08/12/2025
♥️ Testimony Tuesday ♥️
At the Graham Women’s Campus, we have the privilege of witnessing lives transformed by the grace and power of God. One of those remarkable stories is Jennifer's. From the moment she walked through our doors, God began a new work in her life. A journey of healing, growth, and renewal. Today, Jennifer is not the same person she once was. Her story is a powerful testimony to the goodness of God and an example of what happens when someone surrenders their life to Him. We are incredibly proud of Jennifer and celebrate all that God is doing in and through her. She is almost at the end of her program. If you would like to come to her graduation, let us know!
My name is Jenn. I was born on March 6, 1985, in Compton, California. From the start, life wasn’t easy. My parents were teenagers when I was born, and we struggled in every way — emotionally, financially, spiritually. By the time I got to high school at Centennial High, the challenges only grew. That school was a war zone in more ways than one.
Everything was divided by race and gangs. I quickly learned that in a place like that, only the strong survived. Weekly riots weren’t unusual. Choosing a side was mandatory. If you didn’t stand with your race, you were bullied and called out to fight. I adapted and learned how to fight at a young age. I became aggressive. By the age of 14, I was in a gang and deep into addiction.
But even in my darkest moments, I always had this quiet sense that there had to be more than this. My best thinking eventually led me to Adult & Teen Challenge — and I’ll be honest, it wasn’t easy. I didn’t come in ready to change; I came in broken, angry, and guarded.
One day at dinner, a girl I didn’t like cut me in line. I was on my best behavior, trying to stay out of trouble, but something inside me snapped — not outwardly but inwardly. I told on her when no one was looking. A staff member pulled me aside and asked, “Why does this bother you so much?” I fired back, “Are you serious? This isn’t about me — it’s about her!”
But she looked at me, not with judgment, but with love and kindness. And she asked again, “Jen, why does this bother you so much?”
I walked out of that office and broke down crying. For the first time in my life, I truly asked myself that question. And the answer hit me hard: pride… ego… fear of being seen as weak… The need to prove I wasn’t a pushover.
In that moment, God showed me that all these things I thought were making me strong were actually chains holding me back. I wasn’t strong — I was wounded, scared, and deeply broken. And that was the first time I realized I needed a Savior.
Only God's goodness could lead me to that place of repentance. He didn’t come at me with shame or condemnation — He came with kindness, and that kindness broke through my defenses.
It hasn’t been easy. How do you undo a lifetime of bad choices and pain in just 12 months? You don’t. But when you surrender and let God be the Lord of your life, real change begins.
Thanks to Adult & Teen Challenge, I started a journey I never thought possible — a journey toward healing, freedom, and my identity in Christ. I’m not who I used to be, and I’m not yet who I’ll become. But I’m finally on the right path.
So if you or someone you know is stuck like I was, I challenge you to step into this place of transformation. Because if He can change someone like me, He can change anyone!
