Resurrection Reboot - JamieLea's Story, Victory through Surrender.

Jamielea's story is one of our all time most downloaded podcast episodes.  Her story is an amazing testimony to the resurrection power of Jesus to transform lives and bring life out of death.  If you haven't already given us a 5 star review and shared some comments about what you love about our podcast, please do that and thanks!

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Speaker 4 0:00

Welcome to our podcast for this week. About a week ago, we celebrated Easter Sunday, which is a wonderful celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. So today we are gonna do a resurrection episode. This is one of our episodes that has been downloaded. More than almost any other episode. It's an amazing story of Jamie Lee. It was posted, uh, a few, several years ago, one of our very first episodes, and, resurrection is the spirit of what Safe House Ministries is all about as well. The resurrection of life back from. People's lives who are filled with death and addiction and destruction, the death of marriages, the death of relationships with children, the death of so many things, their friends through overdoses, so many things. Death is just all around. And what Safe House Ministries does is resurrect people's lives. So enjoy this episode. And let us know what you think. Please, look us up on social media. Shoot us an email, give us a call, and, post some comments about, what you thought about this episode. On the podcast platform you listen to as well, give us a review. We would appreciate it. That would help us to spread the word even farther. So thank you again. God bless you guys because this is such an old episode. There will also be some things that have changed such as our address. We are not on Hamilton Road anymore, but we are on Manor Road now, but you'll find all the correct information on our website. So God bless you. Enjoy this episode and have a wonderful week.

Phil Shuler 1:38

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 impacted by homelessness, addiction, and incarceration. I am your host, Phil Shuler, the director of development for safe house ministries here in Columbus, Georgia. Safehouse serves over 1000 people each month, as they transitioned back into our community safe house provides 213 beds for homeless individuals and families and provides many other important services such as case management for obtaining employment. Case management for finding a permanent home. Over 300 hot meals every day. Free clothing and so much more. One of the most incredible services that safe house ministries provides is our free nine to 12 month intensive outpatient substance abuse program. Which is state licensed and has no waitlist setting it apart from nearly all other state licensed recovery programs, which are often very expensive. And nearly always have a wait list of two weeks or longer. Almost 100% of those. Individual staying in our shelters who follow our three phase program and up fully employed. And 68% 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.

