From Prisoner to Purpose: Katie's Faith-Based Recovery Journey

The Power of Children's Faith Amidst Struggles

I can't help but cry when this happens. There's times that these kiddos just can just imagine kids running around. There are some days it's crazy you're up. That they'll go to the chapel all by themselves. They'll turn on the worship music and turn out the lights. And these babies will just be in their praise and the Lord. And so that just always does it for me. Nothing will ever be better. You know, because they're watching their moms walk through this and they're watching the Lord do things for their mom. And they're like it is solidifying these children's faith. And it is completely breaking those generational curses that have just been repetitive for, you know, generations in their families. And it's now we're getting to watch it come to an end.

You think of the power of that. You said the generational curses being broken, but like the parents are being set free from the addiction. And in the same moment, the Holy Spirit's working and healing these kids of this trauma, right? Because the behavioral issues start to come up in children, you know, when their parents have walked through all this. I mean, that stuff is difficult to deal with at times. But when you have both in this environment that is Holy Spirit-centered, Jesus focused, you know. And I like teared up in the very beginning. I couldn't even hold it back. That's how amazing your story is.

Journey from Addiction to Leadership

Some Katie, I am the director for the Adult and Teen Challenge Pacific Northwest Alaska Women and Children Center. And I've been with Teen Challenge close to three years now. That's how old this center is. I went through addiction myself, going on almost 10 years free. I'm originally from Tennessee. And so when I was in addiction, I have two older children that I had lost. And like most people, houses, cars, jobs, family, you know, just turned into a very dark, broken person. And I landed in prison. And I was sentenced to serve 100% of 10 years.

And so while there, there were some ladies who would come in once or twice a month and they would do Bible studies, you know, and they used to ask me to come and I would tell them, I don't have time for that. And when they, you know, should say, well, 10 years and you've got 10 years throughout. And so eventually, I went and at first, it was a treat because they would bring out candy bars or something. But the, what we were studying the book of James. And so we were learning about prayer and the power in it. You know, and I was struggling like this isn't going to do anything for me. I've lost everything.

And so the lady, she said, right, you've lost everything. So if you try this and it doesn't work, what's it going to hurt? You know, so the first time that I prayed, I hadn't seen my children in two years. I didn't know where they were. I went to prison and I knew nothing of what happened. So I cried out to the Lord and I'm like, Lord, you know, if you're real, I would just like to know where my kids are. And so the very next day, I was served with child support papers, but that also had their address. And so I found out that they were here in Alaska where their grandparents.

Trials of Reunification

And so a couple of other things like that happened big. Like I would ask something and like the next day, I would get an answer. And so he really started to draw me in. And he gave me the first time he gave me a verse. It was out of Isaiah and it says, I will restore you to your lands and I will return your sons from the north. And my three children, they were boys. And so that just spoke volumes to me. And so I knew that he was telling me one day I would have them. And so I just surrendered. I was content with everything around me. He was completely changing me. I was this mean, broken, ugly, hateful person. And he had completely started to just soften my heart. And it got to where it was almost impossible to upset me.

And then one day I get told to pack my stuff and I was so upset because I thought they were transferring me to another facility. And so I'm in intake and I'm just giving them crap. And they're like, what's wrong with you, dude? And I'm like, well, y'all promised that you were going to keep me here, right? Because this facility was close to where my family was. And they're like, we're not moving your facilities. You're getting out. And I'm like, what? Because this is seven and a half months into this 10-year sentence. And so I get in there and I meet my parole officer and she's like, listen, I don't even know why I took your file out today. But she took it out. She started reading some stuff and she found a loophole. And I was like, oh, that's Jesus for sure, right?

Establishing Faith and Family

And so I get out and I continue. I'm trying to seek him. I know he's telling me things. But some stuff just wasn't working out. You know, I have three different probations, court cost, child support, all these things that I am responsible for. But I can't find a job. And I was almost at the point to where I felt like I'm going to have to sell drugs again or I'm going to end up in jail for not paying these things. And a lady on Facebook that I had never met sent me a message and she's like, hey, do you want to go to a Bible study with me? And what? Absolutely. I knew that that was the Lord trying to do something. So I go with her.

