The following program
discusses sensitive issues.
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Parents are
cautioned that some material
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may be too candid
for younger children.
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Welcome to The New Journey,
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a program about real life people
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with real life testimonies,
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doing real life
ministry for Jesus Christ.
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I'm your host,
Pastor Marquis Johns.
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Join us on The New Journey.
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Many of us have
had a Jonah experience.
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The experience where we know
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that God wants us
in a specific place,
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but we run only
to find ourselves
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right back where God
wanted us in the first place.
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On our show today, we
have just such a person,
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Mr. Orlando Boyd who
was called very early, ran,
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and now finds himself in
a most precarious situation,
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needing to answer the
call first placed on his life.
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How are you doing,
Orlando? All right.
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How about you,
sir? Good, good, good.
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Now you and I've talked a
little bit about your past
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but that's not
where I want to begin.
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I kind of want to begin
with you finding yourself
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on a Christian college campus
enrolled to study theology,
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but then finding yourself
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wanting to do
something other than...
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Tell us about that experience?
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Well, first of all,
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I found myself on the college
of Oakwood, now university,
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where my sister
was being reenrolled.
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We're starting new semester.
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And my mother asked me
if I want to go to school...
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Now just real quick.
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Was this your
first time at Oakwood?
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My first time.
First time at Oakwood.
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Okay, go ahead.
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First time I ever
step my foot in a campus.
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And she asked me,
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if I want to go to school there,
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and I didn't mind, you know,
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there's a lot of nice
things to see at Oakwood.
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I didn't mind the
scenery, and weather was nice,
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I figured why not.
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And then I was
out to high school.
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I didn't really think I
would end up down there,
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but through prayer
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and my mother's a
God-fearing woman,
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she prayed and the
Lord heard her prayer,
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I mean, as the
enrollment process was going on,
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I was helping young people
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take their trunks and
stuff into their rooms.
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And she just kept
coming back every time
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I went to check on
her, she would let me know,
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"What would you
think about this class
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or what type of this or
that or the other thing.
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What do you want?"
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Because I was 21 at the time.
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I wouldn't have to
stay in the freshman dorm,
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I wouldn't have to stay
in the upper classman dorm.
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And the more she talked,
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the more I started feeling
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this sinking
feeling in my stomach
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like I might actually be here.
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I had stuff still
going on in DC there,
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I wasn't that
necessarily ready to let go off,
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but long story short,
I ended up at Oakwood.
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So you're at Oakwood
and you're studying what?
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What are you
gonna study? Theology.
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My major was
theology, minor was religion.
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So you're at Oakwood
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and this was not your intention,
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but God moves kind of in a way
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that you find yourself
enrolled in theology classes
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studying
theology, studying religion.
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Just tell me about
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the first couple
months on the campus.
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Here you are now,
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a place that you had
no intention of being.
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But feeling the strange tugging
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from the Holy Spirit to be here,
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and you're on campus
now studying theology,
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tell us about that?
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That feeling was unreal.
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It was so many
spirit-filled individuals
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that I've never been
around, a group of people
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who were so
connected with Christ
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at such a young age.
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And I'm used to being around,
you know, guys on the street,
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who could care less about
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church or the
Lord or anything else,
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but these people take a
genuine interest in you,
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who you're as a person.
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You know, the Holy
Spirit using them to talk to me,
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letting me know that God
has a plan for your life,
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He's not finished with you yet.
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So what did you
feel that plan was?
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At this moment, at this
moment, what do you feel?
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You're on Oakwood's campus,
you're studying theology,
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what did you feel at that moment
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was God's plan for you life?
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I wasn't really sure.
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I wanted to feel like
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I was being
called to be a preacher,
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but I didn't feel like
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that's what I was
being called to be.
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You didn't feel
like preacher material?
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I didn't feel
like preacher material.
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I didn't see myself on a pulpit.
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So you spent about a
semester at Oakwood, right?
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About a semester and a half.
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And so you end up
leaving and you're back in DC.
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Now you had already told
us that you had some friends
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and some things
that you were doing in DC
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that you didn't
want to let go off
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so you're back in DC.
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After knowing that God
has a plan for your life,
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having studied theology,
and now you're back in DC,
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tell us about
that transition back
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into a kind of in
the old way of life
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before you went to Oakwood?
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It is interesting you asked that
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because I found
myself trying to find
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and rekindle old friendships
that have been laid to rest,
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and the individuals really
wanted nothing to do with me.
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But, you know, I'm
like, now I mean, this is me,
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you know, I'm back.
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Right, right, right, right.
I'm not at school no more.
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So wait a minute.
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So your street
friends are now kind of seeing
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that there is something
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just a little bit
different about you
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and they don't want
anything to do with you.
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Exactly. I had a
similar experience.
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I went through something
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where I would go
back to my old life,
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you know, trying to...
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I remember when I
had stopped smoking,
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stopped drinking
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and I had become a
Christian, a baptized Christian.
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And I found myself
in a very dark place
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where I started
looking for my old friends
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to do some of the
old things with me,
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and they would say,
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"Pastor Johns,
what are you doing?
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You can't do those things."
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And I wasn't even like a
pastor really at the time
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but they would not
allow me to digress,
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if you will, to
my old way of life.
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And they held me
in such high esteem
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that they would be
like, if I would say,
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I want to smoke or
something, they would be like,
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"No, you can't do that.
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No, I can't do that with you."
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So you're at back in DC
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and experiencing
that to some degree
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where people are saying,
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"No, no, no, no,
you can't be around us."
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Not so much the
individuals in DC,
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but some of my closer friends,
I just felt out of place.
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I remember the
night I got back up town
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to Northwest from Oakwood,
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you know, my brothers were...
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I remember they were
like just I'm not gonna...
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They went to Yard, it was...
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Everything was
there... Whatever, yeah.
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And, you know,
I'm in a good mood,
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I'm smiling and I look
at myself in the mirror
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and I just looked different,
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you know, like
the glow was there,
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but my eyes were
starting to squint, again,
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my face was
starting to ball back up.
