Phyllis

When I was child I was used for the production of pornography starting at the age of 6 and continuing for about five years.  After sixth grade, I seldom went to school and had very little supervision from my mother.  I was homeless off and on for many years. At the age of 14, I started going to taverns to drink.  I quit school altogether in the ninth grade and started buying marijuana and reselling it for a $1 a joint.  During this time I started selling my body.  This opened doors to new relationships with pimps and gang members and then the world of cocaine. I sold cocaine to pay my bills which led to my own intense addiction.  In 1999, I was evicted from my apartment and my belongings were literally thrown out on the street.  I was homeless and slept in the nearest park.  Then I started picking up men in bars so I would have a place to sleep. The second time I tried cocaine, I became hooked.  I no longer used my prostitution money for rent but for my drug habit.  I had three more children, all of whom went to different family members as I continued with my drug addiction. One day I put a .357 to my head and pulled the trigger.  The bullet grazed my scalp severely damaging my ear drum but left me alive. When I became pregnant with my last child Keenan, I was homeless and used drugs throughout my pregnancy.  During labor at the hospital, I disconnected the cords that were attached to me and went into the bathroom and smoked a cocaine rock.  Keenan was placed in foster care but after five months was taken by my sister. I was tired of getting high, I wanted to stop but didn’t know how?  I decided to go to the Mental Health Complex because I knew it was a safe place where I could get help.  There, a Priest names Fr. Ralph who is also a nurse, told me that Jesus was the only one that could help me.  He told me about a place where I could go get help and the name of that place was Teen Challenge.

I was discharged from the hospital on August 19th and entered as the first female resident in the Milwaukee Teen Challenge Women’s Center on August 20th, 1999. I am so thankful that God loves me and has forgiven me.  I know he has a plan for my life.  His word gives me hope and I believe he will restore to me hope and a purpose.  Thank you for supporting Teen Challenge.  God has made a difference in my life and by your support to this ministry, he will be made known to many other hurting, lost women in our city. All this time I believed that my life was only to get high and die.  I thought God had given up on me.  Today I realize that God was with me all the time.  While I was in Teen Challenge, I was able to get my GED. Today I have full custody of my son Keenan, and work as a Shift Supervisor at the Milwaukee Women’s Center.  I also am able to give back to Teen Challenge by volunteering three times a week at the Robby Dawson Home. I will be forever grateful for what God has done for me through Teen Challenge.  Thank you to all who give from your hearts to Teen Challenge.  Without God and your donations, none of this would be possible. I am confident of this, that the one who begun a good work in you will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ.  Philippians 1:6 Thank you and God Bless you all!!

Samantha

She hid her drug use pretty good in our younger years. When I was 12, we moved to Illinois to take care of my grandmother, who had cancer. She ended up passing away six months later. My mom fell into a depression and her drinking and drug use increased. My brother began to sell drugs and my sister and I were greatly affected  by  this. When I was 14 years old, I began to smoke some weed. I liked the high and even more the feeling of acceptance. My mom seemed to have increased her drug use and every night there were always people over, so I began to stay up later and later. It affected school so much that I completely lost interest. At 15 I had to get my first job because the child support went mostly to supply of alcohol and drugs. I started seeing someone who was always in trouble and using methamphetamine. When I turned 16 I started using meth. I liked it, but heard it would destroy me like it did everyone around me. My boyfriend ended up getting sent to prison and I withdrew from everyone and turned to the comfort of alcohol. It consumed all my time. I had no job and was kicked out of my mom’s house. I dropped out of school at 17 and got my GED. When my boyfriend got out of prison we stayed with a friend until we got on our feet. We got a nice trailer and I bought my first car.  Within the first month, David and I went on a one-night binge breaking into people’s cars for money. We sat in the county jail for months. They gave me a plea bargain that consisted of me going to Gateway Rehabilitation and three years probation, restitution, and one year of Teen Challenge.

Angela

When I was ten my mother and step father divorced and my life suddenly changed. My mom was raising five children by herself and started to drink.  At 11 years old I quit going to church, was helping out around the house more. By 12, I washed dishes on weekends at the restaurant where my mom worked.  By 13 I was experimenting with cigarettes then I tried alcohol and pot.

