From Chicago Streets to Purpose | Gangs, Faith & a Life Transformed (Encore Episode)

Encore Presentation: One of the early stories that helped shape this ministry. The message is still just as powerful today.

Arturo Gamino grew up in Chicago’s Little Village, where violence wasn’t something you heard about… it was something you saw.

As a young child, he witnessed things no kid should have to see. Violence in the streets. Instability at home. Moments that slowly became “normal.” Over time, those experiences shaped how he viewed life, relationships, and even the value of it all.

By the age of 12, he was already pulled into gang life.

What started as exposure became identity. What felt normal began to lead him down a dangerous path.

But his story didn’t end there.

In this honest and powerful conversation, Arturo shares how those early experiences followed him into his teenage years… and how everything began to change when he encountered Jesus Christ. The mindset, the patterns, the direction of his life all started to shift.

This episode is for anyone who:

•  has been shaped by what they witnessed growing up 
•  feels stuck in cycles that started early in life 
•  is searching for a new direction and a fresh start 

Today, Arturo is living with purpose, leading his family, and encouraging others that real change is possible.

If this episode encouraged you:

•  Follow the podcast 
•  Share it with someone who needs hope 
•  Visit fromwrongtostrong.org to support the mission

Transcript

0:20

Hello, family. What's going on? This is Omar Calvillo with From Wrong to Strong Ministries. Today's episode is a special re-release of one of the very first interviews we ever recorded for this podcast. Even though this conversation was recorded years ago, the message is still powerful and relevant today. In this episode, Arturo Gamino shares what it was like growing up in Little Village, also known as 26th Street, on the West Side of Chicago. Surrounded by violence, gang culture, and brokenness at a young age, he opens up about the path he was headed down and how Jesus Christ completely changed the direction of his life. Today, Arturo is a husband, father, grandfather, and leader in our church, and actively involved in leading and pouring into men through ministry, whether it's at our church or in Cook County Jail. His story is a reminder that God is still transforming lives and raising people up for His purpose. As for us here at From Wrong to Strong Ministries, we're continuing to serve and share the gospel inside of Cook County Jail, while also working to expand our content onto prison tablets through Edovo. So these testimonies and messages of hope can reach even more people behind bars. We're also preparing to attend the Correctional Ministries and Chaplains Association Conference, where correctional and ministry leaders and chaplains from around the country gather to be equipped and encouraged for the work of reaching those impacted by incarceration. So whether out here in the streets or behind prison walls, our heart remains the same, to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's get into it. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Wrong to Strong Chicago podcast. I'm your host. My name is Omar Calvillo, and we'd just like to welcome you guys to another episode. Uh, I would like to introduce my guest. My guest today, his name's Arturo Gamino. I've known this brother for many years. I believe I met him back in, had to be around 20, maybe 2013, 2014. That's when I, we were going to New Life Garfield Ridge, and that's where I met this brother. But I, I'm gonna throw it, uh, over to him. Maybe he could introduce himself a little bit and share about his family. Um, yeah. Hi, I'm Arturo. And yeah, brother, you're right. We, uh, it was back, like, 20... You're right, 20- I can't remember either, but 2013, 2014, when, um, I think we both started, uh, attending Garfield Ridge, right? So it's been quite a few years. Praise God. Myself, uh, uh, um, uh, I'm married. Been married, uh, just, uh, uh, celebrated 17 years married and I have two sons, one that just turned 12 and the other 16. We're a small family, but praise God, that's the family the, the Lord has given me. I thought thanks for sharing that. Hey, Arturo, you, you wanna share with everybody, basically, you know, o- on this podcast we're gonna talk about how it was growing up in the, in the streets of Chicago. You wanna tell the people hearing what area did you grow up in, what was the name of that community, and what, I guess, what is that area known for, like, here in Chicago, for somebody who's not from around here or who's never heard of the community where you grew up in? All right. Yeah. I grew up in, uh, an area called Little Village, La Villita. That's in the west side of Chicago, uh, in a part that's called South Lawndale. That's where I grew up for q- quite many years. To me it was... It's, um, you asked what kind of area was it? Yeah, yeah. If you could describe, you know, to the listeners, you know, like, a- and m- maybe... Well, let, let's take it back. Maybe growing up, a- as you were growing up, how was that area in your eyes, like, back then, you know? Yeah. A- a- when, as a kid, it was, um, obviously as a kid I think everything we see is great, right? Yeah. Uh, you're having fun, you're running around the neighborhood with the other kids. Even if you see ki- different stuff, it, it becomes your normal, right? Little Village is known for a lot of things. It's known for a great business district. I think I've heard that it's the second highest revenue in Chicago next to the Mag Mile. So that says a lot, right? We know Mag Mile is very expensive. So for 26th Street, that's what the neighborhood is also called, 26th Street, Little Village, La Villita. If anyone knows that community, to think that that's the second highest revenue- That's a, a, a good thing. That's a big thing, right? And that goes to, um, my point that I wanna make is that it's an area full of hardworking people, ha- hardworking immigrants, first generation, second generation, third generation. It's a community that I guess came about in the maybe the s-'60s. Um, but even before that it was still a community of immigrants just, I think, Eastern European. So I think that's the one thing of Chicago, right? I know this is called Wrong to Strong Chicago. Right. But Chicago is a strong city. Yes. Uh, so, you know, we have hardworking people, people who work hard for their families, and just wanna give back, give better, you know? Right. Thanks for sharing that'cause, uh, obviously on this, uh, podcast we're gonna be sharing what it was like, like growing up in the streets of Chicago, and, uh, we were talking, uh, earlier before we started recording all about, man, not everybody, you know, that grew up in Chicago or in these communities ends up going to the streets, you know, and gangs like me and you, you know? There's actually nice people in these communities, right? Yeah. No, you know what? It's a, it's a great community, right. Th- that's so, you know, part of what the community is known for, right, is hardworking people, but it's also known for a lot of street violence, right? But your question was, um, you know, there's other people out there, right- Yeah that didn't end up in gangs and things like that. Sure. And, and there are. My wife's family, um, her grandfather, who recently passed away a few months ago, he was well known in, in the, in the area. He, he started some of the first