This is a parent category so that all of the year categories can fall into it. This should clean up the categories part of the sidebar.
May 20, 2013 Mark’s Story 5/20/2013 Recovering Alumni 20 comments Hmm. Where to begin? I guess that my name is Mark. I was very recently at Teen Mania as an intern and also as a Core Advisor. In this story(or rant) I will be, for the first time, recounting some of my experiences at TM. […]
It’s been 2 years now since I found the blog. I can’t even begin to tell you what a difference it’s made for me. I’ve tried so many times to write my story. It would mean so much to me to have someone read it. I have a folder on my computer dedicated to doing
(Moderator’s Note: This story briefly mentions rape.) I was an intern at Teen Mania’s Honor Academy over ten years ago. To this day, I know I have blocked out many of the situations that occurred there. I loved and hated that year and still do. I find it so sad that for each beautiful memory
I have to insert here that my core, brother core, and sister core were wonderful. I love them to pieces and wouldn’t trade them for anything. I wouldn’t trade my time at the HA for anything because of some of the so precious relationships I still have. We loved on each other, had some wonderful
Elizabeth’s Story: Part 2 Read More »
My Honor Academy experience wasn’t nearly as overtly abusive as other people’s was. Sometimes I feel silly for even wanting to write down my story because I didn’t have any of those nutso experiences. I feel like my experiences don’t really matter because the hurts were all “little.” Even now while I’m writing this all
Elizabeth’s Story: Part 1 Read More »
My mom and dad wanted me to wait it out and stay there for the two months (that we already paid for). I got voicemails from friends and family encouraging me to stick it out. I ignored them. I had to. I couldn’t stay. Not after all that had happened that day. Adair’s parents bought
Noelle’s Story: Part 3 Read More »
Friday, August 15, 2008 – I was on a plane to Dallas, Texas. My plane was late during my connection. My mom decided to meet me in Dallas from Jacksonville. She rented a car so that way I could get bedding and storage bins and all that. We got on the road right away –
Noelle’s Story: Part 2 Read More »
In 2007, I heard about the Honor Academy internship from my Mom. I was talking with her about my future one night on the phone. I was telling her how I wasn’t sure what I was going to do after high school. She told me about Honor Academy. A girl from our old church had
Noelle’s Story: Part 1 Read More »
At this same time, I was struggling with my work life. When I first returned to MN after my divorce, I was sleeping on my mom’s couch in her one bedroom apartment. I took up a retail job and actually liked what I was doing. It was for an artsy store, so I at least
Shannon’s Story: Part 6 Read More »
The only classes I excelled in at college were the ones where professors would work with me and my chronic illness. But I continually found myself in positions where adults in authority thought they knew my story and I did not defend myself when I should have. So I continued to go down this path
Shannon’s Story: Part 5 Read More »
This was also the point when Nikki Bradshaw laid hands on me and tried to cast out my rebelliousness and desire to make people like me. I was supposed to keep a 30 day journal of things I was doing to “make people like me.” I never kept it, I guess because I was so
Shannon’s Story: Part 4 Read More »
Shannon first shared her story on the blog over a year ago: Part 1. Part 2. This is an update to her story. Many years ago, I started the Xanga blogring, “No, Teen Mania is not a cult.” I was wrong. Back when I first shared my Teen Mania experience, I was in a daze. It was the
Shannon’s Story: Part 3 Read More »
(2021 Moderator’s Note: Allie’s Story is part of The Vault, a series of drafts that were discovered in a backup file from 2011. These posts were not published for some reason but are now being published. If you are Allie and do not want your story to remain published, please email me at recoveringalumni at recoveringalumni
Allie’s Story, part 2 Read More »
(2021 Moderator’s Note: Allie’s Story is part of The Vault, a series of drafts that were discovered in a backup file from 2011. These posts were not published for some reason but are now being published. If you are Allie and do not want your story to remain published, please email me at recoveringalumni at recoveringalumni
Allie’s Story: part 1 Read More »
My Name Is Ashley, I was an Honor academy Intern in August 2008. Shortly after my grandmother passed away I was called by an Honor Academy representative who offered this bit of insight, “I know your grandmother has gone to be with the Lord, but you should take this as a clear indication that life
Another Ashley’s Story Read More »
Note from RA: After knowing “Grace” the last few months, I felt that the end of her story didn’t fully convey the traumatic damage her body has suffered as a result of her time at Teen Mania, so I asked her to explain it a bit more. Here is her response and then some additional
Grace’s Story: part 3 Read More »
Being a hard worker, I did not mind working in the ministry and feeling like we were making it all happen. This was the case until summer missions season was upon us. 1998 was a big year for mission trips, and since Teen Mania had only been at the campus in Garden Valley for a
Grace’s Story, part 2 Read More »
As a high school student, I was a go-getter. I was working two jobs at a time, acing my honors classes, running cross country, going on mission trips, and generally trying to be perfect and to save the world. My relationship with God was vibrant and my home and church involvement positive and encouraging to
Grace’s Story, part 1 Read More »
Before you read my story, I want to make it clear where I am coming from. I am now inches away from being atheist. I have a deep hatred for religion (if there is a god who cared, I think that they would feel the same way), I feel that religion has done more
Melissa’s harrowing ESOAL story can be read here. At the end of October, while I was working an ATF in Hamilton, Canada, my mom came to visit me. This was the first time we had seen each other since June, when I came back home to walk in my graduation ceremony. After seeing how bad
Melissa’s Story, part 4 Read More »
Between the time that the old August class left and the new ones arrived and were trained, our January class of 50 had the responsibilities of the 400 positions that were unfilled. They promised us that we would get time off for the overtime we worked (and had a fancy formula or adding it up),
Melissa’s Story, part 3 Read More »
At one point, I went to see Jose Cano, the licensed counselor on staff, because I was having a hard time with the HA. I was incredibly homesick and frustrated that I wasn’t feeling close to God like I had at the beginning of the internship and at home. After giving him an overview of
Melissa’s Story, part 2 Read More »
Moderator’s Note: “Melissa’s” Story was posted last year but had to be temporarily taken down for personal reasons. It is so eloquently written and so recent – 2009 – that she has given me permission now to repost it. Shortly after starting high school, I attended my very first ATF. Alone, I went to one
Melissa’s Story, part 1 Read More »
Even though it’s been 8 years since I completed my internship I am still struggling to make sense of my year in Garden Valley. Before applying for the Honor Academy I knew very little about Teen Mania Ministries, in fact my no one from my church group had ever attended an Acquire the Fire or
Eliza recently sent me this email. She plans to add on to her story at some point, but for now, here is part 1: I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not I should share some of my experiences that I’ve had at the Honor Academy. But honestly, after reading a lot of the
Eliza’s Story, pt 1 Read More »