Our family was growing further apart I felt more alone. I started asking God why?  Why did this happen to my family? I never understood and became resentful and angry and more involved with drugs and alcohol. At 15 I found crack cocaine. Immediately, I knew that was the drug for me. By 16, I was living with a friend trading sex for drugs. My mom came and got me and sent me to a rehab in Paducah, Kentucky. I got out in 30 days and went right back to smoking crack. Within 6 months I was back in rehab with a habit so bad I was stealing my family’s cars and money. I began driving cars while the guys I was hanging with burglarized homes.

At 24 I was introduced to methamphetamines. To support my habit, I worked and sold drugs. When I lost my job and got evicted I moved in with my boyfriend. We learned how to make dope and began selling and using. Once I left my kids in the car with a friend while I went into the courthouse. When I came out she was gone. My children had been turned in to the police. During the next four months instead of doing what I could to get my kids back, I kept getting high and felt sorry for myself.

Amber

My mom and I attended church every Sunday, where she was my small group leader.  As a child I enjoyed Sunday school and was very involved in the church.  I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at 11 years old.  Growing up, circumstances were strict. Seldom was I allowed to get out and do things. At 14 I was told I needed to get a job, so I started working at McDonald’s.  The second semester of my freshman year I was introduced to marijuana. I would skip lunch to get high, and then return to class. By the time I turned 18 I was fed up with living at home.  My dad and I did not have a good relationship, butting heads a lot.  At one point we got into a physical altercation, which resulted in me moving out and leaving behind my younger brother and sister.  Instead, I moved in with my boyfriend and his parents on their farm, and I stayed there the remainder of my senior year. After graduating in 2011, my boyfriend and I got our own place.  Moving back to the city it was very easy for me to find the drugs I wanted, especially when things weren’t going right in our relationship; I ran to drugs for comfort.  Our relationship lasted 5 years, ending in February of 2014.  We still remained close friends, but my drug use got in the way.  At this time, I decided to move to Texas, and from there up to Colorado to get away and start over.  After only three months I returned to Fond du Lac.  I was still broken and wore my heart on my sleeve.  At this point God was not the center of my life, drugs were.  I basically used whatever I could get my hands on. Again I chose to get involved with the wrong group of people.  I found myself hanging out with a guy who claimed to be part of the M.S. 13 Unit Gang. I quickly became addicted to cocaine, and used crack here and there.  Satan really had a grip on me.  I was sexually abused and taken advantage of more than once.  Searching for a way to hide the pain and my emotions, I began using Percocet, which quickly led to heroin. 

I ended up getting Hepatitis C, but on June 24th of 2015, almost two months after being in Teen Challenge, my blood results came back negative. God healed me, without needing any medical treatment.  The power of prayer is amazing!  Looking back I have a better understanding of why my dad was so hard on me.  I tended to be rebellious, and considering he’s a Marine, he didn’t tolerate much. Regardless of the things I’ve been through, I take full responsibility for my choices.  I thank God and give him all the glory for sending the Holy Spirit to guide me back on the right path. I’m thankful and happy to be living my life for Christ again.

The scripture I stand on is Psalm 143:8 – “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”

On June 3, 2016, I graduated from Teen Challenge. I am pictured in the second row, third from the left. Our speaker was U.S. Senator Ron Johnson. Thank you for supporting Teen Challenge and individuals like me!

Lesia

“I felt as though my life ended as well and for a week I was paralyzed,” said Brown. “Right after he was killed someone told me they knew what would make me feel better and gave me drugs. At that moment my life was changed.” Brown’s family, friends, and work priorities fell by the wayside as her life spiraled further out of control.  “I tried to do treatment but I would always return to my former behavior. I tried to slow down, but nothing would change.”

Brown’s family decided to step in and get her some help. After church one day they sat down and told her about Teen Challenge. Brown contacted the center in Montana and arrived a week later. After finishing the program, she returned to Milwaukee as a re-entry student. “I have had the opportunity to develop a true relationship with my Heavenly Father, give him my whole heart and learn to trust His ways. I am alive and have hope all because of Gods mercy and grace. I just want to give back what was given to me.” It is with your support that Teen Challenge is able to help women like Lesia, pictured above. Pictured are the Teen Challenge staff and students.

