My name is Evan and I was enrolled in Shelterwood from June of 2009 to September of 2010. I came to Shelterwood because of my addiction to pornography, my ongoing dishonesty, and basically my life was falling apart fast and I needed help. Before coming to Shelterwood, I had been admitted to an adolescent stabilization unit at the hospital for threatening to end my life. While in the week long hospital stay, I faked my way through the time I was there and after being discharged I went right back to the way I had been living. So needless to say, when I first got sent to Shelterwood I had the same mentality and decided that I was going to fake my way through the program. But, after being at Shelterwood for a while I realized that my old habits and ways were not going to fly. I learned that if I wanted to graduate, I had no choice but to try to work the program. While working the program, my mind set of faking it all slowly started to disappear and the program really started to work. But, I had to allow it to happen and actually work for it. Shelterwood really has the hand of God over it. I went into the program as a Sunday morning Christian and graduated as a Christian that wants to allow God to work in my life every day. I learned what the power of God can do when you really let Him. Shelterwood saved my life and if it hadn’t been for Shelterwood, their staff, and God working, I don’t know where I would be right now. While at Shelterwood, I made some relationships with other students, the mentoring staff, and other relationships that will last my lifetime. Now being out of Shelterwood, I volunteer at various churches playing music on the worship team and leading worship some Sundays. I have also landed a job with the local fire department as a reserve firefighter. I recently graduated the Fire Academy in May of 2014. I am now trying to further my education and work toward the medical side of the career field. I hope my next steps in college afford me the opportunity to be employed as a full-time Firefighter some
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