July 8, 2025 • 45 mins
What happens when someone has nowhere else to turn? In this heartfelt conversation, we’re joined by Antonio Villasuso, President, and Leah Sigillo, Media Manager, from The Caring Place – Miami Rescue Mission, where friendship and faith lead the way in serving South Florida’s homeless community. Antonio shares his own powerful story of recovery and leadership, while Leah opens up about the personal losses that drive her passion to serve.
With programs like the Regeneration Program, Cover Girls, and Home Run Team, The Caring Place offers more than shelter—it offers transformation, rooted in grace, timing, and human connection. As Antonio says, “Some you’ll walk with. Some you’ll carry. Some you’ll push.” It’s this deep commitment that fills the void of love and hope for so many who’ve been forgotten
To learn more about The Caring Place, Click Here!
To learn more about TRM, Click Here!
To support TRM, Click Here!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gracious Heavenly Father.
We just thank you, lord, forthis time and this podcast.
Lord and Lord, just all thelisteners that are listening to
this, lord, I pray that they'dbe blessed today.
Lord, I thank you for ourfriends that we get to interview
and, lord, the work that theyare doing.
Lord, just the unified workthat we're all doing together.
Lord, we thank you for it andpraise you for it and pray that
you'd be glorified in thisconversation.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
In your holy name we pray Amen.
Hello everyone, this is LamandaCunningham, the Topeka Rescue
Mission CEO, on this beautifulTuesday, july 8th morning, where
we are talking to someincredible friends.
Talking to some incrediblefriends which we'll get to in
(00:50):
just a minute on this episode274.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Josh that's a lot of podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
It's a lot.
Do you feel like it's aged you?
Speaker 1 (00:54):
I mean I have some more gray hairs, but I can't
tell if that's just.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
You know the kids, the job in general, you know all
of it.
What we know it isn't is.
It's not the wife, oh,absolutely not.
She does not cause gray hairs,she's a saint.
In case you don't know, josh'sbeautiful bride, kim, also works
here and has done a lot ofdifferent roles and let me tell
you she is definitely a pillarfor TRM and we appreciate her.
(01:19):
Josh, I appreciate you, as wewere kind of even just unpacking
to our guests kind of thehistory of this.
It's just cool to be thinkinghow long we've done it.
I think what stood out to me asI was telling them is we have
been able to really be a beaconfor a lot of good stuff that's
happening, that's outside of us.
You know, this isn't just oh,it's all about the rescue
(01:41):
mission, like everything fromgovernment things, other
nonprofits we've had businessowners.
What is something that you likeabout these podcasts?
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Well, I think, kind of like you said, it really just
kind of shines a light throughall of the different areas of
what God's doing right, I think,ultimately, that's what this
podcast is is telling the storyof what God's doing through the
work here, because I think allof us genuinely recognize it's
not us, it's him, and we're justtools as part of that, which is
really cool.
And so this is just kind of oneof those tools of shining lights
(02:14):
on different areas, like, hey,it's not just us, god's doing
some really cool stuff here, butit's the community, it's
literally our community, ourmission, and now doing these
other podcasts, of expanding tohey, it's not just Topeka, it's,
you know, different states,different cities, and so, yeah,
(02:35):
I think that's been my favoritepart of just seeing the
conversation expand.
You know, when you werementioning that, I remember when
, like, we first started inSeptember 19, I think, 2019.
You know it was Barry and Ithink Kim kind of did co-hosting
a lot, and so it's just, butit's just kind of changed and
evolved, but it's still held thesame kind of core message,
which has been really cool.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
So, I love that too and you know, I just what I
think is incredible is, when wedo these, so much of it is like
uplifting and so much of it isreally stories of hope, stories
of redemption, stories of reallyneat things that are being done
.
And it's not that we don'tsteer away from heavy topics.
We've had some on here as well,and so it's just to me.
(03:14):
It's really neat how we've beenable to bring a lot of truth
even in controversial settingsand sometimes talking about the
major complexities ofhomelessness, like we've been
able to dive into that.
But there's also a lot oflightheartedness and silliness
We've got to laugh through it.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
We've got to laugh through it, that's right.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Um, yeah, I had somebody I'm, I met with
somebody yesterday that justblessed me and it was a last
minute thing and, honestly,yesterday was just kind of tough
and, um, it's kind of tough andthis person said, just spoke
words over me but then said theenemy is trying to take your joy
(03:52):
and you cannot allow that tohappen.
And this person really doesn'tknow me or anything like that,
but just kind of talked abouthow joy is really not dependent
on circumstance, because we getthat from the Lord.
And that was such a kind of aconvicting reminder of me too
that, regardless if we're doinga heavy topic on podcast or if
(04:14):
we're talking about stuff thatwe're facing that we're not sure
what the end game is going tobe budgets, those kinds of
things we can still have joy andlife in the middle of that.
