Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202311S
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00:37 [siren and gun shot sounds] 00:44 >> Welcome to It Is Written 00:45 Canada, thank you for 00:46 joining us. 00:46 In 1991, Jorge Torres and his 00:49 family moved from war-torn 00:52 El Salvador to what they 00:54 presumed to be a safe and simple 00:56 life in Winnipeg, Manitoba. 01:00 [RENÉ] But as a first-generation 01:02 immigrant living in poverty, 01:04 Jorge quickly began to feel that 01:06 what he had and who he was 01:09 didn't seem to be enough. 01:12 >> Battling against cultural 01:13 differences and emotional abuse, 01:16 he compensated by creating a 01:18 criminal persona that earned him 01:20 power, admiration, and respect. 01:23 [RENÉ] Caught up in a lifestyle 01:25 of drug dealing, he found 01:26 himself addicted to the hustle 01:29 and willing to risk everything, 01:31 including the lives of his own 01:33 family. 01:34 >> But as the consequences of 01:36 his actions escalated, so did 01:38 his desire to change. 01:40 Today our special guest is Jorge 01:42 Torres who has agreed to share 01:45 his story with us. 01:46 >> Jorge, welcome to It Is 01:48 Written Canada. 01:50 >> Thank you for having me. 01:52 >> Jorge, you, from your first 01:54 breath, came into a world of 01:56 chaos. 01:57 You were in El Salvador during a 01:59 time of civil war, you saw the 02:01 sights and sounds of war. 02:04 What was that like? 02:05 >> So my mom says that when the 02:07 war was occurring, we were on 02:09 the-- she was on the floor 02:10 waiting to give birth to me and 02:12 she would hear gun shots and 02:14 planes flying above and bombs in 02:15 the distance and she was just 02:17 praying that a bomb wouldn't 02:18 fall on the house. 02:19 And a bomb fell close by and 02:21 immediately I came out. 02:23 [MIKE] Wow! 02:26 [RENÉ] And then your mom decided 02:28 to immigrate to Canada, or to 02:31 move the whole family to Canada. 02:34 [JORGE] My mom really hoped that 02:36 Canada would be the change that 02:38 would change our lives and 02:40 specific my father's life, 02:42 right, that it'd be a new start 02:44 for our family. 02:44 And unfortunately, it wasn't. 02:47 >> Why your father? 02:48 [JORGE] My dad had bad habits 02:50 that-- my dad was an alcoholic 02:52 and he was very abusive and my 02:54 mom figured that being in Canada 02:56 would be a new start for him and 02:58 for us as a family, but those 03:00 habits just followed him into 03:03 Canada and, you know, into our, 03:05 continued on in our family. 03:07 >> So you got into drug dealing 03:10 at a very young age, about the 03:12 age of 14. 03:13 >> Yeah. 03:13 [MIKE] Why do you think that 03:14 happened? 03:15 >> Well, I was, you know, I was 03:17 influenced by seeing some of 03:19 these younger people and 03:21 specifically I had an older 03:22 sister that had a boyfriend that 03:24 kind of was living this 03:27 lifestyle and at least for me as 03:29 a kid, was a lot, right, 03:31 it was a lot. 03:32 And so he had communicated to me 03:35 that this is what he was doing 03:36 so early, at an early age, I 03:38 said, "This is the way to get 03:39 out of the ghetto, I'm just 03:40 gonna also be a drug dealer." 03:44 [RENÉ] Jorge, can you tell us 03:45 about that Canada Day when you 03:47 were 15 years old and you stole 03:50 a vehicle for the second time? 03:52 [JORGE] Yeah. 03:53 I felt that my solution to being 03:55 a better drug dealer and getting 03:57 girls was to have my own vehicle 04:00 and so the only solution there 04:01 also was to steal vehicles. 