1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:06,800 We're back again on the Grace Church Members Podcast with the 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,760 third installment of our Front Porch Housing Celebration 3 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:12,040 series. Today, we're sharing stories 4 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:15,600 from several of our incredible volunteers, starting with Katie 5 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:18,680 Jacobs, a community leader who supports our residents in a 6 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,560 crucial way. I also got to talk with Savannah 7 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:24,440 Robinson, a high school student and one of our childcare 8 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:27,240 volunteers. And finally, Kevin and Mary 9 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:30,600 Talley have served as missional residents for about nine months 10 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:33,640 and continue to lend their advocacy and expertise to the 11 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:35,960 financial coaching program at Front Porch. 12 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:37,960 Hope you enjoy these conversations. 13 00:00:41,480 --> 00:00:43,960 I'm here today with Katie Jacobs, who is a volunteer at 14 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:46,040 Front Porch Housing. Katie, thank you so much for 15 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:48,320 joining us today. Thank you for having me. 16 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:50,920 Absolutely. Well, first of all, we'd love to 17 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:53,840 just hear a little bit about your background and the kind of 18 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:56,840 work that you're already doing all the time, even outside from. 19 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:58,240 Porch. Oh, awesome. 20 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,720 Well, I'm Katie Jacobs. I'm originally from Saint 21 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:03,520 Thomas, Virgin Islands, born and raised. 22 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:07,440 I came to South Carolina to further my education so attended 23 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,280 Clemson University. I received my bachelor's in 24 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:13,840 psychology and also a bachelor's in elementary education. 25 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:17,560 Later on I got my master's from Webster University in Greenville 26 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:20,320 in human resource management and management and leadership. 27 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,280 So I've been everything from a regular Ed teacher, special Ed 28 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:26,480 teacher. I've worked with severely 29 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:28,560 emotionally handicapped individual. 30 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:33,000 So my whole life mission is to serve others, and I actually 31 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:37,200 started the business, Anger Management of the Upstate as a 32 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:39,120 result of working at a nonprofit. 33 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:42,680 While I was there, people were calling in for classes to meet 34 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:45,480 court order requirements and we were turning people away. 35 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:47,880 And I realized people were being held in contempt of court for 36 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:52,280 something they could not find. So I decided to go down to the 37 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:56,080 solicitor's office here in Greenville County and asked what 38 00:01:56,080 --> 00:02:00,120 do I need to do to become a qualified provider and was told 39 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,480 what the credentials were needed and experienced. 40 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:06,440 I had that, but I needed to get certified in that specific area. 41 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:09,800 So I went ahead and got my national certification and anger 42 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:12,640 management. And then later on they reached 43 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:16,240 back out to me and asked me what I expand to do domestic 44 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:18,840 violence. So I added that as well. 45 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,080 I'd already been certified doing parenting, so I had already been 46 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:24,720 teaching those classes originally. 47 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:28,960 The goal was to, you know, help solve a problem we saw here in 48 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:33,200 our local community with the increase of violent crimes. 49 00:02:33,640 --> 00:02:37,120 Initially we're going to offer the classes from the courthouse, 50 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:40,040 but of course COVID came. We were already offering the 51 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:43,480 parenting there. And so I did a hard pivot and 52 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,040 decided to just step out on faith and said, you know what, 53 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:51,120 I'm going to find a brick and mortar and offer the classes 54 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,240 from there. So literally from 20/19 to 55 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:58,760 20/21, it was a search and we're able to open the doors in August 56 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,280 of 2021. And part of what I wanted to do 57 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:04,920 was not just serve in the capacity of meeting court 58 00:03:04,920 --> 00:03:09,560 ordered requirements, but being able to serve in helping people 59 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:13,080 to improve their quality of life and whatever opportunities 60 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:17,680 presented themselves, you know, allowing just by faith to say, 61 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:20,000 OK, I'm going to accept that opportunity, that challenge. 62 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:22,480 And Fort Porch happens to be one of them. 63 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:24,400 Yeah, well. Yeah. 64 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:27,160 Tell us a little bit about that. How did you get involved with 65 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:29,160 working at Front Portage or serving there? 66 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:33,560 Well, I actually was had done a presentation with the Greenville 67 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:37,640 Society of Human Resource Managers and someone heard me 68 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:40,160 speak there and referred my name over. 69 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:44,480 And so I had the pleasure of meeting Leanne Calvin and we had 70 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:48,240 a meeting and she said this is some of the things we want to do 71 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:51,520 within our ministry, helping our residents really transition and 72 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:55,080 learn how to acclimate to communal living. 73 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:59,040 And so I said sure. And of course, we started with a 74 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:00,240 blank slate. Right. 75 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:04,440 Sounds about right, yeah. So we, we came up with the name, 76 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:08,520 talked about it and we said we'll call our workshops culture 77 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:11,800 of kindness. And so we started developing 78 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:15,600 topics that and of the issues that we know people normally 79 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:20,800 have when you come into communal living, Never known about 80 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:23,160 communal living, right? You know, just the common 81 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:26,400 courtesies. So we started off with topics 82 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:29,600 like nice neighboring. I mean, that might sound very 83 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:34,280 simple, but having those topics of what it is like to just be 84 00:04:34,280 --> 00:04:37,400 considerate of others in shared spaces, right? 