Portland Men's Campus
September 2025 Newsletter |
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What's Happening on Campus? |
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Our men had an amazing time at In His Wakes at Big Lake, Oregon. This is a ministry that provides the equipment, training and time to bless our men with a whole day of water sports, skiing, tubing, knee boarding and more. We are so grateful for this opportunity and the blessing it is for our men. |
In August, we celebrated as Travis completed his Foundation (one-year) program and David completed a Restoration phase. Travis is going to move forward with his recovery and move to be near his children, and David is going to stay on as an Intern at our center. We are so proud of our men and all the hard work they've put in to complete their programs! |
Also in August, we spent two days at the Grand Ronde Powwow, we made some great connections and gave out a lot of promotional material. Outreach is a key component of our Comprehensive Approach and Puts Hope Within Reach Until All Live Free. |
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The house has been moved from the property on the right to the property to the left of our building, the foundation is in process and eventually it will house up to six men in our Phase 5 program. Men that enter this phase of ATC have more freedom, are able to have an outside job and a car, but still be under the protection and guidance of our center. |
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We’re excited to have been selected as a participant in Les Schwab’s new Tires for Purpose program and excited to have received a new set of tires for our truck! Community support is what fuels us and keeps us running, and this tire donation will keep our team on the road, continuing to Put Hope Within Reach Until All Live Free.
Nonprofits in Oregon who are interested in learning more about the program can visit https://www.lesschwab.com/tiresforpurpose |
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Now is the time to register for our Fall Night of Hope Gala!
We would love your help procuring auction items, especially experiences and higher value items. Please reach out to our Development Coordinator, Charlene, if you have connections to individuals or businesses that might be willing to donate towards our Silent Auction, or sponsor our event or a table.
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Pray for Spiritual Emphasis this Week! |
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Spiritual Emphasis is coming up in September! Please be praying for all of our PacWest centers as we come together for a time of renewal, refreshing and fun at Washington Family Ranch.
Please be praying for safety, health and for God to move mightily in our staff, students and interns. |
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Building HVAC System Our system is in need of a complete replacement with a system that is more efficient and reliable Phase 5 House After the final setting of the house, we will need help with remodeling, plumbing and electrical as well as assistance in furnishing it with all necessary item.
If you would like to help with either of the above projects, Please reach out to our Development Coordinator, Charlene or include a note with your financial gift.
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David recently completed a Restoration phase. Restoration gives anyone who has completed one of our Adult & Teen Challenge programs the ability to come back and receive additional help in their recovery process. He is currently serving as an Intern at our center.
I was born and raised in the Hillyard and Minnehaha neighborhoods of Spokane, Washington. Hillyard is a hard neighborhood, Minnehaha is a mean neighborhood and I lived half a block from the train tracks that separated the two neighborhoods. My pops was a salesman when I was younger, and all my life he was a layman preacher. His ministry focus was primarily for the elderly. On Sunday afternoons after church, he would preach at one or two different senior living homes and every Sunday evening our family would go with him.
Mom worked as an orthodontist assistant for 20 years, then worked as an in-home caregiver for children until she passed. She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when I was in middle school and later breast cancer that eventually spread until her body couldn’t handle it anymore. Mom never stopped working and never stopped fighting. She was the strongest person I’ve ever known.
I was a relatively good kid. I didn’t get into much trouble, mostly, and never got caught when I did. I started drinking around age 13 or 14 and smoking week when I was 15. I started running with some shady guys and got into cocaine for a little while, but by the grace of God, I realized quickly that cocaine was turning me into something I didn’t like, so I dropped that before it had ahold of me. Shortly after that, I met the most beautiful Filipina girl -- she was quite a spitfire. We were introduced at a party in high school and then we were together from then on.
I worked for a metal service center for 31 years. I bought my first house when I was 20, and we married a few months later. We have two daughters who attended private school. My wife and I drank together every weekend through our marriage, but judging from the outside I was doing everything right.
However my drinking slowly was outgrowing hers. In 2021, the conflict resulting from my addiction caused me to move out and away from the love of my life. Shortly thereafter, I found myself homeless and living out of my car. I had attempted to quit countless times before, going in and out of treatment, until I finally reached out to my pastor, who told me about Adult & Teen Challenge. I entered the Spokane program in 2022, completed in 2023, entered a restoration phase in December 2023 and completed in June 2024.
