March 14, 2025 • 43 mins
Once a talented baseball player whose dreams were shattered by four knee surgeries, Garrett found himself battling painkiller addiction while navigating his parents' divorce. Though he occasionally attended church and considered himself a Christian, he later realized he was merely religious without having a genuine relationship with Jesus.
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Episode Transcript
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Patina Ripkey (00:00):
So welcome to Alive.
I'm so glad that you guys havejoined me today.
I have the privilege ofinterviewing someone from my
church and he is a member of thePraise Band.
He plays the drums very well, Imight add to Kaylee, our
(00:28):
director of Children and FamilyMinistries at the church.
He also has three beautifuldaughters.
He is a girl dad, totally, 100%, and they are all absolutely
adorable, and he is a lieutenantin the Florida Fish and
Wildlife.
So it's pretty exciting and Iwill say this, I feel like I
have watched him grow in hisfaith tremendously since I've
(00:52):
been here.
So I want to welcome today toAlive Garrett Mendelsohn.
So welcome, thank you.
Are you like super excited andnot nervous at all?
Garrett Mendelson (01:00):
Yes, okay, good, just a little.
Patina Ripkey (01:03):
A little nervous.
So, to kind of break the ice alittle bit, you on occasion
visit our preschool right Inyour like role as Fish and
Wildlife, and so I heard thatyou brought an alligator, and
then I heard that you caught thealligator.
Yes, that morning.
Garrett Mendelson (01:25):
That's my go-to for when you have a bunch
of kids.
When you talk about what you do, it just kills the time and
everybody wants to hold it Well,most people, yeah.
Patina Ripkey (01:35):
I want to get to how you caught it.
Do you have a trap or do youget in the water?
Garrett Mendelson (01:41):
No, I don't get in the water.
It's a fishing pole with acertain type of hook on it and
you basically catch the gatorout of the water.
Sometimes, you're lucky,they're already on land If
they're on land.
Patina Ripkey (01:51):
What do you do?
Garrett Mendelson (01:52):
We have catch poles which basically you can
hold the gator down.
Patina Ripkey (01:55):
Oh, then you put it around their neck or
something, or what do you?
Garrett Mendelson (01:57):
do Basically.
Patina Ripkey (02:10):
And there's a way you could mouth closed.
But yeah, practice, it's ourcrocodile hunter, right?
Except they're not crocs.
But no, I think that's reallycool.
I love that.
I remember talking to you oneday and you said that you know
all the greatest places to goand kind of where to hang out
and be quiet with God.
Garrett Mendelson (02:18):
Yeah, it's nice, oh yeah.
Patina Ripkey (02:19):
I need to get those places from you.
You'll probably see me there ifI get that.
But so we've kind of passed orcrossed paths for a while in
discussing your life and yousaid, you know, maybe I want to
share my story, and we talkedabout it and then it kind of
went away, and not because weweren't open to it.
(02:39):
But you got busy, I got busy,and then it just wasn't like
priority.
Then it came back again, busy,I got busy, and then it just
wasn't like priority.
Then it came back again andthen finally we're like let's do
this thing.
I think you were the last oneto like I'm ready.
I take that as like God issaying do this right now.
So I'm real excited that you'rehere and you do have a
(03:00):
compelling story and I want youto begin, if you would, because
I like to give people abackground of what your
childhood was like so theyunderstand where you are and how
far you've come.
Garrett Mendelson (03:13):
Right.
So I grew up in Oviedo.
I had a good life, you know,grew up in a neighborhood,
played baseball since I was fouryears old, had a lot of friends
in the neighborhood, a lot offriends at school, and literally
probably most weekends, mostweeks, I was playing baseball
(03:34):
through elementary school intomiddle school, all the way
through high school.
So, yeah, I grew up we neverwent to church, we never really
talked about God.
It just wasn't a part of ourlife.
My dad is Jewish background andmy mom was a, was a Catholic,
and when they both got marriedit's actually interesting I
(03:56):
never really knew my mom'sparents due to that marriage.
And so, yeah, that was my mom'sparents.
Patina Ripkey (04:03):
Wait, you never knew your mom's parents because
they weren't happy that rightwow, did they like completely
stop talking to her?
Basically yes so you stilldon't, you still you know, no,
wow, okay, that's superinteresting, right and we were
close with my grandparents on mydad's side um were they
practicing Jews?
(04:25):
Did they practice their faith?
No, okay, were they Jews bylike their nationality?
Or yes, pretty much Okay.
Where did they live?
Did they live around here too?
Garrett Mendelson (04:36):
My grandma lived in Boca.
My grandfather died when I waspretty young, okay, but they
both lived down there, yeah, soyour father was Jewish, but he
did not practice his faith.
Patina Ripkey (04:42):
Your mother was Catholic.
Did she practice her?
So yeah, so your father wasJewish, but he did not practice
his faith.
Your mother was Catholic.
Did she practice her?
So okay, so, neither one ofthem.
So you knew they had areligious background, but you
never went to church or anythinglike that the only thing I
remember growing up is mygrandma would.
Garrett Mendelson (04:58):
She would mention God and that was about
it.
But I would see my friendsgoing to church.
A lot of people go to church.
Talk about it.
I was scared to go to churchbecause I've never been.
Patina Ripkey (05:09):
I mean, that's a really good lesson, isn't it?
Garrett Mendelson (05:10):
Yeah.
Patina Ripkey (05:11):
Like to know that people are actually scared to
go to church because it'sforeign and unknown.
It is a weird thing to go.
I don't just want to walk inand what's going to happen and
something crazy.
And there's a lot of thingsthat you can see online or hear,
so, depending on the church, sothat's really interesting.
So you played baseball.
You also said when I wastalking to you earlier that you
(05:32):
kind of had two separate lives alittle bit.
Garrett Mendelson (05:34):
I did.
When I was in middle school Igot into music and I played
guitar and I had like twodifferent groups of friends.
I had my sports friends andthen I had the group of friends
where we were in a band.
Basically growing up, my momsaid if you're going to be in a
band, we'll have the drum sethere so you guys can play at our
house which thinking back nowthat's kind of insane to be all
(05:59):
the noise at the house.
But probably just so she couldmake sure I'm okay.
Patina Ripkey (06:02):
Absolutely.
Garrett Mendelson (06:05):
We would just come to the house and we had a
cover band where we would justplay like screamo music.
Patina Ripkey (06:10):
Did you play out or did you just at your house
play?
Garrett Mendelson (06:13):
We played at our house.
We played at like the eighthgrade barbecue.
We played at, I think, winterSprings High School one time.
That's awesome yeah.
Patina Ripkey (06:22):
No, so you had baseball and you had music.
Those were kind of your go-to.
You said that your dad was likeall into your baseball and was
there at every.
Garrett Mendelson (06:32):
My dad coached me when I was younger
and then, as I got older, weplayed on travel teams and he
was just very involved.
Patina Ripkey (06:39):
Yeah, so what happened to baseball?
So what happened to baseball?
Garrett Mendelson (06:44):
So when I was in high school freshman,
sophomore year, sometime earlyin high school I started getting
injured and I was with the.
You know I played competitivelymy whole life.
I was like to think I waspretty good, but I just kept
getting injured.
Basically, I never reallyplayed a full season because I
(07:04):
had four knee surgeries.
So through those knee surgeriesand everything, I realized that
I'm not going to be able toplay sports anymore.
Patina Ripkey (07:10):
Yeah, so that was kind of your dream.
Garrett Mendelson (07:14):
Did you want to be a professional player?
Yeah, that was my first dream,for sure.
Patina Ripkey (07:17):
So when you went through the surgeries, what were
the surgeries?
They were like reconstructed ortorn.
Garrett Mendelson (07:28):
I tore my ACL .
I had that repaired.
I dislocated my kneecap andbroke it.
That was the most painful one.
Oh yeah, basically it was likeovercompensating.
So it was two on each knee.
Wow, I would come back and tryto go back to baseball too soon
and then I hurt the other side.
Patina Ripkey (07:46):
Oh yeah.
So then you said that becauseof that you got addicted to
painkillers.
Garrett Mendelson (07:54):
Right, Yep.
I was prescribed heavy and highdose of painkillers for a long
time and then became reliant onit and it was like the perfect
storm.
My parents when I was in highschool got divorced, so I was no
longer playing baseball andthen relying on painkillers.
Patina Ripkey (08:14):
Wow, so your parents get divorced.
You have all these surgeries.
Your dream dies.
You're hooked on painkillers.
Yes, wow, that's a lot.
And then you still have yourband Right, but the band is kind
of.
Garrett Mendelson (08:31):
Yeah, they've gone their own separate way as
well, and a few of them just.
We just lost touch and neverreally hung out anymore, and I
basically just quit music atthat point.
Patina Ripkey (08:49):
So tell me what it's like to be in a situation
where the doctor has prescribedyou medicine that's very strong.
I mean that you just continuetaking because you're like this
is what you do when you havesurgery.
When did you know that you weredependent on them?
Garrett Mendelson (09:08):
When I started looking elsewhere
besides what I was beingprescribed.
Oh, my goodness yeah that'swhen you realize you have a
problem.
Patina Ripkey (09:15):
So you went to the doctor.
You would run out and you'relike I've got to get.
So what was the?
Because I don't know thefeeling.
What is the feeling Like, areyou scared that you're going to
hurt or be in pain, or you knowwhat were you looking for?
Garrett Mendelson (09:31):
Honestly, I don't even know.
Eventually, your body justbecomes physically dependent on
it and that's really.
You just try to take themedicine so you feel normal.
Yeah, normal.
Patina Ripkey (09:41):
Yeah, so how long of a period of time would you
say you were actually addictedor dependent upon?
Several years, was it really?
I mean, I look at you now andgo.
There's no way.
Garrett Mendelson (09:54):
Yeah, and it was very interesting.
I was able to like, maintainlike my normal life through it
as well.
