Gospel Con Carne

Growing up on a ranch with her family in West Texas, Community First! Village neighbor Eddie Jean learned what hard work looked like at a young age. Today, she continues this strong work ethic and earns a dignified income by creating beautiful paintings and ceramic pieces through our Art House program. Eddie Jean's story, however, hasn't always been a palette of bright colors. After encountering a series of deaths in her family, Eddie Jean ultimately ended up homeless and living out of her car. Despite immense grief and loss throughout her life, she has always seen the light in her circumstances and leans on her past to share unconditional love with everyone around her.

When Mobile Loaves & Fishes first began moving neighbors up off the streets of Austin and into permanent homes in Community First! Village in 2015, the neighborhood was a small, close-knit community. Now, with almost 350 formerly homeless men and women living in the Village, it takes more of an effort to really get to know your neighbors. Alan's guest on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne, Bowie, has been living in the Village for just over a year, but this is the first time the two of them have met! After alcohol consumption controlled his life for many years and eventually led to his time living on the streets, Bowie is now almost 20 years sober. Today he finds hope in his relationship with God and enjoys sharing this joy with the rest of his neighbors in the Village.  

Gospel Con Carne host Alan Graham often describes Community First! Village as a peaceful place with a side salad of tension—and when many of these moments of tension arise around the neighborhood, the team knows just who to call. Michelle Ates helps our neighbors resolve conflict through restorative justice. Growing up as one of the only black people in her school classes, it wasn't until Michelle went to a Historically Black College that she realized her upbringing had been more privileged than the majority of her classmates. She uses her experience to help our friends transitioning out of homelessness to transform stereotypes they had of people who don't look like them, and ultimately helps us all to realize that we're not so different from one another.   

A self-proclaimed free-spirit with a merry laugh, Alan's podcast guest and neighbor, Kate, grew up in the UK where she and her mother gardened every day, spending much of her time in nature. After traveling to the United States and later divorcing her husband in search of freedom, Kate eventually found herself living under a bridge. Although she enjoyed being surrounded by the creatures of nature that she loves, Kate chose to adjust her living situation and made her way home to a place of permanence in Community First! Village. Today she stays active gardening throughout the Village as part of the property beautification team, and also enjoys painting and writing poetry again. Facing adversity at several points along life's journey, Kate has learned how to best overcome challenging times simply by never giving up.

Our guest on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne goes by 'Sippi' – short for Mississippi – and has been a neighbor in Community First! Village for just more than a year. While it's easy to realize where Sippi's roots originated, he made his journey west to Austin, Texas as a young adult where he encountered a more challenging season of life in and out of homelessness for the greater part of a decade. Growing up as a star athlete with access to things that could get him into trouble, Sippi says he quickly learned that "there's a bad guy in all of us." Even during the dark times he experienced, however, Sippi kept his faith in God's plan, listened to His call and feels that he has now found the place he can call home.

If you've ever taken a tour of Community First! Village, then you're probably very familiar with this week's guest on the Gospel Con Carne podcast. Our neighbor Ute has been living in the Village for about five-and-a-half years and is one of our incredibly talented artists who earns a dignified income from the pieces she creates and sells through our on-site Art House program. Although she is extremely grateful for where she is in her life right now, Ute remembers the rougher times she endured while she was homeless for 10 years. Listen in as Ute shares her beautiful journey of living in Germany to eventually finding her home in Austin, and how she is able to extend grace and patience to her neighbors after restoring these necessary qualities in herself.

The Gospel Con Carne podcast is back for a new season of meaningful conversations with your host, Mobile Loaves & Fishes’ Founder & CEO Alan Graham! Whether having experienced homelessness or not, all of Alan’s guests are individuals who understand the value of community. This week’s guest, Alan’s neighbor Brandon, is no exception. Growing up in the foster care system, transferred from family to family five times, Brandon has learned firsthand how surrounding oneself with good company—even under vulnerable conditions—brings joy, hopefulness and a desire to encourage others who may be struggling to experience a similar level of goodness. Join us for this hope-filled conversation as we kick-off the 2023 season of the Gospel Con Carne podcast!

We are wrapping up this season of the Gospel Con Carne podcast with a powerful conversation with Tim Hawks, Lead Pastor of Hill Country Bible Church. A man of great faith who has been sharing the story of the Gospel in Austin for the past three decades, you'll hear a common theme behind Tim's vision that has connected his congregation to the work we do at Mobile Loaves & Fishes in serving our most vulnerable neighbors. Tune in as Tim discusses the benefits of stepping out of the comfort zone that our culture has created—one that leads to isolation and a sense of busyness—and into a life of adventure that God has wired us to thrive in: community.   

We often say at Mobile Loaves & Fishes that our missional community is the secret sauce of Community First! Village. Alan’s guest on the podcast this week, Paul Gautier, and his wife Carol have devoted their lives to serving our neighbors every day by living in the Village as Missionals. Paul and Alan met back in 2002 on an MLF truck run and now, 20 years later, continue to serve Austin’s most vulnerable neighbors together. Paul shares an experience that he says was the biggest step in his faith journey and how he has learned the easiest way to live out the acts of the apostles—being in relationship with others.

Many of the neighbors living in Community First! Village experience mental health problems—some easier to identify than others. Alan's guest on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne, Shea, is on the autism spectrum and remained undiagnosed until later in her adult years. It took becoming homeless for Shea to seek mental health assistance, discovering that her difficulty in social settings, which caused her to become socially isolated and depressed, was deeper than she thought. Now, living in Community First! Village for more than three years, Shea finds dignity and healing through her work on our Genesis Gardens team. Tune in as Shea shares her story of living isolated on the streets of Austin to now living in a community where she is known and loved.

For two years, no one in Community First! Village knew or saw much of our neighbor Blair due to a health condition that left him believing he needed to stay in his home. Now, after living in the Village for more than four years, going a day without seeing him out and about in the community is quite unusual. As the unofficial "mayor" of Community First! Village, Blair finds purpose encouraging his neighbors to start a new beginning in the Village—a place where they will be fully and wholly known and fully and wholly loved by their community, all judgement aside. Today, after facing his fear of coming outside his home, Blair exudes a palpable excitement for life while fulfilling what he believes is God's purpose for him of being a good friend and neighbor to everyone he encounters.

When you would lie in bed at night as a child and dream about what you wanted to be when you grew up, like Alan's guest Jason, maybe you dreamed of being a rockstar or an artist. One thing Jason never dreamed about was being homeless. At one point in his journey, however, that became his reality. After living through the storms of life on the streets and then laying down roots in Community First! Village almost a year ago, Jason now expresses elements from his personal experiences through the incredible detail of his art—reigniting and living out the dreams of his youth. 

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.  

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.