Dear DAP Family:
My husband and I, Rev. & Mrs. Robert Reid, Sr., are humbled to share our testimony. First, we want to thank God for His servants, Cliff and Freddie Harris.
In one of the darkest episodes of our lives, while dealing with our son, Robert Reid, Jr. and his drug addictions, we were divinely directed to the Drug Alternative Program via the Internet!
We called Cliff Harris and after interviewing Robbie, his dad and me, Cliff agreed to accept Robbie into the program. Still, just a little hesitant, I asked my brother in California who lived only a half-hour from DAP, to check out the program. The next day, he went unannounced to see the facility. He called and said, “Send him there! You could eat off the floor. The place was well run and spotless.” As a retired Air Force Colonel of 35 years, he spoke from experience. Robbie arrived at DAP within 48 hours. This was over 23 years ago.
Robbie graduated from DAP in California in 2004. He returned to DAP in Alabama after a relapse in November 2019. Once again, Robbie is under the sacred umbrella of his spiritual mentors, Cliff and Freddie Harris. We give ‘God the glory’ for calling and choosing this Divinely Anointed couple. God bless them for 34 years of ministry helping men addicted to drugs. “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the “Life” in your years.”
Speaking of Robbie, “(God) has made all things beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) Let me explain. In 1976, before my husband and I married, I asked God to ‘strike my womb barren’; that I would rather have no children if they were not going to serve him. And I added, if any SEED comes from my womb, I would take it as a ‘Covenant’ (a promise from God) between me and God that my child would serve Him. I never shared this episode with God with anyone! Ready for this, Robbie was conceived on our honeymoon…LOL
Fast forward – Robbie earned a full scholarship to college but was not able to perform to his expectations. We later found out that he had been drinking alcohol a lot. We withdrew him from school and brought him home. God subsequently blessed Robbie with another full scholarship at Liberty University, a Christian school with discipline and structure. Robbie did so well academically that he was given a 50% grant from Liberty to stay and earn his master’s degree. Even though he achieved that goal, I could tell that he was depressed.
He came home and started working and drinking alcohol. I finally realized that he had also started to use drugs. Within two years after Graduate School, Robbie ended up in jail for being the transporter of people stealing to get money to buy drugs.
This was a turning point for me, spiritually. You see, I had always rescued Robbie or tried to fix my son by myself! I would do things behind my husband’s and my pastor’s back, to try to ‘save’ Robbie. I would pray and ask God to help him, to deliver him from this curse, but then I would take the ‘control reign’ again and again and again…
Robbie went to jail. My husband said he was not paying for an attorney. I could have easily paid for an attorney by myself (taking control again), but I am so thankful to God that He knew I wanted to be obedient to my husband and my pastor, so I followed God’s call…for once!
Since this was Robbie’s first (and only) offense, he was given probation. Robbie agreed to attend Teen Challenge, a Christian Rehabilitation Program. After completing the program at Teen Challenge, he was sober for eight years, got married but sadly he soon relapsed. He returned home and his father told him he could not stay. Robbie said, “Mom, where am I going to go?” I could not save my son anymore. I went upstairs and looked out the window and watched him leave and then just stared at an empty street in the night.
The next day I went to church and we had a guest speaker. People were in the prayer line. I was not interested in all of that. My mind was solely on Robbie. Once prayer line only had one person left, I jumped up and got in the line, being the last person. When I stepped before the preacher, he went to raise his hand to my head, but, rather, he stepped back. He looked into my eyes and spoke these words in the first person… “I am a Covenant Keeping God.”
Soon after that, Robbie came home and asked if we could help him. He said he did not want to live the life of a man addicted to drugs. I had nothing to say… I had given up control. His father said yes. Robbie moved in and continued working. He would always keep a job. ☺ He did not ‘appear’ to be on drugs; he was so happy to be home, he started washing the dishes and cleaning up the TV room. One day, he came and knelt beside our bed and asked if we would pray with him for God’s direction.
The following day, I came home from work and just sat in my car. I asked God to direct our path concerning our son. Instantly, I decided to call Freddie. I discussed the current situation with her. Cliff was on the speakerphone and said, “Where is Robbie?” His voice was like God speaking from heaven. I ran the cell phone into the house and gave it to Robbie. About a half-hour later, Robbie came in our bedroom, kneeled down with that Robbie SMILE on his face and said, “Mr. Harris said I could come back to DAP.” Robbie’s face was ‘radiant’. Just the thought of being with his spiritual parents again brought LIFE and HOPE back to him.
Last week he called and said he was thinking about staying in Alabama when he graduated. As if that was not enough wonderful news for me to hear, he also said these words that will ring in my heart forever. “Mom, I like it here!”
In conclusion, my pastor husband is a man of ‘few’ words. However, several months ago, Robbie’s father spoke these words, “Robbie has changed.” God truly has, “made all things beautiful in its time!”
It was over 30 years ago when Jim and I first met Clifford and Freddie Harris. My sister was at a church event where Clifford was giving a testimony of how God had delivered him from the abuse of drugs. To be honest, I was annoyed when my sister called me and said, “You have to help these people raise money.” I told Sheryl that I had so many clients at the time and couldn’t take anymore. But it was too late. Sheryl had already given the Harris’s our phone number and Monday morning they came to our office – and again, that was over 30 years ago. In that time, we have had so many wonderful moments together.
One of the best is the way we’ve been able to help DAP clients go through the program. And just this past week, we found out that Lonny Shattuck who we sponsored, visited Allen Davis in jail and brought him to the program. Allen graduated in January and is now the House Manager and Work Therapy Supervisor for DAP. This is how God works from one person to another.
This is the DAP story. God has something for each of us to do. And right now, we all need to be open to God’s work.
Please open your heart and your hands this month. There are so many young men who need God’s gift of freedom today. Will you please help? Will you be part of the circle of love and giving at DAP? Thank you so much for your gift today.
With love,
Jim & Dorothy Valcarcel, 
DAP Supporters for 30+ years and more to come!
