Faith to Keep Going: Meet TriVita Member Chaplain Julio Garcia

A Nopalea Story: Meet TriVita Member, Chaplain Julio Garcia

Faith to Keep Going

For Chaplain Julio Garcia, greater wellness means renewed hope for continuing the work God has called him to do.

Ministry isn’t simply what Chaplain Garcia does. It’s who he is.

Chaplain Garcia’s ministry began at U-Turn for Christ. For years, he has traveled across the country and abroad answering a calling to serve others. He provides security and chaplaincy to jockeys, leads Bible studies and conferences, and brings prayer and encouragement to people in correctional facilities and to military and law-enforcement personnel. Wherever he goes, his purpose is the same: to listen, pray and help people find hope.

Serving Despite Pain

But, continuing that calling hasn’t always been easy. Wherever he went, his physical challenges traveled with him.

Chaplain Garcia lives with scoliosis, uses a manual wheelchair for mobility, and has rods in his back and leg, as well as an artificial hip. The travel and movement required by his ministry often brought pain to his back, shoulders and wrists. Still, he continued showing up for people who were carrying burdens of their own.

His calling began taking shape after his mother’s death, during a season when he longed to draw closer to God.

“I knew about God, but I didn’t know God,” he recalled.

As his faith deepened, people began seeking him out. They brought concerns about their marriages, businesses and families. They asked for prayer. Chaplain Garcia listened, shared his faith, and discovered that his willingness to be present could open a door for someone else to encounter God’s love.

A Friendship That Began with a Smile

That same faith was evident before his conversation with TriVita founder Michael Ellison began.

“Can we do a quick prayer before we get started?” Chaplain Garcia asked.

His prayer included gratitude for the friendship that had brought them together and for the greater mobility he was experiencing.

Their friendship began at an event when Michael and his wife, Susan, noticed Chaplain Garcia smiling and stopped to introduce themselves. There was no formal introduction; they simply began talking.

“I’m doing great. Highly blessed,” Chaplain Garcia told them.

Behind that warm smile, however, lay years of physical discomfort.

A Shared Understanding

When Michael heard his story, he recognized something familiar.

“I can identify purpose with your purpose,” Michael told him.

Before founding TriVita, Michael had built an agency serving Christian broadcasters internationally. His commitment to that work led him to neglect rest, and painful health struggles eventually taught him the importance of caring for his body as God’s temple. He understood the desire to keep answering a calling while struggling physically.

A New Step Toward Wellness

At the time, Chaplain Garcia was considering one more season of ministry before taking a step back to rest. He had never taken supplements before, but after meeting Michael, he was introduced to Dr. Paul Bernitt. Together, they discussed his wellness concerns, and Dr. Paul recommended several TriVita products, including Nopalea.

Over the following months, Chaplain Garcia reported greater comfort, better rest, more energy and easier movement in his wrists. He even found himself using his wheelchair’s power-assist motor less often. He also described swimming without pain and losing approximately 20 pounds during that period.

“It really eases my life,” he said.

His confidence grew through those real-life experiences. He carries Nopalea when he travels and has made it part of both his wellness routine and his spiritual life. When asked whether he reads the accompanying prayer card, Chaplain Garcia answered simply, “Every day.”

Ready for Another Season

Caring for his body has become part of how he prepares to serve. Now, he is looking toward another year of ministry with renewed hope.

“I’m going to keep serving the Lord,” he said.

Near the interview’s end, Chaplain Garcia shared that a man he had previously counseled had returned that very morning, asking him to help him come to faith.

Chaplain Garcia was there to answer.

For him, that is the heart of greater wellness: being present when someone needs prayer, encouragement or hope. His story reminds us that caring for ourselves can help us continue fulfilling the purpose God has given us—and remain available for the people we have yet to reach.