William Foster's Story (Part 2): From Dumpster Diving to Deliverance, and the Lessons of God's Love All Along the Way.

Part 2 of William's Story is like finishing of a nice warm hot cup of cocoa, it will leave you with a warm and joyful feeling inside and a smile on your face.  William dives deeper into some of the crazy things he did in his darkness... (SPOILER ALERT-stealing a Hurse was one of them).  William also speaks more at length about the love of God through the lives of human vessels that finally brought him out of the darkness and the many lessons he learned that can help others who are struggling to get out of their own darkness.

Transcript

Phil Shuler: 0:00

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: 1:13

When you were there for that time of being homeless in the tent, were you with other people like an encampment or were you just totally on your own? Oh yeah. Isolated.

William: 1:21

I'm as isolated as they get, man. Yeah. I actually had some people show up and thought they were going to camp out up there and I was like nah, nah. And so I had walked off and there was some lady who was talking about. It was behind a church, right? And I had went across to these apartments, and I was walking through the apartments, and the lady was going, Have you seen a package that was on my porch? Somebody stole a package on my porch. And I was like, It might be that guy back there staying in the tent. Because they had camped, started camping out back where I was at. And I had done packed up and left and went somewhere else. It was like I was doing all kinds of things that I shouldn't have done. They probably didn't have nothing to do with it, but I was doing that kind of stuff, I thought, I thought I was smarter than everybody else. Yeah. And I was the idiot. That's what I had to realize is that I was living like an idiot and I needed to wake up.

Phil: 2:11

So you were really a true loner. You wanted to be isolated, stay away from nobody. Are you still that way in some ways or have you changed that dynamic? And that's a personality thing, I think, for some of us.

William: 2:23

I think you're right, too. No, I have tried to change that. I'm trying to be I'm a people person, too. I'm trying to get out more and do more with others. I'm not trying to walk the isolation path no more. Yeah. I just, I didn't trust anybody. You're right. And I felt like if I was around people, something was going to happen, and I was going to wind up in trouble, or something bad was going to happen. I was always fearful of the bad. I was never thinking there would be a good outcome. So I stayed away from a lot of stuff, man. I really was doing the damage to myself. And, like I said before, these people, they just wanted to help me, man. They just wanted to be my friend. And I was pushing people away. Wow.

Phil: 3:11

Wow was there a place in Warner Robins that you would go, like a place to just go get a meal? Or did you, how did you get food and clothes and those kind of things?

William: 3:22

That's a, that's an interesting question. I had done my fair share of the dumpster diving. And I had done my fair share of Trying to get meals from free places, giving out free meals. I would go over to certain people's house and see if I could eat and hang out. It was just so crazy, man. It's when you're in that situation, you're just looking for whatever you can find. But I had people that Would let me come in and take a shower from time to time. They would feed me from time to time. And I just hung around those places when I could, but your welcome would get worn out real quick, and then you'd be right back out there I've tried everything I could think of. I I did a lot of hustles, and it wasn't right, but I was doing that stuff. And so

Phil: 4:17

it's like kind of Conan or

William: 4:19

go in there and you tell the people you ordered something and that it didn't show up in your food. And then they would be like and then you'd be like, yeah, and then you just complain a lot about it. And the customer is always right. So they just give you what you want. And they know you didn't order it. But yeah, I've done that before. Just all kinds of stuff, man. I remember walking into a gas station and. Making a hot dog and walking out the other door with it and stuff like that, just crazy stuff that normal people don't do and I felt so bad because I was like What am I doing? Why am I doing this? I could go to My brother I could go to my sister But I didn't want them to see me like that. I didn't want them to, I wanted, I felt like I was their burden, but I did some ridiculous stuff, man. And I lived that way for a long time. I was a problem to society. I was that guy,

Phil: 5:20

What would you say is the craziest thing you ever did?

William: 5:23

Maybe stealing a hearse and riding off in it.

Phil: 5:26

A hearse? Like at a funeral home?

