The First Episode That Started It All | JC Almanza Testimony (Encore) | 25,000 Download Celebration

We’re celebrating a major milestone. By God’s grace, the From Wrong to Strong Podcast has reached over 25,000 downloads.

To mark this moment, we’re going back to where it all started.

This is an encore release of the very first episode ever recorded. In this powerful conversation, Omar Calvillo sits down with JC Almanza, the man who challenged him to take the first step and launch this podcast.

What began as one act of obedience has grown into a nonprofit ministry, reaching people inside and outside prison walls through testimonies, devotionals, and outreach.

Since that first episode, we’ve seen lives impacted, stories of redemption shared, and a growing movement centered on transformation through Jesus Christ.

If you’re new to the podcast, this episode will give you a clear picture of the heart behind From Wrong to Strong Ministries. If you’ve been with us from the beginning, this is a powerful reminder of how far God has brought us.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

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Let’s continue sharing stories of redemption that point people to Jesus Christ.

Transcript

0:34

Hello family. This is Omar Calvio with From Wrong to Strong Ministries. Today is a very special one. We are celebrating a major milestone by God's Grace. This podcast has now reached over 25,000 downloads. And before we go any further, I just wanna say thank you. Thank you for listening. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for being part of what God is doing through these stories of redemption. If this podcast has impacted you in any way, here's one simple way you can help us continue reaching more people. Make sure you're following the podcast. Subscribe on whatever platform you're listening on. Take a moment to leave a review. That helps more people find these testimonies and hear the message of hope. Also, stay connected with us on social media. Share the content, send it to someone who needs it, and help us continue spreading these stories. And if you wanna learn more about the ministry, get involved or support what we're doing, visit our website at From Wrong to strong.org. Everything we're building from the podcast to prison, outreach to mentorship it's growing because people like you are partnering with us now. As I was thinking about how to mark this moment, I felt led to go back, back to where it all started. What you're about to hear is not a new episode. This is an encore. This is the very first interview ever released on this podcast. This conversation is with someone who played a key role in pushing me to take that first step. That is my brother, JC Almanza. Founder creator, CEO of wrong, too strong over three years ago before there was consistency, before there were hundreds of episodes before this became a nonprofit ministry. There was just a calling, a conversation, and a step of faith. Since then. We've seen lives impacted stories of redemption, shared doors open inside and outside, prison walls, and a growing community of people hungry for truth, hope, and transformation. But it all traces back to moments like this one. So today we're going back to the beginning. Not just to look back, but to remind ourselves why we started. If you're new here, this is going to give you a clear picture of the heart behind this ministry, and if you've been with us from the early days, this one is going to hit different. Thank you again for being part of this journey. From darkness to light and from wrong to strong. Thank you for joining us on Wrong two Strong Chicago. My name is Omar Calvio, and I'll be your host. I'd just like to welcome, uh, my guest, JC From Wrong two Strong. I just through this brother here that we get the, the name for this podcast. This brother has an amazing story, a testimony growing up in the streets of Chicago and just going from, from different places on a journey that, that he's gonna be able to share with you guys. So I just wanna, uh, thank my my brother for, for joining us tonight. Yeah. I just wanna ask you, uh, w where were you at, um, wh what were you doing when, when the vision for Wrong to Strong came to your mind? I was, uh, on my last, on my last bid, on my violation. I was, uh, in, in oc, uh, California, the, the low security, uh, prison that I always, I always like make the joke that, uh, when I got there, I never, I had never seen so many white people in prison. You know, it was a low in that there was a lot of crimes there from like, uh, just banks, white collar crimes. Okay. So, uh, it gave time to like settle down and down and, and, and, um, I started like learning from, um, nonprofits. Uh, all the stuff that had to evolve that is, is now, you know, wrong, strong. But, um, I, I came up with maybe a hundred names. I still have all of them written down. And, uh, wrong, wrong, strong was the one that just kind of just, just stuck. I was walking around the yard and, uh, I just kept saying it and it just, it just, I was like, yeah. I was like, I was, I was wrong most of my life. But, you know. It just, it just stayed. Yeah. Nice. And now, now, at that time, like when the, when the name came to you, did you know already what, what you were gonna do with it? Like what, what was it gonna, I guess, you know, you, you had the name, but man, okay, I'm gonna use this for wrongs or strong, or Well, it was very selfish reasons. You know, I, I, um, I, I thought it was gonna be all about me, you know? Uh, that's why I always tell people, you would've told me I was going, I this, I've never like, because it, it was all about me, like me wanting to get, uh, like make money and, and just, it was very selfish reasons when it started. Okay. And, and it never, it never really like worked. It never really caught on because we had, we had supplements at the beginning. We had a clothing line. We had like a lot of things going on and, and. It just never, it just never, it never moved. Okay. Yeah. Well, we'll, we'll, we'll probably get to, to the reason why that probably didn't move right to where you're at today, but we, we, we won't get to ahead of the story, but yeah. We're basically, uh, doing this podcast, Ron to strong Chicago because of this brother. He basically challenged me and encouraged me. Uh, he wanted to basically set up a platform here in Chicago where we could invite men to share their stories of what it was like growing up in the streets of Chicago, what led'em into the streets, and what was their experience like, whether it was in gangs, drug dealing, in and out of prison. Uh, but yeah, my mom, this brother here, he, you know, he grew up in Chicago, so I, I I'm gonna let him share where, where he grew up, uh, what that area was called, and what, what, what does he remember, like from a early age, uh, of be being out here. You know, um, I, I was, I always say that I was blessed. I look at it as a blessing now when I was, when I was a kid. I, because, uh, I got moved around a lot. I got moved