I was born in Akron, Ohio on February 13, 1955. I was adopted soon after birth by my great uncle and aunt, Otha and Alva Fullard. I was brought to Hazlehurst, Georgia and that’s where my life began to unfold.

I grew up under the parentage of these two beautiful Christians in which I was nurtured in every way possible according to God’s word. I was taught how to be honest, how to respect others, how to give and share, how to worship God, and what it meant to live the life of a Christian.

In August of 1965, at the age of 10 years old I was baptized during a gospel meeting at the Hallspur church of Christ. My zeal for knowledge of the Word of God at that time was incredible. My desire to tell others in my sixth grade class about the Lord brought forth some opposition, but the encouragement from my parents kept me focused.

As I grew and matured, I began to experience the peer pressure from the other children my age. When they went to the movie theater and to the afternoon dances that was sometimes held at the school I was limited in my ability to participate. My parents didn’t want to keep me from my peers, but they felt the need to censor my activities and keep me focused on the Lord.

Every thing changed once I reached eighth grade. My parents decided that it would be better for me to go to a Christian type school instead of the public school I attended. Someone had told my mother about a Presbyterian school, called Boggs Academy, located in Keysville, Georgia. It was suppose to be a college prep school. It was a boarding school with a “good reputation” and the thought was to help me be around other Christian thinking kids my age.

Good ideas aren’t always the way they seem. Once reaching Boggs, I found that several of the kids had been sent from their respective neighborhoods in NY, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, etc. by their parents, hoping to get them away from the potential problems of urban life. Once these kids hooked up on this small campus in rural Georgia they began to incorporate many of the things that their parent was trying to shelter them from.

The peer pressure became too hard for some one like me who wanted to belong. I had been sheltered from many of the things such as cigarettes, alcohol and drugs while living at home with my parents. Although these things were prohibited on the campus at Boggs, they still crept in when kids returned from vacations home.

I began my first vice of smoking cigarettes at twelve years old. I use to slip behind the boy’s dormitory and smoke with the guys who had permission to smoke from their parents. During that time guys who got a letter in writing from their parents could smoke. I was not about to ask my parents to give me permission but I still smoked.

In my junior year someone slipped in a fifth of vodka for me and my roommate to drink for our junior-senior prom. I got plastered before going to the prom. This was my introduction to alcohol.

In my senior year someone brought some marijuana back during the holidays. I bought some and tried it for the first time. It was found to be the in thing to do by all the “cool” guys at that time. I wanted to be “cool” too.

Although college brought me closer to home, I continued to experiment with drugs and alcohol. Four quarters later I dropped out of college and moved to my birth home, Akron Ohio. More reasons to find and hang out with “cool” people was waiting in Ohio. More reasons to do more drugs presented itself.

As you can see, the pattern of using more and more substances to help me try to fit in increased. As years progressed and locations changed, the substance abuse followed me where ever I went, but in the back of my head I wanted to get back to the person I used to be before I used my first substance. I wanted to be ten years old again.

In 1988 I tried my first hit of crack cocaine. I thought I had finally found the answer. I was an Emergency Medical Technician in Atlanta, Georgia at the time and knew all the dangers this drug carried. Somehow, in my mind, it was worth the risk.

I began smoking once or twice a month when I first started. It wasn’t long at all before that changed to every two weeks when I got paid. Finally, I was smoking crack every day. I would smoke up my two week paycheck in two days. I would borrow money from credit cards once that was gone. I would borrow from friends and family as long as I could.

I tried to stop on my own many times to no avail. I went into a treatment center on April 14, 1989 and stayed clean for about sixty days before relapsing. I tried getting clean again and remained clean for about ninety days that time, but I seem to be drawn back to that crack pipe.

Finally, after almost a year of relapse I had had enough. Although I seem to be battling with a lot of guilt and shame I crawled into a treatment center for a seven day detoxification period on September 5, 1990. I have not had the need to use any drug or alcohol since that date.

God has been with me throughout this struggle. He has freed me from the bondage these substances put on me. He can do the same for you or someone you might know that struggle from addiction. All He need is the willingness from you to let him in.

In 2004 I founded Three Corners Christian Recovery Residences, Inc. for Christian men that struggle from substance abuse.  This is a ten month residential program that allows men to recover from substance abuse while changing spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally, vocationally, and any other way God may want them to change.

We are located just north of Hazlehurst in Jeff Davis County. Our goal is to become a Christian based recovery community known around the country by Christians looking for a “City of Refuge” from the vices of Satan. We are supported by Hazlehurst church of Christ and other congregations along with individuals around the country.

If you would like to help us provide this most needed resource please contact Wayde Fullard at 912-379-9188 or 912-253-9047. You can visit our website at www.threecornersministries.org or email us at threecorners@bellsouth.net