Robert tried so many programs repeatedly that never worked, then he cried out to God, and everything changed.
Robert:
And then, within six months, I was working for a roofing company back then and stole a few roofing guns and stuff from the roofing company and things and They ended up pressing charges on me and I ended up doing a five year mandatory. They charged me with burglary of the roofing company. And ended up getting in trouble there a couple times, again, and went back to prison. I think my total is five or six times in Georgia when I went back. I would go through, it would be, I looked back and seen it was like a six month span. I would get out. Start to work, do great at the job, then start to mess around with drugs. And it usually takes about six months for me to go all the way up to the top and then crash down.
Phil:
Do you steal those just to have money for drugs? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Phil Shuler:
HellO, and welcome to Renew, Restore, Rejoice, the Safe House Ministries podcast, where we share stories of the power of God to change lives through Safe House Ministries. Safe House Ministries is based out of Columbus, Georgia, and we are a ministry that exists to love and serve people who have been affected by addiction, homelessness, and incarceration. I'm your host, Phil Shuler, the Director of Development for Safe House Ministries here in Columbus, Georgia. Safe House serves over 1, 100 people each month as they transition back into our community. Safe House provides an abundance of services including 213 beds for homeless individuals and families, case management for obtaining job skills and long term employment. Over 300 hot meals every day, free clothing, and so much more. One of the most incredible services that Safe House provides is our free 9 12 month intensive outpatient substance abuse program, which is state licensed, CARF accredited, and has no wait list. Almost 100 percent of individuals staying in our shelters who follow our three phase program become fully employed within a few months. And 68 percent of individuals who stay at least one night with us End up finding work and moving into their own home. Thank you for being with us today and listening to our podcast. We hope you enjoy this week's episode.
Phil:
Good morning. I have Robert Wilberly here this morning on the podcast and we're so glad to have you. Thank you for being here, Robert. Thank you for having me. If Robert, just to kick off I'd love to ask you if there was one word that might best describe you, what would that word be?
Robert:
Kind of, outstanding. I always seem to be Out there wherever I end up going. Outstanding.
Phil:
Yeah. Outstanding in the sense of you're a superstar rising above
Robert:
No matter where I end up, what situation I always end up trying to be the best at whatever I'm doing. That is
Phil:
awesome. That's awesome. So you have a, an internal drive to really excel. Yeah. That's a good quality. That's a great quality. I love that. I'm sure we'll hear how that plays out in the story of your life. I hear you've got an accent. Where were you from originally? I was raised in New York City. All right. Awesome. A little different from down here. Yeah. So tell us about that. Tell us about early life. You raised in New York City. Were you born there as well? Yes. Okay. So what was it like growing up?
Robert:
Different. My dad and family were basically involved, let's say, with a lot of people with vowels and the last name as I was growing up. So I was used to everything, maybe not being completely legal. My dad drove a milk truck, but we had a brand new Lincoln and a boat all the time. It was, Just different. Anything we wanted or anything that was needed was found by my father and stuff and it was nothing to buy a TV that came out of the back of a truck or something like that. And it was just normal things. I realized later on that these things that were normal that I was taught were actually the wrong things. It took me years to even realize that. Hey, even though it was normal. Nobody seems to be harmed that this is wrong and it's illegal and I'm not supposed to do that.
Phil:
Wow. So your parents were connected to the underworld, maybe just like access to buying things that were stolen or were they a part of some of those activities in the process of stealing to begin with? They
Robert:
didn't do the actual ceiling, but they were owned a candy store at one point when we were growing up, which was basically a bookie store, a place to take bets and stuff like that. And it was just, it was really different. It was like growing up in good fellas a little bit.
Phil:
Wow. Real life. Like what we might see on a show or a movie that's, you grew up that way. Yeah. Wow. You When you were young, obviously you didn't think anything of it, but did you, like, when you started getting older, maybe teenage years, did your awareness kind of peak or did you start to think, Hey, what's going on
Robert:
here? Actually not at all. It was took years later by when I was married down here, I actually filled a little cigarette lighter up with a fluid thing while I was shopping in Publix with my wife and put it back on the shelf. And she said, that's wrong. You can't do that. What are you doing? And I was no big deal. And it hit me that I was like, she's right. That is wrong. And all this other stuff. And it was just that little incident with her because she is 100 percent above board and honest, never did a thing in a lot wrong in her life. That little incident clicked on everything was like, wow, this They started thinking
Phil:
back to all the stuff you saw growing up and you're like, oh man
Robert:
I was like, wow, it's I said I was brought up being taught that these things were okay And they're actually not and I seen how ingrained they were in my life that I didn't even realize it
Phil:
Wow Okay so you said your parents owned a candy store at one point.