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And I remember
distinctly hearing
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the Holy Spirit
telling me to hold on.
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You know what I'm saying,
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but like it was
known I'm about to fall,
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I'm about to be
down for little bit,
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you're going to get back up.
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You got into a block
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and it's like three different
groups of people talking
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and I'm standing,
they're feeling like,
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I'm completely by myself.
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And I recall looking
over the city skyline,
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I can see like it was yesterday,
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and it was like I saw a
figure over top of the houses
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were like a puppeteer's string.
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My Lord.
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And all the groups of people
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were just having
their various conversations,
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all talking about nothing,
frameless conversations.
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I'm sitting there
looking them like...
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After coming from
such spirit-filled people,
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being around such
spirit-filled people,
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it was just like,
"Why am I back here?"
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So you're contrasting
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the Holy
Spirit-filled people with...
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Right. Demonic.
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The demonic
spirit filled people.
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And so what did you feel
like you had to do to prove
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that you were
still the Orlando of old?
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What did I feel
like I had to do?
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I mean, what did
you end up doing?
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Because if again,
you're feeling like,
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you know, you're
feeling alone in a crowd,
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and this is a crowd of people
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who you say are
demonic spirit-filled,
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what are you doing now
to be like, "Wait, it's,"
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'cause you said,
"it's me, it's Orlando."
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So do you find
yourself having to prove
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or what was the
motivating factor behind you
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starting to immerse yourself
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back in that
lifestyle that you had left?
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To be honest with you,
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I believe that the individuals
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who I associated myself
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with were just
allowing me enough strength
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to hang myself as much
as I would hang myself.
00:08:07.78\00:08:11.22
And it's like
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they were going
to a lot of Go-Go's,
00:08:12.79\00:08:14.12
I wouldn't go.
00:08:14.16\00:08:15.49
You know, I'd be uptown
00:08:15.52\00:08:16.86
and it's like the
Lord would be like,
00:08:16.89\00:08:18.23
"Okay, that's enough, leave."
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I may drink, I may
smoke, they'd be like leave.
00:08:19.63\00:08:20.96
I come back before
to DC three times a day
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coming from
Waldorf, and he'd be like,
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"Okay, hey, man,
00:08:24.93\00:08:26.27
we may about to
go out to the club."
00:08:26.30\00:08:27.64
And I would be
like, "No, I ain't going."
00:08:27.67\00:08:29.00
And every night without fail
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something
happened and I'm positive.
00:08:30.41\00:08:32.74
If the devil had his way,
00:08:32.77\00:08:34.24
I would've been the one to quote
00:08:34.28\00:08:35.61
that book then and there.
00:08:35.64\00:08:36.98
So okay, so I'm
painting the picture here.
00:08:37.01\00:08:40.15
A young man finds
himself 21 years of age,
00:08:40.18\00:08:42.18
he's on Oakwood's campus.
00:08:42.22\00:08:43.55
He's studying theology,
00:08:43.59\00:08:44.92
for whatever reason
that doesn't work out.
00:08:44.95\00:08:46.76
He is back in DC
hanging around old associates
00:08:46.79\00:08:49.59
and now you're
back to the drinking,
00:08:49.62\00:08:51.63
you're back to the smoking,
you're back to the clubbing,
00:08:51.66\00:08:54.40
you're hanging out
with the wrong people.
00:08:54.43\00:08:55.76
Tell us about...
00:08:55.80\00:08:57.13
And how old are
you at this time?
00:08:57.17\00:08:58.50
At this time,
I'm 22. So you're 22.
00:08:58.53\00:09:00.34
Tell us about the years
between the ages of like,
00:09:00.37\00:09:03.61
let's say, 22 and 25.
00:09:03.64\00:09:05.61
Tell us about
that? What's going on?
00:09:05.64\00:09:07.71
I don't really
remember the age 22.
00:09:07.74\00:09:09.84
I don't remember
the year that was
00:09:09.88\00:09:11.21
when I came back from Oakwood,
I was 21 about to be 22.
00:09:11.25\00:09:15.48
And I had fixed
my mind to be back.
00:09:15.52\00:09:20.86
I really don't
remember the year 2002, 2003,
00:09:20.89\00:09:23.36
I don't remember.
00:09:23.39\00:09:24.73
2004, I was starting to
get myself back together and...
00:09:24.76\00:09:28.60
But I want to
talk about 2002-2003
00:09:28.63\00:09:32.00
'cause there are some
things that are still pending
00:09:32.03\00:09:34.30
that may be a part
and parcel of that year,
00:09:34.34\00:09:37.31
as well as some things
00:09:37.34\00:09:38.67
that probably
happened after 2004.
00:09:38.71\00:09:40.48
Well, I can say in
2003, I recall catching...
00:09:40.51\00:09:45.11
Well, I got one of
my first adult charges,
00:09:45.15\00:09:51.39
which possession of
total dangerous substance
00:09:51.42\00:09:54.12
not with the intent.
00:09:54.16\00:09:55.66
You know,
alcohol related charges,
00:09:55.69\00:09:57.83
my life started spiraling down.
00:09:57.86\00:10:00.60
And I mean, it's like I
wouldn't allow myself to go
00:10:00.63\00:10:04.40
but so far
00:10:04.43\00:10:05.77
because my
mother raised me right,
00:10:05.80\00:10:07.47
she trained up her children
in a way that they should go,
00:10:07.50\00:10:09.14
so they wouldn't
depart in the end.
00:10:09.17\00:10:10.91
But during this middle period,
00:10:10.94\00:10:13.01
I was just
looking for acceptance
00:10:13.04\00:10:17.61
to a certain extent,
00:10:17.65\00:10:19.58
but I knew where I
was most accepted at,
00:10:19.61\00:10:22.38
I had turned my back to it.
00:10:22.42\00:10:23.95
And it crushed me,
00:10:23.99\00:10:25.32
you know, 'cause I felt like
I was turning my back on God
00:10:25.35\00:10:27.59
and looking for
friendship elsewhere with,
00:10:27.62\00:10:31.63
that's really...