I went to college.
I'm very blessed where I'm atnow.
Patina Ripkey (10:09):
Yes, you probably recognize it in people.
Yes, yes, when did you breakfree what happened?
Garrett Mendelson (10:18):
I knew what I wanted to do for a job and I
knew what was right and I sawthe path with some other people.
What happens if you go downthat road and honestly, I have
good parents that, basically,you know, made me as well.
Patina Ripkey (10:35):
Did you go to like rehab or something?
Garrett Mendelson (10:37):
No, I never actually went to rehab.
You know, I saw, talked tosomeone, went to a different
doctor and therapist and allthat stuff.
Patina Ripkey (10:46):
Do you think that if you hadn't suffered so much
through your parents' divorce,losing your dreams, losing your
friends even, that you wouldhave been as inclined to take
the medication for that periodof time?
Garrett Mendelson (11:07):
I don't know.
Honestly, I'm not sure.
I feel like, yeah, I'm nottotally sure.
Patina Ripkey (11:15):
Yeah, but that's an interesting thing that it can
.
A lot of people can continueliving their lives doing all the
stuff.
Garrett Mendelson (11:26):
Yeah, it was a functioning.
Patina Ripkey (11:28):
Yeah, functioning .
And then you're like I thinkit's really good, because you
said that your passion wasbaseball, but you obviously had
another passion.
Garrett Mendelson (11:38):
Right yeah.
Which was the outdoors, and Yep, excuse me All through high
school.
Yeah, that was definitely mygoal when I went to college,
knowing that's what I wanted todo.
Yeah, that was definitely mygoal, and I went to college
knowing that's what I wanted todo.
Patina Ripkey (11:48):
I love that.
So how?
And Florida too.
It's like so nasty in thesummer.
Side note do you get bit bymosquitoes all the time or do
they hate you?
I?
Garrett Mendelson (12:00):
do, do you?
Actually?
Funny story Yesterday in thefellowship hall, while we were
eating, I had a tick curling onmy arm and I used one of the
knives because you have to cutit in half, yeah.
Patina Ripkey (12:13):
You're like I've been outside all day.
Garrett Mendelson (12:14):
Yes, so that happens a lot.
That's funny.
Patina Ripkey (12:17):
Wow.
So how in the world did you Iknow you, I don't know when you
married Kaylee in the whole?
Garrett Mendelson (12:26):
So I've known Kaylee since fifth grade but I
always tell her I thought I wastoo cool for her.
She was like the perfect girl,never did anything wrong, and
you know, just like somebodythat I knew where I was at in
life and it wouldn't have workedout then.
So it definitely worked outwhen it was supposed to.
Patina Ripkey (12:45):
Yeah, that's really cool Cause I love Kaylee.
She's so smart, so good at whatshe does.
Garrett Mendelson (12:53):
And then we started like dating.
Once I got out of the academycause, we spent seven months in
Tallahassee.
Okay, Once I got back, I knew Iwas ready to.
You know, I have a real, myreal job.
I knew I was ready to.
You know, I have my real job, Ihave a career.
I'm ready to settle down fully.
Patina Ripkey (13:08):
Aw.
So how in the world did you endup in church?
Garrett Mendelson (13:12):
So my first initial bring to church was a
girlfriend I had in high school.
Her family went to actually theCarillon Church, okay, and I
would just go there.
That was my first you know timeever going to church and I
would just go and listen andbasically that was my like
introduction into Jesus and Godand and you know Christianity
(13:35):
and what the church is.
So I was, I was starting topray through when I was having
issues with you know, mydependency on painkillers, and I
thought I had a relationshipwith God.
I thought I was a Christian.
At that point I just felt like,now that I go to church, I'm a
(13:57):
Christian.
That was my mindset andeverything will be okay.
Patina Ripkey (14:02):
So yeah, no, I think that's a really, really
great distinction, because Ithink there's a lot of people
who go to church and thinkthey're a Christian.
We, I just had to talk about it.
I talk about it all the time,you know, even in the Alpha
course, because you can go to aBaptist church, a Methodist
(14:23):
church, a Catholic church, youcan go to a lot of different
places and you can think you'rea Christian.
But if you don't have, ifyou've not surrendered your life
to Christ, and you don't havethe Holy Spirit it's about
having the Holy Spirit thenyou're not a Christian, right,
you're religious.
Yeah.
Garrett Mendelson (14:41):
Right, and that's what I ended up being.
I would just identify like,yeah, I go to church.
Yeah, I'm a Christian.
Now I'm one of these people andI thought I was, and that's
what's kind of funny.
Even I distinctly rememberKaylee's dad asking me when I
asked him to marry Kaylee.
You know, he asked me thatquestion like are you a
(15:03):
Christian, are you going toraise your children that way?
And I was like, yeah, like whywould he even ask me that?
And I always think back to thatnow and it's like I thought I
was even then and then I didn'trealize till later.
You know, I wasn't there yet.
I didn't really fully surrendermyself and have a relationship
with Jesus.
Patina Ripkey (15:22):
I love the way that the Holy Spirit works.
So I love this is why one ofthe reasons I love the Methodist
tradition is that we believethat the grace of God draws us
to repentance, so to the pointwhere, like he's good to us, you
know, until we turn, you know,and then we like finally, like,
(15:43):
realize he's been there allalong, and we call that
provenient grace, the grace thatgoes before and draws us.
And we call that provenientgrace the grace that goes before
and draws us.
So, even though you weren'tnecessarily saved or converted
or born again, whatever, youwere having an experience where
(16:03):
you were being drawn to that.
So how did you finallysurrender, or what happened?
Garrett Mendelson (16:09):
I got really sick in I don't even remember
exactly when, but several yearsback from COVID, and I remember
being at work doing my normalthing and it was the first time
ever.
I looked at the person I waswith and I was like I got to go
home.
And I went home and I'm likeI'm really sick and Kaylee, you
(16:32):
know, took the girls I think itwas just May and Millie at the
time took them to her mom's tostay and I was just laying there
and I remember feeling like Iwas dying.
My sister is in the medicalfield she's a nurse, anesthetist
so I'm texting her asking herwhat I should do.
And then I remember walkingoutside and I was wearing just
(16:56):
shorts and no t-shirt and Icalled 911 because I was going
to pass out.
And then I actually have asecurity camera and I saw you
see me like actually kind ofpass out and lay down on the
driveway.
Patina Ripkey (17:07):
Oh, my goodness, and.
Garrett Mendelson (17:08):
I went in the ambulance to the hospital and
stayed there for 14 days and Iwas in a room that was about the
size of a king size bed.
Patina Ripkey (17:19):
The hospitals were really packed, weren't they
?
Garrett Mendelson (17:20):
Very packed.
I was in a room like that.
When they walked in they werewearing like the Ebola suits,
like, and nobody knew anythingor what to tell me.
Patina Ripkey (17:33):
So, yeah, you know, it kind of transports me
back to those days of how and Iwasn't in the hospital but all
of the things that were going onat that time, right.
So there you are.
Your family can't see you.
Then no, you're just.
Do you have your phone?
Garrett Mendelson (17:45):
I had my phone and I was able to talk.
You know people would reach outto me and nobody really knew
what to say.
And you know Kaylee kept beingthe one to talk to the nurses
and doctors to try to figure out.
And she also was sick herself,you know.
But she didn't get to thatpoint.
And I remember a nurse walkingin.
It was like at midnight orsomething.
(18:07):
She walked in.
I was like day midnight orsomething.
She walked in.
I was like day 11 or 12.
And she was like, if youroxygen doesn't get above 88%,
you're going to go on aventilator.
And I was like, well, that's,you know, normally not a good
thing.
So I remember she said I had tolay on my stomach for what was
it?
24 hours with the little heartmonitor on me, and that was
(18:30):
where my true relationship withJesus began.
Patina Ripkey (18:34):
I need Jesus now.
Garrett Mendelson (18:36):
I mean, honestly, I didn't know what
else to do and I realized all Ihad to do, and it was from there
on I started paying attentionto all of the blessings and all
of the things that God ispresenting in front of me in
life, and it just went fromthere.
That was my moment of likebreaking down, and I remember
Kaylee like she's just been thatperson, like she's been a
(19:01):
Christian her whole life, she'shad a relationship with Jesus
and she was, you know, reallyreally doing something for me
then, like with what she wassaying and what we would talk
about.
Patina Ripkey (19:12):
So you did, you go on a ventilator.
Garrett Mendelson (19:15):
I did not.
I laid on my stomach for 24hours when I first started
listening to worship music.
There you go.
That's what got you Wow.
Patina Ripkey (19:27):
So you're listening to worship music.
You're taking it all in,because worship music is like
prayer.
Right, it's like if you don'tknow what to pray, put on some
praise.
There was a song, wasn't there?
A song you sent me?
Oh no, I can't remember thename of it.
I think it was like right afterthat time.
It was so pretty.
Now I'm derailing this, but Iwas wondering if it was one of
(19:52):
the songs that you would listento while you were laying there.
So did you tell them that youweren't going to go on the
ventilator?
Garrett Mendelson (19:58):
Yeah, I basically said, no, I know that
that's probably not the rightthing to do.
And they're basically saying,well, you're going to have to.
And I'm like, well, this isweird.
I'm in a hospital room.
I really, you know I'm going tomake my own decision, but I
also want to do what they thinkI'm going to live.
So it was a weird spot.
I never went on it and I toldthem I didn't want to, because I
(20:19):
just knew that wasn't the rightanswer.
Patina Ripkey (20:22):
Yeah, and how many people went on a ventilator
at that time?
Garrett Mendelson (20:25):
A lot and never.
Patina Ripkey (20:30):
Yeah, exactly, it's like.
It's almost like you neededyour lungs to be working on
their own to get through it, andyou were.
I mean, you're so young, you'reyounger than you are now.
Garrett Mendelson (20:37):
And that's what the doctors kept telling me
and I was like oh, thank youguys.
