Charli Vos is experiencing homelessness and receiving help in city shelters.

Charli was raised in a violent and segregated town in Texas and experienced human trafficking as a child. She was abused from the time she was very young until she left her biological family when she was about thirty years old. Charli unknowingly had PTSD and utilized drugs and alcohol for many years to mentally escape her circumstances.

Charli hit rock bottom and started rehabilitation. She has been sober since 2013.

Charli attributes her miraculous healing to God and relies on her Catholic faith to navigate each day and share the love of God with others. She is grateful to have adopted the Holy Family as her own.

Lindy WynneNovember 15, 2024homeless, Room in the Inn, shelter, day shelter, homelessness, nashville, streets, living, living on the streetsComment

I'm A Miracle with Dorris Walker-Taylor of Thistle Farms

Dorris Walker-Taylor is a survivor of sexual exploitation and addiction, as well as a graduate and now employee of the program that helped save her, Thistle Farms. Dorris landed at Thistle Farms after twenty-six years of addiction. She attributes the women at Thistle Farms for loving her back to life.

Dorris grew up with her parents in a lovely neighborhood where everyone knew each other. When she was twelve her world shattered—a troubled family member severely injured her mother and killed her father.

Dorris tried to numb her feelings through marijuana. Once marijuana didn’t have the same effect, she started using cocaine. Dorris was addicted to cocaine, lived on the streets of Nashville and was in and out of jail by the time she was an adult.

Dorris talks of her mom’s home as a praying home. When Dorris returned home at her mother's request to sing in a choir reunion. Dorris obliged and sang, "You're Looking at a Miracle" by Lemmie Battles.

Dorris had no idea that her mother's prayers, coupled with this request for her to sing, would change her life just as the song said: miraculously.

The tagline of Thistle Farms is “Love Heals” and they believe love is the most powerful force for change in the world. Thistle Farms was founded in 1997 by Becca Stevens and helps rescue women from human trafficking, sexual exploitation, addiction and abuse.

The Heart of Mary with Kim Derrick

“This is a story God wrote.”

God planted a seed in Kim's young heart to accompany and care for the sick and dying as an adult.

Kim was raised in a family in which the members surrounded one another in all the joys and sorrows of life, including death. She didn't realize until adulthood that this was not every person's experience.

As a hospice nurse it broke Kim's heart that there were so many people poor and dying who had nowhere to go.

With the help of Saint Edward Church in Nashville, TN and others who shared in her desire to help the poor and dying, Kim created "The Heart of Mary House" to love God's children during their final days as Our Blessed Mother would want.

Lindy WynneNovember 15, 2024hospice, Kim Derrick, Kim, Derrick, Heart of Mary, Our Blessed Mother, poorComment

Radical Empathy with Tim Forbes, Judge Dinkins Educational Center

Tim Forbes scored a goal at his college lacrosse game and looked up to see who was cheering loudly--Tim will never forget spotting his friend, Santis, as well as a young, homeless man they had befriended, James.

Tim learned "radical empathy" through his encounters with James.

Tim was touched by James' humanity and saw Christ residing in him--James also ministered to Tim.

Through this experience in his young adulthood, coupled with many years of ministry and a career in Catholic school administration, God has taught Tim to practice empathy with those he serves, as well as those he disagrees or struggles with.

Tim senses God's call to hope and serve in all circumstances--he is now working at the Judge Dinkins Educational Center, which "provides juvenile vocational training in Davidson County for adolescents who might be at risk or engaged with the juvenile or criminal justice system. The Center’s programs are supported by social and emotional learning and focused on sustainable, hands-on education for long-term employment." Learn more at jdecnash.org.

Praise in Action with Juliana Stachurski of One Generation Away

Two of Juliana Stachurski's boys needed service hours for school. Juliana found the perfect non-profit to take them one Saturday that would meet the exact requirement, so they could check it of their list and be done. Little did Juliana know that her life would be forever changed.

Juliana is now on the board of One Generation Away after joining the team every Saturday to distribute food since 2016. She shares stories of heartbreaking joy and the clear call to serve (and receive abundantly in return).

Juliana encourages listeners to do "praise in action" and be the hands and feet of Christ in the world. Serving another is always a good thing and invites the Holy Spirit to transform and work through us.

One Generation Away helps remove food insecurity through food rescue, food distribution and disaster relief. They pick up good, unexpired food and redistrubute it to families in need. Their vision is "to wipe hunger off the face of America by teaching people to love one another through service." Learn more at: https://onegenaway.com.

Lindy WynneNovember 15, 2024Catholic Social Teaching, Catholic Podcast, Catholic Mom, Food Insecurity, Hunger, Feed the HungryComment

Children of God Behind Bars with Dr. Cynthia Stewart of Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministry (TPOM)

Dr. Cynthia Stewart grew up in Vidor, Texas. Vidor has historically been known as one of the last “sundown towns” in the United States.

Cynthia discovered very young that people are complex--people carry within them the spark of God, as well as the ability to be so perfectly against what God tells us at the same time. No one is beyond the love of God and no one is perfectly what God envisions.

Cynthia has spent a number of years as a volunteer, chaplain and employee in prison ministry. Cynthia came to understand that she has been working out what she experienced in her family history and childhood community—prison ministry has been a way for her to “give something back.”

Cynthia wants listeners to understand that "every single person in prison is a beautiful child of God."

Cynthia is the Director of Operations for Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministry (TPOM). TPOM strives to transform life behind bars, trade recidivism for restoration and end generational incarceration. You can learn more at https://www.tpom.org/.

Lindy WynneNovember 15, 2024TPOM, Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministry, Catholic Social Teaching, prison, prison ministry, incarceration, jailComment

Redeemed by God with Beth Cureton of Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministry (TPOM)

Beth had all the cards stacked up against her as a child--both parents struggled with drug addiction, she spent time in foster care and was the victim of abuse.

Beth developed her own cocaine addiction by the time she was an adult and has spent most of her adulthood in and out of jail and halfway homes.

Yet something profound unfolded the last time Beth was in jail--she was ministered to by Tennessee Prison Ministry (TPOM) and felt like the hands of Christ reached into jail to save her.

Beth is now a client of TPOM outside of jail and is working on rehabilitating her life. Holy scripture and the words of people loving into Beth are helping her to discover her dignity and value as a person. Beth is on fire with the love of God and is called to share this message of hope with others.

TPOM strives to transform life behind bars, trade recidivism for restoration and end generational incarceration. You can learn more at https://www.tpom.org/.

Lindy WynneNovember 15, 2024TPOM, Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministry, Prison, Catholic, CAtholic Podcast, Catholic Mom, Catholic Social TeachingComment