00:10:31.66\00:10:32.99
I mean, there's no friends
that you may be associated,
00:10:33.03\00:10:35.53
so people that
you've dealings with
00:10:35.56\00:10:37.23
but I didn't have friends.
00:10:37.27\00:10:38.73
Yeah, I mean,
there were charges,
00:10:38.77\00:10:40.74
in and out of jail,
short stints in there,
00:10:40.77\00:10:42.94
maybe weekend, a
week, 30 days, 15, 20 days,
00:10:42.97\00:10:46.61
became numb to it.
00:10:46.64\00:10:47.98
It was like just way of life,
00:10:48.01\00:10:49.34
I get up to the liquor
store as soon as it open.
00:10:49.38\00:10:51.98
You know, I'm selling weed,
so I got plenty weed to smoke.
00:10:52.01\00:10:55.15
You know, I'm selling...
Back in a life basically.
00:10:55.18\00:11:00.19
And my friends
accepted me back, you know.
00:11:00.22\00:11:03.26
Right, so from the
ages about 23 to 2004,
00:11:03.29\00:11:08.00
you say you started
getting your life together,
00:11:08.03\00:11:09.36
but you're not
completely getting it together,
00:11:09.40\00:11:11.23
you're still catching charges,
00:11:11.27\00:11:12.63
you're still
drinking, you're still smoking.
00:11:12.67\00:11:15.20
Tell us a little bit about
what's going on in your mind
00:11:15.24\00:11:18.57
because there is
this strong tug in you,
00:11:18.61\00:11:20.48
even throughout your
experiences in the streets
00:11:20.51\00:11:23.88
and finding acceptance
once again in the street,
00:11:23.91\00:11:25.71
you testified to the fact
00:11:25.75\00:11:27.08
that you could still feel
the Holy Spirit talking to you,
00:11:27.12\00:11:28.82
and you could still see things,
00:11:28.85\00:11:30.25
you still have
spiritual discernment
00:11:30.29\00:11:31.65
to some degree.
00:11:31.69\00:11:33.02
And so tell us
about like this lifestyle,
00:11:33.05\00:11:35.29
what are you
thinking as you're drinking,
00:11:35.32\00:11:36.86
as you're smoking,
catching all kind of...
00:11:36.89\00:11:41.00
Possession, some DUIs...
00:11:41.03\00:11:44.83
Assaults. So tell
us what's going on?
00:11:44.87\00:11:47.10
And my mind was never at rest.
00:11:47.14\00:11:50.87
And I prayed and asked the
Lord to not give me any peace
00:11:50.91\00:11:53.54
until I made a decision
of follow Him all the way,
00:11:53.58\00:11:55.98
that's what He did.
00:11:56.01\00:11:57.35
I mean, I toyed with
the devil on his ground
00:11:57.38\00:12:01.45
and that's the most dangerous
thing you could ever do
00:12:01.48\00:12:03.92
is think because you're okay,
that you're going to be okay.
00:12:03.95\00:12:09.62
There's been so many situations
00:12:09.66\00:12:12.03
where I have been inebriated
to the point of not knowing
00:12:12.06\00:12:15.26
how I got to my destination.
00:12:15.30\00:12:17.23
I may wake up
00:12:17.27\00:12:18.60
and I had the scars
on my face to prove it,
00:12:18.63\00:12:20.47
and looking at myself
like, "What happened?"
00:12:20.50\00:12:23.14
I'm calling my
friends, what happened?
00:12:23.17\00:12:24.51
"Oh, you man, you was doing this
00:12:24.54\00:12:25.87
and doing that
and the other thing,
00:12:25.91\00:12:27.91
you fought three or four
people with stuff like that."
00:12:27.94\00:12:29.81
And I'm like,
"Man, are you serious?"
00:12:29.84\00:12:31.35
Like but it was
out of the alcohol,
00:12:31.38\00:12:32.71
it had to be the alcohol.
00:12:32.75\00:12:34.08
By the grace of
God, I made it home,
00:12:34.12\00:12:35.55
but if alcohol was not a factor,
00:12:35.58\00:12:37.62
I know I wouldn't have
been in this situation.
00:12:37.65\00:12:39.85
So you're now
struggling with alcoholism?
00:12:39.89\00:12:43.66
Alcoholism. Okay.
00:12:43.69\00:12:45.03
So tell us a little
bit about that struggle
00:12:45.06\00:12:51.30
and not just
because one of the things
00:12:51.33\00:12:54.04
having a little bit of
information on your story,
00:12:54.07\00:12:56.47
Orlando, is that I know
that you're just recently,
00:12:56.50\00:12:59.64
have just recently fought a case
00:12:59.67\00:13:01.81
that is pending from
sometime in the past.
00:13:01.84\00:13:05.01
So tell us, man, like,
00:13:05.05\00:13:06.38
you're struggling
with alcoholism again,
00:13:06.41\00:13:09.52
I really want to highlight
00:13:09.55\00:13:10.89
and you and I have
talked about it before.
00:13:10.92\00:13:12.25
Highlight the
contrast and you knowing
00:13:12.29\00:13:13.96
where you're supposed to
be and what you're doing.
00:13:13.99\00:13:17.46
In January 2011,
00:13:17.49\00:13:19.19
I feel like my life
had gotten to a point
00:13:19.23\00:13:22.10
where if I
didn't make my mind up,
00:13:22.13\00:13:25.53
I was going to lose my life.
00:13:25.57\00:13:26.90
So what did life
look like in 2011?
00:13:26.94\00:13:28.80
2011, it kind of looked okay.
00:13:28.84\00:13:32.74
You see in my spiritual mind
00:13:32.77\00:13:34.11
I knew I was
dying, I knew I was dying.
00:13:34.14\00:13:36.04
But, you know,
in the selfish life,
00:13:36.08\00:13:39.68
I had a potential to succeed
00:13:39.71\00:13:41.65
and I had people
they were willing to...
00:13:41.68\00:13:43.02
Succeed at what?
00:13:43.05\00:13:44.39
Succeed in anything in
this world that I want to...
