A Violent Man Finds Peace
By Gilbert
Red Door E-Newsletter - December 2011
They say violence begets violence. Gilbert knows it’s true.
Gilbert grew up in the South Bronx, one of eight children whose mother was an alcoholic and drug addict who could not read or write. Violence, death and even murder were common in his childhood.
“I saw a lot of nasty things. More than once, I bumped into a dead body that had been knifed or shot on the streets. That was nothing to me,” Gilbert says.
Worse was the violence in his home. Gilbert recalls getting beaten as often as three times a day with electrical cords and worse. Three of his siblings died, though he doesn’t know
why or how. Others simply disappeared and he doesn’t know where they are.
“I had one brother who went into foster care. I can say the only good times I had
as a child were at his foster parents’ home. For the first time in my life, I had a birthday and Christmas presents,” Gilbert says with tears.
But Gilbert learned that violence gets results. By the time he was 17, Gilbert started mugging people, which turned into armed robbery, which turned into working as an enforcer for various drug gangs. At one point he earned $5,000 a week, with all the cocaine and women he wanted at no charge, for protecting the drug dealers’ interests. He hurt people for a living.
“I got involved in things that I am going to have to answer to God for,” he says.
Last Bed at the bowery
But Gilbert was lucky — he escaped that world. When he married and started raising
kids in 1987, he left the drugs and the streets behind. And despite losing his marriage
in 1992, for the next 15 years he stayed clean, worked steadily, and took care of his
kids — until he lost his job in 2007 and the economy collapsed in 2008.
By May 2011, Gilbert found himself on the streets with just $30 in his pocket — hurt and angry.
“I could have gone back to my old way of life. But God works in mysterious ways,” Gilbert says. “Someone invited me to The Bowery Mission and I ended up getting the last bed in the place. For the first time in my life, I started praying that God would help
me let my past go, and that He would give me the strength and wisdom to stay the course.
“And God started speaking to me and answering my prayers — and now I’m with God for the long run. I’ve been a violent, angry man all my life, but thanks to The Bowery Mission, I’ve become closer to God and I’m becoming a better human being.”
They say violence begets violence. Gilbert knows it’s true.
Gilbert grew up in the South Bronx, one of eight children whose mother was an alcoholic and drug addict who could not read or write. Violence, death and even murder were common in his childhood.
“I saw a lot of nasty things. More than once, I bumped into a dead body that had been knifed or shot on the streets. That was nothing to me,” Gilbert says.
Worse was the violence in his home. Gilbert recalls getting beaten as often as three times a day with electrical cords and worse. Three of his siblings died, though he doesn’t know why or how. Others simply disappeared and he doesn’t know where they are.
“I had one brother who went into foster care. I can say the only good times I had as a child were at his foster parents’ home. For the first time in my life, I had a birthday and Christmas presents,” Gilbert says with tears.
But Gilbert learned that violence gets results. By the time he was 17, Gilbert started mugging people, which turned into armed robbery, which turned into working as an enforcer for various drug gangs. At one point he earned $5,000 a week, with all the cocaine and women he wanted at no charge, for protecting the drug dealers’ interests. He hurt people for a living.
“I got involved in things that I am going to have to answer to God for,” he says.
Last Bed at the Bowery
But Gilbert was lucky — he escaped that world. When he married and started raising kids in 1987, he left the drugs and the streets behind. And despite losing his marriage in 1992, for the next 15 years he stayed clean, worked steadily, and took care of his kids — until he lost his job in 2007 and the economy collapsed in 2008.
By May 2011, Gilbert found himself on the streets with just $30 in his pocket — hurt and angry.
“I could have gone back to my old way of life. But God works in mysterious ways,” Gilbert says. “Someone invited me to The Bowery Mission and I ended up getting the last bed in the place. For the first time in my life, I started praying that God would help me let my past go, and that He would give me the strength and wisdom to stay the course.
“And God started speaking to me and answering my prayers — and now I’m with God for the long run. I’ve been a violent, angry man all my life, but thanks to The Bowery Mission, I’ve become closer to God and I’m becoming a better human being.”
It’s because of you that we were able to take Gilbert in and set him on the road to a brand-new life. Thank you for supporting the Mission and for caring about people who are hurting, just like him.