businesses, Hispanic-owned businesses iet- back in the'60s, and raised I wanna say w- well over 10 kids, you know, sons and daughters there who he worked hard for. You know, he labored, uh, he worked in the railroad and also owned these businesses there in the community to provide for his family. Fortunately, they all did well, you know? Some were involved in good jobs, uh, police officers, firefighters, working for, uh, the train. The daughters became teachers or different things, but like many families, uh- Right that's what they do to provide better for their family, so. Okay. No, yeah. That's a good picture to see, too, you know?'Cause, uh, we don't wanna just, uh, share like the, the bad, but also, as we were talking earlier, you know, they- there's a lot of people doing good in this community. But, uh, yeah. Obviously we also wanna share, you know, what, what was your upbringing as far as, uh... I think it's good a- as we get more into your story of how you ended up growing and what things you ended up getting involved in, it's good to start at the home, you know?'Cause I believe that a lot of the stuff that we end up doing either involves our home structure, uh, things that we've seen in the home, or maybe, uh, a lot of the, the people that, that we're gonna, uh, talk to on this podcast, a lot of them maybe the mom wasn't in the home or the dad. But, uh, as far as like you, what was your family structure like growing up as a kid? I come from a small family as well. I, I have one sibling and then my parents. You know, overall they, you know, my parents w- did what they could do. They're, you know, the... Like many of us they were very young. You know, my mom had me at the age of 15, and her and my dad were married. They were young. They had a lot of, uh, things going on. They were still growing up. Yes. Um, and so with that there's always gonna be some k- kind of issues, you know? Um, but I w- you know, I was young. And, and like what I mentioned earlier about how the neighborhood was, what I seen, to me it was beautiful, but like I also mentioned, there was things around that you've seen and you kinda just really didn't phase you, right? Because those things become your normal, you know? So with my family structure, the way it was, I think like with a lot of people where there's, there's fights, there's arguments, there's, there's alcohol involved, there's, there's all kinds of things, you know, especially with, with young parents, young couples. And so that was part of my structure, you know. There's a lot there, uh, but you know, maybe I'll share more as, as we go on. Okay. I, I know you, uh, mentioned like a few times already, uh, some things that became the norm. Uh, now, now, now that you're older you probably look back and they're like,"Man, th- this is not normal, you know, this doesn't happen in all communities or all neighborhoods." Uh, could you share like maybe a couple of examples that you witnessed as a kid that, that you started to consider as being normal, but now that you're older and maybe talk to people that grew up in other parts of Chicago where, let's say, it was a little bit more peaceful. So w- w- w- maybe share a, a couple of stories, uh, with the listeners of what things you accepted as normal, but now man, th- that wasn't normal. Yeah. You know, the, the reason I, I can see now that those things, things were not normal, I see my boys, uh, as I've been raising them, that there's certain things that I see and, and when they look at those things, it surprises them, and they, they actually tell me,"That's not normal," you know? And so the things that I seen growing up, and I think many of us ha- uh, have seen, it's just, you know, the violence that goes on, the, uh, the, the poverty, um, the alcoholism. Remember as a very small child, just the fights that, that my parents had, you know? Uh, because my father w- drank a lot, and alcohol didn't turn him into, to a, the, the funny person, it turned him into w- to the angry man, right? Mm. So a lot of people who drink either become one or the other, and for him was more the, the angry guy. And so, uh, as a young age, I, I... that was some of the things that I seen, but it eventually became normal to me, right? Um, I seen, uh, at a very young age I seen, I started seeing shootings and gang fights, you know? Uh, being four or five years old. So those things became very normal to me. Um, coming home and seeing, uh, m- maybe the alley taped off because there was a body there. That became normal to me. You know, all those things didn't bother me or, or, or cause me anxiety or cause me, like what's going on? Like, oh, that's another thing. Like, you know, my mom would be like,"Let's just get inside the house," and we'd go inside and, and I sit back and watch cartoons, you know? Man, that's- You know? that, that's crazy. How, how old do you think you were, like, when you seen like that, that, you know, the body taped, taped around? Yeah, it had to be, uh, uh, like around the ages of four to five, you know? Well, here, I'll go back even further. I, so I was born in the state of Washington. Uh, that's where my parents met and, and married and whatever. And then it was a small town, so, uh, my grandfather was here and my uncles were here in Chicago. So my dad decided to bring us over because there was more, uh, work here, right? And so I came over to Chicago around two, three years old. And then, so eventually, around four years old is when I started just as a kid running around the neighborhood, and that's when I started to see things, you know? We'll be right back I want to take a quick moment right here. If this podcast has been impacting your life, I want to invite you to go a step further. From Wrong to Strong is more than a podcast. We're a nonprofit ministry reaching people inside and outside prison walls through testimonies, devotionals, and outreach. You can be a part of that. Visit fromwrongtostrong.org to learn more, support the mission, or get involved. And if you haven't already, follow the podcast and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. All right, let's get back into it. Man, I can't imagine what that's like, you know, but like you mentioned, man, you're a kid and this is where I live. This is the real world. This is your world. And this is just stuff that happens in your world, right? Like- Yeah, exactly. It was, it was my world and it was like my real world there. I didn't know anything different, you know, I didn't know anything to be like,"Oh, I wish I can get out of here," or,"Why is this happening?" Or it was just like,"Hey, when you're out, when you're out, be careful." You know, even as a little kid, those things didn't bother me. They weren't in the back of my mind. We just had fun because we were still kids, you know? Right. Man, that's pretty deep. I'm sure a lot of people listening can't, can't relate. You know, maybe, maybe there's some that, that can, but I'm sure there's a majority of people that maybe they're not from a, a city like this that where they constantly see that like on a regular. But as you were getting older, let's say as becoming may- maybe a teenager, was there somebody who had an influence in your life, somebody that you looked up to, uh, that maybe, um, influenced you? Let- let's say maybe somebody in a bad way, and then maybe you could share somebody who was influencing you in a good way. Yeah, absolutely. Um, so at an early age, what influenced me a lot was just that lifestyle, the gang lifestyle. This was the early'80s, just seeing