Participants: Pr. Marquis Johns (Host), Ross Warner
Series Code: TNJ
Program Code: TNJ000036
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00:01 The following program discusses sensitive issues.
00:03 Parents are cautioned that some material 00:05 may be too candid for younger children. 00:08 Welcome to The New Journey, 00:09 a program about real life people 00:11 with real life testimonies 00:13 doing real life ministries for Jesus Christ. 00:15 I'm your host, Pastor Marquis Johns. 00:17 Join us on The New Journey. 00:54 Throughout the Bible, 00:56 God expressed interest in a specific group of people, 00:58 as a matter of fact, two groups, 01:00 one, the widows, the other, the fatherless. 01:04 On our show today, we have a young man 01:06 who grew up in the foster care system. 01:09 However, throughout his life, 01:11 we see evidence of exactly what God speaks 01:13 about his having a specific interest 01:18 in the fatherless. 01:19 On our show today is Mr. Ross Warner. 01:20 How are you doing, Ross? 01:22 Happy to be here. Good, good, good. 01:23 Now before we go into the show, 01:25 this is a very special one for me 01:27 because Ross and I are friends. 01:29 We went to school together, 01:31 we went to Oakwood University to study theology together. 01:33 And I remember seeing Ross on campus. 01:37 And Ross just moved in a way 01:40 that reminded me of people that I'd grown up with, 01:42 people that I knew from the streets, 01:43 and it was just in his eyes, 01:45 whenever I looked at Ross's eyes, 01:46 I saw that he had no fear. 01:48 And I would say that if I had guys 01:53 who were as dedicated to God 01:56 as I've seen them dedicated to the streets, 01:59 what could be accomplished? 02:01 And Ross was just one such person in that... 02:04 I took a position on campus and I asked Ross to be 02:07 the personal ministries director for me 02:10 when I was doing that. 02:12 And Ross at one point, he said, 02:15 he's getting people to go on to the community Share Jesus 02:18 and he needed one school bus, 02:19 I'm talking the long school bus, 02:21 the long bus, 02:22 and after a few weeks, he came back saying, 02:24 "You know, Quis, I need another bus." 02:26 And I'm like, "Another bus?" 02:28 Second bus, we had a budget for the second bus. 02:31 Few weeks went by, he needed a third bus. 02:33 This young man literally had 02:37 three school buses 02:42 full of people going out 02:44 every other Friday sharing Jesus 02:47 with the community. 02:48 And the reason he was able to do 02:50 that is because Ross had no fear. 02:53 And I think that comes from some of the things 02:55 he's experienced in life 02:56 that now that he's given his life to Jesus. 02:58 He still has a lack of fear 03:02 because he knows that Christ is his protector. 03:04 So, Ross, I just want to just jump right into your story 03:06 because it's a very interesting one. 03:07 Okay. 03:09 And to talk about where that lack of fear came from. 03:11 So tell us about where you're from. 03:13 Okay. Well, I'm from Washington DC. 03:16 I lived there for a short period 03:17 and then I moved to Maryland. 03:18 So when you moved to Maryland, so you were with mom and dad, 03:21 you guys moved to Maryland or it just... 03:23 Okay. Well, my parents divorced before I was born. 03:25 Then my mom raised me and my older brother for a time 03:27 and then she remarried. 03:29 Okay. 03:30 So before you were even born, 03:33 your mom and dad were no longer together. 03:34 That's correct. 03:35 And so after that point, 03:37 did your dad have any interest in your life? 03:39 Did... 03:40 None at all. 03:41 Okay, so then you moved to Maryland 03:43 and all you have now is your mom and your brother 03:45 and she's trying to raise you guys, 03:47 and what happens there? 03:49 Okay. 03:50 Well, later on, she met a gentleman 03:53 and they decided to get married 03:54 and then he said to her 03:56 that he didn't want to raise someone else's children. 03:58 And so that you have to choose between me and them. 04:02 Wait, wait, wait. 04:03 So your mother decided in order to be with this man 04:09 that she would put you guys in the foster care system. 