00:13:44.42\00:13:46.62
So succeed at drug,
00:13:46.65\00:13:47.99
you could have
succeeded at drug dealing?
00:13:48.02\00:13:49.36
I could've been very
successful with drug dealing.
00:13:49.39\00:13:50.73
Okay, succeed in what
else, what else in this world...
00:13:50.76\00:13:52.36
I could've started a
frivolous business of my own
00:13:52.39\00:13:55.30
if I chose to do something
that would be upfront for drugs
00:13:55.33\00:13:57.90
if I chose to.
00:13:57.93\00:13:59.37
I knew people, I mean,
it's conversations has started
00:13:59.40\00:14:01.70
coming up about different
ways to open up strips here
00:14:01.74\00:14:04.97
and do this than
the other thing and...
00:14:05.01\00:14:06.41
When you say
strips, what do you mean?
00:14:06.44\00:14:08.71
Sections of the city
where you sell drugs at,
00:14:08.74\00:14:11.11
you know, I mean
we got younger people
00:14:11.15\00:14:14.32
coming on the scene, eager to...
00:14:14.35\00:14:17.22
And you see that they
are easy to manipulate?
00:14:17.25\00:14:19.05
Ah, too easy. Yeah, yeah.
00:14:19.09\00:14:21.29
So tell us in 2011,
you're spiraling out of control
00:14:21.32\00:14:24.53
or you've got to the point
00:14:24.56\00:14:25.89
where you kind
of hit rock bottom.
00:14:25.93\00:14:27.30
Tell us a little bit
about the longest stint
00:14:27.33\00:14:29.80
you spent in jail.
00:14:29.83\00:14:31.17
You and I were talking
about another conversation
00:14:31.20\00:14:34.70
I was having with
someone, where they felt like
00:14:34.74\00:14:37.14
having certain
items taken from you
00:14:37.17\00:14:39.07
once you're in custody
was to being treated bad.
00:14:39.11\00:14:41.88
Tell us about some of the
times when you were in jail,
00:14:41.91\00:14:44.48
again, knowing
while you're in jail,
00:14:44.51\00:14:46.41
you're going
through whatever behavior,
00:14:46.45\00:14:47.92
you know, doing
whatever you're doing,
00:14:47.95\00:14:49.28
you're going to
jail and you said
00:14:49.32\00:14:50.92
you became numb
to it, but you are...
00:14:50.95\00:14:54.29
See 'cause the struggle
00:14:54.32\00:14:55.66
that I'm looking
to highlight in you,
00:14:55.69\00:14:57.03
Orlando, was the
struggle between light and dark,
00:14:57.06\00:14:59.03
the struggle
where you know better
00:14:59.06\00:15:00.40
but you're not doing better.
00:15:00.43\00:15:01.90
And so tell us about,
you know, being in jail
00:15:01.93\00:15:04.63
and knowing that
you shouldn't be here,
00:15:04.67\00:15:06.87
but you're here anyways.
00:15:06.90\00:15:08.24
Tell us about that? Many
times, I was incarcerated.
00:15:08.27\00:15:11.34
I carried myself as
a vilest on the street.
00:15:11.37\00:15:15.04
It was just time passing,
00:15:15.08\00:15:18.01
I mean, you got
to act a certain way
00:15:18.05\00:15:21.08
where you're incarcerated
00:15:21.12\00:15:22.45
or you'll be taken advantage of.
00:15:22.48\00:15:24.12
And I found myself feeling like
00:15:24.15\00:15:26.22
I was about to lose my
mind from time to time,
00:15:26.25\00:15:28.42
you know, you're
sitting there in little
00:15:28.46\00:15:29.79
four by four, five by five cell,
00:15:29.82\00:15:32.56
nothing to read,
00:15:32.59\00:15:33.93
you know, 22 hours locked in,
00:15:33.96\00:15:36.06
2 hours out throughout
the whole 24-hour a day,
00:15:36.10\00:15:38.90
initially starting out.
00:15:38.93\00:15:41.40
I was trying to maintain COs,
Correctional officers thinking,
00:15:41.44\00:15:44.77
the day your parents tell
you what to do, when to get up,
00:15:44.81\00:15:48.44
how to make your bed,
when you're gonna eat,
00:15:48.48\00:15:51.18
and being a person that
always bucked authority.
00:15:51.21\00:15:54.92
I had no problem
in letting them know,
00:15:54.95\00:15:56.45
what they could do
with their commands
00:15:56.48\00:15:58.25
or demands or whatever
00:15:58.29\00:15:59.62
I have felt
about that, but I mean,
00:15:59.65\00:16:00.99
I got into my
share of altercations
00:16:01.02\00:16:02.99
while incarcerated,
you know, I paid the price,
00:16:03.02\00:16:05.26
spent time in
solitary confinement
00:16:05.29\00:16:07.23
where I had an
opportunity to really focus on
00:16:07.26\00:16:11.43
what God was trying
to tell me about my life.
00:16:11.47\00:16:13.50
Not that I took
heed right then and there
00:16:13.54\00:16:16.57
which is one thing
I love about the Lord,
00:16:16.60\00:16:17.97
He is long suffering,
you know what I'm saying.
00:16:18.01\00:16:20.14
He sees where we are,
00:16:20.18\00:16:22.41
He knows where
he wants us to be,
00:16:22.44\00:16:23.95
and even though we keep making
these ridiculous decisions,
00:16:23.98\00:16:26.65
He just keeps
feeding these little bits
00:16:26.68\00:16:28.02
and pieces of
information along the way.
00:16:28.05\00:16:29.85
So you find yourself
in jail, and God is still,
00:16:29.88\00:16:32.09
God is long suffering,
He's still working with you.
00:16:32.12\00:16:34.29
Young man, go to school,
you're studying theology,
00:16:34.32\00:16:37.19
that doesn't work
out for whatever reason,
00:16:37.23\00:16:38.66
you find yourself back in
DC around old acquaintances,
00:16:38.69\00:16:41.63
finding yourself
back in an old lifestyle
00:16:41.66\00:16:43.53
and old pattern of behavior.
