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Through the Depths | Aka Tufaga's Path to Spiritual Healing
Growing up in American Samoa, the youngest of seven children, Aka Tufaga found herself at the feet of a devoutly religious mother and a violent, alcoholic father. Confused by the contradicting behaviors, she found herself rebelling. At age 8 her family moved to Hawaii and her rebellion got worse with drinking, then cigarettes, and finally meth. Her life spiraled down a dark path of addiction, teenage pregnancy, and tragedy, leading to a stint in jail in 2003. Homeless and penniless, she found her current husband in the drug trade and 3 years later she was slapped with a 180 month sentence in the Federal system. Aka's heart wrenching story is one of pain, fear, and abuse, but with a silver lining. Listen as she describes her new life as being full of faith, love, and devotion, rather than the darkness it was once controlled by.
“There were people smoking and I saw them smoke where I was, the people I hung out with, but I knew that if I started I would never quit again, so I just didn’t start. I didn’t touch it. That was the hardest thing I had in my life to quit. I was not gonna go back to that and I knew if I did, I would have gone back to everything else.” 41:00
- Aka’s beginning 2:20
- Facing jail time and losing the husband and kids 12:20
- Looking at 189 months in prison 18:45
- Going to a more rowdy prison, homesickness, and losing her dad 28:00
- Life in Dublin’s female prison 34:30
- Released to a halfway house in Utah 36:45
- Her husband’s sentence 42:00
- Staying away from that life 44:00
“There were people smoking and I saw them smoke where I was, the people I hung out with, but I knew that if I started I would never quit again, so I just didn’t start. I didn’t touch it. That was the hardest thing I had in my life to quit. I was not gonna go back to that and I knew if I did, I would have gone back to everything else.” 41:00
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By Mark HugentoblerGrowing up in American Samoa, the youngest of seven children, Aka Tufaga found herself at the feet of a devoutly religious mother and a violent, alcoholic father. Confused by the contradicting behaviors, she found herself rebelling. At age 8 her family moved to Hawaii and her rebellion got worse with drinking, then cigarettes, and finally meth. Her life spiraled down a dark path of addiction, teenage pregnancy, and tragedy, leading to a stint in jail in 2003. Homeless and penniless, she found her current husband in the drug trade and 3 years later she was slapped with a 180 month sentence in the Federal system. Aka's heart wrenching story is one of pain, fear, and abuse, but with a silver lining. Listen as she describes her new life as being full of faith, love, and devotion, rather than the darkness it was once controlled by.
“There were people smoking and I saw them smoke where I was, the people I hung out with, but I knew that if I started I would never quit again, so I just didn’t start. I didn’t touch it. That was the hardest thing I had in my life to quit. I was not gonna go back to that and I knew if I did, I would have gone back to everything else.” 41:00
- Aka’s beginning 2:20
- Facing jail time and losing the husband and kids 12:20
- Looking at 189 months in prison 18:45
- Going to a more rowdy prison, homesickness, and losing her dad 28:00
- Life in Dublin’s female prison 34:30
- Released to a halfway house in Utah 36:45
- Her husband’s sentence 42:00
- Staying away from that life 44:00
“There were people smoking and I saw them smoke where I was, the people I hung out with, but I knew that if I started I would never quit again, so I just didn’t start. I didn’t touch it. That was the hardest thing I had in my life to quit. I was not gonna go back to that and I knew if I did, I would have gone back to everything else.” 41:00