Amanda

Joni

I moved home to a very disappointed family.  I was the smart one and I had failed myself and my family. My alcoholism got much worse and by the time I was 21 I was going  to clubs five days a week and had many blackouts.  After leaving college, I maintained a job at a bank for 6 years but lost it due to my addiction.  I was able to quit drugs but not alcohol. I did most of my drinking with my mother and when their marriage fell apart, my stepfather blamed their divorce on me.  It was my fault he said because I drank with my mother.  My mother and I moved in  together and our drinking got worse.  My mother eventually got back together with my stepfather and I felt betrayed. My brother asked me to move to Tennessee with him and a new baby nephew,  It was great at first but we just drank together too. I moved out on my own and fell into major depression and alcoholism.  I went thru three jobs that year because I couldn’t get out of bed after a binge.  My brother started going to church and accepted Christ as Savior.  He quickly stopped drinking and became a very godly example.

Melissa

On October 2, 2014, I was robbed and sexually assaulted. I felt like my family, especially my boys, would be better off without me. After the assault I tried heroin for the first time. I waited to die, but instead I came to in an ambulance. I remember being angry—I didn’t understand why God wouldn’t just let me die. I continued drinking, hoping my life would somehow end. While walking home drunk one night, I fell on some railroad tracks.    I was told that the train stopped about four feet away from me. At the time, I wished the train hadn’t stopped. I entered Teen Challenge without expecting to finish the whole year. Until that point, I’d been addicted to many things, cut and burned myself, overdosed three times, and was in and out of abusive relationships. It was when I embraced the program that I realized I didn’t need drugs or anything else to feel whole. All I really needed, and always had needed, was Jesus. God has blessed me with an extremely caring and supportive family. Through everything I’ve done and put them through, they’ve never judged me or left my side. My boys are now 16 and 17. They know why I was in the program and are proud of me for completing it. My hope is that the paths I’ve chosen will help them choose to stay on the right track. The Bible says that many were called, few were chosen. I want to strive to be the person that God created me to be. 

Being in Teen Challenge has taught me that forgiveness is not a sign of weakness, but a sign that my faith is strengthening. The scripture that most speaks to me is Deuteronomy 7:6: “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God.  The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.”

Carol

My name is Carol and I grew up in Saukville and graduated from Port Washington High School.  Growing up my dad was extremely and verbally abusive.  Through it my mom told me to pray, read my Bible, and that I’m loved by God who is my true Father. I knew God in my head but not in my heart.  I didn’t believe that Jesus could love me when my earthly father didn’t. I was filled with fear and anxiety; that turned into anger and resentment. I started smoking and drinking when I was 12, then any drug that came my way in my teens was mostly pills and cocaine.  I had Hannah at 18 and Holly at 21.   By this time, I’m addicted to oxycodone. I was doing things I said I would never do for my next high, was homeless, got my daughters taken away, I caught a felony, but I didn’t care it seemed that nothing would stop me. I was lost and I had no clue who I was.  Every time I thought I was at rock bottom I just kept on getting deeper and darker in my addiction.  I was 25 and pregnant; went to jail for a short time from there I went to rehab. I had my son in treatment, I named him Isaiah and I placed him up for adoption. When I got out I stayed sober for 9 months. I kept Jesus on a shelf and only prayed when I needed something. I put confidence in myself and became very prideful. I ended up relapsing and my addiction was back ten times stronger than it was when I stopped before.  I started shooting heroin, cocaine, and meth.  I did not care about anything or anyone besides what I could get in my veins next. The devil stole my identity and I didn’t know who I was anymore. I felt lost, hopeless, and didn’t care if I died. I ended up getting an infection and abscess in both my arms. I went to the hospital and had surgery. 

From there I went to Teen Challenge. I completed the one year program July 2017 and have stayed on to serve at the Robby Dawson Home for Women as Program Intern. I just began my first semester of college to work toward a degree in substance abuse counseling. Psalms 18:19 says “The Lord rescued me; he led me to a place of safety because he delights in me“! When I came here it was hard for me to understand the love of God because my earthly father was anything but loving.  God is kind and patient, he meets you right where you are. Whatever the enemy meant for evil in my life, God turned it around for my good and His glory. I know who I am now in Christ and nothing or no one can even steal that away from me. The scripture I stand on is Joshua 1:9 …be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Jenna

