I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Removing pain
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Lord, let my words
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Heal a heart that hurts
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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Hello friends,
welcome to 3ABN Today.
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We have an exciting program.
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But even more than the program,
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I'm glad to have
my co-pilot with me,
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my lovely wife Angela.
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Good to have you here, Honey.
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Oh, I'm so
excited about this program
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because many of you know
my background is Jamaican.
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I was born in England.
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My parents are Jamaican,
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and the guest today
is a Jamaican young man
00:01:27.85\00:01:32.89
by the name of Billy Mirander.
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And we are going to
share his amazing testimony,
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aren't we, Hon?
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That's right, and you don't,
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if you have a
young person at home
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or if you are a mom or dad
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or you may be a single parent,
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you may have
become a parent by default
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because the child
has no one to turn to.
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This program is
going to challenge many
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of the norms of society.
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A lot of young people
find themselves in difficulty.
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Well, Billy
Mirander's story is one
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that will keep you locked in.
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You're going to walk
through an amazing life.
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And then you're going to
see God's ability to change,
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to transform a life
to His honor and glory.
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So we're excited
about this program.
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Absolutely. The
Billy Mirander's story.
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Yes, yes.
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But it just...
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Go ahead, Honey.
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That's how we are.
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We want to thank
you for your prayers
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and your support of this network
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that we continue to believe
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as God's inspired
and called network
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to proclaim a message
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to get the world ready
for the coming of the Lord.
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But we have some music, Honey.
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Stephanie Dawn's gonna
be singing for us today.
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Yes, she is.
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She is going to
be singing a song...
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Entitled, "In This
Old Troubled World."
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Okay.
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Sit back and enjoy.
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Oh, how good to
know that God in heaven
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Watches o'er his children
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From above
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There are objects
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Of his tender mercy
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Safely they are kept
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Within his love
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In this old troubled world
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Our God is near us
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And when we bow in prayer
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He'll always hear us
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From every stormy wind
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His love will hide us
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In this old troubled world
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Our God will guide us
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Though on earth
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With trial and tribulation
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Though there's much
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That would our hearts alarm
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He who feeds and cares
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For little sparrows
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Will protect his own
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From every harm
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In this old troubled world
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Our God is near us
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And when we bow in prayer
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He'll always hear us
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From every stormy wind
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His love will hide us
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In this old troubled world
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Our God will guide us
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In this old troubled world
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Our God will guide us
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Thank you, Steph.
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That's a wonderful song.
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I think it's a
perfect song for this program
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"In this troubled world"
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because our guest had
his own troubled world,
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and you may have
young person in your home
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that's going through
difficulty and turbulence.
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I just would encourage you
to stay tuned to this program
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or if they're not home right now
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and you're watching by yourself,
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hit the record button.
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Or if you miss it and
have no other opportunity,
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you can contact us to
get a copy of this program,
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but right now, let
us meet Billy Mirander.
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Billy, since you're so
close, good to have you here.
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I'm gonna reach out
and say, "Wat a guh dung."
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That's a Jamaican way.
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I hope I did it correctly.
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Yes, you did it correctly. Okay.
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Well just to say first,
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thank you very
much for having me.
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I'm from Jamaica.
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I was born in
Spanish town, St. Catherine
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and I grew up in St. Catherine,
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between there in Kingston.
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I grew up in when my
mom and my dad was together.
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And around five years
old, my mom and dad broke up.
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So from then my mother
went to live with her mom,
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with other siblings.
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So at that time,
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we were no
longer living in a home
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where I have both parents,
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so it was me and my sisters,
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and at the time, it's my mother.
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And then she used
to work into a bar,
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where they sell
alcohol beverage,
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and she come home
like 2-3am in the morning.
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At that time, my grandmother
was one who takes care of us
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because in Jamaica,
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when the
parents is gone to work,
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their mom is
their daycare center.
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They don't hire anyone.
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Mom's take care.
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Their mom take
care of their kids.
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So my grandma,
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she was not only my grandma,
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she was my best friend.
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She taught me everything I need
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to know as a young man,
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how domestic chores,
every simple thing about life.
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Cook, clean all.
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Oh, cook, clean.
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And she loves to give spanking.
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She loves to beat.
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You ever got one?
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Oh, my, I got a lot.
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I used to get beaten so often
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that we used to put
sponge inside my clothes.
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So that when she
hits me, I have to fake
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because if I'm feeling that,
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then one day my cousin,
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you know, tipped her off
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and she asked me
to go in the shower
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to take off all my clothes.
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So grandma, life
was very interested.
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We grew up in a nice
extended family home.
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Aunties, uncles,
all manner of relatives.
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It was a blessing.
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Growing up in my family
life and I loved my family.
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You know, which is kind
of true about your family.
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One thing about
West Indian families,
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you grew up in a community.
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Everybody in the
community is family.
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Plus, you have a lot of family.
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How many total
siblings you have?
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Eleven.
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Twelve myself included in
terms of my mother's side.
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My father don't
know the exact numbers,
00:09:03.64\00:09:05.51
but in terms of my
mom, she has 11 kids,
00:09:05.54\00:09:08.11
seven girls and four boys.
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I'm the third one.
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Yes, I have two
sisters ahead of me.
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Two sisters ahead of me.
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Yeah, I know what it's like
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to be raised in a Jamaican home
00:09:18.55\00:09:20.19
because I was
raised in a Jamaican home.
00:09:20.26\00:09:22.72
And the grandmothers
play a major role in raising,
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in help to raise the children.
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And that's how it
was with my grandmother
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playing a major role
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and she plays a
part of a mother,
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usually the grandmother,
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and she's much
respected in the home.
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Yes, very respected.
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And like your
grandmother was. Yes.
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So tell us a little bit
more about your grandmother?
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She played such a major role,
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but you were so
close to your grandmother.
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And she became ill, didn't she?
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Yes.
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And so, as life
continuous with my grandma,
00:09:59.26\00:10:03.00
my mother was
working in the bar.
00:10:03.03\00:10:04.77
So one night, gunmen
came, robbed the bar.
00:10:04.80\00:10:09.80
And in those days, my mom
used to wear those big earrings
00:10:09.84\00:10:12.51
where it's a roll
the big bangle earrings.
00:10:12.54\00:10:15.38
Very big one.
00:10:15.41\00:10:16.75
And they pulled
it out of her ears,
00:10:16.78\00:10:18.48
split her ears into two.
00:10:18.51\00:10:20.22
And as a result of that
she, when the owner came,
00:10:20.25\00:10:23.02
the first thing he asked,
"How much money did they take?"
00:10:23.05\00:10:26.52
So he was more
concerned about his money.
00:10:26.55\00:10:28.89
So my mother
decided to leave that job,
00:10:28.92\00:10:32.13
buy clothes, and in Jamaica,
00:10:32.16\00:10:34.10
people buy and sell
clothes and they walk
00:10:34.13\00:10:35.73
from house to
house and sell clothes.
00:10:35.76\00:10:37.60
It's a business that
people do in Jamaica,
00:10:37.63\00:10:39.50
she was doing that.
00:10:39.53\00:10:41.07
My grandma
followed, she had cancer
00:10:41.10\00:10:43.20
but she had kidney issue first.
00:10:43.24\00:10:45.74
She had kidney failure.
00:10:45.77\00:10:47.11
She lost one of her kidney,
has to go on dialysis machine.
00:10:47.18\00:10:51.01
And then cancer
breakout, diabetes.
00:10:51.05\00:10:53.72
And she
struggled, she was a fighter.
00:10:53.75\00:10:56.25
She struggled, she
struggled, she struggled.
00:10:56.28\00:10:58.29
But then, my aunt,
the last child she has,
00:10:58.32\00:11:03.09
she met a guy.
00:11:03.12\00:11:04.83
They were together.
00:11:04.86\00:11:06.39
But when they met each other,
00:11:06.43\00:11:08.86
my grandma was not in agreement
00:11:08.90\00:11:10.30
because she saw something
00:11:10.37\00:11:11.93
that my aunt didn't
see in the gentleman.
00:11:11.97\00:11:16.00
And here's what he said.
00:11:16.04\00:11:18.27
He was deeply in love
with her according to him,
00:11:18.31\00:11:21.41
but he was very jealous.
00:11:21.44\00:11:22.98
My aunt used to
work in Old Harbor,
00:11:23.01\00:11:25.48
you know, you know, like a
mall you call you in America,
00:11:25.51\00:11:28.18
but it's a plaza,
we call it in Jamaica.
00:11:28.22\00:11:30.79
She worked, get to a plaza.
00:11:30.82\00:11:32.52
And while she was working there,
00:11:32.55\00:11:34.06
he would pay different men
to watch her at a workplace.
00:11:34.09\00:11:37.76
He wouldn't give
her space. Spy on her.
00:11:37.79\00:11:39.63
If her phone rings
and a male calls her,
00:11:39.66\00:11:41.86
he beats her.
00:11:41.90\00:11:43.40
If a text message comes in,
a male texts her, he beats her.
00:11:43.47\00:11:46.63
And that's his
entire focus is regarded.
00:11:46.67\00:11:50.24
He's over insecure.
00:11:50.31\00:11:52.44
And so, he would beat her.
00:11:52.47\00:11:54.81
All of her body
so really bruise.
00:11:54.84\00:11:57.75
The way he hits
her, it's terrible.
00:11:57.78\00:11:59.91
And the mother
always said to her,
00:11:59.95\00:12:01.55
Marr, you need
to leave this guy,
00:12:01.58\00:12:04.22
he's going to kill you.
00:12:04.29\00:12:05.95
And she said,
"No mom. He loves me.
00:12:05.99\00:12:09.06
That's the reason why beats me."
00:12:09.09\00:12:10.99
And that's a
very silly situation.
00:12:11.03\00:12:13.43
But she thought that
because he loved her,
00:12:13.50\00:12:18.00
that's why he beats her.
00:12:18.03\00:12:19.40
So she ended up
having children for him.
00:12:19.43\00:12:22.57
The first child, the
beating was still continued.
