From Foster Care to Faith — Adam Swedenburg

In this powerful episode of Living Testimonies, Adam Swedenburg opens up about his journey from a traumatic childhood in foster care to a life of purpose as a youth pastor and podcast host.

Removed from an abusive home at age three, Adam was adopted by a youth pastor but battled deep anger toward God, leading him into addiction and gang life. His transformation began when he noticed the unexplainable joy of churchgoers even in the face of loss. Though he gave his life to Christ at 16, surrender was a process—and so was discovering his true calling.

From walking away from nursing school to pursue ministry, to building a thriving youth group from 3 to over 23 students, Adam’s testimony is a moving reminder that our darkest moments can become the foundation of our greatest purpose.

Whether you’re in the middle of your own valley or supporting someone who is, this episode will stir your faith and inspire hope.

Ways to Connect with Adam:

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Transcript

Israel Caminero: 0:04

Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode. I'm grateful for your support and for being part of this community. If you've been enjoying the podcast so far, I'd love it if you could take a minute to leave a review. Your feedback helps me reach more people and share these inspiring stories with others. Let's spread the word. Please share this podcast with your friends and family, and if you haven't already, be sure to like and subscribe for new episodes. To stay connected and up to date on all the latest news, updates, and exclusive content, head over to my Facebook page, Living Testimonies. While you're there, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter. The link is on the page. Thanks again for listening, and I'll catch you in the next episode. I'm your host, Israel Caminero, and I hope everyone that's listening is blessed and having a great day today. With me today, I have my brother in Christ. His name is Adam Swedenburg, and he's here to share his testimony. Can you share a little bit about yourself with everyone, Adam?

Adam Swedenburg: 1:30

Thank you so much for having me on today. And my name is, like you said, Adam Swedenburg, and I'm a father, and uh we have our first son, he's six months old, and I'm also a husband, I'm a children's and youth pastor, I am a EMT, a volunteer firefighter, and uh the host of the podcast Uncharted Navigating Faith and Life.

Israel Caminero: 1:55

Amen. And Adam and I were supposed to get together a while ago and record this podcast, but I came down with the flu, and unfortunately, it's taken us this long to connect again, but here we are, he's ready to share his testimony. But before he does that, I'd like to pray over us, and I'd like to say, Heavenly Father, we come before you with grateful hearts, thanking you for the power of testimony and the beauty of redemption. Lord, we lift up Adam to you right now, cover him with your peace, fill him with your spirit, and give him boldness to speak with clarity and truth. Let every word he shares point to your glory. May his story be a vessel of hope, healing, and freedom for those who are listening. Silence any fear or doubt, and let your love flow through him as he declares what you have done in his life. We pray that every ear that hears this testimony will be touched, every heart stirred, and every life drawn closer to you. Use this moment, God, to shake the foundations of darkness and bring light to those who are still in pain. We trust you to move through this testimony, be glorified in it all. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Adam Swedenburg: 3:08

Amen.

Israel Caminero: 3:10

Alright, Adam, so we're here to listen to your testimony. Can you take us back to what life was like growing up in your home?