They're like well, this is ananomaly, typically someone like
you, we're not in this situation.
I'm like okay, thank you herewe are, here we are.
Patina Ripkey (20:50):
I'm like, okay, thank you, here we are, here we
are.
I'm not happy to be the anomalyon this one.
Yeah, so you lay on yourstomach for 24 hours, you start
listening to worship music andthen, after 24 hours, what
happened?
Garrett Mendelson (21:03):
It started to slowly go up.
I started, I got above 88% andthey ended up letting me go home
when my oxygen, I think, was at93%.
I think normal is like 98 to 99.
Okay, and you definitely don'twant to stand up fast when
you're in the 80s, like that'syou can pass out, okay.
So yeah, once I it was a slowprocess, I think it was 14 total
(21:26):
days I went home, but it wasn'tlike I was going home healthy.
Yeah, I went home, but itwasn't like I was going home
healthy.
I went home.
I remember walking to the endof the driveway to get the mail
and I had to go back inside andsit down and it was frustrating
because you know we have littlekids that don't understand what
that is Like.
Dad can't play right now.
Patina Ripkey (21:43):
Right.
Garrett Mendelson (21:45):
Yeah, it was a process.
I lost my voice completely.
Patina Ripkey (21:47):
Yes, we were talking about that.
So, just so everyone knows,when you I remember seeing you
because we were all praying foryou, you know, I mean we were
just like how could this even behappening?
So many weird things happenedduring that year, or whenever
that was and you came walkinginto the fellowship hall and it
was just like you know Garrett'shere and you came over to me
(22:10):
and I really didn't know you, Imean, I knew a little bit, but I
really didn't know you and you,you had this raspy voice and
said, do you need a drummer?
And I was like, what you know,do you?
And I said, uh, yes, do youplay?
I used to.
And I was like, okay, you're in, you know you still need yeah.
(22:30):
So did you make that decisionto play?
Garrett Mendelson (22:32):
because so it was a couple of weeks after I
got home.
I was doing better, but I stilldidn't have a voice.
And we came to church on Sundayand it just happened to be a
Sunday when there was no drummer.
And I remember sitting therethinking you can't have, like,
praise and worship and liveother instruments and not have
drums.
It's, that's not the same.
(22:53):
I was like I used to have adrum set, even though I played
guitar.
I'll just say I play drums andsee if they need someone, and I
just thought I'd fill in and Iremember like, okay, I have a
job that's, you know, takes alot.
It it's a crazy schedule.
I'll just say I could maybe doonce a month or possibly just
(23:14):
try every other month.
I remember saying that, yeah,and then I remember after
playing it'd be like okay, Imight be able to do once a month
, I might be able to do twice amonth.
So it was just yeah.
Patina Ripkey (23:26):
Well, you're an excellent drummer.
And I say excellent because Imean there are so many reasons
that I could say, but one of thereasons is because I can tell
that you are feeling the musicyou know.
And it's funny because I love,like, the psalms and they talk
about the drums and the you know, all these rhythmic instruments
(23:50):
being played, and I think youknow in my simple mind that in
heaven there's going to be someunbelievable drumming going on.
Yeah, you know, I really reallydo.
I don't, because the Bible'sDavid was clear, you know, when
he was writing.
I mean, there's just somethingabout the beat of a drum.
(24:11):
So, yeah, I'm like always, Iwas thrilled and I, you know god
works and he does work inmysterious ways.
And it's fascinating to me thatyou played drums in high school
.
It probably, it was a goodexperience, but then it ended up
like kind of leading youprobably down well, that's
what's interesting.
Garrett Mendelson (24:31):
So when I stopped playing with the band
and I had to stop listening tomusic really I had to stop
listening to music I waslistening to because it was not
good for me.
It just wasn't good music tobegin with and yeah it was, and
I was like, well, I guess Iwon't ever do that again pretty
much mindset on it.
So when I was able to fastforward to now and fall in love
(24:53):
with you know, playing worshipmusic on drums, it was like wow.
I never thought that I would beable to enjoy music again.
Patina Ripkey (25:03):
It's interesting the effect that music has,
whether it's positive ornegative, you know, and not that
this is totally relevant to thediscussion, but Lucifer had
like, he was like a musicalinstrument, you know.
So it can be good or bad, Right, and so it's great to use your
(25:26):
gift and there's such greatworship music now that it's I
love it, right.
So it's amazing Now.
So you got through, you gotback, you're in church now.
You healed.
Did you ever fully recover, bythe way, from COVID or do you
still have, like, the effects ofit?
Garrett Mendelson (25:44):
I'll have some random stuff here and there
, but I've fully recovered.
I remember going to a fewdoctors lung doctors and they
put me through random tests andI was like I'm not going to do
this anymore.
I felt like I'm young andhealthy and I was starting to
get treated almost like a labrat because there wasn't a lot
of information on my age andwhat we're doing.
(26:07):
So one of the doctors actuallysaid that and that was when I
decided okay, I'm going to stopdoing that and move on.
Yeah, so I'm fully recovered.
I will have some random like ifI get sick, sometimes I'll feel
it.
I had pneumonia a couple oftimes.
Patina Ripkey (26:24):
But do you get bronchitis pretty easily Okay.
Garrett Mendelson (26:27):
I got pneumonia I think two times
since COVID.
Patina Ripkey (26:30):
Yeah, they say once you get it, it's easier to
get yeah.
So so that was that in 2020 orwas that the beginning of 2021?
Do you remember when that was?
Garrett Mendelson (26:42):
I want to say it was 2020.
Patina Ripkey (26:45):
Yeah.
Garrett Mendelson (26:45):
No, it was 2021.
Patina Ripkey (26:48):
Okay, Because your girls?
I don't know how old they.
Garrett Mendelson (26:52):
Yeah, I'm not , I don't really remember
exactly.
Patina Ripkey (26:56):
Because that was so you had.
Then you end up having anotherbaby and then, but when?
So you had another massiveevent that happened in your life
.
Garrett Mendelson (27:06):
Yes.
Patina Ripkey (27:07):
Which was your father-in-law?
Garrett Mendelson (27:09):
Right, when was?
Patina Ripkey (27:10):
that that was a couple years ago, wasn't it?
Yes?
Garrett Mendelson (27:12):
And it was between Christmas and New Year's
and basically that yearKaylee's sister lives in North
Carolina.
That year they didn't come downfor Christmas, so we spent
Christmas with Kaylee's parentsand after that we went up to the
mountains of Georgia where mymom lived and they went to North
(27:33):
Carolina to go see that sideand do Christmas with them and
they were eating lunch or dinnerI think it was lunch in like
South Carolina.
They lived right on the borderand we were actually driving
home from my mom's.
We had just hit the Floridaline from Georgia and we got a
(27:55):
phone call from Kaylee's sisterthat her dad wasn't conscious on
the floor.
They called 911.
And he ended up dying and wehad turned from right there and
drove straight to North Carolinaand that changed the course of
our lives immensely, obviously.
Yeah, unexpected at arestaurant.
Patina Ripkey (28:17):
Yeah, and it's a.
You can't ever plan for it,even when someone's been sick,
but it's a shock to the brainand so it takes a long time to
kind of move through the shockand then get into the grief.
It's a weird process and thenthere you are.
(28:38):
You're having Kaylee's alwaysbeen a strong one, right?
Did it change how you were asfar as, like, your spiritual
growth?
Like, did you have to become?
Garrett Mendelson (28:48):
Yeah, I basically did.
I felt like I did, and sheremained strong through the
whole thing.
But you know she had to grieveand had to figure that out for
herself.
So, yeah, I kind of felt the itwas my turn to be the strong
one this time.
Patina Ripkey (29:05):
Yeah, because yes , oh, and for the whole family
too, because the whole familywas probably just, I know they
were in a complete state ofshock and uproar and it still
affects.
So it's been, has it been twoor three years?
Two.
Yeah it's been two A little bitover two years now, so it takes
a long time to move throughthat.
Garrett Mendelson (29:24):
Oh yeah.
Patina Ripkey (29:25):
You don't ever get over it Right.
Long time to move through that.
Oh yeah, you don't ever getover it Right, you know you.
Just you learn how to kind ofcope with it.
So you went through that.
So now you had, you know, covid, you recover from that.
Then you have this situationwith your father-in-law.
What has happened the mostrecently that's changed your
walk with God.
Garrett Mendelson (29:47):
Most recently was this Christmas, this past
Christmas.
It was a normal Christmas andthen all of a sudden, maggie,
who was she's not two yet, shewas young Kaylee, and this part
of the story I just am sothankful for.
So we are pretty hardcore withour children and make them take
(30:10):
naps in their crib and for somereason, this one time Kaylee
decided to lay Maggie down inthe bed with her to take a nap.
Before we went to go see my mom, I went into the kitchen and I
was doing the dishes we're stillin our pajamas and Kaylee just
like yells my name.
I could tell it was not thenormal, like just trying to get
my attention, something waswrong and I walked, ran into the
(30:34):
room and I just see Maggie.
She's holding Maggie up likeMaggie and I'm looking at her.
I'm like she's turning purple.
She's not like.
It looked like she was dead ordying familiar right, you're
familiar.
Right.
So through work, like I've seen, unfortunately, children
drowned, I've seen, you know,I've been in.
(30:54):
There was different accidents,there was drownings that I've
been involved in, that noteverybody gets to, and then the
differences through work.
You know it's my calling, Ifeel like my job and I'm able to
do it and I'm able to be theperson like somebody has to do
it and you know it affects you,but you're able to work through
(31:16):
at the moment and I rememberlooking at Maggie like I'm not
going to be able to do this.
I can't go into work mode rightnow.
I'm her dad and I just grabbedher from Kaylee and I'm telling
Kaylee call 911.
