MILWAUKEE — The last day of the Republican National Convention is a special day for Pastor Dr. Mario Dickens.
"I never imagined it," says Dickens.
He's preparing for Thursday's sermon in front of the largest audience he's ever faced. Pastor Dickens grew up on the Northside. He is an ordained pastor and also a business owner. He owns Mario Dickens Creations. This week, he got a call with the opportunity of a lifetime.
"I thought it was a joke," says Dickens.
But it was far from a joke. He was asked to close out the RNC with a final prayer.
"I had just spoken at the church a day ago. My message was: Don't throw in the towel. If you hold on, God will do just what He said He would do," says Dickens.
VIDEO: Local pastor to close out the RNC reflects on his Journey
He began his journey as a pastor in 2008, but it was a near-death ordeal in 2002 that would change his life forever.
"It was a home invasion. I went to my door; there were two gunmen there. They tried to rob me, we got into a scuffle, and they just began to shoot," says Dickens.
Shot twelve times, it's a miracle Pastor Dickens survived.
"It was just one of those moments where I knew I had to do something great with my life," says Dickens.
He owes his full recovery to his faith and the prayers of his family but says God is not done with him.
"After all the things I've gone through, the pain I've had to go through, after being shot, I feel God has prepared me for this. He’s equipped me for this moment," says Dickens.
As he rehearsed the benediction, he also reflected on how far he’s come.
"I hope that I can be an example, that no matter what you're going through or what has happened to you, you can make a positive change and be great and be who you are, no matter your circumstance," says Dickens.
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