Lives Changed

Teen Challenge is one of the oldest, largest and most successful programs of its kind in the world. Established in 1958 by David Wilkerson, Teen Challenge has grown to more than 170 centers in the United States.

Here you will find the testimonies of lives who have been changed at Teen Challenge.  Enjoy reading about how God has rescued these young people from the torments of drug and/or alcohol addictions and other life controlling situations.

TESTIMONIES

Dedrick

I’m Dedrick and my life has been a struggle from the very beginning.  I was born three months early and nearly died.  My father was murdered when I was just a baby which left my mother to raise me and my brothers by herself.  My mother dealt with the pressures of being a single parent through drugs and alcohol and the same methods became a learned behavior for me.  Living with drugs and alcohol daily they became a normal part of my life.  I was also physically and verbally abused and felt like the drugs would cover the pain I was feeling.

At age fifteen, I was very violent, bitter and resentful and hated everyone around me.  I ended up in detention centers and a foster home due to my behavior.  I dropped out of school which only increased my drug abuse and criminal behavior.  At age eighteen I watched as others my age started college, but I was a drug addict facing six years in prison. I wasted time sitting behind a jail cell feeling trapped. After serving my sentence I thought I was finally free, but I was still bound on the inside.  Immediately after my release I returned to using drugs and found myself in legal trouble again.  I considered taking my life rather than sitting in jail again. I  thought my life was worthless and that I  would be better of dead.  I desperately wanted  to change or die.

Thankfully I learned about Teen Challenge and the opportunity to turn my life in a new direction. I was permitted to enroll into the program and while at Teen Challenge I have found freedom not only physically, but also emotionally and spiritually for the first time in my life.  My life which seemed to be a struggle from the beginning is now one of hope and a promising future!

Larry

My name is Larry and I started experimenting with drugs and alcohol at a very young age.  When I was fifteen I went to a friend’s house and drank a deadly amount of alcohol, which due to my diabetes nearly killed me.  My father came looking for me and found me just in time to rush me to the hospital. God spared my life that day, but it didn’t stop me from drinking again. I fed my addiction to alcohol the whole time I was in high school until the age of twenty-five when drinking could no longer satisfy me. I turned to drugs hoping to find even a small amount of peace.  I used every drug I was introduced to trying to fill the void in my life.  When I began using oxycontin and methadone they took all of my time, money, and energy.  I was a slave to pills.  I would spend every penny that I made on my addiction and end up knocking on my neighbor’s doors asking for something to eat.  I was ashamed of myself and was out of control. I remember waking up many times thinking this will be the day I die.  I had no reason to live.

Desperately wanting to be free from my addiction and pain I began to search for help. Thankfully, I learned about Appalachian Teen Challenge. I knew that it was my last chance to survive.  I enrolled into the Training Center and have found a purpose for my life.  I now have a reason to live and have a healthier, shame free life ahead of me.  At Teen Challenge I have found joy, peace, and a purpose that I didn’t know I could ever have.

Dusty Small

I had a loving family, good friends, and a future in sports. My life was comfortable and seemed to flow smoothly throughout high school. However, when I moved out to go to college, I felt alone and depressed. I was uncomfortable and unsure of myself. I failed out of the first semester because I spent most of my time drinking.

An accident prohibited me from enrolling in the next semester of classes. I got a job and was soon promoted, but this did not help the loneliness that followed me. One of my coworkers introduced me to crystal meth. The drug seemed to soothe my misery much better than alcohol. It made me feel like a new man. I could stay awake, get up in the mornings, and go to work, but only for a short time. I soon realized I couldn’t do anything without the drug. Even with it, I felt the despair and loneliness growing inside me. Crystal meth eventually helped me lose my job. I could no longer afford to pay rent, buy food, or support my drug addiction. The money soon ran out, and I moved in with my grandparents. I now had to figure out a new way to support my addiction.

I studied and learned how to make crystal meth. My life was soon consumed with making, selling, and doing drugs. I never imagined I would turn out this way. I was supposed to become successful, either through sports or academics, but I had only succeeded in dealing and doing drugs. I manufactured crystal meth in my grandparents’ barn, and when I burned it down, they kicked me out. I then moved the lab into my truck.

As one of the biggest drug dealers in the area, I thought I was invincible. However, the police began to notice my suspicious activity. Over the next two years, I went to jail three times. I wanted to stop, but I couldn’t stand how miserable and depressed I felt. A pastor came to visit me in jail and told me about Teen Challenge. He explained that without a relationship with Jesus, I would have to resist drugs on my own. I had already tried that, and I knew I couldn’t do it. I prayed and asked Jesus to help me get to Teen Challenge. The judge allowed me to come. and I learned that Jesus can not only provide a way out of a life of drugs, but He can replace the darkness and despair with love, peace, and joy beyond what I ever thought possible.

I graduated from the program in May 2004, and served as an intern for one year. After completing the internship, I was given the opportunity to become staff. I was the Intern Supervisor at Teen Challenge for 1 1/2 years, am now enrolled in Zion Bible College, and was recently elected President of my class.

Matthew Hulett

My parents were divorced when I was very young. When I was seven years old I started rebelling. I got into a lot of fights and started cursing. At age 11, I went to live with my grandparents in Oregon. They were good, Christian people and loved me very much. They used tough love, by setting boundaries and guidelines and punishing me when I crossed them. I attended church with my grandparents and participated in the youth group, but I didn’t take anything seriously.

My father died when I was fourteen, and I started smoking marijuana, thinking this would help numb the pain. Soon after, I decided to move in with some friends in my hometown. I was tired of all the rules my grandparents enforced. I was not interested in any kind of discipline and refused to listen to their instruction. I continued to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana and cigarettes.

After I moved back home, my brother offered me some crystal meth and I accepted. I immediately thought I had found what I needed to fill the void inside me. My addiction took hold and I stayed up for days at a time. The sleep depravation drove me insane and my thoughts turned to suicide. I did not care about myself or anyone else.

I wanted to be free from the grip drugs had on me. I eventually called my grandparents, who had always been there for me, and asked them for help. I had a lot of outstanding warrants for my arrest, and I was ready to face the consequences. They picked me up, drove me to the police, and I turned myself in. I wanted my life to be different.

When I went to jail, my grandparents visited me to bring me information about Teen Challenge. After I served my time and paid the fines, I began to consider which Teen Challenge center would be the best for me. I chose Appalachian Teen Challenge in Athens, WV. I spent four days on a bus traveling to West Virginia, not knowing what I was getting myself into. When I arrived on the Teen Challenge campus, I knew my life was going to be different. After being here for just two days, I gave my heart and life to Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for His mercy and forgiveness. I have also been given the opportunity to get my G.E.D. while I am here. I feel like a new person today, and am excited to see what God has planned for my life.