Shawn has a truly beautiful spirit about him. He is always quick to smile and to serve others. Shawn's story is beautiful as well, and it testifies to the power that friends can have upon your life. Bad friends dragged him down in the past, but the good friends he has now look out for him and encourage him to stay on the right path. But the greatest change of all in Shawn's life began to occur when he met the greatest friend of all, Jesus.
Shawn has a truly beautiful spirit about him. He is always quick to smile and to serve others. Shawn's story is beautiful as well, and it testifies to the power that friends can have upon your life. Bad friends dragged him down in the past, but the good friends he has now look out for him and encourage him to stay on the right path. But the greatest change of all in Shawn's life began to occur when he met the greatest friend of all, Jesus.
Sean, what advice would you give maybe to someone who's listening and maybe someone that's struggling with addiction or, with. The law or whatever it might be in that, in a similar place of darkness. What advice would you give? Just to change your mentality. So if you want to do better, you have to, may have to be willing to make the changes for it. And to give yourself a good support staff or structure or whatever. Yeah. Have good people around you. Cause if, if you want to change, you can't have the same old people. That's one of the things about being in, with Safe House and stuff, it got me away from the people that I used to hang with. Now I have a new set of friends and everything like that, and it's as my family.
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.
Good morning. This morning on the podcast, I have Shawn Cawley. Sean is here to share his story. Sean is an employee of Safe House Ministries and he's doing some great things in the ministry right now and he is a part of helping many other people to make changes and improvements and just really to have a better life for themselves. Sean, also himself, was a client of Safe House at one time and he was not always as he is now. And so today Sean's going to share his story. Sean, good morning and glad to have you. Thank you. Sean just to start out, I want to ask you a question about maybe if you had to pick one word that would best describe yourself, what do you think that word would be? Giving. Giving. What makes you say that? Because everything I do, I try to put my heart into it. That's awesome. You're very generous in giving. Giving of time. Giving of things, possessions, money, whatever. Yes, sir. Have you always been that way, or is that more recent? It's been more recent. Okay. That's awesome. What's made that change to make you more giving? Being baptized in prison. Oh, that's awesome. Okay. Wow. Fantastic. I fully devoted myself over. Yeah. That's good. When you, you devoted yourself to Christ? Yes. That makes a huge difference, doesn't it? Yes, it does. And I love the difference Jesus makes in our lives. Yeah, that's good. Sean, I just wanted to, I guess, start from the beginning., what was childhood like for you? What did things look like early on? Well, I was born in Yuma, Arizona. And I was raised, more or less, on the West Coast. My dad was in the Navy. So I was raised in different forts and stuff, all up and down the West Coast. And, childhood was alright. I mean, I Had an abusive father, but he was more physical than anything else. He was just a big man. Oh, yeah, he was rough on you guys? Yeah. Like the family, your mom? No, it was really just me. Really? Because I was, I was small for my age. So he was just, like, he was trying to toughen me up. But, and then him and my mother got divorced when, probably about, 11 12 years old. Yeah. And me and my mother and my sister, we packed up when we moved from Tucson to California, San Francisco. Wow. And stayed out there for about a year, almost 2 years. And then we came back and then they got remarried again. And we're married for another couple of years. They got divorced again. And then so I was ready to be more or less being raised by my mother. Yeah. All my manners and stuff were in were instilled in me through her. She taught you pretty well. Yeah. That's good. Praise the Lord for a good mama. And then, but being with her though is I also was discipline wasn't what as was then. Yeah. I was more or less had free reign to do what I wanted to do and then got messed up into addictions and drinking and stuff like that. When you was a kid, like a teenager? