Senior Investigative Reporter
shaliza.hassanali@guardian.co.tt
Once entrenched in drug trafficking, gang life and drug addiction, Nicholas Constantine now leads a growing congregation at the Stream Freedom Ministries in Chaguanas.
Constantine’s journey from being a drug pusher and user to becoming a devoted pastor has been an incredibly challenging transformation.
During an interview with the Sunday Guardian, he acknowledged that it was God’s mercy that saved his soul during his darkest moments.
The 54-year-old father of one recalled spending a decade of his life using drugs, three years peddling cocaine and marijuana, and working in a gang for two years.
Coming from a broken family, Constantine said his life began to unravel at the age of 12.
It was triggered by his mother, Joan, who migrated to the United States after her eldest son was accepted into the Marines.
Constantine said his mother had promised to make a better life for herself in America before eventually sending for her five remaining children, who were left in the care of their father. But that did not happen, as she too began fighting her own battles abroad. The separation became increasingly difficult for Constantine, who had shared a close bond with his mother—his pillar of support, pride and joy.
“There was an emptiness inside of me,” Constantine recalled, his voice cracking as he spoke inside his small church.
“It was challenging because my mom left me at that tender age, and I went through so much grief and pain. I started to go astray.”
Constantine stopped attending classes at Mucurapo Junior Secondary school. Drinking, smoking marijuana, and mixing with the wrong crowd soon took priority.
“These things helped me mask my pain,” he recalled.
During the 1990 attempted coup, Constantine recalled looting stores and being fired upon by soldiers.
After celebrating his 18th birthday, Constantine’s father told him it was time to move out and become a man.
Jobless and homeless, Constantine took up occupancy on the Brian Lara Promenade in Port-of-Spain with his girlfriend, where they begged for handouts and pocket change to survive. For two years, they remained street dwellers. However, the couple had to flee the capital city after they were attacked and robbed one night. They later rented an apartment in Diego Martin.
“That’s when I was introduced to cocaine,” he recalled.
“I also became a pusher for the gang.”
One night, Constantine said he and his girlfriend got so high on drugs that they wanted to end their lives.
“We wanted to die like Romeo and Juliet. So, we each tied one end of a bedsheet around our necks and the other end to a tree branch to hang ourselves. When my girlfriend jumped, the branch snapped, and she fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice asking me what I was doing.”
He said he froze, stunned by the sound of the voice.
At that point, he realised God probably had bigger plans for him.
Constantine eventually gave up drug pushing and was hired at a plant shop, where he began trying to turn his life around.
“It was not easy. I messed up so many times at work, but my employers always gave me a second chance. They were probably seeing something in me that I wasn’t.”
From darkness to deliverance
One day, a friend invited him to a church service, which he promised to attend.
“When I arrived at the compound, I didn’t want to go inside the church because I had just smoked marijuana and used cocaine. While standing outside, I heard the pastor telling the congregation, ‘If you are hurting, if you need prayer and want to know God’s love, why don’t you come in. Let us pray for you.’”
In his heart, Constantine knew the message was meant for him. It became his spiritual awakening.
“That church became the only family that could help me,” said Constantine, who has now been a pastor for 20 years.
It was at that point that Constantine pulled himself together and accepted God as his saviour.
In 1994, Constantine joined the Logos Hope—the world’s largest floating book fair—as a volunteer when it docked in Trinidad. He said he was fortunate to become a volunteer after 325 people had applied.
“I was one of only two people selected. I was on this big ship with no education, not knowing how to relate to foreigners, and there were 47 different nationalities on the vessel. I kept asking myself, ‘how am I going to fit in’?”
Constantine said he initially questioned whether he had made the right decision.
However, it marked the beginning of a long journey. He sailed to 73 countries in the five-and-a-half years that he served on board.
While on the ship, he took online courses in theology and read numerous books to improve his reading skills.
While working, Constantine also met and fell in love with his Spanish teacher, Dora, who later became his wife.
“The Logos became the Love Boat,” he chuckled.
The couple has an 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, who recently became a volunteer on the Logos Hope and will be making her first voyage next month.
Constantine also reconnected with his mother, who lives in North Carolina.
“I had not seen my mother in 21 years, and I paid her a surprise visit. We had a beautiful time together. When you embrace God, you learn to forgive,” he said.
“Mom also came home after 32 years away from us. It was just a joy to be with her.”
In his spare time, Constantine visits schools with his wife, where he gives motivational talks and reads to students. He also provides religious instruction classes and sells Logos Hope’s books to children at a reduced price. Constantine said the one lesson he has learnt in life’s journey is never to follow bad company.
Anyone interested in booking motivational sessions can contact Constantine at 773-8658 or 492-6809.
