Drought has Not Hindered Harvest at Teen Challenge

To contact us Click HERE
One of the great things about the change of seasons is that each season represents a different stage in the harvest. Fall is typically referred to as the season of harvest. At Teen Challenge we are in all stages of the harvest year-round. But this past week was a great harvest of completion students!

Tracy is originally from Texas and is now coming to work for us as an Intern

We had five guys complete the residential portion of Teen Challenge. It was an awesome service and I have posted some pics of that service for your joyful perusal!

After the service I was talking to one of our older students (my age, if that's old - be nice!)

I have had many great visits with Richard and have enjoyed getting to know him as a friend. His family used to enjoy dirt track stock car racing at many of the same tracks I used to go to with my dad.

Jordan was in TC for twenty months. He is starting college in January.

After a few weeks in the program I was visiting with Richard's brother and I told him that I have really enjoyed getting to know him and that he is a super great guy. His brother replied, "Richard can be a great guy. When he isn't doing Meth he'll give you the shirt off his back to help you. But when he is on Meth he'll steal the shirt off your back to feed his habit."

I asked Richard how he was doing on Monday night and he said God has been helping him with the ups and downs of life. He started the program man years ago, but didn't finish.

You meet Reece today, you can't help but like him very much!

He said he made a promise with God when he came into the program this past summer that he was going to finish the program no matter what. And he said he still intends to keep that promise.

He broke down and started crying when he started telling me how he stood up in chapel on Monday morning and told all the students and staff how much he loved them. How much they were his family now. He said, "My brothers don't see me or contact me, my sisters won't talk to me. Even my own kids don't want anything to do with me. But I know that God loves me because I see his love for me in all of you." 

One of the scriptures that has been very powerful to me this week is Hebrews 10:35 & 36 which says

“Remember those early days after you first saw thelight? Those were the hard times! Kicked around in public, targets of everykind of abuse—some days it was you, other days your friends.

If some friendswent to prison, you stuck by them. If some enemies broke in and seized yourgoods, you let them go with a smile, knowing they couldn’t touch your realtreasure. Nothing they did bothered you, nothing set you back.

So don’t throwit all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It’s still a sure thing! Butyou need to stick it out, staying with God’s plan so you’ll be there for thepromised completion. It won’t be long now, he’s on the way; he’ll show up mostany minute. But anyone who is right with me thrives on loyal trust; if he cutsand runs, I won’t be very happy. But we’re not quitters who lose out. Oh, no!We’ll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way.”

Dan came to us from South Dakota. He is low-key, but highly committed!

I think there are a lot of life points in every believer's walk will go through, But I saw a lot of our Teen Challenge students in the words of this passage as I read it. 

Even though many people come into Teen Challenge having lost everything, there is still a process of giving up everything in order for God to do all that He wants to do and can do in a student's life!

I highlighted one sentence in bold and italics that really jumped out at me when I thought about our students. "You need to stick it out, staying with God's plan so you'll be there for the promised completion."  

It is always a sad day for the staff and many of the students when a man or woman walks away from the program before they cross the finish line. Even though some do well, most walk away before they deal with the issues, hurts, pride, relationships, behaviors, etc. that caused them to approach us in the first place.

Obviously there are still struggles, bumps in the road, and unexpected curves in the road of life for our completed and graduated students. But when a student completes the program they have finished a very challenging & rigorous training program.

The goal of Teen Challenge isn't to get people to quit drinking alcohol and using drugs. Those things are just symptoms of something that goes much deeper than that. Something that goes so deep that man can't get there. Only God knows our inner-most and deepest thoughts. He knows our secret hurts that nobody else does and He reveals those things to people and then heals them as they go through Teen Challenge. We can put clothes on their back and food in their body. We can give them a haircut and cut them off from the outside world, but only God can truly transform a person so that they become a new creation from the inside out.

Michael Hunsberger giving a completed student a congratulatory hug!

The students pictured in this blog entry have truly been transformed and made into a new creation. Family members were there and were recognized. Our current students were in the first four rows and strongly encouraged by the completing students to finish the race. And of course the staff were there; gratefully amazed that by the providence of God we get to be a part of what happens in people when they encounter a powerful and loving God!

If you are a friend who financially supports or prayerfully intercedes for this ministry you are a big part of the harvest that we all get to be a part of. Every completion service reminds me that none of us could do what we do on our own without others recognizing they are called to help us help others who are hurting! Thank you for any consideration you might give to financially supporting Teen Challenge! And if you would like to get a little more serious about that thought, I would love to visit with you about all the different ways you could get involved! Thanks for taking the time to read this blog!

You Are Loved!
Jeff Arp, Program Director
Teen Challenge of the Midlands Urban Center

Lifeline Connection Director for the Eight Judicial Districts of Iowa