around from like my uncle's house to my aunt house, to uh, everybody that put up with me for a little bit of time, you know, to take care of me. And, uh, so I grew up on the south side Chicago. I grew up on the north side of Chicago. I grew up in Cice and balling Brook and Romeoville. Like, I was all over the place, so it made me even more, um, I guess you could say, like, I picked up a lot of street smarts, got, you know, because I was always, I was always everywhere from, I mean, even the suburbs, I always tell people, you know, in Chicago, even the suburbs are really bad. It's, it's just like the city, right? You know, it's not any different. It's just there's like corn fields and they're having shootouts, you know, but it's all the same, same, same gun violence, you know, it's probably that the notorious gang, the children of the corn. No. Okay. So, yeah, but I just, I grew up everywhere. But I mean, if I, if you were to tell me where did you, like, where was your family from? My, my family lived on Christiana. Okay. And, uh, right there in Little Village. And, and that's where, you know, my home was my grandparents house. Okay. What, what, what do you remember about that area, like growing up? Um, as far as your upbringing, what was your e experience like in that, in that experience, like in, in that neighborhood? I mean, I, I, I didn't have too much like, uh, a curfew or nothing like that, so I was always running the streets. So I used to always see the kings out there and, you know, we're talking about the, the eighties, early nineties. And I would see them up there with, you know, their s and their, their sag and their chain. And like, I, that's what I, that's what I wanted, that's what I wanted to be, because that's, I, I grew up like watching and seeing. Okay. And, and you were there to what age before you ended up moving? Did you move, uh, more south neighborhood? Uh, I was there from sixth grade to seventh grade. Then from seventh grade. From seventh grade to eighth grade, I went to on 59th and Holman. Okay. And, and then eighth grade I went to Cicero School. That's on Cicero and like cmac. Alright. They're all bad areas, you know. Uh, um, my dad, my grandparents and like, my, my uncles were, I would live at the, the i I the most. I lived in a place was a year, then they would like move me somewhere else. How do you think that had an effect on your life? Oh, they got me ready for. I guess, you know, it is in a way, right, like, man, not really having a, an established home, you know, where this is where I go to all the time is like, so you didn't have no problem moving from one to the other, right? Yeah. Just, I mean, you know, people don't really, a kid does not realize how impact he's with anything. Trauma, you know, abuse. He doesn't realize how, how, how bad he's until maybe to get a little bit older. But even like that, you know, I really didn't realize how, how affected I was until I started my walk. Once I started my walk, then it was like not a day. I, I didn't, I didn't realize I could really like live a life like this. Right. How, how, how did you end up uh, uh, joining the, the gang? Do you remember? Was it like a one day I initiated into it? Do you remember that day? Yeah, I mean I, um, we were, we were the founders of 59th Street, so I didn't, I didn't have to. Were the first ones that started 59. So, uh, uh, it, it was just a bunch of, uh, you know, young kids with some older guys as leaders. And, uh, we went out there and started smashing a and two six. And, and that's how it started. Like, and then I was just, I was from 59th street. Right. And that, that was your in, in, in, in, in, uh, introduction to that lifestyle, huh? Yeah. Right, right. But I mean, before, before that though, I always tell people like before that, like, I was already hanging out with like gang members in Mexico. Like when my, when I was living with my mom in Mexico, like there was, there was a lot of gangs over there. And my part of Mexico where we're from and over there is where I learned to like, um. Over there, the gangs are like, still like meeting up and having like, uh, I dunno how to say in English, I guess like where they just, they just fist fight it. They don't bring weapons, nothing like that. Like, you know, it's just a fist fight. So all the gangs are like, uh, in Mexico, they would like meet up like that. And that's how I got introduced to really gangs. I got introduced more to gangs into me Mexico in my younger years. Oh man. How, how, how old, how old were you when you were out there? I was like seven or eight. Alright. Like, I just, I just grew up way too fast. Right. Do, do you wanna share a, a little bit about that? Like about growing up too fast? What was your experience like as a kid? Maybe what ended up, uh, leading you to go to the streets? Ev even out there, I mean, I, my mom's. Tortured me. Like, uh, he wake me, uh, uh, he would drown me. He, he had a, a dark room where he would lock me in there for like hours, and it was just mental torture with everything. Like, I couldn't open certain things. I couldn't eat certain things. And, and it was constant fear and, and doubt and just, you know, uh, I, I just, I, I feel like, uh, my whole childhood was just like from, because I, I don't, I don't, I probably didn't even know what, what kid was or what it was to be kid because I mean, it really, my, my life doesn't my life. Like I was telling my wife, now I know what it, I'm Jesus right now. Understand. To love people. Nothing in like in return. Right. Uh, peace where you're able to like, love your dog and understand that like, he has feelings too, and he likes you and he wants to time, you know what I mean? Like just small things like that. Like just my life is, is so beautiful now with with God in there, you know? Amen. Amen. You know what, before we get to that story, I know, I know there was a lot that happened in between there, right? Because it, it just happened, uh, uh, re recently and I think when you were out here in the streets, it was still like, what, the nineties, 1990s. Yeah. Early nineties. Yeah. So basically you started off in the, in the gangs and you, you wanna share how you got introduced basically to the dealing to, to dealing. Yeah. I mean, I you, when you're out. The dog knew I was talking jumping, don't him. I, you know, when you're on the streets and, and around people like that, obviously you start doing the same thing everybody else is doing. So, you know, there people that were selling, selling weed. So I just kind hung around with a lot of people like that and I knew, so I started moving, you know, small and I started working for people and, and then, I mean, it's like any job you, you have to move up the ladder if, if you do things that, I mean, the right way, because there's also a wrong way to do bad things on the street too, you know? Right. Definitely certain rules and codes that, that one has to, uh, follow. Right. Yep. So, you know, it, it, uh, it, it took some time, but I mean, obviously when you go to prison, it, it