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Courts & Crime

Machine-gun-toting preacher speaks about his past in Belleville area

Wally Spiers - Belleville News-Democrat

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October 06, 2009 05:58 PM

Sam Childers is still amazed at where he is now and what he is doing.

The former drug dealer and violent outlaw from Minnesota is known as the machine-gun-toting preacher who rescues children in Sudan and has established the Children's Village, an orphanage in South Sudan.

He details his story in "Another Man's War," his book about his life and his work in Africa, where he sometimes leads warriors to rescue kidnapped children.

He is in the St. Louis area for a few days, bringing his anti-drug message to young people. He spoke last week at Faith Family Church in Shiloh and Monday night at O'Fallon High School.

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Childers is up-front about his life on drugs and as a hired gun for drug dealers and his biker associations.

"I was most unlikely to succeed in life," he said. "Now I'm trying to take this testimony to the American nation, to high schools and colleges and youth groups, to stand up to keep kids away from drugs."

Read the complete story at bnd.com

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