A Parent’s Prayer, A Prodigal’s Return: The Farnsworth Family Story
“There’s no such thing as lost hope. Christ does not give us lost hope.” These powerful words from Linette, a mother who watched her daughter spiral into addiction, speak to the very heart of Teen Challenge.
When Linette and Bodie adopted three-year-old Julia, it was “instant love.” But as she grew older, Julia’s unhealed childhood wounds turned into substance abuse. What began at 14 became full-blown addiction. Despite growing up in a loving home, Julia ended up homeless and broken—until that moment when her parents, through tears, made the painful decision to ask her to leave. Bodie recalls, “I knew it would break her heart—and mine. But sometimes, pain is a seed. I’d do it again to have what we have today.”
What followed was a season of desperate prayer. Every morning at 3 a.m., Linette would cry out to God. “You need to be down on your knees,” she sensed God saying. And as she prayed, God moved. When Julia finally arrived at Teen Challenge, something shifted. “I just felt peace,” she said. In the days that followed, God broke the lies that had chained her: that she wasn’t lovable, worthy, or enough. At their first visit, Linette and Bodie were amazed to see a daughter who stood tall with dignity. “Wow, I like this young lady,” they said. They saw transformation—not just sobriety, but new life.
Today, the Farnsworth family is restored. Julia is working, attending church, and raising her daughter with faith. “Everything she does has a different purpose behind it,” Bodie says. “It’s God first.” For any parent walking through a similar valley, they offer this: “Your children are still His children. Keep praying. Keep trusting. Hope in Christ has no bounds.” Stories like theirs are living proof that when Jesus steps in, everything changes. Teen Challenge is where prodigals come home and families are rebuilt. Because with Christ, there is no such thing as lost hope.
“There’s no such thing as lost hope. Christ does not give us lost hope.” These powerful words from Linette, a mother who watched her daughter spiral into addiction, speak to the very heart of Teen Challenge.
When Linette and Bodie adopted three-year-old Julia, it was “instant love.” But as she grew older, Julia’s unhealed childhood wounds turned into substance abuse. What began at 14 became full-blown addiction. Despite growing up in a loving home, Julia ended up homeless and broken—until that moment when her parents, through tears, made the painful decision to ask her to leave. Bodie recalls, “I knew it would break her heart—and mine. But sometimes, pain is a seed. I’d do it again to have what we have today.”
What followed was a season of desperate prayer. Every morning at 3 a.m., Linette would cry out to God. “You need to be down on your knees,” she sensed God saying. And as she prayed, God moved. When Julia finally arrived at Teen Challenge, something shifted. “I just felt peace,” she said. In the days that followed, God broke the lies that had chained her: that she wasn’t lovable, worthy, or enough. At their first visit, Linette and Bodie were amazed to see a daughter who stood tall with dignity. “Wow, I like this young lady,” they said. They saw transformation—not just sobriety, but new life.
Today, the Farnsworth family is restored. Julia is working, attending church, and raising her daughter with faith. “Everything she does has a different purpose behind it,” Bodie says. “It’s God first.” For any parent walking through a similar valley, they offer this: “Your children are still His children. Keep praying. Keep trusting. Hope in Christ has no bounds.” Stories like theirs are living proof that when Jesus steps in, everything changes. Teen Challenge is where prodigals come home and families are rebuilt. Because with Christ, there is no such thing as lost hope.
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