– Former Bloods Gang Member Leads Many To Christ As He Shares Experience With Christ
Rev. Derek LaFleur has shared some of his past experiences as a member of American street gang member Bloods. Such activities as staying out all night partying, doing drugs, consuming alcohol, fighting, engaging in gun violence and stealing. He said he wished he never participated in the activities.
While growing up, the clergyman was an active member of the Bloods, a street gang with primarily African American members founded in Los Angeles, California.
But decades later, the former Bloods gang member denounced the group and started his pursuit for Christ and leads many to Christ, while he also used his past experience to disciple men and lead others away from gang to Jesus.
Derek LaFleur now serves as an ordained deliverance minister at Oklahoma City-based Authority Church.
He grew up in a community of high levels of crime and violence.
He said in an interview: “I have primarily happy memories from my childhood mainly due to my close-knit, loving family. My mother and father were happily married and loved me.”
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LeFleur was also raised in a non religious house, but as time went on his parent rediscovered their faith in God. His parents taught him the foundation and importance of maintaining the Christian faith.
His father became more devoted into the things of God and made a rule in the house for all the children, saying;
“If you’re going to live under my roof, you must attend church.”
Things took a turn for the worse after his parents divorced when he was in the fifth grade. LaFleur said he felt a great sense of rejection from his mother as she moved out of the family’s home.
“The divorce is when my anger started. I joined the gang at 9 because I was just trying to fit in and trying to feel that love and support,” LaFleur said.
“I mean, I’m not saying that my family did not love me at all. I just wanted to feel welcomed somewhere else.”
He also recalled he hung out with a “bad crowd,” dabbling in fighting, smoking and much more.
“I was more than just a partier,” he recalled. “But, I was pretty much the party pooper. I would go to parties just to crash the party. If we went to parties, I would get into multiple fights. If we went clubbing, I crashed the club by getting into fights.”
For half a decade, he continued as a member of the Bloods engaging in gang related activities and had run-ins with the cops but was never arrested because he was never caught for his actions.
While he was yet an undergraduate Derek said he was wrongly accused of a crime and placed behind bars as he faced depression.
While in prison, he encountered Jesus for the first time in his life and from that very day he gave his life to Christ and decided to work in the way of the lord.
Shortly after his release, he received the call of God upon his life to go into the ministry.
However, it took years of engaging in fervent prayer, Bible reading and attending church for him to fully devote his life to Jesus Christ.
