Abundant Life Academy Former Student Testimony - Part 1

Abundant Life Academy (ALA) has graduated nearly 1,000 students since 2001, and their are many with a testimony.  There is a former ALA student testimony with every former student.  A testimony can be something we are proud of, or it can be something we deny, hide, justify, and blame others for.  Many of the former Abundant Life Academy students are graduates, having gone on to accomplish great feats.  Unfortunately, some former ALA students have not gone on to accomplish worthy goals.  Some former Abundant Life Academy student have floundered, struggled mightily, and failed to live up to their potential. Most of the former Abundant Life Academy student graduates who  flounder did not graduate the program, as their parents allowed them to finish the time but not accomplish the goal. Its never to late, as long as we have breath, to turn our testimony into a story of triumph, victory, and of glory.  Below we have presented one testimony from a former Abundant Life Academy student. Please enjoy their testimonies and realize that God has a plan for each one of us, a purpose, and a heavenly calling.  Praise Him!

Life on Both Sides by T - The tough side

Below you will read the first part of "T's" testimony of God's redeeming grace in the life of a troubled teen.  T is a former student of Abundant Life Academy, a graduate who has gone on to see tremendous prosperity in his struggle, growth through his adversity, and faith in his failures... all in understanding his need for a Savior - Jesus Christ.

It all started when I was 14 messing around at school getting in trouble being suspended for skipping school, going to the mall and starting snowball fights in the school. I still went to church but for all the wrong reasons just to sit in the back and talk. One day there was a new kid who sat with us I thought he was a really cool guy. Over the weeks we started hanging out with him a lot, we would have sleep over watching unrated movies and horror movies, just having a fun time. About three weeks into are friendship he told me about marijuana I didn’t get mad at him but I knew in my head that I was never going to do that. So more weeks went by and know many of my friends did it and they came out just fine and then I got that thought of “well if I just sleep over and I don’t get caught it will be fine”. So I did it and it was the first time I ever smoked pot then next week I moved on to shrooms then a couple week it was XTC. I was just going further and further into the drug life I knew in my head that Im not addicted and so I tested my self and I stopped for two week but then I just couldn’t take it I had to do it. It was giving to me for free so why not that’s were I realized in my head you don’t think your addicted and you can stop when ever you want but really once you stop, you found out how hard it is. After that I learned how to shop lift and I was getting good at it I could go to the mall and come out with 200$ worth of stuff and id go to the DVD Now and Blockbuster and come out with five new movies every time. I would go to a grocery store that had like no cameras what so ever and so we would still all these beers and save them when we had a sleep over and get drunk I would steal bottles of wine and beers and then vodka and I got so caught up in alcohol that that was my biggest addiction. One day I went back over to my friends house and we just eat some E and it was really good stuff so I text the person that Id like some more and I forgot about it the next day. I had the biggest hangover, and I just felt like crap and the person text my brother back and said “how’s the come down on that XTC.” My Dad just playing around grabs the phone and reads the text and he was shocked he was so mad he drove over to my friend’s house at like 11:00pm and woke my friend’s family up. We had a meeting face to face with our family, there family and we all were caught, and my dad got everything out of my friend so my dad found out everything. So then, my dad put me in counseling, I was pissed about that, and so they went out on a date and at age 14, I made the stupidest decision of my life so far. I took my parents car and left to Seattle and just partied, meet new friend’s new contacts to get drugs and alcohol. I go to get out of Seattle, and I got lost at 12:00pm to 4:00pm. I drove for ever and I was so tired that I started dosing off one time and at like 40mph I grind up the wheel and tiered off a lot of rubber on one of the tires and that was the only scratch I got one the car. I finally found the exit and im ready to go to bed. I didn’t know were to go so I fell asleep in the back of the car right one the other side off the fence next to Bellevue Christian school. I woke up at 7:00am freezing and so I turned on the car and made my way to Redmond mall. So I’m in Redmond really close to the mall and it’s a red light and I pull right behind a cop and I wonted to go before he read my license plat but it was to late I saw him look up in his rear view mirror and type in his computer the license plate number. So sure enough, he pulled over to the shoulder and went right behind me and I was scared out of my mind. I keep taking random turns trying to make sure he’s really on me and for sure he was on me. He was just waiting for back up I was in a three way lane and they pull me over and cover off all traffic no body was let threw there where people getting out of there cars seeing what’s going on the cops finally turn on the lights and I pulled over. They said on the microphone to “roll down my window and turn off your car.” I did then they said, “stick both hands out the window and drop your keys on the ground very slowly,” so I did then they said open the door slowly and come to my voice with your hands up.” I opened the door and then I see five cop cars blocking everyone and six cops holding me up with there guns. They put me on the hood cuffed me up and put me in the car. That was the last time in a long time I started to shed tiers it was a short ride to the police station and they got me out of the car took me inside put me in a room and started questioning me. I answered most of the questions but some questions I said nothing. They took my picture and my fingerprints and I sat there for about 2 hours in a chair not talking to anybody I was still full of pride and anger just made it worse. Finally my parents came and picked me up and I was grounded for such a long time I was already grounded for the drugs and now I have Grand Theft Auto written on my record.

Continue to Part II - Life on Both Sides by T

In Part II T goes on to share his "born again" restoration through an encounter with Jesus.  T's testimony of grace is amazing to say the least.  What we hope at Abundant Life Academy is that our former students, the teens who graduate from Abundant Life Academy, will go out into the world as lights, lights of grace and mercy, of hope and faith, and most importantly, being the light of Christ in love for one another.  Our hope is that all former Abundant Life Academy students would have a testimony of Jesus, a testimony of the power of grace, the beauty of mercy, and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit.  ALA graduates are special, and these former students of Abundant Life Academy have accomplished something that is grand, worthy, and something to be proud of... they have a testimony of restoration that is significant and meaningful.