Hello, my name is Jenna Treml, and I am from DePere, Wisconsin. I am a graduate of Teen Challenge Wisconsin. I currently serve as an Intern for Teen Challenge of the Firelands, located in Willard, Ohio. In December of 2016, I entered the Teen Challenge Robby Dawson Home for Women, located in Milwaukee just off 31st Street and Wisconsin Avenue. At that time, I was homeless and an IV heroin and methamphetamine user. Life for me was very dark and hopeless. In August of 2016, I had been arrested for driving under the influence of narcotics and was facing felony charges for possession of narcotics and a controlled substance. After this happened, I lost all hope for myself and for my life. Meth and heroine took everything from me. I was homeless, jobless, and I had absolutely no money. Finally, the time came when my parents and family were done with me. They told me that I had to get help, or I would no longer have them in my life. My family means the world to me, so it broke my heart to think of losing them. But I was not ready to give up drugs.

My mom heard about Teen Challenge and suggested it to me. From the moment I accepted God’s will instead of my own, my life hasn’t been the same. Teen Challenge was the hardest and most rewarding year of my life. I am eternally grateful for everything the Lord has done to restore my life, my family, and my health. I now know who I am in Christ and that I am redeemed and accepted and love. I stand firm in this truth today. In Teen Challenge, Jesus meets us in our place of brokenness. He enters the darkest and most difficult points in our lives, then he builds us back up and heals us from the inside out. That’s exactly what he has done for me! Every day I now care for and help the ladies here at Teen Challenge of the Firelands. As an intern, I work with people who struggled like me. Thank you for helping me when I needed help. Now I am doing the same for someone else.

Patricia

She spent most of her time growing up in the streets, since her brothers were always drinking and selling drugs.  Patty began using cocaine with her brothers and things quickly got out of control.  She served time in jail, destroyed  relationships she had, and was losing everything that was precious to her. With the lifestyle she was living, Social Services became involved and her children were not always in her care.  The only thing she cared about was her next fix. In jail Patty picked up a Bible and started reading it.  She prayed wholeheartedly for help and God heard her cry. Patty graduated in May after coming to the program two times.  The first time she left and got in a horrible car accident and almost died.  It is only by God’s amazing grace that she is here today. Upon completion of the program, she was accepted for  re-entry.  She has been working a job outside of Teen Challenge and also gives back her time to the Women’s Center.

 
Donna

I ran away from home for the first time when I was 12 years old.  I used to go stay at my friends house, and I started to hang out with the “wrong crowd”.  One night they smoked weed and drank.  I was 13 years old and wanted to be cool, so I did what they did. When I became interested in guys, at 14, I started running away in the middle of the night to be with them.  I started doing more drugs, more bad things, and hanging around with the Latin Kings from Aurora, Illinois. I met my son’s father at the age of 15, got pregnant at 16, and had a baby at 17.  My son’s father went to prison and I was left to raise a child by myself.  I had never had a job before.  I just robbed people, broke into houses, or stole from stores, taking whatever I wanted or needed. But now, I had to change because I had a child to take care of.  I did change for a little while, I had a good job and was clean from drugs until I got bored and went back to using.  I was in and out of jail for fighting, stealing, and drug related reasons.  In 2003, I was shot by gang members. They were not sure I would make it but by the grace of God, I did. In 2005, I met a man named Mike who gave me a job, a car, a cell phone, and a beautiful house to live in.  It worked out for a little while until he found out all my money was going for drugs.  Then, I took off for 3 days without calling or showing up for work. He packed up all my stuff and dropped it at my moms. Jobless again, I went back to stealing and got caught. My son was with me and I got arrested in front of my son, I knew it was time to change, not for me, but for him. I went to jail for 30 days to sober up and Mike bailed me out. The lawyer he hired talked to me about Teen Challenge.  I said to myself, “You’ve tried everything and nothing has worked. Why not?”

I agreed to come to Teen Challenge hoping to change and I have, I now have the Lord in my life. I have learned to act like a woman and not a monster.  My family even talks about God now.  They see what God has done for me.  But the most important part is that God has given me a second chance to live a Godly life and be a good mother.  I am taking my son to second phase with me.  Thank you Teen Challenge!

