New Cre EEN CH ations T A & A LL LT OKL HOM N F A E U O G D E A Newsletter LOGAN NOVEMBER 2018

My mother passed away when I was 15 and I went to go live with my grandpa. We spent a lot of time together. He was a good man who BROKEN however, he didn’t have the strength in his heart to loved me very much, discipline me the way I needed. With the pain of losing my mother at that age, I did whatever I wanted. I went out LATE AT NIGHT when I wasn’t supposed to, I WALKED THE STREETS DRINKING, TRYING TO BUY DRUGS, and doing ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES. My grandfather passed away and when I turned 18. I got an apartment and that’s when it got worse. I WAS POPPING PILLS AND DRINKING. I was not able to hold down a job. After two years, I decided I needed to get help. I ended up going down to Texas to a treatment center for 56 days and I came out thinking “YEAH I CAN DO THIS! I’M FINALLY SOBER AND I HAVE A CHANCE AT LIFE.” But MY HEART WAS STILL ATTRACTED TO MY OLD LIFESTYLE. I started getting NOWinvolved in my OLD TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS which led me to a relapse. MY LIFE CONTINUED TO SPIRAL DOWNWARD. That year, I went to two psychiatric wards for two attempted suicides. After my second attempted suicide, I gave up on life completely. I no longer sought help and JUST TRIED TO SURVIVE. It was at this time, the woman I was in a relationship with got RESTORED pregnant and we had a child. I was not in an environment to raise him, but I tried to make myself believe that everything was under

control even though I had no handle on life. One day I went to my probation officer’s office completely desperate. I said, “I need help. What’s the first place that comes to your mind?” and he said Adult & Teen Challenge. I went home, looked it up and the first thing I found was Green Country Adult & Teen Challenge. Teen Challenge was a completely different atmosphere than other recovery centers. DRUGS, ALCOHOL, AND DEPRESSION WERE NEVER THE ISSUE. The issue was I didn’t have Jesus in my heart, and every psych ward and program I went to didn’t say anything about Him. I didn’t hear, “Jesus can help you with your drug addiction” until I came to Adult & Teen Challenge. They cut to the core of the issue with THE CURE BEING JESUS! Now I’m sober and I have God in my heart. I now can give my son the best thing any man can give. I can show him THERE IS A LIFE WORTH LIVING AND GOD IS GOING TO BE WITH HIM EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. He gets to grow up knowing his father loves him and he has a heavenly father that loves him too. Jesus broke my chains so that me, my sons and my family can be free.

Adult & Teen Challenge www.okteenchallenge.com facebook.com/OKTeenChallenge 405-600-1920 ® Adult & Teen Challenge of Oklahoma News

Freedom House Adult & Teen Challenge officially opened the Street Side Deli and Creamery in Checotah, OK this November. The restaurant serves fresh deli style sandwiches and specialty ice-cream. The location provides a great work training environment for the ladies in the program and a place to learn management and business skills.

Sonrise Adult & Teen Challenge celebrated the 2nd Annual Festival of the Wichitas in late October. The fall festival included over thirty arts and crafts THE 2ND ANNUAL vendors, kids games, live music, entertainment, hay rides and fireworks! festival of the wichitas

Green Country Adult & Teen Challenge had their 3rd Annual Banquet featuring Brian Bosworth University of football legend! The banquet was a huge success attended by over 700 people and it celebrated the 30th Anniversary of Adult & Teen Challenge ministering in Oklahoma.

Adult & Teen Challenge www.okteenchallenge.com facebook.com/OKTeenChallenge 405-600-1920 ® Oklahoma