Stay tuned to meet a man that was robbing people 00:00:01.06\00:00:03.66 involved in kidnapping and drug sales... 00:00:03.70\00:00:06.49 My name is Yvonne Lewis and you're watching 00:00:06.53\00:00:09.29 Urban Report... 00:00:09.32\00:00:10.45 Hello and welcome to Urban Report... 00:00:31.30\00:00:33.58 Today our guest is Jeffrey Cobb Founder and Director 00:00:33.62\00:00:37.62 of Shelter from the Storm Ministry 00:00:37.65\00:00:40.14 Jeffrey... welcome to Urban Report... 00:00:40.18\00:00:42.88 Welcome... It's so good to have you here... 00:00:42.92\00:00:46.90 we have a lot to cover and you have such a powerful 00:00:46.93\00:00:51.88 testimony... I want to talk about 00:00:51.92\00:00:54.41 your testimony and also what you're doing now... 00:00:54.45\00:00:56.45 so let's kind of... go back and look at the way your life 00:00:56.49\00:01:00.20 used to be... tell us who you were... 00:01:00.23\00:01:02.60 when you were growing up... 00:01:02.64\00:01:03.81 When I was growing up I was raised in Miami 00:01:03.85\00:01:08.90 and for years... over 20 years I was robbing, kidnapping, 00:01:08.94\00:01:12.86 shoot-out... down with crooked judges and lawyers 00:01:12.90\00:01:16.23 and, you know, selling drugs all through the City of Miami... 00:01:16.26\00:01:19.96 Now, when you were a child, 00:01:20.00\00:01:24.11 did you come from a two-parent household or 00:01:24.15\00:01:26.88 a single-parent household? 00:01:26.92\00:01:27.98 Two-parent... 00:01:28.02\00:01:29.86 So you had your dad and your mom there... 00:01:29.90\00:01:32.23 What kind of parents were they? 00:01:32.26\00:01:34.40 Were they strict... or were they lenient? 00:01:34.43\00:01:37.33 They were strict parents... strict parents... 00:01:37.37\00:01:40.37 strict parents... 00:01:40.40\00:01:41.90 so, because usually, you know, the story that we often hear 00:01:41.93\00:01:46.80 is that... a kid comes from a single-parent household 00:01:46.84\00:01:52.06 and then he goes into all kinds of juvenile 00:01:52.10\00:01:55.22 delinquency activities, and anti-social behaviors... 00:01:55.26\00:01:58.63 but it sounds like... 00:01:58.66\00:02:00.12 you came from a kind of strict household... 00:02:00.16\00:02:03.98 with a dad and a mom... so, at what point 00:02:04.01\00:02:07.76 did you kind of go... to the left and go astray... 00:02:07.79\00:02:11.53 Oh, that was... one day... you know... 00:02:11.56\00:02:15.06 my mother was saying, "Hey, you... " 00:02:15.10\00:02:18.53 I was about 14... she said, "I'm not going to force you 00:02:18.57\00:02:22.13 to go to Church... no more... you have to make that decision" 00:02:22.16\00:02:26.69 and all the while, you know, my mind was always... 00:02:26.72\00:02:30.08 because the world is always pulling on you... 00:02:30.12\00:02:33.08 always... so we should say that, I was like, 00:02:33.11\00:02:36.04 "Hey, this is my opportunity" 00:02:36.07\00:02:37.51 Ah... and so... were you going to School regularly... 00:02:37.54\00:02:42.80 were you, kind of, cutting classes... 00:02:42.83\00:02:45.84 What were you doing in School? 00:02:45.88\00:02:46.98 I was going to School regularly, as a matter-of-fact, 00:02:47.01\00:02:49.75 I was an "A" Student you know I played football 00:02:49.78\00:02:54.33 and was respectful... by the Community at that time 00:02:54.36\00:02:58.58 and everything... and planned... probably won in football 00:02:58.62\00:03:02.27 and all that... always got the "Most Valuable Player" 00:03:02.31\00:03:06.35 so I was well known as a nice kid in the neighborhood... 00:03:06.38\00:03:10.40 so you were a nice kid, from a two-parent household, 00:03:10.43\00:03:14.88 making "A's" in School... and one day your mom says... 00:03:14.92\00:03:19.16 "You don't have to go to Church anymore... " 00:03:19.20\00:03:21.92 How did that affect you? Right... she said she... 00:03:21.96\00:03:24.33 How did that affect you? 00:03:24.37\00:03:26.21 I think that affected me a lot because, I think... 00:03:26.25\00:03:32.98 she should have kept a handle on me a little longer 00:03:33.02\00:03:36.50 and I just encourage parents... 00:03:36.53\00:03:40.61 "You know you need to keep 00:03:40.65\00:03:42.59 the discipline on your kids a little longer... " 00:03:42.63\00:03:46.59 Right, so, what did you start doing at 14... 