51黑料

TROY, Mo. 鈥� The lost and the saved arrived at noon and scattered in the church rows 鈥� the lost soon lost in prayer, the saved yearning to share their savior.

Sixteen souls sat or stood inside the sanctuary on a September Wednesday for 鈥渙pen prayer.鈥� One by one, a person walked to the front, took hold of the microphone and let the spirit take hold of them. It was like preacher karaoke. Each person had a distinct cadence and intensity to their testimony. One woman went up three different times, while sobbing during the third.

And toward the back, a seated 6-foot-6 man slowly raised his arms. He held them up for a minute. And then another minute. And another. He was in it.

鈥淭his is the greatest life I鈥檝e ever lived,鈥� he said after. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 my baseball career, it wasn鈥檛 my success.鈥�

Darryl Strawberry lives in the 51黑料 area. The eight-time All-Star and his wife, Tracy, reside in O鈥橣allon, Missouri. And they belong to 鈥� actually, they were 鈥渃alled to鈥� 鈥� Journey Church in Troy (which isn鈥檛 affiliated with The Journey, a church with multiple locales across the region).

Yes, Darryl Strawberry 鈥� the larger-than-life slugger from the 1980s Mets 鈥� a New York celebrity who epitomized 鈥�80s pizzazz and excess with nightlife and drugs 鈥� a World Series champ on the iconic 鈥�86 Mets 鈥� a man whose career was destroyed, resuscitated and destroyed again 鈥� a player who鈥檚 both an all-time great and an all-time 鈥渨hat if鈥� 鈥� and a man who famously obliterated baseballs thrown by rival Cardinals pitchers 鈥� lives here.

鈥淲hen I started reflecting on it, I said, 鈥楪od, why would you send me to a place where I was hated when I played baseball?鈥欌�� said Strawberry, 62, who hit 27 home runs in 140 career games against the Cardinals. 鈥淭hey thought we were a bunch of pond scum. I then just thought 鈥� God has got a great sense of humor.鈥�

In 1985, Strawberry hit his famous 11th-inning homer off Ken Dayley 鈥� and off the outfield clock at Busch Stadium II. But even though the Mets won 98 games, the 101-win Cardinals won the National League East.

In 1986, the Mets won the National League East.

In 1987, the Cardinals won the National League East.

In 1988, the Mets won the National League East.

That year, Strawberry hit a career-high 39 homers.

鈥淢y reputation? I was a killer,鈥� said Strawberry, who had 280 homers through age 29. 鈥淚 seek to destroy the other team. My understanding of the game was clear. Play hard. I grew up watching Pete Rose play, 鈥楥harlie Hustle,鈥� and I realized that if your uniform is not dirty, you鈥檙e not doing anything.鈥�

So how the heck did Strawberry end up in 51黑料?

鈥淲e first met at a recovery convention in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,鈥� Tracy said.

It was 2003. Three years prior, Major League Baseball suspended Strawberry for a whole season due to, once again, drug abuse. Out of the game by 2003, Strawberry was still using, even crack.

鈥淚 was not doing well,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was deep in the darkness of struggle of addiction.鈥�

But upon attending the 2003 Narcotics Anonymous convention, he met Tracy, who was raised in St. Charles. She was in recovery.

鈥淚 had been lost, broken and hurting 鈥� and I was severely addicted to drugs and alcohol,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 lost custody of my three sons from active addiction.鈥�

Tracy brought Darryl back home to the 51黑料 area. They lived with her parents as Darryl worked to find sobriety. Along the way, they both found Jesus 鈥� a bigger save than even in Game 7 of the 鈥�86 World Series.

And they became the Strawberrys in 2006.