00:16:43.57\00:16:45.03
Now you're going
in and out of jail,
00:16:45.07\00:16:46.40
in and out of jail,
00:16:46.43\00:16:47.77
but throughout
this whole process,
00:16:47.80\00:16:49.14
God is
continually speaking to you
00:16:49.17\00:16:50.51
because He has a
plan for your life.
00:16:50.54\00:16:52.04
2011, things begin to
spiral out of control,
00:16:52.07\00:16:55.21
you found
yourself at rock bottom.
00:16:55.24\00:16:57.45
Walk us from 2011
to about, let's say,
00:16:57.48\00:17:01.38
February of this year?
00:17:01.42\00:17:04.42
2011, January
1st at about 4:15 am,
00:17:04.45\00:17:08.86
I found myself
sleep on the side of 495
00:17:08.89\00:17:11.66
and my fiancé(C) is in BMW,
00:17:11.69\00:17:13.73
had too much to
drink, had drugs on me,
00:17:13.76\00:17:17.87
paraphernalia on me,
had a gun in the trunk.
00:17:17.90\00:17:20.80
And I was rescued
00:17:20.84\00:17:24.11
by Maryland
State troopers I say.
00:17:24.14\00:17:26.34
Wait, wait, you say rescued now.
00:17:26.37\00:17:29.21
I know what happened then,
00:17:29.24\00:17:30.58
so tell us, you say rescued now.
00:17:30.61\00:17:31.95
I mean, I believe
once... Well, that night...
00:17:31.98\00:17:35.28
That night, you
didn't see it as rescue.
00:17:35.32\00:17:36.65
No, I didn't see it
as being rescued then.
00:17:36.69\00:17:38.02
No, no, because you resisted.
I resisted a little bit.
00:17:38.05\00:17:39.85
Come on, talk about that?
00:17:39.89\00:17:41.89
You know, I was in such
shock that it was happened,
00:17:41.92\00:17:45.19
I couldn't believe
it's happening again.
00:17:45.23\00:17:46.63
You know, it is another DUI.
00:17:46.66\00:17:48.93
I mean, firstly,
00:17:48.96\00:17:50.30
driving behind the
wheel again, you know me,
00:17:50.33\00:17:51.90
I could've been
killed, I'm on 495.
00:17:51.93\00:17:54.94
But the officers, I guess...
00:17:54.97\00:17:58.47
I don't know if we call them
and had a little man complex
00:17:58.51\00:18:00.88
where they wanted to be a
little aggressive with me.
00:18:00.91\00:18:03.81
And, you know, they
wanted me to take my clothes,
00:18:03.85\00:18:05.58
they wanted me to
strip, and I guess,
00:18:05.61\00:18:07.48
they thought I was
trying to hide some drugs...
00:18:07.52\00:18:08.85
Strip, strip on
the street, on highway?
00:18:08.88\00:18:10.79
No, they had taken me
to the police barracks.
00:18:10.82\00:18:12.42
But I want to talk
about 'cause, okay,
00:18:12.45\00:18:13.99
so here's how I understand
it, you help me clarify.
00:18:14.02\00:18:17.79
So you're on the side of
the road asleep, inebriated?
00:18:17.83\00:18:21.20
Inebriated.
00:18:21.23\00:18:22.83
You're asleep and
you're awakened by what?
00:18:22.86\00:18:26.03
By police officers
tapping on the window.
00:18:26.07\00:18:27.40
Tapping on the window.
00:18:27.44\00:18:28.77
So he taps on the
window, he says what to you?
00:18:28.80\00:18:31.01
He said, "Do you
know you're on a highway?"
00:18:31.04\00:18:32.61
And you say?
00:18:32.64\00:18:34.18
I look around, I mean,
I'm just looking at him.
00:18:34.21\00:18:36.34
I'm in a daze,
00:18:36.38\00:18:37.71
I can't recall my
exact words to him,
00:18:37.75\00:18:39.91
but no, he wasn't
lying, I was on the highway.
00:18:39.95\00:18:43.99
And so they ask you to, of
course, step out of the car.
00:18:44.02\00:18:47.26
Right. Did you
step out of the car?
00:18:47.29\00:18:48.92
I got out of the car. Okay.
00:18:48.96\00:18:50.29
And so now, walk us
through the process?
00:18:50.33\00:18:51.66
And I'm looking around
00:18:51.69\00:18:53.03
'cause I'm trying
to gather my thoughts,
00:18:53.06\00:18:54.53
I know I got a cup right here...
00:18:54.56\00:18:56.53
Is there still
alcohol in the cup?
00:18:56.56\00:18:57.90
There's still
alcohol in the cup.
00:18:57.93\00:18:59.27
So there's a smell of
alcohol even in the car?
00:18:59.30\00:19:00.64
Yes, smell of
alcohol in the car.
00:19:00.67\00:19:02.00
Okay, so now they
get you out of the car,
00:19:02.04\00:19:03.37
what happens after that?
00:19:03.41\00:19:04.74
You want the whole picture?
00:19:04.77\00:19:06.11
Yeah, yeah, I
want the whole picture.
00:19:06.14\00:19:07.48
I mean, I had
half a jay I brought,
00:19:07.51\00:19:08.84
and my cigarette
pack in my pocket
00:19:08.88\00:19:10.21
and he could smell it.
00:19:10.25\00:19:11.58
I had three different bundles
of marijuana in my pocket.
00:19:11.61\00:19:15.35
He gets me out of the car,
00:19:15.38\00:19:16.72
walks me to the back of the car,
00:19:16.75\00:19:18.09
and asked me to do the
horizontal gaze nystagmus,
00:19:18.12\00:19:21.36
whatever they
call that type of test
00:19:21.39\00:19:22.72
that you look at the pen...
00:19:22.76\00:19:24.09
I failed everything
miserably, I didn't...
00:19:24.13\00:19:25.46
Did you cooperate?
00:19:25.49\00:19:26.83
Did you say,
"Yeah, I want to do this?"
00:19:26.86\00:19:28.26
No. No, I'm not doing this.
