Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Carolina Cares. I'm ScottieBlaisdell along with Hannah Tyler, and once
again we shine a spotlight on anorganization and an individual who has involved in
helping out the community in a uniqueand special way. So we want to
welcome Elizabeth Barker to the show.Thank you and Elizabeth, she's the outreach
(00:23):
coordinator. I believe I got thatright with Tabitha Ministry. Yes, what
is Tabitha Ministry? Tabitha Ministry isa residential home for ladies coming out of
addiction, abuse, prison who won'tto turn their life around and are looking
for something better in life, adifferent way of living. Did something draw
(00:46):
you to this program personally? Yes? I in twenty and eighteen, I
was committed into a mental hospital,was told I was going to receive help.
I at that time started finding numbersof places to go to. Tabitha's
Ministry was one of the places thataccepted me. And what was the situation
(01:07):
that put you there? I hadan eighteen year addiction from drugs and alcohol,
just no self worth whatsoever, wasat my rock bottom and knew that
this was not the way of lifeand that I was not going to continue
living that way. Can you talka little bit about your experience at Tabitha's
(01:27):
and what you all witnessed and wereable to be a part of. Yes.
Number one is the love, theunconditional love that was given to me
from the moment I walked in thedoor. I can remember Cindy Wagner and
Myra Wilson standing there with their armswide open, just offering me love.
Didn't matter what I had done.They didn't know me. All they cared
(01:49):
about was that I felt the loveand knew that there was a different way
of life and that they were goingto help me learn how to do that.
Now, Elizabeth, let's talk alittle bit if you don't mind.
I mean, you're sharing very personalthings here, and I realized that,
but I think maybe a lot offolks need to hear this raw experience that
you've had. Was there something inlife that caused addiction to be a part
(02:15):
of your life? Was it afamily history? How does someone get into
that situation? So for me,it was later in life. I was
twenty seven years old and I hada cosmetology job, worked in hair salons,
had a husband, had three kids. He decided he didn't want to
be a husband anymore. So thatleft me and my kids, and then
(02:38):
from there I turned to drugs andalcohol and it just slowly became my outlet.
I lost my job, I lostmy kids, I lost everything and
just relied on the quick fix ofalcohol. And then I would just go
further and fother into the drugs soI would not have to feel the pain.
(02:59):
Yeah, is addiction something that doesit sneak up on you. I
don't know how to ask that question. I mean, at first, it's
probably a bit of a relief.There's something that draws people to it,
right, and then at some pointyou realized I am in this deep?
What was that point for you?For me, it's we're not decided to
(03:22):
let go of myself worth. Inever imagine myself doing anything possible for money,
and I prostituted myself out. Atthat point, I knew that the
drugs had a bigger hold on methan anything in this life. You just
slip into it. You really don'trealize where you're going with it until you
(03:44):
wake up one morning and you're like, oh, I can't live without this.
I have to have that. Andyou will go to any means and
any extreme to get it. Whetherit be stealing, selling your body,
lying, cheating, it doesn't matter. The drug is an alcohol are the
most important things? Now you gofrom this point where you're at your rock
(04:09):
bottom, you find Tabitha's. Youtalk about just the love and acceptance as
soon as you walked in the door. But what are their programs like,
what's set in place for you toget to the spot where you are now
thriving? Oh so at Tabitha's duringthe year program, I was offered ways
of learning how to reprogram my brain, how to deal with anger on a
(04:32):
much better way. And when Ido get angry, I don't have to
act out on those feelings. Ican captivate that thought, rethink and process
a different way. The number onething at Tabitha's is we would love for
everyone to accept and fall in lovewith Jesus. When you fall in love
(04:53):
with Jesus and you allow him tobe the center of your life, he
will fix everything else around. Wecan't fix ourself without his help, and
through this program, I was giventhat opportunity. We have chapel, we
have classes daily, we have timeto go to work at Tabitha's closet to
(05:16):
give back to the community. Iwanted to actually thanks for sharing that,
and you mentioned Tabitha's Closet because Ihad seen that. I think there was
a thing with prom Yeah, thatwas done by Tabitha's What is the connection
from with the ministry and with Tabitha'sCloset. So the ministry was started twenty
(05:36):
year ago and then shortly after comeTabitha's Closet. It is a thrift store
on Highway to twenty in Summerville thatthe public gets to come in and they
shop and the proceeds go back intohelping fund this program for women to learn
(05:59):
and get and just retransform their lives. Tabitha's Closets we accept donations from the
public. You can take anything thatyou have learning around in your closet and
just take it up there and donateit and we will resell it. Just
know that by donating to Tabath's Closet, you're helping women transform their lives and
(06:19):
that's something that anybody can do.We all go through our closets and oh,
we don't wear this anymore, wedon't wear that, and then the
bag sits around forever and what agreat place to bring it to to not
only help your community, but helpwomen who really need it right now.