these, um, nice fancy cars, guys out there with, with women, you know, and they probably weren't even old guys. They were probably just teenagers with young girls. You know, like I said, I was five years old, six years old, and, and just seeing that, you know, influenced me that I admired that. I was like,"Wow, you know, this is cool," or whatever, you know. Again, that was the norm to me. That was always in the back of my head, and I always thought,"Okay, eventually I'll age into that," you know? So that was kinda like, uh, what you've seen as your future, I guess. Yeah, basically, right. Yeah. It wasn't like I had options, you know, and it wasn't like I didn't have options. It was like that's just what it was. You grow up here, this is it, and that's, that's part of the cycle. You grow up, that's what you become. Right. And as I'm picturing it, maybe these are like the footsteps that I'm gonna follow into. Like, this is, this is what it is when you're from, uh, from this area where you grew up in. Yeah. Yeah, basically. And again, I don't look at it as I didn't have any options. I didn't know anything, you know? So that's why I look at it like that. Like, man, the, um... And when you don't really see anything else, that's just what you keep walking towards to, you know? Right. Okay. Now, how, how old were you when you started to steer, like, into that direction? Or maybe, like, when you officially took that step, like,"I'm, I'm gonna join this gang." Was there a young man in particular maybe that drew you in? Was it a group of friends? It was just, like, a group of you, like,"Man, we're just gonna get in." How, how was that for you? For me, it was, um, so I was 12 when, when, when I actually of, I guess you wanna say officially- Right joined or whatever, right? But even years before that, um, even with my friends, you know, we grew up in the neighborhood. The older guys would see us, and when I mean older guys, it would- they could be 12, 13, and we were like 8, right? And or even they were 15 and we were like 9, 10. But we get to know them. A lot of them were my friends' brothers. I only have one sibling, it's a sister, right? But my friends had a lot of older brothers, older cousins, uncles. And so they would be the guys in the neighborhoods and, you know, a, a little,"Hey, what's up, shorty?" Or whatever, you know. Um, and so we would feel good. But there were, there was multiple people, right, that kind of draw you closer or look out for you. But at the age of 12 is when I actually turned out, so. Okay. So it, it was kinda like more like a family structure, like, for you, I guess, like, that drew you in? It, yeah, I would say so. Again, it was just like that's the neighborhood. You know, that's... For years, it was really about the nation, right? I think if, if you're in Chicago, you know what that means, right? It's about the nation. But towards the end of it, it really just became about the neighborhood. Meaning, like, really my block or my blocks and my guys, you know? Right. But now, uh, maybe if you could explain that a little bit more,'cause I, I think I know you were trying to say the nation, let's say, is like the particular gang that you were in, and that could be, like, different branches throughout the city, right? Correct. And some of these things I just take for granted, right? Right. That people, uh, understand. But here in Chicago, it's a nation you're under. And a nation, like our country, America, that's a nation, right? It's huge. It's 50 states. So similarly with a gang, there's a nation and there's, like you mentioned, there's, uh, different blocks, different chapters or whatever you wanna call'em, you know. And that's what a nation would be. It's just a large, whole organization in itself. Right. But they're scattered throughout the city and not even gotta be particularly tied to your neighborhood, but maybe even southeast or west from where you were at, so. E- exactly. Here in the city of Chicago, I guess it breaks down into four parts, right? It, it's the North Side, South Side, West Side, and even the Southeast Side, right? Right, right. And so you can have gangs in either one part or you can have gangs in all four parts or even the suburbs here of Chicago. Okay. Now, uh, I, I know you mentioned it, and it became more in particular not about the nation, but, uh- Like, from your block. Li- like I know in Chicago, you say you got gangs and you're, you're a particular gang. But like me, like even growing up like in Pilsen, like the gang that I was a part of, you even start to have conflict amongst each other- Ooh even though it's the same nation, but it could be like a block, two blocks away, and they're different, and- Ex- exactly you wanna share a little bit about that? Like maybe your experience as far as that goes. Yeah, exactly. We would have a lot of conflicts like that. Mostly in my time it w- it was just a lot of fights, fist fights, and probably major fist fights, right? I know now they're a little more different. They're the same, uh, a nation would, would probably From, from what I understand, they may shoot at each other nowadays, but when I was growing up, uh, it was just there was conflict, uh, right? But um, it would get settled, you know, with a fist fight. And so'cause we still considered ourselves part of a family because we were part of the nation. Um, uh, but I know a- as I started getting older, that the, uh, the term renegade started getting really big, you know? And, and, and so I really liked that, too. Like, you know, e- even though- Yeah. our, our group was smaller, it- It, it made you feel like, man, we're, we're, we're the, the real ones or something. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah, I gotcha. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. That, that, that's part of the, uh, the street culture. But, uh, you, you wanna share what, um, maybe your mentality was as you're coming into the gang, as you're getting older, uh, maybe as you're, like they say, putting in the work, what the gang life involves. Uh, what was your mentality back then as a young man? Like, how did you view yourself, and, uh, how did you view what, what you were doing? Like, what did that mean to you? Um, I kinda mentioned, right, it was Little Village where I grew up at, but even Little Village is broken up into certain sections, right? So I grew up like on the west end of Little Village, um, and it's called K-Town, and, uh, that's just basically because the streets in that neighborhood are all named, uh, start with a K. Um, so my mentality, my view of things was just that this is life. We gotta take care of ourselves. We gotta take care of the neighborhood, and that's whatever is involved is just part of it. Like, a lot of it was never out of anger, drunkenness, or anything like that. It was just part, like, my mentality was more like this is business. This is my life. This is, uh... So I'm a bel- a believer now in Jesus Christ, right? So my mentality now is, is kingdom-minded, right? I believe in the, the Kingdom of God. We wanna advance his kingdom. I'm a soldier for Christ, and so we're supposed to lay down our lives, uh, once we become believers. And so the mentality was similar back then, but I didn't know Christ back then, right? But my mentality was to lay down my life for the world, right, which made no sense really. Or, or, or for your nation or- Or for the nation or, or for your block, right? Or for my... Yeah, eventually my block, right? And that was the mentality. Like, that whatever