From there I found work as a machine operator -- similar to what I was doing before. I was putting in 15 hour days and making good money. Things were going really well….or not. Even with a full schedule, I started drinking again and reentered the program in December 2024 at the Portland campus.
Throughout my time in ATC, as a student and then in Phase 5, I rejected the idea of an internship. Many staff members from the Spokane campus tried to talk to me about the internship, but I really didn’t feel God calling me in that direction. More accurately, I wasn’t listening. Roughly two months into my last program, I started seriously praying about it and finally submitted to what I am positive the Holy Spirit was leading me to all along. I am grateful to be in month three of my internship!
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This month we are proud to highlight Sean, he completed the Foundation (one year) phase of our program in July, he is serving as an intern at our campus.
My name is Sean and I am 32 years old. I was born in Oakland, California and raised all over the Bay area. My father committed suicide when I was two and my mom battled with her own addiction struggles and the loss of my father. Her addiction lead her away from her seven children, including me.
My grandpa, my mom’s dad, took me in, and that’s when life got really chaotic. Just to give a background picture, he was an active member of the Hell’s Angels. At an early age, I learned how to justify, minimize and condone ever bad behavior or action I was taught. I sought wisdom and guidance from evil people that I looked up to as “father figures”. I grew up doing a lot of bad things that in my mind felt normal, but never sat right in my heart.
While I was living with my grandpa, I took care of all of his many, many medical needs. I was acting as a unregistered nurse. I thought the situation was “cool” though. I didn’t have to go to school and I could smoke weed and cigarettes, as long as I did it at home. He was a “perfect” role model.
Grandpa died when I was 12. I was so mad at the world and with God. I started using drugs to deal with my emotions, my anger and my feelings of abandonment. Some other things occurred that are difficult to talk about, but to say the least, my life was difficult.
I moved to Oregon in 2011 and I brought my criminal behavior and my drug addiction with me. In 2013, I finally ended up in prison. When I was released in 2015, I met a woman and we had a beautiful daughter. I didn’t know how to truly love. I was so broken and wrapped up in my past, I didn’t know what love was. She displayed love to me and in return, I chose to chase drugs and other women because it made me feel good I had a hard time trusting women because of my mom, justifying my actions as protecting myself from being hurt.
Eventually, that lifestyle brought me through the doors of Adult & Teen Challenge. At first, I thought everyone was crazy and it went against everything I ever, believed in. I wasn’t right in my mind, but in my heart it felt right and good. There was more to this Christian thing and I wanted the full scoop.
Since being at Adult & Teen Challenge I have been shown true love, patience, kindness, empathy and a whole lot of grace. I learned to challenge my old beliefs, believe new Godly ones and find my purpose in this life. All I had to do was surrender to God and give Him every part of me! In return. He's given me a love that’s incomprehensible, especially when it comes to my brothers. My favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 17:17 - “a friend loves at all times, but a brother is made for adversity”. God has me where He wants me to love and encourage others.
Another favorite Scripture is Proverbs 27:19 - “As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.” Thanks to Jesus, I want to be a good person. I want it to show, I want my daughter to know it when she’s older. My relationship with her gets better and better each day and I don’t know what the future may hold, but I can only imagine that through God the possibilities are unlimited! |
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Thank you to all of our sponsors! We currently have 165 of our 200 sponsor goal.
Our students love receiving cards, letters and gifts from their sponsors.
The Monthly commitment is $45 - Please call (971) 255-0658 to become a sponsor today! Click the button below to learn more and sponsor a student: |
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We have created an Amazon Needs list for our campus.
Just click the link, order items, and they will be shipped directly to our campus! |
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Vocational Training Opportunities |
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We have availability for our students to provide labor to do yard clean up and other outdoor projects. We have location and work parameters, but please call our Program Coordinator, Brent Hill, to see if we can help you!
Brent: 509-370-5677 |
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Thank you to our generous donors for your consistent and generous support. You are a big part of keeping our program running smoothly! |
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