00:19:28.30\00:19:30.07
I mean, I did not
take the breathalyzer test.
00:19:30.10\00:19:32.70
And I took a step
forward and I know I'm drunk.
00:19:32.73\00:19:36.14
I told him
myself, "Look, I'm drunk.
00:19:36.17\00:19:38.04
You want to lock
me up, lock me up.
00:19:38.07\00:19:39.77
I mean, why are we standing
out here doing all this for?"
00:19:39.81\00:19:41.98
You know, and so they
started searching the car,
00:19:42.01\00:19:43.35
they searched a car,
00:19:43.38\00:19:44.71
they found a cigarette
pack with marijuana in it.
00:19:44.75\00:19:47.28
I said, "Man, would you
want to take me to jail,
00:19:47.32\00:19:48.65
take me to jail."
00:19:48.68\00:19:50.02
You know, I knew
I was going to jail.
00:19:50.05\00:19:51.39
Right, right. So now so
that's how that plays out.
00:19:51.42\00:19:53.82
So now you're in custody,
you're at the police station,
00:19:53.86\00:19:56.83
now walk us
through the whole strip,
00:19:56.86\00:19:58.63
we want to search you?
00:19:58.66\00:20:00.13
Well, at first, they
threw me in a little room
00:20:00.16\00:20:02.06
in a no, no, no...
00:20:02.10\00:20:04.23
They put me in a...
00:20:04.27\00:20:05.63
I went to like
three different barracks.
00:20:05.67\00:20:07.50
You know, in and
out of consciousness
00:20:07.54\00:20:08.87
'cause I was, I was,
it was New Year's Eve,
00:20:08.90\00:20:10.37
you know, what I
mean, right new year in.
00:20:10.41\00:20:13.98
One of the officers
came and told me to strip.
00:20:14.01\00:20:15.78
It was kind of cold in the cell.
00:20:15.81\00:20:17.65
I mean, I'm not stripping,
they already searched me.
00:20:17.68\00:20:19.68
"Listen, man, I told you,
00:20:19.71\00:20:21.05
you need take your clothes off."
00:20:21.08\00:20:22.42
I said, "I'm not
taking my clothes off."
00:20:22.45\00:20:23.79
So he called few of his
boys about four or five of them,
00:20:23.82\00:20:27.12
couple of white
guys, couple of black guys.
00:20:27.16\00:20:29.89
You know, few of
them were standing
00:20:29.92\00:20:31.36
a little far-off looking like,
00:20:31.39\00:20:32.73
"Man, you know, we
should mess with him."
00:20:32.76\00:20:34.40
Because that whole
process when you were in jail,
00:20:34.43\00:20:36.73
the stripping process,
having been through it,
00:20:36.77\00:20:39.23
it's not about really
asserting their authority
00:20:39.27\00:20:42.50
'cause we're in
custody, isn't that we could do?
00:20:42.54\00:20:44.04
It's more about humiliation
00:20:44.07\00:20:45.74
and some of the things
they have you do, you know...
00:20:45.77\00:20:48.91
If I wouldn't have fought them,
00:20:48.94\00:20:50.28
they would have
took my underwear.
00:20:50.31\00:20:51.65
If I wouldn't
have resisted them.
00:20:51.68\00:20:53.01
So they got you
down to your underwear,
00:20:53.05\00:20:54.52
and now you're fighting
just to keep your underpants.
00:20:54.55\00:20:56.99
So tell us about that? I mean.
00:20:57.02\00:20:59.25
Believe it or not,
our viewers have no view,
00:20:59.29\00:21:01.82
they don't understand that.
00:21:01.86\00:21:03.19
The people watching,
they don't understand
00:21:03.22\00:21:04.56
being in custody,
00:21:04.59\00:21:05.93
already having all
of your clothes off
00:21:05.96\00:21:07.70
and now having to fight
just to keep on your underwear,
00:21:07.73\00:21:10.43
explain that, what is that like?
00:21:10.47\00:21:11.80
Two officers grabbed my arms,
two officers grabbed my legs,
00:21:11.83\00:21:14.14
and the little dude
that was doing all the talk,
00:21:14.17\00:21:15.60
he get to
pulling my clothes off.
00:21:15.64\00:21:17.31
So I'm saying,
00:21:17.34\00:21:18.87
all types of
disrespectful stuff to him
00:21:18.91\00:21:20.48
about his sexual preference
00:21:20.51\00:21:22.14
because apparently
something is wrong with him.
00:21:22.18\00:21:23.51
We understand.
00:21:23.55\00:21:24.88
And he is still
pulling my clothes.
00:21:24.91\00:21:27.85
And they didn't want to
do anything with my clothes
00:21:27.88\00:21:30.02
'cause they just set
them outside the cell,
00:21:30.05\00:21:31.45
they didn't take
them to search them,
00:21:31.49\00:21:32.82
they just wanted
me not to have them,
00:21:32.85\00:21:34.19
it was cold in there.
00:21:34.22\00:21:35.56
Right, right. That
was a... Humiliation.
00:21:35.59\00:21:37.33
So we get down to my underwear
00:21:37.36\00:21:39.06
and I think I might
have hit one of the officers
00:21:39.09\00:21:41.16
because I'm like,
00:21:41.20\00:21:42.53
"Man, you're not
taking my underwear, man,
00:21:42.56\00:21:44.20
you're not tripping."
00:21:44.23\00:21:45.57
So I got myself away from him
00:21:45.60\00:21:47.04
and like I said they
stepped back and looked at me.
00:21:47.07\00:21:48.80
I pulled my
underwear and I looked at him,
00:21:48.84\00:21:50.17
I'm like, "Man, what?"
00:21:50.21\00:21:51.54
They were like,
"Yeah." Did laugh and he left.
00:21:51.57\00:21:53.14
So I reached
underneath the door bars,
00:21:53.17\00:21:54.88
and grabbed my clothes,
and pulled my clothes back
00:21:54.91\00:21:56.34
and then put my clothes back on.
00:21:56.38\00:21:57.71
Nobody else came back in
there, trying to take anything.
