Please give Eddie Santiago a warm welcome today, as he tells us more about himself and his story.
What was the inspiration behind 'Through the Valley Love Endures'?
When death came for me I wasn’t ready. I feel God gave me yet another chance to tell my story and that final confirmation came for me when an angel visited me in a dream. The beginning chapter of my book highlights the innocent lives that are taken from us every day, the ones with no voice, so I reach out to them to come out from the darkness and back into the light. There are also the bystanders who don’t know what to say or do, so I pray my book inspires them to take action and help those who are hurting, but also to remember the power of loving all people through their valley.What message do you hope readers take away from it?
Every day people are faced with two options. To either love them or become them. To ignore them because they’re difficult to love; is like expecting the world to get better while remaining part of the problem. You start to love them, then God will find them and transform everyone; love causes you to get out of the way of that life changing reality! Why would you ever want to stand in the way of that? Revival means restoration not retaliation.How did writing this book help you to grow spiritually?
Writing my book allowed me to grow spiritually by letting go and letting God. I was able to finally allow God to fully heal me. I started to walk in serenity, but also the unmistakable love that can only be given from the Father to love those who have wronged you. I am finally living my faith with no guilt nor condemnation because Christ’s blood washed over all my sins. I am a free man.What prompted you to start in the mental health field as soon as you were 18?
When I found Jesus at 17 years of age, I knew then I wanted to help people. I wanted to give back what Christ had given me, unconditional love that never gave up on me. I was able to start in a two year program in human services with a substance abuse counseling concentration and I never looked back as I continued on with my education and helping people. I feel truly blessed to have met so many amazing people that God was able to help through me.How does working in the mental health field fulfill you?
I feel that by helping others in such a capacity, that I am answering a calling. When I see people transform and step into new life, there is not greater feeling than to know you helped someone else. I will spend the rest of my life fighting to make the world better, not out of obligation, but because I know we are all called to.You have been writing for a long time, though this is your first book. What inspires you to write?
Writing has always been a release for me. It helped me to escape the pressures of everyday life and enter into a realm of hope. Writing is a gateway to see into one’s soul, so I started writing at an early age to help get me through the hard times. Writing also gave me a voice, which I hope to help inspire others to find theirs.Do you have any other projects in the works?
Right now I am working on getting my book into prisons. It is my desire that no one shall perish without knowing the hope I write about in my book. I am looking for people to team up with me to help me do that. Right now I am working with Hayson Publishing with how to setup the best avenue to help do that. People can stay up to date with this information by visiting my facebook page or website: https://www.facebook.com/EddieDavidSantiago OR http://www.eddiedavidsantiago.com/You wrote the first book to be published by Hayson Publishing. What an honor! How do you feel about that?
There are no words that could capture how blessed I feel. I am so thankful for all Hayson Publishing has done for me. They are a publishing company that truly treats you like family. What sets them above the rest is that they are after the readers’ hearts with no strings attached, so I can’t say enough positive things about them. I strongly believe that God put Hayson publishing in my path because He knew they would love on me throughout the entire process. I am honored, humbled, and forever grateful for the amazing staff at Hayson publishing. Thank you!What is something readers may be surprised to learn about you?
I believe there are going to be a lot of surprises for people. With everything that happened to me in my life, I didn’t feel comfortable letting people in. However, what some readers may need to realize, is that there are many people who hide their brokenness because they believe there is no one brave enough to love them through it. That will be the biggest challenge for the bystander because my book will attempt to inspire them to rise up to the challenge and answer the call. In addition, I would say the reader that is going to struggle most is the reader who had no clue on what was going on and wished they did because they would have done something. This brings us back to the beginning of my book where I talk about the tragic lives lost without warning and people wishing they would have known. This brings two challenging surprises to the reader. First, for the person who is broken to realize that God put people in your path that would love you, but you must continue to reach out until you find them. Second, to the bystander to seek out and help the broken before it’s too late. My book is a supernatural rollercoaster, but I am not trapped in a supernatural nightmare. I try to highlight to the reader early that I only highlight the part of my life that kept me broken and away from God. Today I live a spirit filled life, full of joy, peace, and healing. I walk by faith and completely consumed by the awesomeness of God.Is there anything else you would like to share?
I really want to encourage the reader to endure to the end of my book. If you can endure through the valley with me, then you will know why I wrote it. Even when all feels lost, there is always hope. I ask that you share in the love that has saved me over and over again, so that we can stand together with one hope, one dream, and one voice. To God be the glory!Tell us more about your organization L.E.A.D. (Love Endures And Delivers).