William: 5:28

Yeah, I felt so bad

None: 5:29

about

William: 5:30

that. Yeah, I did. I was trying to get out of town. I thought people were trying to get me, and I was like, I just gotta get out of here. I gotta get, I can get out of here. And I was just riding around in it, took off, wound up in another town, sleeping, parked it behind an abandoned house, and I was sleeping in it, and I got up the next day and I was driving. And I'm riding down the road and it starts, kuh, and I look at the gas tank and it's running out of gas. I'm like, oh man, do? And it ran out of gas right there on the highway and I was barely able to get it off the road. It was halfway in a driveway and then halfway sticking out in the highway. And I looked up and the driveway that I was in was a sheriff's, Because his car was sitting right there. Wow. And I was like, no, what are the chances that I would, what is this? And so I jumped out the car and I took off and then I came back and I got all the stuff out of it. And I was like trying to wipe it down, get my fingerprints off of everything. And I ran up to the store. And I was standing up at the store trying to figure out my next move. How am I going to get from here, and this officer comes in, and when he comes in I start trying to act like I'm shopping for something. But I ain't got no money. So I'm acting like I'm shopping for something in a truck or station. And of course, I'm the only guy that's not from that area. So he's looking at me, and he walks over to me. And when he walks over to me, he grabs hold of my shirt. And when he grabbed hold of my shirt, he started going in my pocket, which I thought was strange. So I snatched away and I took off running. And he gave chase. We ran around the building and he went to tase me and put me in the car. And at that point, I was just screaming nah, nah. And they locked me up. And when I went to court the district attorney was standing there and he goes, Is he either hers, Scott? And I says, yes, sir. And he just started laughing and I was like yeah. And they gave me a probation and they sent me on down back to Houston County, the place I was running from. And when I got to Houston County held me for a little while and they let me out. I had got sober in jail, back in my senses. But it wasn't the end of it that you'd think that would have been. And I swore that time because my brother come to see me and I swore that time, Hey, things are gonna be different. Things are gonna change. I'm I'm ready. And I wasn't. I only stay clean for 16 months or 18 months. And I had got right back to the same places that I was before. I just wasn't strong enough to say no to nothing. It's I went searching for it, and I got it. And then the rest was history. Wow.

Phil: 8:17

That is crazy. Was there, did there happen to be a, there wasn't a dead person in the back of the hearse when you took it to the desert? That was

William: 8:22

the, that, no, that was the, what do they say the story that was told that, that didn't happen. That didn't happen. That would only be in the movie reenactment. Oh yeah. But. There was a lot of crazy things that were going on that were like I thought the tv was talking to me I thought the radios were talking to me, I thought I could perceive things and the drugs really were taking a toll on my mental and I just I'm, so glad that it's over with because It was so much on me. It was so much that I just, I could not keep going that way. I couldn't. I was going to wind up either in a straitjacket or I was going to wind up in a graveyard. I was sleeping in graveyards. And it's ain't nobody coming out here, so this is a good place to, to post up. But you just don't realize that what you're doing. is harming everybody else too. And I, cause I didn't think nothing about that. I thought, hey, but there were a lot of people that really cared about me that were wondering what was going on with me and why it was going on with me and they didn't know how to help me because, this addiction thing, there's a lot of stigma attached to it. How can a person like me turn around and become normal? And That's really my story is that I'm just living a regular life. I'm a regular guy, yeah I got a newborn daughter Wow How old is she? So today she's 22 days old what?

Phil: 10:03

Congratulations, that's amazing.

William: 10:05

Thank you very much. Every time I hold her I realized it You know, this has been all a journey. So you

Phil: 10:14

and the, what's your baby's name? Deja. Deja. Okay, so you and her mom and her, you guys are doing well?

William: 10:23

Yes, everybody's doing well. It's a big difference for me because now it's more than just me, other people depending on me. And I now I see the importance of, doing what I'm doing is, I could be more than just happy. I could be a benefit to others. I could be a benefit to where I'm living, my community. I can give back where I was taken. And that's all I'm trying to do. I'm trying to show other people that, If you don't believe in yourself, that's okay. Find somebody who does believe in you and be around that person and then listen to what they're saying. Get confidence. Understand you can do this. It's not easy. There's gonna be a struggle, but anything that you struggle for is worth it. It's worth doing these things. It's worth Putting in that effort because the payoff is more than you realize That's awesome. And sometimes people they just quit believing in themselves. They quit believing In good stuff in general. There's so much going on in everyone's life. I think the saying is The struggle is real Yeah, and so it's people are having hard times even people that are not in addiction And it's more than just the drug use. It changed my personality. It changed me. And that's the key. When I changed, everything else changed. And that's, it's so important because we need to try and help one another. No matter what the situation is. The first thing I was thinking was, people are quick to say things about one another. today, point out what they're doing wrong and what's wrong that they've done instead of wondering, Hey, why is this person doing this? Or what can we do to help this person? What can we do to show kindness and love? Because that's what was showed to me through the program, kindness and love. And it changed a lot. It's hard to keep up a barrier against somebody who's only being good to you. And so there's a lot of great people here in this town. There's a lot of great people in these recovery programs. There's a lot of good people doing good things for one another. And that's all I want to do now is try and help other people and be like that. They're like superheroes.

Phil: 12:55

Wow. That's awesome. And it's so encouraging to hear of the impact that the kindness and love showed to you through the people that work at Safe House Ministries. Just how much of a difference that made, and the way that you changed in your heart and your thinking, and now your whole life.