00:21:57.75\00:21:59.18
But they just want to see
00:21:59.21\00:22:00.55
how far that you're
going to let them go.
00:22:00.58\00:22:01.92
Right, right.
00:22:01.95\00:22:03.28
If I had let them
take my underwear,
00:22:03.32\00:22:04.65
I would have been
sitting there naked,
00:22:04.69\00:22:06.02
you know what I'm
saying, looking like Kunta Kinte
00:22:06.05\00:22:07.39
or some slave.
00:22:07.42\00:22:08.76
I mean, that's what
they want. Right, right.
00:22:08.79\00:22:10.13
Okay, so now
this is the process,
00:22:10.16\00:22:12.13
this is the situation,
you find yourself in 2011.
00:22:12.16\00:22:15.63
Now and you're
fighting these charges,
00:22:15.66\00:22:18.37
you're fighting
all of these charges,
00:22:18.40\00:22:20.10
and tell us about that process
00:22:20.14\00:22:22.40
because what I really
want to highlight here is
00:22:22.44\00:22:25.31
about you were charged in 2011
00:22:25.34\00:22:29.11
but you weren't
sentenced until when?
00:22:29.14\00:22:33.38
2012. 2012.
00:22:33.42\00:22:35.02
So from 2011,
00:22:35.05\00:22:36.38
where you're already
hitting the charges are there,
00:22:36.42\00:22:38.12
you're going back
and forth of the court.
00:22:38.15\00:22:39.69
When this should be
speeding you were caught
00:22:39.72\00:22:41.96
with the open
container or with the alcohol,
00:22:41.99\00:22:45.13
you were caught
with the marijuana,
00:22:45.16\00:22:46.76
you were caught with
the different bundles
00:22:46.80\00:22:48.13
of marijuana in your pocket.
00:22:48.16\00:22:49.70
You're obviously inebriating,
you're on the side of the road,
00:22:49.73\00:22:51.67
could've caused bodily harms
to yourself and other people.
00:22:51.70\00:22:55.04
But you have not been convicted
00:22:55.07\00:22:56.91
even though the
case is open close.
00:22:56.94\00:22:59.44
Why have you not been convicted,
00:22:59.47\00:23:01.08
even though this
is a open shut...
00:23:01.11\00:23:03.01
This is not even something
that a judge has to hear.
00:23:03.04\00:23:05.48
I mean, the judge could
probably look at this and say,
00:23:05.51\00:23:07.68
"Okay, yeah, this
man needs to go to jail,
00:23:07.72\00:23:09.92
and he needs to go
as soon as possible
00:23:09.95\00:23:11.29
because he is a harm to
himself and possibly to others."
00:23:11.32\00:23:13.99
You're driving on the
freeway, the 495, you're drunk,
00:23:14.02\00:23:16.62
they find you on
the side of the road,
00:23:16.66\00:23:17.99
you don't even
know how you got there.
00:23:18.03\00:23:19.86
So this is an open shut
case, but for some reason,
00:23:19.89\00:23:23.67
your sentence is
deferred for almost a year?
00:23:23.70\00:23:26.80
There is some change,
about a year and half.
00:23:26.84\00:23:28.40
So I want to say
what is God trying to do
00:23:28.44\00:23:32.97
or what happens in this
year that you can look back
00:23:33.01\00:23:35.48
and see the fingerprints
of God in this situation.
00:23:35.51\00:23:38.31
God was waking me
up. Waking you up.
00:23:38.35\00:23:40.18
He was waking me up and
He constantly let me know
00:23:40.22\00:23:43.95
that not only would He
never leave me or forsake me,
00:23:43.99\00:23:47.06
but He is going to
save me from a far off.
00:23:47.09\00:23:51.43
I mean, I wrote
down a couple of texts
00:23:51.46\00:23:53.40
when we left the Oakwood
scene but throughout the year,
00:23:53.43\00:23:58.80
you know, I
counted my blessings.
00:23:58.83\00:24:01.57
Some personal
situations happened
00:24:01.60\00:24:03.71
in beginning of 2011,
00:24:03.74\00:24:06.88
that kind of pushed
me mentally backwards
00:24:06.91\00:24:12.28
and I stopped going to church.
00:24:12.31\00:24:16.55
But through
minister Ronnie Wanderhose,
00:24:16.58\00:24:20.72
you know, going and
sitting in a council with him,
00:24:20.76\00:24:23.66
he introduced me to, verbally,
one pastor Marquise Johns,
00:24:23.69\00:24:29.60
who I should go check
out at Metropolitan church.
00:24:29.63\00:24:32.97
And I came here
one Wednesday night,
00:24:33.00\00:24:34.67
you know, knowing prayer meeting
00:24:34.70\00:24:36.50
didn't start till
7:30, I got here by 6:30
00:24:36.54\00:24:39.04
and trying to open the
door and it wasn't open.
00:24:39.07\00:24:41.71
So I left, you know,
00:24:41.74\00:24:43.45
with no real
intention of coming back
00:24:43.48\00:24:45.88
because the door
should've been open
00:24:45.91\00:24:47.62
when I came, but it wasn't.
00:24:47.65\00:24:49.52
So maybe a week or two went
by, and constantly battling,
00:24:49.55\00:24:54.02
but I wasn't reading like that,
00:24:54.06\00:24:55.46
I felt like I
couldn't pray, I couldn't pray.
00:24:55.49\00:24:57.99
Whenever I got
on my knees to pray,
00:24:58.03\00:24:59.36
my mind was always bombarding
with a bunch of nonsense.
00:24:59.39\00:25:02.53
I just thanked the
Lord for that last night,
00:25:02.56\00:25:04.90
I prayed for about
maybe 35-40 minutes
00:25:04.93\00:25:07.44
just talking to God,
preparing myself immensely
00:25:07.47\00:25:10.04
for what I had to
deal with on tomorrow,
00:25:10.07\00:25:12.81
but thanking Him for,
00:25:12.84\00:25:15.24
you know,
allowing me the opportunity
00:25:15.28\00:25:16.88
to still be able to talk to him
00:25:16.91\00:25:18.45
because He could have been like,
00:25:18.48\00:25:19.91
"Man, you know what,
00:25:19.95\00:25:21.28
you want to
keep playing with Me?
