12\00:28:11.39
"It is written, 'Man shall not
00:28:11.39\00:28:13.29
"'live by bread alone, but by
00:28:13.29\00:28:15.26
"'every word that proceeds out
00:28:15.26\00:28:17.33
of the mouth of God.'"
00:28:17.33\00:28:19.39
¤¤
00:28:19.39\00:28:52.99