Youth-Reach Houston: Testimonies

Resident Testimonies

Troy: Former Resident	Troy Bryant is a former resident of Youth-Reach. He came to Youth-Reach basically homeless and fatherless. Troy was a resident in our program two times and after being here his second time, he surrendered to the Lord and is now pursuing ministry training at the School of Urban Missions in Oakland, CA. Here is his story. Hello, my name is Troy Bryant. I am from Houston, Texas and I am 20 years old. When I was five years old I was in a car accident along with my mother and father. My mother died in the car and my father went into a coma because of his injuries. Fortunately, I was not hurt. I lived with my father after he came out of the coma. My dad remarried and became a minister at our church, but when I turned fourteen he got arrested for aggravated assault. This turned my heart cold. I was already in the gothic scene, and his getting arrested made me think that Jesus wasn’t the person I wanted to be like. So, I clung to being gothic. Then I moved to Southwest Houston where I got more into a ghetto lifestyle. I found that for acceptance, I would conform to whomever I was hanging out with. I never got into drugs and never drank alcohol. I smoked (marijuana) twice and did not like it but I would always go out and party... To read the rest of Troy's story click here.
TJ: Former Resident	TJ is from Gulf Shores, AL and is former resident of Youth-Reach. He came to us as a drug addict and dealer. He is now serving as an intern at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri. Here is his story. My name is T.J. Martin. I am 19 and I am a resident of Youth-Reach Houston. I’ve been here for over 2 years. Like many of the residents here, I came from a broken home. When my parents divorced I began looking for an escape by using drugs, having sex, and hanging with a bunch of thugs. Life went into a downward spiral and just brought more pain. I constantly had run-ins with the police, was put on probation, saw many people arrested, and suffered the loss of multiple friends who died from drug-related incidents. In December of ‘03 this became very personal. I lost an uncle to drunk driving. At this point I lost it. I was either going to overdose, go to jail, or get shot. The enemy’s plan for my life had almost come to completion. It was during that time that God reached out to me. A good friend of mine had recently gone to a program called Youth-Reach. One night I received a phone call from him telling me of a way out of the trap our lives kept us in. I had heard of many jail-house style religions but I knew this guy and he seemed to speak with a life and passion I hadn’t heard before. Something was different... To read the rest of TJ's story click here.
Andrew Robinson: Former Resident/ Current Staff member	Andrew is a former resident and current staff member. He also came to us as a drug dealer, gang member and addicted to drugs. During his stay with us God transformed him into a man after His own heart who wants to reach the troubled youth of this generation as well. Here is his story. My name is Andrew Robinson. I am twenty-one years old and I’m from Gulf Shores, Alabama. I come from a broken home; my parents divorced when I was two years old. As I grew up I did not have a father-figure in my life to show me how to be a man so I learned from music videos and what the world says is “tough”. When I was fourteen I joined a gang called the Insane Gangsta Disciples. That soon became my identity. I wanted everyone to think I was insane and I wanted to be known. My wish came true and even the police knew who I was. They had me on a Top Ten Most Wanted List at one point and by the time I turned eighteen I started going to jail regularly. I rose to be one of the leaders of the gang and my big thing was recruiting new members. Now I regularly speak out against this gang. I still love the people in it, but I hate the gang lifestyle. Through high school and afterwards I sold a lot of drugs like Ecstasy and Xanax and I smoked pot on a regular basis... To read the rest of Andrew's story click here.
Richard: Former Resident	Richard is a former resident from Orange Beach, AL. He is now taking classes at the International House of Prayer. He came to us as an alcoholic and a drug user looking for a chance to start over with God. Here is his story. My name is Richard Crawford and I am from Gulf Shores, Alabama. On August 1st, 2004, I completed the Youth-Reach program. The year I spent there was the best year of my life. I have been transformed into a new being. I went into the program just after turning 21 years old, and by that age, I had been an alcoholic for 6 years. I used drugs on an everyday basis, and run-ins with the police were a normal occurrence as well. I became completely dependent on drugs and alcohol. Without them, I really didn’t know who I was. My family had lost all trust in me, and my mom lived in constant fear for my life. All my expectations and goals for myself had been forgotten and I realized that I needed help. It was then that I decided to go to Youth-Reach Houston. After just a couple of days, I gave my life to the Lord, and God began to transform me and renew my mind. He showed me that I have a purpose and revealed my true identity. My old identity was drugs and alcohol, but my new identity is in God. I am a son of God, holy and righteous in His sight. Each and every day, I sought the Lord, listened to and trusted my counselors. I watched the way they lived their lives. They set the example for us through their actions, and not just their words. As a result, I have learned what it means to be a good father and a good husband, but most of all, I have learned what it means to be Christ-like. I want to thank all of you who are supporters of Youth-Reach Houston. Your support makes this program possible and gave me the opportunity to go. Youth-Reach has given me a fresh start. I am now completely sober and live under a high set of standards that I have set for myself. My life is in God’s hands now.
John: Former Resident	John has been at Youth-Reach twice. He came to us the first time proud, unbroken and addicted to drugs. Unfortunately he left soon after the same way. After several years he came back this time ready to face his issues head on. He is now enrolled in classes preparing him for ministry at Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas. Here is his story. Hi, my name is John Bartel. I am 20 years old, and I am from Houston Texas. I come from a Christian home where my parents are still married. When I was in seventh grade, some friends and I decided to smoke a cigarette. I would have to say, that at that age it made me feel accepted and cool. All the things my parents taught me didn’t matter because I had decided to go my own way and this was the beginning of my downhill spiral to the bottom of the pit... To read the rest of John's story click here.
Chris: Former Resident	My name is Chris Webb. I am 22 years old, and I am from Bon Secour, Alabama. Before I entered Youth Reach I was a living wreck. I was discouraged and had no hope in my life. It seemed like the harder and harder I tried the more everything went wrong. I found myself using both legal and illegal drugs. When I used the illegal drugs it was bad, but when I started going to see a shrink so that I could support my habit it was even worse. During this time in my life my body was alive but my spirit was dead. I came to Youth-Reach Houston in September of 2004 and graduated in August 2006. While in the program the staff members helped me physically, mentally, and spiritually regain strength. We would work out at the YMCA, have bible studies, and attend Church regularly. My counselors talked with me often to see how things were going and how I was doing. Now that I look back I can see the tremendous amount of change that took place during these two years of my life. Youth Reach also worked with me to continue my education. While I was in the program I began taking classes at San Jacinto community college, and I will be graduating in May. From there I will pursue a degree at a university level. I thank God for the Youth Reach program and the opportunities I now have. I also am very thankful that the program was free of charge, because if it was not I would have never been able to be a part of it. If anyone who is reading this has given to the program in the last couple of years I would like to say thank you for giving me this chance.
Brett: Former Resident	I have so much to say about what God is doing in my life. He has taken me away from the problems I created for myself, and set me free. Even after so much disobedience over the past several years, God has still shown me love and has blessed me. Until last year,I spent about 8 years living my own way, just trying to make money and partying all the time. I was constantly intoxicated so i wouldn't have to deal with anything. There is no freedom in living this way. The things that the world says will make you happy and successful only left me empty and broken. I made a decision when I was a youth reach resident to give God everything that I had in myself and my life. Because youth reach spent so much time discipling me and giving me a solid foundation in God, I knew exactly what I was saying when I made this commitment. Unfortunately, after I left the program I went back to my own way of living, which was trying to prove that my way was better than God's way. Once I walked away from the solid foundation of God, everything I did was unstable. To read the rest of Brett's story click here.