85 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:40,200 And then we talked about topics like loving thy neighbor. 86 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:43,160 Even for those who may not exercise a lot of the common 87 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:44,240 courtesies. Sure. 88 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,680 How do you practically do that to be supportive rather than 89 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,080 judgmental? And then we expanded on a whole 90 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:55,040 lot of other topics that as issues and concerns arised, we 91 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:57,200 tackled. We've tackled topics, everything 92 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,960 from a certain communication, how to be assertive, stating 93 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:03,640 your position without being threatening, emotional 94 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:07,520 intelligence, understanding, just not from your perspective, 95 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:11,760 from other person's perspective, learning about how to understand 96 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:15,360 self understanding, how you erase impacts, how you interact 97 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:18,600 with others, what things affect you, how much does it affect 98 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,760 you, how to reflect and use that as a, a, a platform to for 99 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:25,200 growth, Having difficult conversations. 100 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,160 I can go on and on. And a lot of the topics actually 101 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:32,280 came from the residents participating in the classes and 102 00:05:32,280 --> 00:05:34,520 saying I want to learn more about this. 103 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:38,160 Yeah, yeah, that's right. And that's so much of what Front 104 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:41,920 Porch is doing is like you have this background, you have this 105 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:45,240 way that God has given you skills and abilities and 106 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:48,800 education and training. And a lot of that does just look 107 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,640 like faithful obedience, Like let me hold out what the Lord 108 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:55,120 has given me and let me steward that for the sake of someone 109 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:57,560 else. What what has that experience 110 00:05:57,560 --> 00:05:59,920 been like for you, Just as you've been able to engage with 111 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:03,240 our residents and walk them through some of these topics? 112 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:07,000 It's been very interesting because the first class I was 113 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:11,080 actually surprised. I can't believe it's over a year 114 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:15,240 that I've started doing this. The class had all males in 115 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,040 there, so that was kind of interesting. 116 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:22,080 And here comes this female and it was, I was like, are they 117 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:24,920 going to be really open to this? You know? 118 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:28,680 But honestly, even though the session was scheduled for an 119 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:32,320 hour and a half, how many of the residents stayed over just to 120 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:37,760 have conversation? That was amazing to me and that 121 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:40,800 they were more than just interested to me. 122 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:45,280 It was like a little hunger there to know more to, OK, I'm 123 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:48,640 there's nothing wrong with me. I'm just part of this growth 124 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:50,640 process. And everybody's a different 125 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:55,800 stage or phase in growth. So that has been very 126 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:58,360 interesting. But what I think is most 127 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:04,560 rewarding is when I attend and then somebody tells someone 128 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:07,600 else, say you got to take that class, you got to come on. 129 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,320 And having others join as a result of the encouragement of 130 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:13,960 others. But also I think what's also 131 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:20,560 rewarding when a situation is brought to my attention and 132 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:24,440 people are open to say, do you mind assisting? 133 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:29,840 Can we, there's maybe a a conflict with this particular 134 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:32,400 apartment. Do you mind speaking with the 135 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:37,040 residents? And whenever that opportunity is 136 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:40,160 there, I just jump in and I meet with them. 137 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:45,720 And I think with God's grace and mercy, really the fact that it 138 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:49,280 does not matter what the age difference is, the gender 139 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:51,400 difference is the cultural difference. 140 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:55,920 For them to have an open air for somebody who I feel, I guess I 141 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:59,480 can't call myself an outsider from outside the walls of your 142 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:05,200 everyday daily activities to be open and receptive and then be 143 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:09,160 willing to implement it. To me that's so rewarding 144 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:13,400 because so many times when someone that appears to be from 145 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:18,480 the outside of your community, whatever that is, many people 146 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:22,960 are not very open and accepting, much less receiving from 147 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:27,200 something from someone outside. So that has been amazing to me 148 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:29,360 and the fact that they haven't tired of me yet. 149 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:32,080 They haven't, I got tired. They still look forward to the 150 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:36,200 classes every 3rd Saturday. Yeah, we really, we we have to 151 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:40,080 brag on our residents Like they are committed, they are doing 152 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:44,480 the work and yeah, they're coming in ready to receive, you 153 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:47,680 know, whatever it is. Like they're just aware of the 154 00:08:47,680 --> 00:08:51,640 ways they need to grow and they're committed to working on 155 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:55,200 those, You know, and it, it does just take a lot of courage, a 156 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:58,360 lot of humility to do that. And to your point, I mean, 157 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:01,680 depending on the situation that they may be coming from, you 158 00:09:01,680 --> 00:09:04,720 know, just experiencing hurt from other people. 159 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:09,040 And it can be very difficult to trust someone from the outside. 160 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:13,760 And in many cases, they they have learned to protect 161 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:16,880 themselves by not trusting people. 