we do, whatever happens, you know, uh, this is it. I can honestly sl- say that I've had great friendships, a great bond with them. When, when I look back at things, there were some great relationships there, great friendships- Yeah great, great bond, you know? But I know not everyone has that. There's always a lot of, you know, stuff like backstabbers or, or things- Yeah like that, you know? But it sounds like your experience was mad. Like you mentioned- Your friends, brothers, uncles, and all that. More like a family feel that- Y- yeah. So it was hard to even have a bad view of it, a bad mentality, right? I didn't think anything was wrong with it, to be honest, you know? I thought, okay, this is, this is... Again, a- as a young age, that was what I was thinking all the time. My mind was always,"This is part of it. This is life. This is what I grow into. Um, and, and this is just life here," you know? Right. A- and so I didn't have a bad view of it because, because I was blind really, you know? Right. Yeah, and that was like, you mentioned your reality and, and you were ready to lay down your life- Yeah for, for this, you know? I'm thinking there, there's a, a, a song by Lecrae, and there's part of the song there where he says,"They tell me that I'm good at being bad. At least they're proud of me." Was there somebody, like maybe in your neighborhood, was like,"Man, I'm, I'm proud of you," and it made you feel good? Like it made you wanna do more stuff for the gang because man, look at, I- I'm getting noticed or they're patting me on the back for doing what was essentially bad, but at that time it was good in your eyes. Oh, absolutely. You know, like I think everyone wants to be, what's that word? We wanna be like- A- affirmed or- Affirmed, recognized, right? Yeah. Uh, the exactly like that, you know? And I kind of touched briefly about my family structure, right? So my, my dad was around. Basically, he did live with us physically, but he was always out, you know? He, uh, and so I didn't never got that, you know, just being affirmed, being recognized, acknowledged, and just, you know, good job, you know, this and that, right? Um, and so, so I didn't realize that we needed that, you know? Yeah. And so when I got that, um, uh, uh, was is I think there's a term called like, um, like a, like a negative reinforcement when you do something- Yeah bad and, and you get like a praise for it, right? Um, so you keep doing those things. So that's how I was, right? When, when I, when I did something, uh, when I was young, f- really young and doing things, um, and then you get somebody say,"Hey, shorty, good job." Yeah."That's what's up, shorty." Yeah. You know, like, you know? Yeah. Uh, well, keep an eye on this shorty. He knows what's up, you know? Yeah, yeah. So you, you like,"Wow, okay cool." I'm, I'm getting noticed. Yeah, yeah. Hey, man, somebody's proud of me and- Yeah and, and you know what? That does do something to a young man, especially when he's not getting it from home. Uh, let's say maybe, uh, the father doesn't acknowledge you, like you mentioned, he's not in the home, or all you keep h- hearing is, uh, how dumb you are. Uh, you know, in Spanish, menso, stupido, you know, and all these negative words that get thrown at you and then you hear somebody,"Hey man, good job. Hey man, I notice you," and you're like, man, it makes you, you know, like maybe s- s- stick out your chest a little bit and it makes you wanna, like you mentioned, do more for them, right? Yeah, absolutely, it does. You feel like, okay, I am really part of this, you know? Uh, and especially as a young kid, you're, you're 11, 12 years old, and you get to ride around with some of the guys in, in these nice cars and, and you might be the only, y- y- young guy there. You're like, man, you know, like everyone, you, you c- you cruise around and then you're like,"Man, I hope everybody sees me from school or something. I'm with these guys and in with this nice car," you know? Uh, it does, you know. It messes with your mind and you start thinking,"Oh, this is..." you know? That plays a big role in it, you know is it. I- i- is there any story or something that impacted you even to this day that you remember from those days? Maybe there's something that, man, like,"I'll never forget that day." Uh, you ain't gotta mention names or nothing, but maybe the situation, what happened, something that is, like, you know, maybe seared in your mind, like... Yeah. Well, like I mentioned earlier, being five years old, coming home, um, seeing the alley taped off, right? And, you know, basically it was covered. The body was covered, and that impacted me. And I didn't realize it at that time, but I realize it now that I'm older, just, you know, as God's working in me and stuff like that. I realize that, um, that impacted me in a huge way, you know? I think it made me numb, it made me cold, and I think that was part of the enemy's plan, right? Uh, you know, we know that the enemy is out to steal, kill, and destroy. Even steal, kill, and destroy a little three, four, five-year-old, you know? Uh, and, and that's what was going on. There w- we talk about a spiritual warfare. Right And man, that starts, that starts off way young. In a sense, mo- ma- almost like it made you disregard life or, like, the value of life. I, I, I guess so now that I look back at, at it, yes. W- Growing up, I never had those thoughts, right? Like,"Oh, who cares about life?" And I ne- was never like that, you know. To me, it was like we partied a lot, we had a great time, and all that. There was always stuff going on, right? Um, I you know, we try to keep things kinda, you know... Uh, I don't wanna keep it too secretive, but, but y- people from Chicago can kinda just imagine, right, what goes on out here in the streets and... And so a lot of that, everything was done just either for fun or just'cause we were... That's part of the lifestyle that w- it, it never bothered me and, uh, it never... I would never was angry at anything, you know. I never felt like, like, like you mentioned about like, oh, you know, made me numb to, to death or whatever. But now that I look at it, I, it totally did. Yeah. It did do that, you know. Just I didn't realize it at that time, you know? Right. It, it makes it, uh, I would say, like you mentioned, it's just normal. This is the way life is, and when you start to lose friends and all that, hey, what you seen at five years old, that's just what happens around here. Right. Right. So you do be get- get numb to it or seeing it, but it's a little different when it hits home, you know? So I was probably about seven, seventh grade, eighth grade when a friend of mine's passed away, you know. Um, and, and so it, uh, I started to realize, okay, death is real, you know. Death is real and, and it impacts... You know, you see their family. You see, you know this person, this young person's not gonna be around anymore. And so- Right little by little, y- then that stuff started to change me in a different way, you know? Right. Like, like, uh, could you say how or like, uh- Yeah, yeah a little bit more? You know how that, how it changed me more was I started to be, to go more into a dark place, you know. Uh, we're either in the light or in the dark, right? And so I was totally in the dark, you know. But that's what it did to me that first time, you know. I look back now. So a lot of this stuff is, is that now that I'm older, God's been working in me, working in my heart, in just my mind, and just kinda realizing how I am