Robert:
Yeah, that was Along with his regular work and stuff, but it was
Phil:
okay to run in the milk route having the candy store
Robert:
Which was yeah, basically I believe they I was real young at the time But I believe it was mostly people came in all the time and we're placing bets on horse races and stuff like that And that was basically what it was for
Phil:
Wow and I guess maybe assuming your parents might have got some of the a percentage of the Yeah, okay. Wow so what was teenage years like for you then
Robert:
That was pretty much where all my trouble started. I actually was working for a video store that was one of my dad's friend's places, which was, and I ended up meeting someone that turned me on to cocaine. And I could still, I still remember the very first time that I did it and wished that I never would have, because that was just the start of everything, probably for the next 30 years. Wow.
Phil:
How old were you at that point? I was about 15. Wow. Okay. So what, how did that, what did that look like? It was at that time, when you first got introduced to it, you're, you thought no big deal and just hanging out with
Robert:
friends
Phil:
and, yeah,
Robert:
It was a new beginning it was all of a sudden there was a whole bunch of new friends and me being like 15, it was the guys that I met were a little older. Next thing you know, I'm with people that are older and I'm like, wow, this is great. And it was just opened a new world that I thought was terrific.
Phil:
Wow. So tell us about those early days then in that new world.
Robert:
Once again, that outstanding thing comes, I didn't want to pay for anything. So I started buying more and selling more, try to support it. And it's like a vicious cycle. The more I had, the more I did. And then eventually it did get to the point where I didn't want to go to work anymore. I didn't want to, Do anything. And except for that, I got really bad at that point.
Phil:
So you just dove in a hundred percent like using and then selling and you wanted to sell more, than everybody else. And just climb to that outstanding category. Pretty much, but it doesn't work that way. The drugs overtake everything else now. So the using part derailed you when it comes to the other part, yeah, definitely. Okay. That was through your teenage years. You stayed 15 on through your teenage years. Until about 21, 22. Okay, just using, dealing, and then did something happen that kind of, you hit a wall, you get arrested, you start
Robert:
actually it didn't, I, at that point I was still living at home and my parents had retired. And they bought a place down south in Daytona. And they decided, they knew what was going on with me, so they decided, they said, Why don't you come with us and go down there and we'll get a fresh start.
Phil:
Wow.
Robert:
Which, Daytona is not the greatest place for a young drug addict to be stuck in the middle of. Yeah. Then I discovered crack cocaine, and it multiplied ten times worse, and Then the problem started because up in New York, the police and stuff, they don't worry about anything that's small and stuff like that. So
Phil:
yeah,
Robert:
going down to Daytona and living just like I lived in New York next within eight months, I was in jail.
Phil:
So in New York you were considered small time, but then when you got to Daytona, you attracted a lot more attention. Yeah. That's, they pay attention a lot more to
Robert:
the small stuff and things. It's
Phil:
wow. Wow. So you jumped right back into using and selling there in Daytona as well? Yeah. Okay. And then, so at eight months, what happened?
Robert:
I ended up getting arrested on just a simple possession charge and then went to jail, got put on probation. And then it was just a cycle of, within every six months then, I was arrested for something else, either a possession or a sales charge. After about the third time, they sent me to prison. Wow. In Florida. How old were you at that point? I guess about 25.
Phil:
Okay. How long was that time?
Robert:
That was it was, I remember it was a 30 month sentence, but I did about 8 months on it. Okay. Man, it was really just a slap on the wrist. And did anything change when you got out? Not at all. You
Phil:
just
Robert:
jumped right
Phil:
back
Robert:
into the Yeah, that's all I wanted the first thing was, that's all I thought of was, couldn't wait to go get high again. I can't wait for that.
Phil:
Yeah. Were you still living, like when you got back out, were you still with your parents or were you on your own at that point?