00:03:46.62\00:03:50.54 or was it a little bit later? 00:03:50.58\00:03:52.17 No, it was about... between the ages of 14 and 15... 00:03:52.21\00:03:57.87 my brother was a big drug dealer... 00:03:57.91\00:04:00.63 and all the while... I used to watch him... 00:04:00.66\00:04:02.75 with the drugs and all that... 00:04:02.79\00:04:05.22 but he would never let me touch it... 00:04:05.26\00:04:07.57 Ah... so your brother was a drug dealer... 00:04:07.60\00:04:11.55 Wow! okay, so... see now... forgive me... 00:04:11.58\00:04:15.49 but I'm a little confused... 00:04:15.53\00:04:17.84 because if your parents were strict... 00:04:17.87\00:04:20.36 but you guys like really... were you like 00:04:20.40\00:04:22.86 tricking your parents or something... 00:04:22.89\00:04:25.20 because if they were so strict... 00:04:25.23\00:04:27.65 how did you become a drug dealer? 00:04:27.68\00:04:30.03 I'm not trying to indict your parents in any way... 00:04:30.06\00:04:32.57 but I'm just trying to understand 00:04:32.61\00:04:33.85 how this could happen... in a household 00:04:33.89\00:04:37.22 where the parents were kind of... strict... 00:04:37.25\00:04:39.92 See, my brother... he wasn't living with my parents... 00:04:39.95\00:04:43.07 Oh... okay... he was living there... 00:04:43.10\00:04:46.42 I was living with my parents but even though you always 00:04:46.45\00:04:49.82 you know, I go by... I visit my brother... 00:04:49.85\00:04:53.31 I see... okay... so your brother was up and out... 00:04:53.35\00:04:57.18 your brother was up and out of the house 00:04:57.21\00:05:00.34 and you would go and visit him 00:05:00.38\00:05:01.65 and you wanted to get involved in the drug scene 00:05:01.69\00:05:04.31 and he said, "No" Right... 00:05:04.34\00:05:07.08 So was he the one then that ultimately allowed you to do it 00:05:07.12\00:05:10.53 or did you go behind his back and do it with someone else? 00:05:10.57\00:05:13.95 No, he's the one that allowed me to do it 00:05:13.99\00:05:17.73 because one time... you know... 00:05:17.77\00:05:19.11 he told me to just stay... at his house 00:05:19.15\00:05:23.10 where he used to keep the drugs 00:05:23.13\00:05:25.52 and one day I just got something 00:05:25.55\00:05:27.98 because a lot of the guys kept asking me... 00:05:28.01\00:05:30.42 "Where's your brother, oh man! he's got some good drugs" 00:05:30.45\00:05:32.65 so, one day, I just got some of it... 00:05:32.69\00:05:34.99 and went out on my own... 00:05:35.02\00:05:36.75 Oh! so you took some of your brother's drugs 00:05:36.78\00:05:40.31 and went to sell it yourself... 00:05:40.34\00:05:42.79 When he came back he was like, "Where's the rest?" 00:05:42.82\00:05:45.73 he said, "Hey man... you've been in here?" 00:05:45.76\00:05:47.27 I was like, "Yeah" and I just showed him my hand full of money 00:05:47.30\00:05:51.06 he was like, "Yeah... " 00:05:51.10\00:05:52.46 he said, "Man, be careful... 00:05:52.49\00:05:54.40 I'm just going to give you... this much... " 00:05:54.43\00:05:55.79 I said, "Nah, I'll only sell to the ones that I know... " 00:05:55.82\00:05:58.07 Wow, wow, wow... you know, it's interesting to me 00:05:58.10\00:06:02.51 Jeffrey that... Satan knows your potential 00:06:02.54\00:06:07.77 just like, of course, God knows His plan for you... 00:06:07.81\00:06:11.33 but Satan also knows the skills that you have... 00:06:11.36\00:06:14.84 and he'll want to take those skills... 00:06:14.88\00:06:17.31 and sidetrack them into something that's destructive 00:06:17.35\00:06:21.23 whereas God has this positive plan for you 00:06:21.27\00:06:24.30 that He wants to give you... but sometimes 00:06:24.34\00:06:27.33 we just kind of go off 00:06:27.37\00:06:28.50 and we have to build the testimony... so to speak... 00:06:28.54\00:06:31.76 and that's what happened here... so, your brother said, 00:06:31.80\00:06:34.99 "Okay, I see that you have some skills... 00:06:35.03\00:06:37.88 because you brought me back some money... 00:06:37.92\00:06:39.46 so, let me now... help you with this... " 00:06:39.49\00:06:41.98 so, he then, kind of turned you on to that world then... 00:06:42.01\00:06:47.42 Yes... So, that was around 15, you said 00:06:47.46\00:06:52.10 around 14 or 15... Yes... 00:06:52.14\00:06:53.57 so then... what happened... to get you... incarcerated? 