The Darkness that Tried to Own Him... and the Light That Broke Through, with Bienvenido Garcia

In this powerful podcast episode, I dive into the raw and transformative journey of BJ Garcia who battled through the depths of a broken home, experienced the horrors of molestation, walked the dark paths of drug dealing, street life, and grappled with demons. Join me as I explore his harrowing past, his struggles, and ultimately, his path to redemption, healing, and newfound hope in Jesus. His story of resilience, courage, and transformation will inspire and uplift, shedding light on the human capacity to overcome even the darkness of circumstances.

Transcript

Israel Caminero: 0:31

Welcome to Living Testimony: Stories of Faith and Redemption. I'm your host, Israel Caminero, and I want to say to everyone that's listening, I hope you're having a great day. My guest today is my good friend, Pastor BJ Garcia, and I can't wait till you hear his story. Would you like to introduce yourself, BJ?

Bienvenido Garcia: 0:50

Yes, uh my name is Um B people call me, a lot of my friends call me BJ Garcia. My real name is Bienvenido Garcia Jr. Uh so that's where you get the J from. And uh and my my sister's nicknaming me from uh back in the day, the BJ and the Bear show. So it's a it's uh they have some jokes, my sisters. Yeah, yeah.

Israel Caminero: 1:13

Family always has jokes. You know, so I'm we're here, you know. This is my third guest on the podcast, and I hope everyone enjoyed the last two. And when you hear this story, I'm sure you're gonna enjoy it too, because this this fellow here has a a story that you wouldn't even tell I mean, I can't even begin to imagine his story and where he's at now from where he used to be. Yes, yes. So, BJ, uh, would you like to start and share a little of your past before you were saved with everyone? Yeah, yeah.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:43

You want to pray first? Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm sorry.

Israel Caminero: 1:46

I usually pray first and I totally forgot about that. That's all right. Let's say a quick prayer. Yes, sir. Thank you for reminding me. So, Father God, I just want to say thank you for today, because tomorrow's never promised, Lord. And I want to thank you for uh my friend BJ being here to be able to share his testimony with others that might need to hear it because they might be going through the same thing and just planting that seed in their ear that might change them. And it's all for you, God. It's not about us, Lord, it's about you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Bienvenido Garcia: 2:21

Amen, amen. Thank you, God. So, yeah, so uh just a little bit of background about myself. Um, so I come from uh I would say a big family, you know, you know, four sisters and me, the baby brother, and then my mom and dad, you know, so and and back then um I was born in 79. So, you know, in the late 70s, early 80s, a lot of families tight knit, you know, even though that there's things out there in the world, you know. Um, but as a kid growing up, you know, like to get in where we're going with my story uh about the damage and unbelief and atheism, um, you have to know a little bit about my family background. So, you know, um my dad was a functioning alcoholic, um, partier, drug user, and you know, later on in life, kind of finding out, like, you know, the Garcia brothers, my my dad had quite a few brothers, and they all were mixed in some things, and even to the point where my mom, and see, my mom was a good lady, she was a good, she heard she has a Catholic background at you know, at that time, and and so she was a good mother, a homemaker, you know what I mean. Like uh, they both came from Puerto Rico and they met here in the States, and my dad came, like his with his dad, his dad came to work the steel mills out here and and uh and all that. And so he was a functioning alcoholic, he was a provider though, he provided and and all that. Um, but you know, alcoholism and and those demons are uh can bring havoc into the family. Exactly. And then you got the brothers, you know. So finding out stories like, you know, here's just a small one. Um it was like, you know, they all had a trade with the drug, the drug scene. And I had like one uncle was a uh a pimp. My uncles, my other uncles and my dad, they were drug dealing, you know, and they had things in the house, and my mom had to put them straight one time and said, Hey, if I lose my kids because of you, you guys better get that stuff out, you know. I mean, and back then, imagine what they were doing because like it's cheaper back then. They like we had like a hundred pounds of hair on one under the steps, and and like 500 pounds of marijuana and yeah, things of that nature, and and so they had that, but little by little some of the brothers were getting saved, you know what I mean? Right. And they they they were veering into that uh old school Pentecostal type, you know, uh ways. And so so, you know, you had that lingering, that spirit, you know, and then as we got older, you know, my dad uh retired from the steel mill uh from a disability, and he just became a heavy drinker, slowed down on the drugs and stuff, but issues came along, and and so so as a kid though, like things happened to me necessarily didn't happen within the family, but that's why you gotta watch your kids and really be around and see what they're on and whatever, even more so now because of the technology. But like I got molested by I got molested by neighborhood kids. So it it and then I didn't know it was wrong until How old were you? I was about five years old. Oh, okay. And so and so then it it just kind of it was almost like you think, oh, this happens to you until you get to a certain age. So it that was a thing. So the enemy had it out for me since I was a child. Right. And he brought some some pain into me. Gotcha. So then when I turned eight, a little bit older, like my dad drinking, my mom went back to work part-time because she liked to work, you know. My dad would drink and party, and then he would be watching movies, and I was introduced to porn. And so the the the the sin kept on building up on me and gripping me. Right. And so when I'm going, like I'm getting into that 11-year-old age, okay. So at the age of 10 though, because we would go to church at times, my dad was like in and out because of his alcoholism, because he was battling. Right. And then, you know, they were so hard on me at times, like cut your hair, wear this, wear that, wear a suit, wear a tie. And and they were really hard on me in class, and I was just like, you know what? I don't want to be here. At 10 years old, yeah. I said, I don't want to be here. And I know kids could be kids and they they they won't listen sometimes.

Israel Caminero: 7:23

They don't want things at times, but I just now when you say you don't want to you didn't want to be there, you're talking about church? Yeah. So being that they were telling you to cut your hair and dress differently, you were kind of rebelling because you didn't want to do that stuff. Right, right. Gotcha.

Bienvenido Garcia: 7:39

So then one day I went to my dad and I said, Dad, I don't want to go. You know, I'm tired of it. And and instead of being a dad, like saying, You're gonna go, you're gonna go with your mom, you're gonna go with me. When I go, he he just said, You don't want to go, I'm not gonna force you to go.

Israel Caminero: 8:01

And so instead of telling you to go, he said, You're not gonna force you.

Bienvenido Garcia: 8:07

Even even if you had your own issues, right, right, you know, discipline your kid and but and put them in a in the right direction, even if you don't know the whole direction.

Israel Caminero: 8:16

Yeah, I get what you're saying, because this day and age, like sometimes on Sundays, I'll ask my kid, hey, you going to church today? And sometimes he'll say no. And I'll look at them and I'll say, You ain't got a choice. You know what I mean? Right. So I get where you're saying.