Robert:
I got out and went to a rehab that was in Daytona and went through their place and then started, then lived on my own. Okay. I started renting a place and I stayed away from my parents and stuff. I at that point they were living normally and I just didn't want to disturb their lives anymore. So I stayed away. Yeah. Just
Phil:
out of respect for them too. Okay. Do you still talk with them and have a good relationship with them? They passed. Both of them have passed over within the past 20 years. Wow. Okay. So you're on your own, you're out of prison, you go through the rehab, you get, maybe clean in the rehab, but then you just jump right back
Robert:
into it? Yeah. The rehab was more just so I had a place to go to. I had no place to go when I got out, so I went through them. Okay.
Phil:
Okay. Okay.
Robert:
And then, within six months, I was working for a roofing company back then and stole a few roofing guns and stuff from the roofing company and things and They ended up pressing charges on me and I ended up doing a five year mandatory. They charged me with burglary of the roofing company. Wow. So I went for my second sentence. I actually did five years straight from start to finish.
Phil:
Do you steal those just to have money for drugs? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. So five years. So now five, five more years in prison in Florida. Okay. And what was that time period like?
Robert:
I guess as far as prison time went, it wasn't bad. Luckily, the way prison goes, if you have an education and a decent psychological profile, they send you to decent places. And I actually ended up being in Tallahassee for the last two years of the sentence working. At the main Department of Correction building, running the mail room there. They had inmates that would work in that building. And we were housing at the local work release. So it was comfortable. And it wasn't, an actual prison setting like you see.
Phil:
Yeah. So you have a college degree? No. I didn't. I did go to college for two years. Okay, so you graduated high school, got a couple of years of college in. Okay. Wow. So after that five years what then?
Robert:
That's actually where I met my wife. Really? When I was getting, about three months before I got out of prison, I met her at church, where I was going to church.
Phil:
Have you been going to church all your life, or when did you start going to church?
Robert:
When I was a little kid, my grandmother used to drag me to church all the time. It was required on Saturdays.
Phil:
I love great grandmothers and I hear that often just the grandmothers, just that spiritual rock to help with the grandkids a lot of times. So she would drag you to church then as you got older to just get out of it on your end. Yeah. It was. I didn't
Robert:
enjoy it at all when I was sat there and waited for the hour to go, and I was raised Catholic, so it was, at 59 minutes, the priest better end the service. That's the way the Catholic service is. They're on
Phil:
time, huh?
Robert:
Yeah. But I met my wife at a Baptist church here that I started to attend while I was at the work release center. And
Phil:
this was
Robert:
in
Phil:
Florida?
Robert:
Yes. Okay. It was in Tallahassee, Florida. Okay.
Phil:
So after prison, You decided to start going back to church and that's where you met her. Yeah.
Robert:
It was during prison actually. She met me. While I was on my last three months, they would take us on Sundays to go to church if we wanted to. Yeah. There was a gentleman there that he started his own ministry where he would bring the guys and then I'll pick them up on Sunday nights also and go to a service stand and then they would have a dinner or a fellowship for the inmates there every week. Wow. And it was really nice then. That kind of got me a little more
Phil:
attuned to God. That's fascinating. So I've never heard of that even as a possibility of being able to have someone come and take you out of prison to go to church. That's a lot of trust. I guess that's wow.
Robert:
It is a was at a work release center where the guys are allowed to go out to work every day and stuff and they're trusted. Okay. I believe there's actually one here in Columbus like that. Up by the prison, there's a work release where they go to work every day. Work normal jobs so they can save when they get out.
Phil:
And they also are allowed to be released for like church on Sundays too,
Robert:
I believe so. They allow them to have furloughs for 8 hours during the weekends and stuff like that. Go with their family or church or wherever they need to go.
Phil:
Wow. Okay. Alright. So you met your wife. You're going to church. Did things start going well? Getting better, on a better track from there?
