05/24/2026
My name is Aaron Garner. I am 32 years old, and I am from Grundy County, TN. When I was two years old my father went to federal prison for robbery of a bank. My mother was a stripper in Nashville. My brother and I grew up without guidance, raising ourselves as we ran around the streets. As we ran around the streets, we got introduced to drugs. I started selling drugs at the age of 10 and began to live a life that consisted of chaos. I had my first daughter Journey on September 14, 2009. I had no idea how to be a dad because I never had one in my life to show me the correct way to live. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do or how I was supposed to live my life much less instruct someone else how to live their life. I went to jail and her mother overdosed and passed away the next day. I had to go to court, and I plead guilty to a violation of probation. I let some of her family have custody of her and raise her. Meanwhile I did a year in jail. I got out and thought that I could live right. I had a job working at Nissan. My girlfriend at the time got pregnant so I bought a house. Unfortunately, she had a miscarriage and started back into drugs. We started arguing one day and we were on the path to splitting up. I walked into the next room to get a cigarette and when I came back to my bedroom, she had my pistol to her head, and she shot herself. It had a major impact on my life. This event sent me on a path that was darker than any other path I had previously been on. I went on a downward spiral and was looking for any dangerous situation to put myself into. I blamed God for everything, and I was so angry and frustrated that I did not see that He was the one that was pulling me through all of the foolishness and chaos that my life consisted of. On May 14, 2016, I had my youngest daughter, Aryian. As soon as she opened her eyes, I was the first thing that she saw. That was the moment that I knew God was real. I knew there was bigger than me, but I didn’t pursue it because I didn’t have that influence in my life. I continued to live a lifestyle out of God’s will. I was in jail in 2021 and a friend of mine was preaching the Word of God in there. I learned about the Lord but never surrendered to Him. I got out of jail and once again took my eyes off the Lord. I once again got incarcerated and on April 7, 2022, I got saved. Once I got saved, I came to RSM. Throughout my time at RSM, they taught me how to out on my armor of God and to withstand the trials and tribulations of life. Thank you for reading my testimony.
-Aaron Garner