06-21-23 SAFEHOUSE-CH2 3:09

So Jamie Lee, good morning and it's good to have you today. Good morning. Thanks for having me, Phil. So, I'm excited to hear more about your story. I have heard that it is an amazing story. But I don't know that much about it. Okay. I'm excited for our listeners to be able to learn a little bit more about you and about what the Lord has done in your life and how the Lord has used Safe House Ministries in your life as well. Okay. So, Jamie Lee, would you start with maybe sharing. where you came from and, Where things started to go south and how it all started in your life. Okay, so, I'm originally from Southern California. I moved out here to Georgia when I married, my husband who was in the military, you know, we had, I had some. issues with alcohol, and using that to cope, when I was in my twenties. but my life really didn't get unmanageable at that point. once I got married, we had two beautiful kids. the stress of marriage and life and military life. really took a toll on me personally. I definitely started to, abuse alcohol and prescription drugs. when my marriage started to fail. we went to counseling and I never really was able to admit that I had a problem. that was just how I dealt with it. It wasn't until I lost everything when we got divorced, I left and, I left under the assumption I'm just gonna go stay with a friend until I get on my feet. And, I, I didn't have any good coping skills. I, I didn't know how to cope with the loss of my marriage and moving out, we were married for 14 years, that was a really hard time in my life and that's when, I was introduced to meth and, the streets. And, and I just lost myself at that point. I lost who I was. I didn't have any hope. So where were your, so when you got divorced, what happened to your kids? Where were they in the process? So my kids, my kids stayed with my husband, with my ex-husband, because I knew that. The things that I was doing were wrong. And I knew that taking my kids from their stable home, even though it was without me, was not appropriate. And, and that wasn't what, you know, they needed. So I left in order to, get myself better, get, get on my feet by myself. My intentions were good, but, my coping skills were not. So you had a heart and a desire To turn things around and get yourself to a better place. But with the pain and the, the struggles you, you faced difficulties and it ended up kind of going the opposite direction. That's right. And, and I didn't know, I, I didn't know how to do things by myself, you know? being married for 14 years, I was, it was my job to support the family and, You know, at that point in my life, I needed support myself. And being from California, all my family was there. So when I left my ex-husband, I, I didn't have any support. I didn't know any, I wasn't around any people doing good things. I, I, I was around people that weren't doing good things and, making some choices myself to not do some good things. So, Tell us a little bit about the, the emotional state, the mental state, where you were at at that time. Okay. I, I knew that what I was doing was wrong. I'll talk about my divorce hearing. I didn't know how to show up clean. I, I showed up, I showed up high because I didn't know how to deal with the emotions, that I was going through. I didn't know how to deal with the loss of everything that I knew life to be, even though it was, it was great in the beginning, up until, year 5, 6, 7, things were manageable. But it, it, it, they became quickly unmanageable and, and my choices didn't help. I went through depression. I stayed at the Bradley Center here in Columbus a couple of times for suicide attempts. there was a, a part, there was a part where I knew that if I didn't leave the home, Because it was over, and we were, we were definitely getting divorced. I knew that if I didn't leave, I, I wouldn't be alive much longer. So the, the latter half of your marriage and the divorce, all of that took place in Columbus? Yes. Yep. Okay. Fort Benning is where we lived. Mm-hmm. Okay. So what happened from there? So you were out, your kids were with your hus, your ex-husband now. Mm-hmm. And, you got introduced to meth. where did things go from there? insanity, you know, doing the same thing every day, expecting a different result. I remember a, I was out there in the streets with literally nowhere to go, every day waking up, not knowing where I'm gonna sleep the next night or how I'm going to eat. I knew that the road that I was going down was not what I needed to be doing, but I didn't know how to stop, you know? I remember feeling towards the end there. I remember feeling hopeless, I, I remember asking God to help me. I feel like every time I did that, I ended up going to jail. So you were living on the streets. Were you bouncing around trying to find friends? You could maybe just stay a night or two in a friend's house or just Yep. From house to house and, you know, living that lifestyle, your things get stolen. I mean, all of my IDs, my wallet was gone. the first time I went to jail was really, It, it was an eye-opener, but it definitely, I, I didn't change cuz I didn't know how to do things differently. You know, living, living that lifestyle of trying to get from A to B, but taking every which way around it, you know? it, it was chaos every day. Was it? What landed you in jail? possession charges. Yeah, the drugs and it was, it was always the drugs. So that sounds like the low point. Yep. what began to change in your life or what happened that maybe brought you to a turning point? So the last time that I ended up in Muscogee County Jail, I met Neil Richardson and he was the chaplain there. I. Remember talking to my public defender and, and telling her I didn't wanna go to prison. I don't belong in prison. I'm a good person. I, I just don't know how to stop living the way that I was living. and she said, well, let's see if we can't get you into a treatment program. so I got sentenced to tomorrow's hope. And I remember vividly like it was yesterday, being transported by Neil Richardson to the Trinity House. And, I did not stay for the first go round. it took, you know, I, I got to the Trinity House and I was supposed to be going to treatment, in about a week. And I, I remember calling my ex-husband to, I wanted to talk to the kids, you know, Hey, I'm, I'm clean and I'm out, and I just got into this program and I'm gonna be doing something good with my life. And it, it was that phone call where he told me that I wasn't worth anything. I wasn't gonna, it didn't matter what I did, you know, the kids weren't gonna love me. And, That sent me back out. That sent me back out, and I ran from the program and from probation for a year. And I remember the next day waking up and not being at the program and, and just feeling like, here we go again. Where am I gonna stay? What am I gonna do? How am I going to eat? I knew that my focus was not on. Getting high anymore. It was, I, I need to know how to live, you know? And so I was, I was already done at that point. using at that point was just a means to get by through the next day to hide the emotions, and the hopelessness that I was dealing with, it's another year. You were