accelerates you, the people that you know, so you start to move the ladder faster. Gotcha. And, and, and do you feel that that's where you had your first connect or was your connect first out, out here in the streets? I mean, like, like your big connect. I know you mentioned, you know, starting last I had, I, I, I started, I guess you could say I started big, even as small, I guess, because I started working for, as a kid. So, I mean, I, I always tell people, I mean, what, what 16-year-old making, like every other day, you know? And, and that's what it was. I was, I was young and I was making money. I was working for, I guess you could say medium people, you know, and then that led to higher, higher people. Gotcha. So you were basically doing runs. Is, is that how you started getting that, like the big bucks. Yeah. As, as a mule. And, and, but I've, I've always been like very like, uh, how you say? Like, go getter. Like I always have like a, I always had like a, a mission in my head, so I knew that if, if I got close to these people eventually, like I would be able to do like my own cars or get like some of it. And, and that's what happened. Like I always, I always, I always found a way to like, I, I was just too smart for my own good sometimes, I guess you could say. I dunno, just survival. I mean, I just knew that I, I, I needed to survive. I, I really never had much, so I, I did whatever I had to do. Right. And I'm sure that was like easy money at the time. Right. Do you wanna share what that, that led to? I mean, you were doing, you were doing good, making that money, but what, what ended up happening on one of those runs back, uh, to, to the states. Well, I, I ended up getting caught by, by the army of Mexico, and, um, that's when, you know, my, my Mexican prison vacation started and just went through, went through a lot, seen a lot, went through a lot. I, I wouldn't, I wouldn't wish that upon my, my worst enemy. Um, just, it, it's, it was just all bad. But one thing I do know that if I wouldn't have been like young and in my prime of violence and my prime of everything, I would, uh, I, I don't know. I feel like they would've ate me up a life now. Uh, do, do you feel like the stuff you went through, like throughout your whole life, even as, as a youngster, like prepared you for that en environment that you got placed in? Weird man, because like, now that I'm my life, everything, everything, how, just how everything played out where I was put, like why did I go to prison? Why don't I say, man, I was in prison because it kept me safe. Yeah. You know, uh, there's, there's so many ways to run. I mean, we can't understand that what, what he does and everything, because our mind just can't comprehend, you know, his, his grace and his mercy, everything. But I know for a fact today that everything that I went through, e everything has prepared me for what I'm about to do for, for him, for his kingdom, his name, his glory. It's almost like he trusted me with all this because he knew I was gonna glorify his name and in a way that. I dunno. Right, because like, I, I, I I love Jesus, man, man. Yeah. We we're gonna get to that part. You know what, speaking of that, you wanna share with the people that are listening where they could hear like more of this story when you were in prison in Mexico, I know you just had like Yeah, like the, the, the show that just came out. Maybe they could go watch it. It's on, it's on the national channel, it's called Never. Uh, they have on Hulu too, and Premier. So, and even YouTube, you look it up on YouTube, they have it on YouTube, uh, also, but yeah, it's called Narco Neverland. And story, story of, it's a very small, uh. There's a lot more to that story than just that. That's like a, a chapter only. Yeah. No, yeah, because, uh, right here, you know, we're just doing audio, but, uh, I, I, I actually got a chance to watch it with my wife and my daughter and man, it was very deep, uh, very, uh, uh, graphic, you know, I mean, that, that was the reality of what you went through. And my daughter, like, she couldn't believe that stuff like that actually happens in this world. You know, like, man, this, this world is evil. And man, there's a lot of like, bad stuff that be going on. World's a lot more evil than, than, than the show, bro. A lot more, I, I, I definitely could imagine, man. Is is there anything like that comes to your mind? Maybe one thing you wanna share, like, that maybe wasn't able to be put on there?'cause obviously it's TV and they, they gotta show it, but. Something, it was just, you could, you could just feel like, I dunno how to explain it, but like, you know, you would get up in the morning and, you know, and Mexican culture, you know, they're up early and outside going on you, uh, you would wake up and it would be like a really good mood, like a really good vibe. And then from one minute to another, it's almost like the devil would sweep in and the whole mood, everything would change and people would get stabbed, beat up, people would come out running, covered in blood. Just, it was, I mean, it was. Amount. Drugs, just a lot of things, a lot, a lot of bad things, man. That, that's crazy. But yeah, like I said, I seen the, that, uh, episode, man, it was really deep. You know what, and in one of your YouTube videos, you were sharing how, when you got to the low point where you were in there, in the Mexican prison, I believe you shared, there was like a chapel there that you went to. Yeah. You, you, you wanna share that story? I forgot how it went, but they didn't, they didn't put that on. They didn't put that on there. Okay. That's why, like, uh, the, the part where they say the last six months, you know, that paper saved my life. I, I went to the, to the chapel and I, I grabbed the Bible and I did underneath my shirt. I didn't want nobody to see it because I was, I was embarrassed, uh, how low I had felt. You know? I, I was, I was a, I was a drug addict, you could tell, you know, I was dirty, my teeth were yellow, my hair was long. I just, it was, I had never seen myself like that. I, I ran to my cell and I opened it, and, uh, I just, I started crying and I, I, I didn't smoke day on until I had a relapse a couple years later when I, but way, way back time, you know, that was years later, but man, so, okay. You, you grabbed that bible, did you pray like when you had it, I mean, you, I know you said you cried. No, no, I didn't. I didn't know how to pray. I didn't, I didn't know no verses nothing in there. Like I just opened it up. But I mean, now, like I say now when I sit here and I think of, of my whole life, like everything, like, man, he was always there, right? He was always there. And he showed me, he showed me in such big ways sometimes that I just, I was, I was so arrogant. I was so, uh, that I, I didn't. I didn't, his hands, even when he touched that judge's heart and released me, I wasn't supposed to get released. I was on federal probation and a gun case that it's unheard of. Right. That case you're talking about, was that later or wasn't when you were still down there? Right, in Mexico? That's when I, I, I came home, I came home from, from, you know, Mexico and the Feds and uh, obviously I met some people in there. So I started, uh, I started, you know, looking better, you know. Okay. I, I got with that girl from, from that big restaurant and started doing the, the restaurant thing. And then, uh, a lot of people started, you know, hating on me and, and just getting, getting mad because I wasn't, you know, giving them nothing, or I guess you could say sharing. And, uh, I got fed up with a, with a dirty gun in my truck one day at a nightclub in downtown Chicago. Right. Hey, well, what, what, what year was this? That this one happened? Man, I wanna say 2001, maybe. 