Shelley's life got off track as a young teenager when she began seeking the approval of others and hanging out with the wrong crowd. By the age of 17 she was pregnant and addicted to methamphetamine. Somehow, by the age of 18 she had gotten hired as a corrections officer in the county jail, where she was more comfortable with the inmates than she was with the other guards. Things get crazier from there.
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Shelley (00:00):
And I'm just a nobody trying to tell everybody all
about somebody who saved me,
Phil (00:05):
you know?
Amen.
That is so true.
Yes, sir.
Awesome.
Phil Shuler (00:09):
HellO, and welcome to Renew, Restore, Rejoice, the
Safe House Ministries podcast,where we share stories of the
power of God to change livesthrough Safe House Ministries.
Safe House Ministries is basedout of Columbus, Georgia, and we
are a ministry that exists tolove and serve people who have
been affected by addiction,homelessness, and incarceration.
I'm your host, Phil Shuler, theDirector of Development for Safe
(00:31):
House Ministries here inColumbus, Georgia.
Safe House serves over 1, 100people each month as they
transition back into ourcommunity.
Safe House provides an abundanceof services including 213 beds
for homeless individuals andfamilies, case management for
obtaining job skills and longterm employment.
Over 300 hot meals every day,free clothing, and so much more.
(00:52):
One of the most incredibleservices that Safe House
provides is our free 9 12 monthintensive outpatient substance
abuse program, which is statelicensed, CARF accredited, and
has no wait list.
Almost 100 percent ofindividuals staying in our
shelters who follow our threephase program become fully
employed within a few months.
And 68 percent of individualswho stay at least one night with
(01:13):
us End up finding work andmoving into their own home.
Thank you for being with ustoday and listening to our
podcast.
We hope you enjoy this week'sepisode.
Phil (01:21):
Hello and welcome to this week's podcast for the Safe
House Ministries podcast, renew,restore, and Rejoice.
I've got Shelly Cole Pepper heretoday, and I'm excited to hear
Shelly's story.
Shelley (01:34):
Thank you.
Phil (01:35):
And, uh, she's been texting me.
She has been excited to, toshare her story.
And just the amazing things thatGod has done.
Shelley (01:43):
Yes.
Phil (01:44):
And so, Shelly, it's so good to have you.
Shelley (01:45):
Thank you so much.
I've been waiting on this momentfor a long time.
Phil (01:50):
Awesome.
Yes, sir.
I love when God does the miracleof transforming a life.
Yes, sir.
It's amazing.
Yes, sir.
Praise the Lord.
Shelly, getting started, youknow, the question I'm probably
about to ask, if there was oneword that would best describe
you, what would that word be?
Shelley (02:10):
Willing is the one that I had several words, but the one
that stood out to me in myjourney is willing,
Phil (02:18):
willing.
That sounds like there's a lotof meaning behind that.
What do you mean?
Explain that a little bit.
Shelley (02:23):
Well, um, for when I was, um, the verse that.
Motivated me to once I, I don'teven know where to start, so
please forgive me, but the versethat penetrate, that embrace,
that engraved in my heart isLuke 1433.
Anyone who is not willing tosurrender everything cannot be
(02:43):
my disciple.
And that is the my go-to versewhen I wake up in the mornings,
you know, Lord, how may I serveyou today?
What he endured and what he wentfor, went through and sacrificed
for me.
I'm Lord, allow me to be yourwilling, vessel willing.
(03:03):
That is good.
Phil (03:05):
That is a word that needs to get into the hearts of a lot
of, a lot of people.
Yes, sir.
A lot of people who claim to beChristians, but they're
unwilling right to.
Really do what God wants them todo.
Shelley (03:16):
And, you know, uh, it's a very humbling experience.
You know, um, you can be,teachable was my other word.
Phil (03:24):
Hey, that's a good word too.
But
Shelley (03:25):
you can be, um, uh, willing is, is definitely yeah.
The word for me.
Phil (03:31):
Yeah.
That's, you have to start fromthere.
Yes.
You absolutely have to startfrom there.
Shelley (03:35):
Yes.
And as he wakes me up every day,and I don't know what the day,
uh, has in store for me, butthank you Lord, for just
ordering my steps, you know?
And here I am, just a willingservant, you know?
Awesome.
And, um, Lord, just, um, let itbe all of you and absolutely
none of me, and, man, hisgoodness, you know, he, I don't
(03:57):
deserve it, but he says I do.
So that's what I'm gonna walk inevery day, and that's what I
want to just, um, encourageeverybody.
I'm sorry, I'm trying to, to getemotional, but it's hard.
none (04:07):
It's all,
Shelley (04:07):
um.
And what he shows.
No partiality.
So what he did for me, he wantsto do for all his children.
Yeah.
And that's how he said, I setyou apart and I appointed you as
a prophet to take over manynations, just one soul at a
time.
You love them right wherethey're at, and you en encourage
'em and lift them up and um,
Phil (04:28):
yeah.
Shelley (04:29):
And uh, I can go on and on and on.
Yeah.
So you tell me when to shut up.
Phil (04:33):
So, I see you're wearing a Safe House Ministries hoodie
there.
Yes.
Which is That color's great too.
Yes.
Um, and I know you are, workingfor and with Safe House
Ministries just to really try tohelp others in so many ways to,
to produce more of thosetransformed lives.
Yes.
I know you have a, a story that,uh, began a while back.
(04:55):
Yes.
And so I would love to justkinda start at the beginning.
Shelley (04:58):
Okay.
Phil (04:58):
And, uh, if you would share maybe.
Growing up where you grew upand, uh, what home life was like
in the early days for you?
Shelley (05:05):
Okay.
So, um, my mom and dad, my dadis retired Air Force.
Um, my mom and dad, they arestill, I have an older sister.
She's a four years older thanme.
And I was born in South Dakota,but we retired or we came back.
'cause my dad's family was herein this town.
My mom is from England.
(05:26):
Wow.
She still got her strong Britishaccent, which that is awesome.
Have you been to
Phil (05:32):
England?
Shelley (05:32):
Uh, I don't think so.
Uh, whenever they got married ata young age, he got her out of
there.
okay.
So, and she's been here eversince?
She's been here ever since.
All right.
So we got here in 1989.
Uh, my parents are still marriedafter 55 years.
That is awesome.
That's really unheard of.
You know, it is,
Phil (05:52):
uh, it is.
Heartbreaking.
Just tragedy that so manymarriages fail.
Yes.
And just, it's sad that peopletoday don't take it serious.
Yes.
I mean, it's it's supposed to bepermanent.
Yes.
It's supposed to be forever.
Yes.
Jesus.
Jesus said, what?
Therefore, God has joinedtogether.
Let no man put us under.
Yes.
(06:12):
Two become one.
And it's supposed to stay thatway.
Yes.
So, praise the Lord.
Yes.
What an amazing testimony.
Just in that.
Yes.
That's awesome.
Shelley (06:19):
And, it had an excellent home life.
Uh, we went to church.
My parents, they didn't, theydon't fight a lot.
Like my dad is the perfectexample of what a man looks
like.
Wow.
He is my hero.
Wow, that's so amazing.
And right now, he just, he's um,hopefully, uh, he's 76.
(06:46):
Um.
Um, right now, at this currentmoment he's fighting.
So this is my chance, you know,I can't go back on my past and
everything that I destroyed.
'cause my dad, it didn't matterwhat I did.
let me just back up.
So where I turned left.
Phil (07:07):
so you, you did well growing up and like you were
pretty good kid.
Um,
Shelley (07:11):
I hung around the popular crowd in school.
Yeah.
I played in sports and thingslike that.
I started experiment.
It was my senior year in highschool.
Wow.
Um, I got in with a differentcrowd and started experimenting.
Then I got pregnant.
Uh, I met, uh, my oldestdaughter's dad and, um,
Phil (07:29):
so that's where things started to go the wrong
direction.
That's where things
Shelley (07:31):
started shifting.
Phil (07:32):
So
Shelley (07:33):
let's take a,
Phil (07:34):
a minute and.
You shared that your parentshave a great marriage.
Yes.
They were good parents.
Shelley (07:41):
Yes.
Phil (07:42):
I assume that they were, they kept you in church.
They disciplined you when yougot outta line.
Yes.