00:06:53.60\00:06:59.22 how did you end up in jail? 00:06:59.26\00:07:01.46 How I ended up in jail was... my brother, later in life, 00:07:01.49\00:07:09.73 he got killed on the motorcycle, so after that... 00:07:09.77\00:07:13.40 I started with a bigger Organization... 00:07:13.43\00:07:16.03 you know, and like I said, again you know Organization 00:07:16.07\00:07:20.61 with drug dealers, judges, lawyers, police officers, 00:07:20.64\00:07:25.74 so, I went for a long time... of selling drugs... 00:07:25.77\00:07:30.80 but what happened one time, I sold to an undercover officer, 00:07:30.83\00:07:34.80 I see... I see... so... 00:07:34.84\00:07:38.00 back up for a second... 00:07:38.03\00:07:41.12 how old were you when your brother got killed? 00:07:41.16\00:07:43.58 I was about 17... 00:07:43.62\00:07:47.44 And at that point... what effect did your brother's 00:07:47.48\00:07:52.76 death have on you, what effect did it have? 00:07:52.80\00:07:55.83 It had a tremendous effect because he was my god... 00:07:55.87\00:07:59.38 Ah... so you had put him on a pedestal... 00:07:59.42\00:08:04.83 Yes... Yes... and he ended up... 00:08:04.87\00:08:07.98 was he killed instantly, did he have... 00:08:08.02\00:08:11.46 was he in the hospital for a little bit... what happened? 00:08:11.49\00:08:16.50 No, it was instantly... you know, he... 00:08:16.53\00:08:20.12 it was raining one day and a car pulled out 00:08:20.16\00:08:23.74 and he was trying to dodge a car and ran and hit a tree... 00:08:23.77\00:08:27.20 and I went over there and observed him 00:08:27.24\00:08:32.29 breathing his last breath... 00:08:32.33\00:08:33.93 Oh, so you saw... you saw what happened 00:08:33.97\00:08:37.33 you were there when he took his last breath? 00:08:37.36\00:08:39.50 Yes... Oh, that had to be so, so, 00:08:39.53\00:08:43.00 incredibly painful for you... 00:08:43.04\00:08:44.52 so, from then on... then... it sounds as though 00:08:44.55\00:08:49.30 then you decided... 00:08:49.34\00:08:50.90 you were going to go to the next level... 00:08:50.93\00:08:53.49 instead of that event turning you around... 00:08:53.52\00:08:56.04 it kind of propelled you further into this drug dealing 00:08:56.07\00:09:01.09 and robbing and then ultimately 00:09:01.12\00:09:04.21 selling to an undercover officer... 00:09:04.24\00:09:07.48 Yes... Once you were in jail... 00:09:07.51\00:09:10.65 did you decide while you were in jail 00:09:10.68\00:09:15.37 that when you got out you were going to continue 00:09:15.41\00:09:17.45 or you were going to change? 00:09:17.48\00:09:18.75 The first time... the first four or five times... 00:09:18.78\00:09:23.66 I just spent a lot of time in jail 00:09:23.70\00:09:27.77 and once I got out... I was just... you know... 00:09:27.80\00:09:30.91 couldn't wait to go back... 00:09:30.94\00:09:33.11 You couldn't wait to go back? 00:09:33.15\00:09:35.29 Yeah, to sell drugs... 00:09:35.32\00:09:37.12 Oh... I thought you meant you couldn't wait 00:09:37.16\00:09:39.55 to go back to jail... I was like, "Whoa... " 00:09:39.59\00:09:41.88 So, once I got released... I said, "Hey, I get a chance 00:09:41.91\00:09:46.10 to get back in and do what I love doing... " 00:09:46.14\00:09:48.86 Yes, one of the things that has been told to me 00:09:48.89\00:09:51.58 is that... if you go into jail 00:09:51.61\00:09:54.40 and you're not that experienced 00:09:54.43\00:09:57.15 you are surrounded by experts in the field, so to speak... 00:09:57.19\00:10:02.06 so you can learn how to really be a better criminal 00:10:02.09\00:10:05.84 in jail... and then come out and use that... 00:10:05.87\00:10:08.98 and that's... one of the things that we're trying to do... 00:10:09.02\00:10:11.94 with Dare to Dream... and you've already been on 00:10:11.97\00:10:14.24 one of our Programs on The New Journey... 00:10:14.28\00:10:16.14 and you gave your testimony, we really appreciated it... 00:10:16.18\00:10:18.71 I wanted to kind of re-cap it... for our Viewers 00:10:18.74\00:10:23.62 that didn't get to see that Program... 