Adam Swedenburg: 3:19

Oh, for sure. When I was young and growing up, uh I was born into a situation that was very dark, uh, very lost. Uh there was no God in the area in the home that I grew up into. Uh you know, I ha I am the baby out of four. So I have uh two older sisters and an older brother. And by the time we were uh my older sister was nine, the other sister was eight, my brother was seven, and I was three. By the time I was three, I was taken out of the home and put into a foster care. And the home that I was grew up in and born into was very dark times. Uh for my brothers, uh my brother and siblings, uh, they remember stories of where there would be knives hidden under pillows, and they and my brother has scars on his hands where he would pick up a pillow and at the same time unknowingly pick up a knife, and he has those scars on his hands tilted to the today. And uh, you know, punishment for my siblings was uh locked in closets for seven to eight hours, and so it was just a very dark time. And so then we were, like I said, taken out of that home and put into foster care. And our biological dad at this point had kind of left the picture, he wasn't doing anything to get us back, but our our biological mom, she was putting in the work to get us back because when you're put into foster care, the ultimate goal is to reunite the family, and so we were being fostered, and she was taking the steps to get us back, and finally the day had come where we were all in court, and us siblings were all excited because we knew what the day meant. It meant that we were going to be reunited finally again with our biological mom. But what we didn't know was that morning, or or sometime around that date, is that uh that she ran into our biological dad, and when she did, she decided that she no longer uh wanted us, and so we were sitting there in the court exe excited, but we didn't know this was going on in the background, and so when she came in to the court, instead of getting us back that day, she decided to to sign her rights over to the court system for all four of us. So then we were being transitioned from being fostered to being adopted, and thankfully the organization that was that was uh we were being fostered through was called Alabama Baptist Children Home, so it was a Christian organization, but because it was a Christian organization, our foster dad he was not allowed to have our two sisters in the house because he was a single adult male, and so um well while being fostered and then uh being adopted, um me and my brother were were able to stay together, we were fostered together, we were adopted together, but one sister was adopted uh by another lady, and then I have another sister uh that by the time she was 16, she had been in a hundred different homes, and it's because of the things that she had endured at such a young age that she had terrible anger problems and stuff with, and so it was hard for her to find somebody that could take care of her, so she kept bouncing home from home. And so anyway, from we were like said Foster then adopted, and and thankfully we were adopted, but not on our original adoption date, though, because our original adoption date was 9-11 2001, and you meant you I know you probably know that date, and that date is the date that the airplanes went into the trail say uh trail towers. So, as we're getting ready, excited about being adopted and being able to legally say again that we belong to a family, the whole world shutting down, and and so this yet again felt like a blow in my life, and by this time in my life I was angry, I doubted if God really existed, I doubted anything about what the Bible had to say, and if the Bible was correct, and if there was a God, I I honestly hated the guy. But because of this void, because of this anger that was in my life, because of the things I had endured and had seen and had heard, I just felt hopeless. There was no hope for me. There I felt like this world was just a horrible place that offered me nothing. I uh because of that, I was a daredevil. I um I was doing things that I didn't care if I died from. I've broken both arms, both legs, but I guess kind of when that excitement wore off and it wasn't helping the void in my life, I moved on to the next thing. And probably around age 13, I found cigarettes at a very young age, and me and a friend would go around town picking up butts that hadn't put been put out all the way and still had a little bit left, and we'd go around town looking like a scavenger hunt, and we'd be excited every time we found one, and then we'd g get them all and we'd go smoke behind a building or something, and we'd that would work for a little while. But when that got boring, I turned to alcohol at a young age. And yet again, when alcohol wouldn't, you know, fill the void that was in my life, I turned to uh drugs, and and uh and then when that wore off, the excitement of that wore off, I found myself doing gang-related stuff and running the streets and and just a very horrible time for me. My uh my my teenage years were not a good time. Uh when I was in junior high and high school, just uh if you looked at me wrong, you were probably ending up in a trash can, just so much anger, so much void in my life of being hopeless and having nothing. And but also at the same time, our adoptive dad, uh he was a youth pastor all his life, so while all this was going on, I was also being dragged to church. And I say dragged because at this point in my life I cared nothing about God, and and again, if he was real, I hated him, was where I kind of stood on that. And so I was dragged to church every Sunday morning, every Sunday night, every Wednesday night. I wasn't really paying attention or listening or or anything while I was there. But then as I continued to do the things I was doing outside of church behind my dad's back, I started noticing that the people that I was hanging out with were either going to jail or or dying, and I was like, man, I really I really don't want to end up dead or in jail. So I started paying attention to to that, and I started because of that, I started paying more attention at church, and also at this time I was in scouts, and scouts was helping me, and the adults that were involved with scouts was giving me some insight and helping me to go the right path, and I really enjoyed that. And so through scouts and through um church, I started really paying attention, started really asking who this God person was. And and I tell you, one thing that stuck out to me at the time was I thought church people were crazy because uh I would see that they would have a loss of a job or a loss of a dog or a loss of something that meant something to them one Sunday, and yeah, they'd come in down or upset or whatever, but then the next Sunday they would come to church and they'd they'd be happy again, and I was like, yo, that's weird. What is it that they have that I don't have that they can go one Sunday and be sad, but the next Sunday they're back happy again? And so that that opened my eyes, and I was like, I want to know what that is about them. And so I started paying more attention at church, started asking more questions, and then that's when my dad started showing me verses like Romans 5.8 that says while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us. And I was like, why is there a guy that I don't even believe in? And if he's real, I hate him, saying that he died for me in John 3.16, for example, um, God's only son came to the world to live and to die so that we could have the gift of eternal life. And I was like, this makes no sense to me. Why is this random person loving me this much? And so I started asking more questions, started paying more attention, and and because of that, and because of the curiosity of me wanting to know what was different with the church people and how they could go through such a loss and be happy the next week, that's what really opened my eyes up to who God was. That's when I realized, you know, that I was a sinner, that I needed to change my ways, that that I needed to give my life to God, and that's when I decided to give my life to God. And and I'll tell you, you know, we church people, me too, I sometimes find myself doing this. We church people love to make it sound like once you give your life to God that it's gonna be a miraculous overnight change, but you know, that wasn't the case for me. And while that may be the case for some, that wasn't the case for me. And mine, I was I gave my life to God, but I was still struggling. I still had temptations, I still had things that I was addicted to that I didn't want to give up, and so it took time for me to actually fully be both feet in for God, and and once I was both feet in fully for God, it has been amazing just to be the passenger of that car and to watch Jesus and to see where Jesus has led my life and how Jesus is using my life for his glory.