Yes, and also the women whoare actually going to this, who were
going to Tabitha's Closet, who arein the program, they're also learning ways
(06:44):
to deal with public communication skills,retail skills, they're learning how to go
back out in the world and succeed. Yeah, so it's part of the
program is actually to work at Tabitha'sclosets. Yes. So the program consist
of ten classes a week and thenyou donate back twenty hours a week to
(07:05):
Tabith's Closet. When you come inthe door, there's no application fee,
there's no fee to get in.Everything is free. I wanted to first
of all, this is Elizabeth Barker. She's the outreach coordinator for Tabitha Ministry.
And of course the connection there withTabitha's Closet we've heard, which is
(07:26):
just a great way. I mean, maybe you have a go to place
where you donate things, Well,here's another option for you and you can
hear the good that it's doing.I've seen on the website there specifically are
literal houses as well. Are thesethe recovery homes or is this where the
program puts the individuals who come andsign up. Yes, so we have
(07:48):
a residential house, which is onehouse that houses six women at a time.
It's one year, and then asyou finish your year in your graduate
you'll go into the graduate program ifyou would like to. The graduate program
is a another house that allows thesewomen to kind of go out into society,
(08:09):
get a job, work on gettingtheir license back, save up money,
kind of in and out both ways, with that structure still in place.
Now, you had mentioned before thatone of your goals at Tabitha's is
to really help the women who comethrough their find the Lord. If someone's
maybe not at a spot yet intheir life but they need services, are
(08:30):
they still welcome to come to Tabitha'sMinistry and grow with you. Absolutely,
We love you exactly where you're at. You don't have to come in knowing
about God. You will come inand you will experience God. You will
know from the love of these womenwho are there, the volunteers that pour
(08:52):
into other ladies, the graduates thatare in the program. That's what made
me realize this happened for me too, watching the ladies who had went before
me, seeing their lives transformed,knowing that that was possible for them,
and it's going to be possible forme as well. You mentioned it earlier.
I kind of wanted to touch onthis as well. Maybe someone is
(09:15):
involved in an abusive relationship right nowand they're trying to figure out how do
I get out of that? Sometimesjust getting out of the situation is a
terrifying thing. You're there to helpthose folks as well. Right, Absolutely,
Tabitha's is not just an addiction program. We don't address that the addiction
(09:35):
or the abuse. We addressed whatunderlies beneath that. Why do we continue
to allow this to happen in ourlife. There's a reason that things happen,
and there's a reason that we stayin abusive situations. There's a reason
that we turn to addiction. Tabitha'soffers one on one counseling for these ladies
with the counselor that addresses those issues. So, no matter what it is,
(10:01):
you don't have to have an addictionproblem. You can just want to
turn your life around and we willoffer you that safety. We will offer
you that security and that stability inyour life to know that you can do
this on your own. A lotof women. I know I was.
I come from an abusive relationship myself. It's making that first step that is
(10:24):
the most terrifying, no matter ifit's nowhere, but just going to the
hospital and saying I am being abused, Please help me. They will help
you. They will get you tothe right connections to get you the help
that you need. The thing isyou have to be ready and trusting in
(10:46):
that individual to make that first step. Now, earlier in the interview,
Elizabeth, you had mentioned when youwalked through the door, Cindy Wagner was
there waiting for you to greet you. She's actually the founder of Tabitha's Ministry.
So walk when you know a littlebit about her story that you can
share what inspired her to open sucha great place. Absolutely so. Cindy
(11:07):
had a prison ministry for years,and she would watch these ladies in prison
get released, and they would goright back to the same places, people
and things, and then they wouldfall right back into the same habit and
they would come right back because theyhad no safe haven to go to,
no safe place to learn how totransform your life and relive life on life
(11:31):
terms. There's always a better way, But there was no place for these
women to do this, so shedecided that she was gonna offer that.
So it originally started that women comingout of prison would come here, spend
a year, get their life evenon a better track than it was from
(11:52):
being released from prison, learn newways of life, and then go out.