That's all I remember istelling Kaylee to call 911 and
then praying and because there'slike nothing, like she wasn't,
(31:37):
she didn't need CPR becauseevery now and again she would be
breathing, but it wasn't like anormal breathe.
So I was just going in thiscute loop running around outside
.
I ran outside to like get freshair you had her with you, I was
holding Maggie just trying tolike do everything through work
that I was trained, that I knewto do.
But it was a, it was adifferent experience.
(31:59):
It felt like two hours, but itwas five minutes from when
Kaylee and she was freaking outherself.
We had, you know, may andMillie there, and they're six,
or at the time, six and four,six and five, yeah, and they
were just processing it fromthat perspective, seeing us
freaking out.
We're trying to keep them calm,but we're also freaking out.
(32:20):
Yes, oh, my goodness, theambulance comes and she, you
know, comes back too.
And it was crazy because I waswas a wreck and Kaylee went in
the ambulance, went to thehospital and then I stayed at
the house with the other girlsuntil Kaylee's mom came so she
could watch them, and I justremember Kaylee calling me and
you can hear Maggie in thebackground sounding normal again
(32:42):
.
So I'm like what is going on?
Like nobody knows what happened?
Um, and so then we go to thehospital, the emergency room.
She has a fever, and they'relike, yeah, sometimes this
happens, she's sick, and we'restill freaking out, like we just
had this event happen at thehouse.
We thought she was dying and sowe literally signed the papers
(33:04):
to discharge from the emergencyroom and as Kaylee stands up so
she could go, she had like throwup and everything all over her
when she could go change.
It just happened again and shejust went limp again and I'm
like this is not normal.
So I'm yelling at the ER.
The doctors come running in.
I remember the nurse, actuallylike the one who's supposed to
(33:27):
be there, knowing what to do.
I just remember her looking atus going oh no.
And I remember the nurseactually like the one who's
supposed to be there, knowingwhat to do.
I just remember her looking atus going oh no.
And I'm like no, you have gotto be doing your job right now.
Please don't say oh no.
And I just started prayingthere again and I just knew it
was going to be okay, like wewere.
She had her two seizures, youknow where, like if she would
(33:52):
have had it in her crib, whoknows, she could have choked.
I think there's a reason thatKaylee laid down with her on the
bed.
Yeah, I'm very thankful forthat.
And then the second onehappening at the place where
they were able to, while she washaving a seizure, you know, run
the fluids through her and putall the monitors on her that she
was refusing before that.
Patina Ripkey (34:10):
So did they find out what was wrong.
Garrett Mendelson (34:13):
They did some testing and she went to the
unit I forget what the unit'scalled, but anyways, they said
it was due to her having a feverand the drastic change in
temperature.
It was due to her having afever and the drastic change in
temperature, so we got the newsthat it could never happen again
, or it might happen severaltimes again until she's six.
(34:35):
Oh my goodness, and we're likeOK, at least we know now what it
is, because the first time wedidn't know what was going on.
Patina Ripkey (34:42):
So what did you learn about your faith and God
in that circumstance?
Garrett Mendelson (34:46):
I just learned that I like praying.
Through everything, praying isthe first thing to do, praying
is what gets you through andtrusting and just being there
and praying is what I never usedto do.
I used to want to do it, whichis funny, and now it's like my
first go-to, and me and Kayleetalk about it all the time, like
(35:11):
going through a lot of thethings that we've gone through,
like I don't know how people doit without Jesus, because it is
a complete.
You always have that joy andpeace, even through everything,
and I truly feel that now, yeah,and it's pretty amazing.
Patina Ripkey (35:38):
I heard, years and years ago, a friend of mine
when my husband and I were goingthrough like a whole season of
you know I've talked about it ofno income and I was really
stressing out and the guy whowas a coach of our son's
football team, I was telling himabout it and he said, are you
trusting God?
And I was like, apparently not.
You know, he goes if you'retrusting God, just trust God.
(35:59):
That's what he asks.
Whatever the outcome, trust God.
And so the whole year for mewas learning how to do that,
learning how to trust God.
And it didn't come easily forme.
It came through sleeplessnights and getting up and
opening my Bible and reading theBible out loud and you know,
(36:20):
you said this, you said that andI got to trust you in this
Taking my Bible and fallingasleep with it.
You know it becomes like, notthat, the, it's the word, it's
God's life and it changes howyou live your life and it sounds
like that's what happened toyou.
Garrett Mendelson (36:39):
Definitely yeah.
Patina Ripkey (36:40):
Which is fantastic, Like why does it take
, why does it?
Take all this, you know.
Garrett Mendelson (36:46):
Yeah.
Patina Ripkey (36:46):
But it it does.
We have to learn to depend upontrusting god means depending
upon god, um, and that's reallyhard for us to do, right?
Um, I want to you you hadsomething else really cool and I
, before we wrap up today, um,that I don't want to forget to
talk about, and that is your dadoh yeah let's talk a little bit
(37:07):
about what happened with him.
Garrett Mendelson (37:09):
Yeah, so I remember, you know I would pray
and I would always have that oneprayer like well, that's not
going to happen, I don't thinkthat would happen.
You know, God just doesn'tunderstand.
Patina Ripkey (37:25):
And for your dad, right yeah?
Garrett Mendelson (37:30):
For my dad, you know, to know him and to
actually, you know, learn aboutit at the minimum and have a
relationship, and so it's reallyawesome.
We both got baptized together.
Um, and when I, we golf, youknow, pretty regularly, like
once a month, and when I see himnow he's, you know, with his
friends at the same church afamily friend of his and they
(37:53):
just talk about the Bible and doBible studies together and it's
the coolest thing in the worldto see because you know most,
you picture it going the otherway.
You know the dad teaching theson that, so it's awesome.
You know the dad teaching theson that, so it's awesome.
And I'm just super proud thatyou know for him and happy for
(38:14):
him because I've seen a hugechange in him through this.
Yeah, and it's just anothermiracle that you get to watch.
Patina Ripkey (38:24):
Well, and does he attribute any of that to you
and your life?
Garrett Mendelson (38:29):
Yeah, and he has told me that and he has, you
know, his close friend fromback when we were younger as
well, and he just now that'swhat we talk about and it's just
cool.
I love that, yeah.
Patina Ripkey (38:45):
And that's recent .
Like you guys got baptizedabout a year ago, didn't you?
Yeah, yeah, that's phenomenal.
I mean, I didn't want to forgetthat because you know that's a
huge blessing.
Oh yeah, you've had a lot ofheartache, but you've had a lot
of blessing too.
Garrett Mendelson (39:01):
Yes, definitely.
Patina Ripkey (39:03):
If you could look back on your younger self, what
would you say to your youngerself?
Garrett Mendelson (39:11):
Just, I mean, the only thing missing in my
life I remember when I waslittle was Jesus and was that
peace and that like just beingat peace, and I didn't have that
.
So there was always somethingmissing.
It didn't matter, you know, Igot straight A's, it didn't
matter, I was't have that.
So there was always somethingmissing.
It didn't matter, you know, Igot straight A's, it didn't
(39:31):
matter, that was great at sports.
There was always that when Iwould go to bed at night, piece
missing, and I would just belike you just need to get it now
and enjoy it while you're young, through your years.
But I honestly wouldn't changeanything because I'm the type of
person I feel now Looking back.
I honestly wouldn't changeanything because I'm the type of
person I feel now looking back,I needed to go through all that
to get to where I am, otherwiseI just wouldn't learn.
(39:53):
I have to learn the hard way.
Patina Ripkey (39:56):
Yeah right, yeah, same.
Here you can look, I can lookback now at my life and think
about the things that I've gonethrough and go.
You know, I needed that tohappen.
I mean honestly for me becausemy dad died when I was 24.
I needed that to happen.
I mean honestly for me becausemy dad died when I was 24.
And so when I look back, I meanit took me a good while to see
(40:18):
how it changed me and to see apositive side.
I mean it's hard to say thatbut it's been many, many years.
I mean he died in 1990, so itwas a long time ago.
But the shift for me happenedwhen I he had been gone about 10
years and I remember I wouldalways like for 10 years because
(40:39):
I was really close to my dad,when something good happened or
bad, I just wanted to call mydad, you know.
And then one day I rememberjust thinking I need to talk to
the Lord about this and it waslike wait a minute, the Lord is
my heavenly father.
So it like switched in my mind.
It was just crazy.
Garrett Mendelson (41:03):
So you know, I can see now that you know God
always wanted to be the one.
Patina Ripkey (41:06):
So you, when you came to me and said you wanted
to tell your story, just let'send on that, like, why did you
want, why did you feel youwanted to tell your story?
Garrett Mendelson (41:24):
Well, actually you know I got involved
with the youth some and Iremember going and sharing some
of my story with the youth andthen I've been doing a Bible
study recently where it's thetopic that we're talking about
and I've always wanted to talkabout.
You know my story and mytestimony could help someone
else and you know how much it'sbenefited me to hear other
people's story.
So, you know, doing the Biblestudy and getting that nudge and
(41:46):
your reminder to me just mademe want to come here and share
the news.
Patina Ripkey (41:53):
I think that's perfect.
And so in closing I'll say thisthat so we're doing the life's
choices and from the book Life'sHealing Choices and the last
chapter, I'm closing out thewhole series this week and the
last chapter is wait, let methink of how they called it
Recycling Our Pain, and I'm likethat's a very interesting title
(42:14):
, but it's what it's about.
What he's saying is what we gothrough should become our story
to others, and that is ourgospel message.
And I've always said you knowall these people who say you
have to have all these versesmemorized and it's like no, tell
what God did for you, right,and so this Sunday you're going
to hear that.
(42:34):
But that's what that is.
The gospel message is sharingwith others what Christ has done
for you, and then you know whoChrist, you can get into, who
Jesus is, and all that.
But you start with your story,yeah, so I really appreciate you
.
Garrett Mendelson (42:52):
Yeah, thank you for having me.