And, uh, there's, I thinkthere's a lot of people that
would love to just maybe learnsome things if they could I'm a
father.
Yes.
And, uh, I've got seven kidsand, you know, sometimes you do
the best you can to raise yourkids.
(08:03):
Absolutely.
But when they grow up, they kindof begin to make their own
decisions.
Right.
And they really are their ownperson.
Right.
And you can't, they, you just,they just make their own
decisions.
Right.
So do you have any thoughtsaround maybe, I don't know,
what, what parents can do or howparents maybe can try to protect
against their kids going in thatdirection?
Shelley (08:24):
Well, um.
What comes to mind is Proverbs26 2, or is it 22 6?
I think it's 26 2.
Train'em up in the way that theyshould go.
And when they get old, they willnot depart from him all you.
And it's a, and it's asurrender, a daily surrender.
We have to surrender ourchildren back to him because
they belong to him first.
(08:45):
Yeah, they do.
You know, and, um, we, but hedid say that he would help
partnership with us in raisingthese childrens, you know, but
he's, it's a daily surrender.
Phil (08:55):
So you, so I think it's preface 22 6 that train up a
child in the way should go.
And when he is old, you will notdepart from it.
So, so they trained you upright,you took a wrong turn and went
in the wrong direction for manyyears, but you did eventually
come back to the right path.
Shelley (09:08):
Yes.
Praise the, praise the Lord.
And that's the word and thepower of our testimony.
You know, he gives us free will.
Yeah, but he's right there inthe midst, you know, like in the
last, like, like a rubber band.
He's right there in the midst.
And when we hit our lowest pointwe call on, there's nobody to
call on but him, and he's beenpatiently waiting.
(09:29):
He said, ask, knocking the doorwill be open, asking you shall
receive.
Yeah.
Um, and that's just the part ofthe testimony, you know?
Phil (09:36):
So back in high school you were hanging out with, the wrong
crowd, it sounds like.
Right.
Um, Jayton.
So pick it up from there andjust kind of share, you started
down that wrong path, what thatlooked like.
Shelley (09:50):
Okay.
So, um.
I was gonna, uh, by this time Ihad already started experi
experimenting with drugs.
And, um,
Phil (09:59):
so this was like, would you go to friends' houses?
Like would your parents, yourparents kind of gave you freedom
and you would just kind of goand was it at friends' houses?
Was it at the school itself?
No.
Was it was
Shelley (10:08):
at friends' houses and I started skipping school and
then, um, just hanging out and,um, just living on the wild side
and like my parents were very wewere very sheltered,
Phil (10:19):
yeah.
Did your parents know at thetime, like, um, or were you
pretty good at hiding?
That's pretty
Shelley (10:23):
good.
Yeah, pretty good.
At least I thought I was.
but my parents you know, when Iwas delivered, that was one of
the first things that I wasdelivered from, and that was
noticed by other people as Iquit lying.
That was the first.
Phil (10:38):
So when, back when you were a teenager and starting
into the world of darkness, youwere, you lied, you were a good
liar.
Oh, yeah.
Shelley (10:44):
I've convinced myself, and that's how I became the
world's dumbest criminal.
Because I mean, if the sky isblue, wow, I, I just, and that's
just the way, um, to manipulate,you know what I mean?
And I got good, that's apowerful word.
Good.
I got good at it.
Phil (11:01):
So you, you said you li you began by lying to yourself.
Shelley (11:05):
Yes, absolutely.
And I,
Phil (11:06):
I really believe that is the trap the enemy uses to get
hold of so many people.
Shelley (11:13):
Yes.
Phil (11:13):
Because once you believe a lie yourself, you're, you are
stuck in that quicksand.
Yes.
And it, it really takes thepower of the Lord to get you
outta that.
And
Shelley (11:25):
we have to, we come against self, you know, the mind
and the tongue is very powerful.
And when you, you know, uh.
Following the Lord.
And, um, all you have to do isbelieve it, to receive it.
So when you believe the lies ofthe enemy and it's just engraved
in you and just drilled in youand then I was serving the devil
(11:48):
for until recently, until,
Phil (11:50):
yeah.
So as you got into the world ofdarkness, you were hiding it
from your parents, hanging withthe wrong people, starting to do
drugs.
What were the lies that you hadtaken and believed in your
heart?
Shelley (12:05):
When I first started experimenting with crystal
methamphetamines, I was, thiswas as a teenager.
Yes.
I lost 13 pounds in one week.
And I thought, this is the dietI've been looking for.
You know what I mean?
Because there was somethingwithin me that I, I didn't, I
wasn't.
So that was the first lie fromthe enemy.
Phil (12:24):
The lie maybe like you didn't think you were good
enough and you, you like Yeah.
Or
Shelley (12:28):
need to lose weight to fit in, you know, just, I mean,
as a kid, but to be
Phil (12:32):
accepted by others.
Right,
Shelley (12:34):
And, um, and that's a very powerful thing to get ahold
of you, you know what I mean?
Yeah.
And it took root on me.
And then that was just, um, andthen I just, I was introduced to
a whole new world, you know, andI had to quit school because I
was gonna fail anyway and theywere gonna make me repeat.
And I What year
Phil (12:53):
was that of school?
Shelley (12:53):
Um, 1990.
I was supposed to graduate in97.
Phil (12:58):
Was that your senior year or was that Yes, that was my
senior year.
That was your senior year?
Yeah.
Shelley (13:01):
So I quit school.
I found out I was pregnantanyway, so um, in February of
98, I went and got my GED.
Phil (13:08):
Now I assume that was also the result of just being over at
friends' houses and Yeah.
Just being out, I guess yourparents just giving you that
freedom and you
Shelley (13:16):
Yeah.
And then, um, they just ourchildren can do no wrong in our
eyes, you know, and sometimes,well, they enabled me because
they love me so much and they'renot gonna turn their back on me
and, you know, hurt people, hurtpeople, and we hurt the ones
that we love the most, you know?
Yeah.
And it's very shameful, because.
(13:39):
I watched my parents nowstruggling and they just love me
through it all.
They never gave up on me.
Just like my heavenly fathernever leaves us, nor for stakes
us.
It doesn't matter what we do.
Amen.
We are his prize possessions.
Yes.
Amen.
And thank you Lord for justpulling me out of that dark
place when I just didn't haveany hope.
(14:02):
I, I'm, I thought I would beanother statistic, but what he,
Phil (14:07):
so you, you were addicted to meth.
You were pregnant.
How did your parents respond?
Like what, what happened?
Well, I was
Shelley (14:13):
already pregnant, so there, um, you know, uh, at
first my dad didn't want me togo through with it, um, with the
pregnancy because he wanted meto have a better life, so I
moved in with my daughter's dadand his mom.
Phil (14:27):
So you, your dad wanted you.
to kill the baby, essentially.
Yeah.
And, but you wanted to have thebaby.
Shelley (14:33):
Yeah.
Phil (14:34):
What, which, that was a good thing like that you heart.
I didn't wanted to have you,like, it was a bad situation and
it was out of order.
But you, but life is precious.
Yes.
And you, it seems like you knewthat.
Um, and so you moved in with afriend, you
Shelley (14:49):
said, with her dad.
And and my parents have alwaystaken care of us and always had
a nest for us, you know what Imean?
And, um, we didn't want or needfor anything, you know?
Yeah.
Um, and, uh, you and
Phil (15:03):
your older
Shelley (15:04):
sister.
Okay.
And, um, so, I was in love.
I thought I was, you know what Imean?
And then in the same, breath.
I was stuck, and and justthinking, I'm supposed to be
with her dad.
We're supposed to, you know,because my parents are still
married.
This is what it's s even thoughwe didn't do things right, the
right way, you know,'cause myparents got married and then
(15:24):
they conceived and, you know.
So was
Phil (15:26):
the young boy serious about being a father at all?
Um, or was he, how did herespond to that?
Shelley (15:32):
He was present for a little while, but then he got
sent off to prison.
Well, I mean, he stayed in andoutta jail.
Wow.
Yeah.
This definitely, I went out ofcharacter when I just got
involved with the wrong crowd.
He, yeah.
Uh, because that wasn't who Iwas.
I mean, I had, I had morals.
Yeah.
And, um, so just continue
Phil (15:54):
down that, that time period What did that darkness
look like and what were theconsequences?