Israel Caminero: 13:37

How young were you when you first gave your life to Christ? Not when you were full in, but when you when you first gave your life to Christ? Were you thirteen at that time?

Adam Swedenburg: 13:46

Uh no, I would say I was about sixteen when I first gave my life to God.

Israel Caminero: 13:50

Okay. Like you said, you didn't fully go all in because you still had struggles and everything. I had a question though before that. Do you think that a lot of the you said you were smoking, drinking, doing drugs and gang related stuff, or just even beating people up for no apparent reason. Do you think that by living with your foster dad, you think you were rebelling a little bit more because you said that you didn't like Jesus then, but you had this dad that was Christian and I'm sure he he spoke about it at home or whatnot. Do you think that made you rebel even more?

Adam Swedenburg: 14:26

It probably did. You know, I've never thought of it in that viewpoint, but it it probably honestly did, because at this point in my life I just I didn't care for him, and people would talk about how good he was and how he takes care of you, and I was like, Well, I don't know what y'all seen, but my life I definitely haven't experienced that s at at this point in my life that we're referring to, so okay.

Israel Caminero: 14:51

So what happened that made you uh change? You know, you obviously said you gave your life to Christ, but you still had struggles, and then what what happened to you or what finally made you, like you said, give ten toes down to just be full in for God?

Adam Swedenburg: 15:08

Yeah, I think what finally, you know, I was working on it from age 16 to when I was about 20, I was working on it, kept listening to Bible verses, and about when I was 20 and I had more understanding of what was going on, and you know, I just something hit me and it was just like, you know, you have to give up these temptations, you have to give up these addictions to be able to fully understand the love I have for you and to fully understand the mercy in which I am giving you. And I heard this uh analogy and I use it still today, and it the analogy I heard was when I was 20 was that you know Jesus has given us this gift, and imagine the best, biggest gift you've ever seen with the best gift wrap on it, and the biggest bow, prettiest bow you ever seen on it. And what good is it if you only are looking at that gift? Well, that gift does no good because you're never gonna know what's inside of it unless you take what's inside of it and accept it. And you know, that was what I was doing with Jesus. I was looking at him from afar, but I hadn't fully grasped onto him, I hadn't fully accepted him, and it was the same way. I couldn't really fully benefit from the love of Jesus Christ until I fully accepted the gift that he was offering me.

Israel Caminero: 16:34

That's good. I like that analogy. Jesus gave us a gift, and you can't just look at the wrapping paper in the bowl. You have to accept what's inside too. I like that. So um so you were full in full on in, and what happened after that?