Bienvenido Garcia: 8:31

My kids do that too at times, so I get it. But but that's who we are though, as leaders, parents, whether you, you know, maybe I get it. We were he didn't know the Lord. Like he didn't have intimacy with God, right? To where it was personal conviction. Right. So, so I get it. But from there, you know, then I turned eleven. And so there was a lot of problems in the family because of the alcoholism, because of the spending the money and the wrong things and and stuff, and so it kind of came through at one time where my dad was getting accused a lot about cheating and doing this and doing that. And you know what? I'm not gonna say I knew everything and and I knew he didn't do it or he did do it, but you know, a along come with parties, things can happen, you know. People make bad choices. And but sometimes, you know, accusations can provoke a person as well. So, so he you could tell he he would get angry because they were kept saying this stuff about him, and so eventually I think he kind of went out and did it because and the alcohol was helping him as well, you know, he's under another influence. So he divorced my mom, and the bad part about it was is that he divorced my mom for her best friend. Okay, and so her kids were my best friends, so this is it gets sticky, it gets sticky because then the divorce came. The judge said, Hey, you gotta pick your son up. I was the last one in the house, anyways. Right. You gotta pick your son up, you have to have visitation rights, and and I could say that he picked me up once, man, and and I was 11 years old, so I'm getting transformed into a teenager. I need my dad. Right. He never came. He came once after that, nothing. He would he would support me financially, but that's not what I needed. I needed my dad to guide me. I needed my dad to be there for me. Yeah, that father figure to mold you. Yeah, so then I started feeling a certain way, and I started getting getting hurt. Um trying to be the man of the house at 11 years old. Like you know, what could what I really have to offer my mom except for disobedience and talk back, right? And and so then there was a time what really really crushed me was that my stepbrothers, um they were my best friends, you know. And at first I didn't know how to deal with the hurt. So I tried to help, I tried to hold on, like I was angry and I I tried not to come around, but since my dad never came to get me, and he's spending time over there, you know what I mean, at that time, that crushed me. Okay. So then I said, if I can't beat him, I'll join him. So I went looking for him. And since they live right around the block, I would cut through the fence and I started seeing my dad on a regular basis. But instead of him being my dad, he started being my friend. And so he would like if I wanted drinks, he got me drinks at that age. If I wanted smoke, we smoked together. And then my my my best friends that became my stepbrothers, not by blood, you know, but they were her kids, but they were my best friends, man. It was hard to let go, like so they introduced me to Mary Jane, you know, and and so I thought I was never gonna do nothing else. I thought I was like, man, like this is the best ever. Like, you were living the life at that point in time, right? And I was like making connections and and I was with my friends, you know, and and I'll get them stuff that we're not supposed to do at that age, right? I was the man, and then and then so that developed into me because I had older sisters, so our neighbor friends and and guys, they were older than my sisters. I have sisters that are 10 years older than me, 14 years older than me. Okay, and so their friends become my friends, even though my sisters never got into that kind of most of that, most of that kind of stuff. And so I started hanging around, 11 years old. They're training me up in the ways of using a scale, yeah, uh smoke life, yeah, yeah, yeah. So so by the time I was 12, I will say, or 13, the beginning going into 13, I started, I started my first lines of coke. Wow. You know, that early. 11 smoking weed. Probably nine, I smoked cigarettes, or even and so like it was getting deep fast. Yeah, but I noticed that besides weed, like weed, I was really addicted, but I didn't never, you know, I didn't think there was nothing wrong with it. I was like, oh, it's a plant, you know what I mean? So I I snorted my my coke at 13 and started with LSD, and and so I started making these connections with people. So I was like a chameleon with with with diversity, you know. Here I am, like, and people think it was easy for me, so I had to build my strength by being like people picked on me and stuff like that. So I had to prove people, the people who talked about it, then I would go and do it. So they would pressure me, like to the point where like I ain't no I ain't no punk. Like I'm gonna do this, and you're gonna see who I am, right? Right. So it developed a character, but as you can see, that everything that the devil was using in his atmosphere, his spirits, through the molestation, a spirit of mistakes, right, to try to ruin me because he knew God has a plan for me. I didn't know that. Well, of course you didn't. And then, and then, and then pornography, that spirit. Right. Okay, and then my dad's alcoholism. So it kept on uh building and building, and then people from the outside. Right. So so they were starting raising me up, and these demons, this demon, the the guy showed me later, like, as we go on, we keep going on, it was raising me. Right. So it was growing with me, and it wasn't it wasn't superior to others, it was controlling others.

Israel Caminero: 15:15

Okay, so So here's a here here's a gentleman that his dad, instead of planting the right seeds, was planting the street seeds, as as I might call them, the street seeds, you know, getting them cigarettes, alcohol, drugs. And of course, at his age, his friends wanted to do it and thought he was the coolest guy on earth because he was able to get all this stuff with no problem. That's that's the type of influence that a father has on a child. It's messed up that it had to happen that way, but at the same time, that's God's plan in order for him to redeem himself eventually. And man, we haven't even talked for long, and it's so far such an interesting story. Yeah. I don't want to interrupt you. Do you still talk to your dad these days?

Bienvenido Garcia: 16:06

He passed away.

Israel Caminero: 16:06

Okay.

Bienvenido Garcia: 16:07

But thank God, like, you know, part of the testimony, you know, is that both of my parents received the Lord and and and you know, they died young, but you know, it was a blessing that we got to reconcile, we got to for have forgiveness. So God was in the plan. You know, it's like God allows it. He won't, it's not that he wanted that for me, but but because, like you said, when when when the father's not teaching right or or not obeying God, you know, the demons have play and you're in their their playground. And so they start taking advantage of that.

Israel Caminero: 16:44

So Okay, well, I'm sorry to hear about your father. I didn't know your condolences to him, but I'm glad you guys reconciled before any of that happened. Oh, yeah, yeah. Continue on with your story as far as you know what happened next.

Bienvenido Garcia: 16:58

So, so as I developed all these different relationships, the bad relationships, and I my my mentality was like what I was learning was good. Well, I was living a good life, and you know, people are living the other life, that's their choice. And but but I felt like bad was good and good was bad. And so, and then and then we talked a little bit before we started was about Scarface, you know, about you know that mentality. Hey, I was watching Scarface at four, three or four years old. Why? Because my dad didn't think it was bad. Right. It wasn't a bad influence. So I had that mentality as I grew in that and the power I had, and and so I started having things that so so along with those other different holds, well then I started with the women.

Israel Caminero: 17:46

Okay.

Bienvenido Garcia: 17:46

And I started getting women, I started getting women anytime I wanted, you know, parties. Right. I make like I was saying, I was I felt like a chameleon, and I would, I would, um, I was trying to say, which I kind of stopped, but was like, you know, it wasn't easy for me because they wanted to pick on the fat kid, right? And then um uh because my skin is white and I lived in the hood, it was even harder because I had to prove myself ten times. Right. And people think, oh, oh, uh black people suffer more because they're darker, or Puerto Ricans that are darker suffer more. No, I suffered a lot because I had to prove myself that I ain't no joke. Right. And I would do it. There's a lot of a lot of the street people try punking you out. And people started calling me sometimes, like, oh, that's the crazy Puerto Rican right there. You know, because I had the blue eyes, you know, and white skin. So they they people don't know what they think I'm white when they see me.

Israel Caminero: 18:45

You can't see him right now, you can hear him, but if you were to run into him, he does not look Puerto Rican, even though he's 100% Puerto Rican.

