My Name is Barry Hollenbach I live in Berwick PA where the crime rate is very high because of the drugs in the town. I work along side of the police and all emergency crews and help out as a volunteer where ever I can on calls and try to share the Lord with those affected on our calls. It is very hard to share the Lord since most churches are looked down on as hypocrites because we sin every day, but we preach against it. Which to most s wrong in my town but they don’t understand we all sin. I was saved by grace through Child Evangelism Fellowship at the age of 8 years old, but I walked away from the Lord at the age of 15 when I found out about my past.
I soon became addicted to pain meds smoking and drinking and porn! It came to the point that I lost my friends family and church. After long many years I found The Salvation Army Berwick PA Core, and gave my life back to Christ and became active in the core as a sound tech. And youth leader. But it seemed something was wrong I still had my addictions, and I needed help fast to get over them and be a man of God. In July of 2015 we got our new officers at the core and they came from an ARC and the pastor helped me out real fast when I opened up to him after he started calling me out on things in my life that I said I did that I wasn’t doing. He soon realized I was a victim of abuse and was looking to make myself look good in the world, but I was putting myself down even more.
Soon h decided to walk me through the classes of the ARC with out sending me to one since I would probably fail out since I never could hold a job, but he saw I wanted to do Gods work. So he challenged me and had people watch where I was, and soon my drinking quit and I still go to bars but drink soda and talk about God and see what drunks think of God and try to win them for God. my porn addiction was replaced with taking classes for a Senior Soldier-ship in The Salvation Army. than I was introduced to C.L.I. by a friend that saw it on the computer on youtube.com and I decided to give it a try. since than I Learned that I was in sin and had to change my life and needed God more. I am getting help by Captain Kevin of the Pottsville core who is taking the same classes from another school. I can’t wait to see what lays ahead for me
I was born in Colombia back in 1986 but I’ve been living in the US for a year now. I married my wonderful husband David and together we’ve been searching for God. He is a musician (drummer) and his desire is to serve God with his music.
I received Jesus as my Savior at the age of 17 but it was not all roses and unicorns. I remember I challenged God and with tears in my eyes and heart, I asked Him to prove to me that He’s the God the crazy people from church had been talking about since I started going there at the age of 14. I was just tired of living and such a young age. My dad had abandoned us when I was 14 and me, my mom and sisters had to face many trials, however God never forsook me. His hand was always present in my life even without me noticing it. We are so blind when we don’t know The Lord but praise Him because He is mighty to save!
One of the things that really left me in shock was right after my conversion. One day I was talking to my mom and she confessed to me she had tried to abort me but did not work. I was still alive in her womb and I was a healthy baby when I was born.
My walk with the Lord has been beautiful and on that walk I have faced many difficult moments (not beautiful at all) in my life but I have never denied His name. I have always remained strong knowing that Jesus said we would face trials in this world but that He had overcome the world. Nevertheless, there was a time in which I had a non-existent relationship with God. My prayer life vanished and I didn’t even realize when or how but The Lord is good and He came to my rescue once again