162 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:20,560 So for them to be in a space where they make a choice to step 163 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:24,000 forward and to trust someone who's willing to speak in 164 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:28,960 encourage on your part to say it, to speak in and to say truth 165 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,280 and to help them. It is a two way St. 166 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,160 And both sides are really leaning in towards one another 167 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:39,960 to receive good things and to be able to move forward and grow. 168 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:43,280 And that's why this works. But it's not easy. 169 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:45,360 And we want to, we want to recognize all of that. 170 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:49,560 What have been just some of the other wins and celebrations 171 00:09:49,560 --> 00:09:51,880 you've seen with some of our residents as they've gone 172 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:53,400 through these classes and trainings? 173 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:56,720 I'm thinking of 1 gentleman in particular. 174 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:02,520 He was attended the first class ever that when I started the 175 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:07,040 series and he would even every now and then send a text or 176 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:08,760 e-mail saying I remember exactly. 177 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:10,840 And he would quote and I'm thinking I can't even remember 178 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:13,760 Rick verbatim. And you would bring that back to 179 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:17,320 my remembrance and that you actually applying it. 180 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:21,880 I think those are the real special moments that, you know, 181 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:25,080 it makes a difference. But I think what also helps a 182 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:30,280 lot for making a difference is showing humanity not coming in 183 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:34,600 as I know it all, but sharing some of the challenges and 184 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:40,280 struggles that I've had and how I'm sometimes in some things I'm 185 00:10:40,560 --> 00:10:43,960 still a work in progress and other things I've overcome. 186 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:49,720 So speaking from that in that tone, I think also makes a 187 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:53,680 difference for them, yeah. And what like a true experience 188 00:10:53,680 --> 00:10:57,480 of a teacher, you know, that you get to see your student really 189 00:10:57,480 --> 00:11:00,840 getting it and like applying it 'cause they can just regurgitate 190 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,800 to you all day long. But when they're able to go and 191 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:05,880 put that in their life and they're like, hmm, this worked 192 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:07,720 really well. You know, like, that's a 193 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:10,200 exciting moment. Those are the moments that 194 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:13,000 teachers live for. But then, yeah, also for you to 195 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,600 come as a student and to recognize we're still learning, 196 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,760 like we never fully arrive. We're all still growing. 197 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:24,560 And that just lends an approachability to our 198 00:11:24,560 --> 00:11:26,760 residents. And that's encouraging to them 199 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:30,320 as they are continuing to pursue all of these things. 200 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:33,800 But what do you think is just unique about this work that 201 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:35,800 Front Porch is doing what they've taken on? 202 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:41,480 I think it's highly unique in that it's one of the few places 203 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:45,360 I've ever experienced that to me, ministry has legs. 204 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:49,480 When I say it has legs, it's walking it, it's talking it. 205 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:53,000 I've been in in places and spaces where you pray about it, 206 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:56,120 but you know somebody else is going to do it. 207 00:11:56,400 --> 00:12:04,120 You might offer moments of time, donate money, but to actually 208 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:10,280 take on the holistic approach of not only addressing problems 209 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:15,440 that people everyday existence meeting the basic needs, but 210 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:19,880 then assisting them in allowing them space and time to grow and 211 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:22,520 develop. And when they get strong enough, 212 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:25,320 giving them the launching pad to get there. 213 00:12:25,680 --> 00:12:28,960 Because to me, it has all the components. 214 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:33,600 I've, I've participated in other organizations where you have 215 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:37,880 portions of those things, but I've not been a part where you 216 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:40,200 have it. From literally what I consider 217 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:43,640 from the cradle to the grave, you have all components of it 218 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:48,480 being there, being a part of not only giving you something, but 219 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:51,520 being there to be supportive while you're there, right? 220 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:55,560 So yeah, it's ministry with legs and I absolutely love it. 221 00:12:55,720 --> 00:12:58,440 Good yes no, that's a great way of saying it. 222 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:02,480 Ministry with legs and even as we're just thinking about the, 223 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:05,920 the parts of being, you know, or if it's the hierarchy of needs, 224 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:09,680 whatever framework you want to use, that front porch is really 225 00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:13,800 working to meet the physical, the spiritual, mental, 226 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:16,920 emotional, which is so much of the work that you're doing. 227 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:19,560 And, and like, you do have to have all of those things. 228 00:13:19,560 --> 00:13:23,040 Like if we just hit one of them, that's really great and that's 229 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:27,480 valuable, but then we're missing out on all of these other things 230 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:30,240 'cause we're whole beings, all of those things are always 231 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:33,840 interconnected. And so you can't heal one part 232 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:36,600 without healing the whole. And so, and you have to start 233 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:38,800 somewhere, you know, you can't do all of it at once. 234 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:43,000 And to your point, takes time. The way that this is set up is 235 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:46,760 for our residents to have time to work through these things and 236 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:48,960 to process them and to practice them. 237 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:53,360 That is what contributes to their ability to succeed. 238 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:56,800 And then just having support, like we keep using that word, 239 00:13:57,080 --> 00:14:00,080 but that they have people who are helping them, you know, 240 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,800 because none of us get to where we are on our own, and we always 241 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:07,160 need our community and friends to help us out so well. 242 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:10,000 Katie, I'm just so thankful for the work that you're doing and 243 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:12,920 just your willingness to be involved in this ministry. 244 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,400 Really just the ways that you're being faithful again, with what 245 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:17,600 the Lord has given you in this space. 246 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:20,600 Is there anything else you wanted to say or talk about that 247 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:24,320 we didn't get to? I just say, if nothing else, I 248 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:28,000 hope Front Porch continues from years to come. 249 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:33,440 I want to see 1015 years from now some of the former residents 250 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:37,920 come back and become part of the culture of what Front porch is 251 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:42,160 of the front porch of tomorrow. Yes, absolutely. 