Yeah that's great. I think sometimesprison can be considered just a long
time out, but it doesn't reallychange you in the ways that you need
changing. I haven't heard yet howTabitha became the name. What's the story
there? Okay, So Tabitha,a lady who was in prison, wrote
(12:16):
Cindia letter and told her that thisshould be the name of the house because
in the Bible, Dorcas was broughtback to life and acts. So we
are the women who come in andwe were being brought back to life from
death to life. Oh wow,sorry, that just that really hit me
(12:37):
that that's such a great what agreat thing to base your organization off of.
Is a story of redemption, andthat's really what you guys are doing.
You're getting your second chance and beingable to be human again and get
out in the world. Yes,because Dorcas in the it's called Dorcas in
the Bible, but it refers toTabitha. Yeah, I know it's been
a dark subject that we've gotten intoit, and maybe it's a little shocking
(13:00):
if you just happen to have tunedin. But I feel like there's someone
listening right now who really needed this, and or they know someone who really
needs it. How can someone getin touch with Tabitha Ministry and get the
process started. We have a website. You go and you'll find the application.
You feel the application out, andyou send it back in and own
(13:24):
that website. There is a phonenumber for the ministry and that website,
by the way, is Tabitha Ministrydot com. I'm looking at the application
right now. It's right there onthe front page. You can't miss it.
Hey, let me ask you,if you don't mind personal question,
how are things with your kids now? Restoration is amazing. God has brought
restoration from my life. It hadbeen ten years since I had seen my
(13:50):
kids, and I now have arelationship with my oldest son who's wedding.
I attended, Oh my God,and was able to sit in the mother
of the Groom spot. I neverimagine that would ever happen. My youngest
son, he just had a baby. I was in the delivery room for
(14:11):
that, walk him through that.I not only have two sons now I
have two daughter in laws and abeautiful grand baby. And I am still
praying to God for restoration with mydaughter and life has not done. So
He's not finished yet and it's gonnahappen because that's a promise he made to
me in his word. Wow.Okay, yeah, dope is it.
(14:33):
It's got to be the pollen.Yep, that's what it is. Allergy
perfecting all of our eyes right now. Thanks for sharing that. I know
it was very personal today, butthanks for being here and all that you
shared. That's Elizabeth Barker, outreachCoordinator, It's Tabitha Ministry, and that's
it for this edition of Carolina Cares.
Welcome to Carolina Cares. I'm ScottieBlaisdell along with Hannah Tyler, and once
again we shine a spotlight on anorganization and an individual who has involved in
helping out the community in a uniqueand special way. So we want to
welcome Elizabeth Barker to the show.Thank you and Elizabeth, she's the outreach
(00:23):
coordinator. I believe I got thatright with Tabitha Ministry. Yes, what
is Tabitha Ministry? Tabitha Ministry isa residential home for ladies coming out of
addiction, abuse, prison who won'tto turn their life around and are looking
for something better in life, adifferent way of living. Did something draw
(00:46):
you to this program personally? Yes? I in twenty and eighteen, I
was committed into a mental hospital,was told I was going to receive help.
I at that time started finding numbersof places to go to. Tabitha's
Ministry was one of the places thataccepted me. And what was the situation
(01:07):
that put you there? I hadan eighteen year addiction from drugs and alcohol,
just no self worth whatsoever, wasat my rock bottom and knew that
this was not the way of lifeand that I was not going to continue
living that way. Can you talka little bit about your experience at Tabitha's
(01:27):
and what you all witnessed and wereable to be a part of. Yes.
Number one is the love, theunconditional love that was given to me
from the moment I walked in thedoor. I can remember Cindy Wagner and
Myra Wilson standing there with their armswide open, just offering me love.
Didn't matter what I had done.They didn't know me. All they cared
(01:49):
about was that I felt the loveand knew that there was a different way
of life and that they were goingto help me learn how to do that.
Now, Elizabeth, let's talk alittle bit if you don't mind.
I mean, you're sharing very personalthings here, and I realized that,
but I think maybe a lot offolks need to hear this raw experience that
you've had. Was there something inlife that caused addiction to be a part
(02:15):
of your life? Was it afamily history? How does someone get into
that situation? So for me,it was later in life. I was
twenty seven years old and I hada cosmetology job, worked in hair salons,
had a husband, had three kids. He decided he didn't want to
be a husband anymore. So thatleft me and my kids, and then
(02:38):
from there I turned to drugs andalcohol and it just slowly became my outlet.
I lost my job, I lostmy kids, I lost everything and
just relied on the quick fix ofalcohol. And then I would just go
further and fother into the drugs soI would not have to feel the pain.