And did it, did you just kindaget deeper and deeper down into
the darkness?
Absolutely.
Shelley (16:05):
Okay.
So
Phil (16:06):
staying with your friend.
Shelley (16:07):
Yes.
Um, and as, okay, so I had mydaughter, Shelby.
Um, I was 17 and then I turned18.
He had been incarcerated inRussell County Jail for almost
10 months.
So I took her, when I had her, Itook her every week faithfully
for about a year to see him inRussell County Jail.
(16:29):
And when he got shipped off toprison, uh, Lieutenant Holland,
I guess she saw something in meor she gave me a chance.
So she hired me as a correctionsofficer at a young age.
So were
Phil (16:39):
you still addicted to meth at this time?
Shelley (16:41):
Um, well, when I got pregnant, I, I.
I let it go.
Phil (16:45):
So you stopped the meth, like you, you got clean, you got
off all the drugs?
Shelley (16:49):
Yes.
Phil (16:49):
Okay.
And then after you had Shelby,you stayed clean,
Shelley (16:53):
For a little while.
Phil (16:54):
Okay.
So you were clean before you gothired as a corrections officer?
Shelley (16:57):
Yes.
Okay.
How old were you at that time?
Um, 18 years old.
Wow.
Yeah.
18 years old and technicallyyou're not supposed to be, um,
you're supposed to be at least21 to work in a place like that,
but it was nothing butfavorable.
And this was at
Phil (17:09):
the Russell County Jail.
Okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I, I would think, I've neverworked in a jail, but I would
think that with the darknessthat is probably present.
Shelley (17:21):
Yeah.
You
Phil (17:21):
have to be at a pretty stable place in your life to, to
protect against that.
Shelley (17:25):
Yes.
Phil (17:26):
Wow.
Okay.
So, so, so you start as acorrections officer?
Yes.
At 18 years old.
Shelley (17:31):
Yes.
And I was there for almost threeyears.
Um, I lost my job'cause it wasthird shift
Phil (17:38):
as a corrections officer.
Yeah.
I
Shelley (17:39):
fell asleep in the female pod during third shift.
Oh.
And that's frowned upon, youknow, so they let me go.
Yeah.
I would, I would imagine.
Yep.
Okay, so let me just fastforward.
Uh, did that
Phil (17:50):
hit you hard?
Like, did that send you backinto maybe darkness like drugs
or anything?
Because, well, I was
Shelley (17:55):
still in the mix with that crowd, you know what I
mean?
So
Phil (17:58):
In the jail you were kind of connecting with the wrong
Yeah.
People and buildingrelationships.
Shelley (18:03):
Yes.
And and then I started believingthe lies of the enemy.
It gave me a it gave me a power.
To have that much authority,especially at a young age.
Yeah.
And then I'm dabbling in allthe,
Phil (18:20):
so you had started backing the drugs?
Shelley (18:22):
Yes.
Phil (18:23):
Meth or other things too?
Meth.
Shelley (18:25):
Yeah, meth.
Now, were you,
Phil (18:27):
were the people in the jail connecting you with others
outside the jail that were thewrong crowd as well?
Well, it, unfortunately
Shelley (18:34):
it's a very small town, so everybody knows everybody,
you know?
Yeah.
And I actually knew more of theinmates that were in the jail,
and, um, so I am connectedbetter with the inmates than I
did the people that I workedwith.
You know what I mean?
And I just masked.
Wow.
I masked so much, you know.
And, um,
Phil (18:53):
so, and you had mentioned you started believing in the
lies of the enemy again.
What were the lies this time?
Shelley (18:57):
Just how to mask it and just how to how to get over on
people, how to how to.
Because at this time I waspretty much I was hooked and I,
and I didn't know how to, uh,how to let go.
So the next step was to how to,um, just be good at what I did.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
And just mask it.
So, man.
(19:18):
Wow.
Yeah.
Phil (19:20):
where were you living at this time?
Shelley (19:22):
We had our own apartment.
Well, so when I gave birth toShelby, I was on my own.
He was locked up.
He didn't get out until she waslike maybe two or three.
Okay.
And we went back and forthtrying to make it work, and then
it was very abusive, veryabusive relationship.
(19:43):
Him and
none (19:43):
you.
Shelley (19:43):
Yeah.
Uh, nothing compared to how Igrew up.
That's not how it's supposed tobe.
Phil (19:49):
Yeah.
You saw what a marriage issupposed to look like.
Shelley (19:51):
Absolutely.
So, um, and I dealt with thatfor 17 years, on and off, back
and forth.
Wow.
And, um,
Phil (19:58):
were you guys ever married or you just No.
Okay.
Shelley (20:00):
No, he proposed one time, but, um, it, thank you
Lord, it, it, um, I've neverbeen married and so I, I
witnessed that fairy talestories, they do exist when
they're ordained by the Lord.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
So if that's in my plans, I, Ihave no, but I, for the first
time in my life, I'm content inmy singleness.
Jesus is more than enough.
(20:21):
I don't have any room for anydistractions other than trying
to get me on the on, on thestraight and narrow path, you
know?
And my kids just everything thatthe enemy stole from me, this is
my time to get it back.
That is, uh,
Phil (20:35):
that is a powerful word that you just spoke, that you,
that.
You alone with Jesus is enough,
Shelley (20:42):
is he's more than enough.
I think,
Phil (20:44):
and I have heard on the podcast others have shared that
one of the lies that theybelieve of the enemy is that
they need to be with someone.
Yeah.
And there's this need, thisdependency, this, that, and
they, they feel like they just,they have to be with someone
and, and inevitably they end upbeing with the wrong people.
(21:05):
Yes.
And it's just, it's disaster.
But when you work on yourselffirst and Jesus is enough.
Yes.
And then I.
Then he can make you who youneed to be so that you'll be
ready.
Yes.
If he wants you to, to havesomeone else to be with.
Shelley (21:20):
Well, the thing is, is, um, when, if and when he sends
you someone, you have to beequally yoked or you already
know.
One's gonna pull the otherbackwards.
Yeah.
Iron sharpens iron as a friend.
Sharpens a friend.
I didn't learn this untilrecently, so, you know, um, Wow.
But fast forward and I hadanother daughter uh, 13 years
later.
With the same, no.
(21:41):
Okay.
A different one.
Phil (21:42):
So you, so all of these years, you're.
Addicted to drugs, tomethamphetamine, just
Shelley (21:48):
when I get pregnant and this is the Lord blessing me and
trying to get me to slow downand, this is my second or third
or fourth chance at life.
A chance to redeem myself andget it right.
So while I was pregnant I didstop.
And that was
Phil (22:03):
and what's this child's name?
Shelley (22:04):
Shiloh.
Shiloh, yes.
Okay, so I've got Shelly,Shelby, and Shiloh.
So there's something in you
Phil (22:08):
that recognizes, I love this baby.
And when you're pregnant, youstop the drugs.
That's a beautiful thing.
That's a wonderful thing.
That's a, you know, in the midstof the darkness that you were
wrapped up in, you, you at leasthad that connection with God to
say, I gotta stop this rightnow.
(22:28):
'cause I don't wanna harm thebaby.
Shelley (22:30):
Well, you know what?
I just told a lie.
Um, because I'm getting ahead ofmyself.
Okay.
With Shiloh.
I did as many drugs as I couldthrough the first part of the
pregnancy because I didn't, I, Ididn't want I, you didn't want
to be pregnant.
I didn't wanna be pregnant.
But then towards my secondtrimester, I stopped everything
because I, she, I was gonna haveher, you accepted it, so please
(22:54):
forgive me for, um, for that.
Um, that's a,
Phil (22:56):
that's, I think that's a common for many of us.
Like we, we get in a situationthat is our reality and we don't
wanna accept it.
Shelley (23:04):
Yeah.
Phil (23:05):
So what, was there anything, just any crazy story
or thing that you wanna sharemaybe before you got pregnant
with Shiloh?
Like during that time?
Uh, you know, I know it was thedrugs and bouncing around, but
with the what Shelby's father?
Yeah.
Here and there.
So, but was there anything like,were you selling drugs or,
Shelley (23:26):
um, we did a little bit of everything.
And there was no limits.
Like I went hard in the paintwith everything that I did, you
know, when I was drinking, itwasn't a 12 pack, I needed a
keg, you know what I mean?