04:12 Yes. 04:14 How old were you when this happened? 04:18 I believe seven years old. Seven years old. 04:19 So seven years old, mom comes and tells you what? 04:23 How did she break that news to you? 04:25 You know, I'm not going to be... 04:26 How did she break that news to you? 04:27 Okay. 04:29 Well, really there wasn't much said, I was just... 04:33 This is what I'm going to have to do. 04:34 I think she dropped me off at my grandmother's house 04:38 on my father's side. 04:40 And my grandmother on my father's side 04:41 didn't want me so she dropped me... 04:42 Wait, wait, wait. Okay. 04:45 Because I want the people 04:47 watching to really to grasp this. 04:49 Okay. I got you. 04:50 So your dad leaves before you were even born. 04:54 Yes. 04:55 Your mom when you're seven decides, 04:56 in order to be with someone else, 04:58 you're a liability. 04:59 Yeah. 05:00 So she drops you off at your grandmother's house 05:02 on your father's side, and your grandmother says, 05:06 "Well, I don't want this responsibility." 05:08 Yes. 05:09 So from there, what happens? 05:11 Then my grandmother on my father's side, 05:12 she drops me off at my grandmother 05:14 on my mother's side. 05:15 Okay. 05:16 And then my grandmother on my mother's side 05:18 was pretty much like, 05:19 "I can't handle this responsibility also." 05:20 So dad says, "No." 05:27 Yeah. 05:28 Mom says, "No." Mm-hm. 05:30 Dad's mom says, "No." Mm-hm. 05:33 Mom's mom says, "No." Mm-hm. 05:36 What happens after that? 05:37 Then my mother comes to get me and my brother. 05:40 And when she came back, 05:42 she couldn't really look at me in the face. 05:44 I'm about seven years old and I could recognize that. 05:46 But the sad part is I saw how my family, 05:49 all they could do was criticize. 05:50 They weren't really trying to support her 05:52 and help her raise us. 05:54 And so she came back and got us. 05:55 And then I would say moments later, 05:58 she dropped us off at social service in Maryland. 06:02 Did you know what that building was when you drove up to it? 06:05 Not at all. Not at all. 06:06 So did you have any expectation 06:08 that you guys are going into a building together 06:11 and then you were going to come out of this building together? 06:14 Well, I had a giant suitcase 06:15 so I knew I was probably going to stay. 06:19 And so basically, as you were walking in this building, 06:21 you knew this was probably going to be the last time 06:24 you saw your mother. 06:25 Possibly. 06:26 I mean, I always had faith that maybe, 06:28 you know, later on, I would be able to see her. 06:29 Okay. 06:30 So now you're in the system, seven years old, 06:32 tell us about that. 06:33 Okay. Well, I was in some tough conditions. 06:37 I'd probably been through probably about 10 foster homes. 06:41 There were conditions in where I had to sleep under my bed 06:44 because I wasn't sure if I would be bothered 06:46 or touched or anything 06:47 because I came across individuals 06:49 who were raped, who were beat up, 06:51 boys and girls. 06:52 Some of the foster parents, obviously, 06:54 they weren't interviewed at some point 06:56 because some of them were drug abusers 06:59 and some of the most horrible situations. 07:02 And so that's pretty much. 07:06 So from seven years of age... 07:09 Now were you and your brother together as you guys moved? 07:11 Okay. 07:12 The first home they dropped us all to, 07:16 the conditions were very difficult. 07:17 They really treated us like animals. 07:19 They would have us outside during the day 07:22 and we would come inside for food and go back outside, 07:25 no toys, no anything like that. 07:26 And then when it was time to sleep, 07:28 they would let us sleep. 07:29 It was like I guess you would call it an orphanage 07:31 without a title. 07:32 So that and I started complaining and... 07:35 At seven. 07:36 At seven, well, I was around seven or eight then. 07:38 Okay, so you've already been here 07:40 for about what 6 months, a year... 07:41 Okay, go ahead. 07:42 And so I started complaining 07:44 because I knew that this wasn't right. 