And we break out into some groups and there's another lady there and we get to talking and share my heart with her and I'm pretty emotional. And she tells me about this program in Tennessee called Life Changers. It's a year long, it's free. It's almost identical to teen challenge. The people who started it came out of teen challenge. So it's literally identical. And so I'm like, well, I don't have money. She's like, it's free. It's like, I don't have a ride. She's like, I'll take you. She had an answer to everything. And so I call it on. They accepted me. She's taking me. It's about an hour away from the town that I lived in and I was really crying on my way there.

Finding Purpose in Pain

And I'm like, God, I was pretty positive that you told me you were going to give my kids back. But I don't know how going to this year long program here in Tennessee is going to get me closer. And so I get there and I'm answering all their intake questions and they ask if I have kids. I'm like, yeah, I don't have them. They're like, well, where are they? I'm like, well, they actually live in Alaska with their grandparents and they just stare at me and they say, we have a facility in Alaska. And I said, really, my kids are in Alaska and they say, well, that's where our facility's at.

So you know what? What looked like I was getting farther away was the Lord preparing. So I never again questioned him from that moment. And so I just surrendered fully. Everything he asked, I did, whether I understood or what I just did. They kept me in Tennessee for half of my program. They sent me to Alaska for the last half of it. I completed work for them for several years before I made the change to Teen Challenge. But in those several years, I received my boys back. I remarried. I have a new little girl. And then the Lord, I just always knew he wanted me to do something with women and children because I had walked through that battle.

Serving Women and Children

And so when the Teen Challenge Women's program was opening here and I found out it was for children, I just knew that that's what I was supposed to do. So I came on board as their teacher. And I was the teacher for about six months for the opportunity arose for me to become their director. And that's what I've been doing since. And so we have 15 ladies, three interns, 10 kiddos living on campus. The Lord is really blessing this. He's doing something huge here, especially in these villages. About 90 percent of my population are Alaska natives coming out of the villages.

Wow, I'm sorry, Justin, please take away, dude. You get out of this program or you get out of prison right by the grace of God. And you get out of this program and you're working with Teen Challenge. What inspired you to continue to hold on to hope so fresh in your faith? How did you talk about this lady a little bit if you don't mind?

The Role of Mentorship in Faith

Yeah, no, for sure. She seems like the really big pillar of your transition from prison into like the reality. Yeah. Actually, so her name is Jennifer Longmeyer. Somehow just knew I was struggling and it ended up that her son and I were friends. And so that's how we were even on our Facebooks with each other, but we had never met. We had never spoken. And so the Bible class that she was doing, they had challenged everyone to bring someone new. And she said that she had prayed and that the Lord just put my name in front of her. And so she just knew that she was supposed to invite me and she knew that she didn't know what but she knew something big was going to come out of it.

I love to like dissect almost that like messy journey of the Lord drawing us, right? Because I know you talked about these milestones along the way where he kept revealing himself and kept showing himself to you like a little bit at a time, right? But what about like in between those moments? Like, you know, the rest of the match with Jacob and God on the mountain, you know, like where he's trying to figure this thing out. Like, what was that part like for you? If you remember back to those moments in between God revealing himself before you fully surrendered?

Yeah, for sure. It was hard. You know, I had made such a mess and had been such a horrennously horrific person that there was just no way in my mind that I was worthy of getting saved. And so it was hard, especially in the early time, the time that I was in jail. But once I went into that program and the moment that it happened that I found out that they had that facility in Alaska, really, I just knew, right? And part of that James study that we had done in prison, she had talked about like your faith, never letting it waver, no matter what it looks like, you know, and she really, really instilled that in me.

Embracing the Journey of Faith

And so in those moments that I would get, you know, kind of down thinking that I just didn't know how it was going to work. I would just lean into that, you know, I'd be like, because you're all I have so far. You're the only one that is still there. He's the only one attempting to make me feel like I'm loved or that I'm worth anything. And so I would really just lean in. I mean, and it was a lot of hard work. Like I had to really work at it. I had to stay drowned in his word and just hang on to every promise.