00:25:21.32\00:25:22.95
Man, I'm not a toy and
just push me to the side."
00:25:22.98\00:25:25.05
But He didn't.
00:25:25.09\00:25:26.42
Long suffering.
Long suffering, merciful.
00:25:26.45\00:25:28.39
So you finally get
back to the church,
00:25:28.42\00:25:30.26
there is an evangelistic series,
00:25:30.29\00:25:32.03
an appeal is made for baptism.
00:25:32.06\00:25:34.60
Tell us about that day?
00:25:34.63\00:25:37.50
Well...
00:25:37.53\00:25:40.40
I actually, at first
00:25:40.44\00:25:44.94
answered the
appeal during that service
00:25:44.97\00:25:48.38
before Pastor Benny
Jean went to Africa,
00:25:48.41\00:25:51.31
I took my stand and you tried
to baptize me that same day.
00:25:51.35\00:25:54.42
Oh, yeah. That's what I do.
00:25:54.45\00:25:56.28
But I wanted my
mother and, you know,
00:25:56.32\00:25:57.95
couple of other
family members to be present.
00:25:57.99\00:25:59.65
My intention was to be baptized
but I wasn't just gonna jump,
00:25:59.69\00:26:02.09
I needed to make sure
00:26:02.12\00:26:03.93
that I was
doing the right thing.
00:26:03.96\00:26:06.63
And as a result, you
know, a couple of weeks later,
00:26:06.66\00:26:11.10
I was sitting in
the overflow room
00:26:11.13\00:26:14.34
and struggling with myself,
00:26:14.37\00:26:17.67
you know, you
said there was gonna be
00:26:17.71\00:26:19.04
a baptism that day.
00:26:19.07\00:26:20.58
You may be missing that,
00:26:20.61\00:26:21.94
you know, the
Holy Spirit told you,
00:26:21.98\00:26:23.31
God told you that,
00:26:23.35\00:26:24.68
you know, five people
00:26:24.71\00:26:26.05
were gonna get
baptized that day.
00:26:26.08\00:26:27.88
And I think a couple came up
00:26:27.92\00:26:32.59
and then three
other people came up.
00:26:32.62\00:26:34.36
And I'm thinking to myself that
those are those five people.
00:26:34.39\00:26:38.39
And you said, nah,
00:26:38.43\00:26:40.80
the Holy Spirit was
telling me there's one more.
00:26:40.83\00:26:42.56
So where are
you? In the overflow?
00:26:42.60\00:26:45.37
I looked at my
fiancé(C) and I was like,
00:26:45.40\00:26:47.70
"Man, he is talking to me."
00:26:47.74\00:26:49.07
Mercy.
00:26:49.10\00:26:50.44
And she looked at me, I said,
00:26:50.47\00:26:51.81
"Man, I can't make,
that ought to be a lie."
00:26:51.84\00:26:53.17
The Holy Spirit told
me there was one more.
00:26:53.21\00:26:55.08
So, you know, I came on down.
00:26:55.11\00:26:57.25
So in February
2012, you were baptized?
00:26:57.28\00:27:01.25
February 11,
2012, I was re-baptized,
00:27:01.28\00:27:04.12
and can't say it's
been smooth sailing...
00:27:04.15\00:27:07.52
Since then, but
it's been a definite...
00:27:07.56\00:27:12.53
It's been a
decision making process...
00:27:12.56\00:27:14.96
So I want to just
'cause we're gonna wrap up.
00:27:15.00\00:27:17.97
I want you take
about 30 seconds,
00:27:18.00\00:27:19.33
look into this
camera, this is your camera.
00:27:19.37\00:27:21.10
And I want you to
speak to Orlando at 21,
00:27:21.14\00:27:25.71
who is about to leave Oakwood.
00:27:25.74\00:27:28.04
I want you to take
the next 30 seconds
00:27:28.08\00:27:29.68
and speak to Orlando then?
00:27:29.71\00:27:34.42
If I could speak to myself then,
00:27:34.45\00:27:35.85
I would've told
myself to stay at Oakwood.
00:27:35.88\00:27:38.15
But in the
event that a young man
00:27:38.19\00:27:41.06
is at Oakwood and he leaves,
00:27:41.09\00:27:42.82
know that God, one,
will never leave you,
00:27:42.86\00:27:45.73
two, will never forsake you.
00:27:45.76\00:27:47.76
You take the opportunities
that you have as a young man
00:27:47.80\00:27:50.10
and get to build a
relationship with the Lord.
00:27:50.13\00:27:53.00
The streets are gonna be there
00:27:53.03\00:27:55.54
but they are not
going to be there forever.
00:27:55.57\00:27:57.07
God is eternal, what
He has for you is eternal.
00:27:57.11\00:28:01.71
And though you
may have struggled,
00:28:01.74\00:28:04.81
you've gone through
trials and tribulations,
00:28:04.85\00:28:07.18
Jesus loves you, He is
going to always love you,
00:28:07.22\00:28:10.35
and He's got a plan for you,
00:28:10.39\00:28:11.72
it's just up to you
to get out of your way
00:28:11.75\00:28:13.59
and let the Holy
Spirit do its job.
00:28:13.62\00:28:16.02
Amen.
00:28:16.06\00:28:17.39
Orlando is now
involved at ministry at Metro.
00:28:17.43\00:28:20.93
Just the other day,
00:28:20.96\00:28:22.30
he just took joy in
coming and cutting the lawn.
00:28:22.33\00:28:24.50
And I believe that you can
run, you can even try to hide,
00:28:24.53\00:28:28.67
but eventually, God
is going to find you
00:28:28.70\00:28:31.51
and when He finds
you, if you trust Him,
00:28:31.54\00:28:33.91
He'll lead you on a new journey.
00:28:33.94\00:28:36.58
God bless you.
00:28:36.61\00:28:37.95