About this episode

Jerrad and Jonathan discuss how deep wounds can lead to impactful ministries and the journey of overcoming fatherlessness and poverty through faith.

Important Links: Dad Tired Annual Retreat Host A Dad Tired Conference at your church Join the FREE Family Leadership Program Shop the Dad Tired store for best-selling gear Jonathan Almonte grew up in extreme poverty in the Dominican Republic, without a father in the home and believing that joining a gang might be his best path to a better life. But God began changing his story through a local church, a childhood friend, and a Compassion International sponsor who faithfully wrote him letters from Michigan. Years later, when Jonathan’s father told him he was a mistake, those relationships helped him understand that his identity was not defined by rejection, poverty, or his past. In this episode, Jerrad and Jonathan talk about father wounds, growing up fatherless, forgiveness, poverty, faith, spiritual darkness, Christian fatherhood, and the way God can redeem the most painful parts of our story. Today, Jonathan is a husband, father, and serves tens of thousands of children in the Dominican Republic through Compassion International. If you’ve struggled with rejection, an absent father, forgiveness, or questions about your identity in Christ, this conversation is for you.

People in this episode

Host: Jerrad Lopes

Guest: Jonathan Almonte

Topics covered

• father wounds
• growing up fatherless
• forgiveness
• poverty
• faith
• Christian fatherhood
• identity in Christ

Keywords

• father wounds
• forgiveness
• identity
• Christianity
• poverty
• spiritual darkness
• Compassion International

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Compassion International

Places: Dominican Republic, Michigan

More episodes of Dad Tired

• The Secret You Planned to Take to the Grave · September 8, 2026 · 24 min
• Why You’ve Stopped Dreaming About Your Future · August 17, 2026 · 22 min
• The Dead Things You’ve Learned to Live With · August 3, 2026 · 16 min
• God Is Awake, So You Can Sleep (with Brett McCracken) · July 27, 2026 · 41 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Dad Tired podcast page.