Leah

I started cheerleading when was five. It was my life! I was at the gym every free minute I had, striving for perfection! Cheerleading was my outlet. I absolutely loved it!  My sophomore year my world came crashing down.  My cheerleading career ended when I injured my back in a car accident.  At the same time my parents got a divorce after 23 years and my uncle died of a drug overdose.  I didn’t have a future anymore and I didn’t know why I was still living.  I found out quickly that pills made me not feel anything at all. I started experimenting with every drug I could get my hands on. School was at the bottom of my priority list.  All my time was consumed with drugs to the extreme. I had new friends every time I turned around. I was “living good” and loving it.  I was always getting to know more druggies and their sources. I completely indulged in the drug game.  I didn’t care about anything or anybody I lived for the next high.  Sometimes that was the only reason to wake up in the mornings!  You would think that almost dying one night from ecstasy and too much alcohol would open my eyes, but nope, I kept going.  Neither of my parents wanted me near their homes, and my older brothers didn’t want anything to do with me either.  The conversations with family consisted of, “We love you and you need help.  I thought they had the problem, not me. I thought I was fine I had no idea how bad off I was. I constantly stayed in trouble, and selling cocaine became my source pf income, I was my best customer.  I totaled three cars, went into inpatient and outpatient rehab, AA and NA meetings, and jail three times.  This last time I was in jail, something clicked. I realized that in order for me to have a life, something had to change and it had to be me!  I was ready for a new lifestyle. I was sick of pushing rewind, trouble, and no one to turn to – sick and tired … literally!

My mom had talked about a program called “Teen Challenge.” My uncle had gone through this program and died so I thought my mom and the Pastor were crazy. After I got out of jail, I called my Dad one night crying. With no money, no drugs, coming down from the night before, I was walking up the street with no place to go when my Dad showed up with a cop.  This cop could tell I was on something. My choice was go home with my Dad or go back to jail.  That’s when I realized what I had to do. On December 18th, I arrived at Teen Challenge in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The Lord brought me out of the pit and set me on a solid foundation.  I now have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I have hope for a better life.  Instead of waking up for the next high, I wake up to find out more about Jesus and who I am and who I can be! I can tell people how God has changed my life and how He can do that for anyone!  I’m so thankful for Teen Challenge because it gives people like me an opportunity to turn our lives around with the Lord!   Not only has He changed me and softened my heart but my family has sincerely forgiven me and they see the changes too! It feels so good to know that God is in control!  Instead of looking for answers from people who tell me anything they think I want to hear.  I now ask the Lord for answers in the Book of Life, the Bible!  I have learned so much since I’ve been in Teen Challenge and I know that life is all about choices.  God is definitely a God of many chances! I’m grateful and thankful to the Lord most of all but also to Teen Challenge and to my family for believing in me!  Today I stand on the Scripture Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who give me strength!”

Kassandra

Before I entered the program my life was in complete disarray.  I was hurt, broken, angry, and I was addicted to drugs and alcohol.  I was born and raised in Grand Island, Nebraska. I had a great family. Everything seemed wonderful from the outside looking in, but that wasn’t the case.  I can remember being extremely depressed as young as age seven. At age twelve, I was sexually attacked by an older boy.  My mind was full of confusion. I didn’t understand why it happened to me. I felt disgusting and I was too ashamed to tell anyone. As a result of that incident, l developed an eating disorder that I struggled with for the next seven years. When I was fourteen, my family moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma. l thought it could be a new beginning but the hurt within me just grew deeper and stronger. I was mad at God for the things He had allowed to happen in my life.  At fifteen, I started smoking cigarettes and occasionally drinking alcohol.  Soon, I was popping pills, drinking and smoking pot daily. l hated God. l hated myself. I just didn’t care anymore. My Dad was transferred to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin when l turned seventeen. I started drinking more heavily and I would disappear from my home for days at a time. Half way through my junior year of high school, I dropped out, bought a ticket and left Fond du Lac on a Greyhound bus back to my hometown of Grand Island, Nebraska. Within two weeks of arriving in Nebraska, I was smoking crank (methamphetamine). I lived from place to place. At one time I was living in the shallow end of a drained swimming pool. I couldn’t stand it anymore so I called my parents and told them I would get help. Of course, I never did. My grandparents let me move in with them and I did well for a while. I started dating a guy who used and I started up again worse than when I left off. I was using crystal meth. I turned into someone I didn’t even know. I hated my own reflection. When I first started doing drugs I did them to escape reality but before I knew it, doing drugs was my reality. I lived the way I wanted to until I figured out if I kept living the way I was living it wouldn’t be long before I was dead. I called my parents and said I would do whatever it took to get help.