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So I was about 15. She let you do what you wanted to do. I just more or less did what I wanted to do. Yeah. So 15 is when you started getting into drugs? Yeah. What did that look like? I was just smoking marijuana and stuff, just being around with everybody else. Yeah. Because everybody else was doing it. Yeah. And it was just trying to fit in. And more or less went on all the way up until my 30s. Wow. so you started in at 15 and Yeah. Was it just marijuana for a long while or, yeah. And then it progressed up a little bit, yeah. what was the next, level of progression for you? cocaine, acid and then the meth come out. Meth. How old were you? How old were you when you started those things? right around 20. Okay, so did things start getting a lot darker at that point? Yeah. what did your early twenties look like? was more or less just being drunk all the time. Yeah? Yeah. Were you still living with your mom? more or less. Yeah? When she had left in 1988, moved out to Georgia. I was still in Arizona. And then I was supposed to move to New Mexico for work. And a week before I was supposed to leave, my cousin's car's engine blowed up. Oh wow. So I had already done, gave up my place and everything like that and my job. And so I told my mom about it. She says, come on. So I packed my stuff up and moved out here. How old were you then? Probably about, 23. Okay, so at that point you were really drunk all the time, doing cocaine, a lot of harder drugs, and then you moved to Georgia. Yeah. Okay, so what did that time period look like? Still on the drugs while you were here? Well, not really starting out, not until I, because I didn't really know anybody when I got out here. And I was more or less trying to meet the new family. Yes. All I knew was my stepdad. I didn't know any of his family. And got to know them and then started, got started working and started doing to other people, and then it started back over the cycle. Started back over drinking. Yeah. Yeah. Did were you getting in trouble with the law at that point or Nah. No. I didn't really get into trouble with the law until probably 19, probably about 80. Well, yeah, I did get in trouble with law. I got my first DUI six months after I've been there. In Georgia? Yeah. Okay. And then I got another one six months later. Wow. Wow. Were you, mean when you were no high at all? Like, were you mean to your mama or anything? No. You were still No, never did. I was still respectful. I always respected my mother. I loved her. Yeah. That's good. So two DUIs. How did things go from there? What did what? I just, I let my lunch, my. Driver's license lapse. And then, so I just went, just working mainly was working. And then all I did was keep my addiction supplied. So were you able to work pretty well? I worked during work time. I worked every day. Yeah. What kind of work did you do? I did all construction. Yeah. Outside a lot. Mm-Hmm. So you'd, you'd work during the day, then you'd go home? Get drunk or get high and then yeah, maybe try to sleep it off and get back to work in the morning Yep, do it same cycle over and over and over. Yeah Okay, so Did things get worse from there? Yeah, I mean after work after a while. That's when I got in trouble And found out I was had a warrant for me. So I decided to take off and go back home in Arizona What was it warrant for at that point? I have just It was just warrant. Okay, so I just So you found that out and you just booked it out here and got it went to Arizona Yeah, my dad told me to come on. I got your bus ticket. So I rode back was out there and same thing happened again the cycle the addiction came back and Ended up getting a DUI there and then they ran my name and so they brought me back So you couldn't get away from it? No, and when I Got here and got put in the thing that is Get rolling me and rolling me so I just said forget it Let's pretty guilty get it over with and I Did ten years to the door got out ten years? Did ten years at the door got out? violated my probation and went back And it told me I was only supposed to do two years But I ended up doing seven and a half because I had no place to go Oh wow, in prison? Yeah, so that's when I That was after the ten years? Yeah. So ten years you got out and then you did seven and a half more years? Yes. And then while I was there, they kept telling me, you need an address, you need an address. I said, I don't have nobody. So you could have gotten out after two years, but because you didn't have a place to go, you ended up staying five and a half more years? Until one day I went, I was at Dodge State Prison, and my counselor there. Gave me an application, told me to fill this out. It's for a halfway house in Columbus. And I filled it out, and then they accepted me. That's how I met Mike Kruk. Wow. Because he ran the halfway house. Yeah? Was that the Beacon House, or was that something different? Yes, it was the Beacon House. Okay. Stayed with there about eight months. Because when they first let me out, I