Adam Swedenburg: 16:56

Uh it's been it's amazing after that. Just uh all glory to God. But uh, you know, I was still struggling with my purpose in in life, and because of everything that I had gone through, um, I had this tugging in my life that I felt led that I was supposed to be in children and youth ministry, and I was supposed to be in ministry. But I I ran from it, you know, because I I kept telling myself, you know, because of my past, because of my childhood, because of the things I was doing, I wasn't good enough for ministry. And so instead, um when I was a senior in high school, I had a friend invite me to be part of the local volunteer fire department, and I was like, okay, yeah, sure. And uh so I joined and I fell in love with that. And then uh uh the more calls I ran and the more active I got with that, I fell in love with the medical side of it, and so I was like, you know, I really love this. So I moved off to go to college, and I don't know how many people can say this, but it's kind of funny. Um, I actually literally lived in a firehouse for a year because when I was going to college for my EMT and my advanced and my paramedic, I actually lived inside of a fire station for a whole year. And so I would go to school, come back to the fire station and run calls while trying to do homework. In the middle of the night, I'd be waking up to go to calls. And the more active I was with the fire station and medical calls, the more I re um, the more I was like, this is what I want to do. This is where I need to be. But still at the same time, I was being tugged and and you know, felt like I needed to be in ministry, but kept telling myself, no, no, no, no, because of where you came from, because of what you've done, you don't deserve to be in ministry. And so um, so I kept I kept pursuing the uh medical field and stayed in the medical field for a while, and then uh I decided to I wanted to go into nursing. So I went into nursing and uh was sitting in nursing school and looking back on this, I I did everything totally wrong at the time, but all glory to God because he was the one working. And so I was sitting in nursing school and I was listening to my professors uh my professor talk, and just something hit me so hard that it ended up making me pack my bags um so quietly, as quietly as I could while the professor was still talking, and I I quietly tried to see myself out of the room, and and I was dropping out of nursing school and and trying to enroll into Liberty University for a degree and and uh ministry, and um I had already dropped off, had already dropped out, had already walked out of nursing school, and then I I really I thought about it and I was like, you know what, I have a full ride scholarship, and I haven't even contacted those people. So then I was like, let me contact the full ride scholarship people, let me tell them what's going on. So thankfully I called them, I was like, hey, look, I just walked out of nursing school, I just underwrote from the school, I want to Go to Liberty University for to pursue a ministry degree. And they were like, okay, well, you should have talked to us first, but yeah, that's fine. So then I was enrolling into Liberty University for a ministry degree, and all that had already happened. And then after all that, it dawned on me, Oh, yeah, you have a fiance in which you haven't even told all this to. So, like I said, looking back on it, I did everything in the wrong way. But I say all that to say when God calls you, it hits you like a ton of breaks, and you just like I did, you don't know if God ever calls you because there's just something about it. And so I did all that, and then I I pursued a degree in ministry, and and um I I've been in children and youth ministry now for eight years, and and now I do the podcast also, and so it's just uh it's been amazing where God has taken me, has helped me get through, and and where he's been using me.

Israel Caminero: 20:59

That's amazing. Uh you said you went from s nursing school and you were living at the firehouse for a while, and then God prompted it in you to pursue this children's ministry, and you obeyed. You might have struggled a little bit, but you obeyed and did it. That's good when you take that leap of faith and you obey what God's put in your heart. Some people, you know, struggle with it, and you might have too, but the fact that you obeyed him is great. And leaving or you're still a firefighter, you said earlier, right?

Adam Swedenburg: 21:34

Yeah, I still volunteer at the local firepart.

Israel Caminero: 21:37

Gotcha. I mean, what was the biggest lesson that you learned through your journey of faith while you were transitioning from leaving the nursing school into the the legacy school that you spoke about?

Adam Swedenburg: 21:51

So I would say, you know, it's really a blessing because I learned the biggest obstacle that I had to overcome and that I had to learn was that it doesn't matter where you come from, it doesn't matter what you've been through, it doesn't matter what you've done, God still will call you, God will still use you. There's nothing you can do that will separate you from the love of Jesus Christ, and that's what I struggled with for a long time because of what I had been through and what I had gone through. I didn't feel like I was good enough to be in ministry, but like Saul that became Paul, that story touched my life because Saul used to be killing Christians, but he still got called into ministry, and later his name became Paul. And you know, that's the biggest thing is just like nothing you can do, no matter where you've been, can take the love of Jesus Christ away from you.