Patina Ripkey (42:53):
Oh, my goodness, I hope this inspires other
people to call me and go.
Hey, I want to do that too.
Yeah, so appreciate the time.
Good having you today.
Thanks.
So welcome to Alive.
I'm so glad that you guys havejoined me today.
I have the privilege ofinterviewing someone from my
church and he is a member of thePraise Band.
He plays the drums very well, Imight add to Kaylee, our
(00:28):
director of Children and FamilyMinistries at the church.
He also has three beautifuldaughters.
He is a girl dad, totally, 100%, and they are all absolutely
adorable, and he is a lieutenantin the Florida Fish and
Wildlife.
So it's pretty exciting and Iwill say this, I feel like I
have watched him grow in hisfaith tremendously since I've
(00:52):
been here.
So I want to welcome today toAlive Garrett Mendelsohn.
So welcome, thank you.
Are you like super excited andnot nervous at all?
Garrett Mendelson (01:00):
Yes, okay, good, just a little.
Patina Ripkey (01:03):
A little nervous.
So, to kind of break the ice alittle bit, you on occasion
visit our preschool right Inyour like role as Fish and
Wildlife, and so I heard thatyou brought an alligator, and
then I heard that you caught thealligator.
Yes, that morning.
Garrett Mendelson (01:25):
That's my go-to for when you have a bunch
of kids.
When you talk about what you do, it just kills the time and
everybody wants to hold it Well,most people, yeah.
Patina Ripkey (01:35):
I want to get to how you caught it.
Do you have a trap or do youget in the water?
Garrett Mendelson (01:41):
No, I don't get in the water.
It's a fishing pole with acertain type of hook on it and
you basically catch the gatorout of the water.
Sometimes, you're lucky,they're already on land If
they're on land.
Patina Ripkey (01:51):
What do you do?
Garrett Mendelson (01:52):
We have catch poles which basically you can
hold the gator down.
Patina Ripkey (01:55):
Oh, then you put it around their neck or
something, or what do you?
Garrett Mendelson (01:57):
do Basically.
Patina Ripkey (02:10):
And there's a way you could mouth closed.
But yeah, practice, it's ourcrocodile hunter, right?
Except they're not crocs.
But no, I think that's reallycool.
I love that.
I remember talking to you oneday and you said that you know
all the greatest places to goand kind of where to hang out
and be quiet with God.
Garrett Mendelson (02:18):
Yeah, it's nice, oh yeah.
Patina Ripkey (02:19):
I need to get those places from you.
You'll probably see me there ifI get that.
But so we've kind of passed orcrossed paths for a while in
discussing your life and yousaid, you know, maybe I want to
share my story, and we talkedabout it and then it kind of
went away, and not because weweren't open to it.
(02:39):
But you got busy, I got busy,and then it just wasn't like
priority.
Then it came back again, busy,I got busy, and then it just
wasn't like priority.
Then it came back again andthen finally we're like let's do
this thing.
I think you were the last oneto like I'm ready.
I take that as like God issaying do this right now.
So I'm real excited that you'rehere and you do have a
(03:00):
compelling story and I want youto begin, if you would, because
I like to give people abackground of what your
childhood was like so theyunderstand where you are and how
far you've come.
Garrett Mendelson (03:13):
Right.
So I grew up in Oviedo.
I had a good life, you know,grew up in a neighborhood,
played baseball since I was fouryears old, had a lot of friends
in the neighborhood, a lot offriends at school, and literally
probably most weekends, mostweeks, I was playing baseball
(03:34):
through elementary school intomiddle school, all the way
through high school.
So, yeah, I grew up we neverwent to church, we never really
talked about God.
It just wasn't a part of ourlife.
My dad is Jewish background andmy mom was a, was a Catholic,
and when they both got marriedit's actually interesting I
(03:56):
never really knew my mom'sparents due to that marriage.
And so, yeah, that was my mom'sparents.
Patina Ripkey (04:03):
Wait, you never knew your mom's parents because
they weren't happy that rightwow, did they like completely
stop talking to her?
Basically yes so you stilldon't, you still you know, no,
wow, okay, that's superinteresting, right and we were
close with my grandparents on mydad's side um were they
practicing Jews?
(04:25):
Did they practice their faith?
No, okay, were they Jews bylike their nationality?
Or yes, pretty much Okay.
Where did they live?
Did they live around here too?
Garrett Mendelson (04:36):
My grandma lived in Boca.
My grandfather died when I waspretty young, okay, but they
both lived down there, yeah, soyour father was Jewish, but he
did not practice his faith.
Patina Ripkey (04:42):
Your mother was Catholic.
Did she practice her?
So yeah, so your father wasJewish, but he did not practice
his faith.
Your mother was Catholic.
Did she practice her?
So okay, so, neither one ofthem.
So you knew they had areligious background, but you
never went to church or anythinglike that the only thing I
remember growing up is mygrandma would.
Garrett Mendelson (04:58):
She would mention God and that was about
it.
But I would see my friendsgoing to church.
A lot of people go to church.
Talk about it.
I was scared to go to churchbecause I've never been.
Patina Ripkey (05:09):
I mean, that's a really good lesson, isn't it?
Garrett Mendelson (05:10):
Yeah.
Patina Ripkey (05:11):
Like to know that people are actually scared to
go to church because it'sforeign and unknown.
It is a weird thing to go.
I don't just want to walk inand what's going to happen and
something crazy.
And there's a lot of thingsthat you can see online or hear,
so, depending on the church, sothat's really interesting.
So you played baseball.
You also said when I wastalking to you earlier that you
(05:32):
kind of had two separate lives alittle bit.
Garrett Mendelson (05:34):
I did.
When I was in middle school Igot into music and I played
guitar and I had like twodifferent groups of friends.
I had my sports friends andthen I had the group of friends
where we were in a band.
Basically growing up, my momsaid if you're going to be in a
band, we'll have the drum sethere so you guys can play at our
house which thinking back nowthat's kind of insane to be all
(05:59):
the noise at the house.
But probably just so she couldmake sure I'm okay.
Patina Ripkey (06:02):
Absolutely.
Garrett Mendelson (06:05):
We would just come to the house and we had a
cover band where we would justplay like screamo music.
Patina Ripkey (06:10):
Did you play out or did you just at your house
play?
Garrett Mendelson (06:13):
We played at our house.
We played at like the eighthgrade barbecue.
We played at, I think, winterSprings High School one time.
That's awesome yeah.
Patina Ripkey (06:22):
No, so you had baseball and you had music.
Those were kind of your go-to.
You said that your dad was likeall into your baseball and was
there at every.
Garrett Mendelson (06:32):
My dad coached me when I was younger
and then, as I got older, weplayed on travel teams and he
was just very involved.
Patina Ripkey (06:39):
Yeah, so what happened to baseball?
So what happened to baseball?
Garrett Mendelson (06:44):
So when I was in high school freshman,
sophomore year, sometime earlyin high school I started getting
injured and I was with the.
You know I played competitivelymy whole life.
I was like to think I waspretty good, but I just kept
getting injured.
Basically, I never reallyplayed a full season because I
(07:04):
had four knee surgeries.
So through those knee surgeriesand everything, I realized that
I'm not going to be able toplay sports anymore.
Patina Ripkey (07:10):
Yeah, so that was kind of your dream.
Garrett Mendelson (07:14):
Did you want to be a professional player?
Yeah, that was my first dream,for sure.
Patina Ripkey (07:17):
So when you went through the surgeries, what were
the surgeries?
They were like reconstructed ortorn.
Garrett Mendelson (07:28):
I tore my ACL .
I had that repaired.
I dislocated my kneecap andbroke it.
That was the most painful one.
Oh yeah, basically it was likeovercompensating.
So it was two on each knee.
Wow, I would come back and tryto go back to baseball too soon
and then I hurt the other side.
Patina Ripkey (07:46):
Oh yeah.
So then you said that becauseof that you got addicted to
painkillers.
Garrett Mendelson (07:54):
Right, Yep.
I was prescribed heavy and highdose of painkillers for a long
time and then became reliant onit and it was like the perfect
storm.
My parents when I was in highschool got divorced, so I was no
longer playing baseball andthen relying on painkillers.
Patina Ripkey (08:14):
Wow, so your parents get divorced.
You have all these surgeries.
Your dream dies.
You're hooked on painkillers.
Yes, wow, that's a lot.
And then you still have yourband Right, but the band is kind
of.
Garrett Mendelson (08:31):
Yeah, they've gone their own separate way as
well, and a few of them just.
We just lost touch and neverreally hung out anymore, and I
basically just quit music atthat point.
Patina Ripkey (08:49):
So tell me what it's like to be in a situation
where the doctor has prescribedyou medicine that's very strong.
I mean that you just continuetaking because you're like this
is what you do when you havesurgery.
When did you know that you weredependent on them?
Garrett Mendelson (09:08):
When I started looking elsewhere
besides what I was beingprescribed.
Oh, my goodness yeah that'swhen you realize you have a
problem.
Patina Ripkey (09:15):
So you went to the doctor.
You would run out and you'relike I've got to get.
So what was the?
Because I don't know thefeeling.
What is the feeling Like, areyou scared that you're going to
hurt or be in pain, or you knowwhat were you looking for?
Garrett Mendelson (09:31):
Honestly, I don't even know.
Eventually, your body justbecomes physically dependent on
it and that's really.
You just try to take themedicine so you feel normal.
Yeah, normal.
Patina Ripkey (09:41):
Yeah, so how long of a period of time would you
say you were actually addictedor dependent upon?
Several years, was it really?
I mean, I look at you now andgo.
There's no way.
Garrett Mendelson (09:54):
Yeah, and it was very interesting.
I was able to like, maintainlike my normal life through it
as well.
I went to college.
I'm very blessed where I'm atnow.
Patina Ripkey (10:09):
Yes, you probably recognize it in people.
Yes, yes, when did you breakfree what happened?