鈥淲e have one job 鈥� to help a multitude of people,鈥� explained Darryl, who said he鈥檚 been sober for about two decades. 鈥淕iving back is the No. 1 thing for us. It鈥檚 not about: 鈥楲ook at us.鈥� We say: 鈥楲ook at God.鈥� 鈥� My whole life completely changed and transformed. Had it not been for 51黑料, I don鈥檛 know where I would be. 鈥� And why I鈥檓 sitting here today, the man I am today, is because of my wife. Because of her gift and her love and compassion and kindness towards others 鈥� it鈥檚 special.鈥�

Strawberry immersed himself in Christianity. He believes God uses people to help people. He鈥檚 an evangelist. Strawberry spends more than 200 days a year on the road, meeting people, mentoring people, challenging people, changing people.

He speaks to prisoners and millionaires, delivering his words at penitentiaries and fundraisers, as well as congregations and men鈥檚 retreats. He goes to the biggest of cities and the smallest of towns.

And in February of 2010, Strawberry was invited to speak at a small, new church in Troy.

Beginning of the 鈥楯ourney鈥�

He was just 13. Startlingly just 13. Heartbreakingly just 13.

鈥淚 was into drugs and crime,鈥� Jesse Quiroz said.

He lived out in Troy. There was this big house. He and some buddies broke in. As they robbed this home, he came across a room dedicated to baseball memorabilia. So, he grabbed some stacks of expensive cards.

鈥淚 was arrested for burglary in the first degree,鈥� said Quiroz (pronounced 鈥渒ey-rose.鈥�). 鈥淪o, I of course go to 鈥榡uvie.鈥� And had to return everything.鈥�

Back home and 15, Quiroz ultimately faced an ultimatum.

鈥淢y parents said, 鈥榊ou鈥檝e got to straighten up or you鈥檝e got to get out of this house,鈥欌�� he recalled.

They also persuaded him to attend church.

鈥淎nd that鈥檚 when I met Christ,鈥� he said.

The next year, 1994, Quiroz was adjusting his mattress one day when he spotted a baseball card wedged in the bed.

鈥淚t was a card I had stolen and didn鈥檛 know I still had,鈥� said Quiroz, 46. 鈥淎 Darryl Strawberry rookie baseball card.

鈥淚鈥檓 a Christian at this point. And I just felt this voice inside me being like, 鈥榊ou need to go return that card.鈥� 鈥� God wanted me to give back the baseball card, and in return, I got the real thing.鈥�

In the summer of 2009, Quiroz became Pastor Jesse. He and his wife, Missy, felt called to open a church. But they didn鈥檛 want to, simply, open a church.

鈥淲e really wanted to impact this community at the core of the needs,鈥� Pastor Jesse said about Troy and the surrounding areas. 鈥淪o, the first thing we did is we called the police department. 鈥榃here are you tired of getting calls on Friday and Saturday?鈥� And they鈥檙e like, 鈥楾hese three areas.鈥� That鈥檚 where we started knocking on doors. 鈥�

鈥淲e started really reaching a lot of people. And, like, 50% of our people had felonies in their records. And, like, 80% of the people in our church had never had a church background. So we were really reaching that need. And we were seeing people with addiction reach out.鈥�

One day in 2009, Pastor Jesse was at a 51黑料 Bread Co.

It couldn鈥檛 be.

Impossible.

At a table across the way was 鈥� Darryl Strawberry?

Pastor Jesse was too nervous to introduce himself. But he later asked around. Sure enough, Strawberry indeed lived in the area 鈥� and was a proud Christian, involved with a bigger church. Pastor Jesse took his shot. He reached out and invited Darryl to his six-month-old Journey Church in Troy.

Tracy encouraged her husband to go.

So in February of 2010, 鈥渁 week before he was going on 鈥楾he Celebrity Apprentice,鈥欌�� Pastor Jesse said, 鈥淒arryl Strawberry comes to our little church at the time. We probably had 120 members and we were (based) in a school auditorium at this time. We packed out the school auditorium, about 600 people were there. And after, probably 150 people responded: 鈥業 want to get to know the Jesus that restored this guy鈥檚 life.鈥� So our church just transformed, like, overnight.鈥�

In the early 2010s, though, the Strawberrys moved to Florida. They linked up with an investor who operated facilities for addiction treatment. They opened the Darryl Strawberry Recovery Center near Orlando.