2002. How many years did you spend on there? Mexico Prison? That was four years over there. Okay. And, and then I was thinking about a, a jail that you've never shared in none of your videos, and I was thinking, man, why hasn't this brother talked about this one? I could imagine all the horror and stuff he witnessed. You remember going to East Moline? Hey, hey. The, the reason I bring that up.'cause I was thinking like, man, like spending four years, like, I, I was watching that video, right? Uh, uh, the episode, you know, where you were down there. And I like, man, you spent four years, they let you out. And then I, I believe it was after that, that you ended, you ended up at East Moline, right? It must been, must have been like going from, uh, hell to heaven, wasn't it? Well, yeah. I mean, it was like, that's why like when I gotta United States, I was like, man, I, I could do like a life sentence over here because it was so, like, right. You know what I mean? I was so used to the all violence over there. But when I got there, man, they had the pizzas with the oven. They had ice cream. They had like good jobs that they would pay you good. Like that place was pretty sweet. That's what they call it. Sweet, sweet Moline. And that's, that's actually where I, you know, you know what, what, what, how guy was working. I didn't, I didn't, nobody was sending me money, you know what I mean? So it was like, I was kind of like lost in the system. Nobody knew where I was. Okay. And, uh, after left, the Fed came back and got me, and they pulled me from the yard. In the, took me to downtown, had the system. But what's funny is when I, the yard all the, they like, oh, pizza. So I would like two, three pizza week for free. S could, they could, uh, plug with you on the outside Huh? Because they could rob me when I got outside. That's usually the way it goes though, man. Yeah. So, so basically, man after there, like you were basically in and out. Yeah. In and out prison. In and out, man, for 17 years, three months. It's two. A lot of overnights, a lot of like three months, two months, a year here. It's crazy how you don't care because you're like, oh, just six months. But you know how those add up, right? They add up fast. Yeah. Like, I like to tell people that like in the natural, there's different gangs. You got the right, you got the left, they all have different names, but in the spiritual, they're all doing the work of the enemy, you know, they're all under his influence and basically, uh, they're working for him. Yeah. Well, you know, that's when, um, when I got arrested for that case and they took me to the county, I, I asked my lawyer to move me to the Christian, and I, I got moved to the Christian and, and I was in there with all the Christian brothers and, and you know, I, I would sing the songs that night and, and it made me feel good. And, and uh, the day that I went to court, it was 63 of us that went to court that night. I'm one that went home, man home, you know? Uh, so like I look back now and I'm like, man, you, you were always there. I was just too blind to see it, you know? And, and I, that's what makes my, my life today. So like, just so full of joy, happiness, and peace is that, you know, I, I wasn't a mistake. Like there's, there's, there's a purpose for my life and, and I just had to be obedient and submissive to, to, to him, you know? And, and it's all coming together without even me having to try. Right? Yeah. It's all basically his doing it. And even then he was already doing the work, you know? Uh, you know what, Le Lemme ask you this. I, I know you mentioned Christians there in the county. I know one of your videos, you, you were talking about like years later. I, I think, I don't know if you were in the feds or in Arizona where you had a, a Christian cellmate. Do, do you wanna share your, your experience? I just, I had never met somebody, man. That was so like, selfless man, like. It really impacted me. Like it made me like question a lot of things. So that's why, like I'm telling you now that I look back and connect, he was always right there, like right there. And me sharing that year with that Christian and, and, and him being a real Christian, like a real, real, a real deal and how he would like cook for us all the time and share his food. And he would buy me stuff because he, I didn't like, I like you money. And, uh, he put music on his little, uh, so I could listen to it. Like I just had never met nobody like that in my life. And, and with nothing in return, even from my kids' birthdays, he would make me like stuff from the leather shop. So like, it really impacted my life, man. And it made me feel even better when I called him because I still talk to him to this day when I called and I told them that. My life around and, and it was so cool because like he started asking me for advice and I, I just smiled because like, I, I used to look up to him so much, you know? Right. Man. So he was basically planting the seeds in you, like, in the time that you were in with him, uh, did you ever do like a bible study with him or like pray with him? No, bro. He just, he just, I, I was still living, I was smoking a lot. I was always gambling. I, I was always pretending to be good. I just wouldn't get caught. Okay. You know, and, and, uh, he would be, I used, like, I was, I would smoke, I would smoke weed and, and I would see him and I would get so embarrassed and like, and he would come up to, he'd. Now you're gonna have to translate that man. He was just not telling me I was, I was burning the enemy, you know? And just, but he never judged me though. Like he never judged me. Almost always was like, almost like, it was like, like, like a loving discipline, right? Like I'm telling you not to do it, but not coming at you like, like hard or anything, you know? Yep. So like before, I wouldn't care. Like I would always like smoke in myself. I never smoked in myself because I lived with him. Right? That's how much I respected him, man. You know? So probably not just him, but looking back, probably the God that he served, right? Yeah. But just, just seeing him, man, I, I mean, I, I look at back now and every time that I thought I was lucky, every time that I thought I'd be the case, it wasn't me, it was God. Because was like, man, this kid, right. We're