(02:59):
Yeah, is addiction something that doesit sneak up on you. I
don't know how to ask that question. I mean, at first, it's
probably a bit of a relief.There's something that draws people to it,
right, and then at some pointyou realized I am in this deep?
What was that point for you?For me, it's we're not decided to
(03:22):
let go of myself worth. Inever imagine myself doing anything possible for money,
and I prostituted myself out. Atthat point, I knew that the
drugs had a bigger hold on methan anything in this life. You just
slip into it. You really don'trealize where you're going with it until you
(03:44):
wake up one morning and you're like, oh, I can't live without this.
I have to have that. Andyou will go to any means and
any extreme to get it. Whetherit be stealing, selling your body,
lying, cheating, it doesn't matter. The drug is an alcohol are the
most important things? Now you gofrom this point where you're at your rock
(04:09):
bottom, you find Tabitha's. Youtalk about just the love and acceptance as
soon as you walked in the door. But what are their programs like,
what's set in place for you toget to the spot where you are now
thriving? Oh so at Tabitha's duringthe year program, I was offered ways
of learning how to reprogram my brain, how to deal with anger on a
(04:32):
much better way. And when Ido get angry, I don't have to
act out on those feelings. Ican captivate that thought, rethink and process
a different way. The number onething at Tabitha's is we would love for
everyone to accept and fall in lovewith Jesus. When you fall in love
(04:53):
with Jesus and you allow him tobe the center of your life, he
will fix everything else around. Wecan't fix ourself without his help, and
through this program, I was giventhat opportunity. We have chapel, we
have classes daily, we have timeto go to work at Tabitha's closet to
(05:16):
give back to the community. Iwanted to actually thanks for sharing that,
and you mentioned Tabitha's Closet because Ihad seen that. I think there was
a thing with prom Yeah, thatwas done by Tabitha's What is the connection
from with the ministry and with Tabitha'sCloset. So the ministry was started twenty
(05:36):
year ago and then shortly after comeTabitha's Closet. It is a thrift store
on Highway to twenty in Summerville thatthe public gets to come in and they
shop and the proceeds go back intohelping fund this program for women to learn
(05:59):
and get and just retransform their lives. Tabitha's Closets we accept donations from the
public. You can take anything thatyou have learning around in your closet and
just take it up there and donateit and we will resell it. Just
know that by donating to Tabath's Closet, you're helping women transform their lives and
(06:19):
that's something that anybody can do.We all go through our closets and oh,
we don't wear this anymore, wedon't wear that, and then the
bag sits around forever and what agreat place to bring it to to not
only help your community, but helpwomen who really need it right now.
Yes, and also the women whoare actually going to this, who were
going to Tabitha's Closet, who arein the program, they're also learning ways
(06:44):
to deal with public communication skills,retail skills, they're learning how to go
back out in the world and succeed. Yeah, so it's part of the
program is actually to work at Tabitha'sclosets. Yes. So the program consist
of ten classes a week and thenyou donate back twenty hours a week to
(07:05):
Tabith's Closet. When you come inthe door, there's no application fee,
there's no fee to get in.Everything is free. I wanted to first
of all, this is Elizabeth Barker. She's the outreach coordinator for Tabitha Ministry.
And of course the connection there withTabitha's Closet we've heard, which is
(07:26):
just a great way. I mean, maybe you have a go to place
where you donate things, Well,here's another option for you and you can
hear the good that it's doing.I've seen on the website there specifically are
literal houses as well. Are thesethe recovery homes or is this where the
program puts the individuals who come andsign up. Yes, so we have
(07:48):
a residential house, which is onehouse that houses six women at a time.
It's one year, and then asyou finish your year in your graduate
you'll go into the graduate program ifyou would like to. The graduate program
is a another house that allows thesewomen to kind of go out into society,
(08:09):
get a job, work on gettingtheir license back, save up money,
kind of in and out both ways, with that structure still in place.
Now, you had mentioned before thatone of your goals at Tabitha's is
to really help the women who comethrough their find the Lord. If someone's
maybe not at a spot yet intheir life but they need services, are
(08:30):
they still welcome to come to Tabitha'sMinistry and grow with you. Absolutely,
We love you exactly where you're at. You don't have to come in knowing
about God. You will come inand you will experience God. You will
know from the love of these womenwho are there, the volunteers that pour
(08:52):
into other ladies, the graduates thatare in the program. That's what made
me realize this happened for me too, watching the ladies who had went before
me, seeing their lives transformed,knowing that that was possible for them,
and it's going to be possible forme as well. You mentioned it earlier.