04:03 And so we had a fleet of stolen 04:06 vehicles and I was driving a van 04:08 in specific, and on Canada Day, 04:10 I was going down a street called 04:11 Henderson Highway and a friend 04:13 of mine pulled up beside us. 04:14 So we were kind of going back 04:16 and forth like this and then her 04:17 face went pale white and she 04:19 goes, "There's a cop behind 04:20 you!" and I said, "No!" 04:22 and I looked behind me and the 04:23 sirens were on. 04:24 And so I had a decision to make. 04:25 What do I do? 04:26 I'm in a stolen vehicle, I'm by 04:27 myself, do I stop, do I go? 04:30 Right? 04:30 And so I'd watch-- I'd played 04:32 enough video games to 04:33 understand, like, I might be 04:34 able to get away here. 04:36 And so immediately I turned 04:37 left, I go through a parking 04:39 lot, I enter into a residential 04:41 area and I enter a residential 04:43 area that came to almost a "T" 04:46 dead end where the street ended 04:49 here, but there was a row of 04:50 houses here, there was a 04:52 street here. 04:52 And so I was driving about maybe 04:54 60, 70 kilometres an hour going 04:56 here and noticed I won't make 04:58 the turn. 04:59 And so what I did was I slowed 05:02 down and to about 40 kilometres 05:04 an hour, 30, and I jumped out of 05:06 the car. 05:07 And when I jumped out, the car 05:10 went straight forward and 05:11 smashed into a pole in front of 05:13 a house and then I'm rolling 05:15 onto the ground and a cop car 05:16 pulls up, honestly, maybe less 05:19 than a foot away from my head 05:21 and I'm just laying there. 05:22 And I remember just laying there 05:23 and being like... 05:24 But it was slow, but it 05:25 sounds fast. 05:26 I remember just laying there 05:27 being like... 05:29 "Let's go." 05:30 And so I get up immediately and 05:32 I'm, now I'm running. 05:34 I enter into a back lane and I'm 05:36 running as fast as I can and I 05:37 know where I am, I say, "K, one 05:39 left turn, two right turns and 05:40 I'm at my house." 05:41 And then I can't-- this is the 05:42 only way can explain it and I 05:44 explain it as the hand of God. 05:45 As I'm running as fast as I can, 05:47 I got at least 40, 50 feet on 05:49 the police officer, and 05:52 immediately just like, [claps] 05:54 I just hit a wall. 05:55 Like, not a real wall, but just, 05:58 I just stopped and my knees 06:00 buckled and I fell and all the 06:02 breath I had in my lungs just 06:04 left me and I fell to the ground 06:06 and the cop, I hear him getting 06:07 closer and closer and then it 06:09 was over. 06:10 That was the first time I got 06:12 arrested, on Canada Day. 06:14 >> And you ended up getting 06:15 a record. 06:16 [JORGE] Yes. 06:17 >> That was the beginning? 06:18 [JORGE] Yeah, that was the 06:18 beginning of my downfall. 06:23 >> You know, Jorge, Mike and I 06:25 were reading your book and... 06:30 we're reading it and I'm just 06:31 like, what is it? 06:34 Like, he just keeps on 06:37 committing crimes, he keeps on 06:39 getting arrested, he keeps on 06:41 losing his license, like, you 06:43 just keep on doing this all the 06:45 time, like, when is he 06:47 gonna stop? 06:48 [JORGE] Every single time I 06:49 wanted to change. 06:50 Every time. 06:51 After that arrest, after my next 06:53 auto theft, after I was expelled 06:55 from school, after the shooting, 06:57 after robberies, I always wanted 06:59 to stop. 06:59 But-- and I would take the steps 07:01 to stop, right, and then 07:03 something would just pull me 07:04 back in. 07:05 It was just the battle that I 07:06 was in, like, the good that I 07:09 want to do I don't do, right? 07:10 The bad I don't wanna do, I end 07:12 up doing, right? 