Bonus : Chris Pachik Interview ARC

Hi this is breathing welcome to the Salvation Army's words of life hello and welcome. I am Chris Benjamin, the producer for words of life we really hope you enjoyed our series crafted.

This was a seven-week series about artists that concluded last week. If you missed any of these episodes. Be sure to subscribe. Wherever you get your podcasts or visit Salvation Army's outcast.org before you started with our next series pathways with Maj. Mike Harris share special episode. We recorded while at a Salvation Army youth camp. This episode is a recording of a powerful testimony from Lieut. Chris Patrick from a successful baseball career to a drug addiction. Chris eventually made his way to a Salvation Army adult rehabilitation center that changed his life in a way he could have never imagined. If you or a loved one is in need of help. Learn more about our adult rehabilitation centers@salvationarmyusa.org, or visit Salvation Army.org to find an army near you rank.

What is my just me Lieut. Chris project I'm in Waldorf, Maryland sales commission.

The June 2018, some going into my fourth year and I had the distinct pleasure of starting the work in Waldorf so for my commissioning. They handed me a flag and said the planet has said what the Army what is it's funny because like when you're in that little tunnel before you to your appointment you line up with this estimates right in everybody's talking about where they think they're going and it's all exciting. I just said I don't care let me go assist under some rockstar officers right because I don't know anything.

But I want to know I want to be good at this. I want to serve the Lord well and God said oh you think I can do it now as I say that that's all you think I'm I can use you force that you know just do this one. Pigeonhole box put me in a box situation and he said oh okay. You and so I was introduced to the Army by beautiful lady in a black row that goes by the name Judge so I got in some trouble in my previous life so backward back up a little bit. I played some semi pro baseball played in dependable play four years of college like pretty pretty like you know like real baseball got injured my third year I was really because probably a couple coffee away from like getting the play for a real a real major leak in the minors team and I got injured I told my labrum as a picture so your labrum is like the one party your body that you can't really repair now if it was my elbow. There's a thing called Tommy John which actually you come back down harder as a picture. My was my shoulder, so I tried to throw to the pain I was given prescribed Percocet's like by my team doctor because it wasn't a problem. It was 2005. Everybody had pills in their cabinet at this time was normal so Percocet I'm pitching. I'm getting cortisone shots and taking Percocet on three and throwing well because I can feel my arm. Next thing you know I get to a point where the pain is just you know it's done but now I'm hooked on painkillers so now I'm off the team I've got no way of getting this need and I'm on the street so introduced to recreational drug.

So opiates on the street are a lot cheaper than those that come you know from the doctor so I got you know I I realize that I was hooked.

So the moment I stop having them.

I didn't know I was an addict because I just delete okay number. Percocet is finally my life.

I got violently ill through detox and I was like oh I need these things so got you fast-forward homelessness a bunch of charges.

Like any like six or seven times arrested before the big one living in a hotel crack hotel with my brother who also got so sober and saved to the Salvation Army now has two beautiful daughters in his great life yet so I ended up having to to deal drugs in order to pay for my habit, which is week that that's the precipice where you get at him in his life and my first two times I dealt drugs I sold to an undercover cop first to my only two so I they realize that I was in a kingpin drug dealer so they just finally came and arrested me for the two charges and I had to sales felonies into possessions.

2nd° and I had a bad records I was looking at five years minimum mandatory. But what we did was my mom and my my lawyer myself. They said let's combat the situation.

First let's go to a rehab unit I was in jail. The only way I was getting it let out as I went to a corporate rehab and the part of the story were God just like I mean it. I should like people like you to write a book is almost unbelievable.

My mom works at Bank of America has for my whole life. She does mortgages sitting in her office the same moment that I called her from jail asking her for bail money is retired Salvation Army officer, Maj. Mary lady and she's nonuniform. She's retired she know she's just getting a mortgage on her house. I call my mom's pick of the phone I start screaming out enough that how I got $75,000 bond.

Get me out of here, you know, just as addicts and horrible children that do to their parents. So I hang up on her. She starts crying in front of this total stranger. She breaks down. Maj. Mary lady anybody that knows her. She's an angel, so she's retired officer, not a retired Christian. She sees that walks over to my mom starts playing with her. What can I do to help my mom says my my son the drug addict. He can't get out of jail until we get into a rehab center. I've been calling the Salvation Army, but the list is two months long I can get. She says well I might know somebody she's my mother's another for Eve so she said I'll make a call.

She calls the Salvation Army Suncoast ARC in St. Petersburg, Florida says this is Maj. Mary lady.

I don't know if this will help, but I got a young man that I'd like to help his mom. Can you put them on a cot in the library until a bed opens. They said yes so delivered from jail in handcuffs to the Salvation Army Suncoast ARC in St. Petersburg, Florida, November 4, 2013 and I'm in there if I get kicked out. I'm going to prison for five years. No questions asked.

