This is an IHeart podcast.

And we continue with our American stories.

Up next, a story told by a young lady from Chicago, Sarah Gonzalez.

Coping with the loss of her father as a child, total rebellion could not stop God from pursuing her,

even after spending her time or taking an activities designed to instill hatred towards others.

Here's Sarah Gonzalez.

My mother was a school teacher, and my father was a prison jail chaplain.

And so I grew up going to Cook County Jail with my father.

Instead of taking me to school or kindergarten,

he would often take me to Cuc County Jail with food and Bibles.

And I just remember locking in with the inmates in their cells and we would have

Bible study. And my father would tell me, Sarita, don't forget about your brothers and sisters in Cook

County Jail. And I loved to be with my father. He truly took the role of discipleship

seriously. So I had a very joyful childhood. So at the age of six years old, I remember we went

on a family vacation to Bermuda. And the last night of our vacation,

I got up from the dinner table and I threw my arms around my father and I said, Daddy,

sometimes mommy plays these worship songs and they make me miss you. And my mom recalls that there were tears in his eyes,

and she was thinking, why is Sarah saying she misses him?

He's right here.

The next morning, I remember we were getting ready to go to the airport,

and I opened the door to the bathroom,

and my father was there, and I saw him vomiting blood into the sink.

...