07:13 And that was my life for like 07:14 six, seven years. 07:16 And each time things kept 07:18 getting worse, right? 07:20 And you ask yourself, when is it 07:21 enough? 07:23 >> You got to a stage where you 07:27 were selling cocaine. 07:28 [JORGE] Yeah. 07:29 >> And then there was a 07:30 undercover cop who caught you 07:33 and you ended up in jail. 07:35 And while you were in jail, 07:38 it was just one bad thing after 07:40 another, but then you started 07:41 thinking about Miss Mary. 07:44 Tell us about her. 07:46 >> So Miss Mary was an old 07:48 Mennonite woman whose ministry 07:51 was to minister to the poor kids 07:55 in her surrounding area and she 07:57 would come to our projects and 07:59 she chose our family as, like, 08:01 the hub and the centre of this 08:02 little ministry of hers. 08:04 And once a week she would walk 08:06 over, like, six kilometres, rain 08:09 or shine, you know, freezing or 08:11 warm, like, she's there. 08:12 And she would teach us about 08:14 Jesus. 08:15 And one day, I remember being 08:18 seven years old and she said, 08:20 "Does anyone here wanna give 08:21 their life to Jesus and be 08:23 saved?" and I was-- "And be 08:25 forgiven for their sins?" 08:27 And I'm seven years old thinking 08:28 about all the bad things 08:29 I've done. 08:30 [chuckles] 08:33 And I said, "I do." 08:35 And I gave my life to God there, 08:37 you know? 08:38 And now I'm in jail and I 08:41 remember just wearing a green 08:42 jumpsuit and I'm in my cell and 08:45 I'm just like, "What-- what has 08:46 happened in my life?" 08:48 And a thought came, "Okay, like, 08:51 do you remember this?" 08:52 And I did. 08:54 And I remember kneeling by my 08:56 bed and I prayed this prayer, I 08:58 said, "God, if You get me outta 09:00 here, like, I'll change my life 09:02 forever," and I said, "And I'll 09:04 serve You." 09:05 And I didn't even know what that 09:06 meant at the time, you know? 09:08 But I said it and... 09:11 you know, and I remembered that 09:13 in that moment. 09:14 Yeah. 09:16 >> So, Jorge, can you tell us 09:19 how God answered that prayer 09:22 and how you were able to get 09:24 out of jail? 09:26 >> Yeah, so getting out of jail 09:27 was really tough because I had-- 09:31 there was a-- the government had 09:32 a very strong case against me. 09:34 In fact, the reason why my 09:35 book's called "Danger To 09:37 Society" 'cause the first time I 09:38 went for bail, the judge said, 09:40 "This kids not getting out, he's 09:42 a danger to society," right? 09:44 And so it was-- I didn't think 09:46 I'd be getting out, but we put 09:47 all our apples in the bag and 09:49 hoped maybe this will work. 09:51 And so when we got to court, 09:53 everything was stacked against 09:54 us, right? 09:55 My lawyer was more nervous than 09:57 I, they're the wrong judge, 09:58 wrong Crown, our original ones 10:00 were sick and they-- 10:01 We had the option, do we move 10:02 forward or not, and we did. 10:05 And... 10:07 ...you know, that day... 10:09 I was escorted by a guard into 10:11 the courthouse, into the court 10:15 room, shackles on my feet, 10:19 shackles on my hands, to be 10:21 entered and my family there 10:23 waiting, you know? 10:24 What a scene for them, right? 10:27 And... 10:29 And the trial continues and my 10:30 sister has to go up for surety 10:32 for me and she... 10:36 She puts her life on the line so 10:38 that I can get out of jail and 10:41 the judge was able to see that, 10:43 you know, this was a selfless 10:44 act by somebody that believed in 10:46 me and I come from a loving 10:48 home, you know? 10:50 And it was no doing of my 10:52 lawyer, you know, it was just 10:54 doing of true love of my family 10:56 and, you know, my sister for 10:58 getting me out there. 