Here's Proof That All Things Can Work For Good

Testimony of David Fogg

 I started using alcohol at the age of 14. I was born and raised in a good Christian home. I went to church 5 times a week and was involved in every youth activity they offered. By the age of 15 I was smoking pot. I was driven at first by the lure of popularity that was with the people in school who "partied". My drinking and using was different from the beginning. I loved it. Alcohol and pot gave me the confidence that I had not developed as a young boy yet.

I went on to High School and my using accelerated. My choice of friends was a reflection of myself. I was surrounded by people who were doing the same thing as me. By the time I graduated High School I was drinking, smoking pot, taking pills both uppers and downers and doing cocaine. I made several attempt to get to college but my using prevented me from ever making any progress. Shortly out of High School I yielded to working full time as a salesman. I enjoyed a lot of initial success in industrial sales. I began to make money like I had never seen before. This allowed me to party in a whole new way.

By the age of 19 I was free basing cocaine and smoking crack. I went through my first drug re-hab program and had all ready been arrested several times for DUI, theft, possession etc. Over the next few years my life would swirl out of control in every way. I was now totally addicted to crack, needing to use every day. I lost everything I had, great jobs, beautiful apartments, furnishings, girlfriends and my car. I now smoked crack 24 hours a day seven days a week and could not stop. Addiction to crack drove my every minute of every day. If I didn't use I experienced gut wrenching pain. I was at the point where I couldn't hold a glass of water without spilling it because I shook so much. I now had no place to live and did nothing but run the streets of LA drinking and smoking crack. I had come to a point where I didn't even try to stop anymore. I had been through most every re-hab that was local to my area and nothing worked. I had stolen from everyone I knew and had been written off by everyone except my parents.

One day my dad came down to see me at "McArthur Park" which was where I spent most of my time. He had a new idea of a program that I could go to called Teen Challenge. I was not interested. I had already gone through at least 4 programs and spent extensive time in jail and nothing worked for me. I had given up hope on myself and now never planned to change. My dad made several visits to me and continued to tell me about this program. The one thing that rang out in my head was this 86% recovery rate. None of the other programs I went to even came close to that. But that didn't matter I was never going to change and I wasn't going. Behind the scenes the prayer efforts of my parents and their church was being stepped up with this new idea of the Teen Challenge program. My life of smoking crack went from bad to very bad and then to even worse. Everything in my life that could go wrong did go wrong. I got beat up, robbed, thrown in jail (more than normal) and kicked around in every way. Through all of this the Teen Challenge idea was in the back of my mind, the seed had been planted. I finally after several months decided to give it a try.

Beat up, sore, wounded and bleeding I made my way in August of 1990 to Shafter Teen Challenge. Sweating, shaky and 140 pounds (I'm now 220) I stepped in the front door and was greeted by a neat looking guy named Jerry Garife. I felt the love of the Lord surround me. He took a hold of my hands and prayed for me. Then after a time he called several other students in and they prayed for me. The hand of the Lord began to change my life that very minute. The chains of addiction that had gripped my life for so many years began to fall away. The gut wrenching pains of addiction subsided, my hands began to steady. That was only the beginning. I was taken into Teen Challenge and taught how to make Jesus Christ Lord of my life and how to put Him first. They gave me the tools I needed to stay clean and sober not just for a while but forever. I learned some of the basics of life again, how to work, take direction, and be responsible and live with others. I was in Bible study and prayer everyday and church several times a week. Jesus Christ had changed my life not for a while but forever. My time in Teen Challenge gave me the chance to allow Christ to build the foundation in Him that I stand on today.

My life is very different today. I'm clean and sober this August 15th now for 9 years. I'm married to my wife now over 7 years, she is also sober. We are involved working with others who are struggling with drugs and alcohol. We are sponsors for the Burbank Overcomers outreach groups, which are Christian, support meetings that meet two times a week. I now teach Sunday school, lead a small group bible study and serve on the Board of Elders at my church. As far as my career is concerned the Lord has blessed us in many tremendous amounts of success. I am Vice President of the Burbank Association of Realtors, a Rotarian with Burbank noon Rotary and serve in a variety of other ways. Most of all I enjoy my continued involvement with Teen Challenge. I am usually always working with someone who is thinking about going to the program. I love being involved in the different activities and it helps keep me in touch with my past. God is good and He is faithful to help us and change us if we will let Him.