In this episode of the Pastor’s Office Podcast, Travis sits down with Pastor Corey Kilgus — founder of Gospel South America — for one of the most remarkable testimonies of God’s grace you’ll ever hear. Corey grew up in a home shattered by heroin and methamphetamine addiction, ran away starving at 11, and at 14 watched the FBI show up at his door to reveal that his father was robbing banks. His dad would later be saved in San Quentin through a little old lady who visited the prison to preach the gospel.
But Corey was still far from God. What followed was years of blackout drinking, drugs, dozens of street fights, multiple stints in jail, suicide watch, and solitary confinement — and a recovery program he learned to game while still using. He had tried every well the world had to offer and came up empty every time. Then one night, drunk and reckless, a single phone call and a desperate prayer changed everything — and he woke up a different man. From San Quentin to the mission field, this is the story of how the power of God’s Word took a life everyone had written off and turned it into a church-planting movement across South America.
In this episode:
⚫️ The FBI knock that exposed his father as a serial bank robber
⚫️ Drug-addicted parents, running away at 11, and 75+ street fights
⚫️ Suicide watch, solitary confinement, and hitting rock bottom
⚫️ “The exemplary story of recovery” — passing every drug test while still using
⚫️ A jailhouse conversion in San Quentin
⚫️ The night one prayer changed everything — and the desire for the old life vanished
⚫️ How the Word of God revealed Christ to him before he ever set foot in a church
⚫️ Engaged after a 10-minute conversation — he bought the rings first
⚫️ Selling everything for a one-way ticket to Peru
⚫️ Planting a thriving church where two others had failed — and Gospel South America today
Referenced in this episode:
⚪️ Pastor Corey Kilgas — Gospel South America (Trujillo, Peru)
⚪️ Pastor Chuck Smith — Calvary Chapel
⚪️ Del Tackett — The Truth Project
⚪️ Hudson Taylor, Jim Elliot, George Mueller, Amy Carmichael — missionary biographies
⚪️ Pastor Ken Graves — Calvary Chapel Bangor
⚪️ John 8:31–32 | Lamentations 3:22 | Psalm 27:10 | John 4 | Romans 1:16 | Psalm 119:9 | Romans 10:14–15 | Isaiah 6:8 | 1 Peter 3:4 | 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 | Ephesians 4:11–12 | Matthew 4:4 | John 1
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