11:02 >> You had a constant tit for 11:04 tat kind of a disagreement with 11:08 other fellow drug dealers and it 11:10 was back and forth kind of a 11:13 getting revenge and they came 11:16 after you in your mother's house 11:19 and that was a really dangerous 11:20 situation. 11:22 Tell us about what happened 11:23 there. 11:24 >> So when I got out of jail, 11:26 I was on house arrest. 11:30 Tried staying out the lifestyle. 11:32 And that was probably the 11:33 longest I stayed out of the 11:34 lifestyle, mind you, because I 11:35 was on house arrest and couldn't 11:36 go anywhere. 11:38 And then I went back into the 11:41 lifestyle, but with more money, 11:44 more problems, right, jealousy, 11:46 coveting, enemies, this 11:48 and that. 11:48 And we had a good friend group, 11:50 but the friend group just turned 11:51 on each other and that led to 11:54 one night, a guy, you know, 11:56 wanting to shoot me and running 11:59 up to my mother's home and 12:00 blowing out the windows with a 12:01 shot gun... 12:03 ...while she was inside. 12:05 >> And that ended up getting 12:07 into the news papers, it was 12:09 reported and then your family 12:12 sat down with you and said, 12:14 "Okay, this is it, Jorge. 12:16 You gotta stop or 12:18 get outta here." 12:19 >> Yeah, 'cause, like, my 12:20 lifestyle hadn't touched my home 12:22 up til that point, right? 12:23 But now it touched home, right, 12:26 and my family had, like, an 12:28 intervention for me and said, 12:30 you know, "It's that time." 12:33 And I had a decision to make, 12:35 right, and I did choose my 12:37 family for two weeks. 12:41 And then I went back into it. 12:44 >> And I think that was where we 12:46 both kinda said, "Why? 12:47 [laughs] Why is he doing that," 12:49 right? 12:50 [JORGE] And that's why it's a 12:50 story of bad decisions, right? 12:51 Like, it's constant. 12:53 You think it's enough and then 12:54 it's not. 12:55 You think it's enough and then 12:56 it's not. 12:56 [MIKE] Right. 12:57 Jorge, how did God intervene in 13:00 your life and get you out of 13:02 that lifestyle? 13:03 >> My father was gonna come back 13:05 into our lives. 13:06 He had left us young, when we 13:07 were, you know, a little bit 13:09 younger, and now he was coming 13:10 back into the scene, him and my 13:12 mom had decided to work 13:13 things out. 13:14 And he decides this one specific 13:18 Saturday, he's coming home, my 13:19 mom says, "Hey, your dad's 13:20 coming home," I said, "Okay. 13:22 Hey, you guys worked it out, I'm 13:23 gonna leave one day, this is 13:24 between y'all." 13:26 All my sisters were over that 13:27 day 'cause we'd get together. 13:30 And so in comes my dad. 13:32 It's been years since he's been 13:33 home, it's been years since he's 13:34 been allowed to come back home, 13:36 okay? 13:37 The guy comes in, swings open 13:39 the door, boom! 13:40 Smashes the wall. 13:41 The guy comes in with a case of 13:43 beer, mind you, it's like eleven 13:45 o'clock in the morning or so, 13:47 and he comes in with a case of 13:48 beer, completely wasted out of 13:50 his mind. 13:52 And I remember being like, 13:54 "Huh..." 13:55 'Cause for a second I thought, 13:57 "Maybe this is a good thing. 