Bienvenido Garcia: 18:53

He's got white skin, blue eyes, and he's just I got the Spanish side of the Puerto Ricans, because you know we're mixed, and so we got the Taina Indians and the and the and the Spaniards and the African in us. So, so I got cousins in Puerto Rico that are black or Afro, so it's in my blood. And so as time went by, I started developing my own image, my own self, self-worship and power, and and so I I I was being blinded by all that. And I treated my mother bad, bro. After my dad left, man, what what what 11-year-old, 12-year-old, 13-year-old walking out at 11, 12, 2, 3 in the morning, and not coming back to the next day, you know? And my mom would be like, I would come, and she would just be crying. Heartbroken. Where are you? What are you doing? I thought you were dead. You know what I mean? I said, Don't worry about me. And I would just say names and things that I shouldn't. Um, but going into my story, so it got it got bad, and I got to a place where I just don't believe in God. I was like, Need I don't need God. And I was hanging out one time from time to time. I got a lot of a lot of stories. And I almost died a lot of different times. And it still didn't stop me. You know what I mean? So death wasn't no, even not believing in God, death didn't scare me. Right. Now I know death don't scare me to either because I know that if I die, I know where I rest now for eternity. So um and sometimes you gotta have a spiritual encounter to understand that. That's right. And a lot of people don't get it. And and and I try not to diminish people, but what I experienced, what we're gonna talk about here in a few minutes, I can't go backwards. Things were open to me, things were exposed to me by God, the living God, the God who created the heavens and the earth. And so here's one, I was shaking my fist at him, you know?

Israel Caminero: 20:52

Yeah.

Bienvenido Garcia: 20:53

And I think I think as time went by and I almost died a couple times, and I was shaking my fist at him, I was giving people the middle finger. I would say a prayer just because I wanted to get people off my back. But truly, deep down inside, I did not believe in God. Okay. I believed in the Almighty Dollar, I believed in my own power, thought I was the Mac Daddy out of my mouth. You know what I'm saying? So I got everything I wanted and I did what I wanted, and I told people what to do, and they did it. Right. So, so those were things that I glorified and I and I worshiped without knowing that that's what so it's like a it's like that candy that they say, you know, they that the the enemy is he gives you a candy, he says, here's a good treat, but he don't tell you what that treat can do to you after you eat it, and you eat it, it's gonna give you cavities, it's gonna make your stomach hurt, you're gonna pay the price. But he don't tell you you're gonna pay a price. So you know, we get I I get to that point in life where I think I'm Superman, like nothing can stop me. You know, that I would even do like I would go to these raves to bring back drugs to the hood because in in those 90s now, now we're going into the 90s. I'm a teenager, right? Right. And so there's things coming up in the the the hood people don't always at that time wouldn't touch as much. They, you know, they had some hard ones, they had the coke, they had some heroin, you know, they had things like that. But there was these new up-and-coming drugs like ecstasy pills and and and mixed things and stuff like that. And and and so I would I would merge. That's why I said I was like a chameleon, because then I was in the hood with my friends and my boys and people like they wouldn't touch stuff, but it was like I introduced them to it. Right. Then I started bringing in some LSD and some some hard stuff, you know what I mean? And and it was just like uh I got along with everybody black, white, Puerto Rican, Chinese, Asian, you know, whoever it was. I got I got along with them, and and I just felt I felt like I found my place. I could do what I want, when I want, and how I want. And that's why I felt like there's these kind of people and those kind of people. And I'm these kind of people, and I make my way, you know? And uh so it got pretty deep, man. You know, I I got I got robbed one time in uh in my own house. My mom went to Puerto Rico, she left me behind only because my sister vouched for me.

Israel Caminero: 23:33

Or else she wouldn't have done it, right?

Bienvenido Garcia: 23:35

Probably not. And so, like, there was a time, and so I I had through some parties and I started letting people I really didn't know, and I started getting that famous feel, right? You know, like yeah, and and then there was that part of me was like, well, I kind of held I held back at times because I liked it that so I would trust people I shouldn't trust right times for the clout, you know, and so so uh man one day I was out, I mean, I was like, I was waking up from uh from a party night before. Um I was out of drugs, I didn't really have much, but a couple blunts, you know, and I was calling these guys knocking on my door, like, oh, can you get us something? You know what I mean? And and I was like, oh yeah, let me make a call. I said, while we're while we're while I do that, we could sit here and smoke, you know? And at some point in time, one of the parties, I was selling some guns, firearms, right, and uh illegally, even though they were clean, but they were stolen. Okay, you know, and then so I was, you know, with my friend, it was for a friend, but I thought I that was another thing on my thing, made me cool. You know, I had got guns, I'm I'm you know, trying to promote. You were selling everything. Yeah, yeah. Anything I got my hands on, pretty much. So, so um, you know, these guys come to my house knocking on my door. I really didn't know them. I just seen them a couple times. So I'm waking up, I'm out of it, I'm in my boxers and t-shirt, and I go to open the door, and I only seen one guy. And so they bum rushed the door. Okay. And so I start running up my steps, and they just these dudes were like six feet tall already. Like, and they they just jumped on me. I was on, you know, and uh one guy runs past and and he's like, Where's the guns at? Where's I said, I ain't got them. I I said, this dude got mad because one of them got stolen, so he took everything back. And so I was like, and I wasn't giving up mine that was hidden in the in the heater ducks, you know. I wasn't trying to give it to him. So the guy on my back, bro, like he put a double-edged dagger. I didn't know it was a double-edged dagger to my neck. And so they're threatening me and this and that. So because I didn't give him the gun, this dude goes up in my house and he grabs a metal bat that I got laying around, like I would have it, you know, in case I had to knock somebody out, right? So they took that bat, bro, and they I'm on I'm like slanted on the steps. Because it was like a up and down house, you know what I mean? Like mid. And so this guy got a knife to my neck and threatening me. And then I lost it. The adrenaline came, you know, and so like he's on top of me. He took my ponytail, he cut it off. He's like, I don't like, I don't like guys with ponytails. It's like, and I don't know if it was a gang thing or whatever, right? Cut my hair off, bro. Then he put that thing back to my neck, and I'm over here struggling. I had adrenaline. I start laughing, like I didn't, I didn't phase me. And so this guy, he brings, he brings the bat. He's like, tell me where it's at. I ain't telling you nothing. This dude starts hitting my head like it was a golf ball. With the bat? With the metal bat. Not just the bat, it was a metal one. And so he starts beating me down, he cut my hair off, you know, and I had a little scar. To this day, I got the scar because he never cut me, but it sliced me. Yeah. And so I got the adrenaline, I tried grabbing that knife, didn't know it was a double-edged dagger, and I tried grabbing that. I pushed, did a push-up. That's how adrenaline was so strong that I did a push-up with him on my back. I grabbed that knife and I yanked it. When I yanked it, I almost lost my fingers, man, because I got scars. You could see right there the little stitches across each four feet. So, like, you know, they stitched me up, and some of it was just kind of like sliced there, you know. And so I survived that, right? And that day, for some reason, I see, like, when the cops came, because the neighbors heard the drama, they took, they, they took, one took off, and then the other one says, Oh, we're gonna fight the cops all the way. I was like, What are you talking about? You're robbing me, like I ain't fighting no cops, right? So we go and he surrenders, but the cops didn't know who's who. Right, right? So then I had my hands up though. After this dude was surrendering, and he threw the knife in my house, like the cops put a gun to me, you know, and at this point I'm 17 or so. So they thought you were the one that was getting away. Yeah, but I'm like, I'm in my boxers, right? You know what I'm saying? So, anyways, I walk out, I have my hands up, they put a gun, they put me on the ground, they took the other dude, they they they they started handcuffing him, and then my friend that was staying with me and me, and and lo and behold, like they let my friend go. They're like, Oh, we're sending you to the emergency. I was like, No, I'm like, I'm good. I could I could take care of myself. No, no, no, we're gonna send you to the ambulance, and and and they were like, Where's the gun at? I was like, what are you talking about? They was like, Yeah, they said you were making porn movies here and having parties. They must have heard about you, huh? And and and and so they were snitching on me, and I was like, I ain't got no drugs. They were like, we know about you. And then so the cops were like, We know about you, you know, you and I was like, Well, there's nothing here. You could whatever. Right, you can learn. And so when I get to the hospital, they handcuffed me to the bed and stuff. So they they arrested me, and they took they took me to Juvey, and I was there for about 14 days, and and and I got out of that mess. So I lived through that experience, and then I had a lot of uh different accidents. So let me ask you something.