Israel Caminero: 22:51

That's right. Amen to that. He never leaves us nor forsakes us, no matter if we leave him. Because some Christians do end up leaving. I believe once you're Christian and you leave, I believe you feel all that shame and guilt, but he's still there waiting for you to come back to him and receiving you with open arms. He'll never say no. I don't want you.

Adam Swedenburg: 23:15

Amen, for sure. It's like that prodigal son story that we get a perfect clarification of how the father's love is for us, and it's a great example of how Jesus' love for us is too. The son leaves and runs off and takes his dad's inheritance, doesn't talk to his dad for a long time, but his dad's still patiently waiting for him to come back, and when he comes back, he opens his arms wide open and he throws a party for him when he when he comes back. And it's the same way with us. Jesus is always right there with arms open, ready for us to come back.

Israel Caminero: 23:55

That's right. So you say you've been in ministry for eight years, was that correct?

Adam Swedenburg: 24:00

Yes, that's correct.

Israel Caminero: 24:02

How has God used that as part of your healing process throughout the years and how is that going right now? Could you elaborate a little bit on what it is that you do and how do you think God has used that as part of your healing process from the past?

Adam Swedenburg: 24:18

Oh, for sure. You know, I I say this to not blow my whistle, but to give an example to your question. Um, the church I'm at right now, I've been at it for about almost three years, and when I walked in the door, our average youth count on Wednesday night was three youth, and and now we average about 23 to 26 youth every Wednesday night. And I say that yeah, it's awesome. And and I say that because like we are in a spot in our culture. Wherever you are, maybe if you're in a college town, it may be a little different, but if you're not, you probably know what I'm talking about. But we are in a culture where most churches see a gap between age 17 to age 13. And so we also live in a culture where we are about two generations in to where people are unchurched generations, and and meaning that, like, for example, I on Wednesday nights I have 23 to 26 youth, and and 80% of those youth come from unchurched backgrounds, meaning that the first time they're ever listening to God or hearing something about God is is now in their life. And because of where I've been and what God has led me through, I'm able to share that with these youth. And and I'm finding that some of these youth have been in the same dark areas that I found myself in. And because of that, I'm I'm just able to pour into these youth and talk to them from a real perspective of how life can be without God and how life can be with God, and and it's just amazing because I'm able to use what I've been through to really pour into the lives of these youth and make these youth know that they are loved and that they are cared for.

Israel Caminero: 26:24

And that's what matters, you know, like youth these days, it's a different generation from when I grew up and I'm not sure how old you are, but I'm sure yours also. And that's what they need is someone guiding them to the Lord because these days all they want to do is stay inside, play video games, not socialize, and that's just consuming their time, their brain, and everything else. So that's a good thing. And that's a good breakthrough that you've had, you know. You said three to twenty-seven now? That's praise God, that's good.

Adam Swedenburg: 27:05

Yeah, and it's because I've I feel like and I strongly believe that it's because of where I've been through and what I've gone through that I'm really able to connect with these youth on all kind of different levels. And not only that, like part of my part of my ministry of doing youth ministry is that I've always wanted to represent how Jesus did ministry when he was on earth. And the way I do that is I'm at the high school. I lead a Christian club at the high school, and then I also do devotions with the soccer team in the locker room during soccer season. I do devotions with the football team on the football field every Thursdays. And then I go to events, I'll randomly show up to football games, I'll randomly show up to band competitions, I'll randomly show up to choir performances that my students are in, I'll randomly show up at soccer games. I show up to show these youth, hey, not only am I asking you to come to church, but I care and love you enough that I'm also showing up and supporting you at your events. Because when Jesus was on earth, Jesus didn't just say, hey, come to the synagogue or hey, come to the temple. No, Jesus went out there, he went to the tax collector's house, he went to weddings, he went to where people were. And I feel like that's something that we need to do in ministry is go to where people are, not just expect them to come to us.

Israel Caminero: 28:32

Amen. That's good. Where do you find time? I mean, you're firefighter, EMT, father, volunteer. You must have a full plate over there.

