Gospel Con Carne

If you've listened to the Gospel Con Carne podcast long enough, you know that relationships and the importance of community are recurring themes. This week's episode is a little more personal in nature, as host Alan Graham is joined by his older brother, Harrell, for a conversation down memory lane. The Graham siblings reflect on growing up in a time when community seemed to have a different meaning, and talk about the relational challenges of being raised in a household that was stricken with mental illness. Harrell and Alan also share the many ways Community First! Village is focused on building community in a generation that seems to be missing it, and find themselves in agreement on an important piece to the community puzzle—knowing your neighbors.

It takes a Village, along with a loving community, to lift up our neighbors who are living on the streets and bring them home to Community First! Village. Alan's guest this week on the Gospel Con Carne podcast is no stranger to navigating this multifaceted process. Leah Hargrave is the founder of The Charlie Center, a homeless hospitality and navigation center in Austin, and has moved more than 30 men and women to Community First! Village through her relentless focus on connecting with and serving our friends who are experiencing homelessness. Through her years of homeless ministry, Leah has realized how her own life experiences help her relate to our most vulnerable neighbors and better understand the deep need we all have for community.

We're back with season five of the Gospel Con Carne podcast! So many new faces are being welcomed home to Community First! Village, and we're excited to be able to share more of our neighbors' stories with you. This week, Alan is joined by his neighbor Helen, who takes us on a deep dive into her career as a nurse in the UK and her journey over to the United States. Helen stumbled into a long season of burnout and addiction, which ultimately led to recovery and a new-found sense of purpose through her work as an artist in Community First! Village.

On the season finale of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by the Executive Director of Foundation Communities, Walter Moreau. Like Alan, Walter is a "do-er." Foundation Communities currently has more than 20 affordable housing communities which serve about 7,000 families and single adults throughout Austin and North Texas. The organization also provides education opportunities and other support services to help empower its residents to achieve educational success, financial stability and healthier lifestyles. Listen in as Walter and Alan discuss the value that comes with getting to know our neighbors, as well as the future collaboration planned between Community First! Village and Foundation Communities to lift more of our homeless friends up off the streets.

As a prankster with a contagious laugh heard throughout Community First! Village, joking around has always been a defense mechanism for this week's Gospel Con Carne guest, Phil, as he has faced challenges throughout his life. While Community First! Village is a place where our formerly homeless neighbors can engage on a journey of restored hope and dignity, healing from years of trauma and addiction takes time. Listen in as Phil opens up about his ongoing challenge of trying to move away from a lifestyle he has known for so many years, to one based on his desire to be clean and have restored relationships with his now-grown kids. Phil also shares what he has learned about the value of being honest with yourself and not being afraid to reach out and tell someone when you're struggling.

As a prankster with a contagious laugh heard throughout Community First! Village, joking around has always been a defense mechanism for this week's Gospel Con Carne guest, Phil, as he has faced challenges throughout his life. While Community First! Village is a place where our formerly homeless neighbors can engage on a journey of restored hope and dignity, healing from years of trauma and addiction takes time. Listen in as Phil opens up about his ongoing challenge of trying to move away from a lifestyle he has known for so many years, to one based on his desire to be clean and have restored relationships with his now-grown kids. Phil also shares what he has learned about the value of being honest with yourself and not being afraid to reach out and tell someone when you're struggling.

This week at Mobile Loaves & Fishes is all about celebrating our volunteers, and the Gospel Con Carne podcast is no different! Alan's guest, Noble Doss, has been volunteering with MLF for more than three years in our Community Market. Our Community First! Village neighbors visit the on-site market daily for basic necessities, and also treat it as a gathering spot with other neighbors and visitors. Noble brings camaraderie to the market, building deep connections with the men and women he sees on a regular basis. He's even been known to show up in costumes for special occasions! Hear Noble's journey as a doctor, and lessons he has learned in his work about the commonality we share as human beings. We are so grateful for volunteers like Noble who bring care and compassion to their roles as we serve our friends who have experienced homelessness along with our brothers and sisters who are still living on the streets.

After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, our guest on this week's Gospel Con Carne, Brian Bell, recalls traveling back to what was left of his damaged home to gather his belongings and set off on a new path in life. He headed to Austin, Texas with hopes of starting over, but the loss of his job along with a deep depression which halted his motivation left Brian in an unexpected state of homelessness. Countless days and nights of traumatizing experiences led him to wonder - "How did I get here?" Now, after only six months of living in Community First! Village, Brian is an active and engaging neighbor who has worked for our culinary program and also our bed-and-breakfast operation. As he settles into his new community, Brian believes the deep-rooted anger he has previously experienced in life has helped him see and better understand the importance of trying to ease people's suffering through the simple act of kindness.

At Mobile Loaves & Fishes, we believe that the single greatest cause of homelessness is a profound, catastrophic loss of family. This week's guest on the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Letty, experienced not the physical loss of her family, but the loss of having no one to love and care for her. Being told from a young age that she wasn't supposed to be born, and bullied by peers and family her entire life, Letty found herself living on the streets off and on for almost eight years before moving to Community First! Village last September. Despite the many obstacles Letty has faced, she has persevered, and has done so while utilizing what she has found to be a simple yet powerful relational tool—a smile.

Community First! Village is a place where men and women from different walks of life find restoration and healing, and our Missional neighbors play a vital role in this process through intentional relationship building. Christina Hite and her husband, Dustin, have been living in the Village missionally for almost a year. Although they've never personally experienced homelessness, the Hites have a deep understanding and connection to our formerly homeless neighbors who have been a part of several broken systems. After deciding to foster children, the Hites started a family with their now adopted daughters and have shared their hearts for ministry with their girls in many ways. Living in Peoria, Illinois with no intention of moving, a tour of Community First! Village in 2019 changed everything. After a lengthy season of discernment, the Hites moved to Austin with their daughters to live full-time alongside formerly homeless men and women who are healing from the ravages of the streets. Hear their compelling story along with some profound nuggets of wisdom they have learned from their daughters along the way of their unexpected journey together.