I was raised in the church from a young age and I never lacked anything due to the financial position of my family. Somehow, looking for an identity, I began to identify myself with Rastafarianism and that was how I began to smoke marijuana. After one year, I became a Rastafarian. I became unable to maintain a job and unable to focus on what I wanted in life. I started to blame the system for my failures.

During this period, I met a young lady, with whom I had three children and built a house where we lived together. Due to a need for more money, I started to sell crack cocaine, which, before very long, I started to use. The use of marijuana had brought me down but crack took me further. I would go to work and on weekends come home penniless. My first stop after work would be a drug hole where I would smoke out my week’s pay having nothing left to take home. My children suffered because of my drug usage and my girlfriend could no longer take it and decided to leave me. This made me smoke even more.

I then sold the house, and smoked out the money I made. At that time, I moved back home to live with my parents where I would sometimes steal money in order to support my habit. My mother was ill and I had to take care of her. Things progressively got worse and then I was introduced to a six- week program, which I completed. After two weeks I relapsed and then, around this time my mother died. Once again, I turned to the one thing that made me feel better – marijuana - and I began to smoke even more than I did previously.

I was eventually forced to leave home due to my dishonest ways. I moved into a drug lord’s house and I smoked even more than I had previously. I wanted to stop but I did not know how so I decided to drink which could not replace the high of crack. I once again began to smoke. My neighbor’s wife had been telling me for some time about Teen Challenge and that it could help me but I never thought as a Rastafarian that Jesus could do anything for me. This was my last resort so I packed my bags in December 1999 and walked from St. George to St. John to the Teen Challenge centre. (Now located in St. Philip) I was disappointed when they told me that I would have to come back at the beginning of the year but, I was so desperate for help I left St. George and returned to the Teen Challenge centre in January the following year, when I was accepted into the program.

By that time, I had wanted a change but I did not want Jesus in my life. Due to the teachings of the program after the first six months, I came to realize that if any man accepts Christ into his life he could become a new creation. I came to recognize this because at this time, I started to have different thoughts, different feelings, and different actions. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” and that was the way I was beginning to see my life.

I gave my life to Christ and now, for the past five years, I have been a Christian, sober and clean because Christ saved, keeps and satisfies me. I am grateful for the Teen Challenge and the principles they taught me and I would gladly recommend it to anyone who wants a true and lasting change in their life.