It's that encouragement, right? For those who maybe never had that like epiphany moment, like we've talked about before, like that really hardcore, like transitional moment where it's like, I'm lost now, I'm found, you know what I'm saying? And in the reality of the journey to faith for most people, being just that, it's a journey. There's a tension along the way that we walk through, right? It's the Lord revealing Himself a piece at a time. And really it is preparing our heart to be ready to surrender, right? Because we really follow in Jesus rather than just putting the hand up once on you, right?

The Importance of God's Word in Healing

And saying, I'm here, you know, fix my mess today, but it's that journey of the Lord prepping our heart. And it's just it's beautiful to see how faithful he is through all that, you know? It's still amazing. Yeah, because it's, it's, it still amazes me when we think about how God knows each and every single one of us uniquely and how He's designed us because He knew exactly what He needed to come to, right? There was no mistake in what He did and how He did what He did.

Everything was perfectly designed for you. And I think many of us fail to realize that that's how God works, right? Like even down to the candy bar, right? You probably had the exact candy bar that you wanted when you went to Bible study, not saying that you did, but like I just think that way. Like it's just, it's just funny how God works, right? Because you resisted, you went into nothing to do with it. And then like, bam, all of these things just begin to like line itself up.

And as Justin said, there was tension along the way, which was normal, but the seeds that were planted in prison prepped you for those moments. And you said something so profound that a lot of people don't realize is you said that you have to saturate yourself or immerse yourself in the word of God to get through, right? And so we think that we can get through these moments in life on our own and in our own strength. But I mean, we were, we were trying to like just talking about this a little bit earlier offline, but you know, when it comes to the wisdom and the counsel from others just guidance from people, it's like, who do we go to first?

The Journey of Reconciliation

Like, where's our help? You know, what is our God? What is, you know, as David said, you know, he's the lamp on to our feet, the light onto our path. And so if we look to God's word for the assurance and the hope of our faith, we're able to get through these moments in life that are very challenging like yours, right? And so what an amazing story to see you be redeemed, delivered. And now you're utilizing the very thing that was taken from you and helping other women restore their families and reconcile their relationships with their children.

And I'm a firm believer that what God allows us to go through ends up being the gift in which he births in us to be our, um, gifting as Paul says in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5, he's given us the ministry of reconciliation. And so you are now reconciling mothers and daughters and sons and whomever back into the father's arms and allowing them to see who they truly are through his eyes. And so wow.

Overcoming Challenges in Reunification

So what was the journey like for you once you moved to Alaska and you started to work on that path of reconciliation with your kids? Because that, what there was that in easy process or did you have to do some fighting and not fighting, but, you know, work to get them back. Maybe it was a fight. I don't know. Yeah, it was a lot of hard work. So, um, actually, the mother-in-law and father-in-law that had them, the program had called them prior to sending me just to kind of talk to them and see how they felt. And their exact words was don't waste your money to send her up here because she'll never see these kids again.

And so I, I was here for about six months, uh, literally two minutes away from their house, um, before I was even able to talk to them on the phone for the first time. Um, and then I was here for about a year and a half before I got to see them in person. Um, and it's the whole process overall was about three years from me getting to Alaska to getting normal, um, regular contact with them and then a whole other year. They've legally only been mine for two years.

Navigating the Emotional Journey

How did you work through that? I mean, being so close and yet feeling so far away, I mean, was there a go-to verse? I mean, how did you work through that? How did the Lord help you, you know, in that moment? Yeah. One of the verses that I held on to and I still do is, um, all things work together for the good of those who love God. Um, and I was also very lucky, um, so the director of my program who is also still my biggest mentor and my spiritual mother. Um, she is, uh, I've never seen anyone quite in tune with the Lord as she is, you know, like she's just one of those people.

And so I was lucky to have her because she was just constantly being able to tell me what the bigger picture could look like, you know, because I couldn't see it and trying to help me realize, hey, this, you're not even just here to get these kids. Like, there's a purpose and there's a reason for this time. He needs to do something in you during this time when it's just you to prepare you to be able to, to be this person and be the mother at the same time.