00:10:23.65\00:10:25.28 but one of the things we were trying to do with 00:10:25.31\00:10:28.53 Dare to Dream is to show people 00:10:28.56\00:10:31.81 that God does have a better way for you... 00:10:31.85\00:10:34.75 that even if you get sidetracked from the plan that He has... 00:10:34.78\00:10:39.05 God does have a plan for you... 00:10:39.09\00:10:42.71 and that's why you're here today... 00:10:42.75\00:10:45.56 Tell us how you found Jesus now... 00:10:45.60\00:10:49.04 Okay, the last time I got arrested... 00:10:49.07\00:10:52.48 I was facing 30 to life in prison... 00:10:52.52\00:10:55.21 and I prayed and I was saying, "That's it... " 00:10:55.24\00:10:59.87 and I said, 00:10:59.91\00:11:01.04 "Lord, if you get me out of this one... 00:11:01.07\00:11:03.17 then I'll serve you till I die" and right there 00:11:03.21\00:11:08.51 at the Dade County Jail... I gave my life to Jesus... 00:11:08.55\00:11:12.71 Wow! now, okay... you were raised as a Christian 00:11:12.75\00:11:18.73 you went away from it... so that seed was planted 00:11:18.76\00:11:22.75 as a child... correct? Yes... 00:11:22.78\00:11:25.81 and that again... the Bible says "Train up a child 00:11:25.84\00:11:28.99 in the way he should go: and when he is old, 00:11:29.02\00:11:30.52 he will not depart from it... " 00:11:30.56\00:11:31.93 doesn't mean that they might not leave 00:11:31.96\00:11:34.15 but that seed is there so that seed was planted in you 00:11:34.18\00:11:38.80 and you knew to call upon the name of the Lord, 00:11:38.83\00:11:42.28 when you were in trouble... Yes, ma'am... 00:11:42.31\00:11:45.32 so you called upon Him... and what happened? 00:11:45.35\00:11:49.89 Once I called upon the Lord, and I spoke to the Lord, 00:11:49.93\00:11:56.23 I was like, you know... "I want to know truth... 00:11:56.26\00:12:00.54 I want to know the truth about you Jesus... " 00:12:00.58\00:12:04.83 Hmmm... Hmmm... Did you feel that before... 00:12:04.87\00:12:08.07 you didn't know the truth about Him? 00:12:08.10\00:12:11.32 No, no, it was just chain gang religion... 00:12:11.35\00:12:15.32 Ah... explain... Oh, chain gang religion... 00:12:15.35\00:12:18.97 you go in... you go to Church... you pray, 00:12:19.01\00:12:22.34 you carry your Bible under your arm but 00:12:22.38\00:12:25.65 as soon as you leave, you leave your Bible at the 00:12:25.68\00:12:28.59 Bus Station... Got you... got you... 00:12:28.62\00:12:30.93 so it's that "convenient deal" with... "Oh Lord, help me... " 00:12:30.97\00:12:35.31 and then when He helps you and you're out... 00:12:35.35\00:12:37.08 then it's like... "Okay, I'll talk to you later... 00:12:37.12\00:12:39.56 forget about it... " Yes... 00:12:39.60\00:12:41.03 Okay, but this was a different experience... 00:12:41.06\00:12:44.04 this was real for you this last time was real for you 00:12:44.08\00:12:48.43 Correct? Correct... 00:12:48.47\00:12:50.19 And so what happened... when you said, 00:12:50.22\00:12:52.67 "I want to know you now... I want to know the truth" 00:12:52.71\00:12:56.24 what steps did you then 00:12:56.27\00:12:58.65 put into play... 00:12:58.69\00:13:00.12 to get to know him? 00:13:00.16\00:13:01.56 What I did was... 00:13:01.60\00:13:03.32 I started praying... and then I started to read 00:13:03.35\00:13:07.83 His Word more... listening to Christian Programs 00:13:07.87\00:13:12.16 then I started going to Church 00:13:12.20\00:13:14.13 Okay, okay, so this was real this time... 00:13:14.16\00:13:19.07 Yes... How did you go from being 00:13:19.10\00:13:24.75 an ex-offender to the Founder of a Ministry... 00:13:24.78\00:13:28.81 tell us how you did that... 00:13:28.84\00:13:31.07 How that came about where... 00:13:31.11\00:13:33.26 once I accepted the Lord... this guy came and I asked him 00:13:33.30\00:13:40.72 "Was he going to go to Church?" we became friends... 00:13:40.76\00:13:43.51 and he said, "I don't go to Church on Sunday" 00:13:43.54\00:13:47.09 he said, "Saturday is the day" and I got kind of mad with him 00:13:47.13\00:13:52.96 and at that point... I was like... Saturday? 00:13:52.99\00:13:56.89 And you got mad at him... 00:13:56.93\00:13:58.57 Yeah, because, I was like 00:13:58.61\00:14:00.18 "Saturday? I don't like this guy he's mad!" 00:14:00.22\00:14:02.55 Hmmm... hmmm... once I went... 00:14:02.58\00:14:06.97 because they still gave me time in prison... 