Israel Caminero: 29:46

That experience didn't change you though, didn't it? No. You still kept doing the same thing?

Bienvenido Garcia: 29:49

Yeah, yeah, that's why I'm sharing it. And I almost died. So that was one time I almost died, you know, I had some others, right? And it wouldn't stop me. Car accidents with people, and and and and and and I won't go into the whole story about the semi, but I got hit by a semi-truck, you know, kept driving. I went to the Wendy's, threw away the alcohol bottles, and and bought me a pack of serious smoking, and told the cops I'm nervous, you know, never got in trouble for it. Wow. You know, so it was like I lived, like it busted out a Ford Aerostar back in the day, 90s, right? It busted out all the windows on one side.

Israel Caminero: 30:26

Wow.

Bienvenido Garcia: 30:27

I had two people with me. They but they bounced.

Israel Caminero: 30:29

So you get robbed, get hit by a semi-back. Knife to the to the throat, yeah, get hit with a baseball bat, cut by the hand, get hit by a semi.

Bienvenido Garcia: 30:39

Yeah, yeah.

Israel Caminero: 30:40

And nothing. You just continue do it in this lifestyle. So, so it actually probably made you like want to do it more at that point in time. Like, look, I survived all this, and or or so then after after you know, I got locked up for that the the 14 days, yeah, and the walls were like like I I think I I started finding God for a little bit.

Bienvenido Garcia: 31:04

I started saying a prayer because I was like, I can't handle these walls, right? Yeah, 14 days, I'm almost 18. Like the judge, so when I went to court, I started crying before. I started crying before I said, my gangster my gangsterism is kind of gone right now. Right. So uh, because I was like, I'm not trying to. So it was in the year that they wanted to start charging young um teenagers as adults, but it wasn't a law. Okay. So I'm before the judge, and the judge's like, you know what I could do is I could send you across the street in the county, and we can charge you with those three felony twos. So for the pornography. So then, since they didn't find drugs and they snitched about the movies, they found the pornography, and they found, and they say they wouldn't charge me for the gun as long as I gave it up. They charged me with the gun misdemeanor as a juvenile though.

Israel Caminero: 32:04

Gotcha.

Bienvenido Garcia: 32:04

And and and and so the judge says, uh, I could send you over to the county right now because it's in the middle, and they're starting to do it, but it's not an official law, but I could send you over there and you could get charged. But he's like, I didn't see no previous record on you. And I never seen you get in trouble. So what I'm gonna do is give you a chance. He's like, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, uh, I want you to see a psychiatrist, I want you to pay your own bill, I want you to work, I want you to take care of it, I want you to do your probation for a year, which then they cut it down to like six months.

Israel Caminero: 32:39

Okay.

Bienvenido Garcia: 32:41

So it almost straightened me out a little bit. Right. Then I had this cousin come in. About five minutes, right? I had this cousin come in with the gospel where it wasn't feeling forced anymore, right? It felt kind of good. And so this guy takes me to House of Praise. I walk up in this place 18. Now I'm 18 because I've crossed over the line, right? After I got out and stuff. So uh they brought me to House of Praise, so I still wasn't there. I'm like, I'm just going because I want out. I have an ankle bracelet on. You had one foot in and an ankle bracelet on the other one, right? So I still wasn't buying it, but what I did buy into was that I went and visited this church, and with my tattoos and my piercings and and and the way I was, like everyone accepted you. Right. They hugged me. Amen. And then I'm in this room, like, this dude's talking about, and I was like, this guy's a liar, he's a joke, man. Like, wait till I get off papers, you know? This guy's over here, like, man, I'm gonna buy um PlayStations and Nintendo 64s, I'm gonna put them all in here for everybody to hang out, and and they had a pool table and stuff, and I was like, oh, this guy, you know, it felt good. Right. But I was like, I don't know what I was feeling because I was battling unbelief. You know what you were uh feeling besides good? Well, now I know what it is. They were planting that seed. Right, right. Or yeah, they were involved with platering, because I had some praying grandparents too. Right. Right? Praying grandparents. But I didn't know all of that, right? I didn't believe in it. So that that little run went quick. Okay. And I said, my cousin kept asking me every Sunday, will you come? Will you come? I said, hey, look, I said, I'm not ready for that. I said, maybe when I'm about 40 years old, I'll come and I'll I'll settle down. Right. I told him that at that age, and and so so that was my perception after after everything I was going through. But I still so then when I when I stopped. When you stopped going, and then I got off of papers, and I was even actually I kind of felt good that I wasn't doing stuff.

Israel Caminero: 35:00

Yeah.

Bienvenido Garcia: 35:01

But I had this friend and he was like, man, like look, they got this, they got this bud that it's fuzzy, the chronic got some orange hairs on it, it's crystallized, and it's clean, man, makes you feel good. And I was just like, I don't want to, man. But he was like, You got you can't miss out. Yeah. I was like, okay. And you know, like I said, I was a chameleon. So this came from a biker.

Israel Caminero: 35:34

Okay.