13:58 My father's coming back in my 13:59 life, I have no direction in my 14:01 life," and low and behold this 14:03 is how he comes in. 14:05 I remember shrinking, sitting in 14:08 my kitchen and he goes into the 14:11 living room, my sisters are just 14:13 giving it to him, like, "How 14:14 dare you come in like this!?" 14:16 You know? 14:16 I'm sitting there on the table 14:18 like, "What is going on?" 14:20 You know what I mean? 14:20 I actually thought I was trying 14:22 to change my life and now this, 14:24 this specific situation was just 14:26 kind of a weight that I can't 14:28 really explain to you, but it 14:29 was a big weight on me. 14:31 And I remember sitting in the 14:32 table listening to everything. 14:34 My sister, she goes on her knees 14:37 and she says to my dad, "We'll 14:39 forget this whole thing ever 14:40 happened. 14:41 Choose the liquor or your 14:43 family." 14:45 Quiet. 14:47 I'm in the kitchen waiting. 14:49 Everyone's waiting. 14:51 And he chooses the liquor. 14:53 My sister grabs the case of 14:55 beer, hucks it out the front 14:56 yard, and kicks him out. 14:59 I'm sitting in the kitchen like, 15:00 "What?" 15:02 You know? 15:05 And that was a moment that I say 15:08 that the Devil spoke to me and 15:10 it was, "Where were you last 15:12 happy?" 15:13 And I said, "I guess when I was 15:16 drug dealing." 15:17 Like, that was the only thing I 15:18 knew, right? 15:20 And in that moment, I decided, 15:23 like, I've-- I'm gonna go back 15:25 to that. 15:27 I pick up my phone and right in 15:29 that moment, my sister, the one 15:31 that had bailed me out of jail, 15:32 taps on my shoulder and says, 15:34 "Hey, Jorge, there's a pastor 15:37 speaking tonight at the school. 15:39 I'm gonna go, I think you should 15:40 go, too." 15:41 And I'm like, "Why would I go?" 15:44 [chuckles] 15:45 And she's like, "I'm just 15:46 telling you." 15:48 I sat there and in the middle of 15:51 in between calling my old 15:54 supplier and this new news, 15:58 I can only explain it now as the 16:00 Holy Spirit, this conviction 16:02 came upon me that before I do 16:05 anything, I should go to 16:07 this thing. 16:08 And the day would go-- the day 16:11 went on and my friends would 16:13 say, "Hey, what's up tonight? 16:15 You comin' out?" 'cause it was a 16:16 Saturday. 16:17 I said, "Yeah, yeah, I'm comin' 16:17 out, I just gotta go to this 16:19 thing first." 16:20 And they say, "Well, what 16:21 thing?" 16:21 I said, "Just this thing." 16:22 They say, "Well, can I come, 16:23 too?" 16:24 I said, "No, you can't come. 16:25 I'll call you after." [laughs] 16:28 And I'm just fully convicted to 16:30 go to this and so I go there and 16:32 it's at the church school here 16:34 in Winnipeg and pull up and I go 16:38 to the back and the preacher's 16:40 preaching, I can't really hear 16:42 what he's saying or care what 16:43 he's saying, but I look around, 16:44 it's a bunch of kids, it's like 16:45 a youth rally. 16:46 And I remember sitting in the 16:48 back like, "Why am I here?" 16:50 You know? 16:52 And then for a moment, I said, 16:54 "Okay, I came and now it's time 16:57 to go," you know? 16:59 But inside of me was also 17:03 something screaming that I need 17:05 help and I hope somebody talks 17:06 to me and asks me, like, am I 17:08 okay, you know? 17:10 And so I delayed my exit. 17:12 I went to the washroom, washed 17:14 my hands and came out. 17:17 And as I'm going to leave, the 17:19 pastor that was speaking says, 17:20 "I'd like to get a chance to 17:22 talk to you." 17:24 And I remember shaking his hand 17:25 being like, in my head, I said, 17:27 "Why do you wanna talk to me, 17:28 you don't even know me?" 17:29 But what came out of me was, 17:30 like, “When? Now?” 17:32 And he says, "Sure." 17:34 And we walked to my car and 17:37 talked there. 17:38 And I spilled out my entire 17:42 story to this man, including 17:44 what happened that morning. 