sometimes and where it came from. And a lot of it is obviously our childhood growing up- Right things we've seen, things we've done. But I started stepping into darkness, you know. All right, c- can you explain, like, to the listeners what are some of these dark things you were doing? I mean, you don't gotta get, like, deep or- Yeah, absolutely. So, the way I say darkness, right, is because I may have been doing a lot of the same things or being part of the same things, but I... now I can kind of look at it as more as a evil enjoyment of the things I was doing- Right if that makes sense. Um- Now, did this involve, like, let's say fighting, hurting people? What, what, what- Yeah, just fighting, hurting people, things like that. Just part- things that are part of, uh, uh, out on the streets, you know? Right. Um, and so, like I mentioned, the, the, the thing that I see that was darker was the enjoyment of it, you know? Right. Of actually, okay, you know, that happened right now. That just happened, you know? So- It happened, no, no remorse and then anything, yeah No remorse ever, right, right, you know. And, and probably, uh, going back to your neighborhood and getting a pat on the back, like you mentioned, getting that reinforcement again. Y- y- well, sort of,'cause some of those things I di- I, you know- Right, you don't wanna, nobody to know about. Yeah. So, so it was r- at that point I was o- by that time I was okay, I didn't need that reinforcement, you know? Gotcha. Um, but- Yeah, but like you mentioned, you were, like, taking enjoyment i- and- But, but in my own s- I would pat my own back, you know? I'm like,"Man," you know? Yeah. So. I got you. Like,"Man, I'm, I'm in this. I'm ready to lay my life down, ready to put in the work," you know, and everything that that entails. Uh, when or how, if you wanna share, how old were you, like, when God was about to come into your life, like? Oh, I gotta say about 18, 19 years old. Okay. All right, no, sounds good. Yeah. Um, how, how did that process start? Was it... Maybe if you could share who started sharing with you about the things of God. Yeah. Uh, who, you know, who witnessed to you, shared the gospel? Uh, share how that, that, that process came about. Sure. So I'll go back even further, right? Okay. I'll go back to when I was, like, six, seven years old. I used to get on the bus. Anybody from Chicago, I don't know if they still do it, but especially back in the'80s i- i- if they seen a yellow bus on Sunday, they knew that was the yellow bus that took you to, to a, a Baptist church in Indiana, you know? Yeah. And, and usually it was always just a lot of kids from the neighborhood, and there would be a lot of fights'cause there were- A- kids from different neighborhoods. A- a- yeah, and, and they would do this, yeah. You mentioned they would go throughout the city- Yeah with, with lots of buses and pick up kids and go ahead. And pick up kids to go to church on Sunday, right? Uh, during the week, they'd come out and visit homes or visit the neighborhoods and ask,"Hey, you wanna come out?" And they knew where they, what neighborhoods they were going to, what families, and so that was my first step into the things of God, you know? Um, I actually, I got baptized as a little kid, um- How, how old were you? I was probably, like, six years old, you know? Um, a- and I don't consider that really, like, much, you know, but it, but it, it is much because God was doing something, you know? Al- almost like maybe He was planting a seed even back then in your life. E- exactly. He was planting a seed back then, totally. And because only for that small season was what I had, uh, to go on for the rest of my life until at least the next over 10 years until I got to know Christ. That little season, uh, whatever God filled me with, whatever I learned, uh, that's what I had- To grow up in that darkness- Oh- and evilness, you know? Okay, you, you mentioned, I know you, you got baptized. Is, is there anything you remember else about going there? Like, uh, maybe did they do Bible studies with you? What, what are the kinda stuff did you do there? Yeah, yeah. So the way they got you to go was they, they gave you either a Goldfish or some kind of prizes. Uh, you, you'd earn some pr- points at the Bible studies there on Sunday. So they had service, and then they had, like, little breakout sessions with studies. Um, and then they had games, so you win stuff. And so I was like,"Cool, it, it's Sunday. What am I gonna do?" Just, you know, parents were probably sleeping in, and I think, you know, a lot of families, they party on Saturday nights. And so I was like,"Man, let me just go," you know? They're gonna be sleeping. And so that was my first, um, experience with, with God, you know? With, with a... Like a g- Christian environment. A Christian environment. Okay. Right, right. Now, now fast-forward back to when you were 18, uh, what, what happened? Or what, what started to happen? Yeah. What, what started to happen, I guess, is, is what really has always been happening. It was always going on, but now it starts to really impact you. It, it, you started seeing the things that was happening. So a lotta people were just getting locked up, getting arrested. And by that time too, I had already had a lot more friends that had passed away, you know? Um, and some friends were having kids, and some weren't around anymore. And so it started getting a little lonely, to be honest. There would be times I'd be out there by myself. It'd be midnight. I'd be on the corner by myself just seeing who comes out, drinking a 40 or something, you know, and just waiting for somebody'cause, uh, for whatever reason, I wouldn't wanna go home, you know? Right. That, that was basically... It started getting me thinking about things where, you know, people are, are leaving, people are gone, people have things to do. Um, you kinda see life kind of closing up a bit, you know? Right. Now, uh, was there anybody in particular who started to share the word of God with you, or- Yeah. You know, God, the way God works is there's always more than one person, right? Okay. You may not realize it at the time, but there was a few people. So I'll, I'll mention a few people. Yeah. Right? Uh, first, my... The way I got to know my wife was through our siblings, my, me and my wife's siblings. They're, they were dating, you know? And that's how we got to know each other, right? Um, so my father-in-law, um, at the time obviously wasn't my father-in-law, but he was working out in the neighborhood. He worked just reaching out to youth through some organization, trying to reach youth to turn them towards Christ, you know? Oh, yeah? Yeah. I, I didn't know that. Yeah, yeah. He very impactful, man. There's quite a few brothers out there that, man, are blessed by his obedience to Christ. Oh, man. Nice. Yeah, yeah. And they're, and they're out doing the same now, you know? So praise God, man. There's some great seeds sown there, and God did some amazing things, you know? But it was cool. He never really tried to steer me into church or whatever, but he just talked to me, you know? Okay. A little here, a little there. Um, and I seen what he would be doing. So that was what God was starting to work on, you know? Um, and so that was a process, right? It was a process that God was working in me. Those things were going on in the neighborhood. That was going on with, um, when, when now my father-in-law, right? And so then there was also another brother, um, who had turned his life to Christ, and