#Repost @nilamarxer with @repostapp. ă»ă»ă» Ninety-six years ago, today, Fanny and Charles Ballestero welcomed the birth of an amazing little boy, Carl Ballestero. Little did they know how he would change the lives of many to have a closer walk with God, to have a love for holiness, separation from the world, and to have a love for Truth. He lived what he preached. Standing up without fear or favor, he boldly proclaimed the Truth, in the church house, on the streets, and in the home. He was shunned by his unsaved family members and by those who embraced worldliness. I can still hear him say, as he began to preach. "When I stand behind this pulpit, and open this 'Black Backed Book' I am a spokesman of God, without influence of friends or family, I must preach what God has laid on my heart. And he did! He never grew up in a loving home, yet he was fiercely loving and loyal to his children and beautiful wife. Prayer and devotions were the center of our home. I can never recall him raising his voice in anger to any of his children. He was a true Christian. Even when dad was gripped with the horrible disease of Alzheimer's, he would still talk of needing to preach, still passionately believed in only One God. As he would say many years, that he wanted this Truth embedded deep in the 'warp and woof' of his fibers, it truly was. I wanted to give dad a verbal present today, and thank him for being such a wonderful father, example, minister of the Gospel, and true Christian. I love and miss you, dad, and will always cherish your memory.