NO STREET TOO DARK: Christ’s Love in Fentanyl Alley Nearly every week, Brianna and Gabriel from Kern County Teen Challenge load up containers of hot food, hygiene items, neat and clean clothes, then head to the places in Bakersfield others won’t go—Union Avenue, Haley Street, and even an area locals call “Fentanyl [...]

Addiction Tried to Define Her—Christ Set Her Free: Tabitha’s Story “Who am I?” This question haunted Tabitha for years. Growing up in a military family with three sisters, her childhood was happy, but her teen years brought struggles that shaped her path. At 14, a move to Michigan made it hard to fit [...]

"I have a hope, I have a future" Ameerah's story Full of excitement and anticipation, Ameerah enrolled at San Francisco State University. But the freedom of college life proved to be a double-edged sword, “Quickly I got distracted, just like most people do when they get out of their parents’ house, and started [...]

"God Brought Me Back," Gabriel's story Meth, in Gabe's words, was the "devil's drug," a substance that severed his connection to God. He also began to distance himself from his family, creating a wide gap that strained his relationship with his parents — especially his father, a pastor who desperately tried [...]

"No One is Too Far Gone" - Steve's Story Steve tried a lot of different programs, and made a lot of mistakes in between. By 21 he was in his fifth inpatient program, “Among felony probation, I had pending cases and warrants out for my arrest. I was really at the end of [...]

Her Life and Innocence Restored, Crystal's Story When Crystal was six months old, she lost her mom to prison and heroin. Growing up, her two older brothers ran the streets with gangs. She was abused as a young child. By age 12, she was binge-drinking until she would pass out. By age 17, [...]

Choose Life, Lenny's Story His parents told him, “Lenny, you’re either going to wind up in prison or wind up dead.” But he argued back, telling them that he had everything under control. Two years later, Lenny was driving drunk, which resulted in a tragic car accident where a young 14-year-old riding in his [...]

From alcoholism to redemption, Kailey's story By age 29, Kailey was still bartending. Doctors had prescribed anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications, but they weren’t helping and her relapses became worse. But her parents never gave up and kept praying for her. And God still had a plan for Kailey’s life. Kailey called and met with [...]

You were made for more than this, Marissa's story Marissa’s downward spiral began when she was 15 years old. That was the year her father passed away unexpectedly on Thanksgiving Day. That trial tested her trust in God. When emotions became too difficult to manage, she went to the doctor, who prescribed anti-anxiety medication. Xanax eventually led to Oxycontin, which then led to a number of other [...]

From Punk Rocker to Pastor, Daniel's Story Growing up, Daniel had trouble making friends. But his love for music led him to the punk rock scene and he began to skip school to tour California and play in bands. Drugs, alcohol, and music ruled his life. But at age 18, a good friend died [...]