And I was trying to outdo, youknow what I mean?
And that just goes back to thepeople pleasing, you know, and
approval addiction and thingslike that.
(23:47):
But I'm sure there
Phil (23:48):
was some blackouts after that, just like absolutely my
life.
You don't even remember.
Like, you wake up and you don'tknow what happened.
It's
Shelley (23:53):
a blur.
But I do know in battling, um,with Shelby's dad on and off for
17 years, there's beengirlfriends.
I'm not gonna tell too much ofhis story, but because that's
for him to tell.
But, um, being very abusive, oneof them didn't make it.
You know what I mean?
Wow.
And that very well could havebeen me and Wow.
none (24:13):
Like, so was he arrested for?
Shelley (24:16):
No.
Wow.
Uh, they called it an overdoseand closed the file.
However, she did have bleedingon her brain and, uh, there was
some, some marks and stuff likethat.
But that's something that that'sgotta, that he's gotta deal
with, you know?
Wow.
But that very well could, so theLord protected you.
Absolutely.
And many situations.
(24:37):
Um, I didn't think I was gonnacome out alive, but, God,
Phil (24:42):
so there were, there were some scenarios where, like in
the moment Yeah.
Did you think that you might notlive?
Shelley (24:48):
Yeah, absolutely.
But by the grace of God and Ijust, um, I, um, my life is a
blur really.
All that really sticks out to meis, uh, I didn't start getting
in trouble is when I startedintravenously using, excuse me.
Phil (25:04):
Is when it got really crazy.
This is
Shelley (25:05):
where the enemy is trying to deter me'cause trying
to block me from this part of mytestimony.
But, um, yeah that was, um,nothing but the devil.
Phil (25:15):
So I, uh, I, I'm a little bit ignorant of that world.
Not truly was, was it likesnorting at first?
Yes.
And then, and then
Shelley (25:25):
smoking,
Phil (25:26):
then smoking, and then
Shelley (25:26):
smoking wasn't enough.
So then taking it straight toyour veins, that
Phil (25:30):
is when it gets crazy.
Shelley (25:31):
But thank, but God, once the Holy Spirit enters you,
um, which I don't know at whatpoint where I got saved.
So once the Holy Spirit is inyou, he doesn't leave you.
So even in, in, uh, abusing myveins, he covered me and kept me
from.
Death,
Phil (25:50):
wow.
So how old was Shelby at thistime?
And, and what was her life likeduring that period of time?
Shelley (25:57):
Um, well, thanks to my sister, uh, you know, me and my
sister, we dabbled together fora little while.
But she didn't do, she didn't dogood with it.
And so it was called at an earlystage, um, she lost her kids and
had to sign'em over to her otherfa other side of the family.
And so when that happened, thatwas her breakthrough and she got
(26:19):
help immediately.
She did a 360.
Wow.
And she fought for her kids andshe chased after the Lord.
And she has been walking withthe Lord for 20 years now.
Wow.
So, mind you, and there was alot of resentment throughout,
um.
Her life resent me because, uh,she didn't have her children,
(26:41):
but she always, she took care ofmine because I wasn't, I was
present.
So she was the stable Yes.
Phil (26:46):
Force in your, in Shelby's life For child's life.
And my
Shelley (26:49):
raising my kids up in church.
Wow.
And we all live at my mom anddad's house, so we're a close
knit family now, but my sister'salways had my back and I'm
forever grateful for that.
What
Phil (27:00):
a blessing.
Shelley (27:01):
Yeah, my blessing.
Um, wow.
And, uh, breakthroughs came.
So I didn't start getting introuble with the legal, just
doing stupid stuff.
Counterfeit, making counterfeitchecks, and I'm, I won't even
get all that.
Wow.
But just, that
Phil (27:16):
was after you started the intravenous stuff, then you
started getting really, and then
Shelley (27:19):
I got, um, hooked on this guy who had a passion for
motorcycles, and that's what hedid.
Stole motorcycles.
So then I start stealingmotorcycles with him not even
knowing how to ride one.
Phil (27:30):
Wow.
So,
Shelley (27:31):
um, this was a different phase in my life, and
this was like, I was 38 or 39,so, and this, uh,
Phil (27:36):
and so how old was Shelby at that time?
Shelley (27:38):
20, she's 27 now, so, um, um, in her teens.
Phil (27:44):
Okay.
Was, and that, so that would'vebeen maybe around the time
Shiloh.
Was Shiloh in the picture or,um, or very young at that, or
not in the picture yet.
Shelley (27:51):
She was, um, she was young.
Phil (27:53):
Okay.
So you, she
Shelley (27:54):
was young.
So this was a differentboyfriend and this was a phase.
Phil (27:58):
Counterfeit checks, stealing motorcycles.
Yeah.
Shelley (28:01):
And just Wow.
So getting right to it.
Wow.
That is, yeah.
Yeah.
And going from being acorrections officer to being an
inmate.
Phil (28:10):
So did you, were you working also, like, did you have
a job during this time or didyou actually make money by
criminal activity?
Oh, well,
Shelley (28:17):
I always, even in my mess, I always worked and
maintained a job.
So when me and, uh, Shelby's dadwere together, he was the one
selling drugs, and it was mypaychecks that were paying, uh,
to replace them because he was,um, uh, hanging out with my
friends, you know what I mean?
Yeah.
It was a vicious cycle.
But I always worked, and Ialways made, I always had good
(28:37):
jobs.
I was blessed with good jobs.
But I always, I couldn't keep'embecause I would mess'em up.
Because you were,
Phil (28:43):
you could hide it for a while.
Yeah.
But then the, they, you justcouldn't hide it.
Yes.
Forever.
Shelley (28:48):
Yes.
But my first, what sticks?
I know we don't have much time,but on May 25th, 2019, I was I
talked to my younger daughter onthe phone and I told her I'll be
home shortly.
I was out partaking and doingdope with my buddies.
none (29:04):
She was at your sister's house or at your mom's house
with your sister?
She was
Shelley (29:07):
at home and I promised her she kept calling and I
promised her, I'll be homeshortly.
I'll be home shortly.
Well, anyway, I wasintravenously using at that
time.
So I stopped and did a.
Shot.
And I was even dressed in armyfatigue like I had on a
camouflage tank top andleggings, you know, dressed for
the occasion.
But I went, did a shot and I washanging out and never made it
(29:31):
home.
Uh, me and three other peoplewent on a rampage and, um, stole
a, went and stole a motorcycleand threw it in the back of my
dad's truck.
Phil (29:42):
And your, of your dad, so now you're bringing your dad
into this?
Yeah.
Shelley (29:46):
I mean, there's, had
Phil (29:47):
you stolen his truck or were you borrowing his truck or,
um, uh,
Shelley (29:50):
I borrowed his truck actually three weeks before
that.
My sister had a revelation fromthe Holy Spirit while she was in
the shower.
The Holy Spirit revealed that Iwas gonna take my dad's truck on
a high speed chase and, and Iwas gonna wreck it.
Wow.
So she didn't know if that wassomething she just needed to
pray about or to tell my dad notto let me use the truck.
And that is the end of part oneof Shelly's story.
(30:12):
You will hear about that highspeed police chase through two
states next week on the nextpart of Shelly's podcast.
And you'll also hear about thehardship and tragedy that
occurred in her daughter's life,uh, as her daughter began to
follow in her mom's footsteps.
(30:33):
Um, Shelly's story gets a littlebit crazier.
But do not worry because Goddoes step in and do an amazing
miracle of transformation.
So look forward to hearing aboutthat as well.
God bless you this week.
Thank you for being here withus, and we look forward to being
back with you again next week.
Phil Shuler (30:52):
We look forward to being with you again next week
as we share another testimonyabout the power and the goodness
of God to change lives throughSafe House Ministries.
if you are someone listening tothis podcast that loves to hear
these stories of the greatthings that God is doing in
changing people's lives for thebetter, and if you would like to
be a part of that work, pleasereach out to us You can reach us
(31:15):
at 2101 Hamilton Road, Columbus,Georgia, 31,904.
You can call us at seven oh sixthree two two.
3 7, 7 3, or you can email us atinfo@safehouse-ministries.com.