Bienvenido Garcia: 35:34

They were my neighbors. So I smoked. I got off papers and I celebrated with a smoke. And it was game on. Back to the old BJ. All came back. All came back. Papers couldn't hold me down no more. Right. I got wiser, I thought, smarter. I hid stuff in CD cases where the cops couldn't see it. It was in between the paper. Yeah. Who's gonna go in there and look for a sheet unless they think we're high about something? Right. They ain't gonna dig into that right now. So I thought I got wiser. I made more money, more weed came to me faster at larger rates, and people loved it. People love that stuff, and the women loved that stuff, and and and and and I I got introduced to other harder stuff that that my headbanger buddies taught me that hey man, this is good, this is what people want now. This is the new stuff. So I just never let it see. My personality was like a leadership personality, even in the world, because I never became bound to that. Yeah, because I was bound to something higher. Right. The control, power, respect, and and serving myself. So that all played a part to the part where like I just said, hey, I don't believe in God. I got God right now. And I will pull out wads and I will show people, hey, I don't need no God. Like I got what I got. Right. I got me. And so I was lost and confused. And so um there was one night. So now we're gonna get into the to the deliverance of what happened. So, and there's a lot more stories. I could probably write a book, you know, and I felt like I should have a long time ago. Yeah. Think the Lord is really like pressing it on me. Um, because I can't fit everything in an hour or two. I just can't. This is like a this is like a movie, it's crazy. Um, but so there was one night I had it all planned out, you know. I had this job, because I stayed working. Right. Just so I could look like legit. Yeah, and I uh the the car with the with the windows out, yeah. I just put duct tape over it. I said, I'm not worried about a car. I I was like, I like to get, I like to party. I like to have things that I could, I would use my stuff, right? Not just save it, you know what I mean, and buy stuff all this. How about clothes a lot? You know, I would I would be G'd up. Um but so then I uh I had this night planned out, man. And I worked at this restaurant that no longer exists called Mountain Jacks, and there was one in Elyria, and I lived in the rain, and so I was uh I was a bus boy slash uh then I got into prep because I was in school and I I did some culinary arts and the vocational and I really took to that. And my mom taught me how to cook some Spanish foods and all that, and so I I like to cook, you know. I thought that was like one of my avenues when I was doing good, like that was gonna be my way out, and and it was always something that will find me to get to do something evil or bad, you know. And so here I'm working at this restaurant, and I again I find myself in a place where I had money, but I didn't have no drugs, and I couldn't re-up really at the moment. So I made this connection with this girl, and I said, Hey, you know, um can you give me some LSD? Blah blah blah, because it's dry and and there ain't no parties coming up right now, and and and so uh she said, Yeah, I got this guy, he got some paper acid, and he calls it, you know, because they had names for this stuff. Yeah, like Jesus Christ. I mean, that that's how blasphemous the the devil is that he would use people to name drugs after him after Christ, right? And it's because people get so lit off of that that they would think they when they probably did, actually. God was probably talking to them that they would find Jesus Christ, right? Yeah. Anyways, that wasn't the case this night. She brought me one uh a 10 strip, and I was like, okay, well, I'll take one or two and then I'll sell the rest and make a couple hundred bucks. Right. I'll raise the tax on them. Right. And So paper, and then just to give you a little educational note, paper assided was the weakest form. Exactly. Right?

Israel Caminero: 40:06

Yep.

Bienvenido Garcia: 40:06

But they named it Timothy Leary. Timothy Leary is the guy who created the stuff, right? So I'm like, oh, like she brought me paper, you know, I'm just gonna get a 24-hour high, right? And so I'm getting, she came up to my job, I bought that. I didn't have no weed, so I asked my buddy, so he's like, oh, here's an ounce, just pay me back later. Right. So I got weed, I got my little LSD papers that I'm gonna split and make some money off of, and and then some weed and smoke it, because I could probably smoke the whole ounce that night, you know. Um and so then I stole two bottles. I think two, but we we were drinking, I think the lighter, the lighter drink was the vodka absolute. Uh, but I stole a bottle 151 too. And uh so I had a bottle, I had the weed, I had the thing, I said we're gonna kick it and strategize how we're gonna make some money in these upcoming months. Yeah, who I'm gonna contact, what we're gonna do. And so we get together, man, and we start rolling up, smoking up, talking, you know, having these crazy conversations, and I we took that paper acid and stuff, and and then uh I sold a couple to them, and so we started getting lit, but you know, this night I seen things that I never seen before. And and I went upstairs and looked in the mirror, and I looked at myself. Now, I'm telling you, what I seen in these two guys' faces, I just thought it was hilarious, right? Right. Evil looking, didn't know what it was, right? Okay, like a transparent shadow. And I go upstairs, I look at myself in the mirror, and I said, you know, wow, this is good stuff. And I'm like, this is just paper. I mean, I've done gel tabs, micro dots, uh uh sugar cubes, uh liquid to the underneath the tongue, liquid in the eyeballs. I'm telling you, I've done the hardest of the hard.

Israel Caminero: 42:16

Right.

Bienvenido Garcia: 42:17

And I'm like, I never seen this, right? So I said, man, and I'm drinking and smoking, and I'm like, man, this is some good stuff, you know? And I'm laughing in the mirror, and and so as night went went on, transpired. So we had some music on, and I started hearing some messages, and I was like, what the heck? I was I was like, I was big into gangster rap, right? I was big into like uh, you know, NWA.

Israel Caminero: 42:50

Yeah, that's what was in back then.

Bienvenido Garcia: 42:52

Um Cypress Hill, uh, when the blunts became a thing. Um, a lot of these different rappers, you know, I was into it. And and so those rappers produced new rappers and new groups and stuff, right? And I was listening to a group called Psycho Realm, and they were they were produced, and so I hear these messages, and I was like, and then a lot of their music was about smoking weed and and um jumping people into gangs or or doing gang activities. And so I was vibing with it, and I heard something, and I was and I was like, Did you guys hear that? And they're like, no, man, what are you talking about? I was like, talking about underground generals, and and it was like specific, weird stuff at times. I started thinking, then what I was seeing with my physical eye, and and then the conversation, and then so you know the robbery I told you about. Right, I was in a conversation, I was like, man, the next guys that they rob me, they're gonna die. And I started talking about murder, and I was like, you know what? I just gonna kill somebody. I just wanna I'll murder somebody if I can get away to w with murder, I could get away with anything. So after that, and and and and I was thinking, like, I blacked out. We're here wide awake. How do you black out on LSD? Right. You don't. You don't. And plus, I was drinking and smoking, but something happened that night. And I was seeing these images, and I seen it in myself. And when I did look in the mirror, I seen some demonic evil stuff. Like I would look in my hands, I could see it, you know, you you move your hands, you see trails and all that. No, I seen like fingernails coming out my my fingers, like pointy. I seen when I looked in the mirror, I seen uh little horns coming out of my head. Not just two horns, like people think. Like I had horns on my head, like a ton of them, right? Okay. And and and when I I had my tongue pierced at the time, so when I stuck my tongue out, I started laughing, my tongue came out like a snake. Oh wow. So I'm tripping and I'm like, yeah, this is it. But I heard this little voice. Little voice said, You don't just look like a devil, you live like a devil. And I was like, Where did that come from? I was like, I don't even believe in the devil. I blacked out then after the conversation about murder. Okay. To find myself walking down the street at 3:30 in the morning, and I'm staring at the sky, I'm looking up as I'm walking down the sidewalk. I'm like, I'm looking at the I see these colors in the trees, and I was like, wow, and I'm and I'm like smoking this, and I got this chill up my back all the way from my head to my feet. And and if you know about hallucination drugs, you see that um it it messes with the fluids in your spine. Yeah, and if you drink uh like orange at oranges or acid and fruits, it intensifies it and it does all so I knew my stuff and and about the chemicals that they make it with and like you know, rat poison, and all these different everything that's not good for it, yeah. So so all these different things, because I've done even mushrooms before, you know, I did all this stuff, but so I'm walking out, I'm walking down the street at 3 30 in the morning, and I got this chill, and it stopped me dead in my tracks, and when I stopped, like I'm I I I don't even remember rolling, I had a blunt in my hand. Like, I'm walking around here at 3.30 in the morning, and I had these thoughts in my hand. I'm about to go over the tracks in my old neighborhood, go over the tracks, I'm gonna kill somebody, and I'm gonna leave these two guys there and take the blame. Because when I stopped dead in my tracks, these guys, they didn't even stop walking. They were like, they they about knocked me over. They walked into me. And I turned around and I said, What are you what what are you guys doing? And they were like, I don't know. We're just following you, you're the leader. Yeah. So that's when I heard I started like, how'd I get out here? And I said, let's go back to your apartment. Let's go back, go to the apartment. And then that voice again, like we were talking for a minute. So even the devil tried to rise up again, like he was already there in the presence, right? And I remember that you you don't you don't uh you don't only look like the devil, you live like a devil, came back to me. And we were talking about God for some reason. We were high, and we're partying, and I'm like, why are we talking about God? Right? So these guys start, I started talking about God. I had no reason why. Right. And so these guys were like, it's too late. It's too late for God. We're we're going to hell. And I was like, devil rose up, his voice rose up in me. And I was like, hell yeah. I we're gonna go to hell, and we're gonna go and get as many people as we can to take with us. And I said, I need to call my connections, and I need to team up with people who are about it because we're about to take over Lorraine, we're about to take it over. And was that a big lie? But I was headed there, right? So then after that happened, the two guys were talking amongst themselves, having a conversation, and I sat back on the chair and I started staring at the light. And I started staring at the light, and I'm like, what is going on? Then I felt like my body came out. I came out of my body, my spirit, and I seen my body. You had an out-of-body experience, huh? Right? So I'm looking at myself, these guys are having a conversation after that little bit, that little tidbit about murder and and and and all that. And I hear that voice, a small voice again, felt so far but so close, saying, Hey, BJ, I didn't make you to be who this person is. That's not you. I never made you for that. You got people who care about you that you're hurting. Your mom, your family, friends. He said, You are taking away from people's children. They're selling their clothes for money to buy drugs off of you. You're stealing from their table. And and he just started shedding light on me about all these evil things I was doing. And I'm like, what is going on here? He said, This is not you. And I was like, wow, like and in the midst of it, it was like a conversation between Satan and God. And Satan's and God told Satan, and this is the craziest thing, because I was lit, and I didn't see nothing physical, right? But in my imagination, when I heard, he said, You can't lie to my son no more, and I'm gonna tell him the truth. And then I felt like he took his foot, put it on his head, and squished him out like a cigarette butt.

