Home of Hope Students

Growing up my mom worked long days and nights and raised my brother and I on her own. Both of us where in and out of juvenile detention center. We were both hurt by the problems that our parents went through and seeing my dad struggle with addiction. My addiction began when I was introduced to drugs early on. First it was marijuana and then quickly it became crystal meth. I believe I used drugs and alcohol to be surrounded by people. I needed attention because I felt like I had been abandoned. Everyone I knew and loved drank and smoked, it was the thing to do. What brought me to Teen Challenge was the grace of God. A chance to save myself from the pit of destruction that I’ve built  myself over the years so that I can be the best mother I can be to my children. What I hope to accomplish in this program is complete sobriety. I hope to change and see that life is way more meaningful with a purpose and to clearly receive it from God and fulfill the plans He has for me.  

Favorite Scripture: Psalms 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

I had a really good childhood, but I remember at a certain point telling myself that the only person that is going to make life good, is me. My addiction began at age 16 and I became more rebellious toward my mother. This led me down a dark path. I came to Teen Challenge Home of Hope because I had come to the conclusion that I needed to leave everyone and everything behind that I knew. With the support of a group of people, I flew out here as soon as I got the opportunity.  While I'm here at the Home of Hope, I hope to heal as a person and leave all the things that caused my addiction behind me. I really want to pursue ministry work with the homeless and less fortunate.  

Favorite Scripture: Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

My life was pretty normal. I was adopted into a pretty good family. It wasn’t until I moved out of their house, got pregnant, and then married, that my life started to go downhill. I got married at a young age and had to deal with mental and physical abuse and sometimes verbal abuse. I divorced him in 2020 and then met someone else and got hooked on drugs. My addiction started in 2020. I had just left the Home of Hope and graduated in 2019. I was lost and drowning in pain and hurt. I use drugs to cope with the pain that I had to go through when I got divorced and also when the other guy I was messing with would mentally and emotionally abuse me.  When I did drugs I would mentally and emotionally hurt my kids and I would hurt myself even worse. So this is my second time coming back to Teen Challenge, and God brought me back so I can get more healing and get any deep rooted issues pulled all the way up. He’s brought me back for a season of renewal.

Favorite Scripture: Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.

Growing up for me was easy and hard at the same time. I lived with my father and grandmother most of my life. I began using drugs at sixteen years old to numb the pain from the abandonment and rejection from my mother and father.  I came to Teen Challenge from New Mexico to heal myself and learn how to be a better mother to my four children. While being here I hope to accomplish life skills, parenting, reconciliation with my family and children and learn how to build a relationship with God through sobriety.

Favorite Scripture: Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Looking back at my past and my upbringing I see a life that was full of holes. It was incomplete or just seemed empty. My addiction began the summer after eighth grade.  I’m sure I used drugs and alcohol to fill the void in my heart. Coming to Teen Challenge was a decision that I made for myself. It was after years of being a successful working woman, a mother and wife. That life didn’t mean much. I was willing to allow my addiction to take me and my family out. And it almost did, because I found no true fulfillment in this life. I hope to find who I am in God through Christ and that he fills every incomplete area and makes it whole again.

Favorite Scripture: Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is in the midst of you. A mighty one, a savior who saves! He will rejoice over you with joy. He will rest in silent satisfaction and in His love. He will be silent and make no mention of past sins, or even recall them. He will exult over you with singing.

My life growing up was very scheduled. When I was three, my grandmother took custody of me due to my mom becoming a diabetic after having me. Very rarely did I have friends because I chose to block myself off due to abuse from my mom’s husband. I was always in trouble and became angry at the wrong people for the wrong things. My addiction began at the age of 18. I   believe I used drugs to run from my problems. Using, so I thought, helped me to focus on what I knew I had to do, which was work to make money, to take care of my child. The main reason I came here was to heal and to get closer and grow into God with my child. God made every way possible for me to get here and opened all doors. My heart has been trying to chase God, but I had family that kept me disconnected from that calling. My main worry was my child and how I could get us away from the situation I was in without having money for shelter, food, or transportation. I hope to accomplish a deeper understanding of God for I want to know and pursue him just as he did me. I hope to forgive some people dear to me while I’m here; as well as restore my family and be delivered.  

Favorite Scripture: Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

I grew up with a lot of inconsistency and in a constant state of anxiety. At a young age my innocence was stolen from me and I lost trust in the people who were supposed to protect me, including God. My addiction began around the age of eleven. I started drinking and smoked a little marijuana. From there it quickly escalated to a number of other substances. The luxury soon became a necessity. My drug and alcohol abuse was used to cope with the past abuse and traumas I was running from. I fell into a downward spiral of despair and didn't know how to get out. I came to Teen Challenge because I was sick and tired.  For the first time in my life I had friends that saw me and were genuinely terrified for my well-being. As they pleaded for me to get help, the fear in their eyes shook me to the core. While being in Teen Challenge, I hope that God will restore me to who he intended me to be. I want Him to remove the anger and bitterness I've been allowing for so many years.  

Favorite Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

Life growing up wasn’t terrible.  The only thing that really hurt me and pushed me into addiction was one of my mom’s abusive boyfriends. And the other reason I think that I started drinking was the fact that my dad wasn’t around. My addiction to alcohol began when I was twenty-one years old.  I believe it was because I was taken advantage of by someone I thought cared about me. And then another time someone close to me attacked me mentally. I let these things consume me. I came to Teen Challenge because I had decided enough was enough, that I needed and wanted something new. Through the program I hope to be more patient with life and to take better care of myself. I want to be happy and live a more confident life.