So I went in there ready for some different did note that look like, but when I got there revival had already broken out for guys before me had already gotten saved and or and and seminarian training college becoming officers so I didn't know what this was. So I walk in and when the spirits moving in. You can touch it, taste it and feel it. Whether you believe in God or not something is happening so I walk in there and I feel this and I was like I don't know if this is the hell like you know I thought I was an atheist. I tell people I was an unsuccessful atheist. I tried so hard not to believe, but got God just showed up but I did know what was going on and I get sent to this this rehab Christian rehab where they make you go to church and revival is happening. This got my best friend now was best man at his wedding to Lieut. Rob Corson was a truck driver and they put me on his truck to be a helper so that the employees always have a beneficiary as a helper and I was his and he just talked about recovery in Jesus and he prayed with me every morning he just he discipled me for eight hours a day on the truck picking up donations and ends up being my sponsor with AA. We went to the 12 steps that I met this good group of guys are family now it's Capt. Ryan Mayo Lieut. Cristobal Capt. Krista Borowitz Lieut. Rob Corson and now myself there on the same fix Orion discipled Chris.

Chris discipled Robbie. Robbie discipled me all the notes to me because I they were already gone when I got there, other than Robbie so yeah they go so where change was yeah I'm sober him save this is great, but then Robbie said let's go to the Clearwater core and meet Capt. Zach Bell and he's like I don't I don't want to go to church bro, I just went to church at 832 churches. No egos, but hey, if you come we got to Buffalo Wild Wings after church we hang out free food. I'm in rehab. Let's ride so we go therein, Maj. Sacco now was my mentor. He sat next to me on purpose during dinner. There's 12 of us immunity, but he made sure what you Chris tell me or tell me your story, and he was this regular guy, University of Kentucky basketball shirt on.

He's like he's like my golf. He plays ping-pong plays basketball. This is pastor. The sky and he just made relationship with me. You know, he told me only love me said Jesus loves Yahweh got a calling on my life or full-time ministry pretty quickly. We are surrounded by light.

You're surrounded by awesomeness like gods can get a hold of you easier know running out. I was Exley running into what was are you so when I first got in there. I was my drug of choice at the time was crack cocaine and methadone and methadone is an OP that gets in your bone is supposed to get you off of heroin but that you get hooked on it to is like us parallel move so I was in there detoxing off like 250 mg of methadone a day cold turkey. So did 30 days in jail now at the center, still detoxing pretty bad so I can do much manual labor. So I go in there and they put me in the warehouse and I got that I was hanging clothes and you know so you know you hang close to the thrift store and donations come in, you unpack a bag and you hang up shirts and pants and slide you know that it goes through a production supervisor and slides over to the stores and all that but to me you just like it was with a call or therapy for reason because it is therapeutic to do something for God first and foremost, but for you know where you actually you at the end of the day you lay your head down, he saved the hat. I worked hard and and that's what I did and I loved it and I took pride in. Finally I get on Robbie's truck right only about 30 days in we are picking up donations and watch and Robbie interacted these donors and tell them about Jesus and tell him about the program and tell about me and what were doing and I mislike this is awesome. So I dictated anything you go, you go to meetings that there's classes you gotta take like you know counseling classes and and what addiction is what you know well that what happens in your brain chemistry. There's like six classes on like sexual lust and things that you know we need to know is men the men's program, then you take your Bible classes Bible studies you've got church on Sunday is mandatory and with my administrators at the time Capt. scary.

Ms. Wilson her.

Now Col. This wasn't you had to have a sponsor, and in him NAA ACR any of these that you know twelve-step programs you in in in Catholic. Col. is now. I would walk by you and say your sponsor. She cared about us like that it would we want to do what incarnational living goes to never left the center because I never didn't see them there. I'm one of those stories where when when when self will gets shattered God's will, what he can do with a surrendered heart and that's on an ego thing on my part because anybody will tell you, including it's funny because Sacco is here with us right knows me better than anyone, and he pulls me us that were taught were praying with people of the altar and grabs me.

He says I'm so stinking proud emails like that, you know. Thank you, sir, yellow like no you don't know why you were the biggest egotistical cocky guy ever met and he's like you would never be at the altar praying children, not the old you is your too cool for any sake I see it and he said I see God working through you and I see now why he called you this so yeah it's that's how you know a transformed heart a 180 that God can do in somebody's life from open freedom of worship to praying with kids because you care and doing things. Even though you might be looked at as a weirdo ready because I was always my thing. I didn't want anybody to think I was. Not cool. So yeah so that's just the, the power of the Holy Spirit the power of a surrendered and obedient heart.

The Salvation Army's mission doing the most good means helping people with material and spiritual needs become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and love to hear from you.

Email us radio USS.Salvation Army.org or call 1-800-229-9965 colitis PO Box 29972, Atlanta, GA 30359 tell us how we can help share prayer requests or share your testimony. Would love to use your story on the air. You can also subscribe to our show on iTunes podcast store and surely give us a rating search for the Salvation Army's words of life.

Follow us on social media for the latest episodes extended in abuse and more. And if you don't have a church home. We invite you to visit your local Salvation Army worship center will be glad to see you this is pretty inviting you to join us next time for the Salvation Army's life