gonna fast forward you, you're in, uh, Arizona. Is this at the, like, around the same time you started getting the vision for Wrong to Strong? Like what, basically what, what came first, uh, the vision for Wrong to Strong or where you ended up trying to go to school? Uh, college. No, the vision was already there. It was written in a notebook, you know, but, um, when I came home, I was just trying to, I was just trying to figure it out, like what, what, uh, what I was gonna do in my life. Um, you know, what, I was gonna work and all that stuff. So. At the gym, more at the gym. Vision just started to come a little bit clearer and I started investing and, and just, you know, getting people to invest and it, it, it, uh, it, it, it started to grow little by little and then it just, it lost traffic and then, you know, it's, it's, it's something completely different today. Right. What ended up happening when you went to the school to, to sign up? What, what That, that basically, uh, start you on what path do you wanna share that? Well, that's where, you know, uh, my first college course, that's when I met John, the guy that disciples me and my, my friend, uh, he was a cop for 30 years and he teaches, uh, criminal justice there. And that's the, I took, and, um, you know, four years later he, so, uh, so I could become a pastor. Oh, nice. Be before, I think you met your wife before this happened. Yeah, I met, I met my wife, uh, two years prior to, to me being saved. Okay. And and she was, she was already a, a follower of Christ, right? Yeah. She, she was already a believer. She, uh, she got saved in thousand 16. Okay. And, and in the beginning, you wanna share what was your experience with her like when you met her and she was, uh, trying to talk to you like, about the things of God? Well, when I first met her, I mean, she was, she was like, I, I always tell people, like, for some reason, I, I didn't, she's really pretty. She's really pretty. She's really, like, she's gorgeous. But I didn't look at her the way that I looked at every single other woman. I don't know why. I mean, I know why today, but I, I didn't, and for, for that reason, I was able to, uh, befriend her and be, I was able to talk to her about stuff that. To nobody because stuff me. So I, I was open up very, uh, dear, I could trust because I mean, uh, six months after I met her, I was gonna commit suicide. Um, I, I was just kind of done. I was ready to check out and I knew I didn't wanna, so I, I figured I would myself shot of heroin and I just go to sleep. But for some reason, um, I text her back and forth all night and she, she convinced me that, you know, that she loved me, that God loved me and that people love me. And I, the next day at the gym, she gave me a hug and I just. I, because I never, I have never felt like so vulnerable in my life. And, and like he just, he started, he started working on me and I just, every day after that, right? You know what, I think it was around this time, uh, uh, basically I, I lost contact with you probably like in 2003 or oh four, whatever that was. But I didn't know whatever happened to you. And I remember, um, had to be like maybe six months before November of 2021, I think, when, when the big change happened to you. But my younger brother, he came to me and he's like, Hey man, uh, have you seen this guy? You know, j jc? I'm like, nah. He's like, man, he's on YouTube. He's making videos now. Like, uh, cartel videos, gang videos, and like, get outta here. So basically I would say like six months before that I started to, to watch him. And I was basically following your videos. And then I believe it was November of 2021. I'm watching a video and I hear you saying some stuff. I'm like, what the heck happened to this guy? Do, do, do you wanna share what happened to you that day? And then the video that followed it? Well, that's November, November, November 8th or sixth, six or eight, one of those days, right. But it's the day that I fell to my knees. I fell to my knees, and my new life started that day. I tell people I, I fell to my knees. I started confessing everything out. I, I started telling him who I was jealous of. Like, I can't even explain it. Like it just, everything started coming out. Everything, all the hate, all the, the loss. Like there was stuff that I was saying that. I stopped around because I felt like embarrassed, but there was nobody around, you know? And it, it just kept going and I was crying and hanging out and, and I just felt, I felt a person, you know? And I was like, wow, that, that, that just like sparked something in me. So then I, I went into the garage to work out and it, it hit me again. I just, I had to fall down to my knees. And when I fell down to my knees, I, I, it's almost like I was embarrassed to look up. I just kept my head down my forehead on the floor, man. And I just felt it in my heart that like, he was telling me that that was it. Like I wasn't gonna make no more videos about cartel or gangs or like, be. His name, his glory, pretty much my platform. Yeah. Get this and that's it, man. From that day on, like I confessed it. I, I said it, I did it. And, and like I, for some reason he just, he just told me not to be embarrassed, like, to just be me on camera. And, and I just went unfiltered, you know? I was crying. I was, I just gave everybody like this, I guess you could share just the raw truth about him transforming my life. Amen. Yeah. So you basically had an encounter with God? With, with Jesus. And, and in that moment, and man. He touched you and I, I know you mentioned right now you had your, your forehead to the ground and you felt like, like you couldn't even look up, man.'cause there's probably, you just felt his presence like in the room with you. That's how I felt, man. I, I just felt like that's how I needed to be. And, and I was just crying like that, you know? Uh, there hasn't it, it's gotten like better and better after that. Like, you know, I cried a lot for like a lot of months, you know? Uh, now I cry. But it, it's more like, because I'm very grateful what, what, what he's done in my, in my heart and my life. And like, my job, my family, my relationship with my wife. Like he shows you how to love him, shows how to love others. He shows love yourself. Like how to love right? Next pieces, like. You a piece almost around you that like, it's just, it's still him. Every, like, there's just no other, there's no other way. Yeah. I just, I just hope people can see that man. Amen. God willing, you know?'cause I, I know he's been, uh, uh, using you to, to reach ma many people on your platform, uh, people that had been following you before this instant. And I remember after that day, after I watched that video, that's where I think, I don't know if I send you a message or the Instagram somewhere and man, I just told you I'm proud of you, what you're doing. Keep following God. And that's basically when me and you like started to talk. And here we are almost a year later, right? So it was, yeah, we a month from November and God's