Microphone (Samson Q2U Mi (31:30):
Thank you so much for being with us
this week for the renew restoreand rejoice podcast of safe
house ministries, we pray thatGod will bless you this week.
And we look forward to havingyou back with us again next week
for a new episode.
And I'm just a nobody trying to tell everybody all
about somebody who saved me,
Phil (00:05):
you know?
Amen.
That is so true.
Yes, sir.
Awesome.
Phil Shuler (00:09):
HellO, and welcome to Renew, Restore, Rejoice, the
Safe House Ministries podcast,where we share stories of the
power of God to change livesthrough Safe House Ministries.
Safe House Ministries is basedout of Columbus, Georgia, and we
are a ministry that exists tolove and serve people who have
been affected by addiction,homelessness, and incarceration.
I'm your host, Phil Shuler, theDirector of Development for Safe
(00:31):
House Ministries here inColumbus, Georgia.
Safe House serves over 1, 100people each month as they
transition back into ourcommunity.
Safe House provides an abundanceof services including 213 beds
for homeless individuals andfamilies, case management for
obtaining job skills and longterm employment.
Over 300 hot meals every day,free clothing, and so much more.
(00:52):
One of the most incredibleservices that Safe House
provides is our free 9 12 monthintensive outpatient substance
abuse program, which is statelicensed, CARF accredited, and
has no wait list.
Almost 100 percent ofindividuals staying in our
shelters who follow our threephase program become fully
employed within a few months.
And 68 percent of individualswho stay at least one night with
(01:13):
us End up finding work andmoving into their own home.
Thank you for being with ustoday and listening to our
podcast.
We hope you enjoy this week'sepisode.
Phil (01:21):
Hello and welcome to this week's podcast for the Safe
House Ministries podcast, renew,restore, and Rejoice.
I've got Shelly Cole Pepper heretoday, and I'm excited to hear
Shelly's story.
Shelley (01:34):
Thank you.
Phil (01:35):
And, uh, she's been texting me.
She has been excited to, toshare her story.
And just the amazing things thatGod has done.
Shelley (01:43):
Yes.
Phil (01:44):
And so, Shelly, it's so good to have you.
Shelley (01:45):
Thank you so much.
I've been waiting on this momentfor a long time.
Phil (01:50):
Awesome.
Yes, sir.
I love when God does the miracleof transforming a life.
Yes, sir.
It's amazing.
Yes, sir.
Praise the Lord.
Shelly, getting started, youknow, the question I'm probably
about to ask, if there was oneword that would best describe
you, what would that word be?
Shelley (02:10):
Willing is the one that I had several words, but the one
that stood out to me in myjourney is willing,
Phil (02:18):
willing.
That sounds like there's a lotof meaning behind that.
What do you mean?
Explain that a little bit.
Shelley (02:23):
Well, um, for when I was, um, the verse that.
Motivated me to once I, I don'teven know where to start, so
please forgive me, but the versethat penetrate, that embrace,
that engraved in my heart isLuke 1433.
Anyone who is not willing tosurrender everything cannot be
(02:43):
my disciple.
And that is the my go-to versewhen I wake up in the mornings,
you know, Lord, how may I serveyou today?
What he endured and what he wentfor, went through and sacrificed
for me.
I'm Lord, allow me to be yourwilling, vessel willing.
(03:03):
That is good.
Phil (03:05):
That is a word that needs to get into the hearts of a lot
of, a lot of people.
Yes, sir.
A lot of people who claim to beChristians, but they're
unwilling right to.
Really do what God wants them todo.
Shelley (03:16):
And, you know, uh, it's a very humbling experience.
You know, um, you can be,teachable was my other word.
Phil (03:24):
Hey, that's a good word too.
But
Shelley (03:25):
you can be, um, uh, willing is, is definitely yeah.
The word for me.
Phil (03:31):
Yeah.
That's, you have to start fromthere.
Yes.
You absolutely have to startfrom there.
Shelley (03:35):
Yes.
And as he wakes me up every day,and I don't know what the day,
uh, has in store for me, butthank you Lord, for just
ordering my steps, you know?
And here I am, just a willingservant, you know?
Awesome.
And, um, Lord, just, um, let itbe all of you and absolutely
none of me, and, man, hisgoodness, you know, he, I don't
(03:57):
deserve it, but he says I do.
So that's what I'm gonna walk inevery day, and that's what I
want to just, um, encourageeverybody.
I'm sorry, I'm trying to, to getemotional, but it's hard.
none (04:07):
It's all,
Shelley (04:07):
um.
And what he shows.
No partiality.
So what he did for me, he wantsto do for all his children.
Yeah.
And that's how he said, I setyou apart and I appointed you as
a prophet to take over manynations, just one soul at a
time.
You love them right wherethey're at, and you en encourage
'em and lift them up and um,
Phil (04:28):
yeah.
Shelley (04:29):
And uh, I can go on and on and on.
Yeah.
So you tell me when to shut up.
Phil (04:33):
So, I see you're wearing a Safe House Ministries hoodie
there.
Yes.
Which is That color's great too.
Yes.
Um, and I know you are, workingfor and with Safe House
Ministries just to really try tohelp others in so many ways to,
to produce more of thosetransformed lives.
Yes.
I know you have a, a story that,uh, began a while back.
(04:55):
Yes.
And so I would love to justkinda start at the beginning.
Shelley (04:58):
Okay.
Phil (04:58):
And, uh, if you would share maybe.
Growing up where you grew upand, uh, what home life was like
in the early days for you?
Shelley (05:05):
Okay.
So, um, my mom and dad, my dadis retired Air Force.
Um, my mom and dad, they arestill, I have an older sister.
She's a four years older thanme.
And I was born in South Dakota,but we retired or we came back.
'cause my dad's family was herein this town.
My mom is from England.
(05:26):
Wow.
She still got her strong Britishaccent, which that is awesome.
Have you been to
Phil (05:32):
England?
Shelley (05:32):
Uh, I don't think so.
Uh, whenever they got married ata young age, he got her out of
there.
okay.
So, and she's been here eversince?
She's been here ever since.
All right.
So we got here in 1989.
Uh, my parents are still marriedafter 55 years.
That is awesome.
That's really unheard of.
You know, it is,
Phil (05:52):
uh, it is.
Heartbreaking.
Just tragedy that so manymarriages fail.
Yes.
And just, it's sad that peopletoday don't take it serious.
Yes.
I mean, it's it's supposed to bepermanent.
Yes.
It's supposed to be forever.
Yes.
Jesus.
Jesus said, what?
Therefore, God has joinedtogether.
Let no man put us under.
Yes.
(06:12):
Two become one.
And it's supposed to stay thatway.
Yes.
So, praise the Lord.
Yes.
What an amazing testimony.
Just in that.
Yes.
That's awesome.
Shelley (06:19):
And, it had an excellent home life.
Uh, we went to church.
My parents, they didn't, theydon't fight a lot.
Like my dad is the perfectexample of what a man looks
like.
Wow.
He is my hero.
Wow, that's so amazing.
And right now, he just, he's um,hopefully, uh, he's 76.
(06:46):
Um.
Um, right now, at this currentmoment he's fighting.
So this is my chance, you know,I can't go back on my past and
everything that I destroyed.
'cause my dad, it didn't matterwhat I did.
let me just back up.
So where I turned left.
Phil (07:07):
so you, you did well growing up and like you were
pretty good kid.
Um,
Shelley (07:11):
I hung around the popular crowd in school.
Yeah.
I played in sports and thingslike that.
I started experiment.
It was my senior year in highschool.
Wow.
Um, I got in with a differentcrowd and started experimenting.
Then I got pregnant.
Uh, I met, uh, my oldestdaughter's dad and, um,
Phil (07:29):
so that's where things started to go the wrong
direction.
That's where things
Shelley (07:31):
started shifting.
Phil (07:32):
So
Shelley (07:33):
let's take a,
Phil (07:34):
a minute and.
You shared that your parentshave a great marriage.
Yes.
They were good parents.
Shelley (07:41):
Yes.
Phil (07:42):
I assume that they were, they kept you in church.
They disciplined you when yougot outta line.
Yes.
And, uh, there's, I thinkthere's a lot of people that
would love to just maybe learnsome things if they could I'm a
father.
Yes.
And, uh, I've got seven kidsand, you know, sometimes you do
the best you can to raise yourkids.
