Meaning of existence - Milena Matijasevic

I think I entered the drug game to revolt against everything that “modern society” put upon me. I was tired of proving myself worthy and running for attention so I decided to be everything contrary to what they expected from me. I started to listen to punk music and then I became one.
Being with other punkers led me to my first experience with pills and glue. I started to openly confront my parents and became a big problem for my family and school. Some called me young and totaly crazy.
“Will you blame me if you become a real junky in few years?” one guy asked me. This guy was first one to gave me heroin and he is dead today. In that first stage of my drug addiction, heroin became my false sanctuary where I tried to hi-de from my problems that were becoming bigger and bigger. I couldn’t handle the huge burden of guilt and pain that I felt when I was sober, so heroin became my everyday habit. Soon, instead of freedom that I wan-ted so badly, I found myself in the cla-ws of slavery. I had to humiliate myself to get the thing I couldn’t live without anymore. I became a slave! Every attempt to free myself from heroin was another disappointment and there were too many of them. So I totally lost hope that I will ever again be normal. That’s the time when the worst moments of my life came, when I gave myself completely to a loser mentality, totally incapable of living a normal life. In those desperate moments, in tears, I prayed that God would see how hard it is for me and to help me. One day, after being in a hospital, I was taken to “Raskrsce Teen Challenge”. There I saw something I never thought could happen! I saw others with similar life story like mine who succeeded! At that moment hope started to rise in me. I started to think that maybe I wouldn’t die as a drug addict. I saw that there is God in all that changed lives.
The new hope was given to me! At that moment I decided to enter Raskrsce Teen Challenge rehabilita-tion program and that was probably the best decision I have made in my life. I only expected to get clean from heroin, but God surprised me and gave me much more. My broken family relationships are now my past. Now I get along with my mom and dad better than ever. Friends that I have gained through this program are the real ones that will last for my whole life. They laugh and carry the real joy in themselves.
And me? I have found my freedom and the meaning of my existence and all because I took the chance when it was given to me.

Woman's center

In

1998 through small Serbian city, Novi Sad, witch was devastated and destroyed by NATO bombings, a story was circling about a married couple that by some wierd miracle had stopped using heroin and were cured from drug addiction.
They were receiving drug addicts into their home and helping them to get clean. That married couple’s names were Saša and Svetlana. If someone told them at that time that because of that “heart-touching” gesture - one day, two Teen Challenge Rehab centers would arise and that they will be able to receive over 40 drug addicts, they would probably thought that is some joke.
Over time that dream became wery true and today Saša and Svetlana are successfully leading two rehabilitation centers, Christ the Savour Church of 200 members, and Coffee House ministry. With God’s help, through these programs, over 100 people and their families found their way to freedom from drug addiction.
At the beginning of 2004. Raskrsce Teen Challenge bought property and started building a woman’s rehabilitation center, which is currently located in rented house. Although confronted with many obstacles of a financial and technical nature, quitting was never an option.
At this time, the building is almost finished. We need just a little more effort and prayers to complete this incredible facility. This nation is crying out for salvation and so we need your prayers and help.

On the street, in jail, totally lost!

Until I began to use drugs I lived a “usual” teenage life. I lacked of control and wanted to try everything that others didn’t. I started to walk on the edge. At that time “dust” came on the scene with a false feeling of peace and safeness. That “dust” called heroin. In the course of a single summer I became drug addict. The feeling that drug gave me didn’t last long. I was left without money and so I begin to steal from my parents and friends. When those sources were spent I was left on street and I was regularly in the local police station. “I don’t have a son anymore” were the words of my father. He was the one who first took me fishing, who taught me how to ride a bicycle, who took me to soccer matches. I became aware that there wouldn’t be that voice anymore saying: “My son… you can do it, we’ll make it together”. I was lost. I thought that this was the end, the end of all my unsuccessful attempts. I was sick, on the street, in jail, in a psychiatric ward. I came to Raskrsce and decided to enter the program because I didn’t see any other solution.
In that place, totally unexpected, I started to hope that I will live without heroin and I spoke my first prayer! Broken dreams are not that dark anymore. I received a new perspective. Now I have better relations with my family than I ever had. True and faithful friends that heroin took from me started to come back. My life became a life that was worth living. I reconnected with my father and felt his hug, and saw the glow in his eyes. My story unexpectedly turned around. I was forgotten, without hope for better life. But trough Jesus, I received a new chance for life and became free once and for all.

Play Hard - PRAY HARDER

At the end of month of September there was a traditional conference called “Septembarska”, which has been held in Novi Sad for decades now. Young people from all over Serbia attend this conference. Over the weekend young people could hear different teachings concerning their lives at that conference.
A soccer tournament is also a traditional part of the conference. Ten teams attended the tournament and Raskrsce TEEN CHALLENGE came with a team formed strictly of former drug addicts. The tournament lasted an entire day and the Raskrsce TC team won first place, thanks to great play and physical fitness.
This victory is a strong testimony that people who were once drug addicts can be successful in physical activities. This victory also proved that the phrase “once a junkie – always a junky” is not true!

Partnership

More than two tons of different necessities came in during the last six months from corporation called “Centroproizvod”. Because Raskrsce Teen Challenge is in a very hard financial situation at the moment, this type of help and cooperation is of great importance for the continuing work of the rehabilitation centers. This corporation has promised to continue this cooperation.
Statistics show that one in three families in Serbia are directly or indirectly impacted with the problem of drug addiction. It seems that in major cities everyone has a friend or a relative that is using drugs. Drug addiction is no longer a distant problem. It is a problem that is affecting all of us, no matter of our sex and age. We need better responsibility of our society.
We are very thankful to “Centroproizvod” and we appeal to everyone that are able to help to do so.