definitely been using you to, to reach many, you know, I'm wrong to strong. Now, now that you got saved and now you're getting, uh, mentored and you're also mentoring others, um, what, what's the difference in wrong to strong? Now I know you mentioned earlier where, man, when you first had the vision, it was mostly like for yourself, you know. You had your, what you said, uh, selfish reasons for doing it, but now, you know, God came into your life, he changed you. What turned around, what's the mission and the vision behind Wrong to strong now? Well, I mean, the big, the big, big dream is to create a, a facility in Chicago and create facility in Phoenix. So we could exchange, you know, people that we take off the streets. I mean, obviously I wanna work with gang members, you know, and people in prison. So I feel the calling for, you know, people like that and create that, that change, that discipleship program or bring them over here for a year and then send them back and, and just, there's a lot of things change because it's not about me, you know, now it's all about his kingdom and his glory and, and it's all about trying to, trying to, you know, just show these guys that. Truth that he powerful their live sin, live in S's. There's, there's, and I just, I hope that I, my story to, to show them that because, and strong now is, is about, it's about God, it's about Jesus, about what he did for us on the cross. And, and I just pray that, um, I mean, he's putting together really awesome team. So we got guys in Chicago, we got guys in California, we got guys in Texas. You know, it, it's, it's just beautiful to see how he has taken over the whole wrong and strong organization and just turned it into something just so beautiful. Amen. Uh, what, what do you got, uh, as, uh, faith, family, and fitness, right? Yes. I, I just launched my, my new program that's called the, the Four Spears, and it's for men to remember how to be godly men. You know, it's for people that need to hear the truth. You know? We need to stop recording things about how, if I'm gonna hurt your feelings or not. Like true, true. Men of God need, need to walk, like, like to talk, talk, talk, to, walk, you know? Right. And, uh, the, the For Spirit program, I just go into detail how your, you have to be spiritual. You have to be physical. Your emotions and your rational thinking have to be all polished, cleaned, and sharpened because it's how you're gonna function at percent, especially spiritual being number one. Right? You need to God, you need to love God. You need to ask for wisdom. Your spiritual. Before your physical starts. And then, you know, a lot of people try to fix from the, from the outside and the inside out. Amen. And then I just hope that with that program I could help, you know, men, you know, reshape their lives and start to see that there is only one way. Man. That's, that's, that's Jesus, man. That's why I, I'm sold. I don't need no more. I don't need no more proof. That's right. Hey, man, he was able to, to turn around your life, man. Just one touch. And man. Uh, where, where could people go to get more information about your program, about everything that you're doing right now? Uh. Okay. And, and you got like, uh, different things that you're doing, you wanna share what? Yeah, I got it to my website. I got like, uh, from, I got my, my fitness page on there. So people are looking for online training or diet or, you know, I got a free PDF where I give a list of supplements. Um, the ministry stuff is on there. Our discipleship programs on there also, so you can download it. It just, everything that, you know, at the beginning of, uh, uh, of this whole my walk, everything. Um, I, I was the one that was, I was, I was training people and training people funded for me to be able to go to like prisons and do all the stuff that I been doing. We're officially a 5 0 1 now, and we, we, uh, have a bank account now. Everything's like, paperwork is all done. Like we're officially a nonprofit, so, okay. You know, and strong is, is that now, right? So, yeah. A lot of changes, a lot of stuff that's coming up. Um, you know, I just, I just don't, I just wanna tell the world about, about Jesus and I just, I wanna go everywhere where a lot of people can't go. Right. Yeah. God's definitely been opening up doors of opportunity for you to man to talk to people in different, different areas, different parts of life where there be like in churches or even some out in the world. Uh, you, you know what, one story that just came to my mind, you gotta baptize I believe, this year, right? Uh, do, do you wanna share your experience?'cause, um. I know we've been talking about like, uh, natural, the, the physical, spiritual, there's something that, that you shared that happened to you that, that you experienced when you went into the waters of baptism. Uh, so, so you, you, do you wanna share like why that, uh, that moment was so important for you? Like, or not just important? I would say, uh, IM, IM, IM, uh, impactful. You know, I'm gonna, I'm gonna rewind just a little bit because like when I first, when I first started my walk, um, I started learning a lot about, you know, how to do everything, everything right the right way. You know, being baptized, not having, uh, sex without marriage. All these like components you could say of a submissive man of God supposed to, okay. So when I started learning all this stuff, a fire lit up in me and I wanted to do everything in phases as I was learning. Uh, when I went to Chicago to get baptized, um, I believe because I did everything the way, you know, God wanted me to do it. Uh, he was me in the process. Amen. And when, uh, when I was getting ready to get baptized, you know, um, as a kid, that was one of the forms of, of torture, uh, that the guy used to use. That means that he would drown me in a bathtub and, and hold me down. So when the pastor went to put, put me in the water and he put his hand on my chest, I started to panic because I, I started seeing the guy's hand, you know, and when I started to come up, when, when he pulled me, I just, I just came out the water and it's almost like I seen a light, but I knew that that was lifted for me. I don't know how to explain it. Yeah. It was just like it was gone. And, and do you Yeah, go ahead. It, it was, it was almost like a, another bag got taken off my bag, my back, like another one was taken off. Just like when I married my wife. When I married my wife, another bag came off of me. But then, like, something beautiful happened to me because I knew that I had done right and I had like my, I had married my, my partner that God, you know, attended me to, to be with. Right. So even that healed me in, in a, in a place where like I needed, my mother loved it. I never had, like, she gave it to me. I love, love my. I just, I love my walk. Amen. You know what, there's blessing in obedience, right? Like what you experienced with the baptism, like you said, is like something got taken, taken, uh, like a weight or the burden, or just the image