A week after that I was on a plane on my way to Teen Challenge. My life has completely changed as a result of being in this program. I used to wake up and sob because I didn’t want to live. Now I wake up and thank the Lord for the life He has given me! I don’t deserve God’s forgiveness but He gave it to me anyway. I am not afraid of where my life will go from there because I know God has an awesome plan for me. I am excited to see what is in store for me after I finish second phase in Columbus, Georgia.  I am grateful to God and thankful for the Teen Challenge program. If I hadn’t come to Teen Challenge, I don’t want to think about where I would be.

Julie

When I was five years old, I was left home alone at night. My parents were too busy with their own lives. I was left to watch and learn from my older brothers and sisters.  I remember my brother always getting in trouble. I cried when my Dad got out the belt even if I was the one who told on him.  I felt guilty for causing him pain even if he had hurt me first. I learned very quickly never to do the things he did. At 16, I moved in with my sister. I started smoking cigarettes, drinking, smoking weed, and using ecstasy. It seemed to be a lot of fun at the time, it took my mind off of my weird family, and I made a lot of friends in the process.  By the time I was 18, I had begun smoking weed every day, drinking on the weekends, and also doing other drugs. I popped prescription pills during class just to get me through the day. I left for college thinking that life on my own would be much better, and if I wanted I could stop using any time.  By the end of my freshman year of college, I had smoked pot, taken ecstasy, opium, mushrooms, hash, coke, prescription medication, drinking almost all week and was very miserable. I had done well in school so I thought I could keep doing drugs and drinking and still keep my grades up. After the first summer on my own I went back to school and was worse off than before. I was drinking every day, doing coke regularly, and taking Oxycontin once in a while, I was very depressed. l didn’t see a point in living. I had no family to turn to because we didn’t communicate. I wasn’t doing well in school. I was holding everything inside and had no self-control. My “friends” didn’t even want to hang out with me.  One night l remember being drunk, taking a double stack of ecstasy, doing coke, and driving around town smoking weed. I wanted to crash and die but I got pulled over by a police officer instead. I thought for sure that this was the end of my partying. My parents were going to find out, the secret would come out and I could get some help.  But he let me go and said, “Have a nice night.” Still depressed, I got drunk and passed out at a friend’s house. It was 4:00 a.m. and I began vomiting in my sleep while I was on my back.  By the grace of God my friend had been up reading a book and came out to see what was going on. When she found me vomiting she pushed me over so I didn’t choke to death. Still depressed, I ended up smoking crack with some friends of mine. Crack was the one thing that I told myself I’d never do. This was the lowest I had ever felt before. The only time I got out of bed was to find weed and roll a blunt so I could go back to sleep.

One day I just couldn’t stand it any more and I cried out to God, “Lord, my way isn’t working. I hurt way too much. I just feel like dying. But there’s so much I haven’t done.  Please help me Lord before I hurt myself any more.”  Just then the phone rang and my sister heard the tone of my voice and asked, “What’s wrong?’ I spilled the beans and two weeks later God brought me to Teen Challenge. ln Philippians 4: 13 it says, ” I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Knowing this, God delivered me from drugs, alcohol, and depression. He’s restoring my family; he has given me a hope and a future. He has filled me with his joy and peace and helped me to graduate first phase after five long months. Julie finished second phase in Nashville, Tennessee in January 2005.  She is currently enrolled in college in Minnesota. She has continued to do well.

Karina

As much as my family tried to hold me down and keep me safe I always rebelled and I guess I never realized why I had to struggle so much.  Why was my life so rough? Why was my family broken? In school I was always the outcast. At one point in time, I remember that I even had rocks thrown at me. I never felt accepted until I was 17 years old and I met some people who I thought were the world to me. After I was surprisingly accepted into college, I had everything. I had a decent job so I could support myself. I had a great apartment, my family was happy for me and I finally felt like I was going to be all right, until I let my friends move in. At this time I was drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. This is when my life started getting rough. Within a few months I lost it all: my apartment, my college career, and communication with my family. I thought if I got away for a while I could come back and things would be better, so I moved back and forth between Oklahoma and Texas. It was there, in 2005, that I was first introduced to crack and meth. My boyfriend at the time also introduced me to the life of hustling with gangs: the Krups and the Bloods. Eventually I ended up in jail, for what could have been a very long time; I could have been killed for the foolish thinks I did. But by God’s grace I was saved, I wasn’t killed or incarcerated.

