Parent Reviews and Testimonials
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Below are comments and reviews from the parents of residents of Heartlight over the years. We believe that what they have to say echoes the feelings of thousands of parents who have placed a teenager in our program over the 23 years that Heartlight has been in existence.
For a current referral list of parents who have had a teenager in the Heartlight program, please contact Melissa Nelson, Director of Admissions, at the Heartlight Office at (903) 668-2173 and a listing will be faxed or e-mailed to you.
Parent Comments
“Life is BETTER. my daughter is on a MUCH better path and we owe it ALL to Mark and Heartlight. None of you will be disappointed but filled with joy and HOPE that you never knew or thought possible. Mark and his team are amazing. If you are even considering Heartlight already…you already know where GOD has called you to and your children and family are worth the trip. GOD BLESS YOU on your journey to Heartlight!” –Lori Stearns
“My oldest son spent 9 month’s at Heartlight and I can personally say that this is one of the best ministries out there for kids who are having troubles. Mark and his wife are wonderful people and I am thankful everyday for what they did for my son.” –Erin McNamara Brunner
“Mark’s guidance for our daughter transformed her life. It’s never too late to start but the earlier the better. Once our teens own their decisions a remarkable principal becomes theirs…accountability!!! And that is not us telling them the have to be. They just ARE!” –Russel Banton
“I’m convinced that if it had not been for Heartlight, our daughter would not be alive today. They not only taught our daughter how to live upright, but they also taught my wife and me the skills we needed for change within our home.” –Kevin Harrell
“What makes Heartlight different than the other specialists who tried to help our son is Mark’s practical experience, love, commitment, and most importantly, his years of living and working with sad, struggling with kids who have needs beyond the capabilities of their parents. He has a God-given gift to see into the hearts of kids who are hurting.” –Cindy Strain
“Heartlight’s logical approach to behavioral issues made addressing and correcting them rewarding and relatively simple.” –Ryan Hurley (Founder of Hurley Brand Clothing)
“Heartlght provided healing and hope for our daughter and our entire family when despair appeared to be all that was left” –Jim Samis
“If you are reading this, I want you to know how very sorry I am, for it means that you are about to turn your child over to people you don’t know yet–and you are very scared. But I am in a different place than you are. Tonight, as I write this, I am preparing to pick my daughter up at Heartlight for the last time: she graduates tomorrow night, August 5, 2010, after 11 months of residency. There are so many things I wish to tell you about the next year of your life. Most of all, I want you to know that even though it doesn’t seem like things will ever be better, they will. You will meet other parents at the retreats and start sharing stories and you will laugh–you’ll see the common thread. You made this terribly terribly difficult decision for a reason: trust yourself. Trust God. This is how we got through it. We believed, and we still to this day believe that we found the very best place for our child with people who love her and want only the best for her–but people who aren’t so emotionally involved and invested as we are. Trust that the HL staff will make the very best decisions for you and for your child. Each of these people could be out in the private sector raking it in–they are talented, energetic–simply the best. But they are at HL because they want to help kids. I know this because I have watched it for a year. You can’t fake the obvious love and compassion that the staff have–and I don’t know how they do it. I am just so sorry that more people cannot afford this help. It’s a lot of money. No doubt. But it’s nothing compared to our kids. Don’t lose hope–don’t give up on your baby–they still need you. I wish you all the best–and I know that you can do this. God bless you–hang in there!” — Shelley
“For over 30 years, Mark Gregston has ‘got it’ when it comes to understanding teens. Teens love Mark. I’ve seen it in hundreds of teen faces. They know he understands who they are, where they hurt. I can’t think of a better person to help me understand my own teenagers.” — Elliott Snuggs
“Heartlight was the light in the midst of darkness for our struggling teen daughter, giving us hope when we were hopeless.” –Bill & Elise Daniel
“Mark has the God-given talent of probing the heart of a teenager, identifying their struggle and offering a common sense biblical perspective on living through it. I experienced Mark’s gift first-hand and am now attempting to pass it down to my kids.” –James Brookhart
“My teen was committed to a path of self-destruction, full of sex, drugs, anger, and brokenness. Heartlight helped her choose another path full of happiness, hope and joy. Not only do they help teens, they helps parents realize what they can do to create a better family.” –Anne Northington
When Did You Know It Was Time To Send Your Teenager To Heartlight?
“We knew it was time because everything got crazy. We received the cell phone bill that listed daily phone calls from 1-3 am and her only response was ‘so what?’ She started running away and sneak back in late at night. She was out of control….and we were helpless.”
“I knew it was time…when I looked into his big brown eyes and the spark that had always been there was gone. All I saw was a look of hopelessness and darkness, a silent cry for help.”
“Our entire family was being controlled by her behavior. My marriage was failing; my relationship with my older daughter was suffering. I wasn’t eating, sleeping, or able to perform well at work. I was beginning to withdraw from social settings as well and felt as if my family was falling apart. Every option I tried had failed.”
“I knew my teenager was spinning out of control when she stopped smiling and refused to get up and go to school.”
“Her attitude changed upon starting public school, after being in a private Christian school. She was arguing more; she was more defiant and began hanging out with a different group of kids. I later found out they were experimenting with drugs and alcohol.”
“Our daughter just couldn’t get on the other side of her dad’s death. Her depression was out of control. She wanted help more than I wanted it for her and begged us to find a place where she could get it.”
“My daughter was a sad little girl. She was meeting with a therapist and a variety of people – her youth minister, Sunday school teacher, school counselor, other school personnel, and family members – that were all taking extra time with her and poured their lives into her. Yet all of these interventions weren’t effective. One night she came right out and said, ‘I need help. I have no more desire to live now than I did before everyone started helping me. I just want to die and I don’t like feeling this way.’”
“We were calling the police several times a week. We never knew whom she was with, where she was, or when she was coming home. The police told us to do something now or things would only get worse.”
“She showed a continual disrespect towards us that was manifested in several ways. Nearly every sentence out of her mouth was a lie. I discovered she was having casual sex and she did not think that it was wrong or show any remorse.”
“When my daughter looked me in the eye and said ‘I’m going to do whatever I want and there isn’t a %$#@ thing you can do about it.’”
“When she started cutting herself and continued to skip school, even in the face of probation from the D.A.’s office.”
“Our son was arrested three times in three months for possession of marijuana, and he chose to go to juvenile detention center rather than come home under house arrest. He had violated the rules we had set in place and communicated, and he knew if he defied me again, he was going to have to leave. The situation was tough, but the decision was easy, since he made it for me.”
“When my son looked at my wife and said, ‘If you don’t shut your mouth, I’ll shut it for you.’”
“We knew our son was not responding to our efforts to help him when he ran away from home for the second time and was brought home by the local police. Our efforts at changing schools and participating in family counseling for the previous four months weren’t helping, and our counselor recommended we find a different place for him to live.”
“When my daughter came into the bedroom late one night and said, ‘Mom and Dad, I need help.’”
“She made no effort to cover up her poor choices, didn’t care about consequences, and thought everything revolved around her. After having enjoyed success at most anything I put my mind to, I felt like an utter failure for the first time.”
If any of these comments and reviews from parents sound familiar to you, or reflect your current situation, we would suggest that you strongly consider getting further help for your teenager.
The actions you take now may make all the difference in the life of your tten. Click here or call Melissa Nelson, our Admissions Coordinator, at 903.668.2173 ext. 32. She’ll be happy to provide you an information packet and answer any questions you may have.