252 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:45,440 Well, I can absolutely attest just the blessing that you have 253 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:49,000 been to that community and that is always the goal is to have 254 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,280 sustainable ministry. That's what we're working 255 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:54,360 towards is that at some point this thing is just going to keep 256 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:56,880 running itself. And so that you're just such a 257 00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:01,920 key part of all of that, that healed people, help heal other 258 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:03,600 people. And that's, that's the good 259 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:05,680 work. So thank you so much for being 260 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:07,560 with us today. Thank you for having me. 261 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:17,160 I'm here today with Savannah Robinson, who is a volunteer at 262 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:19,520 Front Porch Housing. Savannah, thank you so much for 263 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:21,040 joining us today. Of course. 264 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:25,920 So go ahead and tell us a little bit, just what has been your 265 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:27,600 experience serving at Front Porch? 266 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:31,400 My experience has actually been really good overall. 267 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:34,880 I work in the after school program, so I go from three to 268 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:37,560 six once or twice a week and just get to hang out with the 269 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:39,520 kids. And it's really, I think it's 270 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:41,960 the fun part. Like we literally just hang out 271 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:45,360 with the kids and play outside and help them do art and 272 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:47,880 homework and I really just hang out. 273 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:51,080 So it's been really great. The kids are all so sweet and 274 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:53,480 fun and a little crazy, but they're good. 275 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:57,560 It's fun, that's right. How did you get started to serve 276 00:15:57,640 --> 00:15:59,960 at Front Porch? So I went to Kenya over the 277 00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:04,200 summer and I really just had a want to keep serving with kids, 278 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:08,280 I guess when I got back and Front Porch was kind of newish 279 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:10,720 and I didn't really know much about it, but one of my friends 280 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:12,120 was volunteering there every week. 281 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:14,800 And so I decided I would try it since I'm a senior and I have 282 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:15,760 lots of time. Yeah. 283 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:19,680 So I just started going and that's how. 284 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:20,960 Yeah, yeah. How it started. 285 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:21,760 I just. Kept up with it. 286 00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:22,720 That's awesome. Yeah. 287 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:26,720 What have just been like some of the wins and celebrations that 288 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:28,080 you've gotten to see while you've been there? 289 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:32,400 I definitely would say actually yesterday was a big win. 290 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:36,440 All the kids were really just chill and no one was fighting. 291 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:39,600 It was pretty outside. Like the days when the kids are 292 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:43,480 really listening and attentive and you can just have a smooth, 293 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:45,760 easygoing day was are always a win. 294 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:49,720 And personally, when they started remembering my name, 295 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:52,760 that was a big win for me because I remembered their name 296 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,360 from day one. But like I had to keep showing 297 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:58,480 up so they would remember mine. And it's just been cool to see 298 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:00,160 that relationship with them grow. 299 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:02,240 Yeah, 'cause how long have you been serving with them? 300 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:06,640 Since September or maybe August. Probably September. 301 00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:09,640 Yeah, so definitely a few months at this point and there's so 302 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:12,440 many serving roles like that is how you really get to build so 303 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:17,359 much credibility and when favor with the kids especially because 304 00:17:17,359 --> 00:17:21,119 they're like, okay, we want to see somebody who is really 305 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:25,319 invested in US and is here and I know that that means so much to 306 00:17:25,319 --> 00:17:27,920 them to like have a familiar face. 307 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:30,960 Yeah. What is just unique about Front 308 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:34,360 Porch and as you've been serving in childcare, how have you just 309 00:17:34,360 --> 00:17:36,800 seen some of that? I think for childcare, it's 310 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:40,120 really cool what they do because it's a time for their parents to 311 00:17:40,120 --> 00:17:43,960 like get their house clean, to study for the school that 312 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:46,440 they're in, to get work done and all the things. 313 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:49,920 And also let the kids have another place to be that's not 314 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:52,640 just their house and school. It's not just the same thing 315 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:55,480 every day, but it gives them. They get to hang out with these 316 00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:57,520 other kids that are there and then they get to hang out with 317 00:17:57,520 --> 00:17:59,920 new faces 'cause there's different volunteers every day. 318 00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:02,560 So it's just fun for them. But I think it's cool that they 319 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:07,320 have that for the kids so that they can for them have something 320 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:09,920 else to do, but also the parents can get stuff done when they 321 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:11,560 don't have kids running around everywhere. 322 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:14,560 Yeah, absolutely. If you haven't had the chance to 323 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:18,080 be at Front Porch, it's great. We have this big open courtyard 324 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:21,040 and there truly are if, if the weather's good, there are kids 325 00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:23,640 outside and they are playing and they're having fun and it's 326 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,600 really great for them. Just that they can be safe, that 327 00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:29,520 they can have fun and be supervised. 328 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:33,360 But childcare is such a huge resource for parents that they 329 00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:37,680 are able to take that time to take care of other things once 330 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:40,800 their kids are home from school and just know that somebody else 331 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:43,920 is looking out for their kids and helping develop them, 332 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:47,040 helping train them, helping them have fun, making sure that 333 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:49,720 they're safe is just such a huge gift. 334 00:18:50,120 --> 00:18:53,040 So what has been? What has God been teaching you 335 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:55,520 as you've been serving at Front Porch? 