Israel Caminero: 51:02

Amen.

Bienvenido Garcia: 51:03

Then his voice went gone. God started ministering to me. At the time I thought it was an angel. Okay, but I know now it was the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit because then he started saying, he said, BJ, so these guys are talking like I'm not there. I'm staring at the light still. Yeah. I'm back inside here in my body. And so God proposes me three questions. And I don't know if I remember all three, but I know he said this. He said, BJ, if somebody came up in here and robbed you right now for all these goods that you think you have, and they killed you right now, where would you go? Now you're talking to a guy who didn't believe, right? Right. I'm hearing this stuff going on. And he asked me that question, and it felt like I knew the answer. Where would you go right now? And I said, I'm going straight to hell. He said, Let me rephrase the question. He says, if you walk out of here and cross the street in a semi plasters you on the ground and kills you, just because you cross the street, not because of your drugs, where would you go if you died? And I was like, beyond a shadow of a doubt. You know that term that people say that when you get saved, you you know that you know that you know deep down that the Lord got you? Right. Well, I for some reason I knew that I knew that I knew that I was headed toward the flames, the gate to hell. And then the last one was a simple question, too. He just gave me another one. And again, the answer was I'm going straight to hell. At this point, I start freaking out a little bit. But I knew it was God. He said, I got after those three questions, he said, I got two choices for you. He said, You can go your own way, but you already know now that if you go your own way, you're gonna you're gonna that's your you're gonna have your consequence.

Israel Caminero: 53:26

Right. The ones that you were saying, right? Going to hell.

Bienvenido Garcia: 53:29

Right. So then he said, but if you your other option is my son Jesus Christ. If you believe what my son did for you on the cross, and died for you, and and and took back the keys of life for you, and rose again for you, and you accept my son into your life, you will have eternal life. And I'm like, Wow, and then he left me like that. Now morning's coming. Yeah, the sun's coming out. I started talking to these guys about God again. They didn't have nothing for me, right? They just liked in my goods, and and so I was like, I'm like, I'm telling you, I found God right now. I said, I gotta go talk to my mom. I gotta go apologize to her. And this goes, this guy, oh man, you're just you're just lit, bro. You're you're high, man. I was like, no, this is real. Like, I've been higher than any of you guys, especially when I snorted two uppers and downers when my heart should have exploded. Another time I should have died. Because it was like, oh, the crazy Puerto Rican. I was like, oh, you're gonna do it? Okay, I'll sniff Coke, I'll sniff heroin, and I'll sniff crystal meth. Yeah, two uppers and a downer. My heart, God said my heart should have exploded.

Israel Caminero: 54:54

Yeah, for sure.

Bienvenido Garcia: 54:55

Later on, he showed me a lot of things where demons were watching me doing stuff crazy. Um, but so So did you go to your mom? So I'm going to my mom's. And then one dude's how do you fall asleep on LSD? Don't ask me why. What the one dude at his apartment, he fell asleep.

Israel Caminero: 55:13

Okay.

Bienvenido Garcia: 55:14

And mind you, I was using these guys. Like, I would hide my drugs inside certain things and say, I'll be bad for that, you know? Yeah. So I wouldn't get caught. So the other one's like, oh, I'm coming with you, man. I was like, okay. I said, I gotta go talk to my mom. I took me right there in the morning, I had a four, I had a four-person hookah. I said, You got a hammer? I took a hammer to the hookah and threw in the garbage that I spent like 100 bucks on, like two, three, four days ago. That's good. And then I'm like, I still didn't smoke all the weed, so I was like, I'm gonna return that. I'm gonna just pay him back what he I owe him. And then I threw away the LSD, threw it away. These guys are looking at me like you're nuts, man. I was like, no, man, I know this is real. So this dude follows me to my house, thinking, like, oh, I got this guy, he's gonna be my support right now, or be a friend of me regardless of what's going on. Right. This dude goes in my room when we get there and falls asleep. I was like, Lord, what is going on here? Like, so I come in this encounter with my mom. And I said, Mommy, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for calling you all those names, cussing you out, calling you names that you don't deserve. I apologize. I I'm so sorry for being disobedient, running away from you, and and and keeping you worried and all these things. I I found God and and and I'm done, I'm done. I don't want this. She's like, let me take you to the hospital. Look how the enemy would use a good woman.

Israel Caminero: 56:48

Yeah.

Bienvenido Garcia: 56:48

Look how the enemy, because I heard the voice of God again. My mom was like, let me take you to the hospital. You're on drugs, son. To get your help. I said, no, no, no, no, no. I found God. I said, it's not the drugs. He said to me, while I'm talking to her about that, I heard that voice again. The voice said, if you let her take you to the hospital and you talk about me the way you're talking about me, they're gonna put you on more drugs, and it's gonna defeat the whole purpose of why I called you out of darkness and the plans and purpose I have for you. I was like, Mommy, you're not taking me to doctors. I found God and I'm sorry. Yeah, do you forgive me? I fell on my knees, and she grabbed me like a baby. I was an adult already. Right. Grabbed me on her on her lap, and she said, I will always forgive you. You're my baby. And then from there, I slid over to the couch, and I'm on my knees, bawling. I didn't bawled in years. Probably since I bawled for the 10 minutes before the judge. Before that, I was I didn't cry for years. I said, I lift my hands up in the air and I said, God, I said, I don't know how to do this, but I need you, God. I believe you, I believe you. I believe what you did on the cross, I believe it. I said, take my money, take my drugs, take my power, take it all, take it all. I'm done. I don't want it. Hallelujah. I believe. And when I said I believe, I felt like, and mind you, I'm in the living room. Yeah, I felt like a bucket of water came on me, which I know was the Holy Spirit. I felt like he dumped the bucket of water on me, and from there I was like, that's the first time I really felt like I got saved for real. This is the real one. And then this is where it gets deep. Because after that water fell on me of the Holy Spirit, I felt like when I was there, I felt like there were some bricks on my shoulders, literally. I felt like a heaviness, like some shadowy bricks. I fell them when he put that water on me, I felt them fall off of me. That's good. And then this is this is it. This is the moment. God, after I said, I believe and I want you, God, he starts to take the demon out of me. Because it wasn't wanting it did not want to go away. Right. So he starts rebuking the demon. The demon starts to screech out of my voice. This is all happening to me for my mom. Oh, okay. She's sitting there. I think she started praying for me, and so this demon starts coming out of me. And I it it it hurt like it was a painful, in the flesh, painful. Thing screaming, screeching, he's pulling it out of me. Yanked that demon right out of me, delivered me from that possession. And then he was showing me that that demon was a legion. Like that story about the man that was running to and from and the chains couldn't hold him down. Right. And he said, I'm a legion. So this, I was doing everything else that this demon wanted me to do. But next was murder. Right. And he wanted to keep me bound. And so when he took it out, it was painful. It's hard to explain. Right. Because people think that this ain't real. Yeah. But this is real. And even me sharing my story like that about that, he delivered me from that demon. He set me free. And that was in 1998. From there. No, I had my ups and downs as a baby because I was drinking milk and stuff. But he spoke a word over me about being a pastor, preacher, teacher, evangelist, apostle, the fivefold. And so I held on to that. I held on to that dream and vision. I didn't let it go. And now I'm seeing all kinds of, and and and it's been I'm I'm a year above Ryan.

Israel Caminero: 1:01:20

Yeah.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:01:20

He got saved in the 99.

Israel Caminero: 1:01:22

Okay.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:01:22

So he said 25, I'm 26 years old, saved. And so um, you know, I'm starting to see God. And now, and and I'm a part-time missionary. I'm going to Cambodia for the fourth time. So, so God has been using me over the years, and in return, things I wasn't looking for. Brought me a wife, brought me some children, and he restored my family, the family I lost, you know. And so, so these are things that he did, and he says, BJ, you're not going back. You're not going back no matter what. Right. So I can't go back, though. It's hard to go back. Like, I got to see, you know, the realness of the spiritual realm. And everybody don't get that. And that's why when God sends you people, keep your ears open, your eyes open, because you know, people knocked on my door. Right. And I said no. And God let me still meet him on my own road to destruction. I kind of remind myself of Paul. I love that story. That's my dude, Apostle Paul. And but God just referenced a few things to me. It's not just that demon that was bold that was on me. He said, Do you remember when they brought the little children to me? And they would be like, Oh, my son, my daughter's possessed by a demon, a sickness, and this and that. And even the demons affected the kids.

Israel Caminero: 1:02:53

Yeah.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:02:53

Okay. And God will say, I'll make them better. I'll heal them. Or the person will be like, hey, tell me. And my child will be healed from sickness, right? It's hard.

Israel Caminero: 1:03:07

Right.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:03:08

Because the enemy likes to use those things against people that have callings on their life. Exactly. To see if he can stop you from growing the kingdom of God. Exactly. Right. So don't be limiting the Bible. The Bible is all truth and all those experiences are real. It's just like sometimes we gotta let God in more so that we can rely on his strength and not our own. Right.

Israel Caminero: 1:03:36

Because on our own strength, we can't. Exactly. You had that encounter with God after the Legion came out of you. It didn't happen overnight. Because what? You started going back to House of Praise after that? Because that was the only house I felt like still accept me. Right, where you felt comfortable the first time. So you you started at back at House of Praise and stuff like that. But I knew I was saved. Like I knew. Oh, for sure. I'm not saying you weren't.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:04:00

No, no, no. He like that night, that day, I I found the Bible and he said, read the book of Revelation. I was like, when I started reading the book of Revelation, that made everything that I went through even more real because there was things in there that was like what you just seen, it was like he gave me the evidence.

Israel Caminero: 1:04:21

Gotcha. The Bible backed it up. Okay. Of what I was saying. That's so good, BJ. And no, what I was getting at, you went to House of Praise. Yes. And you were also one of the pillars to uh Lake Wife.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:04:38

Yes, yes.

Israel Caminero: 1:04:38

Just like my last guest, Ralph and Ryan were.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:04:43

So all three of us. So that's a funny story. It's like how we met. I met them at House of Praise. So I went in House of Praise. I started serving there and I stayed there, you know, and I met Ralph and Deb while I was there. And so that's how I know Ralph. And so we grew there. We were we were serving there. And he was there way before me. And then Ryan came shortly after I came in in 1998. Then he came in in 1999 when he got released from prison from his story. So um, yeah, and then in 2000, and I know they say we started the church in 2006, but we actually started meeting in 2005 inside House of Praise, some of their rooms. So we would have little services and prayer meetings there before we started it in 2006. And we will do prayer walks in Lakewood up until that point when we when they started renting the building. So it was pretty amazing.

Israel Caminero: 1:05:52

I'm gonna ask you the same question I asked Ralph when he was on, as far as House of Praise was where you felt comfortable. How uncomfortable were you when it was time to go to new life? Like, were you okay with that? Did you struggle with that?

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:06:07

Or so with that was so I was going through some things. I didn't date for a long time, then I just decided, okay, I know what I want. I know that I'm here serving the Lord. I know I need a woman who loves the Lord, you know what I mean? So I tried dating in the church a couple times and it wasn't working out. And so um I was kind of like on a breakup, and so I was like, well, it's alright. I'm not, you know, I just want to leave in peace, you know. So so I respected my friend and she respected me, and we just parted ways because we go to the same church, and I was like, I'm not leaving. So, but I was going through that, but when they made the announcement, I just felt like the Holy Spirit was like, it's time for you to go.

Israel Caminero: 1:07:03

Okay.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:07:19

So I heard the Holy Spirit say it's time for you to go, but this is not your end stop. Because it was hard to leave House of Praise because I was so comfortable. Right. I felt like I found family, I felt like I was uh cradled by God there and and and taught um very deep things about the Lord and understanding the word of the Lord, so and grow discipled, you know, and so it was kind of hard, but I felt like I knew the voice so good that it was like it's time. Okay, but it didn't end there because then they were doing like exit interviews too, like because when you were part of it, if you were like a member, they treated you like, okay, well, let's let's have an interview. Yeah, and I interviewed with with a good friend of mine who's going on a mission trip with me, uh, Pastor Mark Herberbrand from House of Prey. So he was my exit interview, and and he's like, Yeah, man. He's like, so what happened with your you know, your girlfriend and all that? And and and I said, Well, it just ain't working out, man. And it's like, it's time, it's time for me to not focus on that anymore and just move forward with the ministry. And so, so they gave me the green light, and I went with Pastor Bob and the team of 23 and and little by little some others that came later to start it, to stay founded. And so um from there, from I could say, I want to say 0506 all the way to 2020, I was there. Right, I remember. And so, um, and then the voice of the Lord came again and started moving me on, and that's how um now that me and my wife are on the move, we're doing online ministry. Yep. Uh Urban New Life Temple is is is our ministry that he gave us, and we network as well with other pastors from different churches to stay connected and try to bring churches together and do outreach too, as well. So um that's where we're at right now, and believing that God is just gonna keep opening doors. So, so that's how the connection with the hop and LNLC, and now like I almost carried the name, you know, of Pastor Bob, Lakewood New Life, and so God gave me a name, Urban New Life Temple. So, so it's like the DNA and the bloodline is of Christ is traveling all over the world.