07:45 And my brother, he's mentally disturbed 07:46 so he can't really verbalize what's going on. 07:49 And so, you know, I started saying things 07:51 to my social worker who would rarely come 07:53 and eventually, they took us out. 07:56 They took me up, they split us up, 07:57 and I went to a new foster home. 07:59 So and this is just because most of the people 08:03 who are probably watching this program have no idea 08:05 that things like this are actually happening. 08:07 Or it's something that they saw in a movie or read in a book 08:10 that there is a seven year old child 08:13 who before even he's born, his father doesn't want him, 08:16 his mother decides in order to be with someone else 08:19 that she doesn't want him. 08:22 The grandmothers on both sides decide, 08:25 "We don't want to deal with this." 08:27 And so the one piece of family that you have with you, 08:31 you're taken to social services and then eventually, 08:33 you guys are split up. 08:34 Exactly. Mercy. 08:36 And so the next foster home you go through now, 08:42 this is the first time, you're about eight years old. 08:44 This is the first time that you're basically on your own. 08:49 By myself, yes. 08:50 While I'm living there, 08:52 I might say one of the best experiences to a degree. 08:55 I met a gentleman, his name was Charles Jones, 08:59 he was a great father figure. 09:01 Without him necessarily saying that, 09:03 you know, he was a Christian or, 09:05 you know, he went to church, he did everything, 09:08 but I saw God in him. 09:09 But I was really sitting there on him reading the words, 09:11 I saw God in him. 09:13 This man really... 09:14 I called him actually Santa Claus 09:15 because he took in a lot of children, 09:18 he raised them. 09:19 For Christmas, he, you know, gave us gifts 09:21 and things like that. 09:23 He showed us that he loved us. 09:24 But the issue with that was and where I had to leave 09:26 that I started getting molested by his wife. 09:28 Mercy. 09:30 And she also molested some of the other children there. 09:32 So I want it before we even deal with that 09:35 because that is terrible, that's tragic. 09:38 But you said you could see God in him. 09:41 Now is this something you're saying in hindsight 09:43 or this as a child, 09:45 you could see there was something different about him, 09:47 how were you able to identify that it was God 09:49 and is this something that you're looking back 09:50 and you can see? 09:51 Or had you begun even at an early age 09:54 to develop a relationship with God? 09:56 Well, essentially, you know, when you're growing up 09:59 and everyone is abandoning you and just leaving you, 10:03 it's like you feel alone. 10:05 So you have no choice but to call out to somebody 10:07 because you believe that you're not here, 10:08 you know, by just out of nowhere. 10:11 So I'm calling out to the Lord, my God... 10:13 At eight, you're calling out to the God. 10:14 I'm calling out to the Lord 10:16 and I'm like, "What's going on here?" 10:17 You know, and I remember that I missed 10:20 a certain part of a different foster home 10:22 that I was in. 10:23 When I was there, I just knew 10:25 that God had to come in and step in 10:28 because the conditions of the house 10:29 were too strenuous, were too difficult 10:31 that he had to move me. 10:33 And so I was exposed to so much bad 10:36 when I saw this man who was good, 10:38 I knew that there's something in him that's different. 10:39 Mm-hm. 10:41 And so, you know, he would say, "Ross, how's it going?" 10:43 He would cook us breakfast. 10:45 He would take us out to different states, 10:46 and feed us, and just tell us, 10:48 you know, that he cared about us 10:49 and that he wanted to be there for us. 10:51 So I knew that there was something different about him 10:52 and I enjoyed it. 10:54 But like I said earlier, that eventually, I had to leave 10:56 because the woman was very abusive. 10:58 So how did he... 11:01 So this had been something that was going on before you 11:05 and while you were there. 