Teri

My husband and I put God first in our lives for a long time.  However, we began to move around a lot and somewhere in the moving, we seemed to get farther and farther away from God. We opened the door for Satan to step in and he began to steal our happiness and tear apart our loving home. Eventually my husband lost his job, we lost our house and almost lost our son to alcohol poisoning.  My family began to be torn apart.  I became very depressed and started drinking to help me sleep.  Soon I had a serious drinking problem. From the outside, it seemed that I was functioning normally, balancing work, kids and home successfully, but on the inside I was in a terrible turmoil and a slave to fear and anxiety. My husband moved out and I lost the job I loved.  I began to have suicidal thoughts that led to several attempts at ending my life. 

In June of last year my sisters picked me up from the hospital and drove me to Teen Challenge in Milwaukee. I was in extreme mental and spiritual pain and very broken.  Since coming here, Jesus had healed a lot of my pain and is healing my marriage, my family life and my addictions. I believe He has a special purpose for my life and I am learning to trust and lean on Him with everything. Galatians 6:9 tells me not to lose heart and grow weary, but to keep going and press through.  With the help of God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit, I am gaining the strength and perseverance I need not to quit until my victory is complete. I stand on 1 Peter 5:10, which says, “And the God of all grace who called you to external glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while will Himself restore, support, and strengthen you and place you on a firm foundation.”

Tiffany

My name is Tiffany. I grew up around drugs and alcohol and started smoking cigarettes at 10 and drinking at 12.  Eventually my whole family was getting high together. At 16, I started getting into heavier drugs, like painkillers and cocaine. I was also drinking heavily with my boyfriend, Jim. One day I went to pick up Jim and as we were driving through an intersection I was t-boned on the passenger side. Jim was killed instantly. I was charged with vehicular homicide and sent to foster homes while awaiting trial. I got two years probation but was not charged as an adult. After this, I began drinking heavily and using painkillers. I moved in with another boyfriend. After he went to prison, his mother and I became really close and she began taking me to church. I had never known that kind of unconditional love before in my life.  I was astounded by how loving, caring, concerned, and compassionate she was towards me even when I got into trouble. She told me about Teen Challenge. When I got in trouble at school for taking too much cold medicine the principal recommended Teen Challenge and I agreed to go. I left Teen Challenge in Muskegon, Michigan after a month because I thought that I could do it on my own. Within a week I was back to my old ways.

When I came to Milwaukee Teen Challenge, I came with my mind set on completing.  I had it in my heart and my mind to get things right with God. My goal is to be pleasing in the sight of the Lord. As my spiritual mom would always say to me “God looks good on you”! My favorite scripture is,  Isaiah 45:3 “I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.”

Nicole

Life was pretty good growing up in a private school. Upon attending public school my life spiraled down hill pretty rapidly. I attended numerous parties, after school dances and sporting activities. This is when I first experimented with heroin.  When I was 18 years old, I fractured some vertebrae in my back and was put on pain medication and was introduced to narcotics.  Narcotics and heroin solved a lot of emotions and trouble I was going through. My addiction intensified after being married to a controlling and abusive man for four and a half years.  In July 2012, I broke down and confessed everything to my pastor and parents.

I arrived at Teen Challenge in August, angry, bitter and wanting nothing to do with the program.  During a church service the pastor spoke on  surrendering.  I cried out to God at the altar call. I asked him why nothing had changed in my life since being in the program. God’s answer was simple: ‘you have to surrender your whole life to me.’  I have never felt such joy and peace as I did when I surrendered my whole life to God.  He has now given me a love for others and a desire to want to serve them.  After graduating from Milwaukee Teen Challenge in July of 2013, I accepted a one-year internship at Montana Teen Challenge Center. I wanted to give back what was given to me. I am a living and walking testament to God’s grace and mercy. I have stood on the scripture since I came to Teen Challenge that says “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” Philippians 4:13.