of hiding from the law. Mm-hmm. Just. Struggling through in the same kind of position that you had been before? Yeah. you had, I guess, given up and not accepted the offer to stay at the women's shelter, which was Trinity House at the time and, and the Tomorrow Hope Program. So after that year, what happened? So I ended up with a warrant. I was in the, in a vehicle with somebody that got pulled over and they ran my name and, and they said, well, you're going back. So I went back to jail and, I was afforded a second opportunity to do tomorrow's hope. And, I just remember crying, like, thank God, because, I knew, I knew I needed the help and I hadn't really heard much about the program. I didn't really give it a chance, but I knew, what I did know was I didn't wanna live the way that I, I had been living for that last year. I didn't wanna run anymore. and it didn't matter what it took. I, I was gonna take suggestions and do what I needed to do to get better for me. Yeah. So, so this time you took it more seriously and you were ready To do the hard work. To make the change. Yeah. So tell us about that. Tell us that process. so surrender, I had to surrender every part of my life. not picking up was the easiest part for me. going to tomorrow's hope, I was introduced to the 12 steps. And I still use those steps today. my, my clean date is May 21st, 2020. So this month I'll be three years clean. And, not picking up was the easy part for me. I, I had to learn and work hard and I, and I still work hard every day on how to, how to live clean, you know? abstaining and living clean are two different things. I fell into a church family that I absolutely love. I fell into a support system, a network of people that are living clean, that are working steps in their life. my higher power is what I rely on every day, Awesome. So the Lord had a purpose for your life, and he was there all along. He led you, he guided you. tell us about when you came to know God in a personal way. Well, I grew up with my dad always telling me about, Jesus and how much he loves me. Well, I didn't grow up in church, but I did grow up. I went to a, a private Christian school. elementary through sixth grade. So I feel like I got a pretty good foundation. but I never really understood, or I guess really accepted the fact that, that God was real until going through everything that I've been through and being able to look back and see like, I wouldn't have made it through all of these things if it wasn't for God being there, he never turned his back on me. I, I definitely turned away from him a number of times. but he never turned his back on me. He, and he always welcomed me with open arms. and I, I talk to him every day, every day I work on my relationship with him cuz he's important and, You mentioned purpose. So I, I never in my life have understood what people meant when they said that they had a calling on their life, until after graduating the program. Tomorrow's Hope, after 12 months and, getting a job and working and saving money and moving out of the women's shelter, and being on my own Safe House Ministries called me and asked me, If I wanted a job, if I wanted to work in the women's shelter, and I was reluctant to say yes, it took me two months to say yes to that. I prayed and prayed and prayed. I was working at Wade Cleaners at that time, and I just remember at their great company. they're great people. but I remember going to work every day saying, this is, this can't be it. I'm living clean now. My thinking has changed. I, I want to grow in every way. so I accepted the job at Safe House and I started as a house manager at the women's shelter that I had just left. And, I did that for a few months and then, I moved into case management and. After a couple months of that, the director position came open and they offered me the position. God has used my past and my mistakes, to put me somewhere where I have purpose every day. I get to be a part of other people getting into recovery. I work with public defenders, I work with probation, a lot of different agencies locally. getting people off the street and affording them the same opportunity that was given to me twice. And it's, it's, it's really, it's wonderful. every part of my story isn't perfect and amazing. my children still don't speak to me even though I'm three years clean. I, I call 'em every other day and, and listen to silence on the phone, and that's really difficult for me. being a mother, that's your purpose from that moment on forever. That's your purpose in life, to be a mother and, I feel like God, bringing me to Safe House Ministries has given me the purpose that I was lacking because of my choices. So how old are your kids now? So my kids are 16 and 14. it is amazing and it, seems that, God has done such a work in your life that you now have the strength in him to even endure continued pain, with what you described with your kids, but, but yet you have that strength of faith, that strength of purpose, that relationship with the Lord, that even through the pain, you can keep walking the right path. Keep staying clean, keep doing. What the Lord wants you to do and helping others. that, that is really neat. it really seems like your life went from a place of knowing about God and then finding yourself in some very heavy darkness. but at some point it seems like you went from knowing about God to actually having a personal relationship. With him. Tell us about that. the hopelessness that I felt while living that way, I, I always felt like I was by myself. I always felt like I was alone. Nobody understood. it wasn't until getting into the rooms of AA and na, And working some steps that I realized I wasn't alone here on this earth. Other people are going through and have been through the same things that I'm going through and have been through, and, and they're doing amazing things in their lives. And so something is working there. Through the 12 steps, I found that relationship with God. in aa we say, you know, a higher, my higher power of, of my own understanding. And for me, that's, that's Jesus, you know? he has walked with me through everything and, I used to pray early in recovery. I used to pray that, you know, God, just gimme my kids back, you know, gimme my kids back. I want, I wanna be a mother again. through having a relationship with God and, and really trusting him with everything, it's made it a lot easier for me to. Have faith that he has a purpose for my life. And even if it's not to be a mother in this season, it, it's something else, something bigger. And he's working all of these things for his good and for mine and for other people's. my, my prayer these days is much different. I pray that God will prepare me. For when my children are ready to come back into my life, and I just keep going every day. Wow. That's, that's pretty amazing. So tell us a little more about your present role, your title within Safe House Ministries. you are one of the, the leaders in that organization. so tell us a little more about. What that looks like for you. I know you mentioned a little bit about it. Mm-hmm. But expand on that Okay. So I am the Director of Connection Services for Safe House Ministries. I supervise, all