Welcome to Passion for Christ, a ministry of Utah Partnerships for Christ. In Acts 26, 18, Jesus said, Paul's purpose was to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light. and from the power of Satan unto God. that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. We hope you'll join us for today's testimony of lives changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Now let's begin today's episode. Welcome to Passion for Christ. This is Russ East, your host. I'm with my friend Paul. Paul is going to share about What the Lord did in his life.
In light of his background in the Mormon Church or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you may have heard about it. Yeah Paul, would you share with our listeners A little bit about You know, were you Born into a Mormon home, or was it something that you got? converted into later in life. Actually I was net Technically, in a Mormon home, my step. Father was born and raised a Mormon.
He did the your missionary journey. As a young man. And he liked the older day polygamous aspects of Mormonism. And when they switched um to want only one wife. He was that Chased by the Mormon Church.
Went to California. He met up with Jim Jones. and lived on his trauma. For a couple years. He was searching for some type of true spirituality, and he left Jim Jones Compact.
Yeah, one's Mexico. lived with the Morrimbec Cult down there, escaped from there, sold to horses and came brought across the border. That takes a lot of that. Wow. He married my mom.
And my oldest sister. Um not legally, but by common law.
So although I technically have twenty two siblings, my mom and sister were hit and sixth wife. And I have a sister that's also my niece. By the time I met you, He was Very upset about it. He was very involved in all new age type stuff, parapsychology, self hypnosis. The humanistic aspect of spirituality.
a human can make themselves Better. And I grew up believing that myself. I was trained by the Albuquerque. public school system that are evolved. And that was an animal and I I live like one.
And got whatever I wanted. Yeah. or if a lion is hungry, they'll kill and eat. If I wanted something, I would do whatever I needed to. to get it make myself feel better.
Because of my dad's influence and my older sister, who was also my mother, I went down the pair of psychology paths. and tried to get in and buy reading single. is the thing with the wiki board. which I think was the start of getting involved with Which is getting involved with Satanists. I read the Satanic Bible as a teenager.
Never read the Holy Bible. I was searching.
So going to like. I think So so so going to like a Mormon church in your um growing up years Was that ever uh much of your life in your past memory? W was that very common? The only influence that we have probably Morgan Church. My dad never taught me anything.
Doctrine. Recourse cursed prayer that he would pray before every meal, word for word, verbatim, but it was empty. And he was. Would have family ninths. One thing I've learned.
About the LDS. Is they are very family-oriented, which is a good thing, but we incredib family nights. we would have to get together. have fun, play games and so on. spend time together as a family at the time and even now.
That was not the our funnest thing to do. Yeah. I I think I stepped foot in a church twice, the new the Catholic church as I was child. And that that's all I remember church wise. Right, right.
But your father was a part of a like a polygamous break off group of The Mormon church back in like the what would that be like in the 70s? Back late. Late fifties. Yeah. Okay, and so he he then decided to leave that in Mexico.
and come back up to the United States. Right.
Okay. And so, yeah. Probably in nineteen sixty or so, we came to Trinidad, Colorado. Met my biological Father. and my you know, my family.
I was born in sixty four and, uh, when my dad left, he stepped in. And he married your mom And also your Your your your sister. My oldest sister, yes.
So that was kind of in a in a Mormon kind of a context? N not Mormon uh with the mainstream, but like the But that break off polygamous kind of an idea. You break Off polygamous idea, yes. Looking back at it, sixty one years old, I'm realizing how wrong it was But at the time it was reality, it was affected, you know. Um like I said, my sister was also my mom's feet.
We have to Place of my mother realized that my mother and my sister both, you know, have his affections and were married to him. Right.
So it seems wrong. At the time. It seemed normal. And so your sister was about how old would you say? Or at the time when when when your stepfather took your sister on as a wife.
Let's see, my stepfather died at 86, and that's when my sister was about fifty.
So he was about thirty six years older than her. I think she is probably about 20, 22. when they got married. And so and so this just Seemed like, okay, this man is gonna take care of our family because you're your biological father. kind of left the family.
Is that what you were saying? Yeah. My biological father was a drunk abusive. My oldest brother beat him with a baseball bat and told him that to come back. He did.
He left. And I never knew him. The only father figure I had growing up was my stepfather. Wow. And so as time progressed along.
The Lord He he saw you. When w when was the first kind of glimpse of Grace of True love from From the Lord. Uh just little glimpses of that, would you say? Was it through Did somebody just, you know drop off a little gospel track to you and, you know, on the streets or something? Or do you remember the first time?
Was it on the radio or What was that like? Um I was I was in the Navy for about eight years. Medical discharge. I was 26 years old. I had a three-year-old son.