The Reality of Uncertainty

Can I ask you a question? If, if the Lord never restored your children, do you think you'd still be in the position that you're on today? Uh, I would not to say yeah. Um, you know, that would be a hard one. There, there was a point when I thought that it was just going to be that, um, because it, there was no wayway getting made and, um, and at that point, I was still, uh, content with him and what he was doing. Um, so I would like to think that I would, I might not be as on fire for it as I am, you know, honestly, um, no, I like that.

But I would hope so, um, because like I said, the, the contentment really became in prison. Um, and at that point, I had accepted, hey, I'm not going anywhere for 10 years. Um, and I had become content knowing that he had me and that at some point, he, something was going to work out somewhere. Right. No, um, I think that's, it's so good. I, I love, yeah, it is, dude.

Serving the Community and Families

This is a crazy thing. This thing's probably just as good if not better than the aces. Um, and that's a bold statement coming from our mouth as aces is probably my favorite story. Um, I said, actually, I probably can't even compare. It's two different stories. Um, still love aces story. But anyways, um, yeah, this is, this is amazing. And I think the thing is, is that it's because this Christ ever become enough, right? And that's one of the reasons why I asked the question, right?

Like if he doesn't restore this, if he doesn't restore anything at all, does he truly become that which we believe can be Lord of our hearts, right? You know, and savior of our soul. And so, um, that's a very challenging thing. So don't kind of going back to what Justin asked you initially when it comes to, like, you making that transition, um, fighting to get your children. Was there that doubt in your mind? I know you said, like, you kind of like you came content with it. Where's that doubt in your mind that you probably would live your life just not having custody of your children, or living this distance from them?

Or course, there were moments about when that would, that would come in. Cause like I said, it, it's hard when you can't see the whole picture. Um, and I mean, those moments hurt. They did. Um, and then especially if, if another story would come along, uh, you know, someone else would come along kind of going through the same thing and it would be happening for them, you know, so kind of give you that hope. Yeah. Um, well, it would give you the hope, but sometimes it wouldn't also make it worse. And I'm like, man, why did it happen so quick for them? You know, and for me, it's not, um, but like I said, it's so that the program that I went through, uh, they really are cross-centered, um, just like Teen Challenge.

The Transformative Power of Faith

And so there's a lot of time in prayer and worship, um, you know, and like I said, my mentor, she really taught me how to go to battle. Um, and so that's what I would just have to do in those moments. Yeah. Now, how old are your children? Oh, they are 14 and 12 now. And then the newest baby is two. She just turned two. So I want to hear a little bit about your journey, like, now, like doing this work of, like, reconciling with mother, women and children, like, um, new, my wife and I ran a women's home for a while and here in Virginia.

And it was always a dream of hers to do the women and children where we do foster care. You know, we've, the two-year-old, we’re getting ready to adopt her. And on, but this, this thing of, like, bringing the families in together and the difference in dynamic. And this may be more of a Teen Challenge staff, deep question than anything else, you know, but, but it's just intriguing to hear that these women and children centers are popping up all over the country now and starting to hear that possibility to have that hope of maybe restoration before it gets to the point that the custody battle has to take place, right?

And, um, how's God, like, you know, I'm sure there's a million ways, but if you had to call out, I'm like, how has God used you in those scenarios? I mean, with the people that you're serving now.

Well, I mean, because I've walked through it, um, so I'm able to, to encourage those ladies, um, you know, and then on the floor, Mando, I'm like, hey, it's not overnight. Um, but he has, uh, placed, um, me in the paths of a couple of people, uh, children services workers, um, and things like that to where we just developed this, um, this relationship and they, they know what the environment is here.

The Blessing of Community Support

Um, and so anytime, uh, that they, they have, there's one worker that I bet she calls me once a week with a mom, like, hey, do you have room? Do you have room? Um, because they are, they are so confident about the atmosphere here, um, that some of the women don't have their kids, but once they get in our door, they let them, you know, to do, to do the trial run. Yeah. I have one girl here now, who, uh, she came, um, last November. And at that point, she had, uh, a two-month-old that the children services had completely taken custody of. And then she had a three and a five-year-old that she hadn't seen in over a year.

