This Saturday happened to be different. God sent me to a park that was a little further aways than the one I’ve been used to going to. When I arrived at the park, they were just two gangs there. I recognize one of the gangs. The leader of that gang is Carlos. They were just talking to each other. Neither gang was brandishing any weapons. Another thing that was unusual was that the gangs did not park their cars in separate locations just in case they get into a scuffle. It was as though they planned to meet together in peace. I saw Carlos look towards me and he signaled to the other gang that they should go meet with Sonny because he always has food. Both gangs began walking towards me. Both gangs still had their pistols put away. When they got closer, I got out of my pickup and asked if I could have three volunteers. Immediately some of the boys stepped up to help. I had them jump in the back and drag all the coolers and place them on the tailgate and picnic table.
I told them right out, “It is so nice seeing both of your gangs talking to each other and not fighting.”
Carlos replied, “Normally, we always go to the other park but by the time we arrived, there were so many gangs already there, so we decided to come here. We were hoping that you would come here.”
I replied, “It was God that told me that I needed to be here for you.”
Carlos said, “That is so cool the way you hear God’s voice. I would like to hear his voice too.”
I replied, “You can! First you gotta ask Jesus Christ into your heart. After you develop that relationship with him, he will begin to speak to you.”
Carlos said, “We were asking each other questions about the things of God. What does the Holy Spirit mean?”
This question caught me off guard because I have never been asked this by any gang. This opened a huge door for me. I then told him, “God’s Kingdom consists of a Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ had to come to Earth to conquer sin. Within 3 days after being crucified, he came back from the dead to save us from our sins. And when he returned to the Father, he sent the Holy Spirit to give all his children power to do things on this earth for him. Jesus called it the born-again experience. We were born of the flesh through our parents. Now we have the opportunity to be born into the Holy Spirit. This is where the power lies.”
Carlos exclaimed, “So that means he lives inside of us?”
I replied, “Yes and he will help you and transform your heart.”
Carlos then said, “My heart is pretty broken. I do not think he wants to be in there.”
After Carlos said this, I talked about the Holy Spirit for 1.5 hours. Carlos replied, “It would be nice to be able to have a new heart.” He paused for a little bit and said, “I would like to go home but I do not want to go back if my dad is still a drunk.”
I answered, “Why don’t we call home and find out what has been happening.”
Carlos replied, “I have not talked to my dad for over 1.5 years.
I then said, “A lot could have happened by now. You will never know unless you call. Have you ever talked to your mother?”
Carlos replied, “Only on the holidays will I talk to my mom. I avoid anything to do with my dad.”
Carlos finally got up the courage to call his dad. He asked me to stand by him while he began making the call. Both of the gangs became interested in what he was about to do. They all gathered around Carlos as he made his phone call home. His dad answered and was concerned on his son’s wellbeing. Carlos said, “I am doing okay. I am just calling to see how you’re doing. I am thinking of coming home but I do not want to come home if you are still drinking. I will not let you beat me up. I know how to fight now.”
His dad began to tell his son all the things he has done to change his life. Carlos was excited when he heard that his dad hadn’t drank in over a year, given his heart to Jesus Christ and is serving the Lord. Then his dad’s asked, “Son, can you forgive me for all the things that I have done to you.”
Carlos began to tear up when his dad asked him that question. Carlos then turned his phone to private and begin walking away as he continued to talk to his dad. I continued praying with his men until he came back. Many of his men I noticed were beginning to do the same thing Carlos did. They were curious to see if their dads have changed also. When Carlos came back, you could see a difference in his face. He asked, “Sonny, I want to go home but I do not want to go home with a broken heart. I want to accept Jesus Christ into my heart.”
The men from both gangs began to come back and found out their dads have gotten help to quit drinking or in taking drugs. They too were anxious to go home and wanted their hearts transformed before going home. Another thing that was really cool is that these men all wanted to wait for their parents to arrive first. They wanted to give their hearts to Jesus in front of them. They wanted to make sure that they knew what they were doing is real. It did not take long when the first families arrived. I’ve found out that only three of the dad’s that came hadn’t given their hearts to Jesus Christ. I asked them the question, “Do you want your names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? Today is the day salvation and tomorrow is never promised.” After seeing what their sons did, they were ready. I have never seen dad’s and sons that hugged this much. The gangs wanted to get baptized but we did not have a lake or swimming pool to do this, so I used bottled water and pour it over their heads.
Dad’s need to realize the importance they have when it comes to raising a family. Every one of the gangs I’ve have encountered it was the dad’s who caused their sons to run away from home.
On Sunday I met with some new gangs in the park I usually go to in Commerce City. I noticed a single gang that was there. The gang’s t-shirts were red with blood. They were trying to clean themselves up from their last battle. I stopped and got my first aid kit out of my pickup. I had wipes and bandages to put on their cuts. This is the same park where the band aid gang story was created. 9-year-old Lucy saw this new gang and their bloody t-shirts also. She immediately left her home to come over and help. She already had her nurse’s outfit on, and her black bag filled with alcohol, bandages and her stethoscope. She immediately spoke to the gang and said, “I was doing stuff in my yard and noticed all the blood. I just wanted to help you guys recover from your Oweis.” At first the gang was not sure what to think. They looked at her then they looked at me and they looked back at her.
I said, “Guys, she is only here to help you. Just let her take care of you.”
She asked them to all get her in the line and said, “I will take care of you one at a time.” She found a table and got all of the supplies out of her bag and laid them out so that she could take care of their wounds. She would ask each man where their wound was at and then she gave each man a sucker. She told them to put it in their mouth so that when the antiseptic burns they can bite down on it. I could tell that it did burn. I could see each man twitch as she applied the antiseptic. As she took care of each man, she prayed a prayer over each one. She then prescribed that each man should take two showers a day to make sure that they stay clean and clean behind their ears. When each man came up for his turn, she would always give him a big hug and say, “You are going to be ok. God will take care of your owes.” I was watching the men. The minute she released each man, they started grab their phones and started calling someone. They were all calling their families. I found out that every one of them had little brothers and sisters of their own. Each one asked the question, “I wonder what my little and brother or sister is up to?” God used this little girl to minister to these guys while she was taking care of them. It was now time for these guys to give their hearts to Jesus Christ.
When Lucy finished with the last man, she said, “I have to leave now. I’ve taken care of every one of them. They are all God’s children, and they needed to be doctored.”
I said, “Lucy, before you go, I have a gift for you in my pickup. While we went to the pickup, she looked me over to make sure that I was okay and gave me a sucker and a package of cookies for good measure. I reached into my pickup and pulled out a box of band aids that I had picked up. They had poo bear and Snoopy on them. I said, “This is for you so that you will have enough bandages to continue to take care of people.” Before Lucy left she shared, “You know this was one of the greatest days of my life. I was scared though when I saw the pistols that each one of these men were carrying but I felt God wanted me to take care of these men.” Lucy continued going back home and this gang finished giving their hearts to Jesus Christ. You can listen to the entire story below: