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 [...]

Brought Back to Life, Megan's Story One day, Megan thought she was getting a quick shot of heroin, not realizing it had been laced with fentanyl. And she overdosed. When she came to, she discovered the paramedics had given her two shots of Narcan—and that she had almost died. Over the course of her [...]

The Prodigal Son Returns, Jeremy's Story Jeremy grew up in Shafter, California—a local boy who fell in with the wrong crowd. He found that hanging out with the neighborhood kids drinking and smoking marijuana brought feelings of pleasure and acceptance. When in his senior year his girlfriend became pregnant, Jeremy moved in [...]

Now she knows who she is, Danielle's story In 2011, Danielle entered a relationship with a man in an effort to prove to herself and her family that she was straight. But that relationship became extremely abusive. She had never felt more hopeless or hated herself more than she did then. “All I [...]

From Hopelessness to Fatherhood, Jonathan's Story With Father’s Day upon us, my heart is heavy. So many families are hurting this year because a parent, sibling, or child is missing because of addiction. It was that way in Jonathan’s family. Growing up, he had freedom to do whatever he wanted while his mom [...]

Restored and Reunited, Juanita’s Story Juanita grew up in a small farming town in California’s Central Valley, one of five sisters born to parents from Mexico. But poor choices led Juanita into a seven-year heroin addiction. “I never understood how being addicted—hurting myself—could be hurting others or my family.” Juanita’s addiction grew out of [...]

From Brokenness to Restoration, Steve's Story Steve came to us first in 2004. At Teen Challenge, he learned how to live free of drugs. But now, looking back on that time, he will tell you that he never gave God everything. He graduated from the one-year program in 2005, joined a church [...]