11:06 How was he dealing with his wife 11:09 who was doing this? 11:10 Okay. 11:11 Once he found out, he started crying 11:13 and that was the first time I saw a man cry. 11:15 And he cried and he grabbed her and said, "What are you doing?" 11:19 And, you know, she... 11:21 So wait, wait, wait. Yeah. 11:22 Did he catch her in the act? 11:24 I told him. I told him. Okay. 11:25 I learned at a young age that if you don't make enough noise, 11:28 no one will hear you. 11:29 And those are some of the survival tactics 11:32 that you have to develop over time 11:34 so you'll be able to survive in the system. 11:35 Mm-hm. 11:37 And so I told him and he grabbed her and, 11:39 you know, she screamed, she cried, 11:40 and she said she was sorry. 11:42 And like I said, he was crying also 11:44 and I think that at that point, 11:45 he realized that he was going to have to let me go 11:47 because it wasn't a healthy environment 11:49 and so I had to go to another foster. 11:50 Did he continue to have foster kids? 11:53 I believe so. Okay. 11:55 So that's your... 11:57 So again, and this is a remarkable story 12:00 because I know the Ross now. 12:02 Yeah. 12:03 That you go through all of this and so you get to another... 12:06 When do you finally get somewhere 12:08 that you stay for an extended period of time 12:11 that you begin to associate a feeling of home? 12:15 When did that happen? 12:17 Man, it took a while. 12:18 Okay, all right, I went to another one, 12:22 which was very difficult, then of course, as I said earlier, 12:23 I went to about 10 different foster homes. 12:26 There was one of my foster parents, 12:28 she was Adventist. 12:30 And I would say that that was a home. 12:31 You know, and while I was there she showed me pretty much. 12:35 She was like, "You have to go to... 12:37 I want you to come to church with me." 12:38 It was a strong imply. How old were you at this point? 12:41 I was about maybe 13 or probably 14. 12:44 Okay, okay. 12:46 You know, she told me that 12:48 I want you to become a junior deacon. 12:50 I want you to be involved in church. 12:51 And at that time, I'm like, 12:53 "I don't really want to do that." 12:55 But she's told me, and she's sheltering me, 12:57 and she's making me feel loved and cared about to a degree 12:59 so I'm like, I need "This is okay." 13:01 And so, you know, everything is going pretty good 13:05 but then after a while, I started... 13:07 because I grew up in so many different foster homes 13:10 and where people were so inconsistent 13:12 and they would give me promises 13:13 and tell me they would be there for me. 13:15 It was hard for me to trust her. 13:17 It was hard for me to receive any type of love 13:19 that she was trying to give me. 13:20 And so eventually, I left, I left 13:24 and went to stay with someone else. 13:25 Okay. 13:26 So how old were you when you decided to leave her home? 13:28 I was about 17, 18 years old. 13:30 So 18 years of age, 13:32 you decide to leave the place that you now feel as home. 13:36 Yes. 13:38 But because of the disconnect 13:39 and the inability to trust authority figures, 13:43 you decide it's best to strike out on your own. 13:44 Exactly. So now you're 18 years old. 13:46 You're in the streets of Washington DC. 13:49 About what year was this? 13:51 I would say about 2004. 13:54 So what is life like for an 18 year old man 13:58 in Washington DC? 14:00 A 18 year old man, boy, I don't know. 14:02 Okay. 14:03 Developmentally, where you are, but what is Washington DC life 14:06 for an 18 year old in 2004? 14:08 Okay. Well, it was pretty tough. 14:12 There was a time where I was sleeping in my car, 14:14 sleeping at some of my friend's houses. 14:16 Eighteen, you had a car? Yeah. 14:18 How did you get a car at 18? 14:20 Well, she helped me get a car, man. 14:22 And she... 14:24 I went around to different places 14:26 and I stayed with them and I slept in my car 14:28 and, you know, those were I guess 14:30 the primary places that I stayed, 14:32 my friends' houses and in my car. 14:33 I know, but tell me 14:35 what is street life like in Washington DC? 14:38 Here you are, you are 18, you're in a street now. 14:41 Yeah. Yeah, what's going on? 14:42 Do you want to know about exactly 14:43 how I went about with the... 14:45 How are you surviving in the streets in DC? 14:48 Well, okay. 14:50 I went to... 14:52 I was approached in high school by... 14:53 I went to new high school 14:55 and I was approached by a German who said to me, 14:57 "Do you want to make some money? 