She now has to have all three kids live in here. Um, so she had no children and the Lord has given her back all three of hers. I think that was a unison, like Rob, we did wow in unison right there. That was pretty, it's not intentional. But, um, but yes, so do you have a favorite, if you had to pick a favorite story of some of the ladies that you've worked with on at the women and children? Is there any, like, just stand out, you know, story that, that, yeah, one of those incredible ministry moments?

God at Work in Transformative Stories

Oh goodness, there's, there's tons of them. Um, uh, one that doesn't necessarily include the kiddos. I have a, I have a gal who, she came in, uh, Orthodox Jew, right? So believes God and all testament, uh, but they don't, you know, they don't think that Jesus was the Messiah. Um, and so, and she was so stuck up with that. When she got here, she, uh, she was like, well, what if I go through this program and I still don't believe? And I'd be like, buddy, we don't have to focus on a year on the road. Let's focus on today, right?

Um, and so it was, it had been such a blessing to, um, be around someone who got the revelation one day of, wow, that was Mama Sia, right? Because for the most part, people coming in, they already, they, they have some belief usually, um, when they, which is usually why they pick the faith-based program, right? And so there's this more of just getting back under the blood, you know, not coming to him. To me, that was just so special to watch her journey and see her get that revelation of that was Mama Sia and, uh, start to fall in love with him, um, because I don't know.

Witnessing Miraculous Changes

It was just something different watching that story unfold. Um, it was just like watching a baby walk or talk for the first time. Uh, so she's the near and dear to me. Um, then one with the kiddos, uh, I can't help but cry when this happens. There's times that these kiddos, uh, cause you just can just imagine kids, they're running around. They're some days it's crazy. You're up, um, that they'll go to the chapel all by themselves. They'll turn on the worship music and turn out the lots and these babies will just be in their praise and the Lord.

Uh, and so that just always does it for me. Nothing will ever be better. Um, you know, because they're, they're watching their moms walk through this and they're watching the Lord do things for their mom, uh, and they're like it is solidifying these children's fate and it is completely breaking those generational curses that have just been repetitive for, you know, generations in their families and it's now it's, we're getting to watch it come to an end.

The Impact of Faith on Future Generations

That's so good. And, you know, the funny thing is is that I can attest to this as a father just the other day. My kids, they were watching me and they began like what my tears and they're like daddy, why are you crying? And my oldest son told my youngest daughter, he's not crying tears of sadness or tears of joy. It's okay. Daddy's just praying and talking to God. And so I put on worship again this morning and then used to see my little daughters like lifting their hands up like I just had to open my eyes and looking at their hands, looking swaying and just singing the song back. I was just like wow, like you don't even realize what children are picking up and so to see them having to go through that process, that's probably the best feeling to work with a facility that has the children with the mothers or the dad or wherever, you know, because man, it's, it's crucial for their development, right?

Like it's truly like braiding a child on the way that the sisters should go so that they never depart from it. And so like the kids or even have you ever seen any children like give their lives to the Lord like through a... Yeah, I mean we've had one of our kiddos get baptized and the Holy Ghost. It's, I mean it's, there's been so many amazing things. You see for the power of that, you said the generational curse is being broken, but like the parents are being set free from the addiction.

And in the same moment, the Holy Spirit's working and healing these kids of this trauma, right? Because the behavioral issues start to come up in children, you know, when their parents have walked through all this. I mean, that stuff is difficult to deal with at times, but when you have both in this environment that is Holy Spirit centered, Jesus focused, you know, and that healing is pouring out like that is just phenomenal. Like it, you know, and can you speak to that whole generational curse thing, right?

The Cycle of Trauma and Healing

And like, can you speak a little bit more into that topic? I don't know that I have a specific question, but I think you've probably got a little bit more to say on that. Yeah, so anywhere, you know, but especially here in Alaska, the villages, they struggle. There's a lot of darkness. And when I say generations, I'm like 10, 15 generations of these families will have just been alcoholics. Like it is, it is running rampant. And so they know no other way because they've never seen it. That's all they know.

