Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1477133
10 | WheelsOfGrace.com | #62 BlackSheep BlackSheep I was born in Los Angeles, CA. on September 29 th , 1972, to Antonio and Alida Alba. My parents, my maternal grandparents, and my older brother Luis fled the island of Cuba from the communist regime of Fidel Castro in the 1960s. Upon arrival in the USA, my parents decided to make California their home. They had the choice to go to Florida or New Jersey. (I'm sure glad they picked Southern California!) I grew up in the city of Bell, CA. Looking back now, I had a truly blessed childhood. My parents were loving, caring, and worked very hard to always provide for me what I needed and very o en, what I wanted. However, since my parents both worked, I was cared for by my grandparents – Luis and Alejandrina. My grandfather Luis was a serious - no nonsense kind of man and so wise. Nevertheless, he loved me uncondi onally, some mes to a fault. He taught me so many life lessons that I s ll apply to this day. I fondly remember our weekly trips to McDonald's where I would order a Big Mac combo and a hot apple pie (those darn pies were always so hot!). As a child I loved listening to music, playing outside with my friends, watching tv/movies, and playing baseball. Baseball was my favorite sport, and I was pre y good at it too! In fact, a er high school, I had the opportunity to play minor league baseball, but I chose not to. That, however, is a story for another me. My parents were also devoted Catholics and were very involved in our local parish. I a ended St. Rose of Lima elementary school in Maywood, CA. and then graduated from Pius X High School in Downey, CA in 1990. I wasn't much of a scholar in High School. I even flunked Spanish! That means that a er gradua on I had to find employment. During a four-year period, I worked for many companies like Security Pacific Bank, La Abejita Mexican Candy Company, Frito Lay Inc., and Bank of America ...just to name a few. In 1993 I was in between jobs when I found myself at the local welfare office applying for medical benefits. I was wai ng in the lobby when I ran into a family friend who worked in that office. My friend told me that the County of Los Angeles was hiring Eligibility Workers and that I should apply. So, I did! On March 23, 1994, I was hired by the County of Los Angeles as an Eligibility Worker assigned to the East LA office, the same office where I went in to apply for benefits months earlier. I've now have been working for LA County for 28 years and I'm currently an HR manager with the Dept. of Health Services. Introducing Lazaro Alba International President: Black Sheep HDFC I met my wife Laura at the workplace in the mid-1990s. Laura was an office unit clerk, and she was (and s ll is!) a total knockout beauty. I used to take every opportunity to walk by her desk just to say "hi" and engage in some small talk and hopefully make her laugh. Some occasional flir ng led to our first date, which then lead to the beginning of our deeper rela onship. In the beginning, it was blissful! In me, however, problems began to surface. By early 2001 our rela onship was in a bad place, and we were in desperate need of help. God intervened in April of 2001 when Marty and Iliana Mendez, coworkers, and good friends of ours, invited Laura and me to a end a Wednesday night service at Calvary Chapel Golden Springs. On that Wednesday evening, we heard the message of the Gospel and Laura and I gave our lives to Jesus and our new life in Christ began. Laura and I have now been together for twenty-six years; married for seventeen. We are a blended family with four adult daughters, one adult son and three grandchildren. Before moving to Hesperia, CA earlier this year, we a ended and served at Calvary Chapel Chino Valley for more than fourteen years. We've been involved in many church ministries, including greeters, Sure Founda on, children's ministry, and couples' ministries. In 2020, I graduated from Calvary Chapel Bible College with a degree in theology and had the blessing to teach at the Bible college for a few semesters. Today, we a end Calvary Chapel High Desert. In 2007, Laura and I decided to buy a motorcycle to enjoy on the weekends and to use as a tool for ministry. We purchased a 2007 H-D So ail Deluxe and immediately we began to research all the local Chris an motorcycle ministries and clubs. We met with several M/Ms and MCs but didn't feel called to join any of them. It was a few months later that we were invited by a friend of ours, By Lazaro Alba