man. Like the image of that, of the torture, of the drowning. And like you, you went into the waters, like with that fear, and when you came out, it's like, man, he lifted that from you and gave you like a freedom in that area. And, and then also when you got, when you married your wife, man, that, that, that's, um, you're basically honoring God by doing that, right? Like you mentioned, you don't wanna like sleep, you know, sleep around and knowing that you're not married. Uh, when me and you talked a while back, you talked about, uh, the commandments, how they're not there to, to keep us from having fun. Uh, I dunno. You, you remember like what you said? Yeah. Yeah. Well, people don't realize it. It's not, it's not, it's not like a bylaw to like, make you boring or make you like. It's you. Okay. It's to protect you because like if you're out having with a bunch of people, that's how the St starts. That's how like every people don't realize that to more, and that's why like, you'll sit there and why do her? Yeah, because because you, you were sitting, you, if you weren't doing that, guess what? You wouldn't have that. And if you were saving yourself for your wife, and your wife was saving you for you, then there wouldn't be no jealousy because all you guys know is each other. And this stuff that, like my wife has like taught me like, you know, um. You know, when gets on fire and starts like preaching, I listen to her. And, and it's one of the ways that we learn too. You know, we, we, God uses people to, to speak and, and you have to be ready to listen to, you know, I always tell people he gave us one mouth, two eyes, two ears. So that should say something that, that that means that we're supposed to be watching and, and listening more than when we talk. Amen. Amen. To that. I, I, I know you mentioned your wife and you, you wanna share too, like before you got saved, she, she was actually like praying for you, right? For, uh, was it a, a year or two, you know, God, God bless me with, with a woman that, uh, she, she sat there and prayed and, and didn't give up on me. Um, through all my insecurities, through all my jealousies, through all the, all the demons that I was carrying inside of me. Just every. One of, and I believe that's bad, right in, in beginning it battle I had John fight really bad and we were, we were about to, we were about to split up. She really couldn't take it anymore, you know, and she couldn't take it anymore. And, and I know, like today, I know what I put her through and, and I know that it was God that through the way that he did. And he has a way of man bringing the, the right person to man. Like the Bible says, uh, the two shall become one, and he knows the pieces that he needs to put together, man. And it's, I'll say marriage is a, is a beautiful, beautiful thing, man. Yeah. You know, it's funny, it's funny, Omar, because we always think it's the other person that has the problem, but we never asked ourselves, what, what am I learning from this? Right. You know, and, and just like how when everybody goes to prison, they always talk about everything that they lost. Oh, I lost this, I lost that. But people don't say like, like me, if I would've never went to prison, I would've never got my gp right. I would've never learned how to read the little bit that I know how to read. There's a lot of things that I did because I, I had to get sat down and, and, and I honestly believe that that was, that was God, me down and just, I would've been killed on the streets. Right. But I had to go through all these detours in my life to get me ready because I was so, I was so arrogant. I was so selfish. I, I was all these things, but I, now I understand why I went through that fire that was so hot was because today I could appreciate my, my change and like glorify him because man, amen. It, it feels beautiful to be selfless. It feels, it feels beautiful to, to care for people. Yeah. Like I never realized that you're the one that benefits from loving people. Yeah. It's, it's, it's almost, if that's not beautiful, uh, what God's put inside of us, I mean, I dunno, what is that? Yeah. De definitely it's, uh, you know what the Bible says, it's better to give than to receive and. When you, when you help others, when you minister to others, pray for others, man, it's like you, like you get a, like the blessing out of that. And my, I just wanna share too, when, when we, uh, re-connected, uh, in, in November, I believe got got sent to like, into my life to, to reignite a spiritual fire because I had gotten saved in October of 2004. And man, God did like a mighty work in me, like immediately, you know? And I just started doing ministry, serving God, evangelizing, you know, everything. And then I would say as the years went on, it became like a routine, to be honest. You know, like, oh, you know, I'm just going to church. Okay, I'm doing ministry. But, uh, like my heart wasn't in it like in the beginning, you know, like that fire, that passion. And when me and you started talking, man, you started challenging me, uh, spiritually, uh, physically as well. I remember, uh, go going to the physical aspect for a little bit when you. When I told you, Hey man, I, I wanna start to work out'cause I hadn't worked out like in a couple years. And then you told me, okay man, I want you to do a hundred pushups, a hundred squats and a hundred lunges a day for 30 days. And I'm like, man, right, right away. To be honest, I don't think I ever told you, but I I, I, I, I, I actually got mad because I'm like, man, I wanna lift some weights, man. I wanna pick up some dumbbells. I want to hit the bench. And, and you told me, nah, I want you to do all body exercise for one month. And man, I was like, man, that they ain't gonna do nothing for me. But you know what that did, that developed a discipline in me that continues to this day. And that was, I think back in, I don't know, February, march, somewhere around there when you told me that. And, uh, man, I did it and it, it, it showed me that I could do something consistently for like a, a month straight. And then after that is when you told me, okay, now you can only work out five days a week, take two days off. And it made it easy to be consistent five days and have two days off. Not only that, but the physical. With me, I think it was a little bit backwards'cause the physical, like propelled me, like in the spiritual.'cause honestly, I, I'm gonna be honest, like I, man, I wanted to get back in shape, you know, like I, man, I started feeling good, you know, doing all this exercise, but then it transferred into the spiritual, which I know should have been a first. Mm-hmm. But, but it wasn't, um, I'm being honest. And then it, it, well, but the, but the thing is, is that you already had, okay, so when I, when I, my, my program, there's a video where I talk about it and I tell people I already had the, the physical, uh, the physical my whole life, because I've been working out since I was nine years old. My dad, that's the only thing my dad taught me. So I always