14:59 Some fast money." 15:00 And I said to him, "Doing what?" 15:02 And he so sat me down with another friend of mine 15:04 and he asks me in pretty much proposition. 15:07 He said, "If you guys want to make some money, 15:08 I need you to come. 15:10 We can do this together. We can make a robbery. 15:11 We can do this robbery at gunpoint." 15:13 And so I said, "Okay." 15:14 And I looked at my friend to see if he was really for it 15:18 and, "Yeah, I'm for it too." 15:20 So we started... 15:23 We robbed a store at gunpoint 15:26 and after that it was strangle robbery... 15:31 So again let's paint the picture, 15:32 so you go through life feeling like no one wants you. 15:35 Yes. 15:36 The one place you feel someone wants it, 15:38 it's hard for you to really trust this person 15:40 in the long run 15:41 because of all the broken promises 15:43 leading up to this moment. 15:44 Exactly. 15:46 And so you strike out on your own, 15:47 you're 18, she helps you get a car 15:48 but you're trying to figure out, 15:50 "How am I going to survive? 15:51 How am I gonna make it?" 15:52 Someone approaches you and kind of interests you 15:54 in making some fast money through robbing people. 15:56 Yeah. 15:57 So then from that point on you, this gentleman, 15:59 and another gentleman are going around 16:02 doing robbery at gunpoints, strong arm robbery basically. 16:08 Car theft too, everything. You name it, we we're doing it. 16:10 Okay. 16:11 So let's go. So armed robbery, what else? 16:14 Car theft. Car theft. 16:15 What else? Drugs, alcohol. 16:17 Drugs, alcohol, what else? 16:19 I would say that's... 16:20 Name it, you were doing it. Yeah. 16:21 So from the time you were 17 to you 16:25 were about what age were you involved in this? 16:27 I would say about 20, around in my late 20s. 16:31 Late 20s. Late 20s. 16:33 Okay, so this becomes the only life you really know. 16:38 Yeah. 16:40 With the exception of this one Christian lady who took you in 16:43 and this guy who long ago reminded you of Santa Claus. 16:47 Yeah. 16:48 How do you get or when do you begin 16:51 to call out if you will to the God 16:53 you were calling out to when you were eight? 16:56 Okay. 16:57 All right. What is the scenario? 16:59 What's the situation that you find yourself 17:00 in that now you're calling out saying, "Save me." 17:04 Or are you even doing that? Okay. 17:06 I got into a point after all of the robberies 17:08 and the car thefts, 17:10 and it was just so much taking place 17:11 where I knew that God had to be protecting me 17:13 because from being chased on the road 17:16 with guys with waving guns at the car 17:18 or just in some of the most horrible situations, 17:22 I knew that if I continue this, 17:23 I will be dead at a young age or I would be imprisoned. 17:26 And so I kind of gave that up, and me and my friends... 17:30 I'm spending time with them like I said, 17:32 they mean something dear to me. 17:34 As I'm spending time with them, they're taking care of me, 17:36 they're looking out for me, they're encouraging me 17:38 that it's going to be okay. 17:40 And I said to myself that, 17:41 "Man, you know, I know that they aren't fully happy. 17:43 I know that they don't really know their purpose 17:45 and I know they have questions." 17:47 And from my experience going to different Baptist churches, 17:50 you know, we hear the hoos and the haas 17:52 but I don't have substance. 17:53 And so I'm affected by that and so I knew that 17:56 they probably wouldn't go to their pastors 17:57 to the local churches and stuff like that 17:59 and so they would have to probably... 18:00 They would want to get it first hand 18:02 and so I started praying, 18:03 I said, "Lord, if you're real..." 18:05 At this time I remember, 18:06 I was in my car and I had no place to stay. 18:08 How old are you? I'm probably 19. 