(08:03):
Absolutely.
But when they grow up, they kindof begin to make their own
decisions.
Right.
And they really are their ownperson.
Right.
And you can't, they, you just,they just make their own
decisions.
Right.
So do you have any thoughtsaround maybe, I don't know,
what, what parents can do or howparents maybe can try to protect
against their kids going in thatdirection?
Shelley (08:24):
Well, um.
What comes to mind is Proverbs26 2, or is it 22 6?
I think it's 26 2.
Train'em up in the way that theyshould go.
And when they get old, they willnot depart from him all you.
And it's a, and it's asurrender, a daily surrender.
We have to surrender ourchildren back to him because
they belong to him first.
(08:45):
Yeah, they do.
You know, and, um, we, but hedid say that he would help
partnership with us in raisingthese childrens, you know, but
he's, it's a daily surrender.
Phil (08:55):
So you, so I think it's preface 22 6 that train up a
child in the way should go.
And when he is old, you will notdepart from it.
So, so they trained you upright,you took a wrong turn and went
in the wrong direction for manyyears, but you did eventually
come back to the right path.
Shelley (09:08):
Yes.
Praise the, praise the Lord.
And that's the word and thepower of our testimony.
You know, he gives us free will.
Yeah, but he's right there inthe midst, you know, like in the
last, like, like a rubber band.
He's right there in the midst.
And when we hit our lowest pointwe call on, there's nobody to
call on but him, and he's beenpatiently waiting.
(09:29):
He said, ask, knocking the doorwill be open, asking you shall
receive.
Yeah.
Um, and that's just the part ofthe testimony, you know?
Phil (09:36):
So back in high school you were hanging out with, the wrong
crowd, it sounds like.
Right.
Um, Jayton.
So pick it up from there andjust kind of share, you started
down that wrong path, what thatlooked like.
Shelley (09:50):
Okay.
So, um.
I was gonna, uh, by this time Ihad already started experi
experimenting with drugs.
And, um,
Phil (09:59):
so this was like, would you go to friends' houses?
Like would your parents, yourparents kind of gave you freedom
and you would just kind of goand was it at friends' houses?
Was it at the school itself?
No.
Was it was
Shelley (10:08):
at friends' houses and I started skipping school and
then, um, just hanging out and,um, just living on the wild side
and like my parents were very wewere very sheltered,
Phil (10:19):
yeah.
Did your parents know at thetime, like, um, or were you
pretty good at hiding?
That's pretty
Shelley (10:23):
good.
Yeah, pretty good.
At least I thought I was.
but my parents you know, when Iwas delivered, that was one of
the first things that I wasdelivered from, and that was
noticed by other people as Iquit lying.
That was the first.
Phil (10:38):
So when, back when you were a teenager and starting
into the world of darkness, youwere, you lied, you were a good
liar.
Oh, yeah.
Shelley (10:44):
I've convinced myself, and that's how I became the
world's dumbest criminal.
Because I mean, if the sky isblue, wow, I, I just, and that's
just the way, um, to manipulate,you know what I mean?
And I got good, that's apowerful word.
Good.
I got good at it.
Phil (11:01):
So you, you said you li you began by lying to yourself.
Shelley (11:05):
Yes, absolutely.
And I,
Phil (11:06):
I really believe that is the trap the enemy uses to get
hold of so many people.
Shelley (11:13):
Yes.
Phil (11:13):
Because once you believe a lie yourself, you're, you are
stuck in that quicksand.
Yes.
And it, it really takes thepower of the Lord to get you
outta that.
And
Shelley (11:25):
we have to, we come against self, you know, the mind
and the tongue is very powerful.
And when you, you know, uh.
Following the Lord.
And, um, all you have to do isbelieve it, to receive it.
So when you believe the lies ofthe enemy and it's just engraved
in you and just drilled in youand then I was serving the devil
(11:48):
for until recently, until,
Phil (11:50):
yeah.
So as you got into the world ofdarkness, you were hiding it
from your parents, hanging withthe wrong people, starting to do
drugs.
What were the lies that you hadtaken and believed in your
heart?
Shelley (12:05):
When I first started experimenting with crystal
methamphetamines, I was, thiswas as a teenager.
Yes.
I lost 13 pounds in one week.
And I thought, this is the dietI've been looking for.
You know what I mean?
Because there was somethingwithin me that I, I didn't, I
wasn't.
So that was the first lie fromthe enemy.
Phil (12:24):
The lie maybe like you didn't think you were good
enough and you, you like Yeah.
Or
Shelley (12:28):
need to lose weight to fit in, you know, just, I mean,
as a kid, but to be
Phil (12:32):
accepted by others.
Right,
Shelley (12:34):
And, um, and that's a very powerful thing to get ahold
of you, you know what I mean?
Yeah.
And it took root on me.
And then that was just, um, andthen I just, I was introduced to
a whole new world, you know, andI had to quit school because I
was gonna fail anyway and theywere gonna make me repeat.
And I What year
Phil (12:53):
was that of school?
Shelley (12:53):
Um, 1990.
I was supposed to graduate in97.
Phil (12:58):
Was that your senior year or was that Yes, that was my
senior year.
That was your senior year?
Yeah.
Shelley (13:01):
So I quit school.
I found out I was pregnantanyway, so um, in February of
98, I went and got my GED.
Phil (13:08):
Now I assume that was also the result of just being over at
friends' houses and Yeah.
Just being out, I guess yourparents just giving you that
freedom and you
Shelley (13:16):
Yeah.
And then, um, they just ourchildren can do no wrong in our
eyes, you know, and sometimes,well, they enabled me because
they love me so much and they'renot gonna turn their back on me
and, you know, hurt people, hurtpeople, and we hurt the ones
that we love the most, you know?
Yeah.
And it's very shameful, because.
(13:39):
I watched my parents nowstruggling and they just love me
through it all.
They never gave up on me.
Just like my heavenly fathernever leaves us, nor for stakes
us.
It doesn't matter what we do.
Amen.
We are his prize possessions.
Yes.
Amen.
And thank you Lord for justpulling me out of that dark
place when I just didn't haveany hope.
(14:02):
I, I'm, I thought I would beanother statistic, but what he,
Phil (14:07):
so you, you were addicted to meth.
You were pregnant.
How did your parents respond?
Like what, what happened?
Well, I was
Shelley (14:13):
already pregnant, so there, um, you know, uh, at
first my dad didn't want me togo through with it, um, with the
pregnancy because he wanted meto have a better life, so I
moved in with my daughter's dadand his mom.
Phil (14:27):
So you, your dad wanted you.
to kill the baby, essentially.
Yeah.
And, but you wanted to have thebaby.
Shelley (14:33):
Yeah.
Phil (14:34):
What, which, that was a good thing like that you heart.
I didn't wanted to have you,like, it was a bad situation and
it was out of order.
But you, but life is precious.
Yes.
And you, it seems like you knewthat.
Um, and so you moved in with afriend, you
Shelley (14:49):
said, with her dad.
And and my parents have alwaystaken care of us and always had
a nest for us, you know what Imean?
And, um, we didn't want or needfor anything, you know?
Yeah.
Um, and, uh, you and
Phil (15:03):
your older
Shelley (15:04):
sister.
Okay.
And, um, so, I was in love.
I thought I was, you know what Imean?
And then in the same, breath.
I was stuck, and and justthinking, I'm supposed to be
with her dad.
We're supposed to, you know,because my parents are still
married.
This is what it's s even thoughwe didn't do things right, the
right way, you know,'cause myparents got married and then
(15:24):
they conceived and, you know.
So was
Phil (15:26):
the young boy serious about being a father at all?
Um, or was he, how did herespond to that?
Shelley (15:32):
He was present for a little while, but then he got
sent off to prison.
Well, I mean, he stayed in andoutta jail.
Wow.
Yeah.
This definitely, I went out ofcharacter when I just got
involved with the wrong crowd.
He, yeah.
Uh, because that wasn't who Iwas.
I mean, I had, I had morals.
Yeah.
And, um, so just continue
Phil (15:54):
down that, that time period What did that darkness
look like and what were theconsequences?
And did it, did you just kindaget deeper and deeper down into
the darkness?
Absolutely.
Shelley (16:05):
Okay.
So
Phil (16:06):
staying with your friend.