Robert:
They did. We got married and then we, she got pregnant and we had a set of twins born that were premature. And we lost one of them after 20 days. And that's I was, at that point I was really, once again, outstanding. I was volunteering in the church, doing everything. The pastor would do sermons on how, This guy is coming up from being in prison and has done this within a certain amount of time. And once when our daughter passed Nicole, it was I crashed. I just went off the deep end. So that kind of tore everything up. Wow. So did you just go back to using cocaine? Yeah, I tried to hide it from my wife. It was weird because we moved from Tallahassee to Thomasville. She had just graduated FSU and Took a job at Archibald Hospital there, and that's how I ended up in Georgia. And we moved up there, and I was basically hiding it. And one day she was looking at the cell phone bills and wondering why I had all these Georgia phone numbers on there. And She got a little, she thought maybe I was messing around on her or something. That's ironic now. When she called the number, it wasn't a girl. It was a guy that just didn't sound right. And she realized it was drugs again. And
Phil:
then
Robert:
it just spiraled
Phil:
back down from there. Wow. So did, were you, so how, what'd that look like? So that, that spiral, what did that,
Robert:
Basically stealing stuff. It was, I wasn't selling that or trying to sell that because I was married, trying to work, but. It was every spare dime I had went on drugs and trying to just come up with money constantly. And that ended up once again, getting in trouble and they sent me to a, it's called an RSAT program. It's in Bainbridge, Georgia. Yeah. It's like a nine months prison rehab. I went through that and my wife stood by me for that and I came back out and I ended up doing the same thing again and getting locked up and. She ended up divorcing me then after that second time. Wow. But the good thing, we're actually still friends. That is good. She lives in St. Augustine. I have a tendency to, when I've screwed up, I would stay away from my family. I wouldn't want to affect them at all or anything. Yeah. Once I'm, soon as I'm fine, if I'm on my feet like I'm doing now, we're constantly in contact. We talk every week and stuff. That's good. Yeah.
Phil:
Wow. Okay. So when she divorced you, you were still in deep in the addiction and just, did that continue for a while?
Robert:
Yeah, probably at least the next 15 years, which would probably bring us up to this point.
Phil:
So that 15 years was there any escalation there or just still
Robert:
it changed. I then discovered the southern drug, meth. Oh. And, which is a lot cheaper and lasts a lot longer. It's maybe economy cocaine, in a way, but, and I liked it. And then I started doing the same thing there. I sold that, would sell that. And where were you at geographically? I was living in I moved from Thomasville, where we were, and I moved to Valdosta, which is
Phil:
about a
Robert:
half hour away from there.
Phil:
Okay.
Robert:
And ended up getting in trouble there a couple times, again, and went back to prison. I think my total is five or six times in Georgia when I went back. I would go through, it would be, I looked back and seen it was like a six month span. I would get out. Start to work, do great at the job, then start to mess around with drugs. And it usually takes about six months for me to go all the way up to the top and then crash down. Wow.
Phil:
Okay. So you're in, but also got into trouble a few more times. Did that continue on for a while longer? Still pretty much.
Robert:
Right up until this point, three years ago what happened three years ago, then I had I'd gotten out of prison and went through actually safe house ministries. I had no place to go and I went through the older place to grace house for men.
Phil:
Okay. The men's shelter at the time,
Robert:
grace house.
Phil:
Okay.
Robert:
It was during COVID and I ended up working for a roofing company off the books. So I didn't have to, Worry about taxes and stuff. And the COVID came out and I did the, they had the unemployment insurance and I was able to get that. And the next thing I know, I'm sitting in a halfway house, a homeless shelter with 20, 000 in a bank account. Wow. That was probably the worst thing that could happen to me. Oh went through that, got it, got out, rented a house, and of all appearances, I looked like I was doing great. Had a truck, had everything I needed. It looked great. And within the next year, and then I started selling, and thought, really, me not being from here, nobody knew anything until they came knocking on my door with a baton around one day. And, so that was this last time. And This time I don't know. I spent, was a three year sentence and they made me do every day of the three years. They wouldn't parole me out. I was very lucky. I got chosen for the fire department program for some reason in the prison they have. And I became a certified firefighter while I was there. Really? Yeah, which was terrific actually. It was probably one of the best things I ever did. And going through that, it's, I don't know. I guess there's a lot of integrity and, brothership, fellowship and stuff. And something in there just along the line, I didn't sit there and say, I don't want to do drugs anymore. I started to want to just not want to do them. I started praying about, please just take this away, do something because rehabs don't work. Nothing else seems to work. And just, I would pray for, please just take that urge away from me. So I don't want it. It's just, I don't know when or where. iN prison and everything else, everybody's always, that's all everybody talks about. Is the drugs and this and what they did on the street and stuff. And all of a sudden, eventually those things started bothering me. I didn't want to be involved in those conversations and things and Just somewhere along the line, he removed that urge from me, I believe, and it's to, even now that I've been out, I've done very well, according to, the way Safe House is set up, and have not had one urge. I've had phone calls and people have contacted me through Facebook, old friends that had to do with drugs and stuff. A couple of them I went to see, and now I look at them and I'm like, my God, was I like that? And there hasn't been one urge to do anything. I've tried to help a few people a couple times. I've given some money, paid for a hotel room for them and stuff, and did things to try to help some of them out. And, but I just look at them totally different. I'm like, these were the people that I was with every day. And I can see now, I look and just amaze and saying, Wow, I was just like them. And it's just, it's amazing. It's terrible looking at it. It's heartbreaking actually now, because I look and I see exactly what I was. And it's scary, but it's also a good thing because it's definitely keeping me away from it So what'd you do from there? I'd known about the safe house and I had no place to go and I had, they had to let me go to a work release where I was able to save up a little money, but I didn't have enough money to support myself. And so I got my counselor to get in touch with, try to get in touch with the pastor pastor Richardson. I knew him. He was always. told me if I need your place, just call me and I'll get you in there. Unfortunately, Pastor semi retired, and he was next to impossible to get in touch with. But my counselor was able to get in touch with Michael Krug.
