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STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO

BORN ADDICTION

PHOTO BY KEVIN VANDIVIER

A few years ago I was given an assignment from USA Today to shoot a story on Babies born addicted to crack cocaine. One of the subjects I shot for the story lived in San Antonio, Texas. As I pulled into the neighborhood to shoot the story I felt the need to pray for my own protection. Not a great place for a lone white guy to be hanging out. I also prayed for Gods visual direction and asked for a divine appointment if possible. I really see myself as an agent/ambassador of the Lord and my career in photography is simply the vehicle God uses to move me where he needs me and opens the doors as needed. The result has been a career which has taken me before kings of nations, the poorest in the world and everyone in between.

When I pulled up to the house there were four police cars parked in the yard, on the curb, etc. I remember wondering why it is police rarely park their cars normally like the rest of us…even when we are in a hurry as well. LOL

Well I grabbed my gear and headed in. At the same time the police were heading out while giving me a weird look. One finally asked why I was here, so I told them. One jokingly told me I had found the jack pot. Sure enough, I walked inside to a house full of kids ranging from about 10 years of age downward of multiple mixed ethnicities. My subject escorted me back to her room and explained her brother in law had come home while his wife was doing her business with a client in their bed. The sad part was he was mad about her doing this at home and not at a motel. He got out of control mad and that’s why the police were there. She ran when they showed up.

I took out my camera and began to shoot photos. Soon I knew what God was calling me to do. After capturing this image, I put my camera down and pulled out the bible I always carry with me in my camera bag. She was convinced she was going to Hell and that Jesus would not save her. After a couple of hours and many bible verses I was able to convince otherwise.

She asked I speak with he brother in law about this as well. I agreed and we walked down the hall to his closed bedroom door and entered. He was sound asleep with a bong and a gun next to his bed. She shook him until he woke up. He fixed his angry eyes on me while she told him I wanted to pray with him. He in a very angry tone told me “I don’t need your f****** prayers. Immediately God gave me a word for him. I knew it was God and so I had no fear to speak to him what God said…”You are the priest of this home and it is through you all this sin has entered your home. If you will repent, I will save you and your whole family from this sin!” To my surprise, he rolled out of bed to his knees and began to weep like a little baby and pleaded with me to pray for him.

Long story short…I took them all to a local church I knew was having a special service that night called Eagles Nest. The sermon was on the sins of the flesh…drug use and prostitution. After the service I introduced them to the pastor. He split them up for prayer. After about an hour the woman gave her life to Jesus and the Man recommitted his life to Jesus. Yes recommitted! He and his wife were once in charge if a children’s ministry at a Baptist Church in New Mexico. He was also one of the elders. When they moved to San Antonio, they never found a church they liked and instead fell in with the wrong crowd. Little by little the compromised until they became addicted to crack cocaine and his wife had to prostitute her body to pay for the addiction. Now they are free in Christ and I continue to serve Christ as he calls.

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