04 Sep Green High School Student Stories

On Tuesday, the TKOVR team visited Green High School with our “When the Music Stops” Hope Assembly program. During our visit, we provided pastries and coffee to their 100 staff members (thanks Starbucks!), stocked up a teacher’s lounge with snacks and drinks, and presented a message of life and hope to Green’s nearly 1,400 students. Through your prayers and financial support, you were laboring right alongside us!

Following the assembly, we began to receive texts from students who wanted to share their stories with us. They’ve been included, below. As you read these students’ stories I think it will become even more clear as to why our work is so vital. Please continue to pray for the students of Green. Pray that they would stay connected, encounter God, and have their life defined by an all-consuming love for Jesus. Pray specifically for the students in these stories. These are real texts, from real people that we’ve received over the last couple of days. They need our prayers and our actions.

Student Texts

My names (student name), you’ll notice I tend to be up at night because that’s when I start thinking of everything.. you said to talk about whatever is bothering me.. so here we go.. my mother has a drug problem.. always has since before I was born. She had me at the age of 13 and I was adopted by my aunt and uncle.. I grew up calling my uncle: Dad. We were very close.. he passed away in 2010.. I never expressed my feelings about it. I never knew my real father. About 2 years ago my mom began coming into my life again, I love her to death regardless of past mistakes.. around Christmas of last year she started dating my step dad Robert.. due to passed experience I tend not to get to close to people in fear they’re going to leave my life.. but he found his way right in my heart. Robert passed away in April this year due heart problems.. while my mother was with Robert she was free of drugs.. clean.. and finally the mother I needed.. then he passed and now she’s back on the drugs.. I do not live with her, I live with my great aunt. About a month after my step dad died a friend of his seen how hurt me and my mother were over losing Robert.. and decided to tell my mother she could move in and he would take care of her and help me as long as she needed.. it’s been 6 months since he took her in.. over that time my mom lead him on.. knowing she would never be with him.. he’s fallen hard for her.. I think of him as a true father.. I care about him.. my mother has used him up.. and he let’s it happen because he loves her.. she’s spent over 25,000 of his money.. on drugs.. she uses him like a rag and that’s made me develop a hatred for my mother.. she left the other day.. threatened to place rape charges on him.. all because he’s broke now.. Anyway… I know that’s a lot to take in.. trust me there is more where that came from.. but I just wanted to vent a little.. maybe get some advice.. have a wonderful day and Thanks ~Student Name~

Hello, my name is (student name). At a very young age I began the facade of being ok. From the age of 3-9 I was raped repeatedly by my cousin. It was really hard to deal with because I thought it was normal. But as I got older I didn’t know how to say no. After I got raped by my cousin, I was then raped by one of my other cousins(different side of the family). The worst part is that I had no one to talk to. My mother is paranoid schizophrenic. The second I talked to her about something important that’s when things would go down hill. So I kept those things from her. So as a result of my mothers mental health, I was raised by my great great aunt Frances. She raised me since the day I was born. She passed away March 6th of this year while I was in school. I’ve been pregnant 4 times and miscarriages just seem to be the result. I was on drugs and wanted to die. Now adopted and sober but every day still hurts. At the age of 12 years old my little sister Alexandra died right in front of me. It was the story of the girl who died in tinkers creek I’m 2009. That little girl was the light of my world and now my world is pitch black. It’s hurts and honestly the days aren’t getting any easier even after all this time.

My story = a year and a half ago my grandma died and she was my best friend. After that i kept pushing other people away in my life and became really depressed and didnt know what to do with my life. I started to cut and that was my way of relief for a minute. That was the only way for me to feel anything but depressed for a minute. It became a daily routine for me. No one had an idea because i was always “smiling” and always “happy” but inside i was dying. Finally i built up the courage to ask for help and that was probley the best thing i ever did! I slowly started to get better but then my uncle died of cancer. I relapsed and started to cut again. I never gave up though with getting better. I finally stopped cutting but i was still dying inside. Still today 4 months from my last cut its still a constant battle with my life and relapsing but i refuse to give up.

