David was a rural pastor when he heard about the gangs operating in New York and started to pray for them, while he was praying God called him to go to New York and share His love with the gangsters. He eventually came face to face with the most feared notorious gangster called Nicky Cruz, who told him to go away or hed kill him! To which David replied "yes you could do that and cut me into a thousand pieces and every piece would love you" David woul pray for Nicky from 4am to 7 am every day(and the skeptics say prayer doesnt work!). Eventually he got 2 of the gangs together at a youth rally where they planned to fight, but as David was preaching God worked a miracle and many of them,Nicky included gave their lives to God. This event was immortalised in the book and film "The cross and the switchblade" Nickys life was totally and utterly transformed by God he pecame a preacher and went back to share God's love with other gangs and has preached all over the world, i heard him preach here in the uk many years ago. He also went back to his family and many of his brothers became Christians. David went back to New York later and started a church when he was shocked to see drug abuse and prostitution. An amazing man who lived his life for the glory of God
I grew up in a small community and as a kid in the later 1940s and 50s, during Korean war and the warmer years of the cold war, neighbors gathered once a week to say the rosary for the sake of preventing WW3. Not everyone made it every week, but at least 5 or 6, sometimes 8 or 10. It went on for about 5 years. I don't know why it stopped. I was just a kid then. But that didn't stop my parents from keeping it up privately. I would often see then sitting alone at bedtime; eyes closed, thumbing through the rosary. I was later an altar boy, and it wasn't uncommon to see two or three people sitting alone in an otherwise empty church, a half hour before services, thumbing through their rosary.
There hasn't been a World War Three ... yet, though at times that doomsday clock seemed just seconds away. Thanks to my parents and our neighbors.
This was/is an amazing story. I have 4 of his books and have read all about David and Nicki. I once posted Nicki’s videos preaching young and old. He has many stories to tell. He won almost all of his many siblings and his mother whom was a witch (a real one that practiced by his own words) to Christ!
He was the most feared in his gang too cause he was good with a switchblade (switchblade and the cross) and a bat. He was made the president of the gang. When he became saved he was a marked man by the other gangs. David Wilkerson got him out of NYC and sent him to Bible College in California where he met his wife Gloria. They had 4 beautiful daughters. A remarkable family and he was a miracle!
