Written By Neyzielle Ronnicque Cadiz, Writer, Operation Blessing Philippines
He was a victim of the choices he made. He was 12 years old when he first used illegal drugs. He even thought of it as a solution for him to fit in, to seem grown up, and to rebel with his peers, but eventually drugs became a big problem.
“I kept saying to myself, I’m going to stop permanently after using one last time. It never happened,” he said. Then when he was 21, he started down the dark path of selling different kinds of prohibited drugs for a living, which eventually led him to a group that entrusted him with a large “drug account.” He thought he had control over it, but it destroyed everything he had built up, he lost a large amount of money, and he even had his life threatened, held at gunpoint by his boss. He cut ties with his drug “mates”, but the physical craving kept him wanting even more, and so he continued to get more involved in drugs.
It came to the point that his children could no longer go to school and his family had nothing to eat. But God made a way for Danny Garcia, 25, to turn his back on drugs completely. His son, John Dexter, now five years old, was Operation Blessing’s (OB) Bless-a-Child (BAC) beneficiary last year.
Because his wife could not attend all the scheduled feedings to cook the meals of the beneficiaries, Danny had to be the one to go. That was the start of his thirst for God.
“Dahil sa pagti-tiyaga ni Pastor Cris Obelidor, nakakilala ako sa Panginoon. Ngayon, kung hindi ako nagbubuhat, nagbabasa ako ng Bible. Malaki ang binago sa akin ng Panginoon. Wala talaga ako sa alignment. Sobra akong napariwara at naging delingkwente, (Because of Pastor Cris Obelidor’s perseverance, I came to know the Lord. Now, when I am not working, I read the Bible. The Lord changed me a lot. [My life] was not in alignment with Him, I became delinquent,)” he said.
Danny is now a regular volunteer in Pastor Cris’ ministries. He also expressed his desire to be a volunteer in any of OB’s programs—he recently volunteered for the books distribution of OB in Montalban, Rizal. He is currently working as a porter in a market to provide his family’s needs.
Danny’s former mates are calling him again to sell and use drugs. But God is Lord of his life now, and he said that he will never go back to that life, which he wants to permanently erase, if he just could.
“Maisip ko pa lang na gumawa ng masama, nakaka-konsensya na, (It bothers me just thinking of doing something bad,)” he modestly said.
Danny is desperately seeking a right relationship with Jesus Christ. He even said that he wants to be a Pastor because he is thirsting to learn more about Him. He also hopes that his story would someday give encouragement to someone who, just like him, embraced the temporary happiness brought by illegal drugs. He was lost and now is found in our Lord’s saving arms.