00:14:07.01\00:14:10.10 and once he told me about Saturday... 00:14:10.14\00:14:13.08 once I got to the South Florida Reception Center 00:14:13.12\00:14:16.63 the prison system in Miami, 00:14:16.67\00:14:19.89 I told some of my friends that you know, 00:14:19.92\00:14:23.04 "I wasn't living that life no more... " 00:14:23.08\00:14:26.08 that I was giving my life to Jesus... 00:14:26.12\00:14:28.49 and so they said, "Hey, come along and go to 00:14:28.52\00:14:31.21 Church with us... " and I went ahead and went to Church 00:14:31.25\00:14:34.73 then the guy was talking about "Saturday was the day" 00:14:34.76\00:14:38.20 I got mad again... 00:14:38.24\00:14:40.34 So, what did you do? 00:14:40.37\00:14:42.40 After that... I went one time and I just waited to 00:14:42.44\00:14:51.32 which camp they were going to ship me to... 00:14:51.35\00:14:54.12 to do the rest of my time... 00:14:54.15\00:14:55.68 Oh, were you on probation or something... 00:14:55.72\00:14:58.21 you were on probation, parole or something in between? 00:14:58.24\00:15:00.93 Yes, I was on parole... I violated... 00:15:00.96\00:15:03.36 Okay... so what I was trying to do was 00:15:03.39\00:15:05.77 just get out again... Okay, okay... 00:15:05.81\00:15:08.12 And so, once they transferred me to Gainesville... 00:15:08.16\00:15:11.87 and I met some more guys from Miami... 00:15:11.91\00:15:14.54 and they said, "Oh, we want to introduce you 00:15:14.58\00:15:16.98 to some Christian brothers here... " 00:15:17.01\00:15:18.42 they did my homework... you know and introduced me 00:15:18.46\00:15:21.41 and I got to Gainesville and these guys said, 00:15:21.44\00:15:23.43 "We're going to go to Church" 00:15:23.47\00:15:24.55 I said, "I'll be ready on Sunday" 00:15:24.59\00:15:26.52 they said, "No, Saturday... " 00:15:26.56\00:15:27.63 "Hmmm... hmmm... So I was like, "Saturday?" 00:15:27.66\00:15:30.83 and I was like... "Here goes this Saturday junk again" 00:15:30.87\00:15:34.55 So, you just kept getting it from all sides... 00:15:34.59\00:15:37.31 every time you looked up somebody was saying it... 00:15:37.35\00:15:40.94 Oh, what I did... I went with them and after that 00:15:40.98\00:15:44.48 you know, I just totally surrendered my life to Christ 00:15:44.51\00:15:48.82 and it brought a peace... it brought a calm peace... 00:15:48.86\00:15:53.11 in my heart... happiness that words can never explain 00:15:53.14\00:15:57.36 Yes... amen... amen... 00:15:57.40\00:15:59.68 so, once you gave your life to Christ... 00:15:59.72\00:16:04.12 and you started going to Church on the Sabbath... on Saturday... 00:16:04.16\00:16:09.28 when did you... you were on parole... 00:16:09.32\00:16:12.21 you had violated... but then you got back out 00:16:12.25\00:16:14.56 you were going to Church on the Sabbath... 00:16:14.59\00:16:16.83 were you going back to the prisons to visit then 00:16:16.87\00:16:21.04 and to minister to the inmates there? 00:16:21.07\00:16:24.30 What happened was... 00:16:24.33\00:16:26.57 once I got out and I stayed in Gainesville... 00:16:26.61\00:16:29.78 the last place I wanted to go to was a prison... 00:16:29.82\00:16:32.96 Yes, you don't want to be there at all... 00:16:33.00\00:16:35.63 I did 6 months in Belleair... in six facilities in Miami... 00:16:35.66\00:16:41.02 and I have been to prison 4 times... 00:16:41.06\00:16:43.45 so, I'm like... 00:16:43.48\00:16:45.38 "That's the last place I want to go" so I was like, 00:16:45.41\00:16:47.64 "Whoever is in prison... they just stay there 00:16:47.68\00:16:50.20 I'm not going to visit... " so what happened... 00:16:50.24\00:16:52.67 I was praying and I said... "Lord, where do you want me?" 00:16:52.70\00:16:56.79 and God asked me to go to the Juvenile Detention Center 00:16:56.82\00:17:00.87 here in Gainesville... 00:17:00.91\00:17:02.22 so I went there... I ministered there 00:17:02.25\00:17:04.85 for a while... and then there was a big 00:17:04.89\00:17:07.58 Prison Ministries Banquet in Gainesville... 00:17:07.61\00:17:10.27 and they asked me to be the speaker... 00:17:10.31\00:17:13.23 and I spoke... and after that... it was about 3 Chaplains 00:17:13.27\00:17:17.73 asked me to come to their prisons... 