
Jason
For years, Jason lived a life of crime. Sex and money were among
the gods that he served. One day, he came to the realization that
he hated the man he had become. He left everything he owned and
everyone he knew, and started traveling the east coast of
America.
He had no destination in mind; he just bounced from city to city.
He left home with $400 in his pocket, but that quickly dwindled.
He found himself homeless and helpless in Jacksonville, Florida.
In desperation, he went to the first church he could find for
help. The pastor prayed with him, gave him a little money for
food, and invited him to come back for the service in the
morning.
It was a big church, and Jason was surprised to hear the pastor
mention him in the sermon. After the service, the pastor gave him
a little more money and said goodbye. The parking lot was busy
with cars leaving the church, so he dropped his bags and sat on
the curb. A van pulled up along side of him, and some guys asked
him if he wanted to come eat lunch with them.
Jason tells it like this: "There I was - sitting among a
group of Christians at Teen Challenge. They fed me and invited me
to go to church with them for a rally. That rally set the stage
that changed my life. I watched a team of men and women who were
full of joy and happiness sing praise and worship songs to God.
They also started giving testimonies. I was dumbfounded when they
started talking about where they had come from and how far God had
brought them. I knew that I wanted what they had."
That was the beginning of his journey into Teen Challenge. After
one week in the program, the pastor at church gave an invitation
for those who wanted a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jason responded, and that day he asked Jesus to come into his life
and be his Lord and Savior.
"Now my focus is on doing God's will. Jesus is the leader of
my life. He is taking me places that I could never have imagined.
He is helping me change my desires and restore my relationships.
He continues to bless me every day. Being a Christian is not
always easy. However, God has never let me down."