Phil:
Yeah, who's the director of the Men's
Robert:
Shelter Freedom House. And luckily, somewhere along the line, I was supposed to be approved through the Department of Corrections as some kind of program with them. Okay. I Think it's called prison re entry housing. And I was supposed to have been approved for that somehow and somewhere along the line the paperwork got screwed up. And when I got released I was sitting at a bus, a Greyhound bus terminal somewhere up in North Georgia, towards Athens. And I called Michael Krug and he said we have no paperwork on you. I know, and he didn't, had no clue who I was. Wow. So I, luckily I had an email from him that went to my counselor that was accepting me as long as this. I told him that. I told him the exact date and time of it. He looked it up. He said you're right. We did talk. And he said I'll tell you what I'm going to do. You come anyhow. I'm not going to let you end up on the street. Even though there was some mess up between the Department of Corrections and the safe house. He told me come and he had the guy pick me up. I got to Columbus about one o'clock in the morning on the bus and stayed at a hotel and had a guy, Sean, that works for the Safe House Ministries. He came and picked me up at nine o'clock from the hotel and brought me there.
Phil:
This was in December of last year? Yep. It would have been
Robert:
December 19th.
Phil:
Wow. Okay, so you start you're staying at the Freedom House. Were you totally clean at that point, or did you have to go through the Tomorrow's Hope program, or?
Robert:
No, I hadn't done anything for, since I was arrested. Okay. And, I just, like I said, something changed, I didn't do anything in prison, didn't want it. God did what no program could do. Yeah, it's Something, like I said, I prayed for that and kept praying just for that just to take away and I was like, I know God can just snap his fingers and take this out of me. And usually that, things don't work that way, but they seem somewhere along the line he did it and it just came along in me that I just don't want anything. That's good.
Phil:
That's good. So you stay at the Freedom House in you started working at that
Robert:
point? Oh, the week I got there was Christmas and New Year's week, so I knew there was no chance of getting a job that week. But, the Freedom House has certain requirements for you to do. They want you to do a program through Goodwill helps you get Job training. Job training and a resume and stuff like that. So I took care of all their requirements during that first week and a half. And on January 2nd, I knew about the chicken plant. And I knew they used to hire and they had vans that would come and pick you up. I called out there on January 2nd and got an interview for two days later on that Thursday, and then I was hired the next day. They called me up on Sunday. Wow, started working at the, yeah, at the chicken plant. Yeah.
Phil:
Okay.
Robert:
And you're still there, right? Yeah. Today was actually the very first day that I've worked every single day since I've been there. Wow. I haven't called in, I haven't been late or anything. And today it actually broke my perfect record because I had to leave. Like I told you before, I had twisted my knee this morning. Running in and through the rain. Oh. It was killing me. I had to go home.
Phil:
Oh. Wow. So you started out kind of entry level job there at the chicken plan and.