didn't have no paperwork, no driver's license, no I. D. card, birth certificate, nothing like that. And it took about eight months to get everything straightened out. But, yeah, he got me a job. Was working good. And, when I was getting ready to move out, he asked me if I had my driver's license. I said, no. I said, I haven't had a driver's license in twenty, over, almost thirty years. And he's I want you to get a driver's license. And I said, okay. So I ended up going to DUI school and got my driver's license back and I finally got my own place and then trying to help somebody because I've seen somebody I felt bad, I felt sorry for so I tried to help them out. I let them move in and they ended up dragging me for two years. Drag, what do you mean? Didn't work. And it was always doing drugs and drinking it all the time. So you were back into that? No, I was, not at first. And then it just progressed into later and later. And I found, they pulled me in. Okay. So you had been clean? Yeah, I'd been clean for like about a year. Okay. And I just got pulled into it. Because you were staying with someone that, that's what they were doing and Yeah,, they wouldn't leave. So I couldn't do victim because it was during, uh, during the COVID. Oh, so you were like just in an apartment. You guys were sharing an apartment. Yeah. Okay. So I just ended up letting it lapse because my landlord didn't want to fix nothing. So I just stopped paying rent and then I'd gotten a dirty UA. What's that mean? Urinalysis. Okay. I was on probation at the time. And my probation officer violated me, put me in jail for 30 days when I got here in Muskogee County. Yeah. When I got out, they evicted me from my apartment where they were fixing to. So I went, got myself out and checked into motel for a couple of days and then decided to try to stay with a friend and couldn't really stay with him. And, Service department come and found me and said, But you can't leave here, you gotta go to jail. They put me in jail, gave me a one year sentence. For being homeless. Really? Yeah. Wow. So you were trying to stay somewhere in there that wasn't your place? Yeah. Was it a vacant place? No, it was vacant. It was somebody, but I, He was a friend of mine, but he didn't want you to stay in there. No, he didn't mind, but he was also on probation. So he couldn't. You couldn't stay there together. Yeah. Okay. they put me in the, took me back to jail for a year. Probation officer told me, that he would take me into Freedom House. So you found out about the Freedom House Through the probation officer, yeah. Okay. that was the men's shelter? Yes. went there and that's how I met Mike Kruger again. Wow. he was running the Freedom House. that had been after the transition when Safe House Ministries absorbed the Beacon House Ministry and Mike came over and started running the men's shelter. and then, awesome, okay. So, after that year. Yeah, what I was doing that year, I was diagnosed with skin cancer. Wow. And, I ended up, by the time I got out, I had a, uh, probably a golf ball sized tumor on my cheek. Man. And so, I couldn't work yet, because I was going through treatments, radiation treatments for it. And, so I was just helping out, because, one of the drivers, Ed Coleman, who I registered with, You started using me to help him move furniture and stuff. And that's how I got through with the safe house. I already knew the chaplain. I've been knowing him for years. Neil? Yeah. How'd you know him? Through the Beacon House. Okay. He used to come every Wednesday for Bible studies. Awesome. That's how I knew him. But he used to help Ed and then Ed would also work the desk in the safe house and I would be there with him and helping clean up and stuff like that. Some of the other workers there seen me and it was like, we got to have him. Wow. He can work. So you were a client staying at the Freedom House and then you were also just really serving and helping and working just wherever you were needed in the ministry. Yeah, I was just volunteering my time because like I said, idle hands, devil's playground. Yeah. So I was wanting to do something. So you were clean at that point? Yes. Totally off of the drugs? did you just accomplish that on your own? Yeah. Or did you have, okay. Yes. You just made that decision and you said, I'm done with this. It's not, it's bad and I want to stay away from it and you just, you got clean. Yeah, because more or less, I think all the trouble is caused from my addictions and my drinking. Yeah. Were you a Christian at that point or was that before you met Christ? This was, after I met Christ. When I was, just before I got out of prison, that's when I The last time in prison? Yeah. So that last year you spent in the Muscogee County Jail? No, no, 2019. 