Garrett Mendelson (10:18):
I knew what I wanted to do for a job and I
knew what was right and I sawthe path with some other people.
What happens if you go downthat road and honestly, I have
good parents that, basically,you know, made me as well.
Patina Ripkey (10:35):
Did you go to like rehab or something?
Garrett Mendelson (10:37):
No, I never actually went to rehab.
You know, I saw, talked tosomeone, went to a different
doctor and therapist and allthat stuff.
Patina Ripkey (10:46):
Do you think that if you hadn't suffered so much
through your parents' divorce,losing your dreams, losing your
friends even, that you wouldhave been as inclined to take
the medication for that periodof time?
Garrett Mendelson (11:07):
I don't know.
Honestly, I'm not sure.
I feel like, yeah, I'm nottotally sure.
Patina Ripkey (11:15):
Yeah, but that's an interesting thing that it can
.
A lot of people can continueliving their lives doing all the
stuff.
Garrett Mendelson (11:26):
Yeah, it was a functioning.
Patina Ripkey (11:28):
Yeah, functioning .
And then you're like I thinkit's really good, because you
said that your passion wasbaseball, but you obviously had
another passion.
Garrett Mendelson (11:38):
Right yeah.
Which was the outdoors, and Yep, excuse me All through high
school.
Yeah, that was definitely mygoal when I went to college,
knowing that's what I wanted todo.
Yeah, that was definitely mygoal, and I went to college
knowing that's what I wanted todo.
Patina Ripkey (11:48):
I love that.
So how?
And Florida too.
It's like so nasty in thesummer.
Side note do you get bit bymosquitoes all the time or do
they hate you?
I?
Garrett Mendelson (12:00):
do, do you?
Actually?
Funny story Yesterday in thefellowship hall, while we were
eating, I had a tick curling onmy arm and I used one of the
knives because you have to cutit in half, yeah.
Patina Ripkey (12:13):
You're like I've been outside all day.
Garrett Mendelson (12:14):
Yes, so that happens a lot.
That's funny.
Patina Ripkey (12:17):
Wow.
So how in the world did you Iknow you, I don't know when you
married Kaylee in the whole?
Garrett Mendelson (12:26):
So I've known Kaylee since fifth grade but I
always tell her I thought I wastoo cool for her.
She was like the perfect girl,never did anything wrong, and
you know, just like somebodythat I knew where I was at in
life and it wouldn't have workedout then.
So it definitely worked outwhen it was supposed to.
Patina Ripkey (12:45):
Yeah, that's really cool Cause I love Kaylee.
She's so smart, so good at whatshe does.
Garrett Mendelson (12:53):
And then we started like dating.
Once I got out of the academycause, we spent seven months in
Tallahassee.
Okay, Once I got back, I knew Iwas ready to.
You know, I have a real, myreal job.
I knew I was ready to.
You know, I have my real job, Ihave a career.
I'm ready to settle down fully.
Patina Ripkey (13:08):
Aw.
So how in the world did you endup in church?
Garrett Mendelson (13:12):
So my first initial bring to church was a
girlfriend I had in high school.
Her family went to actually theCarillon Church, okay, and I
would just go there.
That was my first you know timeever going to church and I
would just go and listen andbasically that was my like
introduction into Jesus and Godand and you know Christianity
(13:35):
and what the church is.
So I was, I was starting topray through when I was having
issues with you know, mydependency on painkillers, and I
thought I had a relationshipwith God.
I thought I was a Christian.
At that point I just felt like,now that I go to church, I'm a
(13:57):
Christian.
That was my mindset andeverything will be okay.
Patina Ripkey (14:02):
So yeah, no, I think that's a really, really
great distinction, because Ithink there's a lot of people
who go to church and thinkthey're a Christian.
We, I just had to talk about it.
I talk about it all the time,you know, even in the Alpha
course, because you can go to aBaptist church, a Methodist
(14:23):
church, a Catholic church, youcan go to a lot of different
places and you can think you'rea Christian.
But if you don't have, ifyou've not surrendered your life
to Christ, and you don't havethe Holy Spirit it's about
having the Holy Spirit thenyou're not a Christian, right,
you're religious.
Yeah.
Garrett Mendelson (14:41):
Right, and that's what I ended up being.
I would just identify like,yeah, I go to church.
Yeah, I'm a Christian.
Now I'm one of these people andI thought I was, and that's
what's kind of funny.
Even I distinctly rememberKaylee's dad asking me when I
asked him to marry Kaylee.
You know, he asked me thatquestion like are you a
(15:03):
Christian, are you going toraise your children that way?
And I was like, yeah, like whywould he even ask me that?
And I always think back to thatnow and it's like I thought I
was even then and then I didn'trealize till later.
You know, I wasn't there yet.
I didn't really fully surrendermyself and have a relationship
with Jesus.
Patina Ripkey (15:22):
I love the way that the Holy Spirit works.
So I love this is why one ofthe reasons I love the Methodist
tradition is that we believethat the grace of God draws us
to repentance, so to the pointwhere, like he's good to us, you
know, until we turn, you know,and then we like finally, like,
(15:43):
realize he's been there allalong, and we call that
provenient grace, the grace thatgoes before and draws us.
And we call that provenientgrace the grace that goes before
and draws us.
So, even though you weren'tnecessarily saved or converted
or born again, whatever, youwere having an experience where
(16:03):
you were being drawn to that.
So how did you finallysurrender, or what happened?
Garrett Mendelson (16:09):
I got really sick in I don't even remember
exactly when, but several yearsback from COVID, and I remember
being at work doing my normalthing and it was the first time
ever.
I looked at the person I waswith and I was like I got to go
home.
And I went home and I'm likeI'm really sick and Kaylee, you
(16:32):
know, took the girls I think itwas just May and Millie at the
time took them to her mom's tostay and I was just laying there
and I remember feeling like Iwas dying.
My sister is in the medicalfield she's a nurse, anesthetist
so I'm texting her asking herwhat I should do.
And then I remember walkingoutside and I was wearing just
(16:56):
shorts and no t-shirt and Icalled 911 because I was going
to pass out.
And then I actually have asecurity camera and I saw you
see me like actually kind ofpass out and lay down on the
driveway.
Patina Ripkey (17:07):
Oh, my goodness, and.
Garrett Mendelson (17:08):
I went in the ambulance to the hospital and
stayed there for 14 days and Iwas in a room that was about the
size of a king size bed.
Patina Ripkey (17:19):
The hospitals were really packed, weren't they
?
Garrett Mendelson (17:20):
Very packed.
I was in a room like that.
When they walked in they werewearing like the Ebola suits,
like, and nobody knew anythingor what to tell me.
Patina Ripkey (17:33):
So, yeah, you know, it kind of transports me
back to those days of how and Iwasn't in the hospital but all
of the things that were going onat that time, right.
So there you are.
Your family can't see you.
Then no, you're just.
Do you have your phone?
Garrett Mendelson (17:45):
I had my phone and I was able to talk.
You know people would reach outto me and nobody really knew
what to say.
And you know Kaylee kept beingthe one to talk to the nurses
and doctors to try to figure out.
And she also was sick herself,you know.
But she didn't get to thatpoint.
And I remember a nurse walkingin.
It was like at midnight orsomething.
(18:07):
She walked in.
I was like day midnight orsomething.
She walked in.
I was like day 11 or 12.
And she was like, if youroxygen doesn't get above 88%,
you're going to go on aventilator.
And I was like, well, that's,you know, normally not a good
thing.
So I remember she said I had tolay on my stomach for what was
it?
24 hours with the little heartmonitor on me, and that was
(18:30):
where my true relationship withJesus began.
Patina Ripkey (18:34):
I need Jesus now.
Garrett Mendelson (18:36):
I mean, honestly, I didn't know what
else to do and I realized all Ihad to do, and it was from there
on I started paying attentionto all of the blessings and all
of the things that God ispresenting in front of me in
life, and it just went fromthere.
That was my moment of likebreaking down, and I remember
Kaylee like she's just been thatperson, like she's been a
(19:01):
Christian her whole life, she'shad a relationship with Jesus
and she was, you know, reallyreally doing something for me
then, like with what she wassaying and what we would talk
about.
Patina Ripkey (19:12):
So you did, you go on a ventilator.
Garrett Mendelson (19:15):
I did not.
I laid on my stomach for 24hours when I first started
listening to worship music.
There you go.
That's what got you Wow.
Patina Ripkey (19:27):
So you're listening to worship music.
You're taking it all in,because worship music is like
prayer.
Right, it's like if you don'tknow what to pray, put on some
praise.
There was a song, wasn't there?
A song you sent me?
Oh no, I can't remember thename of it.
I think it was like right afterthat time.
It was so pretty.
Now I'm derailing this, but Iwas wondering if it was one of
(19:52):
the songs that you would listento while you were laying there.
So did you tell them that youweren't going to go on the
ventilator?
Garrett Mendelson (19:58):
Yeah, I basically said, no, I know that
that's probably not the rightthing to do.
And they're basically saying,well, you're going to have to.
And I'm like, well, this isweird.
I'm in a hospital room.
I really, you know I'm going tomake my own decision, but I
also want to do what they thinkI'm going to live.
So it was a weird spot.
I never went on it and I toldthem I didn't want to, because I
(20:19):
just knew that wasn't the rightanswer.
Patina Ripkey (20:22):
Yeah, and how many people went on a ventilator
at that time?
Garrett Mendelson (20:25):
A lot and never.
Patina Ripkey (20:30):
Yeah, exactly, it's like.
It's almost like you neededyour lungs to be working on
their own to get through it, andyou were.
I mean, you're so young, you'reyounger than you are now.
Garrett Mendelson (20:37):
And that's what the doctors kept telling me
and I was like oh, thank youguys.
They're like well, this is ananomaly, typically someone like
you, we're not in this situation.
I'm like okay, thank you herewe are, here we are.
