On March 1, 1996, Janice and Larry Brown returned home after learning Adam had not attended university classes in weeks. They sat at their kitchen table to devise a plan. Larry had an epiphany: They could not fix Adam—only God could—and they must go to church. The following Sunday, they attended Second Baptist Church in Hot Springs. Days later, Associate Pastor Mike Smith visited, and they shared Adam’s struggles. Pastor Smith understood addiction intimately—his own daughter had battled cocaine—but did not disclose this. Janice and Larry prayed and experienced profound peace in recommitting to God. They stopped “chasing” Adam and placed him in God’s hands.

Two weeks later, Adam flagged down his friend Ryan Whited and confessed his addiction. Adam moved in with Ryan and his brother David, a youth pastor, who set ground rules against substances. Over four months, Ryan retrieved Adam from substance houses multiple times. They discussed faith and the problem of evil, which Adam struggled to reconcile.

On August 12, 1996, Adam vanished with David’s car, camping gear, checkbooks, and a handgun. Janice insisted Ryan and David file a police complaint, telling them Adam must “hit rock bottom” (51). When they located him, Janice and Larry held their son until a deputy arrested him on 11 felony charges.