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.
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 »
I have been reading this blog and commenting for over a year now. Until now I didn’t feel it necessary to really share my experience because I wasn’t nearly as hurt as many people have sadly been. I would describe my Honor Academy year as a “good” year. Not terrible, not exceptional. What made it
After the HA, I went home for 2 years. I worked really hard to save money for school, served at my youth group, and took some Jr. college. The second year I was home, I began to have an intense burden for the interns who are placed in Facilities, specifically Custodial, like I was, and
Since leaving the Honor Academy I’ve gone through a quagmire of emotionally stretching opportunities in my life. I started the internship ten years ago and of course the entire experience wasn’t all bad – there were positive moments and experiences, yet over the years I have been haunted by this feeling that I failed miserably
Andy’s Story, pt 6 Read More »
The first time I had to tell someone “I think I’m gay – was when I made it to college. For all those years at Jesus Camp, youth group, Acquire the Fire, and then the Honor Academy – I guess I had bought into the illusion that I liked girls and was somehow going to
Andy’s Story, pt 5 Read More »
I made my way up the Teen Mania leadership ladder and was finally being treated like a staff member. TMM would pay for my schooling at the University of Texas at Tyler and then give me a pretty small salary, around $600 a month (approximately $4.28 per hour before taxes). That $600 would have to
Andy’s Story, pt. 4 Read More »
My new core hit the ground running. My new CA Jeremy was loads better than John. I was an ACA now so in a way I had respect from Jeremy as a co-leader of the pack. I felt really responsible for my 5 guys. I really wanted to do things together and be great friends
Andy’s Story, pt 3 Read More »
I got to campus a day early. I moved into Morris Hall and got settled after a relative drove me out and dropped me off. That first night there I ended up out in the Back 40 (basically the acres of land behind the campus) with some August interns and I bonded with a few
Andy’s Story, pt. 2 Read More »
(Andy’s story is in 6 parts. Names of his peers have been changed while the names of staff members have not.) One of the earliest memories I have is of my brother’s funeral. I remember the flowers and the blue casket and the sullen tone as I sat seated in the front row of the
Andy’s Story, pt 1 Read More »
I was an intern from Aug.01 – Aug. 02. My Unreached People Group Retreat (UPG) was one of the worst experiences during my internship. I went into the weekend with a little apprehension. This was supposed to be a simulation of what it would be like to go out into the mission field and I
I would like to start by saying that my faith in God’s Sovereignty has only grown over the years since I attended the Honor Academy. God knew that I would be attending the Honor Academy. He knew the experiences I would have there and how He’d be using those experiences to grow me in my
It was so hard to explain to people at church why I was back! I didn’t want to lie, but felt beat up and very weak in my spiritual walk after being at the HA for over 10 months. My parents were obviously not proud of me, and very disappointed in my track record thus
Anna’s Story, pt. 2 Read More »
Content Warning: This post contains sexual assault. I have hesitated in writing to you; to be honest what you are doing by creating this blog is scary and very brave at the same time, I believe there are many of us out there reading this blog that are hurting, and have felt alone and crazy
Anna’s Story, pt. 1 Read More »
A day or two after I got back home, ESOAL finished and Heath Stoner called me. He asked me why I left the HA and said that because of our previous meeting he thought we were, “on the same page.” Of course, when you isolate me in a room all day by myself and then
Hannah’s Story: Part 3 Read More »
At this point, I just needed to get off campus and clear my head so I called RA (I had already talked with her on the phone several times previously). She picked me up and I spent the weekend at her house (Labor Day). I was thinking about leaving the HA but I had mixed
Hannah’s Story: Part 2 Read More »
About two years ago, I attended an Acquire of the Fire youth conference. There I had experienced the Lord’s presence for the first time. That night I got saved and I also heard about the Honor Academy. Now remember I had just got saved so I would do anything to be closer to the Lord.
Hannah’s Story: Part 1 Read More »
THE WAR Teen Mania had a bit of a crisis half-way through my undergraduate year. 9/11 had occurred, and numbers were down. Parents were hesitant to send their kids overseas on mission trips. Youth groups were backing out of ATF. The Aug. class of 2003 was shaping into an embarrassingly small one. TM wasn’t making
Jamie’s Story: Part 4 Read More »
SEXISM My Intern Advisor was also the Dean of Women. She was on staff for only one year before she and her husband moved on to something else. At our very first focus group, she passed out that dreadful list of rules along the lines of “How to be a Godly Teen Mania Woman”. By
Jamie’s Story: Part 3 Read More »
My biggest liability was that I was physically tired almost all the time. I have had this problem my whole life, but it got a lot worse after I’d been at the HA for a while. My biological clock got so messed up that I would crash in my dorm room after work and classes
Jamie’s Story: Part 2 Read More »
PROLOGUE I came to the Honor Academy with issues. I brought a lot of baggage with me, as does every intern that has had to make their way in this broken world for 17+ years. I don’t think that the leadership at the Honor Academy fully understands this. They say they do, but the infrastructure
Jamie’s Story: Part 1 Read More »
My name is Meagan (I went by Megz at the HA). I have been reading this website for quite some time now and I shared a bit of my story on one of my anonymous comments. I’ve been debating on sharing my full story on the website for some time now, but I’m finally ready