Shelley (16:07):
Yes.
Um, and as, okay, so I had mydaughter, Shelby.
Um, I was 17 and then I turned18.
He had been incarcerated inRussell County Jail for almost
10 months.
So I took her, when I had her, Itook her every week faithfully
for about a year to see him inRussell County Jail.
(16:29):
And when he got shipped off toprison, uh, Lieutenant Holland,
I guess she saw something in meor she gave me a chance.
So she hired me as a correctionsofficer at a young age.
So were
Phil (16:39):
you still addicted to meth at this time?
Shelley (16:41):
Um, well, when I got pregnant, I, I.
I let it go.
Phil (16:45):
So you stopped the meth, like you, you got clean, you got
off all the drugs?
Shelley (16:49):
Yes.
Phil (16:49):
Okay.
And then after you had Shelby,you stayed clean,
Shelley (16:53):
For a little while.
Phil (16:54):
Okay.
So you were clean before you gothired as a corrections officer?
Shelley (16:57):
Yes.
Okay.
How old were you at that time?
Um, 18 years old.
Wow.
Yeah.
18 years old and technicallyyou're not supposed to be, um,
you're supposed to be at least21 to work in a place like that,
but it was nothing butfavorable.
And this was at
Phil (17:09):
the Russell County Jail.
Okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I, I would think, I've neverworked in a jail, but I would
think that with the darknessthat is probably present.
Shelley (17:21):
Yeah.
You
Phil (17:21):
have to be at a pretty stable place in your life to, to
protect against that.
Shelley (17:25):
Yes.
Phil (17:26):
Wow.
Okay.
So, so, so you start as acorrections officer?
Yes.
At 18 years old.
Shelley (17:31):
Yes.
And I was there for almost threeyears.
Um, I lost my job'cause it wasthird shift
Phil (17:38):
as a corrections officer.
Yeah.
I
Shelley (17:39):
fell asleep in the female pod during third shift.
Oh.
And that's frowned upon, youknow, so they let me go.
Yeah.
I would, I would imagine.
Yep.
Okay, so let me just fastforward.
Uh, did that
Phil (17:50):
hit you hard?
Like, did that send you backinto maybe darkness like drugs
or anything?
Because, well, I was
Shelley (17:55):
still in the mix with that crowd, you know what I
mean?
So
Phil (17:58):
In the jail you were kind of connecting with the wrong
Yeah.
People and buildingrelationships.
Shelley (18:03):
Yes.
And and then I started believingthe lies of the enemy.
It gave me a it gave me a power.
To have that much authority,especially at a young age.
Yeah.
And then I'm dabbling in allthe,
Phil (18:20):
so you had started backing the drugs?
Shelley (18:22):
Yes.
Phil (18:23):
Meth or other things too?
Meth.
Shelley (18:25):
Yeah, meth.
Now, were you,
Phil (18:27):
were the people in the jail connecting you with others
outside the jail that were thewrong crowd as well?
Well, it, unfortunately
Shelley (18:34):
it's a very small town, so everybody knows everybody,
you know?
Yeah.
And I actually knew more of theinmates that were in the jail,
and, um, so I am connectedbetter with the inmates than I
did the people that I workedwith.
You know what I mean?
And I just masked.
Wow.
I masked so much, you know.
And, um,
Phil (18:53):
so, and you had mentioned you started believing in the
lies of the enemy again.
What were the lies this time?
Shelley (18:57):
Just how to mask it and just how to how to get over on
people, how to how to.
Because at this time I waspretty much I was hooked and I,
and I didn't know how to, uh,how to let go.
So the next step was to how to,um, just be good at what I did.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
And just mask it.
So, man.
(19:18):
Wow.
Yeah.
Phil (19:20):
where were you living at this time?
Shelley (19:22):
We had our own apartment.
Well, so when I gave birth toShelby, I was on my own.
He was locked up.
He didn't get out until she waslike maybe two or three.
Okay.
And we went back and forthtrying to make it work, and then
it was very abusive, veryabusive relationship.
(19:43):
Him and
none (19:43):
you.
Shelley (19:43):
Yeah.
Uh, nothing compared to how Igrew up.
That's not how it's supposed tobe.
Phil (19:49):
Yeah.
You saw what a marriage issupposed to look like.
Shelley (19:51):
Absolutely.
So, um, and I dealt with thatfor 17 years, on and off, back
and forth.
Wow.
And, um,
Phil (19:58):
were you guys ever married or you just No.
Okay.
Shelley (20:00):
No, he proposed one time, but, um, it, thank you
Lord, it, it, um, I've neverbeen married and so I, I
witnessed that fairy talestories, they do exist when
they're ordained by the Lord.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
So if that's in my plans, I, Ihave no, but I, for the first
time in my life, I'm content inmy singleness.
Jesus is more than enough.
(20:21):
I don't have any room for anydistractions other than trying
to get me on the on, on thestraight and narrow path, you
know?
And my kids just everything thatthe enemy stole from me, this is
my time to get it back.
That is, uh,
Phil (20:35):
that is a powerful word that you just spoke, that you,
that.
You alone with Jesus is enough,
Shelley (20:42):
is he's more than enough.
I think,
Phil (20:44):
and I have heard on the podcast others have shared that
one of the lies that theybelieve of the enemy is that
they need to be with someone.
Yeah.
And there's this need, thisdependency, this, that, and
they, they feel like they just,they have to be with someone
and, and inevitably they end upbeing with the wrong people.
(21:05):
Yes.
And it's just, it's disaster.
But when you work on yourselffirst and Jesus is enough.
Yes.
And then I.
Then he can make you who youneed to be so that you'll be
ready.
Yes.
If he wants you to, to havesomeone else to be with.
Shelley (21:20):
Well, the thing is, is, um, when, if and when he sends
you someone, you have to beequally yoked or you already
know.
One's gonna pull the otherbackwards.
Yeah.
Iron sharpens iron as a friend.
Sharpens a friend.
I didn't learn this untilrecently, so, you know, um, Wow.
But fast forward and I hadanother daughter uh, 13 years
later.
With the same, no.
(21:41):
Okay.
A different one.
Phil (21:42):
So you, so all of these years, you're.
Addicted to drugs, tomethamphetamine, just
Shelley (21:48):
when I get pregnant and this is the Lord blessing me and
trying to get me to slow downand, this is my second or third
or fourth chance at life.
A chance to redeem myself andget it right.
So while I was pregnant I didstop.
And that was
Phil (22:03):
and what's this child's name?
Shelley (22:04):
Shiloh.
Shiloh, yes.
Okay, so I've got Shelly,Shelby, and Shiloh.
So there's something in you
Phil (22:08):
that recognizes, I love this baby.
And when you're pregnant, youstop the drugs.
That's a beautiful thing.
That's a wonderful thing.
That's a, you know, in the midstof the darkness that you were
wrapped up in, you, you at leasthad that connection with God to
say, I gotta stop this rightnow.
(22:28):
'cause I don't wanna harm thebaby.
Shelley (22:30):
Well, you know what?
I just told a lie.
Um, because I'm getting ahead ofmyself.
Okay.
With Shiloh.
I did as many drugs as I couldthrough the first part of the
pregnancy because I didn't, I, Ididn't want I, you didn't want
to be pregnant.
I didn't wanna be pregnant.
But then towards my secondtrimester, I stopped everything
because I, she, I was gonna haveher, you accepted it, so please
(22:54):
forgive me for, um, for that.
Um, that's a,
Phil (22:56):
that's, I think that's a common for many of us.
Like we, we get in a situationthat is our reality and we don't
wanna accept it.
Shelley (23:04):
Yeah.
Phil (23:05):
So what, was there anything, just any crazy story
or thing that you wanna sharemaybe before you got pregnant
with Shiloh?
Like during that time?
Uh, you know, I know it was thedrugs and bouncing around, but
with the what Shelby's father?
Yeah.
Here and there.
So, but was there anything like,were you selling drugs or,
Shelley (23:26):
um, we did a little bit of everything.
And there was no limits.
Like I went hard in the paintwith everything that I did, you
know, when I was drinking, itwasn't a 12 pack, I needed a
keg, you know what I mean?
And I was trying to outdo, youknow what I mean?
And that just goes back to thepeople pleasing, you know, and
approval addiction and thingslike that.