336 00:18:56,760 --> 00:19:00,680 I really think for me that I've always thought serving God means 337 00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:05,000 doing these big, huge things. Like I have a purpose and it is 338 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:06,560 just this huge thing that I need to do. 339 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:09,920 But when I started serving at Front Porch, it's not this big 340 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:11,680 huge thing. It's just this sweet, simple 341 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:13,840 thing of just showing up for these kids. 342 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:15,960 And I feel like God has really been showing that in my heart 343 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:19,320 that to serve him I can just love on these kids. 344 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:23,240 And I'm serving these parents by just playing with their kids. 345 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:26,080 Like it's not these big, huge things that we have to do. 346 00:19:26,360 --> 00:19:29,360 And I think it's cool that we get to love on these kids like 347 00:19:29,360 --> 00:19:33,400 Jesus loves on us because we're just kind of here and Jesus 348 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:35,280 still loves us. And some of these kids, they're 349 00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:38,760 just here and we just get to come up and hang out with them 350 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:41,960 and be a safe space for them. And that's just been one of the 351 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:44,720 things that's been really evident, I guess, while I've 352 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:48,000 been serving. And also just the joy that they 353 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:50,520 have. It's very like that childlike 354 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:54,600 faith, that childlike joy and getting to see that, especially 355 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:59,080 being like in stressful, like times, I guess for me, college, 356 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:02,440 like going away, all this stuff. But like these kids are also, I 357 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:04,440 don't know, they could have stress, they could have anxiety, 358 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:07,480 but they're still so happy and just joyful at all the little 359 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:08,760 things. And it makes me want to have 360 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:10,360 that too in my own life. Yeah. 361 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:14,040 I love what you said that this is just kind of a small thing 362 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:16,600 that you're just able to be consistent in. 363 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:20,520 And I mean, it's really the case for a lot of serving roles. 364 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:24,240 And I think what we would love to encourage everyone listening, 365 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:26,640 we would love for people to get involved. 366 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:30,560 And it can just look like small little things. 367 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:33,280 Whatever it is for you, whatever space you have, whatever gifts 368 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:36,280 and talents you have, you can just bring that to bear. 369 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:39,680 And whether it's once a week or once every two weeks, once a 370 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:43,680 month, just showing up and doing something small. 371 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:47,360 And that is how God asks us to serve right as he's like, yeah, 372 00:20:47,360 --> 00:20:49,480 just be faithful with these little things that I've given 373 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:51,760 you. And when all of that's put 374 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:55,240 together, like he's doing a work, that's going to create 375 00:20:55,240 --> 00:21:00,480 movement and blessing upon people, upon front porch 376 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:03,640 housing, upon our community. But all that happens just with 377 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:05,760 people doing small things. Yeah. 378 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:08,840 Why would you encourage other people to get involved and to 379 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:11,840 come be a part of this? I definitely think it's very 380 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:14,560 worth it for me. At the beginning it was hard to 381 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:18,600 like want to show up and want to go 'cause sometimes 3 hours can 382 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:20,800 seem like a lot with a bunch of little kids. 383 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:24,560 But now I go and like, I want to be there and I want to hang out 384 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:26,720 with him. And, but it's definitely just a 385 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:31,360 way, an opportunity to serve God and see how he's moving up front 386 00:21:31,360 --> 00:21:33,840 porch because it's just cool. There's so many different 387 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:37,640 varieties of people there and you just get to hear their 388 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:41,400 stories and like where they're from, and it's just cool to be 389 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:45,360 around all those people. And I would definitely encourage 390 00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:48,440 students and adults to do it because I served with both and 391 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:58,270 we all love it. Hi, my name is Kevin Talley and 392 00:21:58,270 --> 00:22:00,750 this is my wife Mary and we attend the downtown campus. 393 00:22:01,390 --> 00:22:05,190 So we had visited and for us to come to Greenville, we had 394 00:22:05,190 --> 00:22:08,390 visited a couple times here. Mary has a younger sister with a 395 00:22:08,390 --> 00:22:11,030 family that we care a ton about that we had come to visit. 396 00:22:11,670 --> 00:22:16,400 And it's hard not to love everything about Greenville, but 397 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:20,240 coming from Chicago, we really love the weather and just the 398 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:26,920 kindness of of everyone here. So when COVID hit in 2020, we 399 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:30,040 had just left here visiting to see if our youngest could go to 400 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:33,760 Clemson University and see if we can somehow establish residency 401 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:36,000 here, which that was out of the question. 402 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:39,280 But it did allow us to fly back the first week of COVID and 403 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:43,520 start packing our drawers and getting ready to sell our home. 404 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:47,880 And we thought we would come here for about a year and just 405 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:50,640 sort of try it out. And here we are. 406 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:57,000 What we left in Illinois was a, you know, a decent sized home on 407 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:00,320 some acreage that we took care of and we had a lot of fun stuff 408 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:03,600 that we raised a family on. And we came here and moved into 409 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:07,480 1600 square feet. And that's where we lived for 410 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:10,880 almost three years downtown and and we enjoyed it. 411 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:13,480 I was able to put on some weight very successfully, but through 412 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:17,760 all the restaurants and we got near the end of that second 413 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:22,040 lease and we had had a couple conversations with people over 414 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:24,320 at Front Porch that said, you know what, you guys ever think 415 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:28,280 about helping us just maybe encourage the people with their 416 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:30,960 finances. And we went over there and we 417 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:33,880 just, they didn't know what they were going to do. 418 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:35,960 We had no idea what we were going to do. 419 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:38,640 But they were just like, what if you just meet with them and hear 420 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:44,920 where they're at financially? And so we did that and several 421 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:47,960 weeks later when our lease was up, I came home one day and I 422 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,360 said, Mary, if we're going to jump in over there. 