00:12:22.60\00:12:25.61
Second child,
but the third child,
00:12:25.64\00:12:28.84
my grandma when
she had a sickness,
00:12:28.88\00:12:30.95
she called all of
us inside the room.
00:12:30.98\00:12:33.42
And she looked in
our master bedroom
00:12:33.45\00:12:36.12
because she was from hospital,
old nursed hospital in and out.
00:12:36.15\00:12:41.09
And so in her
final visit to home,
00:12:41.12\00:12:43.53
I recall it was in 2004,
I think, the summer there.
00:12:43.56\00:12:47.86
She called all of us as family.
00:12:47.90\00:12:50.30
She was that layer
that glue in the family.
00:12:50.37\00:12:53.00
And she said,
"I love all of you.
00:12:53.03\00:12:55.47
Stay united."
00:12:55.50\00:12:57.31
She said Marr for daughter,
00:12:57.34\00:12:59.84
"This is the last
time I'm warning you.
00:12:59.87\00:13:02.54
You need to leave that
guy, he's going to kill you.
00:13:02.58\00:13:05.41
He's going to kill you
if you don't leave him."
00:13:05.45\00:13:07.95
She said, "Mama,
for the last time
00:13:07.98\00:13:09.88
I'm telling you, he loves me.
00:13:09.92\00:13:12.52
I'm 100% certain he loves me."
00:13:12.55\00:13:15.12
And then her mother said to her,
00:13:15.16\00:13:18.39
"I'm warning you."
00:13:18.43\00:13:19.89
I didn't know at
the time, but later on,
00:13:19.93\00:13:22.33
I found out that my grandma
00:13:22.36\00:13:24.33
was even
planning with her sister
00:13:24.37\00:13:26.60
to get my aunt to Canada
00:13:26.63\00:13:28.24
because she fear
something was going to happen.
00:13:28.27\00:13:31.14
She went back to the hospital.
00:13:31.17\00:13:33.17
My mother went to
visit her and said
00:13:33.21\00:13:34.94
that she was
there talking to her,
00:13:34.98\00:13:37.25
prayed for her
children and grandchildren,
00:13:37.28\00:13:39.78
and then my mother
went to the bathroom.
00:13:39.81\00:13:42.02
When she came back,
00:13:42.05\00:13:43.92
her breath stopped
blowing through her.
00:13:43.99\00:13:46.52
She no longer was alive.
00:13:46.55\00:13:48.39
When my grandma
died, and I heard the news,
00:13:48.42\00:13:51.06
it was the first time in my life
00:13:51.09\00:13:53.19
I ever felt like my
heart was ripped in two
00:13:53.23\00:13:55.73
because my grandma
meant so much to me.
00:13:55.76\00:13:58.27
I loved her so much.
00:13:58.30\00:13:59.77
And by the grace of God,
00:13:59.80\00:14:01.14
I'm looking
forward to see her again.
00:14:01.17\00:14:02.50
She was faithful
to what she does,
00:14:02.54\00:14:05.07
and we had a great relationship,
00:14:05.11\00:14:06.98
but I missed her so much.
00:14:07.01\00:14:08.58
She was the person who
helped to keep me alive.
00:14:08.61\00:14:12.11
And so when she
died, it changed things.
00:14:12.15\00:14:15.12
Everyone in the
family split in two.
00:14:15.15\00:14:18.22
We never had a
family reunion again.
00:14:18.25\00:14:20.76
We never had family gathering
'cause she changed narrative.
00:14:20.79\00:14:25.26
But then,
00:14:25.29\00:14:26.63
a year after her
daughter took her advice
00:14:26.70\00:14:28.60
to leave him, it was too late.
00:14:28.63\00:14:31.40
He said, "If I
can't get you back,
00:14:31.43\00:14:33.94
nobody else can get you."
00:14:33.97\00:14:35.30
So the first thing he did,
00:14:35.34\00:14:37.01
he took away financial support.
00:14:37.04\00:14:40.48
Tried to get at her, but
she was very independent.
00:14:40.51\00:14:43.85
So you have many
gentlemen in Jamaica,
00:14:43.88\00:14:46.28
what they do to get
the ladies attention
00:14:46.31\00:14:48.92
is that they took
away financial support.
00:14:48.95\00:14:51.59
And then as a result of that,
00:14:51.62\00:14:53.36
but my aunt was
still independent.
00:14:53.39\00:14:55.42
So she was
continued the same way.
00:14:55.46\00:14:57.43
And then, in 2005,
00:14:57.46\00:15:00.33
there was a heavy rain
happened in St. Cathedral.
00:15:00.40\00:15:05.10
When the rain
happened, there's an area
00:15:05.13\00:15:07.47
where my aunt
lives at that section.
00:15:07.54\00:15:11.94
Whenever ever rain falls,
00:15:11.97\00:15:13.88
it blocks the side of
the road where she lives.
00:15:13.91\00:15:17.05
So water settled
on the road for weeks.
00:15:17.08\00:15:20.15
So she decided to stay
closer to Old Harbor Tower.
00:15:20.22\00:15:23.52
And by staying at
a relative's place,
00:15:23.59\00:15:26.25
she was walking home
from work each evening.
00:15:26.29\00:15:29.62
I started high school,
I was in seventh grade.
00:15:29.66\00:15:32.06
And every day after school,
00:15:32.09\00:15:35.16
I would go by, and accompany her
00:15:35.20\00:15:38.33
to where she
take taxi to go home.
00:15:38.37\00:15:40.87
Because in Jamaica is
not like you just call a cab.
00:15:40.94\00:15:43.17
You have to walk to a
stand, a bus stop to get a taxi.
00:15:43.20\00:15:46.24
And so as a result of that,
my aunt, Myer Celestine Ford.
00:15:46.27\00:15:51.81
She, one evening,
00:15:51.85\00:15:53.42
every day I've
to train in track,
00:15:53.45\00:15:54.88
I was an athlete.
00:15:54.92\00:15:56.38
I was always like this.
00:15:56.42\00:15:57.75
I was an athlete.
Used to run or what?
00:15:57.79\00:15:59.59
Used to run fast.
00:15:59.62\00:16:00.96
Sprint race,
100-meter, 200-meter race
00:16:00.99\00:16:03.63
and four by one relays.
00:16:03.66\00:16:05.13
So track and field
was my favorite sports.
00:16:05.16\00:16:07.50
And then it reached a stage
00:16:07.53\00:16:08.93
that where every
evening after school,
00:16:08.96\00:16:11.73
when I come home from training,
00:16:11.77\00:16:13.84
I would go by a
workplace and accompany her
00:16:13.87\00:16:16.37
because she's mine.
00:16:16.40\00:16:17.74
She's the last
child. In Jamaica...
00:16:17.77\00:16:19.47
You're watching
over, protecting her.
00:16:19.51\00:16:20.88
Yes.
00:16:20.91\00:16:22.24
And the last child
for my grandmother.
00:16:22.28\00:16:23.61
In Jamaica the last
child for any period
00:16:23.65\00:16:25.91
is called washbelly.
00:16:25.95\00:16:27.32
So did you get to washbelly?
00:16:27.35\00:16:29.02
So once you're the last
one, you are the washbelly.
00:16:29.05\00:16:31.99
And so my aunt was that.
00:16:32.02\00:16:33.36
So she was the
pride of the family,
00:16:33.39\00:16:34.89
all the attention, everything.
00:16:34.92\00:16:37.63
She could do no
wrong in some ways,
00:16:37.66\00:16:39.29
you know, and so
I went to see her,
00:16:39.33\00:16:42.30
I said to her, Aunt
Marr, can I accompany you home?
00:16:42.33\00:16:46.03
She said, "No."
00:16:46.07\00:16:47.44
Then I said "Why?"
00:16:47.47\00:16:48.80
She said, "Well, my
biggest concern is this.
00:16:48.84\00:16:52.41
I'm staying late
this evening from work,
00:16:52.44\00:16:55.11
so I'm asking you to
please not to come by."
00:16:55.14\00:16:58.61
And I said,
"Okay." I said, "Why?"
00:16:58.65\00:17:00.92
She said,
"Well, I don't want you
00:17:00.95\00:17:02.55
to accompany me this evening,
00:17:02.58\00:17:03.92
because I want to stay later on.
00:17:03.99\00:17:06.05
And as a result of that,
00:17:06.09\00:17:07.46
it may affect
certain circumstances."
00:17:07.49\00:17:09.62
And then right after I left her,
00:17:09.66\00:17:12.99
and when I walk
home, all of a sudden,
00:17:13.03\00:17:16.13
like a two hours
afterwards, we got a phone call.
00:17:16.16\00:17:20.47
And she was shot.
00:17:20.54\00:17:22.77
So we run to the crime scene.
00:17:22.80\00:17:25.47
When I reached there,
00:17:25.51\00:17:26.88
I saw my aunt lying
down there on the ground.
00:17:26.91\00:17:30.65
She received two
shots at the head,
00:17:30.68\00:17:32.05
one at her back.
00:17:32.08\00:17:33.45
She died at 29 years old,
00:17:33.52\00:17:35.58
died leaving two
girls and one boy.
00:17:35.62\00:17:38.72
And this is what...
00:17:38.75\00:17:40.29
Was it the same guy?
00:17:40.36\00:17:41.69
The same guy.
00:17:41.72\00:17:43.06
So what happened is that
we didn't know at the time.
00:17:43.09\00:17:45.46
So one of my classmate
in the community at the time
00:17:45.49\00:17:48.30
pulled me aside and said,
00:17:48.33\00:17:50.17
"The night before
your aunt was going home,
00:17:50.20\00:17:52.50
I overheard a
group have been talking
00:17:52.53\00:17:55.47
and one of them said,
"This is my children's mother.
00:17:55.50\00:18:01.38
I'm paying you something
40,000 Jamaican dollars,"
00:18:01.41\00:18:06.55
which is like 300 US dollars,
00:18:06.58\00:18:08.78
"I'm paying you to take her out,
00:18:08.82\00:18:11.22
20 upfront, 20 afterwards."
00:18:11.25\00:18:14.69
And so the
police later confirm it.
00:18:14.72\00:18:17.53
He paid someone
to have her killed.