00:17:17.76\00:17:19.59 Ah... and when they asked you what was your immediate reaction 00:17:19.63\00:17:25.28 when they asked you... I didn't know... 00:17:25.31\00:17:28.11 I didn't want to... 00:17:28.14\00:17:29.46 I prayed and I asked the Lord to send me a sign... 00:17:29.50\00:17:33.68 and when three asked... 00:17:33.72\00:17:35.28 it came to me... as that was in 00:17:35.31\00:17:38.07 the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost... 00:17:38.10\00:17:40.16 Hmmm... hmmm... hmmm... 00:17:40.19\00:17:42.61 How did you feel when you first went into the 00:17:42.64\00:17:45.75 prison... as part of a ministry versus as an inmate? 00:17:45.79\00:17:51.65 Oh, it was a blessing 00:17:51.68\00:17:53.42 because it was the first time 00:17:53.46\00:17:57.96 I ever went to a prison and wasn't on the other side 00:17:57.99\00:18:02.39 of the fence... Yes... yes... 00:18:02.42\00:18:06.95 And after 20 years... you know, 35 years of my life... 00:18:06.99\00:18:11.84 that I'm on the other side, and I didn't have to worry about 00:18:11.88\00:18:17.00 me sleeping in the bed or the bars that has been locking me up 00:18:17.03\00:18:22.12 when they come at night... Yes... yes... so God showed you 00:18:22.16\00:18:27.38 His plan for you to go back into the prison system 00:18:27.42\00:18:32.81 and to witness... tell us about Shelter from the Storm 00:18:32.84\00:18:38.20 what is that ministry? 00:18:38.24\00:18:39.59 This is a ministry for men and women 00:18:39.63\00:18:42.38 released from the jails and prisons 00:18:42.42\00:18:45.20 to help them get back on their feet... 00:18:45.23\00:18:47.94 what just came about when I accepted the message 00:18:47.97\00:18:51.70 I asked the Prison Ministry Leader... 00:18:51.74\00:18:54.30 that I wanted to go to a Transition House... 00:18:54.33\00:18:57.72 of the Adventist Faith... 00:18:57.76\00:18:59.91 and the guy said that there wasn't one 00:18:59.94\00:19:03.14 and right then, you know, 00:19:03.17\00:19:05.99 that wasn't a good thing... 00:19:06.03\00:19:08.78 because I was seeing these other guys like myself 00:19:08.82\00:19:13.24 that have accepted this message in prison 00:19:13.27\00:19:16.28 and needed somewhere to go where they can strengthen 00:19:16.31\00:19:20.27 their faith in the Seventh-day Adventist belief... 00:19:20.30\00:19:24.23 Yes, now, would you explain to our Viewers 00:19:24.26\00:19:27.44 what is a Transition House... what happens... 00:19:27.48\00:19:30.52 what's that about? 00:19:30.55\00:19:32.05 Because many people don't know what that is... 00:19:32.09\00:19:34.21 A transition House is to give someone a place to come 00:19:34.24\00:19:37.87 when they get out of prison... because before you get released, 00:19:37.90\00:19:41.37 you need an address... and if you're on probation 00:19:41.40\00:19:44.30 or on parole... they're not going to release you 00:19:44.34\00:19:47.16 till they come by that place... that facility and making sure 00:19:47.20\00:19:52.28 that it's an "Okay Facility" no drugs 00:19:52.32\00:19:57.62 or no kind of foul place... 00:19:57.66\00:19:59.46 so that's a place where you can come 00:19:59.50\00:20:01.09 and study the Word of God and get a job and 00:20:01.12\00:20:04.31 to ease back into Society... 00:20:04.34\00:20:09.57 That's wonderful... so, how many residents do you have 00:20:09.61\00:20:15.09 at Shelter from the Storm right now? 00:20:15.13\00:20:18.21 Right now, I have five residents... 00:20:18.24\00:20:21.25 six men and two women with one on the way... 00:20:21.29\00:20:25.27 And what's a typical day... like... walk us through a day 00:20:25.30\00:20:31.03 at Shelter from the Storm... 00:20:31.06\00:20:33.36 What we do... in the morning is... you get up... 00:20:33.39\00:20:38.53 and sometimes it's an individual thing... 00:20:38.56\00:20:41.09 sometimes they have prayer together... 00:20:41.12\00:20:43.47 sometimes they have prayer individually... 00:20:43.51\00:20:45.79 and then after that... it's their duty to go look for 00:20:45.82\00:20:50.98 a job... we ride on the bus line 00:20:51.02\00:20:53.55 or sometimes the Resident Manager will take them 00:20:53.58\00:20:56.91 to a Job Center where they can get on the computer 00:20:56.94\00:21:00.23 and look for jobs and also myself... 