Hakeem grew up in Grand Rapids with his parents and three siblings. Life was anything but easy. Having been born into an already struggling family, his situation went downhill at age 6 or 7 when they were involved in a housefire, and his dad ran off.

“There is a reason for it all.” – Hakeem After his father’s abandonment, his mom couldn’t find herself, but rather filled the void with other relationships. Hakeem recalls “I didn’t establish a father figure with any of them.” Later, she got remarried and began to abuse alcohol. During this time, Hakeem was being bullied at school.

Download a copy of our recent MTM Newsletter to read about how Mel Trotter Ministries helped Hakeem turn his life around.