17:46 Like, "Hey, this morning I was 17:47 gonna go back to this lifestyle 17:49 that now I'm here in the car 17:51 with you," and I'm just, you 17:52 know, weeping and being like, "I 17:53 don't know what's going on with 17:55 my life, I don't know what to do 17:56 with my life," right? 17:58 And then the pastor said 18:00 something that just changed my 18:02 life forever. 18:03 He says, "There's a different 18:06 way to live," and he says, "One 18:09 day, Jorge, you're gonna share 18:10 your story and change people's 18:11 lives, one day you're gonna work 18:13 for the Lord." 18:14 And I didn't know what that 18:16 meant, but I looked at him like, 18:20 "Okay..." [laughs] 18:22 And that was, that was the be-- 18:25 that was the exodus of that 18:28 life, right? 18:31 [JULYA] My name is Julya, I am 18:33 Jorge's wife. 18:34 I've known Jorge for about seven 18:35 and a half years now and we've 18:37 been married for a year 18:38 and a half. 18:39 When I met Jorge, I met Jorge 18:41 after his, after his encounter 18:44 with God, after his life was 18:46 transformed. 18:48 First time meeting him, he was a 18:50 pastor, he was a chaplain in 18:51 school and I did not know about 18:55 his previous life at all, but he 18:57 was very open. 18:59 And it's because it is such a 19:02 great testimony that has 19:04 impacted so many people's lives 19:06 that if he didn't share that, a 19:10 lot of lives would have not been 19:11 transformed. 19:13 The first time I heard the 19:14 story, I just, I remember really 19:17 questioning whether I should 19:19 continue talking to this guy or 19:21 not because I couldn't believe 19:22 that a person could fully 19:25 transform. 19:26 But there's this guy that tells 19:28 me that four or five years ago 19:31 he has done all these crazy 19:33 things and he has zero desire to 19:35 do them again. 19:36 So I just couldn't really 19:37 believe that that is the reality 19:39 because it's an insane 19:43 transformation. 19:46 The Jorge that was there when he 19:48 was 18, 19, 17 up to, I guess, 19:51 21, that person is fully gone, 19:55 like, he does not exist no more. 19:58 After he has met God, God has 20:01 transformed his heart. 20:02 It's a new creation. 20:04 It's a different human being. 20:06 A human who has different life 20:07 goals, different perspectives, 20:09 different values in life. 20:13 It's so hard to explain, like, 20:14 when I read this story, 20:15 it just... 20:17 It's not Jorge that I know 20:19 today. 20:19 It's just not him. 20:23 >> Jorge, what the pastor said 20:25 to you that day, did it come 20:26 true? 20:27 [JORGE] Yeah, it turns out that 20:28 it did come true. 20:30 I... 20:32 I dropped out of business school 20:33 and I went on to study theology 20:36 and became a pastor. 20:37 I was a school chaplain and then 20:39 a youth pastor, then a senior 20:40 pastor, then I became a prison 20:42 chaplain. 20:43 And in that time I was also 20:45 speaking across Canada and wrote 20:48 my book and got to share my 20:49 story all across Canada. 20:51 And, you know, in jail, working 20:53 as a prison chaplain, I had many 20:54 great experiences in there, too, 20:56 and I actually got to witness to 20:57 some of my old street friends in 20:59 jail as a prison chaplain. 21:01 Yeah, so it was a complete, you 21:03 know, 180 and a complete, you 21:06 know, turn-around of... 21:08 And also seeing what would've 21:09 been me. 21:10 Right? 21:11 And just the miracle of God, you 21:14 know, in my life. 21:18 >> But not just in your life, in 21:20 your family's life, you know, 21:22 your sisters' lives and your 21:24 mother's life. 21:24 I mean, she must have... 21:27 What a relief that her prayers 21:29 were answered. 