My marriage is falling apart. We were living with in-laws because I been afforded a place to live. And I clean carpets. For a moment. And one day after working ten hours in the Backing anymore in I went back to my brother-in-law's house.
Open the beer and start playing Super Mario Brothers. And life is over there. It doesn't get any worse than this. And somebody delivered a dominoes pizza. The next day I got a job at a local download pizza place.
Where I found out later, the manager and his wife had been praying. God sent us someone to testify to you. Wow. And when I was in there 90-95% of the people who worked there were crisp. But they work.
We'll be right back for the rest of today's testimony. Please know we at Utah Partnerships for Christ have been planting seeds of the gospel in Utah for over 24 years. We welcome any questions you may have and invite you to visit our website To obtain a list of words and definitions that would help you understand how Mormons think. and how to be able to better witness to your friends who belong to the Mormon Church. That website is www.
Dot U P F That's you. You We'll be right back. Welcome to Passion for Christ, a ministry of Utah Partnerships for Christ. In Acts 26, 18, Jesus said, Paul's purpose was to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light. and from the power of Satan unto God.
that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. We hope you'll join us for today's testimony of lives changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Now let's begin today's episode. Oh yeah, that's it. Vividly actually. I was in the Navy for about eight years, got a medical discharge. I was 26 years old.
I had a three-year-old son. My marriage is falling apart. We were living with in-laws because I a place to live. And I clean carpets. for a little bit.
And one day after working ten hours and not making any money, I went back to my brother-in-law's house. Open the beer and start playing Super Mario Bros. life is over it is It doesn't get any worse than this. And Somebody delivered a dominoes pizza. The next day, I got a job at a local Domino Pizza Place.
Where I found out later, the manager and his wife had been. Praying, God sending us someone to testify to you. Wow. And when I was in there 90-95% of the people work Right. But they weren't like the Christmas.
I used to meet. that would stand on the street corners and probably uh you know old upside. Say, repent of you go to hell. Stand in front of the bars and tell me after you're going to hell. They were normal people.
Who talked about this guy, Jesus, like they knew him, like they had breakfast with him. Jesus, like they knew him. Isn't that interesting? That's amazing. And they were the first.
group of people the Love and accept. Yeah. Just as I was. No judgment, just love, and they. Um So, praise God.
Praise God for the people out there that are working at. A dominoes pizza And they're using that as their vehicle to interact with people and be an ambassador for Christ. Exactly. Anybody Anywhere doing anything. If the Holy Spirit's involved, if we're open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, can the Holy Spirit can do miracles for us?
Hmm. Yeah, maybe you're listening right now, and maybe you're. in a place maybe somewhat like Paul, And you've noticed that there's been these Christian folks that have come across your path.
Well, you're not alone, you know.
So, we're going to keep hearing from Paul here. We're probably going to do a part two. Um after we we chat a little bit longer here, but I just want you to know Wherever you're listening, if you have a need for some material on how to share your faith, or you want to reach Mormons in particular. That's what our ministry is all about. I think our materials can help you inadvertently kind of help reach out to lots of different.
Folks from different backgrounds, but yeah, just please get in contact with us at up. F c dot org And that's Utah Partnerships for Christ, and we'll be glad to help you.
So we'll continue now.
So, Paul, yeah, so tell us more now.
So, you're at the Domino's Pizza. You're working there. You have a three-year-old son. Did they help you? Find a church.
eventually or give you some counsel to help your marriage and stuff.
Well They um would talk to me about God and tell me that there's hope. That there's a future that God loves me. And my biggest obstacle to that was that I believed in evolution.
So the first thing they did, and then the very simple science that anybody could find out that they take the time to search for it and ask God to reveal it. Evolution. And remember, they explained the fact that there's three parts to an eyeball, and that the eyeball could not. Evolved, they had to be. intelligently designed.
Okay. And that'd be the big impact on me. And then one day I was talking with one little Yeah. And I said, so you're saying that God brought Look me here, but talk to you guys and get to know you accept Christ. And she's saying yes, but I think So notice the coincidence.
We're not just coincidence. A Trangler sign on the wall that says. Romans A 28. God works all things together. It fell off the the shelf.
No way. I'm a belief in coincidence.
So eventually I asked the manager, I said, What do I do? How do I. Does Christian think that what what's next? He told me to contact a pastor friend of his of his church in Virginia Beach. And so I did.
I'm going to talk to him. As I walked down the hallway to his Office, I saw two pictures of a nature. I can't remember exactly what the They were. It was just nature. And God is created.
in the space. worry that That was the time I First believed Yeah. And then we talked. He used the Bible to teach me I was a sinner, that God had sent his only son Jesus. Loss of God.
