Helping the Hurting - March-April 2001
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My name is Sonia.
I was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut. My mother raised me alone since I was eleven years old. At the age of fifteen, I had my first son and from there on my life was a mess. I was living on my own, doing whatever I wanted. With the kind of life-style I was leading, I became a drug addict, bound to cocaine and heroin. I was looking for any kind of love and acceptance wherever I could find it.

In a short time, I had two sons, Eric and Carlos, both of whom I had to give up because of my addiction. I was lost and hurting and didn’t know what to do. One night, my sister and brother-in-law visited me at home. They came only to let me know that I needed help and that there was a place I could go and get it. They told me that I didn’t need to continue living like I was living. Most importantly, they shared the love of Jesus with me.

Two weeks later I went to Youth Challenge.

It wasn’t easy, but it was the best decision I could have made. I finished the residential program, but before graduating I decided to go out on my own . . . and I wasn’t ready.

Bishop Gonzalez advised me to go to a Christ centered home for women in New Haven, Connecticut. There, I totally surrendered my life to Jesus Christ and became determined never to go back to my old ways. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

Some wonderful things happened while I was in New Haven . . . . .

This is where I’ll pick up the story . . . .
My name is David, Sonia’s husband. I am originally form Allentown, Pennsylvania. On March 13, 1990, I underwent open-heart surgery to correct an atriel septal defect of which I had only recently become aware. Then only one and a half months later I was back to my old life-style of heavy drinking and despite my own efforts to never go back to using drugs, I did. I only made it another month and a half when one morning I awoke in my truck, out of gas and literally in the middle of nowhere.

I was at a crossroad, literally a fork in the road.

I had a shooting pain in my chest. I cried out to God for help. Somehow, I was led to a ministry in Allentown. They sent me to the Teen Challenge in Brockton, Massachusetts. It was there that I developed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. During my time there I was called to the ministry. After graduating from that program I remained as a staff member, becoming the Evening and Night Supervisor. I was also involved in the choir, playing the bass guitar.

At one point, our choir was invited to New Haven, Connecticut to minister at the banquet of Simon’s House. This was the ministry of which Sonia was a part. I met Sonia that evening and our relationship developed from there.

We planned to be married and settle in Brockton, but sometime later I felt the Lord’s direction to move to Connecticut and be a part of ministry there. The Lord provided everything for the move, the wedding, and our new life together.

I now had a new bride who was expecting our baby, along with two stepsons. I was also working in the ministry along with another full time job. With all this going on, the thought of life back in Pennsylvania looked like a good choice for us. Ultimately, though, the decision proved to be painful.

`We relocated to Pennsylvania and I went to work in my brother’s business. We soon had a daughter, Desirae, and a son, David, Jr. along with Eric and Carlos. Financially, things were pretty good, but it was always a battle for me. We knew that we really did not belong there despite the fact that we were involved in a growing young church. I ended up becoming a board member and then associate Pastor. At that point, I was unwilling to admit this wasn’t the place for us. I know my wife truly believed we would be in Hartford, Connecticut.

One day I picked up a drink . . . and drank for a week. Because of the position I was in resigning was a must, so I did. I also faced church discipline. This was a horrible experience and one that my family and I didn’t overcome easily. Six months later I still felt like throwing in the towel. I started to drink again. This time my wife said, "Make the call to Youth Challenge." I did. That same day I arrived in Hartford and spent two months there getting ministered to while my family was still in Pennsylvania.

They relocated to Hartford while I was in the ministry and God provided everything they needed. I was able to finish and graduate the program. My wife also brought completion to her time here and was honored to graduate and receive her certificate at the recent Youth Challenge Graduation Banquet in October!

I have continued working in the ministry of Youth Challenge while my wife is working in the local school system. Our entire family is very much involved in the church.

Now, here we are living in Hartford, raising our family in a place that I once said I would I would never live. But, the Lord had other plans and He has changed my heart! It is good to be living in His will and favor! Most of all, he has given us another chance and proved to us that His mercy endures forever. We have learned some hard lessons along the way, but today we are excited about our future in Him and our children’s future in Him. I can say as Paul did in Philipians 4:13-14, "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it, but one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Thank you for allowing me to share. May the Lord richly bless you!

My name is Jose.
I was born in Bridgeport, CT. At the age of 18 I started to smoke crack. This was when my life started to go downhill. As soon as I started using drugs, it became the center of my life. I couldn’t seem to stop getting high. My addiction grew worse over the years. My life became unmanageable. Smoking crack was everything to me. I stole, robbed, and burglarized to support my habit. My life became a mess. Finally, I ended up in prison. For me this was the end because I had lost all hope. My dreams were shattered. Now, I was both a drug addict and a convicted felon. Society had rejected me. My family had had enough.

During my last drug run, I ended up spending the night at my brother’s house. Fortunately, my brother was already saved. Early one morning, a graduate from Youth Challenge arrived at his home. As they talked, a decision was made that would change my life. I was on my way to Youth Challenge. At this point, I was willing to do whatever I had to do to get my life back.

I came to youth challenge 17 months ago. From the moment I arrived, I realized that this was a place from which I could not be rejected if I truly sought the presence and will of God in my life. I met with a group of men who told me I could make it and that there was hope for me. I consecrated myself to God and the change started taking place in my life. He restored my family. He gave me hope again. He spoke to my dreams.

Today, I am an Intern at Youth Challenge. I am studying the word of God so that I might educate myself in order to help and work for others that are hurting like I was.

Praise God for all he has done.
And thanks to all who helped me out in my time of need.