Rob and Heather Dolby- From Addiction to Restoration

Hi this is Bernie didn't want them to the Salvation Army's words of life. Welcome back to words of life and I'm Bernie Dick welcome Bernie. This is the final episode of a highlight reel series. We hope you've enjoyed hearing some of these familiar voices all over again. Sharing an interview. Also, from the mental health series. In this interview were joined by Robin had ability as they shared their testimonies from addiction to restoration on which other girls were in short of the Salvation Army.

I would like to invite you to meet us on the holiness podcast which is a podcast each month where we do an in-depth Bible study on the subject of biblical witness.

Please come and join us. Wherever you get your podcast. That's the holiness podcast. God bless you Capt. Bob Dolby and Rev. Heather and had ability and we met urban missions training colleges Salvation Army hosted in Vancouver be in Canada were called. That was a two-year program where young people would come together and live incarnational he Vancouver is very unique place in the neighborhood the downtown Eastside where we lived. That's where addiction is pretty prevalent so the Salvation Army has an urban church planter and that neighborhood downtown Eastside of Vancouver. That's the neighborhood where I was homeless, expressing homelessness and living on the streets where I first entered a Salvation Army treatment facility called Vancouver Harbor light and now that's that's the place where literally I went to detox. And I remember showing up the door. You know I remember pressing the buzzer and just saying you know I've nowhere to go and I'm ready to ready do something different. I need help and that if you miss later, the door opens and others. An intake worker there that brings you in begins the process of detox and yeah I did note the time, but a whole experience that we like forever, so on the other side and have some right so grew up in a Christian home or grep attending church like a pleasant thing to come from a family support you love me back. Every family has their problems and so as I got older my life started really falling apart. As I made all my decisions which were terrible citizens you guys.

I was an adult, slight as a young adult is in my 20s and I know I had my own business and have our car and I had relationships and I had finger quote friends but I was right and is thinking heavily just to manage my life and I dislike this can't be all there is for me and so I remember my grandmother invited me to come to church with her on Sundays and then we have lunch together afterwards.

I love got together time so I'll go to church so I can hand afterwards and I began to meet people that were nice. I like them, but I really gas. I really believe that if they knew what I was like, like for reals they be like I thinks this is not the place for you. Please go now and so I would like had like a double life now and I remember it was Sunday afternoon. It was June 2, 2002 I was in my parents basement and my life is is falling apart and I remember I Artie worked my way through a pail of Margarita Max drink the whole thing on my own and I was making all these calls and even the guide always would answer even he wasn't answering for me and that's when I was dislike wow I'm that girl I make I am rejected, like I am. I am alone and then I was like why would I want to live this life like this, stinks, and I was just lay guide if you're real I need you right now because I don't want to live this life every day until I die. So if you're real like I need you to come and do something and so which is so funny except for like I watch movies with us. Like in the movie and I'm like crazy like he really did like he really did show up like he really the room like the basement that I was sleeping and my bedroom where I was alone began to fill with this tangible presence is felt lay safe. I just heard the voice of God say to me, Heather.

If you give your life to me, I'll make it new. Straight up it's like I'm keep it real kinda girl.

Lord I sent. I can't quit drinking so like what you some idea like I can't stop need to set again, if you give your life to me. I will make it new. That day was the last time I ever took a drink. In fact, it was the last time that I ever wanted to take a drink like the Lord just did this beautiful supernatural thing where he does remove this desire to push my feelings and my hurt, my brokenness away and now met with alcohol or other substances.

And I'm thankful for that. But interestingly – and that's I said like he's just so unexpected rot because by the time I got to Vancouver to that neighborhood. I was clean and sober look I wasn't using but I wasn't living life in fullness and so God did this fun thing where I thought I was in a go and offer something and learn something for people but really he put me right in the middle of a group of people on a journey to sobriety because we in that neighborhood.

There's a strong twelve-step presence and so I know if I knew at the beginning that that's what happened. I would been like.

