Drew

When I first met Drew, he was at the shelter recovering from a gunshot wound caused by the point blank firing of a pistol to the back of his neck. The shot should have killed him but he survived it. He was in a coma for several days, and when he woke up he couldn’t move his body from his neck down. The doctors told him there was too much damage to his spinal cord and he would never walk again. The bullet lodged in his cheek, but they were unable to remove it for fear that he would lose his eye. However, there was hope that with much therapy, he would be able to learn to talk and feed himself again. Drew was devastated and “cried like a baby for days” while fervently seeking God and praying for His intervention.
And God spoke to his spirit, Drew said. "He said very clearly, 'Surrender your life back to me and I'll show you who your true friends are. I will make your body better than it was before."
After spending many painful months in therapy, Drew eventually regained some of his living skills and was soon able to take care of himself. He kept working fanatically at recovery, and within months, he was able to stand on his own, despite the doctors predictions. Soon he was able to take a step while holding himself up on the therapy rails. Many more months of grueling therapy and he was eventually able to walk on his own. Today, Drew continues to work out every day, but now at the Lord’s Gym in downtown Cincinnati, where he freely shares his testimony and ministers to those that are trapped in the street life.
Not only has his body been restored, but his daily workouts have produced massive muscles in his arms, legs and chest. His determination paid off and today he serves as a personal trainer and an inspiration to others in ‘the hood’. His passion for keeping his body in great shape is only surpassed by his gratitude and praise for Christ for saving him.
Drew gladly shares his testimony with anyone who will listen. He tells of his roots in California where he was a member of the infamous Crips gang in Los Angeles. He admits he was a thug, selling drugs and committing robberies. He explains, "We called ourselves the Crips because when we get done with you, you would be crippled. We break bones."
Drew says he spent more than 15 years "hurting people." After serving two prison terms in California, he moved to Cincinnati. One day he was watching a boxing match on TV with some "friends" when he found out they had actually been plotting to rob and kill him. While they were watching the fight, Drew got up and leaned over to turn up the volume. As he did, his ‘friend’ walked behind him and shot him at point-blank range with a .22 in the back of the head."
The two robbed him and ran away leaving him for dead. But he was able to get to the phone to call 911. "It was divine intervention that the gun had only one bullet in it, so he shot me only one time, or I would be dead."
The bullet went through his neck and stopped in his cheek just below his right eye. And the bullet stays there as a constant reminder of the life he was living and the mercy God has shown him.
The Cincinnati Enquirer found out about his story and ran an article entitled “From Crip to Christ.” They describe him: “He's gone from gangbanger to working man, from homeless to his own apartment, from thug to anti-crime counselor, from Crip to Christ.”