423 00:23:50,360 --> 00:23:53,960 And at this time we had started coaching, I don't know several 424 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:56,240 people, we're nearing double digits at that point. 425 00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:58,200 And we're like, well, if we're going to be over there coaching, 426 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:00,280 why don't we, instead of renewing this lease, why don't 427 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:03,000 we see if they would let us move in so that we could be more 428 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:08,760 engaged in the community? And, and, and just getting to 429 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:11,720 know everything that goes on over there, all the different 430 00:24:11,720 --> 00:24:15,640 ministries that go on, all the volunteers, all the staff, all, 431 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:20,120 all the, just, all the people that come in, in and out of 432 00:24:20,120 --> 00:24:22,200 there all the time. And it just allowed us to to 433 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:25,080 learn things a lot quicker than if we would have just been 434 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:28,200 coming in a day or so a week volunteering. 435 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:33,600 We were really drawn to Front Porch because in our mind it was 436 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:39,560 the closest thing to the church here in Greenville or anywhere 437 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:43,280 really, just everyone supporting one another and loving each 438 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:45,560 other right where they're at, meeting them, where they're at, 439 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:47,480 and just helping them take the next step. 440 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:51,640 And so we were really encouraged by what we saw throughout that 441 00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:55,800 entire ministry. But we did feel like we had some 442 00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:59,360 experience with financial coaching and credit building 443 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:02,920 that we could potentially offer a hand there. 444 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:08,120 So as we started to coach more and more people, we really saw a 445 00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:12,560 need that they're to duplicate ourselves and to find other 446 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:18,280 people who are passionate and committed to, to really dig in 447 00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:22,720 with us and start standardizing a process to coach these 448 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:26,440 residents along from the point that we met them until the time 449 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:28,440 they were ready to transition to their next home. 450 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:32,000 And I think it's a huge step for the residents, too. 451 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:36,720 I mean, most of them are coming out of some kind of trauma and 452 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:40,600 for them to open up their lives to us takes a ton. 453 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:43,560 And it's not about a math equation. 454 00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:45,600 It's not a really about finances. 455 00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:47,560 It's just about walking alongside someone and 456 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:50,520 encouraging them where maybe they didn't have that 457 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:52,320 encouragement from anywhere else in their life. 458 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:55,280 But you know, they come. Many residents come from other 459 00:25:55,280 --> 00:25:57,920 awesome programs that are getting people back on their 460 00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:01,440 feet and those ministries are are laying that groundwork and 461 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:05,560 planting the seeds and, and we don't know, did did Miracle Hill 462 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:08,200 plant the seed? Did did one of the coaches at 463 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:10,400 front Porch plant the seed? But that's all that's all we're 464 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:13,080 doing with our faith, right? We sometimes don't see the 465 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:16,040 blossom. We just, we plant the seed and 466 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:18,520 just give someone. I think what we heard a couple 467 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:22,280 weeks ago in church is it give them, give them hope because 468 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:25,400 that's what regardless of what station people are in life, to, 469 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:29,760 to, to give them hope. And part of that hope is having 470 00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:35,440 financial hope that they can see themselves going back into 471 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:40,080 society and, and surviving instead of having to return to 472 00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:43,760 maybe the elements that created some of the problems that 473 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:47,520 started maybe a downward trajectory at some point. 474 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:51,640 But they've given more to us than we've given to them by far. 475 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:55,120 Once you start pouring into someone, there's probably 476 00:26:55,120 --> 00:26:58,880 nothing more rewarding in life than to than to to pour into 477 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:01,520 them, because then that makes us want to grow more in our faith. 478 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:04,240 And as we grow more in our faith and we want to serve more. 479 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:07,520 And that's the kind of good things that snowball. 480 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:11,560 One, one of the coolest things that we're seeing right now is 481 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:16,040 as we have graduates and seeing people have success, we're 482 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:18,520 having them come back and give their testimonies, not just 483 00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:21,400 their faith ride, but their financial. 484 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:26,520 And we just had our first one and it was I mean, it's amazing. 