I know I'm good thanks but the Lord he would be tricky with me and he knows what I need and he plopped me right down the middle of the committee people on a journey to sobriety. And so I began to learn not just how to not pick up anymore, but how to actually change my behaviors and allow God to transform you by the renewing of my mind and you and I talked about it before, but I really believe that Jesus save me but every day since then, the church, this body of believers. This Jesus family has held me when I want to cut and run when I want now just give up Bedouins and held me and reminded me of God, to be thankful for that. You know we've been talking about hope but also substances people use substances. That's the reality of addiction with alcohol was that shrubs toxic relationships, all kinds of things. Those are substances, but were also talking about the substantive nature of hope that's the right word. Hope is a substance but there's almost this feeling you when you're journeying with someone who may be as a family member experiencing addiction that doesn't almost feel irresponsible soon will just pray. God is good to be faithful. You know God is good to come through me while they're watching this person suffer sometimes on the street is horrible circumstances, but at the end of the day when you hear the stories that aren't just made up their lives being transformed often it's this this time where hope comes and then went hope when love comes in on shame you know all these other things are cast away like you said hope is powerful. This powerful anyone who has experienced addiction of some kind. Interestingly enough, this idea of God coming and people have like an experience that all the sudden like going from your addiction being something you enjoy a like using getting high like that first it's a thrill. But over time if were going to be honest, we become slaves to that and it's a life that leads us increasingly into darkness or disillusionment or depression and people feel like their lives are slipping away, they become more desperate and that this idea of there's no high like the most high is that he the God that created us light can set us free from that slavery and all the sudden we find ourselves found by him and life feels fresh and new, and so people can say you know what of any high felts. Lila's and my addiction that high quickly became a low because I was a slave to it. So to be able to break free from that into something completely fresh and new. That is hope supernatural elves, even in recovery. People talk about the pink cloud road which the they refer to the pink cloud is what you know your your first three weeks here. You're going to feel really good. But just wait, you know, until it all wears off from reality kinda kicks in, right, which is then it's gonna be hard and then it's going to require a lot of work which listen recovery, even discipleship is not easy like the requires discipline. It requires accountability things that your flesh naturally doesn't want to just do a survey but you know often as practitioners and mission. We get to say to people there's one thing we can promise you it's that not only are you love but you have an inherent worse because you're a child of God, you have hope that goes beyond the grave. Psalm 68 says that God takes the lonely and he sets them in the middle of the family well and I love that that's totally my story. I know that's your story to and because that was our experience that we went from being on the outside to a like life and family and acceptance and spiritual connection.

Somebody chose to open the door to us and I think you really have a hard time understanding the fullness of what it is to be a child of God unless you understand the family of God.

Even some of the church movements were seen today were society of the OpenTable right to be additional maybe even some people call it messy church, you know, just get together with people even if they don't have it all together and and find a way to make connections and share our testimony, share our Jesus story sure the word of God with people in those tangible ways them in the meal around the table beautiful gift. You know you and I been through a lot with helping people learn a lot of lessons we learned a lot from how people helped us in our story, but I believe I never go wrong when I'm trying to please the Lord. So I believe that the Lord moves in my heart and leads me elites on my comedian or my family to help someone in a certain way, then I feel comfortable doing that even if that's not the time the person has their aha moment and everything changes for them because I remembered us to touch points along the way.

In my journey and I know you have some in yours where somebody did something that was extravagantly loving or extravagantly generous that that touched us deeply, but it wasn't I changing moment.

It wasn't like that spiritual breakthrough, but it contributed to that day that would come. So God uses everything, even if it doesn't happen the way I wanted when I wanted a like what you said you know your to bring more people into the circle trusted people and that's a good place to be of a pastor that you trust. You know of a small group leader that you can really trust you and justify one person estimate just so you know I just need you to pray for me rationally to pray for my son. There's a lot going on and just start there because it's not something that one person can handle is not something that you can fix for somebody. The Salvation Army's mission doing the most good means helping people with material and spiritual needs to become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and love to hear from you. Email us@radiouss.salvationarmy.org or call 1-800-229-9965 colitis PO Box 29972, Atlanta, GA 30359 tell us how we can help share prayer requests for sugar testimony would love to use your story here. You can also subscribe to our show on iTunes podcast store and surely give us a rating search for the Salvation Army's words of life always on social media for the latest episode extended in abuse and more. And if you don't have a church home. We invite your local sub worship center will be glad to see you join us next time for the Salvation Army's life