Israel Caminero: 1:09:59

So that's some good stuff there. Yeah, I just wanted to ask you that question because you know I I asked Ralph about it, you know, how hard it was, and he kind of elaborated on it. I just wanted to see your take on it.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:10:11

It's a it's it was a little bit of hardness just because when you feel like you're cared for, yeah. But but if it's in God's plans, he'll get you through that pain.

Israel Caminero: 1:10:22

Exactly. So that's what happened. Exactly. So before we close out, there's a few questions that I always ask my guests. Yes. And you might have heard them before, you might have not heard them before. But my first question to you is do you have a life verse that you that's your go-to? That's your favorite verse that you always rely on? Well, I know there's probably many, but like just that one.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:10:47

Yeah, there's a ton. But I'm just gonna share one with you that as a young man, constantly going to that altar every Sunday, a house of praise, yeah, bringing in high people and drunk people to get them saved, and saying, God, I want all the gifts, I want all your gifts in my life. You know, I was struggling one time, and this guy was praying for me, altar minister, and he said to me this he said, BJ, you gotta start meditating on the word and just uh repeating to yourself and memorizing it. And so he said, I'm gonna give you a little one and you hold on to it and you memorize that one, and it's tiny, uh, but it it it speaks multitudes to me and it got me through a lot because God delivered me from a lot of things, right? Sin keeps coming at you. So Psalms 119, 11, that word I've hit in my heart that I might not sin against thee. And so that took uh to my heart, and I just I want to do what's right, and that's my heart. Sometimes we fail, like Paul says, I don't do what I want to do, and I don't, you know, he'll he goes into the battle between the spirit and the flesh. Right. So, so, but that reminds me that you know that I don't want sin in my heart. I don't want to sin against my father, and I want the message to spread. So if I don't have sin in my heart, the more others are gonna see God in me. You know, so I hold on to that because I don't want to do that.

Israel Caminero: 1:12:36

I don't want to sin. Amen. That's that's good. Even though I fall short. Well, I mean, you know, we all fall short because that's our skin, our flesh. You know what I mean? Paul explains all that. Exactly. I love that guy. Yeah. All right, yeah, that's good, BJ. What's your other question? My other question, my final question is okay, this one might be tough for you because of what you were saying. You were top honcho back then, you know what I mean? But I was gonna say, if you can go back in time and tell yourself the things you know now that you've seen now, that happened to BJ now, to that younger version of you, what would you say to him? Not saying that he would listen, because obviously at that point in time, sometimes you could be real hard-headed.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:13:25

Right. And disobedient. Exactly. You think you know it all and you want to do whatever you want. Right. Um, what I could say about that is this um I would have said so if I if because I would be seeing myself as a young man, and I can see when the certain people came and actually beared the love of Christ with real love and not like poking the finger, you know. I would have said, listen to that guy, or listen to that girl. They're telling you the truth about God's message. Don't let go, or you should have listened to that girl when she was telling you that she had an encounter with God and and stuff like that. So I would have told myself to be wise to listening to the people who were trying to warn me. And when God was knocking on my heart's door, instead of so so that he my old my old self, my young man self, would have said, Man, let me not close the door, but let me open to the door to that to that knock from Christ. That's what I would have told myself. Amen. Even if he didn't believe it or if he struggled with it. Exactly.

Israel Caminero: 1:14:51

I would have told him that. So yeah. And you know, at the at that point in time, you probably wouldn't have listened. You know what I mean? But I I just I just asked that question just to see the different perspective from then and now. Um but yeah, man, BJ, what a what a story. And I'm sure that, like you said, that's not all of it. I deeply encourage you to follow that call and possibly write that book. Yes, yes, you know, you got that calling, and you have a lot of stories that people probably need to hear, and like you said, in our podcast, people, you know, it's it's impossible. Right. Or maybe we'll have you back on here another time to share some other stories.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:15:32

I'm in, I'm in on that because I'm I'm I'm big on networking and bringing leaders together so that we can continue to help save people.

Israel Caminero: 1:15:41

So that's it. Amen. And you know, these stories aren't here to glorify BJ or anybody, they're to glorify God and to just show you the wonders that He does for everyone. At this point in time, I was wondering if you could close us out in prayer.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:15:57

Yeah, yeah. We could do that. Lord God, thank you for this time that you gave us, Lord. You know, you gave us this opportunity, Lord. That you this is a platform that you built, kind of like the disciples, Lord God, when when they talked about that He will, he they will have that little stone and they would get up on that little stone pedestal and they would start sharing the Word of God. So this is a modern day, Lord God, pedestal. And so that we can bring stories of testimony, bring the stories of the Lord to the World Wide Web and other avenues of listening to the podcast, Lord God. Thank you for the opportunity that the gifting that you gave this brother Israel. And um I pray that you strengthen him, Lord God, as he continues to call on people, to share their stories, to interview them, Lord God, to draw out um the the gifts and the and the the things that you placed on people to share so that people can hear your voice, people can hear your love, know your love, Lord God. We pray that right now that people will get delivered, um, that that your Holy Spirit uh goes through the airwaves and um just bless his people, Lord God. Um the best healing, the best healing that anybody can have, Lord God, is your salvation. So, Lord, we pray, we pray that you move like that in this day and age, Lord God, that you chose us for a time as this. And uh we thank you for uh every avenue that you're giving us and and being invited to this show, Lord, for you, God. We want to bless you with my life, Lord. We thank you for my life and and using that as a testimony and um bro and brother Israel for uh stepping out on faith and just uh being obedient to the voice, no matter what he's going through in life, Lord. I pray you strengthen him in his bones, in his spirit, Lord, for him and his wife and children, Lord God. Pray Holy Spirit that you move. And we we thank you in the name of your son Jesus Christ.

Israel Caminero: 1:18:12

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you for that. Amen. And thank you for being here, BJ. Yes, you like I said, you know, we might need to have you back on here a different time because I know you have stories.

Bienvenido Garcia: 1:18:24

Yeah, yeah. So, and I and I and I'm you know, I'll be starting a podcast in the future here. And so I I'm gonna be doing video podcasts because I want I want to do the avenue through uh YouTube. And so I I like to do live. So in order to get live on YouTube, you have to start off with videos, and then you get 50 subscribers, then you could go live. So I feel like that'll be awesome to go live and have people live and just do it right there and then and and get real reaction, and people could watch that through through the the internet.

Israel Caminero: 1:18:58

So yeah, that's that's one of my plans. Amen. My blessings to you, brother. And I just want to say my blessings to everyone that that's gonna tune in to listen. Um, you can find us on any platform that has a podcast, and it's called Living Testimonies Stories of Faith and Redemption. And if you ever want to give a testimony, you can reach me at Living Testimonies at Hotmail dot com. And I just want to say one more time, thank you for listening, and my blessings to you. Well,