William: 13:14

Interestingly enough, you say the safe house and the tomorrow's hope, but it was more than that, man. And it was for a lot longer than that, and I didn't realize it then. Over

Phil: 13:23

the years, just people showing you love and kindness over the years?

William: 13:27

Man, even when I was in my addiction. People were trying to show me love. That's all that's what was going on. Everyone was just trying to be caring and loving. And I didn't understand what was going on. I didn't see it then. I didn't understand it. I was still in the fog. But, for a long time, people have been this way for me. And everybody, like I said, everybody just wanted me to get better. Wow. And now that I see it and I realize how much good is out there, I just want to be a part of it. I want to do the same things. I want to be like that. I want to show care and concern. I want to be someone who is right there and able to help someone. Before, I was never able. Before, I was always needy and Now I don't need as much. I still have needs, but not as much. And it feels good. And I just, I don't know how to really, I don't know really how to express it. It's so much gratitude and thankfulness that people cared about me and that people just, they didn't look at my bad. They were looking at my good and that they were trying to do all they can. And now here I am sitting in a good place, I feel like a lot of people have prayed for me

Phil: 14:50

Wow, god loves you. You got it. God loved you from the time you were born even before you were born And that's amazing. What would you say are you've already shared some of the key lessons, but What other key lessons would you say stand out from your journey that you'd like to share? Never

William: 15:08

give up hope never think that it's never really too late. And I would say that no one can do it on their own that was my key lesson, because I thought I was going to get this over, man. I thought I was going to get it right. And I couldn't, I could never have done this on my own. I could have never have done this without the help of God and others. It was not going to happen. And, there's a lot of people that have a hard time grasping those concepts. And, believing in something more. Or, something better. But it's real, man. It's so real. Wow. And it's so much that, if you just give it a chance, that was another thing. Just give it a chance. You might have failed several times, but give it a chance. And I encourage anyone that's struggling with stuff like this is to reach out for the help, they got it. So many people that are advocating for this type of thing. And, if you have a loved one that is struggling, don't give up on them. Don't give up hope. Don't do that. Of course, you don't want to enable them like I was. You don't want it to keep going. But believe that there are others that have faced this and come out on the right side that have received Everything that they needed and made it through their journey and still journaling journey is still a journey.

None: 16:37

Yeah,

William: 16:38

and so But it takes a lot of work man. It takes a lot of maintenance on it takes a lot of keep up and just keep keeping motivated and doing with others. The more I do for someone else, the less I think about myself and the less I think about myself, then the less I'm worried about my problems and my problems eventually change my situations. I've never stayed in something for forever. And another thing is to be grateful, to be thankful. Stop thinking about What's not right and start thinking about the good things start thinking about what is right and what is going good and give yourself credit because I had a situation where I Had come out here. I got sober. I did good. I completed the program and I talked to my brother and he says Oh man, you didn't do nothing but get sober When I was like, you know what you're right, but You I'm standing on that. And Later, he told me how proud he was of me but things don't change Fast enough for certain people, he just wanted what was best for me He wanted me to be the best version of myself He knows what I know and he knows that I could be doing so much And so he's always tried to nudge me But it was a moment for me because I was like man, I don't I think he understood how difficult it was for me to fight this battle. But, I think he had time to reflect. And right now, today, we have a wonderful relationship, I just, if it wasn't, if it wasn't for him, I would probably not be here and so I recognized that someone had to call the cops on me Because I was not gonna call the cops on myself. Yeah, and I recognized that someone had to Help me. I mean he's pretty much been if anyone's helped me in my life He's probably helped me the most And so it got to a point where he was starting to get tired of me And that's why it was so Dramatic. It was like Man, you burn into one bridge that you need to have most definitely. Wow. And that's just crazy.

Phil: 18:57

Wow. So now you guys are in a good place, good relationship, strong relationship. Yeah, it was

William: 19:01

like I went over there and I visit them and normally I'm waiting to leave so that I can go do my own thing, which was get high and It was like the elephant in the room. It's we got you here We don't want to let you go because we know what you're going to do when you go

None: 19:17

So we're

William: 19:17

trying to keep you here as long as we can And i'm trying to get out of here as soon as I can so that I can go do what I want to do and That's how it was when we would visit And this last time I was able to go and hang out with him and enjoy it and that whole feeling that whole It wasn't there because He's not going off to do anything that he shouldn't do and he's actually here enjoying being a part of the family And so it was good for all of us. It was the moment we had all been waiting for and I just I wish that I would have got on this journey sooner. That's the only thing I can think of is that why didn't I do all this sooner? And then I had to realize just be grateful that it happened. Yeah. You're here now. Be grateful that it happened.

