I wanted to know if I was still alive

We were supposed to stay at the HYATT hotel downtown by the harbor but all the rooms were taken because of a sporting event the same night. We had to stay in west Baltimore in a rough area of town. That made no difference to me because I've been in hotels all across the country good and bad. When I check into a hotel I kind of have a pattern of doing things no matter where I am at. I drop my luggage, I joke around with the band for a lil bit, then I go to the nearest gas station to get some junk food, Gatorade, or go to waffle house…..whatever is open. Then I come back and relax. This night was no different. I did the same thing.

I walked outside and headed toward the gas station which was 3 blocks away. As I walked through the second block I could see about 6 guys standing on the corner talking to each other and looking in my direction. I really didn't pay them and mind and kept walking toward the store. Just then I realized I left my wallet in my room. I turned around and went back to the hotel and got my wallet. My best friend Lydell who was also a musician on my team told me to stop going places by myself. I told him I was good like I normally did and went back to the store. I walked past the same group of guys and they were watching me again. I continued to the store and got my usual Gatorade and candy and headed back towards the hotel.



When I came past that block the same guys immediately came towards me. Strangely the whole street was clear and no people on it like I saw a few minutes ago. By this time I figured out that they were a gang also and the leader came toward me and said "What you doing out here homie?" I said to him "chillin bro" and kept on walking. They circled around me and he said to me "What's up wit that phone?" At this point I knew that whatever he was about to say or do had nothing to do with the phone. I figured that they were getting ready to rob me so I didn't really respond. I just told them it was off and put it back in my pocket. Really it was off. Sprint cut me off for being over my account spending limit. He walked closer to me right in my face and said "Well you gotta roll out homie."



At that point he pulled out a 45 caliber gun from his jacket and pointed it directly at me a point black range. I didn't even have time to react. I heard the first shot and saw a bright light that from the gun that blinded me and I fell immediately to the ground. He stood over top of me and pointed the gun at me again and said "peace out homie" and fired 7 more shots into my body. Instantly and just for a second I saw an angel appear in front of me. The angel looked transparent and was kneeling down literally with both arms in front of him as if every bullet was going through the angel. I knew it couldn't have been a figment of my imagination because I had no time to even conceive and think about anything other than the pain I was feeling from every single bullet that entered my body.

When he finished shooting me. His other boys picked up the shell casings that had fallen to the ground and laughed and joked among each other for about 30 seconds about how they just "smoked me" Right then I heard God speak to me and tell me to not move at all. It was strange because I wanted to yell, I wanted to scream, I wanted to breathe, I wanted to know if I was still alive but I couldn't do it. They were still looking at me. So I laid there and did not breathe, my eyes were still open but they were fixed still even though I felt all of this pain. For the first time in my life I felt no pain from not breathing which was the strangest feeling ever. That's how I knew God was there right with me. As I continued to hold my breath waiting for them to leave I felt my blood all around me.



When they finally ran to the car and drove off full speed. I took my first breath. I remember softly yelling OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD as I looked around me and saw the pool of blood and holes in my shirt. I tried to stand up but I couldn't. I couldn't feel my legs. So I dragged myself out of the street onto the sidewalk. I tried to flag down cars to stop to help me but no one would stop. People literally slowed down and looked and then kept going. It was only me and God. I had a moment where I literally had my life flash before my eyes. I thought of my loved ones, I thought of my own funeral strangely, I thought of the things that I should have said to my family and friends that I didn't. Just then I remembered that I had my cell phone. My hand was covered in blood but I still managed to dial 911. When the operator came on the line I told her that I had been shot and she asked me where I was. Thankfully I was lying right next to street sign so I could give her an idea of where I was. She tried to keep me talking but I really couldn't because I was losing my breath.



Eventually the police showed up, about 5 officers. One walked towards me and asked me my name and how old I was. This was the end of the conversation. After that they drew lines around me and put police tape around me like a perimeter. This is when my faith had to step in. Even though all around me it looked like death I had to speak life and I began praying. There was nothing I could do but that. The ambulance arrived about 7 minutes later and they loaded me in. Immediately they began cutting my clothes and hooking up all kinds of machines to my body. This was the first time I really saw the gunshot wounds and tears began to flow from my eyes. My body dead... like I shouldn't have even been alive. But I was……

I heard the EMT silently say to her partner "I don't think he's going to make it" ...

It hurt to hear those words but I tried to hold on to life. By the time I got to the hospital they rushed me down the hall to surgery. When I arrived in the room it was the strangest scene imaginable. The room was lined with nurses, doctors, police, and other hospital employees looking at me in disbelief. Almost as if they heard on the radio what condition I was in and stunned that I was alive. The lead doctor whispered in my ear "I'm about to give you some anesthesia to put you asleep for the surgery. Can you sign this paper?" Oddly enough, I was able to sign it and did so pretty good. The doctor joked and said "For someone shot all these times you sure do have a good signature." Right at that moment I looked in front of me at all the people standing at the door and saw the same angel standing with its arms folded looking at me and nodding its head as if to say EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT……… Right then I felt a peace upon me and relaxed my breathing and fell asleep. That is the last that I remember til I awoke 3 days later.

As I opened my eyes I saw tubes all around me. I heard the beeping sound from the machines and saw bandages all across my chest. I'm alive……? The first thing that I thought. There was a nurse standing to my left and she looked into my eyes and said…"You made it." A doctor came in the room and told me I was lucky to be alive. I knew luck had nothing to do with it HA. He proceeded to tell me that he performed an 8 hour surgery on me and removed half of my stomach, my whole spleen, half of my small intestine, re-attached my colon, and removed half of my pancreas. I looked at him in disbelief but I believed him.

I found out later that my doctor found Out who God was through my surgery. 

He acknowledged that it was not possible that he did the surgery by himself.

Today I can walk; I had to learn how to do that all over.

Today I can play the piano even tho I lost feeling in my right hand.

Today I can eat even with half of a stomach.

Today I can walk in peace because God gave me peace during the most chaotic time in my life.

Today I know that God is a healer.

Mark 9:23 says 

All things are possible to those that believe.

My message is simple... Do God now and not later………

A common misconception is that you need to "clean yourself up" before you come to God. Truth is, you just come to God; He'll change you... 

God bless you