I kind of wanted to touch onthis as well. Maybe someone is
(09:15):
involved in an abusive relationship right nowand they're trying to figure out how do
I get out of that? Sometimesjust getting out of the situation is a
terrifying thing. You're there to helpthose folks as well. Right, Absolutely,
Tabitha's is not just an addiction program. We don't address that the addiction
(09:35):
or the abuse. We addressed whatunderlies beneath that. Why do we continue
to allow this to happen in ourlife. There's a reason that things happen,
and there's a reason that we stayin abusive situations. There's a reason
that we turn to addiction. Tabitha'soffers one on one counseling for these ladies
with the counselor that addresses those issues. So, no matter what it is,
(10:01):
you don't have to have an addictionproblem. You can just want to
turn your life around and we willoffer you that safety. We will offer
you that security and that stability inyour life to know that you can do
this on your own. A lotof women. I know I was.
I come from an abusive relationship myself. It's making that first step that is
(10:24):
the most terrifying, no matter ifit's nowhere, but just going to the
hospital and saying I am being abused, Please help me. They will help
you. They will get you tothe right connections to get you the help
that you need. The thing isyou have to be ready and trusting in
(10:46):
that individual to make that first step. Now, earlier in the interview,
Elizabeth, you had mentioned when youwalked through the door, Cindy Wagner was
there waiting for you to greet you. She's actually the founder of Tabitha's Ministry.
So walk when you know a littlebit about her story that you can
share what inspired her to open sucha great place. Absolutely so. Cindy
(11:07):
had a prison ministry for years,and she would watch these ladies in prison
get released, and they would goright back to the same places, people
and things, and then they wouldfall right back into the same habit and
they would come right back because theyhad no safe haven to go to,
no safe place to learn how totransform your life and relive life on life
(11:31):
terms. There's always a better way, But there was no place for these
women to do this, so shedecided that she was gonna offer that.
So it originally started that women comingout of prison would come here, spend
a year, get their life evenon a better track than it was from
(11:52):
being released from prison, learn newways of life, and then go out.
Yeah that's great. I think sometimesprison can be considered just a long
time out, but it doesn't reallychange you in the ways that you need
changing. I haven't heard yet howTabitha became the name. What's the story
there? Okay, So Tabitha,a lady who was in prison, wrote
(12:16):
Cindia letter and told her that thisshould be the name of the house because
in the Bible, Dorcas was broughtback to life and acts. So we
are the women who come in andwe were being brought back to life from
death to life. Oh wow,sorry, that just that really hit me
(12:37):
that that's such a great what agreat thing to base your organization off of.
Is a story of redemption, andthat's really what you guys are doing.
You're getting your second chance and beingable to be human again and get
out in the world. Yes,because Dorcas in the it's called Dorcas in
the Bible, but it refers toTabitha. Yeah, I know it's been
a dark subject that we've gotten intoit, and maybe it's a little shocking
(13:00):
if you just happen to have tunedin. But I feel like there's someone
listening right now who really needed this, and or they know someone who really
needs it. How can someone getin touch with Tabitha Ministry and get the
process started. We have a website. You go and you'll find the application.
You feel the application out, andyou send it back in and own
(13:24):
that website. There is a phonenumber for the ministry and that website,
by the way, is Tabitha Ministrydot com. I'm looking at the application
right now. It's right there onthe front page. You can't miss it.
Hey, let me ask you,if you don't mind personal question,
how are things with your kids now? Restoration is amazing. God has brought
restoration from my life. It hadbeen ten years since I had seen my
(13:50):
kids, and I now have arelationship with my oldest son who's wedding.
I attended, Oh my God,and was able to sit in the mother
of the Groom spot. I neverimagine that would ever happen. My youngest
son, he just had a baby. I was in the delivery room for
(14:11):
that, walk him through that.I not only have two sons now I
have two daughter in laws and abeautiful grand baby. And I am still
praying to God for restoration with mydaughter and life has not done. So
He's not finished yet and it's gonnahappen because that's a promise he made to
me in his word. Wow.Okay, yeah, dope is it.
(14:33):
It's got to be the pollen.Yep, that's what it is. Allergy
perfecting all of our eyes right now. Thanks for sharing that. I know
it was very personal today, butthanks for being here and all that you
shared. That's Elizabeth Barker, outreachCoordinator, It's Tabitha Ministry, and that's
it for this edition of Carolina Cares.
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