18:09 Okay. 18:11 I'm 19 and I'm saying, "Lord, I don't have a place to stay. 18:12 I'm probably at the lowest point in my life 18:15 and I need you. 18:17 If you are real, I need you to show yourself." 18:20 And that's pretty much how it went. 18:22 It just seemed as if God moved in such a mighty way 18:27 that I can't really explain how fast like 18:30 when you call out to the Lord, he answers like that. 18:32 Yeah. 18:34 And so... 18:36 One thing, I'm sorry, I'm stuttering so much... 18:38 It's okay, go ahead, go ahead. 18:39 I'm so excited, you know, fire in my bones. 18:41 Go ahead, go ahead. 18:43 And so my friends, the thing about is, 18:45 you know, like I said they were like family. 18:47 They were like so much family to me 18:49 and I said, so I'm like, "Man, I want them saved." 18:51 I mean, we know when we we're born, 18:55 as in young age, there's good and evil. 18:56 We've heard about heaven and hell 18:57 and I know no one wants to go to hell, am I right? 19:00 And so I said to myself, "Man, I want to go to heaven. 19:03 And I want my friends to go to heaven. 19:04 And I want them to be happy because they were my family." 19:07 I wanted my little brother that I knew 19:08 that I wasn't really able to see 19:11 because at the time my mom was with my stepdad 19:13 and he really did not want me around too much. 19:15 And so I knew that I cared about him 19:17 and I wanted him to know who Christ was for himself. 19:18 Okay, okay. 19:20 So I was just like, the only way this is going to happen is 19:22 if I have to follow Christ because I know that, 19:24 they might not listen to no one else. 19:26 So if I have to be that person 19:28 that introduces them that is so big. 19:30 Right. And that's how it went. 19:31 And so you called out to God and God begins to answer. 19:34 How do you see him answering? Tell me. 19:35 Okay, okay. So this is exciting. 19:38 This is exciting brother. This is exciting. 19:39 All right, so I started going to the church 19:45 that my foster mother used to take me to, all right? 19:48 And I didn't necessarily go in the church 19:50 because there were times that I would trinkle in occasionally 19:53 just off the street. 19:54 But I would be discouraged, 19:56 people would see me in my white T-shirt 19:57 because I didn't look like them, 19:59 they would give me these types of snares 20:00 and so I would step away at times. 20:02 So I knew I didn't want to go to the front door directly, 20:04 so I'll go to the side door to the Lord 20:06 and I would sit there and bible study with this pastor... 20:07 Mercy, mercy. 20:09 Oh, yes. 20:10 So I would have sit there with this pastor 20:11 and he would talk to me about the Lord, 20:13 how he cares about man. 20:14 We would go through topical lessons 20:16 such as baptism, salvation, the Ten Commandments 20:18 those things like that and I would say, 20:20 "Oh, man, this makes sense, this is practical." 20:22 And I guess right there, 20:24 his name is Pastor MacNicol. 20:26 He's a man of God. Okay. 20:28 And so he's talking to me and I'm like, Okay, 20:30 so the Lord loves me that much. 20:31 I have to talk to my brothers about it. 20:33 I might not be able to give them all the answers 20:35 but this man knows a little bit of something about Jesus. 20:37 Right, right, right. 20:38 So I'll go back and tell my friends 20:40 and I'll bring them. 20:41 I'll bring one of my friends first, 20:42 and we're sitting down 20:44 and I remember the first time we go there, we go, it's like, 20:47 we're listening to rap music a little bit at the time, 20:49 you know, I listen to all sorts of things. 20:50 I'm not gonna name them. 20:52 So we go there, 20:56 he's like, "Man, it didn't make sense, man, 20:57 but I want to know if I can give up these things." 20:59 I'm like, "Man, you know what let's just focus on the Lord 21:02 and eventually these things will fall the way." 21:03 He's like, "Okay, all right, that makes sense. 21:05 So we're going." 21:07 And before you know it, 21:08 we go talk to his little brother. 