Robert:
No, I was actually blessed. I was sitting in orientation and they have, most of the people they work and they work hard. Yeah. And I knew I was going to have to work hard working at the plant, but I was willing to do whatever I had to do. And they have a quality control department. And during orientation on the second night of orientation, a lady came in from there and she looked around the room and she said, I need two people. And she looked at me and the gentleman sitting next to me and said, I want him and him. Wow. And we walked out and she said, you just got so lucky because you have now have the easiest job in the plant. And it really is. I've been, especially, I have a hip problem, you notice I limp, I have arthritis, and I'm going to the doctor now and stuff for it, but it's a great job. Ninety percent of it is paperwork and just watching chicken go by on a belt and inspecting it, making sure it's, quality for us to be able to sell.
Phil:
Yeah. Wow. That's such a blessing. I'm glad. Wow. Yeah. Are you now, Still at the Freedom House or when did you kind of transition?
Robert:
I left the Freedom House about, I want to say maybe two months ago. Okay. I was there for a little over 90 days and I had money saved for, I had two, I had a bank account that I kept and then they had a, I guess it's an account for me. Every week I would give them money in a money order that was actually filled out to my name and that was savings for housing for you to get. Yeah. And I ended up with. I had about probably 2, 200 in that account. And then in my own personal account, I also saved. I didn't just say that's good. I saved another couple thousand
Phil:
in there. Awesome. Awesome. You're able to get out and have some money, pay the first month's rent, security deposit, just
Robert:
get into your own place. Actually, I did it a good way. I didn't even touch the savings for housing. I was able to do it with my own bank account. It was a little challenge I did for myself because I wanted to do Even though I was saving that money, I wanted to be able to do it on the other money that I was saving. It helped me learn how to do a budget for myself. Awesome.
Phil:
That's fantastic. I was
Robert:
able to do that. I was able to finance a car. And it's for the first time in my life, I'm meeting all my bills and having actually plenty left over.
Phil:
Man, that, that is
Robert:
fantastic.
Phil:
That's outstanding. Yeah, that's awesome, man. Wow. Praise the Lord. Are you going to church anywhere or what's that part of your life?
Robert:
I haven't actually joined the church or got involved with this. I. I really don't know why, I just it's a personal thing of not wanting to go. But I do spend half of my free time running around helping people. I constantly help people at the Freedom House. Anybody that wants a job out there, I have a stack of applications in my car. And when they set up for an interview, I'll take them up there. Usually half the times I come back from work, drop the guy, I got guys that ride with me to work every day. And when I drop them back off, usually I pick half the times I pick someone up, and bring them right back to work for an interview. Wow. A few guys, if they need to go to the store, not many have vehicles or anything I'll help them do whatever they need to do. Friends with a few graduates from there that are still doing
Phil:
good. Good. That's good, man. I, it amazes me that the level of just serving others and giving back and wanting to help others that I see in so many people who have gone through darkness and come out on the other side and are living in victory, that, that heart of wanting to give back, wanting to help others, wanting to, it's just, I love it. It's
Robert:
amazing. That's the biggest, that's my spare time. People will ask me, what are you doing in your spare time? And a lot of times I wear myself out helping others. It's But it's been good. I've also, like I said before, I've met with some of the older friends that were still out there and still doing terrible. And I try to help a few of them and stuff. But along the way I've actually met run back into a couple other friends that actually clean themselves up and are doing great right now. That's good. And those are actually my real support. It's knowing someone that was at that time. That was, doing things the same way I was, doing drugs and stuff, and their life in a shambles. And I've run into them now. Actually, one of them's a girlfriend of a former employee of the safe house who was a van driver. And she was, I know her from five years ago, and she's cleaned herself up, and she's got a beautiful baby boy now. And she's got a little house she rents, takes care of everything, and does nothing wrong. She's probably My biggest support system. Wow.
Phil:
So the, so that's the structure of helping keep it, keep each other accountable, just staying on the right path. Just do you like, that would be like if you ever, are you, do you have any continuing struggle that you would have to call and say, Hey I'm in a dark a tough place right now
Robert:
as far as the drugs go and stuff. That's not even a concern anymore that doesn't bother me. And the drugs were just symptoms of other things anyhow. It was just escaping from when I had other problems. Yeah. And now it seems that I've had my share of bad luck since I've gone through the Freedom House. I had originally purchased a car. I had it for about five weeks. I spent almost all the money I had on it. And the engine started to go out on it. Oh. But luckily during that time I did what I was supposed to. I saved more money, was able to put down payment on a car. I said, let me get one that's real dependable, because I need to go back and forth to work every day, 50 miles. Did that, and had that for about six weeks, and someone hit me in a parking lot and it got totaled. I lost that. But, once again, luckily I had saved money during that time, and I was able to The insurance did cover everything, thank God. But lost all, my down payment in this and now I've purchased another car. And have that finance and it's each car has actually been a little nicer car than before. So it's like you have
Phil:
a great quality of saving money. Did you learn that early in your life or is that more like when you got things straightened out and you got rid of the drugs, you started making a lot of better decisions in a lot of ways.