had that spear. The spears that I was missing was the spiritual, my emotions were like crazy and my rational thinking was not even there. So like. So you had s once you put the physical one in there, it started, you know, since your emotions already, you already had it turned. Everything. That's what I'm trying. Okay. One spear, you were missing the physical part. It lit everything up because now you had all four in your hand. Hey man, you, nobody didn't even think about it that way. But yeah, it definitely started transferring like the discipline where, man, now you know, what if, if I could work out all these days in a row, you know, I think I could pick up my Bible and read it all these days in a row. I think I could pray more consistently. So definitely it was a blessing, you know, to have you in my life. And man, it, it, it, it is transferred and spread, uh, because of you. I started a, a ministry here in my home. You know, I I I call it the workout in the word Wednesdays, uh, where we gather, uh, a a few men come together, we work out, we lift weights, uh, push one another physically, and then we do the, the bible study, you know, the spiritual. So man, that that ministry, I believe was birthed be, be because of you. Um, because a, a, a rung to strong. And man, God's been moving here in Chicago and I know God's using you and your platform, like man to reach many, like you mentioned, there's brothers and the Bible study, Texas, Florida, uh, brother and TJ as well. Uh, uh, Australia, man, I just do throughout the country. And God's definitely been using you to reach many. Is there something on your heart that, that you would like to say? Maybe if there's some men out there still in the streets, uh, maybe there's some men out there that are hopeless or, I know you, one of the things you mentioned earlier, like ready to throw in the towel. Any message or word that they want, say, you know, um, I always tell people if, if, if you, if you're afraid of this whole, like, you know, for a reason, you know, I mean, or if you feel weird because I know that's how I felt, but you've been. And burning your whole life. So why wouldn't you try something that's almost like a money? So it's like, why, why wouldn't it? People that think that, you know, there's no hope in something like that. I was there, I was at the No Hope store all day. And when I, when I found Jesus and I, I started to learn. And, and that's the thing though, that I tell people, even when you, that's just the beginning, okay? Like, don't think that your work is done there because it's, you know, now, now you're kingdom. So now the truth about God, about what Jesus. You, you have your, your how way. You know, to me, like having self control is like, I'm like, wow. I never, I never thought I was, and I'm talking about like stuff that I had, like stuff like, I would watch porn every day, every day. I was watching porn every day. Like I was, uh, just, just, you know, my mind in the gutter, right? And, and that's why when I say I had so many, like different demons, I, me, I felt like so much stuff was coming outta me that was so bad because like, uh, uh, so much, so much stuff changed so fast for me. I was like. It almost felt like I was doing a hundred miles an hour and I came to a complete stop. What are some practical ways that somebody that's listening to us right now, what are some of those like baby steps that they could do to, to begin to apply this to their life? I mean, the one, number one that I always tell people is, uh, you know, sit there in complete stillness for 20 minutes in the morning when you wake up. Give up there and confess whatever feeling in your heart that you didn't do right yesterday. I mean, people, people know when, when you know, right? And the more closer you get to God, the more you're gonna feel like a sinner. So you know, it's gonna, you're gonna know and sit there and talk to, and build relationship with him. Do it every day. Be disciplined. Don't, don't expect to do it three days and then, you know, take a week off and then do it three days and get better at it because it doesn't work like that. You, you need to tell him you love him. Every day. Every day. Amen. And, uh, that's just something that I, I've learned to do. And, and I do it throughout, throughout the whole day. I'm just constantly talking to him. And it's one of the, one the things too that I learned from my wife. Okay. You know, I, when I first met her, I, I couldn't believe how much peace she had, how much joy, just everything. And, um, it used to make me mad, but now I understand. I understand that when you have Jesus, the whole room could be falling apart, but we're good. Amen, man. And, you know, uh, people need to wake up and, and like I said, be real men and start to say, because I, I had to be a real man and say, you know what, God, I'm jealous. Can you gimme the wisdom to not be like this? Can you show? And I had to like. I had to drop all my pride, everything to the side and confess everything of, of a man that I thought was a man, right? And, and turn everything around about myself. And if that doesn't take guts, then just like, you know, Jesus gonna the cross. He knew what they were gonna do to him, right? He knew what he, and he still like, he, he took it like a G. So it's like we're not even living in those times and we're scared to live like how he lived when we got pretty much made right. So it's like it time to like wake up and like be the men that God wanted you to be. Your purpose, your gifts, your talents, but always glorifying him and building his kingdom. Amen. That's what we're here for. Amen. Amen. We're gonna have to do part two, man, because we already been down here for an hour and a half. Oh yeah, yeah. We're gonna, we're gonna cut it off, man, because, uh, I'm paying JC by the minute, so, you know, it's getting expensive. No. Hey, hey, hey, brother. Like I always tell you, man, I appreciate you. I thank God for you just your obedience, your faithfulness to the things of God, to the call of God on your life. And he's de definitely using you to raise up men. You know, I, I know it started in the physical, you know, with the working out with the wrongs to strong in that aspect, but man, now it's taken a turn to what I believe was meant for since the beginning. Since you first had the vision, maybe God only allowed you to see the one part, but man, he, I believe he was definitely working in a wrong to strong to for the spiritual man. I know you mentioned the programs you have, the, the spear program, a mentorship, discipleship. So once again, be before we close out, can you share that website and where the people can find you as well, like on social media. My Instagram is wrong, strong. Uh, my webpage ww strong. Uh, my Facebook, uh, you can find me on wrong. Pretty much. If you type in wrong, strong, all my stuff will come out, man. Alright brother. And I just wanna thank everybody that's, listen to this. Once again, thank you for joining us. This is Wrong to Strong Chicago. My name's Omar Calvio and I.