Larry and John were spinning downward until Jesus came into their lives.

At first sight, you wouldn't guess that Larry Mitchell and John D. Baker are evangelists. With their long hair and leather vests, they don't fit the description of a stereotypical preacher in a three-piece suit.

Mitchell and Baker, a two-man team called Frontline Ministries, give presentations on Satanism, drugs and rock music to churches in central Indiana. Drugs and alcohol formerly filled the lives of Baker, who used to be a nightclub singer, and Mitchell, who was a motorcycle gang leader. But they have given up those lifestyles and now concentrate on helping young people avoid the same self-destructive mistakes.

Both men said they grew up in strict households and went to Sunday school. While Baker was on good terms with his family, Larry's family didn't show affection. To this day, Larry said, his father has not said "I love you."

At a young age, they began listening to hard rock, drinking alcohol and using drugs. Baker developed into an alcoholic. Mitchell got involved with a motorcycle gang and later became the leader.

In the midst of these fast lifestyles, Baker and Mitchell turned to God _ Mitchell after having a vision, and Baker after years of his mother's prayers.

With support from their families and through their faith in God, they managed to turn their lives around. Here are their stories:

John D. Baker

"I was into drugs and alcohol. I was involved with marijuana and pills, but I mainly got involved in alcohol and was an alcoholic. At the time I was 16 years old, I was into it pretty heavy. (Alcohol was) probably the biggest part of my life.

"I have a lot of friends I can't even talk to because I was the one that got them started in alcohol. That left a lot of scars. And there's a lot of things (in) my past (that have) hurt people. It (alcohol abuse) almost caused me and my wife to get a divorce.

"(Growing up), there was a lot of good qualities that I learned. My dad was very strict. If I owed somebody some money, I always paid them back. But yet I was out stealin' and my values were all twisted. The best thing I learned was when my mother took me to church and Sunday school, that was instilled into me.

"Jesus is definitely the answer. I like to tell young people we know that you are going to try things. We know that there's a lot of pressure to try drugs and alcohol. We try to tell them that, `Hey, we've been there, we know what devastation will happen to your life, and we know exactly how far the devil can use this to tear up their minds."

"Larry and I have known each other for years. We were both involved in the same type of music, showed up at the same parties and used to get drunk together. I got saved and I still lived in the same town. (I) used to see Larry all the time, (and) after he got saved, which was a couple of years later, he and I started showing up in church together.

"We would give our testimonies, concerts and gospel sings. I started using Larry on my crusades where we would hold revivals and camp meetings. Three years ago the Lord put us together and we've been together all this time."

Larry Mitchell

"My greatest priority (being the gang leader) was keeping my Harley-Davidson running. And doin' all the things that I could to get my hands on drugs. I was growing a lot of my own pot because my habit was so heavy. We rode from town to town and partied all the time. (Our gangs fought over) pride.

"I had a lot of rejection growing up, and I rebelled. By the time that I got into high school, I joined a rock 'n' roll band. I believed the music that I fed on (rock, country and western music) fueled the rebellion in my life. When everything else around me was kind of rejecting me, it seemed like the music was pulling me in _ there was a hand to hold onto, 'cause God wasn't in my life, even though I had been raised in a church when I was growing up.

"I used PCP (an animal anesthetic), THC (the active ingredient in marijuana), blotter acid, Windowpane, Microdot, Sunshine, and my biggie, Purple Haze (all forms of LSD). I used to drink whiskey and take speed all the time, and that turns you into an animal. You go nuts.

"I played football and wrestled in high school and used to work out a lot. I was in great physical condition and then after 10 years of drug abuse, it totally tore down my immune system. I couldn't even fight off a cold in the middle of summer, let alone the winter.

"I couldn't hold onto a job very long because of the drugs and stuff in my life. I was a Harley-Davidson mechanic for 22 years, and work in the wintertime was pretty slow. So I dealt drugs in the wintertime to make money, and I didn't care.

"Drugs just make you not care. I'd gotten to the point where when I'd go down to visit (my mother), I'd light up a joint and smoke it right in front of her and try to get her to smoke it with me. It wasn't the real me.

"But God never gave up on me. I was lying in bed one night and God came to me in a vision. I remember looking up and I saw a giant set of scales. And as I looked at that scale, God started putting in all my drugs, my alcohol, the motorcycle gang, even my Harley, because I'd realized then that I'd made my Harley-Davidson a god in my life. I realized later these were the things I held of value, and that scale dropped and there was this voice of pure love, and he said, `Larry, if you serve me, I'll give you life. You are choosing death.'

"And I realized then that all the rebellion in my life had caused the decisions that I had made, and I had been choosing death. Just at that moment, at 2:30 in the morning, I'm lying there and I'm thinking, `Man, what choice is there to make?' I mean, you have the choice of choosing life or death, and you'd have to be a complete idiot to choose death. I said, `I'd try it,' and that was 13 years ago. This stuff works. God was the most important thing that happened in my life."