21:09 And then once we go talk to his little brother, 21:11 he's like, "Ah, man, I'm gonna come check it out." 21:13 He's checking it out and then I'm like I will... 21:15 at the time I actually trying 21:16 to get in this community college 21:18 but I flunked out because of my drug habit. 21:19 But in the process of that, eventually like I said 21:22 I'm trying to find out who Christ is. 21:23 I met a young lady 21:25 who was there at this community college 21:27 and she had interest in the Lord. 21:29 She was catholic at that time I believe. 21:31 And so I told her, "Well, why not. 21:33 You can come to church with me. 21:34 You can come check out the Lord 21:35 that I'm trying to get to know." 21:37 And so all this is taken place before you know it. 21:41 I get a phone call. 21:43 We leave out, I'm chilling with my boys, 21:45 my three friends at the time and I'm like, 21:46 you know, the pastor gives me a call 21:48 and says, "Ross, don't be scared of the water." 21:50 I said, "What is this about? Oh, baptism." 21:54 It struck and so after that, I got baptized. 21:57 And at the time, I had dreads, 21:59 you know, I grew up in an environment 22:02 where it was encouraged to have dreads. 22:04 Not saying that anything is wrong with it 22:06 but the lifestyle that I had followed, 22:07 you know, the weed, the dreads, the caprese, 22:09 you know the shabby caprese of the '91, 22:10 I had about two of those. 22:12 I conducted myself in a way that I wanted to be that thug 22:14 because that was pushed up for me. 22:16 You know, you're nobody, you're nothing, 22:18 so the streets is what, you know, you are. 22:20 The streets is what you're made, 22:21 these are your friends. 22:23 This herd type of mentality. 22:24 Further on, I get baptized and while I'm there, later on, 22:29 this gentleman comes to me saying, 22:31 "Ross, I see a pastor in you." 22:33 And I say, "Oh, not me brother. Not me, not at all." 22:37 You know, I'm just here, you know, 22:38 I just want to learn about the Lord, 22:40 take a seat, you know, do some ministry. 22:43 And not only that was I baptized 22:45 and the gentleman approaching but also one of the pastors, 22:48 senior pastors approach me saying, 22:49 "Ross, I want you to, you know, do some Bible work." 22:51 So I'm doing Bible work working for the evangelistic... 22:54 The Bible work is when you go and tell people about Jesus. 22:56 Exactly. 22:57 But he saw this in you 22:58 because it was what you are already doing. 23:00 Yeah, pretty much. Okay, go ahead. 23:01 So I'm doing that. 23:03 And then eventually he mentions he says, 23:04 "Ross, have you ever heard of Oakwood?" 23:07 and I'm saying, "What's Oakwood? 23:10 Never heard of that." 23:11 You know, and so he said, "You need to check it out." 23:14 So I'm like, "Okay. I'll check that out." 23:15 But me, you know, when I was in high school, 23:17 I didn't pay any attention at all. 23:20 You know, I only came to class to get some food, 23:22 talk to my friends, pick up a girl, and leave. 23:24 You know, that's pretty... 23:26 My friends know how things went, 23:27 you know, and so I really didn't pay attention. 23:32 I knew my grades were really bad 23:33 but they said, "You can still try at Oakwood." 23:36 I said, "All right. I'll try. I'll give Oakwood a call." 23:40 And so I'm talking to... 23:43 I'm putting my application 23:45 and I'm talking to this woman on the phone, 23:46 she says, "Don't worry, 23:47 I'm going to help you get through this." 23:49 I mean, I'm late for registration. 23:50 Then I get a phone call from this lady, 23:52 young lady in admissions. 23:53 And she says, "For some reason, I feel like 23:55 I'm impressed to get you in school, 23:57 to get you enrolled." 23:59 So she took my application, my admittance application 24:01 and took it from the bottom of a pile 24:02 and got it accepted directly just like that. 24:04 Mercy. 24:05 So I just want to slow down for a moment because... 24:07 Yeah, go ahead. 