My name is Luke, I’m 17 years old and I was born in Calgary Alberta. I have three siblings (two brothers and a sister). I like hiking, being outdoors, and playing ping pong. I was raised in a Christian home. We would pray before dinner and we went to church every Sunday. I was a sheltered, mostly homeschooled, Christian kid with a pretty decent upbringing. You probably wouldn’t expect someone with such a strong foundation to fall into things like substance abuse and addictions.

I was 16 when I started purposely surrounding myself with people who used substances so it would be easier to get booze and weed. The more that I hung out with those kinds of people the more careless I got with my life, and I ended up getting into other, heavier substances. I was failing school, sneaking out, and stealing from everyone, including my parents. All my relationships suffered but my relationship with my parents suffered the most.

They knew that I couldn’t get the help or tools I needed while still living at home. It took me three tries to get into the car when my parents brought me to Rock Solid Refuge.

I came to RSR for my parents’ sake more than my own, but that’s changed and now I want to actually learn a few important skills while I’m here.

I’m so thankful for the people here who support me and help me develop as an individual. Since being at RSR, my grades are better than they’ve ever been in my life.

The Rock Solid program puts a strong emphasis on developing maturity, responsibility, and charity. As you heard already, I was not very mature or responsible, and I was taking from the relationships I had instead of giving. It’s hard, but the staff at RSR are challenging me to grow in these areas.

As for my plans after Rock Solid, I want to save up some money and buy a car, finish up grade 12, then go to SAIT to become a journeyman electrician.

Lastly, I want to share with you a verse that has been helpful to me.
Philippians 4:13 says: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Thank you for supporting Rock Solid Refuge so that I can continue this healing journey.

We hope that this content has been informative and helpful. It is our desire to help families and bring struggling teens back together. We encourage you to share this information with others who may be in need.

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