Full of excitement and anticipation, Ameerah enrolled at San Francisco State University. But the freedom of college life proved to be a double-edged sword, “Quickly I got distracted, just like most people do when they get out of their parents’ house, and started sneaking into bars, drinking, and experimenting with pot.

The pressure to fit in and prove herself only intensified her spiral into self-destructive behavior, leading her to neglect her studies and eventually drop out of college in her junior year.

Ameerah’s mom had seen her daughter struggling and knew that she needed help.

They did some research and found Teen Challenge online, but Ameerah couldn’t bring herself to go through with it. She would dial the number and hang up. But she was getting desperate, “I was addicted to not only the substances, I was addicted to the pain. And it got to a point where I couldn't even look in the mirror anymore. I was hallucinating. I was having severe withdrawals. I was having seizures. I was having a lot of physical decay.”

“I knew there was a God. I didn't know how to reach him. I didn't know how to access him. But I knew that there was something up there that could lift me out of this. So I angrily packed my bag … I contacted Darlene at LA Teen Challenge, and she said, ‘You've got to come now. You cannot wait.’ So I gathered my things. I knew that there was no turning back from that point.”

Ameerah arrived at Los Angeles County Teen Challenge in 2019 feeling nervous, but hopeful to begin a new life.

Recalling the moment that her life changed forever, “October of 2019 I accepted Jesus Christ in my heart. I got baptized and I just knew that there was something else on the other side of all the darkness that I had faced.” She felt a hand pushing her toward the future — a bright future. It was time to break free from the addiction and the pain that had been keeping her prisoner for so long.

“I remember seeing all my past fall away on each side of me. And from that moment I was like, let's go. I have a hope. I have a future. I want to get to know this Jesus.”

Ameerah found the hope of Jesus through Teen Challenge. She attended Teen Challenge Ministry Institute, met a godly man who became her best friend and husband, “He’s funny, he’s wise, he’s just an awesome man of God. That’s been the biggest blessing. I have a friend in Christ now. A best friend.”

Today, Ameerah works in accounting and finance for Teen Challenge in Southern California. In her new role, Ameerah finds fulfillment using her talents to support Teen Challenge's mission of helping others experience the same freedom she did. Whether it’s managing finances or providing support to the various centers, she approaches her work with passion and dedication, knowing that she is making a difference in the lives of those in need.

You, too, have the opportunity to make a difference. There are tens of thousands more lives still suffering under the weight of pain and addiction. Please consider setting up a one-time or a recurring gift today to help others like Ameerah. Your faithful giving is what makes this work possible.