Newsletter: March 2023

Dallas' Greeting

Jesus said: “The sower sows the Word.” Mark 4:14

My wife and I are a part of a small group Bible study through our local church. Last night our passage was in Mark 4. Verse 14 says “The farmer sows the word.” This is one of the most encouraging verses for us as staff at Rock Solid Refuge. We are not responsible to do psychiatric evaluations or brain surgery. Our primary responsibility is to “sow the word”. As 2 Corinthians 5 states, we are all ministers of reconciliation and ambassadors. God speaking through us. It is our responsibility to embrace the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ and love Him, and out of that love for Jesus share, His life giving word with our students and their families. Further down in the same chapter Jesus tells another short parable about sowing the word again (v. 26-29). “….This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how….” Again, with your partnership we plant seeds and trust God to bring a harvest of good in the lives of our students and their families.

Here is an example that has recently blessed me. A year and a half ago Edward graduated from our program. Edward was 13 when he came to Rock Solid Refuge. He had significant challenges and no school or other environment was able to help him. His parents had exhausted every resource they could find and in many senses had lost hope of finding help. Edward had no friends and also did not seem to have much hope although he was excited upon arriving at RSR for the possibility of a new start.

The first several months were very challenging for everyone as Edward was being held to structures and expectations he was not used to, but then things began to change. God brought such clarity and light to Edward, he could hardly believe the way he had behaved when he first came. Edward finished the program, graduating having truly accomplished what most in his life thought he just couldn’t but also with close friendships and relationship both with staff and other students. Edward’s mom said at his graduation that she knew we had come to mean a lot to him while he was here but she didn’t realize how much he had come to mean to us. As we sow the seeds of God’s word in the lives of our students, God also gives us a genuine Christian love and concern for them.

Edward recently reached out to me asking if he could return this coming summer in order to serve other students who need the kind of help he received. He hopes upon graduating high school next year to pursue a career as a counsellor, and he thinks coming and helping at RSR would be good experience towards that goal. He wrote this in his one email to me: “i want to help give back. because before i went to rsr i was selfish but now i want to give back and help out.”

Thank you again for your partnership in sowing these seeds. Please consider a gift at this time to further this work.

Dallas Block
Executive Director
Rock Solid Refuge

PS If you are in the Swift Current area, we are planning a dessert night March 31st at Eastside Church of God where you can here more stories like Edward’s.

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.

 

Our ministry is primarily funded by our supporters, both individuals and churches, who partner with us to bring about restoration in these young men's lives. To join them in supporting Rock Solid Refuge and our ongoing ministry, please click here to donate!

 

Thank you for your support.

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