00:18:17.56\00:18:20.03
When I heard that news,
00:18:20.10\00:18:23.40
my entire life
turned upside down.
00:18:23.47\00:18:26.53
And I decided,
00:18:26.57\00:18:27.97
this is no longer
going to be a situation.
00:18:28.00\00:18:31.21
It became a
very dark day for me.
00:18:31.24\00:18:34.71
I cried like a baby,
00:18:34.74\00:18:36.48
looking at my three
cousins at the time,
00:18:36.51\00:18:39.18
without a mother
just because of jealousy.
00:18:39.21\00:18:42.72
But her mother
warned her before she died.
00:18:42.75\00:18:44.72
Yes, she did.
00:18:44.75\00:18:46.09
You need to leave, or
he's going to kill you.
00:18:46.12\00:18:47.89
And so it's a
lesson for young people
00:18:47.92\00:18:50.26
that they are sometimes
they may not see danger.
00:18:50.33\00:18:53.60
But parents, God gift parents
to see something's ahead,
00:18:53.63\00:18:57.57
but they may not see
00:18:57.60\00:18:58.97
until they
experience the consequences.
00:18:59.00\00:19:00.57
That's important to
say because a lot of times,
00:19:00.64\00:19:03.14
you know,
children, young people,
00:19:03.17\00:19:05.74
we've all been
there at some point,
00:19:05.77\00:19:07.11
we think we know better.
00:19:07.18\00:19:08.51
We think, the parent say,
I see what's going to go on,
00:19:08.54\00:19:11.15
I see what's going to happen,
and that cost her, her life.
00:19:11.18\00:19:14.22
But it may have happened anyway,
00:19:14.25\00:19:17.32
because this guy
seemed to have had a pattern
00:19:17.39\00:19:20.16
that was going to
come out violently
00:19:20.19\00:19:22.86
one day to take her life.
00:19:22.89\00:19:24.39
But then what did
that do to you now?
00:19:24.43\00:19:26.23
Because now your
grandmother already passed away,
00:19:26.26\00:19:29.16
now your aunt is killed.
00:19:29.20\00:19:31.80
Now it's just you and your mom,
00:19:31.83\00:19:33.17
because tell us about your dad?
00:19:33.20\00:19:34.54
All right.
00:19:34.57\00:19:35.90
So regarding my dad,
00:19:35.94\00:19:37.31
I never had a
father figure in my life.
00:19:37.34\00:19:38.67
So when this happened,
00:19:38.71\00:19:40.68
all the emotion and
anger developed in me.
00:19:40.71\00:19:44.18
As a young man,
I love my mother.
00:19:44.25\00:19:46.55
But as it
relates to communicating
00:19:46.58\00:19:48.92
to her certain secret
00:19:48.95\00:19:50.29
I was very uncomfortable
00:19:50.32\00:19:51.65
about what was
going on in my heart.
00:19:51.69\00:19:53.66
But I would share with
any man that's available
00:19:53.69\00:19:57.79
because I
needed a father figure.
00:19:57.83\00:20:00.83
I needed a man role in my life
00:20:00.90\00:20:03.16
as it relates to express myself.
00:20:03.20\00:20:05.47
So then you
weren't really wide open
00:20:05.50\00:20:06.97
telling your mother anything
00:20:07.04\00:20:08.37
because she said, I
won't tell her this.
00:20:08.40\00:20:09.90
I won't tell her that
and kept it inside of you.
00:20:09.94\00:20:13.24
And as a result of
that now, my father,
00:20:13.27\00:20:16.24
I wanted him so much in my life.
00:20:16.28\00:20:20.05
It's very
important. Let me say this.
00:20:20.12\00:20:22.18
No mother can be a
father at the same time.
00:20:22.22\00:20:25.59
A mother can only be a mother.
00:20:25.62\00:20:27.46
And so, I know I
understand that the ratio,
00:20:27.49\00:20:30.33
the world we're living in.
00:20:30.36\00:20:31.69
The mother that
tried to play both role,
00:20:31.73\00:20:33.60
but it doesn't work effectively.
00:20:33.63\00:20:35.63
Young men need their
fathers in their life.
00:20:35.66\00:20:38.30
They need, male
presence are needed in the home.
00:20:38.33\00:20:42.64
And the fathers need to
be with their youngsters.
00:20:42.67\00:20:45.57
I needed that father figure.
00:20:45.61\00:20:47.21
So all my anger and emotion,
00:20:47.28\00:20:49.58
I went to spend time
with a relative of mine
00:20:49.61\00:20:52.78
in Old Harbor Bay,
00:20:52.81\00:20:54.45
and he just got it from
Andrews University recently.
00:20:54.48\00:20:57.99
And so he's a pastor.
00:20:58.02\00:21:00.09
As a result of
that, my cousin, you know,
00:21:00.16\00:21:04.23
my friend and I
recall something important
00:21:04.26\00:21:07.03
by spending time at his home.
00:21:07.10\00:21:10.47
I met some
gangsters at that time.
00:21:10.50\00:21:12.60
One of them is a
deceased now TG...
00:21:12.63\00:21:15.64
TG? It's kind of like a...
00:21:15.67\00:21:17.01
TG is an abbreviation
but it's a nickname.
00:21:17.04\00:21:19.21
Elliston we call
Jamaica given to him.
00:21:19.24\00:21:22.11
And TG, I started smoking
00:21:22.14\00:21:24.75
because I'm trying to find a way
00:21:24.78\00:21:26.15
how to deal with this anger
00:21:26.18\00:21:27.78
because in my mind,
00:21:27.82\00:21:29.28
I want two person's life,
the one who pulled the trigger,
00:21:29.32\00:21:32.89
the one who pays the money.
00:21:32.92\00:21:34.59
And so whenever around TG,
00:21:34.62\00:21:37.16
I say TG, it has been months
00:21:37.23\00:21:39.33
since I've been
coming around you.
00:21:39.36\00:21:41.00
Let me tell you my agenda.
00:21:41.03\00:21:42.96
There's a man
that was responsible
00:21:43.00\00:21:44.97
for my aunt's death.
00:21:45.00\00:21:46.60
I want to take revenge.
00:21:46.63\00:21:48.87
So I need my own
firearm to go and do it.
00:21:48.90\00:21:51.91
He said, "Well,
before you can be
00:21:51.94\00:21:53.98
a member of this gang,
00:21:54.01\00:21:55.34
you have to go
through a series of experience
00:21:55.38\00:21:58.51
and when you've gone
through a series of experience,
00:21:58.55\00:22:00.92
then you will pass the tests,
00:22:00.95\00:22:03.79
we will give you all the firearm
00:22:03.82\00:22:05.62
and you can become a member.
00:22:05.65\00:22:07.26
So let me tell
you about this gang.
00:22:07.29\00:22:09.29
This gang is a vicious gang.
00:22:09.32\00:22:11.06
These men are human beings,
00:22:11.09\00:22:13.60
but they have
the heart of animals
00:22:13.63\00:22:15.73
in their
reaction towards people.
00:22:15.76\00:22:17.60
They have no
heart, the human heart.
00:22:17.63\00:22:19.80
So now a young man
13-14 years old now.
00:22:19.83\00:22:23.20
That's how old you were?
00:22:23.24\00:22:24.57
Yeah.
00:22:24.61\00:22:25.94
So a 13, 14 year
00:22:25.97\00:22:27.31
'cause a year
after my aunt died,
00:22:27.38\00:22:28.71
I was just
searching for this gang,
00:22:28.74\00:22:32.68
comfort to give me
some assurance of revenge,
00:22:32.71\00:22:36.28
some satisfaction.
00:22:36.32\00:22:37.89
And TG brought me to
a gang I didn't know.
00:22:37.92\00:22:41.09
And now I've left to
do some dangerous things.
00:22:41.12\00:22:44.86
So then, now
they're molding you now.
00:22:44.89\00:22:46.29
Molding me now.
00:22:46.33\00:22:47.66
You're looking at
the way they do things.
00:22:47.70\00:22:49.03
You're watching them
00:22:49.06\00:22:50.40
and he's kind of
taking you under his wings
00:22:50.47\00:22:51.80
to get you ready for
your firearm, for your gun.
00:22:51.83\00:22:53.74
Yes.
00:22:53.77\00:22:55.10
Did you know who the person
was that killed your aunt?
00:22:55.14\00:22:58.11
Yes. I know.
00:22:58.14\00:22:59.74
I know one of them first,
00:22:59.77\00:23:01.74
which is the children's father.
00:23:01.78\00:23:03.35
The guy who shot her,
00:23:03.38\00:23:05.01
because I know
part of this gang.
00:23:05.05\00:23:07.42
There I called and they
told who did the shooting.
00:23:07.45\00:23:11.19
So, in Jamaica, gang
violence is a network.
00:23:11.22\00:23:14.79
So if you wrote one turf,
00:23:14.82\00:23:17.03
you know who wrote
the turf over there.
00:23:17.06\00:23:18.93
So shooting happens,
00:23:18.96\00:23:20.73
nothing happens
without the leader,
00:23:20.80\00:23:23.13
the gang leader that turf knows.
00:23:23.16\00:23:25.40
So even though he may not
know is your family member,
00:23:25.43\00:23:27.97
he knows the shooting goes on.
00:23:28.00\00:23:29.34
Okay, so in his community,
00:23:29.37\00:23:30.71
it's not gonna
happen unless he's aware of.
00:23:30.74\00:23:32.14
Yes.
00:23:32.17\00:23:33.51
But by doing so you can
get the direct information
00:23:33.58\00:23:35.84
who is responsible.
00:23:35.88\00:23:37.35
And so now, the
first step I started,
00:23:37.38\00:23:41.08
I decided to start
bleach on the turf with them.
00:23:41.12\00:23:43.99
So I stayed.
00:23:44.02\00:23:45.35
Bleaching in
Jamaica doesn't mean
00:23:45.39\00:23:47.49
putting cream on your face.
00:23:47.56\00:23:49.09
But as a bleaching,
00:23:49.12\00:23:50.46
the term I want
others to understand.