Phil: 20:07

Yeah. So are you Are you still pursuing a closer relationship with the Lord? And what does that look like? Are you going to church anywhere?

William: 20:14

Oh yeah. Yeah. That's been, that's a big part of this story is the spiritual struggle. So my family they grew up Jehovah's witnesses and, uh, quit going to the kingdom hall about the time that my mother died. But, and I danced around, man. I went to all these different places. When I was in prison, I went to just about every worship service they had. Catholic Methodist went to some Tal, Talim and Jumar services. And, I was just doing anything. And then this guy come up to me, he's you want to study the Bible? And I was like, yeah, I'll study the Bible. And just so happens that he was a guy that was baptized in prison became a Jehovah's witness. And so he had this little book and we were going through the book and I was like learning all this stuff. It's like crazy because I knew who God was but I didn't know who Jesus was, right? And it's that's, does that make sense? Oh yeah. And jesus is the central part of the story. Right, right. And so he was teaching me stuff and my dad come to visit me. And he says, I got a question, why didn't you ever tell me about any of this stuff? And he just looked like he was thrown off, and I was like, I've been studying the Bible with this guy, and he's been telling me a lot of stuff, man. I just wondered why he never told me. You're my dad, and he says, That changed our relationship. My dad started getting his life together and doing right. And he studied with my brother and my brother got baptized. And then, I got out, I was doing pretty good for a while, but I kept falling back, and I was going to this kingdom hall trying, but I never could get what I needed. And so then I realized that, um. What I really needed was more help. I needed to understand. So I look at it as when I go to, when I go to worship, when I go to my kingdom hall, what I'm getting is I'm getting doctrines, I'm getting stuff, I'm getting the knowledge. But when I go to these other meetings and I go to these, this class, what I'm learning is how to apply certain principles. The people at my place of worship are more than loving and caring. They'll do anything they can. But, I they're not professional with rehabilitation. They didn't, yeah. It took, I needed everything I could get, and I still need it. I needed everything. to realize that there's not this huge difference between people who want to do right and want to worship a God that they love and they care about and that cares about them. But we as people tend to think we're so different or because you believe one thing and I believe something different or we have a clash, but we're still are we not? trying to get to the same place? Are we still not trying? And so trying to figure out how to get over these barriers and really love one another and deal with one another like God would have us is his struggle for everyone. And because we're not all that different, I love God, I love Jesus, so what's the deal? And it's a lot going on And I think that, when people, like I had a pastor at the jail. He seen my Bible. And he went on to tell me, he says I said, I noticed your Bible. And I just wanted to tell you a little something. I don't want you to be offended. I said, I tell you what, I think I know where you're going. And I just want you to know I'm not offended. You can say what you want. I want you to know I'm not here to lock horns with you about anything. I'm here to support what you're doing. You're coming here out of the kindness of your heart to try and preach to people and trying to help people And I support that I love that. I think that's what we ought to be doing and Whether people realize it or not you are my brother You know if you're doing this and you're living this and this is what you're doing. You are my brother And that means i'm your brother You And so I think that changed our relationship. I still got that guy's number and every now and then I try to drop in and talk to people that have been on my path to let them know how I'm doing to say, Hey, I know that, we're just out here trying to live right lives and do the right things and go home and be good, not only to others, but to our families and to ourselves. And it's an amazing journey, man. I still go to the Kingdom Hall. I'm not baptized, but, I'm trying to get where I want to be. And I'm trying to make every, make everything good. Wherever I go, I'm trying to make it better. Just by trying to bring the right attitude and mindset there. There's a lot of stuff going on when I go to work. There's a lot of stuff going on. home life, just trying to mend and not trying to destroy anymore, trying to do the right things, conquer the evil with the good. And I've been thankful that there's a lot of people that understand that concept. And there's a lot of people in my circle that are doing that.

None: 25:32

Awesome.

Phil: 25:33

Awesome. I've enjoyed our time together. It's been good. You have an amazing story and you shared a lot of good lessons. Really good lessons. Do you mind if I pray and just close us out?

William: 25:46

No, please do that. Please. Please do.

Phil: 25:49

Father, thank you for your goodness. Thank you for my friend, William. Thank you for the, just the miracle and the wonder and the blessing that you've brought into his life for bringing him out of the darkness and bringing him into sobriety and cleanness and victory. And thank you for giving him a good place to live and a job and a family, Lord, a young little baby. I just pray that you would guide his path, Lord. As he seeks to know you and to know truth, I pray that you would bring others into his life to continue to help him in that journey. Guide him in truth, guide him in wisdom, guide him in light, and just be with him and his whole family. I pray in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

Phil Shuler: 26:37

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: 27:15

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