he was now ministering to people on, in 26th Street, in Little Village. And when I see him, I'm like,"Man, what is this guy doing? What he- this guy's really gone crazy," you know? Hey, I'm, I'm, I'm gonna interrupt you. Um, well, how did you view this guy prior to this? Or if you could E- explain this. What, what was he known for? I know you mentioned,"Man, this guy's gone crazy." So w- who was he before he started sharing Christ? Yeah, so, so the reason I like... All right, he's gone crazy,'cause I was like,"Man, he's really gone." We... So, here, I don't wanna say too much, right? No, no. I gotta talk about- Yeah, just, you know, just in general, man but, but, but, like, in, in the neighborhood, um, like, for me f- too, you know, I used to smoke sticks out there, and- Okay. C- can you explain what that is? Yeah, I guess, uh, it was sticks. It's, it's a cigarette dipped in embalming fluid, and you just smoke it, you know? Right. And it gives you a terrible high, you know? Really, to be honest, it just, uh, it just messes with your mind. But this brother was on that, like, really, really hard for years, you know? And everyone w- you know, n- he would go into other neighborhoods, um, like enemy neighborhoods or whatever, um, and, and on that stuff, and he'd go knock up on a, on a door that they were having a party at and just start representing and, and get chased out of there and get beat, you know? Uh, he was... H- guy was, had favor on him,'cause he, he never passed, you know? Uh- Man, so he, he, he coulda died- At the- a lot of times yeah, under that, under that influence, right? Um, but then I seen him later on, and he was, had been preaching. I had seen him kind of... I had seen him before just kinda walking, dressing differently, you know, actually with a tie and stuff. Uh,'cause he was going to church out in, in Indiana, which is, like, a Baptist church- Right and that's, that's, I guess that's the style, right? Yeah. And so I noticed that, and then I actually talked to him one night, and he just shared with me, you know, what God was doing with him, uh, and just shared with me the gospel, you know? And I had never really heard it or had been open to it, but again, God, God's the one that really, uh, opens our hearts, right? Right. Holy Spirit's just, like, preparing the time. And that night my ears were open and my eyes were open, and what he said spoke to me and I knew that I needed a, I needed a savior. I knew I was heading to hell, um, not because so much of the things I was doing. Yes, because of the things I was doing, but because I was just a sinner, right? Right. Uh, and that I needed a savior, which is Jesus Christ, so. Amen. Thank, thank, thank, thank God for that brother- Amen being obedient, you know. Yeah, yeah. God grabbing a hold of one. Uh, th- that's what I always tell people, man. It's not just about you. It's about, uh, those that God's gonna reach through your life, you know? And a lot of times we don't really see what God is doing, and a lot of times we could be following God and, ah, you know, am I really making an impact? Am I really making a difference? And who knows if this brother knows that years later now, man, that those seeds he planted, those words that he spoke over you, like, man, they really had an impact. Like you mentioned, it opened your eyes to the reality of your true condition. As a sinner in need of a savior. And what began to happen in your life, or what started to change through this process as you encountered Christ? Yeah. A- as, um, as I encountered Christ, things started to change, right? A lot of things changed. A- and I could notice a lot of those things, right? I did have certain friends that passed away, certain friends that had to face jail time, long jail time, right? Other friends that either decided,"Hey, I'm gonna be a family man now," or,"You know what? I can't come around'cause I gotta work and take care of the shorty." You know, they still wanted to be in the neighborhood, but it was different, right? All these things started changing. Even where I lived, I had to move out of there because of an emergency in the building. So we had to leave the building, and I ended up moving out to the town I live now, right? Okay. Which is, I've been there for over 20 years. But even God had a hand in that. You know, little by little, I started attending church. My wife was going to church'cause her family grew up as believers, and so I started attending the church her and her aunt was going to, and her cousin was a youth leader at the time. And so all those things, God started bringing these things around, and I could see God's hand, you know? And I didn't wanna fight it, you know? My flesh wanted to fight it- Right you know? Uh, and it did many times, right? But- What, uh, w- what do you mean by your, your flesh? Like, s- somebody who doesn't know what that means, what, what do you mean? Yeah. So my flesh is me, right, what I want. Uh, you know? Uh, my soul are, is different, right? I wanna please God. I wanna honor God. The, by, by the, the spirit. Like, the spirit. By the spirit. Yeah, yeah. So, so what are some of those things that the flesh wanted that you know is contrary to the spirit- Yeah to the spiritual life? So that summer, I think it was'97, and so what the flesh wanted was, you know, I was a 19-year-old teenage guy, you know. I enjoyed dating- Right I guess, to say it nicely. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, right, right. You know? But... A- and so the body, you know, my flesh wanted another flesh, you know? Right. It constantly wanted flesh and, and it wanted, um... Maybe I didn't wanna get high anymore, but I wanted to, to maybe still drink. I still wanted sometimes to hang out, you know, in the neighborhood and things like that. But at the time, God was still working on me, and he's done so much work in these over 20 years, right? And he's still doing so much work, right? Right. But at the time, I wanted a peaceful life. I wanted to say,"Okay, I'm gonna be happy and good now," and still... Like, what's that saying? You want,"I wanted my cake- My cake and eat it too and eat it too." Yeah, you know what I mean? It, it... And that's what I wanted. I wanted to be good with God but still do my own thing. But I didn't realize that that's not how it goes, you know, not with God, you know? What, what, what are some of those things that changed immediately, and then what are some things that, man, it took a while or maybe God's still working on? So maybe start with, like, some of the im- immediate change that maybe people close to you noticed, and then some of the things that throughout the years, man, He's revealed this to me, uh, and He helped me with that, or He's still helping me w- with that. Yeah. I, I think one of the things was right away leaving the neighborhood, you know? Um, physically, right, I, I left the neighborhood physically'cause,'cause I was kind of forced to'cause of what was going on in that building. But also just leaving it behind, that part of me, realizing that, hey, um, that, that's not what God wants, you know? Gotcha. Maybe like the allegiance, where like you mentioned, man, I was ready to lay down my life for this. Yeah, because like I said, it, it wasn't anymore about the nation, it was about the neighborhood. Yeah. And to me, the neighborhood was, was my close friends, the relationships, the bond. And so it was hard. I looked at it- Yeah as turning my back on my brothers, you know? That's, that, that's tough because you, you spend most of