Adam Swedenburg: 28:45

Yeah, I do. I'm uh, you know, thankfully with the volunteer fire department, it's uh kind of as I can, so I don't have any set hours with that. So I run calls as I can and overnight usually sometimes. And I do work part-time in the uh in the ER, so that's fun. And yeah, I also have the podcast going.

Israel Caminero: 29:05

So yeah, that too. That too, I forgot.

Adam Swedenburg: 29:09

So yeah, you know, but that's the thing. I make time for my students because they know how busy I am, but when they see me on the sign line at a random event or whatever, they realize that I took time to come to them.

Israel Caminero: 29:25

So yeah, that's good. I'm sure they appreciate it too, you know, seeing you there supporting them on what they do, not only through your ministry, but and their extracurricular activities too.

Adam Swedenburg: 29:37

For sure, yes, indeed.

Israel Caminero: 29:39

And what was the name of your podcast again?

Adam Swedenburg: 29:42

Hey, yeah, that's a great question. The uh podcast is uh called Uncharted Navigating Faith in Life. And uh I do three episodes a week, two guest episodes and a solo episode each week, and and uh it's just it's just all about practical advice on how to live out faith in your everyday life.

Israel Caminero: 30:07

Okay, and I'll have links to that podcast and everything else that he might want to share on the description of this episode, if you want to go and listen to his podcast, and I encourage you to do. I always try to support everyone that's been on here, or if you even want to reach out to him if you're in the in his area, or you know, just to speak to him since he's a youth minister and he might be able to help you out in some way. Uh are you okay with that, Adam?

Adam Swedenburg: 30:37

Oh, for sure, yeah. I uh always tell people feel free to reach out to me, uh, follow me on social media, send me prayer requests. I have my personal email linked on my uh on my link tree so people can send me messages, prayer requests, anything. I'm I'm here for you. Uh any way that you might need some encouragement or some prayer, reach out. I'm I would love to help you out in any way and for sure.

Israel Caminero: 31:03

Amen. Like I said, I'll have all those links on the description of this podcast. So if someone was listening right now that was in the same dark place you were once in, what would you want to say to them? Or what would you want them to hear right now?

Adam Swedenburg: 31:18

Yeah, if you ever find yourself in a dark position, just know that there are people in this world that care for you. There is people that love you, whether you want to believe that or not. And the Bible speaks how much God loves you, and and it's so true, and you and just lean into God's word and just know that Jesus can heal and Jesus changes everything, and just know that when you give your life to God and just fully give in to God, it's amazing what he can do through you and with your life for his purpose in this world.

Israel Caminero: 32:04

Amen. That's true. You know, you mentioned a few scriptures, Adam, as we're getting closer to closing out here. One of the questions I always ask my guests, what was that one scripture? I know growing up you said you were mad at God, so I probably didn't have one as a youth, but what's one scripture that you could always fall back on, like your life verse when you're having a bad day or or anything like that, that you could always fall back on, read, and what what is it and what does that mean to you?

Adam Swedenburg: 32:35

You know, two of my favorite Bible verses is uh 2 Corinthians 5, 17, and it says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come, the old has gone, the new is here. This verse captures the uh transformation that happens when we surrender our lives to Jesus, leaving behind the past and stepping into a new redeemed identity. And also Romans 5, 8 is one of my favorite, also. It says, But God demonstrates his own love for us, and this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This verse is a beautiful reminder that God's love isn't based on getting us and on getting our acts together first. He loves us and he chose us even in our brokenness. It's a powerful foundation for any testimony of changed life, and and that's what really helped me is that's really what opened my eyes is yo, although I'm still doing all this, and although I'm a sinner, Christ still loves me.

Israel Caminero: 33:42

Amen. That's absolutely correct. Now we're going to my back to the past section of the podcast. And what my back to the past section is, if the Adam of today can go back and talk to the younger Adam, the rebellious Adam, what would you say to him and why?

