Tony Sousa
I was raised in the Central Valley of California by Catholic parents.
I knew God but I really did not know who God was and was not much of a believer cause all Catholic people I knew were always drinking and getting drunk. My father was abusive to me and always told me I was not good enough and an alcoholic. My father passed when I was 13 and left 9 children whom I was the eldest of. I turned to alcohol and drugs at that time I felt that was what the leader of the household did.
Soon I was living the street life and dealing drugs to support my habits. I had woken up many times not knowing where I was and how I got there.
At the age of 22 on January 4, 1988, I gave up my street life and become clean and sober. After I became sober, I was not surrounded by so-called friends because I was not supporting their habits, so I was not feeling loved again.
I started my next habit which was women and had many relationships out of wedlock to get the feeling I needed. I had married one woman 11 months later a friend dared me to. The marriage only lasted 3 years because the lord was never in it. I had found her with another man luckily there were not any children involved. After this relationship, I wanted to hurt people the way I was hurt so I started having relationships with married women. I would wine and dine them until their marriage was destroyed then move on to the next victim. I did this for 3 years until something came over and I told myself enough.
The next chapter in my life was meeting my present wife and since we both had been married before and God was not involved in either we wanted him in this one. We started to go to church and were married in 2000. To be honest with you I still was not too sure about God, but I wanted to be with my wife, so I kept going. In 2001 my wife asked me to join a men's bible study, so I went on a Tuesday morning and did not feel like I belonged and was told I was not going back. She asked to try Monday night, so I went and found a man who was as messed up like me and he became my friend and spiritual advisor.
In 2002 my wife and I talked about adopting a child so we prayed about it and when it came time to meet my son as he walked into the room an unbelievable feeling came over my body and I knew it had to be a higher power and that’s when I knew God loved me for I did not deserve a child but he gave me one. Since then we have adopted another girl and with the 2 girls from my wife, we have 4 total children.
In 2019 that same spiritual leader finally got me to come to SOTC I had fought him a little cause I don’t ride a motorcycle but after coming I found out it is not about the bikes it is about the ministry.
Today I can say I am proud to have brothers who keep me accountable and pray for me and I have the privilege to pray with people and go on missions with them.
Close with this:
Never give up
...because Jesus Christ will never give up on you, he brought me back and he is always looking for the one.
I knew God but I really did not know who God was and was not much of a believer cause all Catholic people I knew were always drinking and getting drunk. My father was abusive to me and always told me I was not good enough and an alcoholic. My father passed when I was 13 and left 9 children whom I was the eldest of. I turned to alcohol and drugs at that time I felt that was what the leader of the household did.
Soon I was living the street life and dealing drugs to support my habits. I had woken up many times not knowing where I was and how I got there.
At the age of 22 on January 4, 1988, I gave up my street life and become clean and sober. After I became sober, I was not surrounded by so-called friends because I was not supporting their habits, so I was not feeling loved again.
I started my next habit which was women and had many relationships out of wedlock to get the feeling I needed. I had married one woman 11 months later a friend dared me to. The marriage only lasted 3 years because the lord was never in it. I had found her with another man luckily there were not any children involved. After this relationship, I wanted to hurt people the way I was hurt so I started having relationships with married women. I would wine and dine them until their marriage was destroyed then move on to the next victim. I did this for 3 years until something came over and I told myself enough.
The next chapter in my life was meeting my present wife and since we both had been married before and God was not involved in either we wanted him in this one. We started to go to church and were married in 2000. To be honest with you I still was not too sure about God, but I wanted to be with my wife, so I kept going. In 2001 my wife asked me to join a men's bible study, so I went on a Tuesday morning and did not feel like I belonged and was told I was not going back. She asked to try Monday night, so I went and found a man who was as messed up like me and he became my friend and spiritual advisor.
In 2002 my wife and I talked about adopting a child so we prayed about it and when it came time to meet my son as he walked into the room an unbelievable feeling came over my body and I knew it had to be a higher power and that’s when I knew God loved me for I did not deserve a child but he gave me one. Since then we have adopted another girl and with the 2 girls from my wife, we have 4 total children.
In 2019 that same spiritual leader finally got me to come to SOTC I had fought him a little cause I don’t ride a motorcycle but after coming I found out it is not about the bikes it is about the ministry.
Today I can say I am proud to have brothers who keep me accountable and pray for me and I have the privilege to pray with people and go on missions with them.
Close with this:
Never give up
...because Jesus Christ will never give up on you, he brought me back and he is always looking for the one.