21:30 [JORGE] For sure. 21:31 >> And she just kept going, she 21:33 was a real prayer warrior. 21:35 [JORGE] For sure. 21:35 >> She never stopped praying for 21:37 you, you know? 21:39 [JORGE] And supporting me. 21:40 [RENÉ] Mm-hmm. 21:42 >> So your mom also kept kind of 21:44 prodding you, "Can you go and 21:46 visit Miss Mary?" 21:48 Now it's years later since you 21:49 saw her. 21:51 >> Yeah, Miss Mary ministered to 21:52 us until we moved out of the... 21:55 projects, then she would visit 21:56 us every now and then. 21:58 And years went by, I didn't see 22:00 her for many years and, you 22:03 know, life went on and Miss Mary 22:04 was old when she had ministered 22:05 to us and so she was even 22:07 older now. 22:08 And my mother would always tell 22:10 me, "You should go visit Miss 22:11 Mary because when I visit her, 22:14 she always talks about these 22:16 kids that are on her wall," and 22:18 she says, "She has pictures of 22:19 you guys on her wall." 22:21 And I said, "Miss Mary's old, 22:22 she has a hundred pictures of a 22:24 hundred people on her wall," 22:25 right? 22:26 And my mom was like, "No, you 22:27 don't understand, like, it's 22:28 just you guys." 22:29 I'm like, "Just us?" 22:30 Nonetheless, I blew it off for 22:32 years, like I'm talking years, 22:34 right? 22:35 And so my summer, when I was 22:38 doing my practicum at a church 22:39 here in Winnipeg, it was 22:40 Mother's Day and I said to my 22:41 mom, "What do you wanna do 22:42 today?" you know, "Just one 22:43 thing." 22:44 And she said, "Let's go visit 22:45 Miss Mary." 22:46 And so we go, we go visit Miss 22:48 Mary and my mom knocks on the 22:50 door and Miss Mary's sleeping 22:51 and my mom wakes her up and 22:53 says, "Hey, Miss Mary! 22:54 I'm Jusilla and, "Hey, do you 22:56 remember me?" 'cause she got 22:57 dementia over all these years. 23:00 And she says, "Yeah, yeah yeah!" 23:01 and then she says, "This is my 23:03 son, Jorge," and then... 23:07 "Oh, okay, okay." 23:08 And then I say-- I see, I 23:10 looked, I turn to the left and I 23:11 see on the wall that the only 23:13 pictures on her wall are me and 23:15 my three sisters. 23:17 I say to Miss Mary, like, "Who 23:18 are these children?" 23:20 She says, "Oh, that's this 23:21 person, this person, this 23:22 person, that's Jorge," you know, 23:24 "He's like this, this." 23:25 And I say, "Miss Mary, 23:26 that's me!" 23:27 You know? 23:28 And she says, "What?! 23:29 What do you mean?" 23:30 And I said, "That's me! 23:31 I'm Jorge, I'm the boy 23:33 on the wall." 23:34 She says, "Sit down, sit down!" 23:34 like, "Tell me, tell me about 23:36 your life now," and I said, 23:37 "Miss Mary, my life has changed, 23:40 I'm studying to become a 23:41 pastor," and she says, "I can 23:44 die knowing that my prayer has 23:46 been answered." 23:48 And we just, like... 23:49 [gentle piano music playing] 23:51 Yeah. 23:52 ♪♪ 23:55 As I... 24:00 think about my life... 24:03 I'm a very blessed man, 24:05 you know? 24:07 I... 24:12 And God has protected me 24:17 from many things and... 24:20 if I don't give credit to her, 24:23 it wouldn't do it justice 24:25 because she ministered to me as 24:27 a child and taught me about God. 24:31 And in my darkest moments I was 24:33 always brought back to what she 24:34 taught me, you know? 24:36 And just knowing that... 24:39 even though I didn't see her in 24:41 I don't know, 15 years or 24:43 however long it was, she was 24:44 still praying for me, every 24:45 night, to a little boy, 24:47 you know? 24:48 And then there I was, able to 24:49 tell her, you know, "I'm 24:52 becoming a pastor and serving 24:53 the Lord," and she says, you 24:55 know, I remember she also said, 24:56 "I finally see the fruit of my 24:58 prayer, like, I can die knowing 25:00 that my prayer has been 25:01 answered," you know? 25:02 Like, what a thing to say to 25:04 somebody, right? 