(23:47):
But I'm sure there
Phil (23:48):
was some blackouts after that, just like absolutely my
life.
You don't even remember.
Like, you wake up and you don'tknow what happened.
It's
Shelley (23:53):
a blur.
But I do know in battling, um,with Shelby's dad on and off for
17 years, there's beengirlfriends.
I'm not gonna tell too much ofhis story, but because that's
for him to tell.
But, um, being very abusive, oneof them didn't make it.
You know what I mean?
Wow.
And that very well could havebeen me and Wow.
none (24:13):
Like, so was he arrested for?
Shelley (24:16):
No.
Wow.
Uh, they called it an overdoseand closed the file.
However, she did have bleedingon her brain and, uh, there was
some, some marks and stuff likethat.
But that's something that that'sgotta, that he's gotta deal
with, you know?
Wow.
But that very well could, so theLord protected you.
Absolutely.
And many situations.
(24:37):
Um, I didn't think I was gonnacome out alive, but, God,
Phil (24:42):
so there were, there were some scenarios where, like in
the moment Yeah.
Did you think that you might notlive?
Shelley (24:48):
Yeah, absolutely.
But by the grace of God and Ijust, um, I, um, my life is a
blur really.
All that really sticks out to meis, uh, I didn't start getting
in trouble is when I startedintravenously using, excuse me.
Phil (25:04):
Is when it got really crazy.
This is
Shelley (25:05):
where the enemy is trying to deter me'cause trying
to block me from this part of mytestimony.
But, um, yeah that was, um,nothing but the devil.
Phil (25:15):
So I, uh, I, I'm a little bit ignorant of that world.
Not truly was, was it likesnorting at first?
Yes.
And then, and then
Shelley (25:25):
smoking,
Phil (25:26):
then smoking, and then
Shelley (25:26):
smoking wasn't enough.
So then taking it straight toyour veins, that
Phil (25:30):
is when it gets crazy.
Shelley (25:31):
But thank, but God, once the Holy Spirit enters you,
um, which I don't know at whatpoint where I got saved.
So once the Holy Spirit is inyou, he doesn't leave you.
So even in, in, uh, abusing myveins, he covered me and kept me
from.
Death,
Phil (25:50):
wow.
So how old was Shelby at thistime?
And, and what was her life likeduring that period of time?
Shelley (25:57):
Um, well, thanks to my sister, uh, you know, me and my
sister, we dabbled together fora little while.
But she didn't do, she didn't dogood with it.
And so it was called at an earlystage, um, she lost her kids and
had to sign'em over to her otherfa other side of the family.
And so when that happened, thatwas her breakthrough and she got
(26:19):
help immediately.
She did a 360.
Wow.
And she fought for her kids andshe chased after the Lord.
And she has been walking withthe Lord for 20 years now.
Wow.
So, mind you, and there was alot of resentment throughout,
um.
Her life resent me because, uh,she didn't have her children,
(26:41):
but she always, she took care ofmine because I wasn't, I was
present.
So she was the stable Yes.
Phil (26:46):
Force in your, in Shelby's life For child's life.
And my
Shelley (26:49):
raising my kids up in church.
Wow.
And we all live at my mom anddad's house, so we're a close
knit family now, but my sister'salways had my back and I'm
forever grateful for that.
What
Phil (27:00):
a blessing.
Shelley (27:01):
Yeah, my blessing.
Um, wow.
And, uh, breakthroughs came.
So I didn't start getting introuble with the legal, just
doing stupid stuff.
Counterfeit, making counterfeitchecks, and I'm, I won't even
get all that.
Wow.
But just, that
Phil (27:16):
was after you started the intravenous stuff, then you
started getting really, and then
Shelley (27:19):
I got, um, hooked on this guy who had a passion for
motorcycles, and that's what hedid.
Stole motorcycles.
So then I start stealingmotorcycles with him not even
knowing how to ride one.
Phil (27:30):
Wow.
So,
Shelley (27:31):
um, this was a different phase in my life, and
this was like, I was 38 or 39,so, and this, uh,
Phil (27:36):
and so how old was Shelby at that time?
Shelley (27:38):
20, she's 27 now, so, um, um, in her teens.
Phil (27:44):
Okay.
Was, and that, so that would'vebeen maybe around the time
Shiloh.
Was Shiloh in the picture or,um, or very young at that, or
not in the picture yet.
Shelley (27:51):
She was, um, she was young.
Phil (27:53):
Okay.
So you, she
Shelley (27:54):
was young.
So this was a differentboyfriend and this was a phase.
Phil (27:58):
Counterfeit checks, stealing motorcycles.
Yeah.
Shelley (28:01):
And just Wow.
So getting right to it.
Wow.
That is, yeah.
Yeah.
And going from being acorrections officer to being an
inmate.
Phil (28:10):
So did you, were you working also, like, did you have
a job during this time or didyou actually make money by
criminal activity?
Oh, well,
Shelley (28:17):
I always, even in my mess, I always worked and
maintained a job.
So when me and, uh, Shelby's dadwere together, he was the one
selling drugs, and it was mypaychecks that were paying, uh,
to replace them because he was,um, uh, hanging out with my
friends, you know what I mean?
Yeah.
It was a vicious cycle.
But I always worked, and Ialways made, I always had good
(28:37):
jobs.
I was blessed with good jobs.
But I always, I couldn't keep'embecause I would mess'em up.
Because you were,
Phil (28:43):
you could hide it for a while.
Yeah.
But then the, they, you justcouldn't hide it.
Yes.
Forever.
Shelley (28:48):
Yes.
But my first, what sticks?
I know we don't have much time,but on May 25th, 2019, I was I
talked to my younger daughter onthe phone and I told her I'll be
home shortly.
I was out partaking and doingdope with my buddies.
none (29:04):
She was at your sister's house or at your mom's house
with your sister?
She was
Shelley (29:07):
at home and I promised her she kept calling and I
promised her, I'll be homeshortly.
I'll be home shortly.
Well, anyway, I wasintravenously using at that
time.
So I stopped and did a.
Shot.
And I was even dressed in armyfatigue like I had on a
camouflage tank top andleggings, you know, dressed for
the occasion.
But I went, did a shot and I washanging out and never made it
(29:31):
home.
Uh, me and three other peoplewent on a rampage and, um, stole
a, went and stole a motorcycleand threw it in the back of my
dad's truck.
Phil (29:42):
And your, of your dad, so now you're bringing your dad
into this?
Yeah.
Shelley (29:46):
I mean, there's, had
Phil (29:47):
you stolen his truck or were you borrowing his truck or,
um, uh,
Shelley (29:50):
I borrowed his truck actually three weeks before
that.
My sister had a revelation fromthe Holy Spirit while she was in
the shower.
The Holy Spirit revealed that Iwas gonna take my dad's truck on
a high speed chase and, and Iwas gonna wreck it.
Wow.
So she didn't know if that wassomething she just needed to
pray about or to tell my dad notto let me use the truck.
And that is the end of part oneof Shelly's story.
(30:12):
You will hear about that highspeed police chase through two
states next week on the nextpart of Shelly's podcast.
And you'll also hear about thehardship and tragedy that
occurred in her daughter's life,uh, as her daughter began to
follow in her mom's footsteps.
(30:33):
Um, Shelly's story gets a littlebit crazier.
But do not worry because Goddoes step in and do an amazing
miracle of transformation.
So look forward to hearing aboutthat as well.
God bless you this week.
Thank you for being here withus, and we look forward to being
back with you again next week.
Phil Shuler (30:52):
We look forward to being with you again next week
as we share another testimonyabout the power and the goodness
of God to change lives throughSafe House Ministries.
if you are someone listening tothis podcast that loves to hear
these stories of the greatthings that God is doing in
changing people's lives for thebetter, and if you would like to
be a part of that work, pleasereach out to us You can reach us
(31:15):
at 2101 Hamilton Road, Columbus,Georgia, 31,904.
You can call us at seven oh sixthree two two.
3 7, 7 3, or you can email us atinfo@safehouse-ministries.com.
Microphone (Samson Q2U Mi (31:30):
Thank you so much for being with us
this week for the renew restoreand rejoice podcast of safe
house ministries, we pray thatGod will bless you this week.
And we look forward to havingyou back with us again next week
for a new episode.
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