Homeless

  • Homeless

    THE COAT I WANTED TO KEEP

    I know it sounds silly, but I had a coat I just couldn’t bring myself to part with. It wasn’t expensive. It wasn’t fancy. But it carried memories: long walks with my kids, coffee runs with friends, and even a season of my life when God carried me through more than I realized at the  time. Every time I cleaned out my closet, I would stop at that coat, run my hand along the sleeve, and think, “Not this one. Not yet.” But one morning while I was praying, I felt that unmistakable tug. Soft, steady, but persistent. Give it away. I argued with… Read More

  • Homeless Labor Loving Your Neighbor

    THE BARBER WHO LISTENS

    I give free haircuts once a week to men coming out of jail, rehab, or homelessness. People ask me why I do it, and the truth is simple: I know what it feels like to look in the mirror and not recognize the man staring back. Years ago, I went through my own season of darkness. I wasn’t in jail, but I might as well have been - stuck in choices I didn’t know how to get out of, ashamed of who I’d become, and convinced God had run out of patience with me. One day, a man invited me to sit… Read More

  • Children Homeless Labor Unique Ministries

    KETURAH’S HAVEN

    My story started in Jamaica when I was 17. I left home because I disliked my parents’ strict rules. When I left to live with my brother, I found myself in a situation that was not conducive to a young girl. After four weeks, he tried to return me to my parents. Halfway there, I decided I was old enough and responsible enough to find a job without having a place to live. A man near my father’s age offered me a big job. I thought he would protect me, but he took me into his home, and I lost my innocence. He… Read More

  • Homeless Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries

    FROM NEEDING TO LENDING A HELPING HAND

    Useless. Sad. Worthless. Those were my emotions when I experienced homelessness for the first time in 2006. Addicted. Uneducated. Criminal. That wasn’t me. I was just a mom who couldn’t afford permanent housing for me and my three children. Unfortunately, I’ve experienced homelessness three times in life because daycare costs for children are expensive, and I wasn’t receiving child support from their father. I also couldn’t afford to pay rent even though I was employed because I made too much money to qualify for government assistance. When I felt useless, sad, and worthless, I had to shield my emotions to protect my children’s mental… Read More

  • Adoption/Foster Care Children Homeless

    MY JOURNEY OF HEALING

    I apprehensively dressed for the day, carefully choosing all black to project the most intimidating image that I could. Black nails and lipstick, eyeliner, shirt and pants. It was the day my little sister and I were being taken from the orphanage where we’d been for the past three years to a private children’s home. As the child services vehicle wound its way through the mountains of Costa Rica, I fought dismay at the thought of living in the jungle. I remember praying as a child that God would save me from the cycles of witchcraft, parties, drugs, and violence that… Read More

  • Homeless Labor Loving Your Neighbor

    PEOPLE LOVING NASHVILLE

    When I first traveled to Kenya with my wife, God really opened my eyes to how people of different statuses are created in His image. This means they deserve the same love and dignity as anyone else. I felt moved by this, and wanted a practical way to apply it when I returned home to the States. God answered my prayers when I was job searching. I looked for business management positions, but He called me to work for a homeless ministry. Created in His image, people who live outside deserve the same love and dignity as anyone… Read More

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