485 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:30,640 That's, that's someone that's when they enter, they can't look 486 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:32,760 you in the eye. They don't want to talk about 487 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:34,520 anything. They don't trust another human 488 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:36,240 being. We didn't coach them. 489 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:39,200 Someone else coached them. Just took a little bit of tidbit 490 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:42,000 from them. And she, she got in that 491 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:44,560 classroom and spoke to 13 other residents and you could have 492 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:47,520 heard a pin drop and you couldn't have written a better 493 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:51,880 script for what she wrote or what she said when she just 494 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:53,960 shared from the heart. And it's it. 495 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:56,800 She has more than hope now. She has a plan. 496 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:01,480 It's just that's, that's, that's the most rewarding part. 497 00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:04,920 And it's even more rewarding to us when it's not, well, none of 498 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:07,960 This Is Us. This is all God, but we never 499 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:10,320 want to take credit for, Oh, like we coached this for. 500 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,560 It's so many other volunteers, not just from grace, even other 501 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,600 churches now that are signing up to coach these people, the, the 502 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:20,800 residents. And a lot of them sign up 503 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:22,800 because they have a financial background, because they think, 504 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:28,400 oh, this is in my wheelhouse. That's 10% of what we do and 505 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:30,680 that's what they realize. If someone would have told me 506 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:33,640 five years ago I'd be praying in public, let alone praying with 507 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:36,320 other strangers, I would have said, no, you got me mixed up 508 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:39,440 with someone else. I would have never done that. 509 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:44,000 And that's really all we ask is for someone to volunteer, pass 510 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:46,480 the background check, be willing to pray with them and encourage 511 00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:50,000 them and meet with them. That's that's that's really the 512 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:53,520 only requirement. We are both prone to be self 513 00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:59,480 reliant and so we have, we, we went to Front Porch thinking we 514 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:02,040 had a plan in place that this is going to work. 515 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:07,600 We can do this and that and get an app and plug them into that 516 00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:10,440 and it'll all be great and they'll just be off and running. 517 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:19,200 And God has slowly shown us that we are not capable and we are 518 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:25,040 not equipped and we don't have the experience to do what it 519 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:30,120 takes to really break into this world with someone with their 520 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:33,760 finances was just such a personal part of your life. 521 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:38,560 And so he has really been working on us with that, I 522 00:29:38,560 --> 00:29:42,120 believe, because we want to plan, we want to be in control, 523 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:46,440 we want to know what's going to happen from A-Z and everything 524 00:29:46,440 --> 00:29:48,640 in between. But He's taught us that our 525 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:52,000 availability is much greater than our ability. 526 00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:59,440 And so if we just take a step and we're called to be obedient 527 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:05,840 and available and faithful and to to seek him when we're doing 528 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:10,720 these kind of things, and then he shows up in a big way and 529 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:14,720 it's totally different than what we thought, but it's so much 530 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:17,200 better. So I think we're learning that 531 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:22,080 to be less self reliant and more God reliant and that being God 532 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:26,680 reliant is a lot less stressful. So I think that's what I've 533 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:29,720 taken from the last 10 to 12 months. 534 00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:33,360 I I had a lot of changes to do because I was my picture was 535 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:35,520 next to self reliant in the dictionary. 536 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:40,200 But more so than even self reliant, just my entire identity 537 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:43,440 was tied up and having graduated from West Point, being a 538 00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:47,320 business owner, being an athlete, being all these other a 539 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:50,280 parent, a volunteer running all these different things that we 540 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:55,480 always just because we were sort of go getters type A, we went 541 00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:56,720 out and volunteered for all those things. 542 00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:58,320 And when people ask me, oh, what's your favorite Bible 543 00:30:58,320 --> 00:31:00,560 verse? I can Oh yeah, Philippians 413. 544 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:02,960 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 545 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:06,280 But if you were looking at a picture on the wall that would 546 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:10,800 have looked like me out front with I'm really important in the 547 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:15,880 front of my chest with God being like this wind behind me. 548 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:18,560 And at the age of 54, I lost a job. 549 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:21,360 And it's harder when you're 54 to lose a job. 550 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:25,480 And I hit rock bottom very quickly and wasn't totally 551 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:27,440 devastating. It was devastating to my ego And 552 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:30,480 I had a choice to make. And I I got with some guys a 553 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:32,680 little older than me that were way ahead of me in faith. 554 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:35,240 Started started in a Bible study and stuff. 555 00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:37,200 And then if you could change that picture. 556 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:41,600 Now I see him out front and we're blessed to have had all 557 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:44,360 these experiences that we hope that we can use those 558 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:48,360 effectively to just maybe through God's word to speak to 559 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:52,280 those people and say, you know what, you know, we've been 560 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:53,560 there. We've we've been through some 561 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:58,800 really incredibly traumatic things, but they don't define 562 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:02,160 us. The good things no longer define 563 00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:05,240 us any more than the, the bad things, the hurtful things that 564 00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:08,520 have happened to us because our identity, our identity isn't one 565 00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:11,680 thing. And that's refreshing. 566 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:14,680 And that's where we, we want to spend our time. 567 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:18,240 You know, when I lost my job, I was 54, I thought, well, my life 568 00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:22,160 might be almost half over at 54, so I better get straight. 569 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:26,480 So that was a big, that was probably the start of all this 570 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:28,320 for me. But that's, that's what we're 571 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:30,720 asking for humility and, and guidance. 572 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:33,320 And we have met so many incredible examples. 