Robert:
I've got one of the biggest thing was I got tired of, if I needed something, I couldn't go get it. Now I make sure that if I need something. I could go if I want to stop at Burger King, I don't have to worry if I've got an extra 15 to buy a happy meal. Yeah, it's
Phil:
so you learned, so that experiences you went through, you learned from those and you started making better decisions and building better habits. Yeah that's awesome. It's basically,
Robert:
it's just, I don't know. I just will not waste money. I spend money. I buy the things that I like to have. I'm content with everything I got right now. And it's just, it's nice to be able to look at the bank account and know I've got a thousand dollars of bills coming up in the next three weeks and look at it and say I got that covered and I got this extra and I'm still going to be okay. There's not a war. That's good. I don't have that fear of anything anymore. Yeah, that's good. You're sounds like you've built a lot of good habits. Yeah, which is recent. That's. Like I said, that's all come with probably that snap at a finger.
Phil:
I said, when you're in that prison in the time and you're just praying that God would take away that urge and help you get straightened out and you answer that prayer.
Robert:
Yeah. And being in prison too, that was part of it. I don't, didn't have family to support me, so I didn't have money where you can, you can buy store goods or canteen. Yeah. I didn't have that there and it's. I don't like that. I want to be able to do something if I want to. I want to be able
Phil:
to,
Robert:
Go out. Don't worry about that. I've got to go to work and I've only got a half tank of gas in the car and I'm not going to make it this week. And, it's actually been extremely easy. For some reason, it's amazed me. Because then, whatever I have, It's constantly, my bank account is constantly going up every single week. It doesn't go down. I'm not living paycheck to paycheck anymore. And that's, and in the short amount of time, that's a terrific thing. It's a terrific feeling of being secure. And I've had some of the guys at the safe house say to me in a way you've got everything. You've got a place to live. You've got a car and you've got this. And I'm like, I didn't have it six months ago. I did that all from here and I did exactly what Safe House told me to do. My job search, they had a job search thing where you have to, required to go to 20 places a week. I went to one place and got a job. The programs that they want you to go through Goodwill, I did that immediately while I was there. I Needed medication for, I have high blood pressure and for my arthritis. They recommended me to go to New Horizons in town. I did that the first two weeks and, I had to pay for my medication the whole time. They take care of everything and gave me a full physical, did everything. Wow. And it was just my doing stuff. Not wanting to sit back and expecting actually even Safe House to do stuff for me. Yeah. Because they really won't do anything for you, but they point you in the direction to do it. That you can do everything. Yeah. Like I did, I took advantage of every single thing they had. And That is awesome. I've ended up actually coming out. I'm happy.
Phil:
That's good. I'm so glad to hear that. That is, that's awesome. I love it. Yeah, and you're right. It's you. Safehouse pointed you in the right direction and said, here's what you need, what you got to do. And you just, you made those choices. You made those choices. You followed through you. You're working hard. You're saving money. You're building for
Robert:
a continual better future. A safe house is a great plan. I don't know any place else that you can go live for, even though they have a requirement, it's supposed to be 90 days. They allow you to stay a little longer, 90 days is a little rough, but I don't know of any other place that you can go and live for free and they take care of all your needs and necessities while you get back on your feet, I've seen all the rehabs, all the halfway house. Everybody charges you, makes you work, takes 50 percent of your money. Safe House doesn't take a cent from anybody there. And they, it's, it's really terrific. And the living conditions are actually super comfortable. I had my own room with a bathroom. They're not all like that. Some are shared. I started out with sharing a room, and then when I started working night shifts, they gave me a single room. But I've lived better there than I have on the streets sometimes. Safe House. I had dinner cooked for me every day, breakfast cooked for me, if I was there to eat it, and it's, and anything I needed, all I'd have to do, 90 percent of the time, was go to my crew, go to my council barber, and ask them, and they would point me in the right direction. That's beautiful.
