Testimonies
By GAYLE Erickson
BB IN THE HOUSE!
all have stories, we all
have pasts; places that
we have been and places where we
never want to return. I am first
generation Mexican American. My
father left when I was only two
years old due to a life of drugs and
other abuse. As a child I endured
physical, sexual, and mental
abuse. I was undernourished, tor-
tured, homeless, and uneducat-
ed. My mother raised me and my
two younger siblings until I was
eleven years old. Then she aban-
doned us in downtown Reno at the
Circus Circus Hotel & Casino.
But even in all of this, my God
had a plan for me; a special and
W E
Ken “BB” Schneider
unique purpose for my life. I
believe that the day my mother
abandoned us is the day that
saved my life. We were placed in
foster care and I met my earthly
saviors, my foster parents, Mars
and Michelle Schneider. With them
I experienced my first real bed of
my own, warm meals, and my very
first Christmas.
When I was fourteen, I began
attending a local church consis-
tently and two years later, I turned
my life over to God. When I met
God, I believe He spoke to me and
said, “If you trust me, I will never
let you be homeless again and will
love you for the rest of eternity.”
My life has been a daily trans-
formation, even if it hasn’t always
been perfect. I have struggled and
made bad choices, like everyone
else. However, I came to believe
early in my Christian walk that my
Godly purpose is to disciple young
people into a relationship with
Jesus. The scripture that speaks
most deeply to my soul is Romans
5:1-5 (NLT).
“Therefore, since we have been
made right in God’s sight by
faith, we have peace with God
because of what Jesus Christ our
Lord has done for us. Because of
our faith, Christ has brought us
into this place of undeserved
privilege where we now stand,
and we confidently and joyfully
look forward to sharing God’s
glory.
We can rejoice, too, when we
run into problems and trials, for
we know that they help us
develop endurance. And
endurance develops strength of
character, and character
strengthens our confident hope
of salvation. And this hope will
not lead to disappointment. For
we know how dearly God loves
us, because he has given us the
Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with
his love.”
On February 17, 2018, my brother,
Casey Schneider, took his own life.
It was one of the hardest periods
of my life. It was a very difficult
time for me. But then on April 19,
2018, my wife and I walked into
our very first CMA meeting in
Reno, Nevada. I immediately con-
nected with the purpose and pas-
sion of CMA, and wanted to
become part of what God is doing
through this ministry.
I quickly went through the
Member Training material and
became an active member of the
Reno Son Light Riders so that I
could work in the booth at the
upcoming Street Vibrations Spring
Fling, which was the first weekend
of June.
As God would have it, the booth
location for the event “happened”
to be directly across from the
downtown Reno Circus Circus
(continue on page 11)