573 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:37,080 We can't use names because we'd leave someone out, but there's 574 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:41,760 people way beyond us that have been serving for 30-40 years at 575 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:44,560 a pace that I'm not sure we could ever do. 576 00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:48,080 And they're, they're rewarding to be around because you know 577 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:50,760 what? They never talk about what about 578 00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:52,320 them? They're talking about who 579 00:32:52,320 --> 00:32:56,040 they're pouring into. Moving into front porch was just 580 00:32:56,040 --> 00:33:01,120 an act of obedience. We've never, ever described it 581 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:04,480 as making a sacrifice. We were already living in 1200 582 00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:06,320 square feet. The only thing I lost was my 583 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:09,400 patio with a grill. And if I really wanted to do 584 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:12,120 that, I could arrange to get the grill from the clubhouse. 585 00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:14,360 We never looked at it as a sacrifice. 586 00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:16,480 We looked at it as an opportunity to do something a 587 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:21,200 little bit more intentionally and to be completely sometimes 588 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:25,160 submerged into into the community there because it it 589 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:28,480 is, it's it's messy, it's not perfect. 590 00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:32,800 It's it's all the things that but, but there's just so many 591 00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:38,720 people over there pouring their hearts in into others that their 592 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:41,160 their lives are changed. And that's that's where the word 593 00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:43,320 gets out. But also the word gets out When, 594 00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:46,760 when a when a couple residents that we could write a book 595 00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:51,240 already just on the the the experiences we've had and the 596 00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:54,560 other coaches have had with you don't know when you meet 597 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:59,880 someone. I mean, it's, it's super clear 598 00:33:59,880 --> 00:34:01,800 over there that no one has status. 599 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:05,840 The only status that we share is that we're children of God. 600 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:09,159 Because whether you live on the 1st floor or third floor, you 601 00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:13,840 still live in the same building. So it's not any of the things of 602 00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:15,760 this world that we're competing on. 603 00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:19,920 We're just trying to be saved and we're trying to get our 604 00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:22,159 finances straight. And there's a lot of that going 605 00:34:22,159 --> 00:34:26,920 on in the real world too. But what we found that made what 606 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:30,760 all the coaching over there has done, the residents are much 607 00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:34,760 more open and honest and vulnerable with with us than 608 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:37,920 perhaps what most of the people in society and at the normal 609 00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:41,120 campuses are. And it's just so much easier. 610 00:34:41,120 --> 00:34:43,600 If someone comes to you and says, this is this is where I'm 611 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:46,639 at, is there any way that I can get to that point? 612 00:34:46,639 --> 00:34:48,960 And then they've never had a positive balance in their 613 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:51,880 checking account all their life. And now they're coming to you 614 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:56,440 with a 724 credit score, they've given up some of the vices in 615 00:34:56,440 --> 00:35:00,400 their life and they have two or $3000 in their savings account. 616 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:05,120 That's that is life changing for all involved. 617 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:09,920 I think something really attractive about being involved 618 00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:13,800 at Front Porch is just the genuine relationships that you 619 00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:17,600 develop. I would much rather sit on a 620 00:35:17,600 --> 00:35:21,400 bench in the common area with someone who's going to be 621 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:25,480 completely honest and genuine and real with me that I would 622 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:29,320 anywhere else in the world. And we've been able to develop 623 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:32,760 some really meaningful friendships where we're praying 624 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:35,800 for one another and we're encouraging one another. 625 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:38,920 And they're asking what's going on in our life just as much as 626 00:35:38,920 --> 00:35:41,760 we're looking to see what's going on in theirs. 627 00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:46,680 And that's really refreshing. And I think that's relationships 628 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:50,400 are what matter in this world, not the things, not where you 629 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:54,800 live, the car you drive. It's those genuine relationships 630 00:35:54,800 --> 00:35:58,160 where I know that I could reach out to any of a number of 631 00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:02,040 residents that we've coached that are now our friends and 632 00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:06,480 they would be there for me. And I'm hoping that I can always 633 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:10,400 be be there for them, whether that's while they're in the 634 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:13,200 program or long after they leave. 635 00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:21,560 We hope you have enjoyed this three-part podcast featuring 636 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:25,360 stories of those that work, live, and serve at Front Porch. 637 00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:30,400 Why did we share this with you? Well, we unashamedly do not want 638 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:32,800 you to miss out on the ministry that is happening there. 639 00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:36,920 In addition, Front Porch Housing is a nonprofit organization that 640 00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:40,160 needs the support of the entire community, not just Grace 641 00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:43,240 Church, to be successful. Churches and businesses have 642 00:36:43,240 --> 00:36:46,920 partnered, but we need many more to effectively serve the 400 on 643 00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:49,360 site residents. So will you do us a favor and 644 00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:52,040 share these stories? If you were interested in 645 00:36:52,040 --> 00:36:55,280 volunteering, please visit the website or grab a few friends 646 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:56,960 and coworkers and come for a tour. 647 00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:00,640 Visit Inspire Coffee in the Clubhouse and soak up all the 648 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:03,600 energy of Front Porch. And as you have heard many 649 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:06,880 times, housing is just the beginning of holistic care. 650 00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:10,520 The supportive services offered to each individual and family 651 00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:12,960 are costly. Residents pay their rent and 652 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:16,040 utilities, but monthly donors are critical to the continued 653 00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:20,080 success of the program. Your monthly donation of 25, a 654 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:24,080 hundred, $250, or anywhere in between will help cover 655 00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:27,200 counseling, transportation costs, health services, and so 656 00:37:27,200 --> 00:37:29,960 much more. Giving online is easy at Front 657 00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:32,120 Porch, housing.org, back slash Give. 658 00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:35,200 Please check the show notes for all these resources and more. 659 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:37,720 And a special thanks to our producer, Whitney Manus, for 660 00:37:37,720 --> 00:37:40,360 these interviews. We'll see you again soon on the 661 00:37:40,360 --> 00:37:41,280 Grace Church Podcast.