Phil:
That's so good, man. That's so good. And then because all of that was taken care of, you could just, Take the money you made from working and save it. Yeah. And just save it for your future.
Robert:
That's what I did. And took advantage of everything else. The, they have the closed closets and places where you can get stuff that they'll donate to you and stuff. And when I left there I had everything that I needed. I didn't need anything. They even actually have a pro there's a lady there that does a ministry that helps people get furniture and stuff like that if you have a new place. And luckily. I rented a place where it's fully furnished and everything and I didn't need any of that, but I know if I did, it's there and it's available. That is
Phil:
awesome. That's I'm so glad. That's so good. So thinking back over your story, over your life where you were, where you are is there any really strong core principles that you think You learned along the way, things that maybe you want to share that others could remember that kind of stood out wisdom nuggets, maybe
Robert:
the biggest thing that I do is, and it's part of that helping other people now I know that for years there was no one there to help me and now the safe house, they helped me and people, when I see someone that needs help now I help them and it seems Come back and get paid back 20 times over. As I turn around and give somebody 50 cause they need it. They have no way to stay that night, somewhere along the line, that money doesn't even affect me somewhere. And it's just, it just, the blessings just keep coming. It seems the more I give, the more that I get back. Awesome. And that's one of the main things is I was just, I know I'm supposed to help people, still, I don't understand the change in my heart or the way, like I said, I guess God did just snap his finger and say that's enough with him. Because it's been, no matter what happens, things go wrong, it's, I haven't gotten down on it, I've kept my attitude straight. No matter what this is a problem, I'll get through it and I'll be okay on the other end. And it's been that way.
Phil:
Yeah. Yeah. That's so good. Wow, that's so good. Anything else that you want to share? Anecdote, story lesson? Just anything else you want to add?
Robert:
I just, if anybody does need help, the safe house is the most awesome place, really. I sit there and I see there's people there, and of course, naturally, there's people that complain and don't like it. Say it's this, and I've seen those are the ones that don't want to help themselves. If you want to help yourself, and you're willing to do the work to go through it, it's, that place will help you and make you come out the other end terrific.
Phil:
Yeah. That's awesome. I love that. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for sharing your story. You've made some really good points too. It's so I appreciate that and I appreciate getting to know you this morning.
Robert:
Thank you for having me. I was almost intrigued when you called the other day and asked me this. I was like how did this come about? And I will be selling my autograph now. All right. As I said, once I get famous, I'm not going to be free anymore.
Phil:
Awesome. Yeah. Robert, you mind if I close this in a word of prayer? Fine. Dear father, I thank you for your grace. I thank you for what you've done in Robert's life. Lord, thank you For answering his desire and his call and his request of being free, Lord. For taking away those urges. Thank you for the program that he was able to connect with. The firefighter training and that's really neat, Lord. You've done some amazing things. Thank you for Neil. We're putting in his heart to, to start the work of safe house ministries and thank you for how that ministry has grown and is doing so much here in Columbus and in our community around. I thank you that Robert was able to connect with safe house and that safe house was able to help him in such a significant way and thank you for the choices that he's making to get himself on a better path. Thank you for just All that you're doing. I pray you continue to bless Robert, guide him. I pray for his knee, Lord, that you would just touch it and heal it for his hip. Give him strength and healing and just help him to be able to Just stay healthy and keep working and keep saving and just bless his future and guide him and even draw his heart closer to you, Lord. Just pray you'd open up a door and you might be able to find a great church and just build his relationship with you spiritually as he continues to build his relationship with you. Physical stability and financial stability as well. Bless him and guide him. And thank you for your grace. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Amen.
Phil Shuler:
We look forward to being with you again next week as we share another testimony about the power and the goodness of God to change lives through Safe House Ministries. if you are someone listening to this podcast that loves to hear these stories of the great things that God is doing in changing people's lives for the better, and if you would like to be a part of that work, please reach out to us You can reach us at 2101 Hamilton Road, Columbus, Georgia, 31,904. You can call us at seven oh six three two two. 3 7, 7 3, or you can email us at info@safehouse-ministries.com.
Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone)-2:
Thank you so much for being with us this week for the renew restore and rejoice podcast of safe house ministries, we pray that God will bless you this week. And we look forward to having you back with us again next week for a new episode.