Adam Swedenburg: 34:05

Oh, that's a uh that's a that's a uh tough question, you know. I've never thought about it that way, but uh, you know, I would look at the old Adam and just say, hey, I know you're tired, I know you feel broken, I know you feel forgotten, I know you are angry, I know this world that you're in, you feel like has nothing for you, and I know you carry uh carry pain on your shoulders and the chaos and the silence that follows it all. But hear me, you you are not a mistake, you're not alone. What happened to you wasn't your fault and it doesn't define your future. One day the broken pieces will be held by God who knows exactly how to put them together. One day you'll stand on stages in classrooms and in in the ER, not as a victim, but as a vessel of hope. You'll hold your wife's hand and your baby boy in your arms, and you'll know what love really feels like. You'll speak to life to kids who feel like you did, and you'll finally believe that you're loved fully, unconditionally, and forever. Hang on, Jesus is coming for you, and he's not just going to save you, he's going to use you for his purpose.

Israel Caminero: 35:18

That's good. Now, do you think he would have tried throwing you in the garbage can?

Adam Swedenburg: 35:26

Oh man, the old Adam, man. That's an Adam that looking back. I don't I always tell people this. I don't know how the old Adam wasn't uh wasn't in jail or or or dead somewhere.

Israel Caminero: 35:38

So Hey, that's that's a lot of people, you know, that's that's our past. That's that's how we sometimes have to learn, unfortunately. So but I just want to thank you for being here, Adam, and sharing your testimony with all the listeners and for taking the time to just be here. Is there anything else you would like to share before we close?

Adam Swedenburg: 36:02

Uh I would just like to share one more Bible verse. It's my go-to Bible verse. Uh the one the two I shared earlier talk about the ones that kind of transform my not my life. And this Bible verse that I'm about to share, it it's what I everything I do nowadays, it's geared on this Bible verse. And it's it's 1 Peter 3 15. But in your hearts reverb Christ's Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. And this verse encourages encourages us to be ready to share our story of hope, especially when people see the difference Christ has made in our lives.

Israel Caminero: 36:46

Amen. Amen. So you have three verses that you like there.

Adam Swedenburg: 36:53

I do, yeah. Two of them speak to when uh when I was going through tough times, and then that that last one is the one that like it all everything ministry that I do right now is built on that on that scripture.

Israel Caminero: 37:07

I'm sure we all have more than three, but some of us have some that are favorite over other ones like life verses and stuff like that, which you shared. But once again, Adam, thanks for being here today and taking the time out of your busy day to share your testimony with all the listeners. Hopefully someone out here listened to it and it touched them and they might be going through the same thing. You never know. That's what I always say. That's why I like sharing all these testimonies. And someone might hear it that might be going through the same scenario you went through. And it lets them know that there's still hope in the name of Jesus. But before we close, can you pray for us? Can you pray us out?

Adam Swedenburg: 37:53

Oh, sure. Let us uh let us prank. Dear Lord, thank you for today, Lord. Lord, we pray for anybody and everybody that's listening, Lord. We pray that this uh episode and this podcast will reach lives, Lord. Reach lives that are to considering uh who you are, or reach lives that don't know who you are, and help use these stories of of true life examples to reach people and show them the transformation power of Jesus and the love of Jesus Christ. And I pray for anybody that might be child uh going through a hard time themselves that these stories and that this podcast may bring hope and purpose into their lives for the first time, Lord. It's in your name we pray, amen.

Israel Caminero: 38:43

Amen, amen, thank you. Yes, and that's the whole purpose of this podcast. I always say it's to glorify God one, and it's Adam's story, but it's for God's glory. So that's that's my little slogan. It's your story, his glory. And I appreciate you sharing your testimony and being as open as you were. And sorry it took so long to get you here, but sometimes it's unavoidable. And I just want to say thanks to all the listeners with the outpouring of love, like I always do, for supporting me through this podcast. I always say I'm just the vessel that God's using. And I appreciate all the love coming from all of you. If you could just like, share, and subscribe to get more people to listen to it. I would greatly appreciate that. For some reason, these podcasts have these algorithms that the more you like, share, and subscribe, the more people seem to pick up on it, and it's just the weirdest thing ever, but that's how it is. But it's all God, too. God's been working on this on this. Podcast. It's been shared around the world. That's all got. So I just want to thank everyone for tuning in one more time and for just the love you've poured over me for the support you've poured over me for this podcast. Until next time, I just want to say God bless all of you.