00:23:50.53\00:23:52.49
We stay up all night,
00:23:52.53\00:23:54.93
the entire night
and watch the gang turf
00:23:54.96\00:23:58.63
to ensure that's the first test
00:23:58.67\00:24:00.94
the gang leader gave me
to show how tough I was.
00:24:00.97\00:24:03.07
Oh, it's just stay up.
00:24:03.10\00:24:04.64
Stay up and watch the turf.
00:24:04.67\00:24:06.01
Remember now,
00:24:06.04\00:24:07.38
you have to watch
the turf with firearms
00:24:07.41\00:24:08.91
to make sure no enemy trespass,
00:24:08.94\00:24:11.58
the gang leader turf
00:24:11.61\00:24:12.95
because anyone who comes there
00:24:12.98\00:24:14.52
and hurts the gang
leader, you are responsible.
00:24:14.55\00:24:17.19
So during that period of
time, for six months straight,
00:24:17.22\00:24:20.46
every single night,
I'm watching the turf.
00:24:20.49\00:24:24.23
Many dangerous things
happened during those times.
00:24:24.26\00:24:25.93
How old were you by that time?
00:24:25.96\00:24:27.53
Thirteen,
fourteen years old. Wow.
00:24:27.60\00:24:29.20
So many
dangerous things going on.
00:24:29.23\00:24:32.10
Dangerous, dangerous,
and the word dangerous,
00:24:32.13\00:24:34.77
abusive, vicious things happen
00:24:34.80\00:24:37.11
and after the period of
time, I have proven myself.
00:24:37.14\00:24:40.88
So the gang leader said, "Well,
00:24:40.91\00:24:42.74
now you have passed the test.
00:24:42.78\00:24:45.11
Now you can be with our gang,
00:24:45.15\00:24:47.02
and now they went ahead
00:24:47.05\00:24:49.05
and killed that
gang leader mother.
00:24:49.08\00:24:51.69
So now my gang life
divulge into a deeper part.
00:24:51.72\00:24:55.96
And then now,
00:24:55.99\00:24:57.33
after getting so
deeply involved with the gang,
00:24:57.36\00:24:59.86
you start smoking,
drinking, going to party,
00:24:59.89\00:25:05.03
stayed up
watching the dark stuff,
00:25:05.07\00:25:07.24
going on move,
00:25:07.27\00:25:08.64
take revenge on other
enemies of the gang leader.
00:25:08.67\00:25:11.74
At that time,
00:25:11.77\00:25:13.11
the man who's
responsible for my aunt's death,
00:25:13.14\00:25:15.81
he died along the process,
00:25:15.84\00:25:17.48
but the one who pays the money,
00:25:17.55\00:25:19.55
who we're searching
for, we can't find him.
00:25:19.58\00:25:22.58
But one who killed had died.
00:25:22.62\00:25:24.45
But then I said to myself,
"I want when this is over,
00:25:24.49\00:25:28.59
I'm finished
with gang violence."
00:25:28.62\00:25:30.66
Well, let me say
this to young people.
00:25:30.73\00:25:32.73
Sin or evil has the
limit where it will take you.
00:25:32.76\00:25:36.67
That's right.
00:25:36.70\00:25:38.03
You can't go
into sinful lifestyle,
00:25:38.07\00:25:40.34
and then you
determine how far you go.
00:25:40.37\00:25:42.84
Because I thought,
when this gang is over,
00:25:42.87\00:25:44.74
when two persons died, I'm done.
00:25:44.77\00:25:47.78
Satan will never allow you,
00:25:47.81\00:25:49.64
to put one of your foot
in to a certain lifestyle
00:25:49.68\00:25:52.71
and just escape overnight.
00:25:52.75\00:25:54.95
So now after
getting so deeply involved
00:25:54.98\00:25:57.65
in gang violence,
00:25:57.69\00:25:59.12
I took out those
gang life at high school,
00:25:59.15\00:26:01.69
outside Old Harbor high school.
00:26:01.72\00:26:03.63
I became a don for the school.
00:26:03.66\00:26:05.86
A don like a gang leader.
00:26:05.89\00:26:07.23
Don, gang leader.
00:26:07.30\00:26:08.63
So in Jamaica,
00:26:08.66\00:26:10.00
when you hear the word don used,
00:26:10.03\00:26:11.53
it's a gang leader.
00:26:11.57\00:26:12.90
So I was the one
leading the school
00:26:12.93\00:26:15.00
where every single day
00:26:15.04\00:26:17.61
I had no more love
in my heart for anyone.
00:26:17.64\00:26:19.41
Since my aunt died.
00:26:19.44\00:26:20.98
So I took out,
00:26:21.01\00:26:22.34
take out the same
anger on students,
00:26:22.38\00:26:26.92
with no heart towards them.
00:26:26.95\00:26:28.88
So every single week, I
was suspended from school.
00:26:28.92\00:26:32.99
My mother to pay
doctor bill after doctor bill
00:26:33.02\00:26:36.16
because every week
a child gets injured,
00:26:36.19\00:26:38.33
but has broken bone,
00:26:38.36\00:26:41.93
fractured skull whatever it is,
00:26:41.96\00:26:43.67
I damaged students
every week and then...
00:26:43.70\00:26:46.10
What made you do that?
00:26:46.13\00:26:47.47
I mean somebody
stepping out of line
00:26:47.54\00:26:48.87
or disrespecting you
00:26:48.90\00:26:50.24
or messing with
somebody that you cover him?
00:26:50.31\00:26:51.64
Well, it's a little of both.
00:26:51.67\00:26:53.01
The first thing is that
00:26:53.04\00:26:54.48
I thought by running the school
00:26:54.51\00:26:56.28
I formed a gang of
young men to train them
00:26:56.31\00:26:59.61
because I want them to
be a part of the revenge.
00:26:59.65\00:27:02.65
And by doing so,
00:27:02.68\00:27:04.19
it led me down the pathway
00:27:04.22\00:27:06.09
where I have all those
young men working for me.
00:27:06.12\00:27:10.03
Once someone threat me or
say something I don't like.
00:27:10.06\00:27:14.43
I gave them my full route,
00:27:14.46\00:27:16.46
because I have no
more love in my heart.
00:27:16.50\00:27:18.23
But then my situation
reached a stage where,
00:27:18.27\00:27:23.74
though transfer from one life,
00:27:23.81\00:27:25.94
after being
involved with the gang,
00:27:25.97\00:27:28.11
vicious stuff start to happen.
00:27:28.14\00:27:30.15
My friend started dying daily.
00:27:30.18\00:27:32.91
They die in some of
the most vicious death,
00:27:32.95\00:27:35.05
whether by police
or by other government,
00:27:35.08\00:27:38.15
they died daily.
00:27:38.19\00:27:39.89
And I was in high school
in eighth grade, ninth grade.
00:27:39.92\00:27:43.32
And every single
day in high school,
00:27:43.36\00:27:45.46
I have to be
involved in outside war.
00:27:45.49\00:27:48.53
I did a high school war,
00:27:48.56\00:27:50.07
and everyone in my
family gave up on me completely
00:27:50.10\00:27:53.54
except for my mother.
00:27:53.57\00:27:55.07
They told my
mother to poison me,
00:27:55.10\00:27:58.71
to kill me in my sleep.
00:27:58.74\00:28:00.71
Because think about this stuff.
00:28:00.78\00:28:03.14
I was locked up, I have
several case against me,
00:28:03.18\00:28:07.32
my mother has to be
the one out back and forth,
00:28:07.35\00:28:10.62
tried to get me out, get bail,
00:28:10.69\00:28:13.22
she's always there
so everyone will say
00:28:13.25\00:28:15.99
this is a
disgrace to the family,
00:28:16.02\00:28:17.36
you're doing all those damage.
00:28:17.43\00:28:18.79
But this gang life
led to another part
00:28:18.83\00:28:21.93
that caused me get deeper
00:28:21.96\00:28:24.40
because of our
deeper way to gang violence.
00:28:24.43\00:28:26.74
Now, I wanna before
you run away from that,
00:28:26.77\00:28:28.50
I want to make sure our
audience understand this.
00:28:28.54\00:28:30.74
Your life is so bad
that people were saying
00:28:30.81\00:28:33.04
you just need to kill your son,
00:28:33.07\00:28:34.41
he's not going to
become anything worthwhile.
00:28:34.44\00:28:37.81
Poison him so that
this violence would end.
00:28:37.85\00:28:41.35
That was what people
were telling your mother?
00:28:41.38\00:28:43.12
Did you know about that?
00:28:43.15\00:28:44.49
I know about the time
00:28:44.52\00:28:45.85
because she said
to me you know what,
00:28:45.89\00:28:47.26
they told me,
neighbors would even come
00:28:47.29\00:28:49.89
and said I've dreamed,
00:28:49.92\00:28:51.26
your son is
going to die tomorrow
00:28:51.29\00:28:53.73
or die this time.
00:28:53.80\00:28:55.13
They were giving me dates.
00:28:55.16\00:28:56.50
Every month, someone
have a different dream,
00:28:56.53\00:28:58.60
but I will die next time.
00:28:58.63\00:29:00.64
So that was putting so
much fear in my mother,
00:29:00.67\00:29:03.81
but she tried everything
humanly possible but it fails.
00:29:03.84\00:29:07.18
She was trying to
pay me to be myself.
00:29:07.21\00:29:08.91
Pay?
00:29:08.94\00:29:10.28
By giving her all those
money that she was making.
00:29:10.35\00:29:12.61
She said, "I'll
give you everything.
00:29:12.65\00:29:14.05
Just please behave yourself."
00:29:14.12\00:29:17.12
She pressed my clothes,
00:29:17.19\00:29:18.72
she did
everything for this stuff,
00:29:18.75\00:29:20.09
I'm telling you.
00:29:20.16\00:29:21.49
Other time, she
does everything for me,
00:29:21.52\00:29:23.63
domestic wise, and I would work.
00:29:23.66\00:29:26.39
And when she
realize everything fails,
00:29:26.43\00:29:29.03
she started going
on knees and pray.
00:29:29.06\00:29:30.60
All right. Okay.
