My name is Mike. I am 27 years old and was born and raised in Kelowna, BC. I was born into a wonderful family, to parents who loved me dearly. When I was a young boy, my father battled drug addiction and alcohol abuse and my mother decided to take me and my younger brother away with her to a safe place. My mother came to know Christ here, and shortly after, my father did too, and was delivered of his alcohol and drug abuse, and was transformed into the family man he was destined to be.

I grew up knowing God, but chose to find my comfort in the arms of the world and all it had to offer. I quickly got involved with the wrong crowd and was introduced to marijuana. This path of destruction only led me further into the world of cocaine. From the time I was 16 to 20, I was losing jobs and friends to this drug. I went to Calgary in hopes to figure things out, but ended up homeless. I began to sell drugs in order to support my addiction which landed me to a 3.5 year prison sentence; I only ended up doing 33 months of time, though. I knew in early 2007 that I needed to get right with God and that Teen Challenge would be a great means for that to happen. I know from my past that the only way out is to have Christ be the center of my life. In Psalm 40:2 it reads, “You pulled me from a lowly pit full of mud and mire. You let me stand on a rock with my feet firm.” I am so thrilled to say today that my life is new and that slowly, but surely, Christ is transforming every aspect of my life to make me the man He destined me to be; a man living abundantly in His love and bringing glory to His name in all I do.

My name is Nikki. I am 20 years old and was born in Romania. My biological parents were young and poor when they had me. They abandoned me and left me on the streets. I was found and placed into an orphanage for a year. At 3 I was adopted by a Canadian family who were unbelievers, drug addicts, alcoholics, and extremely abusive with me in every way possible. For so many years I often wondered if there was any hope for me in this life. At the age of 9, I began drinking and by the time I was 11, I was an alcoholic. I never had anyone tell me that they had loved me. By the time I was 14 years old; I was using every drug in hopes of burying the emptiness I had inside. I never loved myself one bit. For a few years I even sold my body to support my addiction. At the age of 19 my best friend who was a really strong believer moved into a basement suite with me and began telling me about Jesus. I started to attend church regularly, as well as bible studies and youth groups, and gave my life to Christ. I had a real hard time giving up my addictions and serving Jesus though. Many months later, I came to Teen Challenge. It was the hardest move of my life. Teen Challenge has changed my life in so many different ways. I have learned to let go and let God. For the very first time in my life I have been able to say the word Dad. I have let go of my past completely and don’t dwell on it, but leave it all at the Cross. I know that I am completely forgiven for everything. I know I am loved for who I am and for what I have gone through. I feel peace knowing that one day I will be reunited with my four beautiful children in Heaven. The best thing I look forward to each morning is waking up and having another day with my Father.

My name is Darcie and I am 26 years old. I was born and raised in Winnipeg, MB, in a non-Christian home. Growing up I had a vague idea of God, but to me He was something to fear. I started drinking and experimenting with drugs when I was 12. I partied my way through both junior high and high school, and at the age of 17, I had my first of many suicide attempts. From this time on, I would have months of sobriety, but always seemed to go back to partying and my old way of life. I was on a quest to find something that would fill the void that I had inside of me, I tried, alcohol, drugs, men, and money. But this left me even more empty and hopeless.

After going to treatment for the first time, I maintained a sober lifestyle for over a year, but had replaced one addiction with another and thus became a bulimic and a compulsive over-exerciser. On the outside I looked good but little did people know I was dying on the inside.

While spending a week in the hospital after an attempted suicide, my sister’s Pastor came to visit me and as a result I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Although I was a Christian, I continued to struggle, so in April 2008 I came to the Teen Challenge Women’s Centre. It is here that I have leaned how to apply the word of God to my life. I no longer fear God the way I used to, now I have a loving relationship with Him. I have learned that I am not an “alcoholic” but I have a new identity in Christ. I know that God has amazing plans from my future. I will continue to delight in Him and He will give me the desires of my heart.