your life- I did, yeah you know, like, like you mentioned, just the, the family bond that you had there in that neighborhood, the community. And it, it does feel like, man, I'm betraying them. But and, and now that you look back, it's not betraying them because God was working on you, like almost like pulling you out to begin to bring change into your life. And can you share an instance where after God pulled you out and started working on you, changing you, how maybe you had an impact on somebody else that was still there, or one of those friends that you knew? Yeah. I think there was... there's been a big impact. Even though I struggled, you know, being a, a good believer in, back then, or even now, right? Obviously, uh, I'm still full of the flesh, right? Right. But God, we still keep walking, right? But I try to just to share with them, just to be faithful with them. But like I said, I was a very young believer, and there was times when I thought,"Okay, I could be good. I'm just gonna go share with them." But I would end up drinking or partying- Okay or getting... right? But- Now are, are those things that you regret now, like looking back- Uh or like... or how, how was that for you? Well, I regret it because I feel like I didn't honor God. Okay. But at the same time, I know God used that for good. Right. Because, um, because just'cause of the fact of what people have said afterwards, you know? Okay. Like, even when I try to go back again later, I've had brothers be like, even, even their wives be like,"Oh, what are, what are you doing here? You're with God now. You're doing good, man." Yeah. You know? Like,"Get out of here." Even though they wanted me to hang out, but they're like,"Man, bro-" Yeah. don't come back to this life," you know? You, you know what?'Cause I, I think even then, they know that it's not good for you. Yeah, yeah. And, and that's somebody that cares for you, like,"Man, you know what?" Yeah."You're doing good, man. Yeah, just get out of here," you know what I'm saying? Right, right. Like you're already... You, you made it, you made it this far, man. You got, you know, your wife and kids now. Right, exactly. And, and I didn't realize that. You know, I used to feel like, oh, you know, like, man, I am... I betrayed them. Right. There's... Where's my loyalty, you know? But, but like you mentioned, those are good friends- Yeah when they say,"Hey, man, get out of here, man." Yeah, yeah. You know? Cool."You're doing... You got something good going," you know? Amen. So and I know it's been like a, a long journey. You mentioned 20 years of seeking God, you know- Yeah, yeah so serving him. Yeah. And I'm sure you had your ups and downs, but, uh, can you share with us what's something that God's doing in this season? Maybe you could share what ministry you're in. What are you doing? Yeah, absolutely. You know, over the 20-something years, I've seen a lot. I've seen God do a lot. And so there's no way I can ever say God hasn't worked in my life- Right'cause He's worked mightily with miracles, you know? But even these past few years, I just seen God moving me differently. A lot more peace, just allowing Him to really work. Uh, for a very long time, I, I tried to do a lot of things on my own, which is good, right? We should be doing things, but- I try to do it on my own without him. Right. You know what I mean? And so now I kick back really and just try to be faithful and be led by the Spirit, you know? Okay. Uh, pray about everything. And sometimes I may not have an answer from my prayer, but I walk in faith believing that God's gonna have something. So I just go ahead and, and, and go, you know. And He always does, He always comes through. So I- I'm raising my family way differently than I was raised. Okay. Uh, like I meant- Well, well, wanna share some of those things that you're doing differently? Yeah, yeah. Well, first of all, you know, just being around with my kids and my wife, even that trying to pour into her, appreciate her, pursue her. You know, growing up I always felt like the woman should be lucky to be with with me, right? You know, that's how full of my- The, the, the way you knew God back then is that I'm God's gift to women. Yes, that's right. You know? That's how full of myself I was, you know, and I'm sure I still am full of myself, right? But I didn't realize that I'm really the blessed one. I'm really the one, um, that God has given provision to, and so He's given me a gift of my wife and my children, you know? And I'm truly blessed. And so a lot of that I've have had to humble myself and obviously eat a lot of what I've said, take back and apologize. And not only just by words, but also by actions whi- which is really hard I think for a lot of us, right, is the action part, right? It's like I already said to you that I'm sorry. I already said to you- Yeah I love you, but how... Show me, you know? Gotcha. So now those are the things the last few years I've been really working on with both, you know, wife a- and kids, and also my family, my mom, my dad, and sister, and my nephews, and things like that, right? Just people around trying to show them more, you know? Um- Okay because that was always a s- a big struggle for me too is more like, um, uh, kinda so- somewhat of a poker face, right? Right. Like, no one knew how I felt, what they were doing. Yeah. I didn't show like,"Oh, hey, I love you," or,"Hey, I hate you." It's just like- cool, all right. I hope it's more love than hate that you're showing. Yeah. Or telling. No, no, it's good. Yeah, yeah. I think they know. You wanna share, like, uh, some of the, the ministry you're involved in? Like, what are you doing in this season of life? Yeah. So praise God, God's been just taking me through different things. I've struggled with anxiety and things like that. I'm introverted, right, so I like to kick back and be in the background, be quiet, you know, uh, and just take things in, and just kinda speak here and there. But I've been serving in the men's ministry, leading the, the studies with the men, so for me it's kind of a lot'cause it kinda takes on like a, like a speaker role, you know? Right. I gotta be prepared, you know, which is good. I, I should be prepared, right? And so things like that I've been doing recently, um, uh, a- and, and for some people they'd be like,"Oh, that's nothing," right? But I've been doing announcements a- at church recently, and for me that's a huge thing'cause- Yes that's, it's in front of a crowd. And to speak in front of a crowd for me, it, it's not easy, right? It's always been a struggle. But again, the other ministry, uh, I think our big ministry is our family, right? Right. Um, just taking that step. Uh, of- of course there's times where I lack in areas and other parts where I'm doing well, but again, um, uh, God's always working in me, you know? And so I just look forward to seeing how my boys, uh, grow up, you know? Amen, amen. Yeah, yeah, keep putting in that work. Amen, it is- Making a difference. Man, you mentioned earlier, uh, pouring into your marriage, very important, you know. But that's our first ministry as men, you know? Amen. A- and like you mentioned, as you get into the word of God, maybe hear some preachings or lessons, you begin to realize, man, my way of thinking about how I should treat my wife or women, it, it wasn't correct. But if we look back at our childhood or growing up, what did those men that we looked up to tell us? Yeah. How we should talk to women, how we should treat women, uh, what kind of values should we place on them, and really the biblical values, right, or way of looking at them. Absolutely. Yeah, you know, growing up from uncles to, to family friends, all, all the men, that's what it was. You know, uh, my dad, he would tell me, you know, in Spanish, he goes,"Echale los perros," you know? Uh, and I kinda really don't know how to translate that to English, but it's just like- Try, try it just to- So, so echale los perros means like, man, just kinda like stick the dogs at'em. Okay. And kind of saying like,"Man, go for that girl. You... I see you looking at that girl." Gotcha. You know, go, go, you know? All right. Right. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. That's a good way to explain it. So, so that was my mentality always. I'm gonna echale los perros to all of them, you know? Yeah It's bad, you know? Oh, yeah, it is. But it, it's very important to examine where do we get these ideas from? They just didn't come to us. Man, we learned them, you know? And these were probably from men that we looked up to and this is what it means to be a man, this is what I gotta do. And once we come to God, God got to almost like to reprogram us, right? Absolutely. The, the renewal of the mind, like the Bible says, right? And not to think on things below, but on things above, on those things that are pleasing to God. But thank you for sharing your story, Arturo, and, uh, I see God moving in you, you know, throughout the years. We've done ministry together, men's ministry. Amen, amen. Uh, you know, security and just trying to serve in whatever c- capacity is needed a- a- at church. We're part of, uh, New Life Community Church, our Cicero location. How long have you been there for? How long has it been? Well, well, New Life, altogether, New Life, it's, I guess they have multiple locations, but I started going to New Life when I s- be- got saved in'97. Man. Yeah. So what, 25 years? Yeah, yeah. Right? Uh, yeah, 25 years. Yeah, yeah. I'm, I'm good at math, man. There you go. That was quick, that was quick. No, but man, yeah, that's awesome, man, and then God's still moving. W- when we come to Christ, he begins to work in us. Some things are immediate, but man, it's a process. And, uh, if there's any man out there like listening, like maybe somebody came to faith in Christ and maybe has a, a setback, a downfall, something that he's not too proud of, what, what, what, what kind of advice would you give him? Uh, don't, don't give up. Do not give up, you know? Uh, don't feel like, oh, I- you messed up and that's it, because the Bible says God is patient with us, you know? God is graceful, and there's no sin that his grace doesn't cover, right? So first, don't be discouraged, but also don't think that your sin is too big that God can't take care of it. God is a big God, a mighty God, a loving God, and a forgiving God. He knows you. He knows the sin that you've made, and he knows the sins that you're gonna make. He's got a calling on your life. If you're with him, walking with him, there's a calling on your life. The enemy wants to trip you up, and he does at times. We fall into it. But you know what? Dust yourself off and get up again, you know? Amen. Amen. Uh, if you don't mind, Arturo, could you close us out? Maybe say a prayer for the listeners. Maybe there's some young men who have a similar background like you. Maybe there's some young men or older men now that, man, that struggle with those images that they seen as a kid that, uh, that has affected them, maybe it led them astray, uh, gang life. It led a man to do drugs, maybe to try to, to numb some of these images, uh, that might still affect them. Say a prayer, maybe even f- like for your friends or community, but whatever God places on your heart. Amen. Amen. Heavenly Father, we come before you, Father God, and we just bow ourselves at, at your feet. We wanna give you the glory. I thank you for your grace, your mercy, Lord God, the things you've done in my life, Father God, the things you've done in my family's life, and just the things that you're doing. Uh, you've truly taken me out of darkness, Lord God, and into the light. A- and so I pray that those that are in darkness, that they wouldn't just stay in that darkness, even if they see a little glimpse of light from far away, Lord God, that they would walk towards it, Lord God. And I know as they walk towards it, that light's gonna get brighter and brighter, Father God,'cause that light is you just calling on them, Lord God. But you're a patient God. You don't intrude. Y- you're there for us,'cause when we come to you, Lord God, we come to you wholeheartedly. We come to you counting the cost, u- understanding that we don't want anything else but you. I thank you, Lord God, that, that you've brought so much peace in my life. Even through the hardships, through the trials, there's peace. Your word says that,"Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds." So I just thank you for that peace in, in my life, Father God. So I pray for those that are lost in darkness in the world, that they would come to know you, Lord God, that they would come to understand that there's a heaven and a hell, and that without you, without Jesus Christ, they're heading to hell, Lord. Not because you hate them, Father God, but you actually love them. That's why you gave your be- only begotten son, Father God, that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life. So I just pray, God, soften their hearts, that they would bow, that they would just get on their knees, Father God, and surrender to you, surrender their ways, Lord God, and accept you, Father God, so they w- wouldn't be heading to- towards hell, Father God, but be heading towards you. I pray for all those that are hurt, lost, just living in evilness, hard hearts, just working on, Father God. Bless this time, God. Bless this word tonight. Uh, whatever I shared, Father God, is for your glory, it's for your kingdom. So I pray that this would even just bring even one person to you, Father God, where they would surrender their lives, that they would see the need for you a- and just find the hope in you, Father God. Uh, bless this ministry, uh, uh, Wrong to Strong Chicago podcast. Bless it, Father God. Use it mightily, Father God. Use it to expand your kingdom, for those that are lost would find you, Father God. I pray for the city of Chicago. We hear all these things about how bad it is, and it is bad, Lord God, because there's sin out there. But also, Lord God, there's good out here. There's a lot of good things,'cause we know, uh, your church is out here praying, working, sharing. So we just, uh, continue to lift up the city, all the neighborhoods, all those lost, Father God. We pray for the churches, the ministries, uh, for anointing on them, for... That they would just continue to advance your kingdom, Father God. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. Amen, brother. Man, th- thank you for coming on here, uh, tonight Uh, for taking time to share your story. Man, I, I've known this brother for many years now, and during a 50-minute conversation, I think I've learned much more, man, for real. Some of the stories you shared re- really, uh, give insights as to the man you are and, and what God's done. You know, it's evident. Uh, man, I thank you for your time. You know, God bless you, your wife, and your children. And, uh, man, thank you guys for joining us tonight. Uh, once again, this is the Wrong to Strong Chicago podcast. Uh, my name is Omar Calvillo, and I am Wrong to Strong.