00:21:00.26\00:21:03.45 I know some people that since I've been engaged with 00:21:03.48\00:21:09.34 for 15 years... with businesses that I talk with them about 00:21:09.38\00:21:14.94 hiring some of the guys that come in... 00:21:14.97\00:21:17.37 Also, the Lord has blessed Shelter from the Storm 00:21:17.41\00:21:21.19 with a Lawn Service... sometimes... one of the guys 00:21:21.22\00:21:24.97 who's been working with the Lawn Service 00:21:25.01\00:21:26.43 Oh, praise the Lord... when you say 00:21:26.47\00:21:30.18 the Lord's blessed you with a Lawn Service... you mean, 00:21:30.22\00:21:32.49 you have access to a business that you can send 00:21:32.52\00:21:36.52 the ex-offenders to or you guys own a Lawn Service? 00:21:36.56\00:21:40.97 Yes, Shelter from the Storm owns a Lawn Service... 00:21:41.01\00:21:44.39 Oh... that's wonderful... because it seems to me that 00:21:44.43\00:21:49.52 one of the problems is... once an ex-offender is released 00:21:49.56\00:21:54.62 an inmate is released from prison... 00:21:54.65\00:21:57.86 it's so difficult to get work... to get employment 00:21:57.90\00:22:01.95 because a lot of employers don't want to hire ex-offenders 00:22:01.99\00:22:06.14 so, one of the things that I read... is that 00:22:06.18\00:22:09.44 it's important to either have your own business 00:22:09.48\00:22:12.67 if you can... which... how many people have the money 00:22:12.71\00:22:14.84 to do that or to have some kind of connection 00:22:14.87\00:22:18.67 so that you can get a job because it's so difficult 00:22:18.70\00:22:22.45 and then, if you can't get a job 00:22:22.48\00:22:24.50 it just pushes you back into 00:22:24.54\00:22:26.49 that whole life of crime... because that's all you know... 00:22:26.53\00:22:29.30 Absolutely... So, thank the Lord, 00:22:29.33\00:22:32.66 you guys have this wonderful ministry 00:22:32.70\00:22:35.96 where people can come... learn the Word of God, 00:22:35.99\00:22:39.35 and get work... 00:22:39.39\00:22:40.82 how supported is Shelter from the Storm 00:22:40.86\00:22:44.89 by the Church... is the Church supporting you? 00:22:44.93\00:22:47.51 The Church is supporting the Ministry 00:22:47.55\00:22:50.81 but I believe, in my heart, that we can do more 00:22:50.85\00:22:55.51 because I think this year we may be turning away 00:22:55.55\00:23:00.17 at least 20 people... that wanted to come 00:23:00.21\00:23:04.16 to the Ministry and my beds are full... 00:23:04.20\00:23:08.08 and yesterday... there's a guy who heard about 00:23:08.12\00:23:11.32 the ministry... and he came on the bus 00:23:11.36\00:23:14.11 four days from California, but I was full... so... 00:23:14.14\00:23:17.99 I have a Condo as my office, so right now, 00:23:18.02\00:23:21.87 I'm putting him in my office, you know, because I didn't have 00:23:21.90\00:23:26.28 no room... so he rode the bus four days to get here 00:23:26.32\00:23:30.79 and I couldn't turn him away... 00:23:30.83\00:23:32.52 and we have other people that we have turned away 00:23:32.56\00:23:37.47 and it's really a need... and it's a burden on me 00:23:37.50\00:23:42.35 because of the calls I get, and my secretary talked to me 00:23:42.38\00:23:48.13 about it... and that we can accommodate them 00:23:48.17\00:23:51.26 you know it's places that are available in Gainesville 00:23:51.30\00:23:55.54 for to expand... I think we need to expand... 00:23:55.57\00:24:00.84 and one guy that just came before that... 00:24:00.87\00:24:06.05 he got out of prison and went to another city, 00:24:06.09\00:24:09.27 he ends up in Gainesville... 00:24:09.30\00:24:10.88 and he was living in the woods homeless... 00:24:10.91\00:24:14.52 and he ended up at the Adventist Church 00:24:14.55\00:24:18.08 and we met another guy that came to the ministry 00:24:18.12\00:24:22.89 for a couple of days... he was sleeping in the woods 00:24:22.93\00:24:26.77 with a tent... after he got out he had 50 dollars 00:24:26.81\00:24:30.17 he saved water and some munchies... and a large tent 00:24:30.21\00:24:33.17 from the Super Wal-Mart... and went across the street 00:24:33.20\00:24:36.09 and he was living in the woods, so we went at 2 o'clock 00:24:36.13\00:24:39.75 in the morning to get him out of the woods 00:24:39.78\00:24:42.53 and he is the one that's working with me with the Lawn Service 00:24:42.56\00:24:46.63 and Sabbath... he took his stand to be baptized 00:24:46.66\00:24:50.24 Praise the Lord... that's wonderful... 