He Kept Getting Arrested and Never Knew Who Was Praying for Him | Derek's Story
- Western Michigan Adult & Teen Challenge
- Jul 21
- 3 min read
Derek is 30 and from Muskegon, Michigan. He grew up in a Christian home, but compromises that started in high school gradually led to addiction, which worsened over time and pulled him into a genuinely dark season of his life.
That season cost him a great deal. Derek struggled with mental health problems alongside his addiction, and the combination left him jobless, homeless, and cycling in and out of jail. Even during that stretch, while he was still using, he sensed God at work in his life, though he kept getting caught and arrested nearly every time he turned around.
Discovering Who Had Been Praying
During one of those jail stints, Derek made a phone call and learned that many people had been praying for him the whole time. He credits those prayers with saving his life and opening the door for him to come to Adult & Teen Challenge, a chance to clear his mind and spend real time with God.
Structure He Didn't Know He Needed
What stood out most to Derek at Western Michigan Adult & Teen Challenge (WMATC) was the structure and discipline the program offered, something he badly needed after so long living without any. Specific milestones along the way mattered to him: being baptized, moving up in the program's growth stages, and simply completing something all the way through, which wasn't something he'd been able to do in the life he was living before.
Through the program, Derek has grown in his understanding of God's character, and in the importance of love and obedience in his walk with Christ. He's come to believe that no matter what his past looked like, there's still a future and real hope ahead of him.
Wanting Out, Then Finding Peace
Derek is honest that his first weeks at WMATC were spent trying to find any way out. He called other programs, looked into going home to his parents' house, and searched for any option that didn't involve a full year in the program. When those doors closed, one after another, God eventually gave him peace about being exactly where he was. Looking back now, he can see God working in him through that entire resistant season, not just after he settled into it.
Community Isn't Easy, But It's Worth It
Derek has learned that living in community with other believers can be genuinely difficult. Even so, he's found that mutual support and prayer make everyone stronger in the Lord, and that the difficulty is smaller than it first appears once you're actually inside it.
Word and Prayer as Daily Anchors
Two of WMATC's core values, God's word and prayer, have become central to Derek's daily life. Through both, he's felt God's love and peace, and he describes a relationship with God that keeps growing closer over time.
What Comes Next
After leaving WMATC, Derek has a place lined up to stay and is learning a trade. He describes God redeeming many different areas of his life, and he has a strong church home to return to, where he hopes to find ways to serve. His broader vision going forward is simple: to discover what God's vision is for his life.
His closing message is short and direct: Jesus is the answer.
Why Derek's Story Matters
For donors, Derek's story is a picture of what a full year of structure and discipleship can do for someone who cycled repeatedly through jail and homelessness without ever finding lasting stability.
For prospective students and families, especially those wondering whether their prayers for a struggling loved one are making any difference, Derek's story is proof that those prayers are heard, even when it looks like nothing is changing.
For the WMATC community, his honesty about wanting to leave in the first few weeks is a reminder that resistance early on doesn't predict where someone ends up.
If you've been praying for someone caught in addiction and wondering if it matters, it does.
Help make stories like Derek's possible.
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