three of our shelters, the women's shelter, Grace House, the men's shelter, freedom House, and the family Shelter, Trinity House. I supervise house management, facility supervisors, and case management. I also supervise the, connections department at our day center. And the rapid rehousing case management team. I also handle the grant coordinations for our ESG funding, and that's, something that, walking into work every day, is a blessing. I get to help, like I mentioned earlier, I get to help folks get into treatment. I handle all of those coordinations as well, working with public defenders, pos, it's really, it's awesome. It's awesome to be on this side of things. I have probation officers calling my phone every day for very different reasons than before. I don't work as closely with, specific client. as I did when I was a case manager, but I do have the opportunity to, to speak to some clients sometimes when they're having a hard time. And I did that yesterday with one in particular. And it was, he was ready to leave. He was ready to leave cuz he was having a hard time with somebody else. And, I, I made time in my day to. Sit with him and, talk to him about his options, cuz I've been that person that has left and, and it didn't get me anywhere good, And, to come back into work today and to see him there was pretty awesome. Wow. So that is neat. That's really awesome. Tell us a little bit about tomorrow's hope, which is the Substance Abuse Treatment Program. I know it's an intensive outpatient program, and as you mentioned, we do have the capability with Safe House Ministries where we can offer the shelters, for individuals who would otherwise be homeless as they go through the program. Mm-hmm. But tell us about tomorrow's hope, what it meant to you, and what that process looked like and how it helps others today. Okay. so tomorrow's hope is a nine to 12 month, state licensed, CARF accredited, intensive outpatient treatment program. tomorrow's hope is gonna introduce, well, I can tell you what it did for me. Tomorrow's hope introduced me to, the 12 steps, the groups and the counselors in tomorrow's hope. Were that initial support system that I was lacking. I was able to go into group every day and talk about, the root of some of these issues and figure out that, drugs and alcohol were just a symptom of a disease, of alcoholism that I had. it helped me become really self-aware. definitely gave me the tools to work on myself every day. and the support that, that was the biggest thing for me was with not being from here and all my family in California. I didn't know where to turn and tomorrow's hope was that initial support system for me. It kind of guided me in the steps. How to work on my life and, and how to, how to get connected, how to stay connected with like-minded people. sponsorship. tomorrow's hope introduced me to a whole new way of life. So during your time with tomorrow's hope, were there times when you came close to dropping out again and running away again? And if so, what? Kept you there. what was it that helped you to not take those, temptations to fall back? Hmm. I could speak on the first time that I actually did leave. you know, once I came back that, that second time I was ready. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I knew that the way that I was doing things was not getting me anywhere in life. It was only worse and worse. the biggest thing that I had to learn was to take suggestions. You know, I had to move my pride out of the way. My ego, I had to. I had to realize and wake up every morning, look in the mirror and Jamie Lee, you don't know anything about living clean. So, let's get up and let's humble myself and, and take some suggestions from the program. take some suggestions from a sponsor. one thing that helped me was realizing that I wasn't by myself. I wasn't alone. the counselors in tomorrow's hope, a lot of 'em have been through it, and, and are addicts and alcoholics themselves. just have to be open-minded and willing, and the program will show you the way to go. Wow. So you mentioned the word surrender. Mm-hmm. And I hear you talking about letting go of pride and embracing humility and just. Receiving. Receiving words of suggestion, receiving. Receiving the things that people said that you needed to do to make those positive changes. Someone else mentioned in a previous podcast that he felt like it was like sandpaper. It was just a painful process of, of shaving away all the things that needed, he needed to get rid of. And would you feel like that's maybe an accurate description or it it definitely can be. working with my sponsor even now to this day, life is always gonna show up. it, it's how we deal with it that matters. I don't run from my feelings or my emotions. today, I take an honest look at them. I take an honest look at my character defects. and just the same, I take an honest look at my assets, I have self-worth today, and that's, that's a big deal for me. people in the program of tomorrow's hope and people in AA and na in the rooms loved me until I loved, until I could love myself. That, that's amazing. Jimmy Lee, thank you for sharing your story, your testimony, sharing what God has done in your life, sharing your journey in Safe House Ministries and tomorrow's hope and. What an amazing, place you are in now where the Lord has just given you the opportunity to be a help to so many other people, to give hope, to give those second chances. Yeah. that is incredible. So thank you for being here. Thank you for sharing and God bless you. Thank you for having me. And your path ahead. Yeah. So, Jamie Lee, one last question. What parting words of advice would you like to give to others maybe who are struggling and, who need some changes in their lives? Hmm. I would definitely say you are not alone. You are not alone. find the rooms of na. Find the rooms of aa. find a church home. Reach out for help. There. There is hope. Awesome. There is. Thank you. You're welcome. you mind if we close that in prayer. Absolutely. Father, thank you for Jamie Lee. Thank you for what you've done in her life. Thank you for leading her. To Neil when she was in jail. Thank you for leading her to go from a place of knowing about you, to actually knowing you personally, to being able to receive Jesus as her savior, and to build that personal relationship with you. Bless her path. Guide her path, Lord. If it be your will, then I pray you might open the door for her to be able to have a relationship with her children and just to invest in them and love them, and to serve them and, and be a mother that she wants to be. Lord, thank you that you are using her to help so many people's lives. Father, she's able to help others who are mothers, others who are fathers, others who, who need help. Bless her in that path. Just continue to grow her as a person and her influence and her leadership. Protect her from any traps that life may bring her way and just bless the future for her life. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. 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 just 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.

Speaker 26:44

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.