TESTIMONY
Arturo Castro: Finding His Rhythm
By Sheryl Fountain
The 700 Club
CBN.com
– Arturo Castro had a dream life as a rap star in the Manhattan music scene.
"I looked for the fame and the fortune," Arturo tells The 700 Club. "It just made me more fascinated with the lifestyle."
He was first introduced to music at his local church. He says, "I started learning rhythm and I became fascinated with watching the drums every Sunday."
When he was 12, he took a job at the church in exchange for praticing on their drums.
While he worked, Arturo noticed disturbing behaviors.
"I started noticing men becoming a little more too close with some of the young boys."
Soon it would affect him personally. One Sunday morning, during a service, Arturo begame the target... this time by a man in the congregation.
"He grabbed me and touched me inappropriately. I just jumped up and started punching him as hard as I could."
The ushers quickly removed Arturo and took him to the pastor’s office.
He explained what happened but the pastor thought he was lying and punished him.
Arturo was heartbroken and humiliated and left the church.
"I knew that I had to get out of there. I didn’t want to return to God because I didn’t trust Him."
He poured himself into music. "I was becoming so angry, but it was just an anger that just continued. I didn’t know who to talk to."
At 15, a musician heard his music and took Arturo under his wing.
"He started introducing me to more people, producers that were actually in the industry. They were willing to work with me, and I found myself in studios, which kept me out of the streets a lot of times."
His career took off, and he performed all over the New York City metro area. He says, "I was living like a rock star. I could pretty much get anything I want as long as people think that I’m going to be famous."
Musically, Arturo had found success in New York, but he was still waiting for his big break.
"Everyone around me was getting production deals, writing deals, and record deals but it never happened for me," Arturo says. "I became very frustrated and what it did was it started causing me to become even more violent and angry."
He married his live-in girlfriend, but his new found happiness was overshadowed by tragedy. Over the next few years, his mother, father and both grandmothers died. He was devastated and took his grief out on his wife.
"The first time I struck her it was because I had a lot of built up anger that I didn’t talk about. I took it out on her more and more, and she couldn’t go to work sometimes because of the abuse."
His wife became pregant and the abuse stopped. Arturo was excited about having a family, but when she miscarried, he blamed her.
"In my mind, I was going to kill her. She was still on bed rest and I remember just beating her."
His wife had finally had enough and moved out. Arturo’s life became a series of parties and affairs until he was broke and alone.
He became paranoid and was unable to sleep.
He decided to kill himself.
"I just put the gun to my head, and as I did that, this voice said, 'Arturo, I still love you.' As I was walking towards the door, something heavy pushed me back.
There was so much noise going on, it was like screeching sounds. I felt the room spinning or things being destroyed.
I was so afraid. I didn’t want to look.
I kept saying, 'Jesus' faster and louder and louder. I felt like I was screaming his name. When I finally came to, I just felt a sense of peace. I felt God there with me in that room.
I got down on my knees. I just started repenting and I asked God to come into my life."
Arturo returned to church and began reading his Bible.
"I felt God smiling at me and there’s no going back. He let me know it’s not going to be easy, but 'this time when you’re going down this road, I’m going to be with you.' God opened up my understanding and the Scriptures have come to life in my life."
He ran into his ex-wife and asked for her forgiveness. He recalls, "I had a chance to apologize, because I knew I needed to."
Several years later, Arturo met his current wife, Wenda.
They live in Maryland and have four children. With the support of his family, he returned to his musical roots.
"There was no question that God was calling me. I’ve been blessed and in awe of what’s been happening."
Since then, he released a gospel album entitled Real Love.
"The only person that can heal what we’ve been through is God.
I always dreamt that there was going to be success, but I didn’t dream it was going to be success in God."
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