00:24:50.27\00:24:53.97 it's so heart wrenching to hear that someone was living 00:24:54.01\00:24:58.52 in the woods... in a tent... I mean... especially when 00:24:58.55\00:25:03.03 there is a place that you want to expand to... 00:25:03.07\00:25:07.54 and to have more beds... we're going to 00:25:07.57\00:25:09.75 put your website up so that people can know 00:25:09.78\00:25:13.13 how to reach you... would you tell us what your... 00:25:13.17\00:25:15.71 or do you have a website right now? 00:25:15.74\00:25:18.47 I don't... I don't... What's the best way to reach you 00:25:18.50\00:25:21.00 Oh, you can reach me at telephone 352-336-7462 00:25:21.04\00:25:28.76 Say that number again for us please... 00:25:28.80\00:25:31.07 the number is 352-336-7462 00:25:31.10\00:25:37.28 Thank you... and tell us briefly... 00:25:37.32\00:25:40.29 what are the needs for Shelter in the Storm right now 00:25:40.33\00:25:45.11 I know you need funds... do you need equipment 00:25:45.14\00:25:48.24 what else do you need to really propel this ministry? 00:25:48.27\00:25:51.49 Yes, right now what we really... my desire is also to expand 00:25:51.52\00:25:58.20 the Lawn Service... you know with more rides, 00:25:58.24\00:26:01.17 more trailers and trucks because then I can go do some 00:26:01.21\00:26:05.80 contracts, you know, on the side of the road... 00:26:05.83\00:26:08.70 highways... because if you noticed... 00:26:08.73\00:26:11.93 you see guys from prisons doing that type of work 00:26:11.97\00:26:17.31 when they are in prison... so, to get more lawn equipment 00:26:17.35\00:26:21.26 and also, the Lord has blessed with a thrift store 00:26:21.29\00:26:25.12 there is a community right in the back of the thrift store 00:26:25.15\00:26:28.03 there's a big parking lot 00:26:28.06\00:26:29.56 what I would like to do there is do a car wash 00:26:29.59\00:26:32.85 to hire some of the guys and the women are doing 00:26:32.88\00:26:36.67 detailing of cars to bring money in to expand 00:26:36.71\00:26:40.47 the ministry... we really need 00:26:40.50\00:26:42.81 the ministry expanded... I'm getting calls from Texas 00:26:42.84\00:26:47.24 we're getting it because this is the only Transition House 00:26:47.27\00:26:50.31 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church... 00:26:50.35\00:26:52.42 Wow, well thank you so much for being with us 00:26:52.46\00:26:56.24 this has been so eye-opening, we so appreciate your ministry 00:26:56.27\00:27:00.77 and what you're doing... and I pray that our viewers 00:27:00.81\00:27:03.47 will hear what the needs are 00:27:03.50\00:27:06.81 and then really come... come to your aid... 00:27:06.84\00:27:09.83 as we should... 00:27:09.86\00:27:11.09 as brothers and sisters in the Lord... 00:27:11.12\00:27:12.73 Thank you Brother Jeffrey for being with us... 00:27:12.76\00:27:14.96 Thank you and God bless you too. 00:27:14.99\00:27:17.33 Jesus came to set the captives free... 00:27:17.36\00:27:20.96 today you've met a man set free from his sordid past 00:27:21.00\00:27:24.63 and sharing his love for Jesus with others... 00:27:24.67\00:27:27.11 What are you doing for the Lord? 00:27:27.14\00:27:29.12 We may not have been involved in street crimes 00:27:29.15\00:27:32.11 but many of us have crimes of the heart that no one sees... 00:27:32.14\00:27:35.32 Jesus wants to set you free from all the holds that 00:27:35.35\00:27:39.48 imprisons you... 00:27:39.51\00:27:40.66 why not invite Him into your heart today... 00:27:40.70\00:27:43.03 You've heard Brother Jeffrey, 00:27:43.07\00:27:45.57 you've heard the needs that he has with his ministry... 00:27:45.61\00:27:48.99 Please... let the Holy Spirit impress you as to how much you 00:27:49.02\00:27:53.47 should share... how much you should give... 00:27:53.50\00:27:55.74 to help that ministry... thanks for tuning in... 00:27:55.78\00:27:58.56 join us next time... it just wouldn't be the same 00:27:58.60\00:28:01.34 without you... 00:28:01.38\00:28:02.81