Janice

“When I was four years old, issues with my family made me believe that my father did not love me. I thought I wasn’t important,” said Bighorn, recalling her childhood. From that point on Bighorn pushed her father away, believing he didn’t matter. “If the enemy can separate you from your earthly father he can pull you away from your Heavenly Father.” At the age of 17, Bighorn’s mother passed away from heart failure. crushed, Bighorn turned to drugs and alcohol for comfort. Now 42, Bighorn has been in and out of treatment centers, jails and prison. “Through it all the Lord was always trying to reach me and He would at times.” After prison, Bighorn came straight into Teen Challenge. “God has truly been blessing me through this program. The most important thing He’s taught me is the power of prayer. I will serve Him for the rest of my life. Praise God! My best days are ahead of me!” Janice completed the full year Teen Challenge program on March 29, 2012. Janice was then accepted to attend Teen Challenge Ministry School at Minnesota Teen Challenge. We are grateful for our partnerships with other Teen Challenges.  Together we are re-building lives. Congratulations Janice!

Holly

I knew I needed to provide a good covering for my daughter. I started to attend a church where I felt I was getting spiritually fed but something was still missing. I wanted a relationship with my Father in Heaven. I was getting discouraged because I was feeling nothing. I soon stopped going to church, got married and shortly after had my youngest daughter Brooklyn. Life seemed okay but I still felt like I was missing something. After being introduced to narcotic pills for a second time  something was different this time.  It was like the enemy knew I had a void and that was his way in.  For several years after I was being prescribed pills which soon was not enough.  My addiction led me to signing my rights of my oldest daughter over to her dad so I could get help. Becoming more anxious to hide my pain, I had no one to turn to that I trusted. I did what I thought I could do best…more drugs. I eventually started to lie, manipulate, steal and destroy my life by allowing the enemy to have complete control. The only thing I had going for me was Jesus and I accepted Him into my heart. I remember praying and wanting alone time with God. He heard my prayers and began to lay out the path to Him.  I moved to North Carolina to live with my mom and get help in an outpatient program. I ended up in jail and surrendered to God. My mom talked to a man named Larry who had graduated from Milwaukee Teen Challenge and that began my journey to the Cross! After attempting to get into the Teen Challenge in North Carolina, I was not accepted. With Larry and my mom’s help I was accepted into the Milwaukee Teen Challenge program.

Within a few weeks I arrived with ambition and also fear. I knew I was going to be away from my beautiful girls for a year and it would not be easy. I trusted God that if I stayed focused on Him, He would take care of everything around me (Proverbs 3:5-6). I have had such an amazing time getting to know my Creator through Jesus Christ. I have truly been blessed. My heart is for the lost, the hurting and the broken. I long to share God’s Word and show the love of Jesus to those that need it…All of God’s Children! I am on my way to North Carolina Teen Challenge where I will be doing an intern program and begin a new chapter of my life in ministry serving Jesus! Remember God is faithful and He will never leave nor forsake us.

Kori

In my life I truly wanted to follow God but I continued to struggle with relapse. My staff would always tell me that God had a plan and purpose for my life, but the shame and mistakes made it so hard to believe. All I could see was the person I was, but God allowed them to see who I would be in the future. Looking back, I gave God and my leaders countless reasons to give up and turn their back on me; but they never did. They continued to believe in the calling on my life even when I couldn’t see it. For that I am eternally grateful. I am 23 years old now and have more joy and hope for my future than ever before. I have allowed God to completely heal my heart and I believe that I am worth the good things He has planned for me. After I graduated Teen Challenge Wisconsin, I came to the Emerging Leaders College in Jesup, Georgia. This school is for Teen Challenge graduates who feel called into ministry. While in the program, God called me to be a missionary and the first country He laid on my heart was Swaziland. For two weeks this summer I have been given the opportunity to serve the Teen Challenge in Swaziland! God has continued to open doors and fulfill the promises He gave me in the program Swaziland Teen Challenge has programs for men and women, as well as homes for abandoned and abused children. These children are referred to them by the national social welfare office. Most of these children have been impacted by the AIDS and orphan pandemic in Swaziland.  This Teen Challenge also has a Bible school, church, and vocational training center.  After I graduate ELC, my future plan is to work with Global Teen Challenge. For the rest of my life I want to help those in addiction and hopelessness. God has promised me that all the pain and turmoil I experienced doesn’t have to be in vain. But if I let Him, He will use it for His glory.