It was a mess. He was God's only son. And he was got in the flesh. to pay for my sin in the way I never could. But if if I accepted that free payment I could become a child of God.
and have eternal life and have abundant life. And um I did. Then he gave me a Bible, told me to read the book of John. And then the other gospels. and take it from there.
And this is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, somewhere. Right.
Right.
Mm-hmm. Wow, wow. And then Did things get More rocky when it comes to your marriage, if you don't mind me asking, or did you know, did things get little bit better and little bit worse or My wife Told me she was. still thankful that we say because to see if they're very important.
Okay. She was a cat. I won't say choose the evaluative. Um because she did Our facial changes Um her faith was in a living faith. Uh for lack of tabular sounding Just the middle.
He didn't live like the prisoner. I did not know to the Christian, but if Catholicism had anything to do with Christ. before that. But she told me she was bad, I was a Christian. But they still got upset.
I was going to church so much. And I I just, there's a brand new world open screen. Yeah. Everything I Believe was Faults as I read the Bible, Jesus became real. And that was out of fire.
And shortly after that, about a year after. she uh asked me to move out we got divorced. Uh she married a a garage. She was having an God used that together for my good as well. Um You know, it's I will never say Become a Christian, life isn't going to be good and easy because it won't be.
Right.
Um but it'll be fulfilling. It'll be abundant life. Yeah, he came that we might have life more abundantly, yep. Oh yeah. God can do anything.
But he's always going to do his best. For us. And, you know, as hard as it was, we divorced. I was able to Get on with my life and continue and learn and grow and. Continue my life.
The one thing with that is, and this is the one thing I want people.
Well known as God from Kara. I struggle with the fact that That I was divorced. She had my son, and she had had an affair. And I was hurt. I was angry.
I kept praying, God, help me forgive me. Help you forgive it, help them forgive it. I remember vividly the day I did. It's a sunny day in Abu Kirk. New Mexico, I was sitting in my living room on the code.
God says it's done. You know don't reject her any more. And that was free. Wow. So many people out there, I think.
could probably use Just another dose of hearing that again. You you want to repeat that last bit again? What what what that what took place there? Just say it one more time, if you wouldn't mind. I was praying and Perning and praying and Praying.
God help me forgive her. I had to. And I remember vividly the day he did. Sunday day, hour.
So they got my cow. In my living room, and God said, It's done. You don't read that her anymore. Miss Free. I could talk for hours about God setting us free.
He set me free from resentment towards my ex-wife. He set me free from alcoholism. He set me free from everything. Right, he breaks the chains, he breaks the chains, it's so good. Wow.
Well, we're we're kind of coming to A close for part one here next week. If you're willing to share a little bit more with us, maybe you could share with us about your life living here in Utah, southern Utah. And ministry there and and God's called you into Some great ministries. God has blessed you. With b being re remarried, and I know that you've got all kinds of things to share, probably some great stories.
true true stories of encounters with people that are lost and you're sharing the gospel with them and Things like that. Um Would you be willing to to do that again with us? Of course. Yeah, that'd be great. And so if people wanted to Go to your YouTube channel.
You give m even a kind of a extensive Um Testimony. Would you mind sharing that with our listeners if people wanted to go there? I would love to, but I don't know what it's called, to tell you the truth. No problem. No problem.
No problem. You're welcome to share it or put a link in the draw. Cast or whatever. Absolutely. Paul, and would you spell your well Tell you what, if you if you want to get in cont contact with Paul, con contact me here at the studio, kutr studio at gmail.com, and and I'll connect you with Paul.
And if if um you're a young young you're a young woman or a female, you want to call Get a hold of us. You want to talk to him? He'll get his wife on the phone too, you know, and just. just be, you know, above board there and And they want to help you. They want to encourage you in the things of the Lord and just.
Just take the things that that That the devil wanted for evil, for bad, but God wanted to turn it into good. I think that's But something out of Genesis. That was when Joseph got thrown into Jalen had a lot of things going on in his life that didn't look so good, but God had a purpose behind it. And so here's Paul, and he's just sharing all these amazing things that God has done in his life. And we're going to hear more.
About Paul's life next time that we're together.
So I'll say goodbye right now, Paul, and to all of our listeners, and we'll welcome you again next time on another edition of Paul. Passion for Christ. Thanks for joining us. Thank you. Before we sign off for today, please know that all of us here at Utah Partnerships for Christ are.
Appreciate your prayers and support. We are also available to do Zoom call workshops or personal coaching on reaching Mormons for Christ. Contact us today at upfc.org. That's upfc.org. Thanks so much for joining us on another edition of Passion for Christ.
