Photo by Daniel J. Collins (http://www.danieljcollinsphoto.com/)

In some ways, Micah Hale isn’t all that different from many other church kids. Raised by loving Christian parents, he grew up an all-American boy. He gave his heart to Jesus at age 5, was baptized at 11 and had a sold-out relationship with God by 19. In high school, Micah loved playing sports of all types — a love he carried into college. But that’s where life threw Micah a sideways pass.

One day while weight training in order to try out for the University of Utah’s football team, he injured his back and a physician prescribed painkillers to treat the resulting chronic pain. His dream of playing on the university football team would never be realized.

While the medication helped him manage the discomfort, Micah soon found that when he missed a dose, his body spiraled into withdrawals. But written prescriptions were easy to obtain and the young athlete soon found it easier to get the pills than to deal with withdrawals. By the time Micah was in his second year of college, he was addicted to pain medication with no easy way out. He knew it was time to get help.

Thankfully, Micah had strong family support and a hunt began for a place where he could recover. Online, his mom came across Teen Challenge of Southern California. She forwarded the phone number to Micah, he made the call and before long a bed was found for him at a Teen Challenge induction center in Southern California. TCSC’s nurturing environment proved to be exactly what the young man needed to get away from the drugs that controlled his life. TCSC became a place where Micah could heal as he reestablished his relationship with God.

Micah went through the one-year TC program and after graduation, he served a six-month apprenticeship at Orange County Teen Challenge. There he focused on ministry in and around San Juan Capistrano. That apprenticeship became one of the greatest turning points in his young life. In a recent interview, Micah told us:

“That’s where I got to see God saving young people from tough neighborhoods, through afternoon school, God’s Gang youth nights, evangelism rallies and school teams where I got to share my testimony and how Jesus has been there for me since the beginning. And through all I’ve done and been through, He still loved me. That’s what really saved me and keeps me going.”

While Micah was serving his apprenticeship, he found in his heart a deep love for ministry and evangelism. But to further his passion, he knew he needed more training. That’s when he turned his eyes toward Teen Challenge Ministry Institute’s one-year ministry school. At TCMI, Micah found he could receive very practical training in ministry. During his first quarter there, he went to Swaziland as part of a missions team and discovered a love for foreign missions. Once he graduated from TCMI, he went on to Vanguard University to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry and Leadership.

“TCMI showed me what ministry looked like,” Micah says. “It allowed me to apply the concepts I learned at Vanguard to hands-on ministry.”

But that was not all Micah found at TCMI. Crystal, a beautiful TCMI student and previous TCSC graduate, caught his eye and a graduation party became the location for their first date. Today Micah and Crystal are married and have two beautiful children.

Now Micah works fulltime at TCSC as Training Manager and Missions Coordinator. In this position he is able to take teams of Teen Challenge students on overseas missions trips, teaching hands-on ministry to others and changing lives worldwide.

When asked what Teen Challenge means to Micah, he replied,

“Teen Challenge is a safe haven for people to find hope and healing. It is a place where I was able to grow in the Lord. Teen Challenge is a launching pad to send healed, on-fire Christian soldiers into the world to share the hope they received at Teen Challenge.”

You can help others like Micah and Crystal find healing, recovery and a new life. To give online, go to givetc.org or call 951-750-1779.