2019, okay. When I got, when I, my last year in prison. Tell me about that time. how did you come to know Christ? I was, I was sitting there just bored and then In the prison? Yeah, because I was just, wasn't really doing nothing. And then somebody said, come on church with me. So I started going to church and Like when a chaplain would come in or a pastor would come in and do a service there in the jail? Yeah. And then, that's when I started. Yes, I like this. I like this. And so I started going every week and almost every day they had it. And then they had a discipleship program where you read, 10 books and you do 12 Bible studies to get a Bible and put myself to that. So it took my mind away from everything else and yeah, and and I did it. And then that's when I say when I found out I was getting ready to get to go home. Then we come to the beacon house. go ahead. Yeah. more or less what happened when I told him a week before I was leaving, they say, they said, I'm going home. And he says, you are. And I said, but I want to finish my discipleship. So I ended up reading six books and doing all the Bible studies in one week. Wow. Just so I could get my Bible before I left. Wow. You were serious about that. Yeah. And when, so did, during that time, you came to a place where you realized you were a sinner, you lost, you needed to be saved by Jesus. That's why I decided to have myself washed. Clean. So you accepted Christ into your heart, got saved, and then you wanted to get baptized. Yep. What, do you remember what church that was or what pastor that was? I don't remember. It was just a chaplain that was at the Dodge State Prison. Okay. Wow. So then, did you get baptized while you were in prison? Yes. Okay, that chaplain did that? Yeah, I got baptized in October. I left in February of the next year. And that's awesome. What year was that? 2018. I got baptized in 2019 when I got out. Man, praise the Lord. Okay, so you became a Christian at that time. You got out and you were different at that point. Yeah. Is that when you had made that change to stay clean? When I made the change. Is that's when I felt like. The Lord had something for me because he got me out. Yeah. To predicament I was in. And I said, I'm going to put the effort out to try to get myself better. And I did. For a while. Until I fell into the wrong crowd. Yeah. And then got in trouble again. So then after that you spent the year at the jail. Yeah. Then you got out and that's when you started, came to the Freedom House. Yeah. Okay. But you and you had gotten clean during that time in jail and then came back out. Two and a half years now. Wow. Clean this up. Praise the Lord. So, you began helping at safe house volunteering and then it transformed into a full time job for you. Yes. More or less. Yeah. And I've been moved up to now I'm an assistant manager. Assistant house manager or assistant like? Assistant manager of the safe house. Okay, right under Paul Parker? Awesome. Awesome. Do you like that? Yeah. It's like a weekend, I am the manager. Awesome. Don't have to worry about nobody coming in or out. The place runs good when I'm there. Good. Man, praise the Lord. Two and a half years clean. Yep. You going to church anywhere? no, because most of my time is just Safe house. I'm there on weekends, yeah. Yeah, seven days a week? Yeah, just about. Yeah. even on my days off, I still come in because I drive people in. Drop them off and then pick them up. Yeah. Or if they need work, something else done, I'll do the work for them. Yeah. Are you able to hit some of the chapel services there sometimes at the safe house? Not really, because at that time we're getting ready to get set up for lunch and everything like that. So it's a busy time, yeah. Okay. Wow. are you still at the Freedom House as well? yes. Okay. Do you have any family that's here still in Columbus? no. I have a sister that's in Augusta. Okay. And I usually try to take off at least once, one weekend a month. To go visit her? To go down there and see her. Okay. Any other family? No, that's it. my father passed the note six. My mother passed a couple years ago from Alzheimer's. Wow. Wow. You're giving back. Mm hmm. You're serving. Yes. you always have a great spirit about you. I appreciate that. I, it's a very noticeable spirit. Just a great, positive, encouraging, welcoming, kind. Yeah. yeah, you're always, at least when I see you, you're always smiling. Yeah. And I'm sure life's not always perfect and rosy, but. You seem to maintain a good spirit, no matter what the challenges you face. Yeah. I mean, there's a lot of challenges, but, I was dealing with the people at the safe house, with our clients and stuff. It's a job, but Yeah. It's a lot of hard work sometimes. Oh, yes. That's worth it. Mm