I’m not sure who will be receiving this. But my name is (student name). I am a senior at GHS, you came today and spoke to us, and I just wanted to thank you. I share a lot of the same stories I heard today, and I think it’s and awesome for you to all show your love and humbleness towards someone else’s life struggles. I went on a missions trip this summer to work in a homeless outreach. I got to do a lot of what I saw out of you today. We shared our love and our ears. We listened to their wronging, and all of their struggles that led them to the place they are now. With no one, nothing…. Alone. So again thank you all. I would love to share more of my story growing up ?

I know you guys were talking about if you got hurt by someone there is a why out but, I’m the one who hurt someone and that someone is my girlfriend and I can’t live with this guilt… what do I do?

I don’t know how this works…. I don’t know if someone will read this… I just…. need someone or something to tell… Today my friend chose and abusive ex over a man that loves her dearly and I told her everything I had on my mind then I told the man in love with her…. I messed up their relationship… they both blame me and I lost two of my only friends….. I’ve never felt more alone…. im so weak that i cant even stop crying…. I’m sorry if I bothered you… I wish to remain unknown if you have any way of knowing who I am…. please and thank you.

I’m worried about my GF. Lately she’s been really stressed and has been cutting and I don’t know what to do

Thanks for the assembly I wanted to kinda tell my story I’ve been dealing with depression anxiety and self harm(cutting) for the past 4-5years. The assembly brought back a lot of memories and about 2 years ago I made a mistake I was drinking with my friend and her brother and we smoked cigarettes and well needless to say I ended up losing my virginity and cheating on the guy I was dating at the time my parents weren’t very happy when they found out I lost everything all my rights and my freedom I’m still unable to go to friends houses to this day and I regret that day. But this year I started getting better and I started to stop cutting but I’m still very depressed and have really bad anxiety and the other day I found out he’s moving to green again and gonna be coming to my school and I haven’t seen him in 2 years.

You guys made a really big difference in my life today. Before today my life was horrorible. I was taken away from my birth mom a day after 9/11 happened. Put up for adoption at 2 until i was 14. I was adopted few times through that because of abuse. Was a drugy and a drinker at 8 years old and until today. Poor person too.

I’ve always been that girl that would get a 4.0 every grading period so effortlessly. When i moved to Green in freshman year, it wasnt like that and I had no idea how to handle it so I had a breakdown and I retook classes I already did in middle school because I wanted to get perfect grades. When sophomore year started I decided that i wanted to take all Honors and AP classes and I wanted to be in difficult classes because it would make it seem even better when I passed with above a 4.0. I ended up not sleeping half of the time and I didn’t spend times with friends because I spent all of my time studying. Towards the end of the year, I decided that maybe if I absolutely loved school like I used to it would still be effortless to pass with above average grades. It worked and I got a 4 on my AP exam and I loved school and my GPA was wonderful. I am a junior now and I am still in Honors and AP classes, Shakespeare, etc etc. Sometimes I still get breakdowns and I freak out and I cry because I wonder why I’m trying to hard to seem so intelligent and effortless. Its not necessarily a big deal or an uncommon thing but it just gets really difficult sometimes because I have this idea in my own head that nothing is more important than my grades but I’ve learned how to be happy with what grades I do receive as long as I know I learned what I had to learn. Thanks for coming to Green today, it was magnificent.

Hi my name is (student name). I just wanted to say thank you for coming to our school today. My dad disowned me when I started middle school and like it was a huge reason why and it was really hard and like that same year this guy was like my brother committed suicide 4 days before my birthday and the funeral was on my birthday and then all the friends that I thought where friends said they didn’t want anything to do with me and I felt so empty in side and I wnet to my counselor and talk to her and it made a difference I felt like a huge hole in my stomach was gone cause I talk to someone about it but like my dad called me and said he was sorry and know I barely get to see him and my siblings anymore and I find everything that happens on facebook and its so hard to find out things that are happening with that side of the family on the internet but I mean it is tough but I have gotten through it and I try to smile every single day but that’s my story

I am glad you guys gave out your number. My bf just broke up with me last night and I cried myself to sleep. I have been thinking about just ending it….I dont have a dream and I don’t feel like I belong on this earth