Do you know me? I never lived in Nogales, but most of my family either does or did. I was born in Tucson at St. Mary’s. I went to St. Ambrose Parochial School during elementary and Jr. High and then attended Salpointe High School and graduated from there. I started playing music early in life. I played the drums at church starting at age ten. I also had a punk rock garage band. I enjoyed football and basketball in high school. I think I must have been what they now call ADHD, and had dyslexia before they really knew what that stuff was. That made it hard to comprehend math and to read. I did well at philosophy and the arts. My teachers used the phrase, ‘doesn’t apply himself’ to describe me. That’s probably not enough for you to know who I am yet, but maybe you can figure it out in the next paragraph.
My first job was at Der Weinerschnitzel, and I also worked for the Parks and Recreation in Tucson for a time. After high school, I became a certified welder. On my very first job as a welder, on my birthday, Jan. 29, 1980, a two ton steel I-beam fell onto me and severed (cut off) my leg. They were able to re-attach it. I used the drums for my rehabilitation and eventually got full use of my leg back. How are you doing? Do you know me yet? No? Well keep reading…
I got married in 1986 to Roberta, “Bobbi”, a girl that I had met back in elementary school. I like to tease people and tell them about my ‘life partner,’ Bobbie. We have been married for 22 years. We have two daughters, Alyssa True (19) and Jessica Grace (17). Those are pretty good clues; some of you may be putting it together by now. If not, keep going.
After my accident I played drums professionally and worked in different bars as a bartender or a bouncer. By the late 1990’s, I was addicted to alcohol and cocaine. My wife “Bobbi” kicked me out of the house and wouldn’t allow me to see my girls. I had lost my jobs, and was unemployed. That’s when my brother, Gil, invited me to come to a Promise Keepers convention in California with a group of guys from the First Baptist Church of Nogales. I was willing to try anything so I went. I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at 8:20 p.m. on May 2, 1997. That is the exact time I asked Jesus to come into my life and take over. Do you know who I am yet?
When I got home to Tucson, I eventually reconciled with Bobbi and my family. I started to go to a Baptist church in Tucson called the Church of the Desert. While there, the Pastor mentored me, and I had the opportunity to work with a youth group of about 40 kids. Pastor Jay gave me all kinds of opportunities to serve as a minister, and I became an ordained Baptist minister and graduated from Pima College with a degree in Social Services.
Eventually, Pastor Jay was called to a church in northern California, and I was looking at starting my own church. We now have The S.O.B.E.R. Project, Inc., a Bible-based church that offers weekly worship services, 12-step meetings, and Bible studies that focus on recovery: recovery from drugs, alcohol, gambling, pornography, over-eating, and all kinds of things that we have let control our lives.
Do you know me now? If you still don’t know me, plan on coming out to the Men’s Large Group Fellowship at First Baptist Church of Nogales, where I will be sharing with the men there on November 8th at 6:30 PM. Isn’t that amazing? I, Larry Munguia, have the opportunity to share my testimony and my vision for the SOBER Project with a group of men from the church where a group of men shared their PK trip with me so that I could receive Christ. That’s what I call ‘full circle’ and tangible evidence of God’s Glory, and maybe just a little of His sense of humor as He accomplishes the impossible, just because He can.
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