For years my broken dreams haunted me daily. I had lost all hope for a future and gave up on myself and all the promises God had made to me Fortunately God had a plan for me and was with me every step of the way.
For as long as I could remember my childhood dream was to be a solider in the United States Marine Corp. I am not sure what started it but the pull it had on me was infectious. When I was a young boy it was nothing more than a dream just like being a professional football player, rockstar, or doctor.
The older I got the more real my dreams became. When I turned 14 I made the decision that I had a lot of work to do and that I needed to start preparing myself now for what was sure to be a challenge. I started to work out and really prepare my body for the physical challenges I would face. I started to study everything Marines so that I would have the knowledge of what my life may become in the Marines environment. I was going to prepare myself now so that when the time came to sign the papers I would be as ready as humanly possible.
That summer I went to the church camp I had attended the previous 2 years. While there one night, there was an alter call for all who wanted to hear more deeply from God. I went up there and started to pray. To this day the words God spoke to me have engrained themselves in my memory. “You are a warrior.” The words flowed like water through my mind and just sat there for me to rest in. I got home from camp and the words God spoke to me were still just as fresh in my mind as they were that night.
I was born with a defect called hip dysplasia. This defect allows my hips to pop out of socket with little to no effort. The reason for this is a combination of shallow sockets and deformed sockets. To fix this they surgically go in cut the hip socket free, rotate it, and screw it back into the pelvis. The surgery is a pretty big one and requires 3-6 months on crutches and a lot of pain medications. When I found out I had this condition and would need to have surgery my first question for the surgeon was, “will this disqualify me from the Marines?” He assured me that as long as I follow the rules and heal properly It will not effect my entry into the military. I also talked to a recruiter and he told me the same thing and assured me that I would still qualify.
I had the surgery and followed all of the rules of healing that the surgeon ordered. When I was off crutches and no longer dependent on pain killers to get me throughout the week I was right back into training harder than ever.
I found a recruiter close by that I went to train with every thursday night along with about 20 other recruits. The more I started to go there and the more I started to workout my mind and body the closer to a reality this dream became. One day we were doing a combat fitness test (CFT), and when it was all said and done I had scored higher than anyone else there and higher than my recruiter had ever recorded.
That night I sat with him in his office and he told me how excited he was to see me grow through this whole process. “You are a fighter Man! You are going to be such a great solider in the Marines, and it has been an honor seeing you develop into a true warrior.” I kept training, just waiting for my turn to sign the papers and begin my journey as a warrior in the United States Marine Corp.
The day had come to sign the paper and my recruiter came over to my home with some info about the Marines for my parents and girlfriend. I signed up with the MOS/Job as a combat engineer and the papers were sent in. Before you can go to your branches specific boot camp you need to pass a military medical exam.
About a week after we had sent in my application and medical forms to be examined I received a one paragraph email from my recruiter. He told me that because of my hip condition I was disqualified from all forms of the military. He ended the email with “Best of luck in whatever your plans may be.”
In one paragraph my whole entire world was destroyed. The hopes and dreams I had been pouring my heart and soul into for 6 years had just melted away into nothing. I became increasingly more depressed and angry at not only the Marines but God as well.
Time went on and I graduated high school with no aspiration for anything at all. I went to community college try and get some direction in my life but after failed classes, wasted money, and even less direction than before I was at a pretty low spot. One day I got a phone call from a recruiter who had heard about me from one of his friends. He told me he wanted me to come in and meet with him to discuss trying again. I skeptically went in he told me that if I can get cleared by a local sports physician to do the military and have his recommendation It will make a huge difference.
I passed the physicians exam with flying colors and took the report back to my new recruiter who looked through it extensively for any red flags. I passed his judgment and started to train again. I scored even higher on my ASVAB the second time than I had the first time and was in the best shape of my life. After a short time we sent in the medical forms again.
While all of this was happening my parents lovingly forced me to apply to be a counselor at our local Royal Family Kids Camp to attempt to place some direction back into my life. I signed up but had no intention of actually going through with it. They called me one night and told me that they wanted to have an interview with me. However the only opening they had was to do it saturday night at 7:00.
I was sitting in the church parking lot 15 minutes before the interview. I was just sitting there not really thinking about anything in particular just simply existing in the moment. All of a sudden my phone rang and it was my recruiter.
I picked it up and he told me that he had to go into his office that night and noticed an envelope that was just delivered there. He opened it and it was another rejection letter for me into the military. We talked for about 5-10 minutes about what my plans were and how sorry he was that I have worked so hard for nothing in return. He finished the conversation by telling me I was a warrior regardless and he respects me Marine or not.
I just sat there in the silence of my car in shock, disappointment, and confusion. I had a lot of broken dreams and ruined plans lately, but this was the first time in my life when I could honestly say I was completely lost with no idea of a way out. I felt an overwhelming peace come over me and the Lord presence was with me stronger than I had ever experienced. I prayed a simple but dangerous prayer.
“God, Lead me where you need me.”
The interview went well and I got the camp counselor position. The week at camp changed my perspective on life and gave me the hope and motivation for a future. This camp and the kids did something to me. They planted a seed that would grow into a passion for fighting injustice and helping those in need to see hope and a future that they alone couldn’t.
This passion to fight for those who could fight for themselves grew into a worldly view. I became more aware of the hopelessness around the world and the lack of people willing to fight the good fight. This passion brought me to the World Race and where I am now.
While we were in Nicaragua one of my squad leaders, Jacie, was doing a listening prayer for me and it was one of the coolest experiences on the race so far. God told her to tell me that I am a warrior for no other reason than its because thats how he created me. He wants me to be a leader his army and go into the dark places where there is pain, darkness, and fear and bring people out of that. I have already started doing that through following his plan for me at RFK but there is much more ahead of me and its not over yet.
My journey as a warrior has only begun. God has placed a desire and drive to fight the good fight inside of me. He was just waiting for me to let go of my earthly plans for his eternal ones. By saying yes to God and the love of Jesus Christ we are stepping onto the battlefield.
Recently I got a tattoo that says Guerreo on my Forearm. Guerrero is spanish for Warrior and is a daily reminder for me of the promise God has made to me.
“Your past has not been in vain. The abilities you have been given haven’t even been tapped into yet. I gave you the warrior spirit to fight the fight nobody else will. I promise you that you are not going into your fight alone and under equipped. You are my son and I am always with you. My fight is your fight and this the reason you are here. You are a warrior and leader for the kingdom.”
