1995 was a pivotal moment in my life. I was 19 yrs old with no purpose or direction for my future.
Coming from a dysfunctional family and a heroin addict father, my life seemed almost destined for failure.
Immediately upon graduating from High School at the age of 17, I began to drink and smoke excessively. After a few months of being exposed to Clubs and the Party scene, I eventually started smoking marijuana. In the beginning, it was all seemingly innocent and fun, but that fun quickly turned into an invitation to Crystal Meth. At this point using drugs was the “ultimate” high, & I thought I was invincible!
I lived a life completely void of responsibility and had no fear of consequence.
I lived this lifestyle for 2 years & eventually I couldn’t hide it anymore. My friends, co-workers, and worst of all….my family, began to see the decline in my life.
I had sporadic moments of regret, as I believed in Jesus Christ. Deep down I knew that the choices I was making were wrong.
You see, I had a Bible that I would read daily as a child….and I even said the Lord’s Prayer every night. I was running from God and I knew it, the problem was, I didn’t care.
In the Spring of 1995, my life was about to change, and I had no idea.
Behind the scenes, my parents were at their wit’s end because of the road I was headed down.
Since my father was a heroin addict, my family was all too familiar with drug addiction. That is when my father, who was in his altered state, reached out to me in desperation.
Growing up, the extent of my Church attendance was Christmas & Easter. Never in my mind did I ever imagine that one day I would be part of a Church, nor did I want to be.
On April 2nd, 1995, my father invited me to the Church that I had attended every Christmas and every Easter as a child……That Church was called Victory Outreach.
I reluctantly drove on that Sunday morning to 454 Coberta Ave in La Puente CA.
I was drinking the night before and wasn’t in the mood to hear about God.
Looking back, I now realize that it wasn’t only my biological father inviting me to Church, but it was my Heavenly Father calling me back into His arms.
I sat in the back of the Church that morning half-listening to the preacher. As soon as the Alter call began, I heard the Pastor make an invitation to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Without hesitation, I stood up and walked toward the altar.
It was there that Pastor Sonny Arguinzoni Sr. led me and many others to the Lord……It was there that my life was changed forever!
Immediately after saying the Sinners Prayer, I felt like a brand new person and was invited back to check out Youth Night.
3 days later I found myself at a G.A.N.G. Service; Gods Anointed Now Generation. I was in complete shock as I saw hundreds of people my age praising God and not ashamed of the Gospel.
I had never seen anything like it! At that moment I knew that I wanted to be part of this Youth Ministry that was led by Pastor Sonny Arguinzoni Jr.
Joining the G.A.N.G. set me on a path to fulfilling God’s destiny in my life. It is where I fell in love with Jesus Christ and where I found a sense of purpose and belonging.
It was in the G.A.N.G. that I joined a Bible Study, joined our Worship Team, & went to Bible School.
At that time, the GANG had 2 famous Dramas that traveled the country spreading the gospel. I was part of that cast and was living the dream as a teenager/young adult!
It was a privilege to be part of such a dynamic and innovative Youth Ministry that used creative evangelism to reach the World!
I thank God for a Ministry that taught me the foundations of Christianity & how to serve the Lord for life.
A few years later, I eventually met my husband who was also part of the G.A.N.G.
We both had a strong desire to reach our Generation, and we were willing to lay our lives down to answer the call that God placed upon our lives.
Our Pastor, Sonny Arguinzoni Jr, never stopped challenging us to step out by faith.
In 2005, we were asked to run our Men’s Recovery Home in La Puente CA & we said yes.
In 2008, we were asked to move across the country to Bridgeport CT to direct the Victory Outreach Urban Training Center Bible School, and we said yes.
In 2012, we were asked if we would be willing to go to South Africa and we said yes.
Our ‘Yes” to the Lord has taken us on many great adventures!
In South Africa, my husband and I were able to be part of Team Ministry in Pretoria, and then we eventually went on to pioneer 2 churches in Johannesburg! We were able to be effective in another country due to all the training, equipping & preparation that we learned in the G.A.N.G.
My husband and I are both proud products of the GANG, where he became a Licensed Minister in 2008. We have now been married for almost 20 yrs, have 3 amazing children, and had the privilege of being missionaries in South Africa for 7 yrs.
Pastor Sonny Arguinzoni Jr has been very intentional about helping each of us reach our full potential in Christ, giving us the resources to do so.
I am honored to say that my husband & I are still under his Pastorship almost 30 years later.
Pastor Sonny is a visionary, and he has never lost compassion for the world’s hurting people.
He saw firsthand how the drug epidemic in Boston has reached the youth, the college student, & the young adults of that city.
Because of the great need there, Pastor Sonny is preparing my husband and me to be launched out to plant Victory Outreach Boston! We are truly a Church that inherits the nations!
Today I am 46 yrs old, a very different person from the hopeless 19 yr old girl that walked into the doors of Victory Outreach so long ago.
If It wasn’t for the GANG, our Pastor & the Leadership of our Church, I don’t know where I would be today.
I am truly grateful to God for Victory Outreach and to God’s Anointed Now Generation …the Ministry that changed my life forever.
I AM A DESCENDANT
Ilene Carrera
