Dear Family Member:
We have great stories to share with you this month:
Graduate Justin Hansen came to DAP from Texas in 2012 as an alcoholic ready to experience God’s healing. He graduated in 2015 and worked at Auto Zone while attending college. In June, he received a Master’s of Arts in Teaching at La Sierra University in Riverside, CA. He is presently a high school teacher at the Redlands Adventist Academy in Redlands, CA.
Last September he married Kelsey Cherepuschak, M.D., a physician, doing her residency at Loma Linda University Medical Center. In July, they went to the mission field in Malawi. Kelsey saw patients at the Malamulo Adventist Hospital and satellite village clinics. Justin prepared maps for the mission’s floor plan for their communication system and performed other duties. He also gave his testimony to the college students at the church. After leaving Africa, they spent a week’s vacation in Dublin, Ireland. Justin said, “It was one of the most memorable vacations ever!”
We are blessed with Justin and Kelsey as our ‘son and daughter.’ Justin is a stellar role model for his brothers as a graduate, high school teacher and husband of a Christian young lady.
Our DAP family was blessed to have two clients baptized last month – Tim Mattingly and Brandon Crarey:
Last September, after being promoted to phase V (graduate candidate), Tim chose to go home to Kentucky and return for graduation in May. He felt he needed to spend time especially with his 4-year-old daughter. While there he experienced pressure from paying child support, work, family and just everyday living. He did not continue the spiritual activities that he learned here – Bible study, prayer and church attendance. He also hung with the wrong company and became involved with his daughter’s mother who uses drugs.
We kept calling Tim regarding the details about graduation. Finally, a few weeks before the date, he told us that he had regressed. Freddie asked him to please come ‘home.’ That invitation melted his heart and he decided to return to the program.
At graduation, he admitted his regression to the guests and received a round of applauds and a standing ovation. Tears of joy filled his eyes! Today Tim is rebuilding his personal relationship with Christ and spending more time in His presence. He feels that baptism is one of the greatest decisions he has made. The “glow in his eyes,” shown in the picture, expresses the joy inside his heart. Congratulations, Son! Keep going forward and don’t look back.
Brandon Crarey, arriving last November, has been a great challenge to the staff, to say the least. He had no respect for the staff nor his peers. He was constantly being brought to group for problems. Not liking the discipline, structure and rules, he chose to leave. His lawyer in Maryland informed him of two choices – to go to jail or return to DAP. He chose the latter. Through strict discipline Brandon has humbled himself and made positive changes.
In July, Dr. Carlton Byrd, his cousin, visited Brandon and counseled with him. During their session, Brandon expressed the need for a new start and a desire to be baptized. Dr. Byrd, scheduled to speak in Ontario, CA in August, promised to baptize him at that time. The staff and clients joined Dr. Byrd, guest speaker for the Pacific Union Conference, as he baptized Brandon. What joy overwhelmed him as he expressed a burden lifted from his soul!
The Lord miraculously set that divine appointment for Brandon because we were not aware of Dr. Byrd’s exact return date. He texted Freddie about Brandon while she was sitting in church in Alabama. She seldom look at her phone while in church, but the Holy Spirit impressed her to look at it and she saw Dr. Byrd’s text. Arrangements were then made for him to baptize Brandon in Ontario. That’s just God! It shows how much He loves and cares for Brandon.
Family member, please add Tim Mattingly and Brandon Crarey to your prayer list. Satan wants to ‘steal, kill or destroy’ these young men. God needs more Tim’s and Brandon’s to help deliver men addicted to drugs from the ravages of drug addiction. The Bible says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few…(Luke 10:2).
Thank you for your prayers and financial support. Without you, there would not be any success stories like these to share.
We love you,