鈥淲e鈥檝e helped a lot of people 鈥� that鈥檚 been the biggest celebration that we鈥檝e had over all the years of doing ministry,鈥� Darryl said. 鈥淏ut, also, we鈥檝e lost a lot. And when I say that, we lost more young people from an age of 18 to 25 through addiction that overdosed and died. You talk about heartbreaking.鈥�

In time, the Strawberrys had a major falling out with the company over philosophies, so they pulled Darryl鈥檚 name off the center and moved back to 51黑料.

鈥淚 just remember,鈥� Darryl recalled, 鈥渢hat my wife kept saying, 鈥業 think we鈥檙e called to Journey Church.鈥欌��

Saved in 51黑料

They reconnected with Pastor Jesse and joined the church they first helped grow.

And they poured themselves into the Journey community. Darryl and Tracy are on the executive board.

鈥淭hey always make themselves available,鈥� Pastor Jesse said. 鈥淥h my gosh, they do it all the time. They鈥檒l go have lunch with somebody in this church that鈥檚 just struggling 鈥� an out-of-work construction worker that just needs to learn how to put a bottle down. They just hang out at IHOP with them and their story just inspires. 鈥�

鈥淲ith Darryl, I see humility and hunger. He just wants to dive into your life, not make the conversation about him, but about you. He鈥檚 able to use his life, his story, to serve your need. He and his wife just give of themselves, I mean, tirelessly.鈥�

The Strawberrys helped Pastor Jesse open the Troy Dream Center, a 24/7 substance abuse recovery facility. It鈥檚 a 3,200-square-foot home across four acres of park land. The Dream Center program provides housing, meals, counseling, help with employment and social services and a curriculum based on biblical principles. And it鈥檚 all free.

The program is nine months. Pastor Jesse said they鈥檝e had 49 graduates who became part of the Journey Church community.

鈥淭o see men and women come out of drug addiction,鈥� Tracy said, 鈥渟omebody鈥檚 getting their mom back, their son back, their daughter back, their father back, their kids back. Families are getting restored.

鈥淵ou come in to obliterate darkness and to overcome evil with good. And that鈥檚 what Journey Church does here.鈥�

Darryl doesn鈥檛 question God, but he has a question for God.

鈥淲hy has God kept his hand over me for some particular reason?鈥� Strawberry said. 鈥淗e鈥檒l probably tell me when I get there, you know? I don鈥檛 understand it most of the time, but I run with it.鈥�

In addition to all of his addiction battles, Darryl has defeated cancer twice, losing a kidney the second time.

鈥淚 always tell people, 鈥業f you鈥檝e never seen a miracle, you鈥檙e looking at one, still walking around with one kidney,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e had some serious journeys. You know, six months ago, I experienced a massive heart attack here in 51黑料. And being saved here in 51黑料 in the hospital here, you think about it 鈥� I was a Cardinal killer, and the Lord is saving me in 51黑料.鈥�

Strawberry recovered in time to attend a New York ceremony in his honor. Finally, the Mets retired his No. 18. Pastor Jesse joined the Strawberrys for the occasion.

Back at Journey Church, as 鈥渙pen prayer鈥� ended on that September Wednesday, Pastor Jesse called for Darryl and Tracy to meet in the front.

He wanted to pray for them.

Darryl and Tracy stood in front of each other, Tracy leaning her forehead onto his chest. The others gathered close around. They reached out and placed hands on the Strawberrys. For five minutes, Pastor Jesse 鈥� and then his wife, Missy 鈥� prayed loudly and proudly for this couple who invigorate others.

鈥淲e make God as the centerpiece of our life,鈥� Darryl said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 how we live our life. We鈥檙e not living for fame. I didn鈥檛 come to 51黑料 to be famous. I鈥檝e already been famous. I already know that doesn鈥檛 work. So I came here to blend in and just live a simple life 鈥� and to give back and be involved.鈥