00:29:30.67\00:29:32.17
But was going on her knees now.
00:29:32.20\00:29:34.14
At the same time after
me involved in the gang,
00:29:34.17\00:29:37.44
I was introduced
to demonic worship
00:29:37.51\00:29:39.34
where we will learn
00:29:39.37\00:29:41.14
about the blood
sacrifice and stuff,
00:29:41.18\00:29:43.21
so be deeply
involved with the gang.
00:29:43.24\00:29:45.21
For you to survive,
00:29:45.25\00:29:46.72
you have to be a part
of the demonic ritual,
00:29:46.75\00:29:49.32
which that ritual alone
takes me to a different level.
00:29:49.35\00:29:52.92
And I never knew
that it was real.
00:29:52.95\00:29:57.43
Then afterwards, I
realized how evil it was.
00:29:57.46\00:29:59.56
In other words,
00:29:59.59\00:30:00.93
when the Bible says
in Ephesians Chapter 6,
00:30:00.96\00:30:03.20
when Paul was speaking
to the Ephesians brothers,
00:30:03.23\00:30:05.80
he warned them, he
said, finally my brethren,
00:30:05.83\00:30:08.57
be strong in the Lord,
and the power of His mind,
00:30:08.60\00:30:11.77
put on unto you to
the whole armor of God,
00:30:11.81\00:30:14.31
that evil
behavior that start again
00:30:14.34\00:30:16.01
to wiles of the devil,
00:30:16.04\00:30:17.45
for we wrestle not
against flesh and blood,
00:30:17.48\00:30:21.65
against
principalities, against powers,
00:30:21.68\00:30:24.32
against the rulers of
darkness of this world,
00:30:24.35\00:30:26.69
against spiritual wickedness
in high places, though,
00:30:26.76\00:30:29.32
that is real,
00:30:29.36\00:30:30.76
because when he took
us inside the bathroom,
00:30:30.83\00:30:34.10
we have to strip
all our clothes off,
00:30:34.13\00:30:35.83
they put a basin on the ground,
00:30:35.86\00:30:38.33
a basin like a
bucket filled with water,
00:30:38.37\00:30:41.54
and then a
sprinkler black liquid
00:30:41.57\00:30:43.17
inside of it,
00:30:43.20\00:30:44.54
then it depends on
what ritual you've done.
00:30:44.57\00:30:47.61
Then what they do
now, they kill an animal.
00:30:47.64\00:30:51.18
So the blood of the animal now
has to be a part of the ritual.
00:30:51.21\00:30:54.48
So this is kind
of an initiation?
00:30:54.52\00:30:56.08
Initiation, yes, but
you go through that process,
00:30:56.12\00:30:59.59
they sometime take
you into a different room,
00:30:59.62\00:31:01.82
cut your hands,
00:31:01.86\00:31:03.32
your blood has to run
as a part of the process.
00:31:03.36\00:31:05.86
And when those rituals are over,
00:31:05.89\00:31:08.16
to be honest with
you I stand right there
00:31:08.20\00:31:11.43
after the rituals over,
00:31:11.47\00:31:12.80
go through all the washing,
00:31:12.83\00:31:15.34
the various bath
we took, you know,
00:31:15.37\00:31:17.74
walked over coal pot burning,
00:31:17.77\00:31:19.74
all the various
type of witchcraft.
00:31:19.77\00:31:22.28
When those are done,
00:31:22.31\00:31:23.75
I started literally and
see demons literal form.
00:31:23.78\00:31:28.25
I've not seen
anything that sort of,
00:31:28.28\00:31:30.89
I've seen a
fairytale you see on TV.
00:31:30.92\00:31:33.05
I've seen the
literal form of persons
00:31:33.09\00:31:35.29
like a human
being, a literal form,
00:31:35.32\00:31:37.46
coming and enter
inside your body.
00:31:37.53\00:31:39.66
Let me tell you,
00:31:39.69\00:31:41.03
it became
extremely hot like fire.
00:31:41.06\00:31:43.67
So now you're facing out,
but here's where the battle is.
00:31:43.70\00:31:46.94
Your mother's praying
00:31:46.97\00:31:48.37
and you're now
involved in demonic worship.
00:31:48.40\00:31:50.21
Looks like it's getting worse.
00:31:50.24\00:31:51.57
It's getting worse. Deeper.
00:31:51.61\00:31:52.94
So what happened
when your mother told you
00:31:52.97\00:31:54.64
that she's praying for you?
00:31:54.68\00:31:56.01
How did you receive that?
00:31:56.04\00:31:57.78
First of all,
it breaks my heart.
00:31:57.81\00:32:00.72
She did something very unique.
00:32:00.75\00:32:03.02
She don't pray,
you know, I'll be dead.
00:32:03.05\00:32:06.02
So once I come home,
00:32:06.05\00:32:07.72
she has kneeled down right there
00:32:07.76\00:32:09.62
and started to pray.
00:32:09.66\00:32:11.16
And when she started
crying in her prayers,
00:32:11.19\00:32:13.40
it does something inside me
00:32:13.43\00:32:14.80
that I didn't want
to hear the prayer.
00:32:14.83\00:32:17.27
I'm offended by the prayer.
00:32:17.30\00:32:19.47
I don't want to
stand at the prayer
00:32:19.50\00:32:20.84
because the mere fact
00:32:20.87\00:32:22.20
my mom is
crying and I loved her.
00:32:22.24\00:32:24.11
But I had to show toughness.
00:32:24.14\00:32:25.87
But when she cries, it
does something inside me.
00:32:25.91\00:32:28.98
It pierced
something inside my heart.
00:32:29.01\00:32:30.88
And so she prayed,
she prayed, she prayed,
00:32:30.95\00:32:34.38
she prayed, but
nothing happened.
00:32:34.42\00:32:37.19
So what happened to a mother
00:32:37.22\00:32:39.12
who's prayed for her son
00:32:39.15\00:32:41.06
with drug
addiction, gang violence,
00:32:41.09\00:32:45.19
and that mother feels
like to give up completely,
00:32:45.23\00:32:47.73
what happens?
00:32:47.76\00:32:49.10
As I said in my book,
and I make mention of it,
00:32:49.13\00:32:51.70
The Power of a Mother's Prayer.
00:32:51.73\00:32:53.44
When a mother is praying
for her son or her daughter
00:32:53.47\00:32:57.04
and there seems to
be no visible changes.
00:32:57.11\00:32:59.94
Angels of God, the Holy Spirit
is working behind the scenes.
00:32:59.97\00:33:04.41
So as my mother
continues to pray,
00:33:04.45\00:33:07.52
some strange
things start to happen.
00:33:07.55\00:33:09.85
First of all, first
thing happened is that
00:33:09.88\00:33:14.06
after going through
all that I've been through,
00:33:14.09\00:33:17.16
get written off by everyone,
00:33:17.23\00:33:19.06
the school
principal, Mr. Lintenware,
00:33:19.09\00:33:21.36
which is the best principal
of all time I have ever seen.
00:33:21.40\00:33:24.00
He did an interview two
years ago, or a year ago
00:33:24.07\00:33:26.47
regarding how proud
he was of my journey.
00:33:26.50\00:33:30.61
He gave me a chance
to continue in 10th grade
00:33:30.64\00:33:33.68
because I was not supposed
to allowed to continue school.
00:33:33.71\00:33:36.78
They were going to
expel me in ninth grade,
00:33:36.85\00:33:39.15
because of the damages.
00:33:39.18\00:33:40.52
And so my mother was praying,
00:33:40.55\00:33:42.05
the principal gave
me one more semester.
00:33:42.08\00:33:44.99
And during that time,
00:33:45.02\00:33:46.55
it reached a stage
where the first sign happened.
00:33:46.59\00:33:49.22
One of my greatest
idol and mentor at the time,
00:33:49.26\00:33:54.20
he called me one
day in a meeting.
00:33:54.23\00:33:56.77
Called me and
sat with me, he said,
00:33:56.80\00:33:58.13
"Billy, look at all
that you have been through.
00:33:58.17\00:34:00.94
Look at the mirror,
00:34:00.97\00:34:02.30
there were
shootouts, gun battle, violence,
00:34:02.34\00:34:05.81
locked up by the
police and all that stuff.
00:34:05.84\00:34:08.31
Do you know that
there's a God in heaven?"
00:34:08.34\00:34:11.58
Now this is
somebody who I idolize.
00:34:11.61\00:34:13.28
So, young men,
00:34:13.31\00:34:14.85
when a young man is in violence,
00:34:14.88\00:34:17.02
if he has somebody idolize,
00:34:17.09\00:34:19.99
that person have his attention.
00:34:20.06\00:34:22.19
So for young people today,
00:34:22.22\00:34:23.93
most young men have
somebody they idolize,
00:34:23.96\00:34:26.26
whether it's a celebrity,
00:34:26.29\00:34:27.63
or someone in the community.
00:34:27.66\00:34:30.00
That way, when the
mother can't reach the child,
00:34:30.07\00:34:32.53
that celebrity can.
00:34:32.57\00:34:33.94
That icon that
idolized person can.
00:34:33.97\00:34:37.31
So when he said to
me, there's a God, I said,
00:34:37.34\00:34:39.74
"What is a God?"
00:34:39.77\00:34:41.51
He said, "Billy, you know what,
00:34:41.54\00:34:43.58
let me explain this to you now.
00:34:43.65\00:34:44.98
He said, "Billy, you
can be a gangster believer."
00:34:45.01\00:34:48.55
I say, "What is
that?" He said Billy.
00:34:48.58\00:34:50.69
He said to me, he said.
00:34:50.72\00:34:52.05
"Billy, do you know
whenever I have issues
00:34:52.09\00:34:55.12
wherever I'm going
to fire by firearm?
00:34:55.16\00:34:57.79
Do you know which
God who I pray to?"
00:34:57.83\00:35:00.20
He said, "I've
never gone anywhere
00:35:00.23\00:35:03.57
without taking my Bible with me.
00:35:03.60\00:35:05.57
And before I
squeeze the trigger,
00:35:05.60\00:35:06.94
I read a scripture first."
