By the age of 15 Jay had moved 15 times to seven states with two of those years in Puerto Rico. All the moves made him the new kid in school and a target for bullies. Gifted with strong arms, Jay learned to defend himself. He also learned to drink and smoke a joint with teenagers at the tender age of seven.
He had aspirations to become a football player but an injury in high school crushed his dreams. He joined the Navy and went on to become the Light Heavyweight Champion in the West PAC. He enjoyed success, celebrity, and acclaim along with partying, drinking and drugs. As it turned out his handlers belonged to the Yakuza, a criminal gang in Japan.
Jay observed the necklace of another inmate and asked where he got the beads to make it. He was shocked to find the beads were made of scraps of paper, glued and then varnished. In his prison cell Jay contemplated this wonder. God spoke to his heart to draw the parallel of the pages of his life having been ripped and torn and how God could take Jay's life pages and create something beautiful...A hope, peace and strength in life's journey.
From that revelation in prison came Jay's B.A.R.S. (Beads and Reflections and/or Breaking Attitude/Addiction Reviving Souls). These beads are given with this Mission Statement:
Share buckets of hope,
peace and strength with
a thirsty and hurting world.
We can't change the
world, but one act of
kindness can change
someone's world.
Today, be kind and share
B.A.R.S. with someone.
My bracelet is going to a loved one who going to be deployed to a war zone for four months along with my prayers for protection, hope, peace and strength in the journey.
If you want to know more about this ministry or ask Jay to speak to your group or church, you can reach him at Jaygardnergwb@gmail.com.
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