hmm. Yeah. Do you have a support structure? are you going to AA meetings or NA meetings or just your support structure is the other safe house family? Yeah. It's like safe house is my family. Yeah. Okay. Good. Good. Sean, what advice would you give maybe to someone who's listening and maybe someone that's struggling with addiction or, with. The law or whatever it might be in that, in a similar place of darkness. What advice would you give? Just to change your mentality. So if you want to do better, you have to, may have to be willing to make the changes for it. And to give yourself a good support staff or structure or whatever. Yeah. Have good people around you. Cause if, if you want to change, you can't have the same old people. That's one of the things about being in, with Safe House and stuff, it got me away from the people that I used to hang with. Now I have a new set of friends and everything like that, and it's as my family. Yeah, that's good. Sean, is there anything I didn't ask you, or anything you feel like would be good to, for others to know? No, it's just Would you about to ask everything you need to know? Ha, ha, ha, ha. I appreciate you being here. I appreciate your willingness to share your story. I'm sure that it was some pretty rough times for you. Do you remember what the roughest, darkest time was? did you ever get to the place where you felt like There was just absolutely no hope or did you always, when I lost my mother, yeah, it almost put me, it almost made me spiral, but when I found out that my sister said she wanted to help me and I said, okay, and so I straightened myself up because of my sister because she was good. She's going through medical problems. Yeah. So I know I make sure I go down to see her. Yeah. Make sure she has everything she needs, her medication, stuff like that. Give her a little bit of spending money if she needs it. Wow. How long ago was it that your mother passed away? 2020. Okay. I bet she, I already knew she had Alzheimer's when I had talked to her in 2016. They told me she was diagnosed with it. And it was just early stages then. Okay. She's just forgetful about some stuff. But then, by the time I got out and got a hold of my sister, finally, my mom was in, in the end stages, stage four. Wow. And like, to me, she couldn't talk, and then she'd just stare vacantly, and stuff like that. Mm. But I used to video chat with my sister, and she, one day, she took her phone, turned it around to my mother, and said, here's your son. My mother looked, and she just, eyes lit up, and she reached out to grab the phone, because she recognized who I was. Yeah. Didn't even know she couldn't say nothing. Yeah. Wow. Was that during the time, like after the prison time, but before the Muskogee County jail time? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, because she died when I was in Muskogee County. So that time you started to spiral back into the drugs, but then your sister helped you get back out? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Once, when I went back, when I went to jail, I just, I said, I can't do this no more. That was it? Yeah. Wow. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Anything else you want to share? That's about it. Yeah. Do you love the work you're doing at Safe House? Oh yes. Yeah. CAuse I don't really consider it a job anymore. Yeah. It's more of a calling. That's awesome. That's awesome. I look forward to coming to work every day. Yeah. To just serve Jesus and serve others. Yep. That's a great spirit, man. Thank you. Yeah, it's a good example. thank you for being here, Sean. Alright, thank you. Do you mind if I close this in a word of prayer? Go ahead. Lord, thank you for your goodness. Thank you for Sean. I just pray that you would bless his life. I pray that you would guide his path. Thank you for the change that you have made in his life. Thank you for that chaplain just coming in and Putting Sean through that discipleship program. Thank you for the power of your Holy Spirit that drew Sean unto you. Because you had a special plan for his life. Because you loved him and you wanted to save his soul. Thank you for doing that. Thank you for putting him in your service here at Safe House Ministries. Using Sean to be a help and a blessing to so many others. Continue to guide his path. Lord, help his sister with the struggles and health issues that she faces. Pray that you'd be with her. Be with Sean. Bless their relationship. Continue to keep Sean strong in his faith, Lord. And help him to just, to maintain that. The wonderful, beautiful spirit that he has just showing the love of Jesus to others. I pray these things in Jesus name, 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.
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