00:35:06.97\00:35:09.40
So he's telling
me that it is God,
00:35:09.44\00:35:12.04
His ability, you know,
00:35:12.07\00:35:13.98
you don't need the power
of witchcraft to protect you.
00:35:14.01\00:35:17.35
Because at the time,
00:35:17.38\00:35:18.71
I was going to
rituals four times a week.
00:35:18.75\00:35:20.08
When he said, you could
be a gangster believer...
00:35:20.12\00:35:21.45
Believer so that kind of
opening something for me.
00:35:21.48\00:35:24.79
Trying to move you
00:35:24.82\00:35:26.15
in the right
direction to the Lord.
00:35:26.19\00:35:27.56
But he said to me
now, you don't need,
00:35:27.59\00:35:30.03
you can still be a
gangster and believe in God.
00:35:30.06\00:35:33.09
But by being so,
you'll survive longer.
00:35:33.13\00:35:35.53
So I said, "What do you mean?"
00:35:35.56\00:35:36.90
He said, "In other words,
00:35:36.97\00:35:38.43
I have to go to
ritual four times a week,
00:35:38.47\00:35:40.94
Saturday, Sunday night,
00:35:40.97\00:35:43.30
Wednesday night, Friday night.
00:35:43.34\00:35:44.67
You miss one
week, they killed you.
00:35:44.71\00:35:47.48
Because of the blood
oath we took, you know,
00:35:47.51\00:35:50.15
it is dangerous
to taste human blood,
00:35:50.18\00:35:52.71
all those things you have to do
00:35:52.75\00:35:54.12
as a part of the
ritual to survive.
00:35:54.15\00:35:55.92
So I thought I
was trapped forever.
00:35:55.95\00:35:58.39
He said to me,
well, He said, Billy,
00:35:58.42\00:36:01.06
what he's telling me plainly
00:36:01.09\00:36:02.52
if I'm going to shoot
somebody it's God I pray to.
00:36:02.56\00:36:05.13
He said, "You don't need that."
00:36:05.16\00:36:06.53
And he said,
"You can still pray,
00:36:06.56\00:36:08.26
read your Bible."
00:36:08.30\00:36:09.63
He said, "Billy,
pause for a moment,
00:36:09.66\00:36:11.80
start to pray
and read your Bible,
00:36:11.83\00:36:14.40
and I began
reading the Book of Psalms.
00:36:14.44\00:36:16.57
And then,
00:36:16.60\00:36:17.94
you're going to come
back and tell me how it feels.
00:36:17.97\00:36:20.98
I said, "What?"
00:36:21.01\00:36:22.34
He said, "Billy, trust me.
00:36:22.38\00:36:24.05
God is real.
00:36:24.08\00:36:25.58
He's in control, however,
00:36:25.61\00:36:27.62
you have to pray and
read your Bible first."
00:36:27.65\00:36:29.55
So did you start
reading the Bible?
00:36:29.58\00:36:31.02
When he said that to me, now,
00:36:31.05\00:36:32.39
I was shocked
because all out of the blue
00:36:32.42\00:36:34.46
was he is telling me
about God and the Bible.
00:36:34.49\00:36:37.13
So then I said to
myself, you know what?
00:36:37.16\00:36:40.03
Let me go and
figure out what's going on.
00:36:40.10\00:36:42.46
And then
immediately now, the next day,
00:36:42.50\00:36:44.93
because what happened is
00:36:44.97\00:36:46.30
that my
stepfather had two houses.
00:36:46.33\00:36:48.37
He let me stay at
the one story house
00:36:48.40\00:36:50.21
because everyone moved, left me,
00:36:50.24\00:36:52.14
for I was
giving all the trouble.
00:36:52.17\00:36:53.58
So I searched that
house where I stayed,
00:36:53.61\00:36:55.98
I couldn't find a Bible.
00:36:56.01\00:36:57.45
Two of my sisters were
going to Sunday churches,
00:36:57.48\00:36:59.48
first day churches.
00:36:59.51\00:37:00.85
And so, at the time, I
couldn't find any Bible
00:37:00.92\00:37:04.39
but all of a sudden,
in one of the basket,
00:37:04.42\00:37:06.96
I found a big study Bible.
00:37:06.99\00:37:09.62
I used to smoke then.
00:37:09.66\00:37:10.99
So I built up my marijuana,
00:37:11.03\00:37:12.69
called a spliff
in a little paper.
00:37:12.73\00:37:15.16
And then my cup of tea, we
call it a source of belief,
00:37:15.20\00:37:19.30
suites of belief.
00:37:19.33\00:37:20.67
Okay.
00:37:20.74\00:37:22.07
Yes...
00:37:22.10\00:37:23.44
Put inside my cup of sugar.
00:37:23.47\00:37:24.81
And then I said to myself,
00:37:24.84\00:37:26.17
"How do I begin
reading the Bible?"
00:37:26.21\00:37:28.91
So you're
smoking your marijuana,
00:37:28.94\00:37:30.65
drinking your tea
and reading the Bible?
00:37:30.68\00:37:32.18
And I didn't want to
read the Bible immediately
00:37:32.21\00:37:33.55
because in my community,
00:37:33.62\00:37:34.95
there happen to
be Satan worshippers.
00:37:34.98\00:37:36.32
So I said, "How do
I begin the Bible?"
00:37:36.35\00:37:38.99
When I said,
normally church folks
00:37:39.02\00:37:40.96
based on my view of
church, they will pray first,
00:37:40.99\00:37:44.36
sing a song so what I did,
00:37:44.39\00:37:46.46
I sing so quiet in the
house that no one heard it.
00:37:46.49\00:37:49.66
I opened the Bible,
and I take the first puff.
00:37:49.70\00:37:54.07
Blessed is the man that walketh
00:37:54.14\00:37:55.47
not in the
counsel of the garden.
00:37:55.50\00:37:56.94
And every single verse I
read, every verse I read.
00:37:57.01\00:38:00.71
What I did every verse I read,
00:38:00.78\00:38:02.74
I decided to remember it.
00:38:02.78\00:38:08.18
I decided to commit
this scripture to memory.
00:38:08.22\00:38:11.99
As I commit to memory,
00:38:12.02\00:38:14.99
I pause, internalize the word.
00:38:15.02\00:38:17.33
So, as I read one
verse, I pause, take a puff.
00:38:17.36\00:38:22.13
And after reading the
Bible, Psalms, Proverbs.
00:38:22.16\00:38:26.37
The conviction came
to me was so inspired,
00:38:26.40\00:38:28.97
that I went to school
about with my young friends.
00:38:29.00\00:38:32.24
And I tell them about God
00:38:32.27\00:38:34.51
in some ways
that was very strange.
00:38:34.54\00:38:36.14
So the changing
was coming gradually.
00:38:36.18\00:38:39.71
But what I want to do is
00:38:39.75\00:38:41.08
I want to get this
part of the story in it
00:38:41.12\00:38:42.45
because I want to get the part
where your conversion happens.
00:38:42.48\00:38:45.79
I want to leave some
cliff hangers in there,
00:38:45.82\00:38:47.79
you know, your
stories. We heard your story,
00:38:47.82\00:38:50.99
which he covered
for a number of hours,
00:38:51.03\00:38:53.90
which is powerful.
00:38:53.93\00:38:55.26
And talk about, you
know, we're going to talk
00:38:55.30\00:38:56.63
about how you get
a copy of this book,
00:38:56.67\00:38:58.00
pretty much here,
00:38:58.03\00:38:59.37
but I want to leave
some holes in the story here
00:38:59.40\00:39:01.00
so people could get
that as you're standing
00:39:01.04\00:39:02.84
'cause it gets powerful.
00:39:02.87\00:39:04.31
When you told the
story here at our church,
00:39:04.34\00:39:06.17
the people sat spell bound
00:39:06.21\00:39:08.38
to see the
gradual aspects of it.
00:39:08.41\00:39:10.28
But what I want
to pull back in now.
00:39:10.35\00:39:12.08
So you've gone back to school,
00:39:12.11\00:39:14.32
in the same place
where you were participating
00:39:14.35\00:39:16.69
in all this gang violence
00:39:16.72\00:39:18.05
and the teacher
there, you have a Bible now,
00:39:18.09\00:39:20.36
but then
there's still this thing
00:39:20.39\00:39:21.72
in the back of your head,
00:39:21.76\00:39:23.09
you still have this idea
that you want to get the person
00:39:23.12\00:39:25.99
who killed your aunt.
00:39:26.03\00:39:27.50
That was a significant
turning point in your life.
00:39:27.53\00:39:29.43
Let's go to that
part of your story
00:39:29.46\00:39:31.43
because you're
looking for this person now,
00:39:31.47\00:39:32.80
but God is working
and He's coming in.
00:39:32.83\00:39:35.00
But still you have this mission.
00:39:35.04\00:39:36.37
Yeah, and I'm
searching for him right there.
00:39:36.40\00:39:39.14
A few things happened
that got my attention.
00:39:39.17\00:39:41.21
In my book,
00:39:41.24\00:39:42.58
one of the
chapters I wrote about
00:39:42.61\00:39:44.05
is the three great
miracles that got my attention.
00:39:44.08\00:39:47.35
In the same time, I said,
00:39:47.42\00:39:48.75
"But God, if you're
real, I need more evidence
00:39:48.78\00:39:53.96
because I need a
firearm to protect me."
00:39:53.99\00:39:56.49
And one of that time,
00:39:56.52\00:39:57.99
God allowed enemies
to attack me one day,
00:39:58.03\00:40:01.93
I didn't have
my firearm with me.
00:40:01.96\00:40:04.10
And I'm telling you,
00:40:04.17\00:40:05.90
they stabbed me from
every part of my body
00:40:05.93\00:40:08.77
I could recall at the time.
00:40:08.80\00:40:10.91
I still think I was dreaming
00:40:10.94\00:40:12.27
because even my book
00:40:12.31\00:40:13.64
is one of the greatest
miracle that happened to me.
00:40:13.68\00:40:15.01
So they were just stabbing,
you didn't have your gun?