Patina Ripkey (20:50):
I'm like, okay, thank you, here we are, here we
are.
I'm not happy to be the anomalyon this one.
Yeah, so you lay on yourstomach for 24 hours, you start
listening to worship music andthen, after 24 hours, what
happened?
Garrett Mendelson (21:03):
It started to slowly go up.
I started, I got above 88% andthey ended up letting me go home
when my oxygen, I think, was at93%.
I think normal is like 98 to 99.
Okay, and you definitely don'twant to stand up fast when
you're in the 80s, like that'syou can pass out, okay.
So yeah, once I it was a slowprocess, I think it was 14 total
(21:26):
days I went home, but it wasn'tlike I was going home healthy.
Yeah, I went home, but itwasn't like I was going home
healthy.
I went home.
I remember walking to the endof the driveway to get the mail
and I had to go back inside andsit down and it was frustrating
because you know we have littlekids that don't understand what
that is Like.
Dad can't play right now.
Patina Ripkey (21:43):
Right.
Garrett Mendelson (21:45):
Yeah, it was a process.
I lost my voice completely.
Patina Ripkey (21:47):
Yes, we were talking about that.
So, just so everyone knows,when you I remember seeing you
because we were all praying foryou, you know, I mean we were
just like how could this even behappening?
So many weird things happenedduring that year, or whenever
that was and you came walkinginto the fellowship hall and it
was just like you know Garrett'shere and you came over to me
(22:10):
and I really didn't know you, Imean, I knew a little bit, but I
really didn't know you and you,you had this raspy voice and
said, do you need a drummer?
And I was like, what you know,do you?
And I said, uh, yes, do youplay?
I used to.
And I was like, okay, you're in, you know you still need yeah.
(22:30):
So did you make that decisionto play?
Garrett Mendelson (22:32):
because so it was a couple of weeks after I
got home.
I was doing better, but I stilldidn't have a voice.
And we came to church on Sundayand it just happened to be a
Sunday when there was no drummer.
And I remember sitting therethinking you can't have, like,
praise and worship and liveother instruments and not have
drums.
It's, that's not the same.
(22:53):
I was like I used to have adrum set, even though I played
guitar.
I'll just say I play drums andsee if they need someone, and I
just thought I'd fill in and Iremember like, okay, I have a
job that's, you know, takes alot.
It it's a crazy schedule.
I'll just say I could maybe doonce a month or possibly just
(23:14):
try every other month.
I remember saying that, yeah,and then I remember after
playing it'd be like okay, Imight be able to do once a month
, I might be able to do twice amonth.
So it was just yeah.
Patina Ripkey (23:26):
Well, you're an excellent drummer.
And I say excellent because Imean there are so many reasons
that I could say, but one of thereasons is because I can tell
that you are feeling the musicyou know.
And it's funny because I love,like, the psalms and they talk
about the drums and the you know, all these rhythmic instruments
(23:50):
being played, and I think youknow in my simple mind that in
heaven there's going to be someunbelievable drumming going on.
Yeah, you know, I really reallydo.
I don't, because the Bible'sDavid was clear, you know, when
he was writing.
I mean, there's just somethingabout the beat of a drum.
(24:11):
So, yeah, I'm like always, Iwas thrilled and I, you know god
works and he does work inmysterious ways.
And it's fascinating to me thatyou played drums in high school
.
It probably, it was a goodexperience, but then it ended up
like kind of leading youprobably down well, that's
what's interesting.
Garrett Mendelson (24:31):
So when I stopped playing with the band
and I had to stop listening tomusic really I had to stop
listening to music I waslistening to because it was not
good for me.
It just wasn't good music tobegin with and yeah it was, and
I was like, well, I guess Iwon't ever do that again pretty
much mindset on it.
So when I was able to fastforward to now and fall in love
(24:53):
with you know, playing worshipmusic on drums, it was like wow.
I never thought that I would beable to enjoy music again.
Patina Ripkey (25:03):
It's interesting the effect that music has,
whether it's positive ornegative, you know, and not that
this is totally relevant to thediscussion, but Lucifer had
like, he was like a musicalinstrument, you know.
So it can be good or bad, Right, and so it's great to use your
(25:26):
gift and there's such greatworship music now that it's I
love it, right.
So it's amazing Now.
So you got through, you gotback, you're in church now.
You healed.
Did you ever fully recover, bythe way, from COVID or do you
still have, like, the effects ofit?
Garrett Mendelson (25:44):
I'll have some random stuff here and there
, but I've fully recovered.
I remember going to a fewdoctors lung doctors and they
put me through random tests andI was like I'm not going to do
this anymore.
I felt like I'm young andhealthy and I was starting to
get treated almost like a labrat because there wasn't a lot
of information on my age andwhat we're doing.
(26:07):
So one of the doctors actuallysaid that and that was when I
decided okay, I'm going to stopdoing that and move on.
Yeah, so I'm fully recovered.
I will have some random like ifI get sick, sometimes I'll feel
it.
I had pneumonia a couple oftimes.
Patina Ripkey (26:24):
But do you get bronchitis pretty easily Okay.
Garrett Mendelson (26:27):
I got pneumonia I think two times
since COVID.
Patina Ripkey (26:30):
Yeah, they say once you get it, it's easier to
get yeah.
So so that was that in 2020 orwas that the beginning of 2021?
Do you remember when that was?
Garrett Mendelson (26:42):
I want to say it was 2020.
Patina Ripkey (26:45):
Yeah.
Garrett Mendelson (26:45):
No, it was 2021.
Patina Ripkey (26:48):
Okay, Because your girls?
I don't know how old they.
Garrett Mendelson (26:52):
Yeah, I'm not , I don't really remember
exactly.
Patina Ripkey (26:56):
Because that was so you had.
Then you end up having anotherbaby and then, but when?
So you had another massiveevent that happened in your life
.
Garrett Mendelson (27:06):
Yes.
Patina Ripkey (27:07):
Which was your father-in-law?
Garrett Mendelson (27:09):
Right, when was?
Patina Ripkey (27:10):
that that was a couple years ago, wasn't it?
Yes?
Garrett Mendelson (27:12):
And it was between Christmas and New Year's
and basically that yearKaylee's sister lives in North
Carolina.
That year they didn't come downfor Christmas, so we spent
Christmas with Kaylee's parentsand after that we went up to the
mountains of Georgia where mymom lived and they went to North
(27:33):
Carolina to go see that sideand do Christmas with them and
they were eating lunch or dinnerI think it was lunch in like
South Carolina.
They lived right on the borderand we were actually driving
home from my mom's.
We had just hit the Floridaline from Georgia and we got a
(27:55):
phone call from Kaylee's sisterthat her dad wasn't conscious on
the floor.
They called 911.
And he ended up dying and wehad turned from right there and
drove straight to North Carolinaand that changed the course of
our lives immensely, obviously.
Yeah, unexpected at arestaurant.
Patina Ripkey (28:17):
Yeah, and it's a.
You can't ever plan for it,even when someone's been sick,
but it's a shock to the brainand so it takes a long time to
kind of move through the shockand then get into the grief.
It's a weird process and thenthere you are.
(28:38):
You're having Kaylee's alwaysbeen a strong one, right?
Did it change how you were asfar as, like, your spiritual
growth?
Like, did you have to become?
Garrett Mendelson (28:48):
Yeah, I basically did.
I felt like I did, and sheremained strong through the
whole thing.
But you know she had to grieveand had to figure that out for
herself.
So, yeah, I kind of felt the itwas my turn to be the strong
one this time.
Patina Ripkey (29:05):
Yeah, because yes , oh, and for the whole family
too, because the whole familywas probably just, I know they
were in a complete state ofshock and uproar and it still
affects.
So it's been, has it been twoor three years?
Two.
Yeah it's been two A little bitover two years now, so it takes
a long time to move throughthat.
Garrett Mendelson (29:24):
Oh yeah.
Patina Ripkey (29:25):
You don't ever get over it Right.
Long time to move through that.
Oh yeah, you don't ever getover it Right, you know you.
Just you learn how to kind ofcope with it.
So you went through that.
So now you had, you know, covid, you recover from that.
Then you have this situationwith your father-in-law.
What has happened the mostrecently that's changed your
walk with God.
Garrett Mendelson (29:47):
Most recently was this Christmas, this past
Christmas.
It was a normal Christmas andthen all of a sudden, maggie,
who was she's not two yet, shewas young Kaylee, and this part
of the story I just am sothankful for.
So we are pretty hardcore withour children and make them take
(30:10):
naps in their crib and for somereason, this one time Kaylee
decided to lay Maggie down inthe bed with her to take a nap.
Before we went to go see my mom, I went into the kitchen and I
was doing the dishes we're stillin our pajamas and Kaylee just
like yells my name.
I could tell it was not thenormal, like just trying to get
my attention, something waswrong and I walked, ran into the
(30:34):
room and I just see Maggie.
She's holding Maggie up likeMaggie and I'm looking at her.
I'm like she's turning purple.
She's not like.
It looked like she was dead ordying familiar right, you're
familiar.
Right.
So through work, like I've seen, unfortunately, children
drowned, I've seen, you know,I've been in.
(30:54):
There was different accidents,there was drownings that I've
been involved in, that noteverybody gets to, and then the
differences through work.
You know it's my calling, Ifeel like my job and I'm able to
do it and I'm able to be theperson like somebody has to do
it and you know it affects you,but you're able to work through
(31:16):
at the moment and I rememberlooking at Maggie like I'm not
going to be able to do this.
I can't go into work mode rightnow.
I'm her dad and I just grabbedher from Kaylee and I'm telling
Kaylee call 911.
That's all I remember istelling Kaylee to call 911 and
then praying and because there'slike nothing, like she wasn't,
(31:37):
she didn't need CPR becauseevery now and again she would be
breathing, but it wasn't like anormal breathe.
So I was just going in thiscute loop running around outside
.