And so they come here and they see a difference and they start surrendering to the Lord and things are breaking off. And that's what I mean by that. Like it's stopping to where it's been stuck in this cycle for a hundred years or more that that's all it is. They have a kid. The kids raise it herself because the parents are always drunk. And so then the kids grow up and that's all they ever saw was that mom and dad drink and auntie and uncle drink. And so now they're drinking.

And then you have all these generations where kids have also been taken out of families about children's services. And, you know, so it is just this huge never-ending mess for them. And so they come here and this is a different world. Some of these kids like they've never seen something like running water. Like this is legit a different world than living in the villages. And so they come here and they, you know, at first they all just think it's crazy because it's so different and they're around all these people.

The Role of Faith-Based Programs

But then they realize it's love and they see that something is changing in mom. There's no denying that and they and for the ones that were that were removed, you know, mom comes here and then they get to come with her and it's just undeniable. And so we just have them in this atmosphere of worship and they're getting to go to churches and they're learning and so like they're realizing like hey this, this is something. What God is something that he has already changed my life, you know, even at five, six, seven, eight, nine years old, he's already just completely took the darkness away from him.

And you're stopping it in its tracks because mom's getting out and teen challenge alone having to learn how to parent by yourself most of the time dealing with a kid that's facing a bunch of trauma and so there's outbursts, there's frustration, there's stress, I don't know how to parent and I'm watching behaviors wondering what's wrong with me, you know, not realizing a lot of people just don't realize like those responses that is trauma showing up. It's not they're not bad kids, they're bad things have happened.

Breaking Cycles of Addiction

And so you think about a mom coming out facing all of that alone and then it being a recipe for relapse and then the cycle just perpetuates and the power of what you guys are doing by intervening where you are with the oh my gosh, it's crazy. I've heard about the women and children's but I've never had a conversation with anybody before and like it's just it's mind blowing.

So let me ask you then this right like how has this transition been for you and your children right where your children raised in a believing home to your yes they they are believers and so there was some church and then of course when they did get to start well prior to me losing them when they were very little we went to church but so they had a little bit of it when they were real little but yes so then when we started doing visits and stuff my visits always were Wednesdays and Sundays at first so of course that was church and they the same as these kids they really got to see

Navigating Reconciliation

You know that that I was I was different I was so different from the way I looked and talked and acted. And so they just seen that yeah something's real and then my oldest who's 14 um he gave his heart to the Lord at probably 10 or 11 and he has been on fire for him ever since um one of my proudest moments a couple of years ago in youth group um the youth pastor sent me a picture and it's it's dark you can just see shadows there's barely a lot illuminating but it's it's my son praying over someone.

And so that that right there I'm like so the Lord really changed so much you know and uh I was he was able to give me so much to take back away from the enemy um and that I was lucky that those years that they went through what they went through uh didn't stop them from coming to the Lord and just being a toll for him.

The Ongoing Journey of Faith

And you're stopping it in its tracks because mom's getting out and teen challenge alone having to learn how to parent by yourself most of the time dealing with a kid that's facing a bunch of trauma and so there's outbursts, there's frustration, there's stress, I don't know how to parent and I'm watching behaviors wondering what's wrong with me, you know, not realizing a lot of people just don't realize like those responses that is trauma showing up. It's not they're not bad kids, they're bad things have happened.

And so you think about a mom coming out facing all of that alone and then it being a recipe for relapse and then the cycle just perpetuates and the power of what you guys are doing by intervening where you are with the oh my gosh, it's crazy. I've heard about the women and children's but I've never had a conversation with anybody before and like it's just it's mind blowing.

Embracing the Future Together

Thank you so much and man, three time zones coming together to make this interview happen. And uh, the lord is good and for those watching I'm gonna drop the link for the Teen Challenge Pacific Northwest down in the description so you guys can go check them out on you know and and connect you know if there's a need there and also if you all can like subscribe leave a comment and share and help us spread the message of hope over addiction through Jesus.