I didn’t have the heart to turn people away who couldn’t afford counseling. I spent so much of my career giving away literally thousands of dollars in free counseling services because it broke my heart knowing I could help if money wasn’t in the way. I continue to provide services based off of donations, but the majority of my clients can’t afford to give anything. I work full-time in the counseling field in order to provide for my family, but I picked an agency that doesn’t charge the client directly as we receive financial support through other means. My organization is my other part-time job and I pray one day I can give 100% of my time and energy to it. In the meantime, my family has sacrificed with me, knowing that it is helping people who can’t afford services. We have learned to get by and we find complete peace in knowing in knowing we are doing our part to make the world better.Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your story with the world.
My organization provides strategies for mental and spiritual health. Through love, we will process tough topics together. In doing so, we will have open discussions exploring strategies and ideas to overcome the barriers we all face. From bullying and harassment, addiction, suicide, mental health, spiritual health, emotional health, and everything in-between; we believe love endures and delivers. People can participate by visiting my organization facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/LoveEnduresAndDelivers
In addition, this organization offers Interactive Group Trainings, Seminar Topics, Book Related Speaking Topics, General Speaking Topics, and Crisis Counseling Sessions. If any agency, school, business, church, or organization is interested in any of these services, please email the following email address for more details: LoveEnduresAndDelivers@gmail.com
I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my story. I greatly appreciate the love and support. Bless you….
Through the Valley Love Endures
What if death came for you today? Would you be ready?
Forced to face his own mortality, Eddie Santiago fought to stay alive in a broken world. His incredible journey through heartbreak, abuse, and adversity left him with one truth: every life makes a difference.
This is the true and compelling story of his supernatural quest through the valley of death, doubt, and darkness. Eddie provides a passionate story that will capture the attention of even the toughest skeptics.
Angels, demons, heaven, hell, Jesus and the devil: are they fiction, or are they more real than anything else in the world
**My thoughts**
Eddie is one of those people who has been blessed by being able to spiritually connect to powers greater than himself. Even when he tried to turn away from them, they were persistent and kept trying to pull him back. It took dramatic events to make him realize his gift, which is somewhat an unfortunate blessing in disguise.
He shares his experiences like telling a story, instead of a more preachy fashion that could turn people off from listening to him. When he tells his stories, you may find yourself relating, because you were once in a similar situation. If not you, then perhaps a friend or family member has been involved in a similar situation.
Some of the language may be offensive to some people, especially in regards to the racial slurs and namecalling that Eddie endured. To change it, though, would detract from the pain being expressed in the story. That is the way that people talked in those situations. It lends more credibility to his stories.
Eddie is a very powerful and motivating speaker. I hope others who read this can take away something out of it in a way that is meaningful to them.
**My thoughts**
Eddie is one of those people who has been blessed by being able to spiritually connect to powers greater than himself. Even when he tried to turn away from them, they were persistent and kept trying to pull him back. It took dramatic events to make him realize his gift, which is somewhat an unfortunate blessing in disguise.
He shares his experiences like telling a story, instead of a more preachy fashion that could turn people off from listening to him. When he tells his stories, you may find yourself relating, because you were once in a similar situation. If not you, then perhaps a friend or family member has been involved in a similar situation.
Some of the language may be offensive to some people, especially in regards to the racial slurs and namecalling that Eddie endured. To change it, though, would detract from the pain being expressed in the story. That is the way that people talked in those situations. It lends more credibility to his stories.
Eddie is a very powerful and motivating speaker. I hope others who read this can take away something out of it in a way that is meaningful to them.
Buy links: CreateSpace \ Kindle
About Eddie David Santiago
Eddie David Santiago has worked in the mental health/substance abuse field since he was 18 years old. He holds bachelor degrees in both psychology and religious studies and has provided counseling related services for multiple mental health, substance abuse and human service agencies. In addition, he earned his master’s degree in counseling along with certification in educational administration.
With over fifteen years of counseling related experience, Eddie founded the organization L.E.A.D. (Love Endures And Delivers) which offers interactive group trainings, seminar sessions, speaking opportunities for groups of all ages and crisis counseling sessions.
THROUGH THE VALLEY, LOVE ENDURES is based on Eddie’s early collection of writings, through which he found his voice. He seeks to inspire others to find their voice and share their own stories.
Eddie resides in the Midwest with his beautiful wife Sarah and their three amazing children, Faith, Isaiah and Makaylah.
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