00:40:15.04\00:40:16.41
Yeah, I didn't have a
gun because they attacked me.
00:40:16.44\00:40:18.88
And I recall it was so vicious
00:40:18.91\00:40:21.72
because what happened
is that my girlfriend,
00:40:21.75\00:40:24.19
I met a girl in the campus,
00:40:24.22\00:40:25.85
her brother was a gangster.
00:40:25.89\00:40:27.56
And I told her
that she has to go
00:40:27.59\00:40:29.49
to the regular procedure
to function at the campus.
00:40:29.52\00:40:32.73
And by doing so,
00:40:32.76\00:40:34.63
what I did is that I
was running to school
00:40:34.66\00:40:36.56
so I needed permission.
00:40:36.60\00:40:38.30
I needed his
sister to be with me
00:40:38.33\00:40:41.30
as a gang leader.
00:40:41.34\00:40:42.67
And she refused to.
00:40:42.70\00:40:44.64
As a result of that,
she told her brother,
00:40:44.67\00:40:46.98
and he came after me.
00:40:47.01\00:40:48.34
At that time I left my firearm
00:40:48.38\00:40:50.48
but those men attacked me.
00:40:50.55\00:40:52.21
And I thought I was dead
in terms of the bruise I got.
00:40:52.25\00:40:55.82
I went to the police
station, before I stepped,
00:40:55.85\00:40:58.79
but I checked my clothes.
00:40:58.82\00:41:00.46
There was not one
blood rolling down my body.
00:41:00.49\00:41:03.36
And that part is what
got my attention seriously.
00:41:03.43\00:41:07.43
So you were
stabbed multiple times?
00:41:07.50\00:41:08.83
Stabbed multiple times.
00:41:08.86\00:41:10.20
My mother prayed, she prayed,
she prayed in those times.
00:41:10.27\00:41:12.93
And then...
00:41:12.97\00:41:14.47
Did you ask God for help?
00:41:14.50\00:41:15.84
You felt it though too.
00:41:15.87\00:41:17.21
I felt it.
00:41:17.24\00:41:18.57
Honestly especially
when they push the knife
00:41:18.61\00:41:19.94
because the guy
said he's not bleeding.
00:41:19.97\00:41:21.48
Pushed it further.
00:41:21.51\00:41:22.84
At that time when I
felt it right by ribcage
00:41:22.88\00:41:25.95
I said to myself, I'm dead now.
00:41:25.98\00:41:28.08
But those are
some of the experience
00:41:28.12\00:41:30.09
just to cut this
part of it short,
00:41:30.12\00:41:32.22
let me say this though.
00:41:32.25\00:41:34.16
When my mother prayed and prayed
00:41:34.19\00:41:35.92
almost four years for me,
00:41:35.96\00:41:38.23
and God finally intervene,
00:41:38.26\00:41:40.90
which I'm jumping ahead
to tell you what happened.
00:41:40.93\00:41:43.06
After God intervene
and transformed my life,
00:41:43.10\00:41:47.44
when I made the
decision to become a member
00:41:47.47\00:41:49.80
of Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:41:49.84\00:41:51.17
After my conversion,
00:41:51.21\00:41:52.57
my entire family
baptized into the church,
00:41:52.61\00:41:56.04
joined the church afterwards.
00:41:56.08\00:41:57.95
My mother said the final
prayer as she prayed to God.
00:41:57.98\00:42:00.22
She said "God, the
day you change my son
00:42:00.25\00:42:03.82
is the day I'm
going to serve You."
00:42:03.89\00:42:05.62
She prayed on her knees.
00:42:05.65\00:42:07.46
My mother had sleepless nights.
00:42:07.49\00:42:10.13
There're many
nights she was at home,
00:42:10.16\00:42:11.53
she couldn't sleep
00:42:11.56\00:42:12.89
because her son
was on the street.
00:42:12.93\00:42:14.43
My mother, she
never gave up on me.
00:42:14.46\00:42:17.90
To be locked up.
00:42:17.93\00:42:20.64
Locked up in
jail, from doctor bill,
00:42:20.67\00:42:23.20
injured persons,
00:42:23.24\00:42:25.64
coming home late at night,
00:42:25.67\00:42:27.51
involve in gang
violence, demonism,
00:42:27.58\00:42:29.91
she'd never
stopped praying for me.
00:42:29.94\00:42:31.71
And when those demons
came back after my conversion,
00:42:31.75\00:42:34.88
I call out the
Lord's name three times.
00:42:34.92\00:42:38.32
The third time I
call the Lord's name,
00:42:38.35\00:42:40.36
it was like a
hurricane of what happened.
00:42:40.39\00:42:42.82
The Bible says,
00:42:42.86\00:42:44.93
"The name of the
Lord is a strong tower.
00:42:44.96\00:42:47.50
The righteous
runneth into it and is safe."
00:42:47.53\00:42:49.83
There's power in
the name of Jesus.
00:42:49.86\00:42:52.77
There's deliverance
in the name of Jesus.
00:42:52.80\00:42:55.67
And God has changed my life.
00:42:55.70\00:42:58.77
Once, I was a dream breaker,
00:42:58.81\00:43:01.31
destroy the lives
of many young men.
00:43:01.34\00:43:04.05
But today, I know a dream maker
00:43:04.08\00:43:06.28
through the
power of God's grace.
00:43:06.31\00:43:08.35
And that's how God
intervened in my life.
00:43:08.38\00:43:09.92
Now, I want to go
to a part of your story
00:43:09.95\00:43:11.72
that we're familiar
with, this really held us
00:43:11.75\00:43:14.82
when I believe if I'm incorrect,
00:43:14.86\00:43:18.16
your baptism
where this was an event
00:43:18.19\00:43:21.23
where people did not believe,
00:43:21.26\00:43:22.83
what had to happen for
your baptism to take place?
00:43:22.86\00:43:26.67
Because you told us that story
00:43:26.74\00:43:28.07
and I think even gang
members, there was a people
00:43:28.10\00:43:31.41
who were voting not
to even get you baptized.
00:43:31.44\00:43:33.38
Yes. Okay. Talk about that?
00:43:33.41\00:43:34.74
What happened is that
the pastor at the time,
00:43:34.78\00:43:37.55
Pastor Dorian Kelly.
00:43:37.58\00:43:38.91
He was a very strict guy.
00:43:38.95\00:43:40.28
But the Bible worker,
he's still at Old Harbor
00:43:40.32\00:43:42.25
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:43:42.28\00:43:43.62
What's that they
were studying with?
00:43:43.69\00:43:45.02
Edgar. Yes, Alex Edgar.
00:43:45.05\00:43:46.39
Was he an Adventist?
00:43:46.42\00:43:47.76
He is an Adventist, yes.
00:43:47.79\00:43:49.12
Alex Edgar, he's still there
and he is one of the elders.
00:43:49.16\00:43:50.49
He's a Bible
worker of that church.
00:43:50.53\00:43:52.16
Alex Edgar was very good friend.
00:43:52.19\00:43:54.10
He and the pastor came for me.
00:43:54.13\00:43:57.07
Two board members
were saying to them,
00:43:57.10\00:43:59.57
"No, he can't be
baptized," because number one,
00:43:59.60\00:44:02.64
he's gone too
far in gang violence.
00:44:02.67\00:44:04.87
And if you baptize him,
00:44:04.91\00:44:06.37
you know, you
can't baptize a don,
00:44:06.41\00:44:08.38
he's not changed,
give him more time,
00:44:08.41\00:44:11.05
it was such an uproar
00:44:11.08\00:44:12.55
because they were
concerned about the fact
00:44:12.58\00:44:14.02
that I am so dangerous.
00:44:14.05\00:44:16.08
All of a sudden
00:44:16.12\00:44:17.62
I wanted to join the
church with Pastor Kelly.
00:44:17.65\00:44:20.89
Dorian Kelly is in the
Allegheny East Conference.
00:44:20.96\00:44:24.49
That pastor was so determined,
00:44:24.53\00:44:26.56
he went against
their decision...
00:44:26.59\00:44:28.30
The church board.
00:44:28.33\00:44:29.66
The church boards
decision and her Brother Edgar,
00:44:29.70\00:44:31.93
Brother Dorian, it
is so amazing to see
00:44:31.97\00:44:35.14
that visitors that
night were so much overjoyed
00:44:35.17\00:44:38.87
in support of my baptism.
00:44:38.91\00:44:40.38
Visitors who were
coming where people come,
00:44:40.41\00:44:42.41
teachers, students,
00:44:42.44\00:44:44.15
everyone came to see me
going on into the water.
00:44:44.18\00:44:47.22
There were amazed
to see what God did.
00:44:47.25\00:44:49.12
And trust me,
my gangster enemies
00:44:49.15\00:44:51.42
who wanted to kill me so badly.
00:44:51.45\00:44:52.99
They knew where to find you
00:44:53.02\00:44:54.36
and they come out to the baptism
00:44:54.39\00:44:55.72
And they were
there at the baptism.
00:44:55.76\00:44:57.13
But the last prayer
I pray to God I said,
00:44:57.16\00:44:58.59
"God, I ask you, please,
00:44:58.63\00:45:01.36
if they kill me
tonight, please forgive me
00:45:01.40\00:45:04.20
for all the
things I've done wrong.
00:45:04.27\00:45:06.47
But if you have
a plan for my life,
00:45:06.50\00:45:08.57
just please give
me one more chance
00:45:08.60\00:45:10.84
so I can tell others about You."
00:45:10.91\00:45:12.74
I prayed, I made a decision,
00:45:12.77\00:45:15.21
went down into the water.
00:45:15.24\00:45:16.85
It was not long
after my family baptized.
00:45:16.88\00:45:19.58
Some of those gang
members have joined the church.
00:45:19.61\00:45:22.32
Amen.
00:45:22.35\00:45:23.69
It's amazing to
see the power of God.
00:45:23.72\00:45:25.49
But what breaks my
heart the most in my testimony
00:45:25.52\00:45:29.42
is what my mother went through.
00:45:29.46\00:45:31.83
Only my mother understood
what she was going through.