25:09 >> Yeah, that's very hopeful to 25:10 all the parents and to all the 25:13 grandparents that are continuing 25:16 to pray. 25:17 Because God promises in His word 25:20 that He will save our children 25:22 and He really answered Miss 25:25 Mary's prayer and fulfilled that 25:27 promise in your life. 25:31 >> Jorge, we've come to the end 25:32 of our time together, I wonder 25:33 if you could pray. 25:35 Pray for our viewers. 25:37 There may be someone who is 25:38 listening right now who's 25:40 saying, you know, "I've lost my 25:43 way and I need help." 25:45 And God's there for them, 25:48 just as He was there for you. 25:51 Could you do that for me? 25:52 >> Yeah. 25:55 [gentle piano music playing] 25:56 Heavenly Father, I wanna thank 25:57 You, God, that You never give up 25:59 on us. 26:01 And I thank You that although 26:04 things may seem that it's over, 26:06 it's not over. 26:08 And I wanna pray for anybody 26:09 that has found themselves in 26:10 situations like I was in my 26:12 life, where they can't get out, 26:14 they feel like there's no way 26:15 out, they feel they're alone and 26:18 have no other options. 26:19 I just pray, Father, that You 26:20 would speak to them and let them 26:22 know that there's a different 26:23 way to live. 26:25 I pray that You would lead them 26:27 to Jesus and the sacrifice, that 26:29 they're forgiven for the 26:30 lifestyle that they have lived, 26:32 that they come to You and 26:33 accept You. 26:35 I pray, Father, that we would 26:37 see miracles, that we would see 26:39 drug dealers change, prostitutes 26:41 change, addicts changed... 26:44 ...relationships restored, 26:46 families restored. 26:48 In Jesus' name I pray, amen. 26:50 [MIKE & RENÉ] Amen. 26:52 >> Jorge, Mike and I could not 26:54 put your book down when we read 26:55 it and so is there a way that 26:58 others can get your book? 27:01 >> Yeah, it's available directly 27:02 on Amazon. 27:03 Danger To Society, Jorge Torres. 27:06 You can order directly on there. 27:07 It's also available on Kindle 27:09 and we also offer the book for 27:10 churches or prisons or schools. 27:13 >> Thank you so much. 27:15 And, Jorge, thank you once again 27:17 for joining us on It Is Written 27:18 Canada. 27:19 >> Thank you for having me. 27:23 >> Friends, freedom of choice is 27:25 one of the most precious gifts 27:28 God has entrusted to us. 27:31 Unfortunately, we often make 27:33 poor choices which may lead to 27:35 destructive habits that enslave 27:37 us, damage our health, and even 27:41 ruin our lives. 27:42 >> Friends, our free offer for 27:44 you is our special Steps To 27:46 Christ Recovery Edition. 27:48 This powerful book includes a 27:51 12-step recovery program, 27:52 empowering you to overcome 27:55 harmful habits and addictions. 27:57 Above all, you will come to know 27:59 Jesus Christ, the only One who 28:01 can heal and restore, strengthen 28:04 and encourage, as well as bring 28:06 true balance and meaning 28:08 to your life. 28:12 You, too, can experience the 28:13 fullness of life that is found 28:14 in the words of Jesus when He 28:16 said, "It is written, 'Man shall 28:19 not live by bread alone, but by 28:21 every word that proceeds out of 28:23 the mouth of God.'" 28:26 [inspirational music playing] 28:29 ♪♪ |
Revised 2023-12-06