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People don’t fall just because they come from a bad background. I had a good upbringing in a nice suburb in Waltham, MA, and I still fell. People don’t fall just because they weren’t raised in a church. I am 31, but I spent 28 years of my life going to church with my family and I still fell.

 

I have always had trouble in life with staying positive, and it affected my life in every way.  Trouble focusing damaged my relationships and my scholastic career, and a lack of upward thinking drove me to seek comforts wherever I could find them.  At first, it was video games, but then it became friendships, foolishness, and then eventually partying.

 

I maintained a semi-normal lifestyle, balancing the pursuit of happiness in materialism with occasional bouts of oblivion in substance abuse and sedated emotions. I could not make life meaningful, and that resulted eventually in homelessness.

 

One of the friendships I made was with a kindhearted classmate named Dalena. She moved to Vermont later in the 15 years that we have been friends. A resident from Adult & Teen Challenge Vermont walked into the chocolate shop she was working at and told her about the program.  She thought of me, and in a few months, had arranged for me to come see her so she could ask me to try it out.

 

Ten months have passed, and I am feeling joy in the blessings that God has given me, even the ones I cursed in the past.  I like Vermont, which is very different from my initial reaction to the long roads and expansive fields.  I plan to stay in Vermont and find work that lets me contribute to those that lifted me out of the darkness : Dalena, Teen Challenge, and most of all, God.

ple don’t fall just because they come from a bad background. I had a good upbringing in a nice suburb in Waltham, MA, and I still fell. People don’t fall just because they weren’t raised in a church. I am 31, but I spent 28 years of my life going to church with my family and I still fell.

I have always had trouble in life with staying positive, and it affected my life in every way.  Trouble focusing damaged my relationships and my scholastic career, and a lack of upward thinking drove me to seek comforts wherever I could find them.  At first, it was video games, but then it became friendships, foolishness, and then eventually partying.

I maintained a semi-normal lifestyle, balancing the pursuit of happiness in materialism with occasional bouts of oblivion in substance abuse and sedated emotions. I could not make life meaningful, and that resulted eventually in homelessness.

One of the friendships I made was with a kindhearted classmate named Dalena. She moved to Vermont later in the 15 years that we have been friends. A resident from Adult & Teen Challenge Vermont walked into the chocolate shop she was working at and told her about the program.  She thought of me, and in a few months, had arranged for me to come see her so she could ask me to try it out.

Ten months have passed, and I am feeling joy in the blessings that God has given me, even the ones I cursed in the past.  I like Vermont, which is very different from my initial reaction to the long roads and expansive fields.  I plan to stay in Vermont and find work that lets me contribute to those that lifted me out of the darkness : Dalena, Teen Challenge, and most of all, God.