top of page
Search

He Was on the Bridge, Ready to Jump | Andrew's Story


Andrew is 35 and from Kansas City, Missouri. He spent nearly his entire working life in restaurants, an environment where heavy drug and alcohol use crept in early and never let go. As his addiction deepened, his marriage began falling apart. He'd been hiding his drinking and drug use from his wife and family for a long time, and the deception, along with the addiction itself, destroyed the trust at the center of his marriage. He describes himself during that period as untrustworthy and committed to nothing except finding a way to get high or drunk every day.


Andrew eventually went to jail for crimes committed while blacked out. His wife told him there was no chance of reconciliation. That combination sent him into deep depression, and he made the decision to end his life.


Stopped on the Bridge


Standing on a bridge, ready to go through with it, Andrew describes feeling the voice of God inside him. He climbed down. In that moment, he knew he needed real help.


The next day, he went to a hospital in Grand Rapids, where a nurse first mentioned Adult & Teen Challenge to him, a program he'd never heard of before. Andrew hadn't had any real faith in his life up to that point; his family attended church occasionally, for weddings, funerals, or the occasional Christmas service, but God had never been a genuine presence in his day to day life. From the hospital, he took an Uber straight to Muskegon.


Brotherhood as a Guiding Light


Since arriving at Western Michigan Adult & Teen Challenge (WMATC), Andrew credits the brotherhood and unity among the other students, along with consistent time in Scripture, as the biggest influences on his growth and his shifting attitude. He's navigated real hardship during his time there, including finalizing his divorce, but he's learned to find a kind of joy even in that process and to actively resist discouragement rather than let it take hold.


The men around him, along with the staff, have become a genuine support system, something Andrew says he'd never experienced in his life before, describing it as the closest thing to real family he's ever known.


From Mocking Faith to Feeling God's Presence


Before coming to WMATC, Andrew describes himself as a scoffer, someone who mocked people of faith. Now he says he feels God's presence almost daily throughout the building, during chapel, during worship, even during class time. That shift has rebuilt something in him, and he describes deep gratitude for the chance to keep learning what it means to be God's child.


A Pastor Who Modeled Patience


If Andrew had to name the person who's influenced him most during his time at WMATC, it would be Pastor Del, who leads worship, who taught him what real patience looks like through loving, consistent care. Andrew plays guitar and sings on the worship team alongside him regularly, and credits him with showing what it means to be a genuinely fervent Christian man.


A Weight He Didn't Realize Had Lifted


One of the clearest experiences of God's presence for Andrew came around last Christmas. He'd been wallowing in sorrow and regret, praying for weeks about the pain of missing his wife and feeling like a disappointment to his family. A couple of days before New Year's, he woke up and realized, only in hindsight, weeks later, that the weight he'd been carrying was simply gone. He hadn't consciously noticed it lift; he just realized one day that he'd been feeling genuinely good for a while. He recognized that as God's work, removing the bitterness he'd asked to be freed from, and the realization brought him to tears of gratitude.


Worship and Prayer as Daily Practice


Worship and prayer have become constant, almost competing forces in Andrew's daily life, shaping how he interacts with the brothers around him and how he conducts himself as a leader. Worship in particular has become a building block of his faith, giving him new ways to recognize how God has shaped his life and is actively moving in the people around him.


What Comes Next


Andrew plans to stay on at WMATC as an intern, wanting to give back to the community that reshaped his entire life. He feels called to ministry, hoping to be, for some people, the only representation of the Bible they ever encounter, and wanting that encounter to be a positive step toward Christ, whether he's the one planting the seed, watering it, or watching it grow.


His message to anyone feeling inadequate, alone, or hopeless: you are not. God can pull anyone out of any situation, provide a steady foundation, and teach a person how to walk again, one step at a time. What God ultimately wants in return, Andrew says, is simply love. He credits WMATC directly for teaching him that lesson after years of trying, and failing, to handle everything alone.


Why Andrew's Story Matters


For donors, Andrew's story is a powerful reminder that this ministry can intervene at the most critical moment imaginable, the moment before someone takes their own life.


For prospective students and families, especially those supporting someone in acute crisis or suicidal despair, Andrew's story shows that recovery is possible even from the very edge.


For the WMATC community, his transformation from mocking faith to leading worship is a striking picture of what full transformation can look like.



If someone you love is in crisis and you don't know where to turn, please don't wait. Reach out to a crisis line, an emergency room, or a trusted pastor right away, and know that lasting help and hope exist beyond that moment too.



Help make stories like Andrew's possible. 



 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page