00:45:31.86\00:45:36.67
And there are many
mothers out there in the world
00:45:36.70\00:45:39.00
who feels like to give up
or their sons and daughter.
00:45:39.03\00:45:41.90
But my appeal is to all mothers,
00:45:41.94\00:45:45.51
no matter what
you're going through,
00:45:45.54\00:45:48.01
never give up on your
sons and your daughter.
00:45:48.04\00:45:51.11
Others may tell you,
00:45:51.15\00:45:52.71
your son or your
daughter will not pass,
00:45:52.75\00:45:54.85
the worse, they will fail.
00:45:54.88\00:45:57.49
But take it from my experience,
00:45:57.52\00:45:59.49
my mother prayed
night and day and she cried.
00:45:59.52\00:46:03.12
One song writer says,
00:46:03.16\00:46:04.49
tears are language,
only God understands.
00:46:04.53\00:46:07.20
She prayed, she cried and today
00:46:07.23\00:46:10.77
God has
thoroughly transformed me
00:46:10.80\00:46:13.03
or made me into a missionary.
00:46:13.07\00:46:14.90
I travel and preach the
gospel all over the world.
00:46:14.94\00:46:19.11
This didn't happen.
00:46:19.14\00:46:22.01
I never
predicted this to happen.
00:46:22.04\00:46:24.45
But on my journey down
the path of destruction
00:46:24.48\00:46:27.42
through the power
of a mother's prayer,
00:46:27.45\00:46:29.48
God intervened,
revealed Himself,
00:46:29.52\00:46:32.32
and today I'm an agent
00:46:32.35\00:46:35.16
who God has
transformed for His glory.
00:46:35.19\00:46:37.53
That's right. Amen.
00:46:37.56\00:46:38.89
Now, I want you to talk about.
00:46:38.93\00:46:41.00
I mean, God has
done amazing things
00:46:41.03\00:46:42.80
in your life, Billy.
00:46:42.83\00:46:44.70
But I want you to
talk about the time
00:46:44.73\00:46:46.43
about the clothesline.
00:46:46.47\00:46:48.74
Do you remember that
story, the one with the school?
00:46:48.77\00:46:51.27
Yeah.
00:46:51.31\00:46:52.64
Other time, at
Old Harbor High School
00:46:52.67\00:46:54.01
is going to be math class,
00:46:54.08\00:46:55.81
and so as a result of that,
00:46:55.84\00:46:57.18
now, I needed
money because in Jamaica,
00:46:57.25\00:46:59.21
you have to do like your 6C.
00:46:59.25\00:47:01.15
He says, kind of a like,
00:47:01.18\00:47:02.78
it's kind of an examination
for high school students
00:47:02.82\00:47:06.02
to go towards university.
00:47:06.05\00:47:08.22
And so as a result of that,
00:47:08.26\00:47:10.46
I needed some
money for math class.
00:47:10.53\00:47:12.76
And I wanted money was $8800,
00:47:12.79\00:47:15.36
I needed the exact figure,
00:47:15.40\00:47:17.07
but I didn't have the
money to pay the teacher.
00:47:17.10\00:47:20.34
And I recall, I knelt
down, I prayed inside the room.
00:47:20.37\00:47:23.34
I said, "God, if you
are the God of Elijah,
00:47:23.41\00:47:26.27
if you are the God of the Bible,
00:47:26.31\00:47:27.91
I want You to provide this money
00:47:27.94\00:47:29.38
for me now."
00:47:29.41\00:47:30.75
I came outside, I saw no money.
00:47:30.78\00:47:34.38
All I saw was a dove pitching
at the top of the column,
00:47:34.42\00:47:38.75
at the wall where I was.
00:47:38.79\00:47:40.16
And that same dove all
I saw was grape juicing.
00:47:40.19\00:47:43.93
But I felt so idle.
00:47:43.96\00:47:45.29
It was just a dove on...
00:47:45.33\00:47:46.73
Dove outside, yes.
00:47:46.80\00:47:48.63
And I prayed, I
prayed, I prayed.
00:47:48.66\00:47:52.43
But I was very upset with God
00:47:52.47\00:47:53.84
because I said,
"Where's the money?"
00:47:53.87\00:47:55.30
I don't see the money
coming down from the sky.
00:47:55.34\00:47:57.64
So I was
flicking, flung stones...
00:47:57.67\00:48:00.91
You were throwing
stones at the dove.
00:48:00.98\00:48:02.44
And the dove
would just flew down
00:48:02.48\00:48:03.85
to the front gate
00:48:03.88\00:48:05.21
and I still
flicking stones, flung stones
00:48:05.25\00:48:06.72
and the dove
would still not move.
00:48:06.75\00:48:08.25
All of a sudden, the dove moved.
00:48:08.28\00:48:10.89
When my attention,
00:48:10.92\00:48:12.52
my vivid attention was
explicitly on the dove,
00:48:12.55\00:48:16.52
it flew away.
00:48:16.56\00:48:17.89
There where I said to
myself, "What's going on?"
00:48:17.93\00:48:20.43
When I walked
outside that morning
00:48:20.50\00:48:22.40
I would never forget.
00:48:22.43\00:48:23.97
It was a brown leaf I saw it
on the ground in the wet mall,
00:48:24.00\00:48:28.30
because in Jamaica
when you do construction
00:48:28.34\00:48:29.70
on the road,
00:48:29.74\00:48:31.07
it is some white
wall and then asphalt.
00:48:31.11\00:48:34.28
When I kicked
away that brown leaf,
00:48:34.31\00:48:36.08
I saw something
blue, Jamaican $1,000 bill.
00:48:36.11\00:48:40.15
Each one I've taken up,
00:48:40.22\00:48:41.98
I take up one more
and one more and one more.
00:48:42.02\00:48:44.95
It reached $8,800.
00:48:44.99\00:48:47.29
And this is one of the miracles
00:48:47.36\00:48:49.42
in my book in my testimony,
00:48:49.46\00:48:51.46
that God, it got my attention
00:48:51.49\00:48:53.60
that there's indeed a living God
00:48:53.63\00:48:54.96
because remember now,
I'm faced with revenge,
00:48:55.00\00:48:58.10
those sticks die
those eager for revenge.
00:48:58.13\00:49:02.40
And so, today, God has shown me,
00:49:02.44\00:49:05.94
afterwards I saw the gentleman.
00:49:05.97\00:49:08.24
I heard he became
an Adventist last year,
00:49:08.28\00:49:11.25
same guy who paid
my aunt to be killed.
00:49:11.28\00:49:13.85
So God had a
purpose for his life.
00:49:13.92\00:49:15.68
So you never killed him.
00:49:15.72\00:49:17.19
No, I never killed him,
00:49:17.22\00:49:18.55
but you know, there
is forgiveness in Jesus.
00:49:18.59\00:49:21.42
I had to went
around to apologize
00:49:21.46\00:49:23.73
to all the families I've hurt.
00:49:23.76\00:49:25.49
They decide to
forgive me. So it's a miracle.
00:49:25.53\00:49:27.86
So today I
started top of my grade,
00:49:27.90\00:49:31.33
now a student at
Oakwood University.
00:49:31.37\00:49:34.24
One more year to go
00:49:34.27\00:49:35.87
and then I'll be a
full-fledged pastor
00:49:35.90\00:49:38.54
to serve in God's vineyard
00:49:38.57\00:49:40.18
of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:49:40.21\00:49:41.54
and the world at large.
00:49:41.58\00:49:42.91
So, one year to go
at Oakwood University,
00:49:42.94\00:49:45.48
and then I'm finished.
00:49:45.51\00:49:46.85
Wow, you know, this is amazing.
00:49:46.92\00:49:48.25
We were just touching
the tip of the iceberg here.
00:49:48.28\00:49:49.62
You got to invite Billy Mirander
00:49:49.65\00:49:52.09
to tell you the full story.
00:49:52.12\00:49:53.69
We sat spellbound as he walked
00:49:53.76\00:49:55.86
through the details of his life.
00:49:55.89\00:49:57.43
And more than that,
00:49:57.46\00:49:58.79
I think that what you need to do
00:49:58.83\00:50:00.33
is invite young people
to be a part of that event.
00:50:00.40\00:50:03.67
That could be at
a community center,
00:50:03.70\00:50:05.03
doesn't even have
to be at a church,
00:50:05.07\00:50:07.14
it could be at a
school, or be at a university.
00:50:07.17\00:50:09.64
It could be in the inner city
00:50:09.67\00:50:11.07
wherever you feel
the need is necessary.
00:50:11.11\00:50:13.11
Now, before we go
to the news break,
00:50:13.14\00:50:14.71
I want to just
take a quick pause here
00:50:14.74\00:50:16.95
and give you the
information that you need.
00:50:16.98\00:50:19.58
We're going to come back
before we go to the news break,
00:50:19.61\00:50:21.82
and have him share a few things.
00:50:21.85\00:50:23.92
And then we'll come
back for the closing,
00:50:23.99\00:50:25.69
but here's the
information that you need
00:50:25.72\00:50:27.69
if you want to get in
touch with Billy Mirander,
00:50:27.72\00:50:29.66
and find out more
about his ministry.
00:50:29.69\00:50:31.16
If you would like to
support Billy Mirander,
00:50:34.83\00:50:37.17
or if you would like
to have more information
00:50:37.20\00:50:39.00
about his speaking appointments,
00:50:39.03\00:50:40.84
prison ministry,
00:50:40.87\00:50:42.20
or motivational
talks in schools,
00:50:42.24\00:50:44.14
you may contact him
in a variety of ways.
00:50:44.21\00:50:46.98
You may reach him by email
at BillyMirander@gmail.com.
00:50:47.01\00:50:51.25
That's BillyMiranda@gmail.com.
00:50:51.28\00:50:54.88
Or you may call him at
00:50:54.92\00:50:56.25
(256)-945-1143.
00:50:56.28\00:51:00.56
To reach him by mail just write
00:51:00.59\00:51:02.09
to Billy Mirander,
1535 Sparkman Drive,
00:51:02.12\00:51:06.53
Northwest
Huntsville, Alabama 35816.
00:51:06.56\00:51:11.17