Favorite Scripture:

Life growing up was very quiet. I lived in a small town where most families kept to themselves. As a result, I too turned inward and detached myself from my emotions to create a facade of contentment and normalcy. I started using drugs and alcohol recreationally as a teen. In college I became dependent on alcohol to get through social situations and stress. During my early twenties, it turned into alcoholism. If I was awake I was drunk. I used alcohol to try to align my feelings with a mask I was showing everyone else. I thought if I drank anytime I was happy, sad, angry, anxious or grieving, I could glide through life without having to feel anything. Over time I fell into a dark place. My family was referred to Teen Challenge by some friends who had a son complete the program. HOH happened to be in the same town. While I am here, I hope to gain enough trust in the Lord that he will make my path clear, and to heal from my traumas along with the addictions. I want to meet the Lord and take the struggles and pressures off myself.

Favorite Scripture: 1 Peter 1:8 "Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory."

Growing up for me happened fast! Me being the eldest in our home, I was given the expectation to be a mother to three other siblings. My father was in and out of the prison system because he chose to father his drug habits instead of his children. My mother raised four children to the best of her abilities while having a crack-cocaine addiction. Her addiction ended when I was 10 years old. I began smoking weed in the second grade, then started drinking at age 11. At the age of 13, I had no supervision and was in and out of hotels with men. I ended up addicted to meth. By the time I was eight-teen years old, I began shooting heroin. Visiting the program 7 1/2 years ago with no children, I left a month in. Teen Challenge is a place of returning completion for me. I hope to accomplish self-love as well as self-worth. I would like to be closer to God and become a better mother.

Favorite Scripture: Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them, a light has shined.

I was born into a family of 12 siblings where there was a lot of brokenness. Each one of us didn't know how to love one another or how to communicate. Oftentimes, I never felt heard or cared for. I thought there was something wrong with me. At age 15, I started smoking weed which led to drinking. I did this for 3 years. Then I eventually developed an addiction to opioids and cocaine. I started using it to distract from the hurt that started at age 6. People would always say I was over-dramatic. I was tired of being unhappy. I was introduced to Home of Hope by someone who had graduated from the program and I chose to come because God helped me realize the destructive path I was in. After several failed attempts to fix myself, I knew I needed help! I hope to gain full confidence in God and no longer rely on the things in this world. I'm praying for complete healing and restoration.

Favorite Scripture: John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Growing up what I thought was normal, wasn’t. I was 10 when my parents divorced. My older sister and I never saw it coming. My parents never even fought, at least not in front of us. I have had an addiction one way or another since I was thirteen years old. It was caused by rejection and guilt.  I avoided my feelings and gave myself excuses for my behaviors. Now that I’ve gotten much older, I realized that my issues are still with me. I am from California and went to TC for the first time in 2010. I stopped using everything for six years but I was still broken. Since I have been at the Home of Hope I feel that it’s been different. I can feel that my heart is really changing. My spirit is being renewed daily. My strongholds are not defining me anymore. I’m done, yet I still have much work to do with Jesus Christ my Father God and the Holy Spirit. One day I hope that I am living in God’s plan for me. I hope that this program helps me to become free and to love myself the way my Father loves me.

Favorite Scripture: Psalm 65:3 Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all.

Growing up was…never dull. I began my regular hospital stays at the age of five. I was battling multiple illnesses. On top of this, my mother was terminally ill and in and out of marriages, resulting in mental, physical and sexual abuse. I had over used my meds as a toddler, not understanding, I was escaping and getting high. But at the age of 13, I found my mother’s pain meds and intentionally starting stealing them. I was given no hope for a future, so I figured I would try to alleviate pain and pass time as fast as possible. I came to the HOH the first time around in 2013 due to pills, pot, and alcohol. After 14 months, I graduated. I recently returned because my husband of thirteen years abandoned me and my two daughters with no warning. I started smoking almost a pack of cigarettes a day and drinking myself to sleep.  I hope to re-establish Gods love, trust and gentleness with my children and also closeness and dependence on God, where I had allowed the world to slip in.

Favorite Scripture: Philippians 4:4-5 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again. Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Growing up my life was normal, but when I got older I felt abandonment from my own parents because they didn’t raise me. My addiction began after high school. I believe I started using drugs to numb the hurt and emotional pain I felt of not being good enough. I was brought to Teen Challenge of Arizona because after multiple failed attempts at rehabs I needed to try something more spiritual. While I’m in the program I hope to accomplish healing and staying sober.

Favorite Scripture: Isaiah 60:19 The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

Life was lonely growing up. I dealt with a lot of abandonment issues and rejection. I hated feelings and was always looking to cover up and numb myself from dealing with the real issues at hand. My addiction began at age fourteen after I was molested and raped by a grown adult. I felt tainted and failed. I believe I used drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism when I didn’t have control in my life anymore. I believe Jesus brought me back to Teen Challenge. I felt defeated, like God had forsaken me because I went back to addiction. I didn’t want to live anymore. I wanted to be with Jesus in heaven and not feel abandoned anymore. I hope to accomplish restoration in my family. I want to be a healthy, positive, godly role model to my son. I want to be the stable person in his life that he can count on after God. I think it would be amazing to go on a mission’s trips or to use what Teen Challenge has taught me and apply it to a stable career within the ministry.

Favorite Scripture: Philippians 4:19 You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus.