Kenny Stevenson (1993)

“ I walked onto the property of Life Challenge on a cold February morning in 1992. I was thirty-two years old, homeless, and hooked on drugs. My family had given up on me.

Ten years prior I had joined the Army in hopes of pursuing a career in the medical field. I met a young lady who had similar ambitions and we became engaged.

My life dramatically changed, however, when my fiancé and I were driving in a car and we were broad-sided by another vehicle. My fiancé died in my arms, and I ended up in the hospital for the next two months.

I was put on various medications to help me cope with the pain. But the physical pain was minor in comparison to the emotional heartache of losing my fiancé.

My grief turned into bitterness, guilt, confusion, and despair. I thought several times that I should have been the one who died. The only relief I found was in the drugs prescribed to me. As time went on I needed more drugs to numb the pain. I eventually became a full-fledged crack addict.

When I arrived at Life Challenge, I had no serious desire to change. I figured I needed a couple of months to ‘straighten out’ and then I could resume with life. I planned on leaving once I had received my income tax refund check. But the check never came.

One day as I was sulking in an afternoon study hall, an unexpected blessing came to me. As I was reading the story of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection from the gospel of Luke, my heart was gripped. Jesus revealed Himself to me. I asked Him into my heart and was born again – right there in study hall!

My time in Life Challenge provided me with the structure and discipline necessary to develop a firm foundation in the Christian faith. Since graduating in 1993, I have never looked back. I am employed with a local trucking company and am involved with Brightmoor Christian Church. I married a beautiful Christian woman in 1994 and in January of 2003, we adopted a little girl – our first child. I give Jesus Christ all the praise!”