24:09 But here's the reason why I want to slow down 24:10 is because this is when I get to know you. 24:14 Yes. 24:15 And with all of what you've just said, 24:17 I mean, the parents not wanting you, 24:20 the grandparents not wanting you, 24:23 the foster system treating you wrong 24:27 and giving you a bad hand, 24:29 and then you end up at a church 24:32 where someone sees something in you 24:35 because of what God has already placed in you 24:37 because you've been... 24:38 At 8, you cried out to him, at 19, you cried out to him 24:41 and now God is making good on answering that prayer. 24:45 So you get to Oakwood because I know this 24:48 and so I want you to tell this to those watching. 24:53 Did you end up going to Oakwood by yourself? 24:56 No, oh, you know. 24:59 Okay, so I get accepted and I have to put this out 25:05 just how much God provides. 25:07 So like I said, I shared with you previously. 25:10 I didn't have any money. 25:11 I went to Oakwood with just a little bit of money, 25:13 probably about a $100 to $200 25:15 and that's nothing as compared to solution. 25:17 Oh, yeah. 25:18 And so when I get up there, a woman that I live with, 25:22 she was a landlord and she had evicted me 25:24 because I was unable to pay the bills. 25:26 She said, "You know what, you're accepted at the school, 25:28 I'm going to drive with you up to the school." 25:29 That's all she said. 25:31 When I got up to the admission, well, registration, 25:33 she came out and gave me $3,000 25:35 so I can get to school for first semester. 25:36 Mercy, mercy. 25:38 So because I want to get this 25:42 and we have to start coming to a close. 25:46 I got you. 25:48 But some other guy that have been talking to 25:51 when you were in DC, 25:54 when you got to Oakwood... 25:56 Okay. 25:57 And quickly, quickly, quickly. 26:00 So I went there in my first year, 26:04 my friends that I was associated with that, 26:06 you know, we were friends and everything, 26:08 they decided to get baptized also. 26:11 I believe all four of them and even my foster brother, 26:14 we later connected, I started ministering to him 26:17 and then he later got baptized. 26:18 I mean, this gentleman was selling cocaine 26:21 out of his apartment and had no future goals 26:24 and not want to live anymore 26:26 and so because I submitted the gospel to him, 26:27 he eventually got baptized 26:28 and then those four friends altogether, 26:30 they end up coming to Oakwood the next year. 26:32 And so you were at Oakwood studying what? 26:35 Theology. 26:37 This was when... 26:38 That you were at Oakwood studying what? 26:39 Theology. 26:41 They were at Oakwood studying what? 26:42 Theology. 26:44 So all of your friends that you were witnessing to all 26:45 went to Oakwood and started studying what? 26:46 Wait, wait. 26:48 Three of them studied Theology 26:49 and one of them went to Business Administration 26:50 I believe. 26:52 So you have you and three of your friends 26:53 at Oakwood studying Theology 26:54 and another friend at Oakwood 26:56 studying Business Administration. 26:57 Yes. 26:59 I know right? Yeah. 27:00 And so all of this from a person 27:02 who had seen that no one wanted, 27:05 it would seem as though God always wanted you. 27:09 Come on, now. 27:11 And has continually used you to minister to others. 27:15 So now, you graduate Oakwood? Yes. 27:18 And where are you now? 27:19 I'm at Andrews University 27:20 working on my Masters in Divinity. 27:29 Now the thing about Ross is... 27:38 there was a crusade 27:39 I was supposed to go and working. 27:41 And I was unable to go, so I sent Ross. 27:46 In that crusade that Ross worked in, 27:48 over a 100 people were baptized. 27:50 Amen. 27:54 And since then, he has become 27:58 a very coveted Bible worker 28:01 because I believe that God has given him 28:06 the desire to show other people 28:10 what he was unable to see growing up. 28:17 Ross, I just want to thank you for being here with us today 28:20 and sharing your story. 28:21 Happy to be here. 28:23 Because I know that it's not easy to share. 28:24 So I want to just thank you. 28:26 Oh, no problem. 28:34 Brothers and Sisters, as evidence by our story today, 28:39 God loves the fatherless 28:43 because it gives Him an opportunity 28:46 to be their Father, 28:47 and to guide them on a new journey. 28:51 God bless you. |
Revised 2017-11-02