I ran outside to like get freshair you had her with you, I was
holding Maggie just trying tolike do everything through work
that I was trained, that I knewto do.
But it was a, it was adifferent experience.
(31:59):
It felt like two hours, but itwas five minutes from when
Kaylee and she was freaking outherself.
We had, you know, may andMillie there, and they're six,
or at the time, six and four,six and five, yeah, and they
were just processing it fromthat perspective, seeing us
freaking out.
We're trying to keep them calm,but we're also freaking out.
(32:20):
Yes, oh, my goodness, theambulance comes and she, you
know, comes back too.
And it was crazy because I waswas a wreck and Kaylee went in
the ambulance, went to thehospital and then I stayed at
the house with the other girlsuntil Kaylee's mom came so she
could watch them, and I justremember Kaylee calling me and
you can hear Maggie in thebackground sounding normal again
(32:42):
.
So I'm like what is going on?
Like nobody knows what happened?
Um, and so then we go to thehospital, the emergency room.
She has a fever, and they'relike, yeah, sometimes this
happens, she's sick, and we'restill freaking out, like we just
had this event happen at thehouse.
We thought she was dying and sowe literally signed the papers
(33:04):
to discharge from the emergencyroom and as Kaylee stands up so
she could go, she had like throwup and everything all over her
when she could go change.
It just happened again and shejust went limp again and I'm
like this is not normal.
So I'm yelling at the ER.
The doctors come running in.
I remember the nurse, actuallylike the one who's supposed to
(33:27):
be there, knowing what to do.
I just remember her looking atus going oh no.
And I remember the nurseactually like the one who's
supposed to be there, knowingwhat to do.
I just remember her looking atus going oh no.
And I'm like no, you have gotto be doing your job right now.
Please don't say oh no.
And I just started prayingthere again and I just knew it
was going to be okay, like wewere.
She had her two seizures, youknow where, like if she would
(33:52):
have had it in her crib, whoknows, she could have choked.
I think there's a reason thatKaylee laid down with her on the
bed.
Yeah, I'm very thankful forthat.
And then the second onehappening at the place where
they were able to, while she washaving a seizure, you know, run
the fluids through her and putall the monitors on her that she
was refusing before that.
Patina Ripkey (34:10):
So did they find out what was wrong.
Garrett Mendelson (34:13):
They did some testing and she went to the
unit I forget what the unit'scalled, but anyways, they said
it was due to her having a feverand the drastic change in
temperature.
It was due to her having afever and the drastic change in
temperature, so we got the newsthat it could never happen again
, or it might happen severaltimes again until she's six.
(34:35):
Oh my goodness, and we're likeOK, at least we know now what it
is, because the first time wedidn't know what was going on.
Patina Ripkey (34:42):
So what did you learn about your faith and God
in that circumstance?
Garrett Mendelson (34:46):
I just learned that I like praying.
Through everything, praying isthe first thing to do, praying
is what gets you through andtrusting and just being there
and praying is what I never usedto do.
I used to want to do it, whichis funny, and now it's like my
first go-to, and me and Kayleetalk about it all the time, like
(35:11):
going through a lot of thethings that we've gone through,
like I don't know how people doit without Jesus, because it is
a complete.
You always have that joy andpeace, even through everything,
and I truly feel that now, yeah,and it's pretty amazing.
Patina Ripkey (35:38):
I heard, years and years ago, a friend of mine
when my husband and I were goingthrough like a whole season of
you know I've talked about it ofno income and I was really
stressing out and the guy whowas a coach of our son's
football team, I was telling himabout it and he said, are you
trusting God?
And I was like, apparently not.
You know, he goes if you'retrusting God, just trust God.
(35:59):
That's what he asks.
Whatever the outcome, trust God.
And so the whole year for mewas learning how to do that,
learning how to trust God.
And it didn't come easily forme.
It came through sleeplessnights and getting up and
opening my Bible and reading theBible out loud and you know,
(36:20):
you said this, you said that andI got to trust you in this
Taking my Bible and fallingasleep with it.
You know it becomes like, notthat, the, it's the word, it's
God's life and it changes howyou live your life and it sounds
like that's what happened toyou.
Garrett Mendelson (36:39):
Definitely yeah.
Patina Ripkey (36:40):
Which is fantastic, Like why does it take
, why does it?
Take all this, you know.
Garrett Mendelson (36:46):
Yeah.
Patina Ripkey (36:46):
But it it does.
We have to learn to depend upontrusting god means depending
upon god, um, and that's reallyhard for us to do, right?
Um, I want to you you hadsomething else really cool and I
, before we wrap up today, um,that I don't want to forget to
talk about, and that is your dadoh yeah let's talk a little bit
(37:07):
about what happened with him.
Garrett Mendelson (37:09):
Yeah, so I remember, you know I would pray
and I would always have that oneprayer like well, that's not
going to happen, I don't thinkthat would happen.
You know, God just doesn'tunderstand.
Patina Ripkey (37:25):
And for your dad, right yeah?
Garrett Mendelson (37:30):
For my dad, you know, to know him and to
actually, you know, learn aboutit at the minimum and have a
relationship, and so it's reallyawesome.
We both got baptized together.
Um, and when I, we golf, youknow, pretty regularly, like
once a month, and when I see himnow he's, you know, with his
friends at the same church afamily friend of his and they
(37:53):
just talk about the Bible and doBible studies together and it's
the coolest thing in the worldto see because you know most,
you picture it going the otherway.
You know the dad teaching theson that, so it's awesome.
You know the dad teaching theson that, so it's awesome.
And I'm just super proud thatyou know for him and happy for
(38:14):
him because I've seen a hugechange in him through this.
Yeah, and it's just anothermiracle that you get to watch.
Patina Ripkey (38:24):
Well, and does he attribute any of that to you
and your life?
Garrett Mendelson (38:29):
Yeah, and he has told me that and he has, you
know, his close friend fromback when we were younger as
well, and he just now that'swhat we talk about and it's just
cool.
I love that, yeah.
Patina Ripkey (38:45):
And that's recent .
Like you guys got baptizedabout a year ago, didn't you?
Yeah, yeah, that's phenomenal.
I mean, I didn't want to forgetthat because you know that's a
huge blessing.
Oh yeah, you've had a lot ofheartache, but you've had a lot
of blessing too.
Garrett Mendelson (39:01):
Yes, definitely.
Patina Ripkey (39:03):
If you could look back on your younger self, what
would you say to your youngerself?
Garrett Mendelson (39:11):
Just, I mean, the only thing missing in my
life I remember when I waslittle was Jesus and was that
peace and that like just beingat peace, and I didn't have that
.
So there was always somethingmissing.
It didn't matter, you know, Igot straight A's, it didn't
matter, I was't have that.
So there was always somethingmissing.
It didn't matter, you know, Igot straight A's, it didn't
(39:31):
matter, that was great at sports.
There was always that when Iwould go to bed at night, piece
missing, and I would just belike you just need to get it now
and enjoy it while you're young, through your years.
But I honestly wouldn't changeanything because I'm the type of
person I feel now Looking back.
I honestly wouldn't changeanything because I'm the type of
person I feel now looking back,I needed to go through all that
to get to where I am, otherwiseI just wouldn't learn.
(39:53):
I have to learn the hard way.
Patina Ripkey (39:56):
Yeah right, yeah, same.
Here you can look, I can lookback now at my life and think
about the things that I've gonethrough and go.
You know, I needed that tohappen.
I mean honestly for me becausemy dad died when I was 24.
I needed that to happen.
I mean honestly for me becausemy dad died when I was 24.
And so when I look back, I meanit took me a good while to see
(40:18):
how it changed me and to see apositive side.
I mean it's hard to say thatbut it's been many, many years.
I mean he died in 1990, so itwas a long time ago.
But the shift for me happenedwhen I he had been gone about 10
years and I remember I wouldalways like for 10 years because
(40:39):
I was really close to my dad,when something good happened or
bad, I just wanted to call mydad, you know.
And then one day I rememberjust thinking I need to talk to
the Lord about this and it waslike wait a minute, the Lord is
my heavenly father.
So it like switched in my mind.
It was just crazy.
Garrett Mendelson (41:03):
So you know, I can see now that you know God
always wanted to be the one.
Patina Ripkey (41:06):
So you, when you came to me and said you wanted
to tell your story, just let'send on that, like, why did you
want, why did you feel youwanted to tell your story?
Garrett Mendelson (41:24):
Well, actually you know I got involved
with the youth some and Iremember going and sharing some
of my story with the youth andthen I've been doing a Bible
study recently where it's thetopic that we're talking about
and I've always wanted to talkabout.
You know my story and mytestimony could help someone
else and you know how much it'sbenefited me to hear other
people's story.
So, you know, doing the Biblestudy and getting that nudge and
(41:46):
your reminder to me just mademe want to come here and share
the news.
Patina Ripkey (41:53):
I think that's perfect.
And so in closing I'll say thisthat so we're doing the life's
choices and from the book Life'sHealing Choices and the last
chapter, I'm closing out thewhole series this week and the
last chapter is wait, let methink of how they called it
Recycling Our Pain, and I'm likethat's a very interesting title
(42:14):
, but it's what it's about.
What he's saying is what we gothrough should become our story
to others, and that is ourgospel message.
And I've always said you knowall these people who say you
have to have all these versesmemorized and it's like no, tell
what God did for you, right,and so this Sunday you're going
to hear that.
(42:34):
But that's what that is.
The gospel message is sharingwith others what Christ has done
for you, and then you know whoChrist, you can get into, who
Jesus is, and all that.
But you start with your story,yeah, so I really appreciate you
.
Garrett Mendelson (42:52):
Yeah, thank you for having me.
Patina Ripkey (42:53):
Oh, my goodness, I hope this inspires other
people to call me and go.
Hey, I want to do that too.
Yeah, so appreciate the time.
Good having you today.
Thanks.
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