Yeah, absolutely Well, and it'slike you said you can get so
joy and life in the middle ofthat.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Yeah, absolutely Well , and it's like you said, you
can get so caught up with theday-to-day or the and you said
it was it last week or a coupleweeks ago.
You can't lose sight of theforest or the trees, or
something similar to thatCorrect.
Yes, we have to sometimes pullback and remember big picture
what God's doing instead ofgetting stuck in the minutia of
everything Right, Right.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So today we're going to practice that.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
Josh.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
We're going to practice our humor and the
lightheartedness by recognizingthat this day is known for three
very important, I'm sure,life-changing things I did a ton
of research on this I can tell.
I'm impressed with your workethic.
So today is known as Be A KidAgain Day.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Yeah, I like that one .
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Do people really have to be reminded of that?
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
I kind of feel like that's just part of our norm
here.
Maybe too much, maybe too muchUm, but yeah, you know it talks
about just don't forget yourinner child um, trying to worry
less um, and being able tobalance, yes, those
responsibility and workpressures but really to not
stress about the future.
And then this said let out thatjoyful, innocent kid that's
(05:32):
still deep down there in all ofus.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
And what a like biblical thing even you know,
let the children come to me andnot worrying about tomorrow, for
tomorrow has its own fears.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Like, just let it go Well and I think, think, oh, you
know, I want to sing that.
But I won't?
I'm dealing with some drainagethis morning.
Um, I'm not sure if I shouldsay this, but my voice this
morning sounded a little bitlike fran dresser off the nanny.
It was like these high pitchbreak, yes yeah but then there
was like this raspy part and Ithought, great, what a great
(06:04):
podcast day.
But I got up earlier, drank twocups of coffee and tried to wet
it, but anyways, okay, so we'regoing to be joyful, we're going
to act like a kid, but I don'tknow about you.
When I was a kid, I did not eatmy blueberries.
So today is National BlueberryDay.
Do you like blueberries?
Speaker 1 (06:23):
So I don't mind them.
My kids love them, like we'llget a thing of blueberries and
they'll be gone in like at mosttwo days.
Typically it's the next day but, they'll just like eat handfuls
of them and I'm like, great,like my kids love fruit.
That's huge, but it's expensive.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
I was going to say, when I buy them, I literally am
like I know it's nourishingtheir bodies and I would rather
them do that than a bag of chips.
But the other side of me islike I'm about to watch $5
evaporate in about 45 secondswhen all five of them put their
hands in them and start eatingthem.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
The chips are cheaper .
Speaker 2 (06:58):
That's right.
That's right.
Let's not talk about what itdoes to your innards, but you
know, yeah, so lots of benefitsabout uh blueberries um
nutritious fiber, richantioxidants, um lots of
benefits for it.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
And they do sound good on a nice hot summer day
like today.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
They do, and you know I made several desserts over
the weekend for the fourth andall of them, of course, I had to
use blueberries for red, whiteand blue.
Yeah, red, white and blue.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
So it worked.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
I'm not sure I ever just I'm like woohoo, can't wait
to eat my blueberries.
That's probably not me.
Dill pickles maybe.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Well, so you might like the next day then.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yes, okay, so the next day take it away.
Josh, what is it?
National ice cream Sunday day,as if you didn't need an excuse.
Yes, today is your day.
Today is the day and I'mtelling I love sundays.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Do you like sundays?
I do.
I can't eat a lot of ice creamjust because I got a weird
stomach.
I know me too, which is dumb.
Yeah, I pay for it like it'snot fun.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
It's not fun, but it's definitely good.
While I'm eating it, oh yeah sodo you like nuts on your sundae
or not?
Speaker 1 (08:01):
um, it depends, it really does some days I
sometimes I don't.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
I don't know, Some days you feel like it depends on
the work day.
Yeah, it's kind of nutty, ohthat's right man, that's
probably more often than not.
Um, yeah, so there's so manydifferent types of um ice cream.
Sundays, we celebrate it.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Um throw some blueberries on there, throw some
blueberries, it evens it out.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
That's what we hope for.
So, okay, well, enough of that.
That helps us.
You know, just get ready for,honestly, a fun, fun personality
this morning, and so I wantedto say this earlier, but I
hadn't introduced her.
Yes, but I'm going to introduceour sweet friend Leah.
I'm going to let her talk alittle bit about her position at
(08:49):
the Caring Place, which isactually located in Miami,
florida.
I'm pretty sure she needs me tocome visit for something soon.
Yeah, just, I mean, that's agiven, I'll come too.
I mean, I'm happy to go to MiamiField trip Field trip to Miami,
but it is so fitting that Be AKid Again Day is on the day that
we are talking to Leah.
Leah is man.
(09:18):
There's so much that I couldsay about her, but her vibrancy,
her contagious smile and spiritfills whatever space she's in.
And so I'm going to look at you.
So I don't look at her on thelittle zoom and cry Um, but met
her a couple of years ago andit's one of those things that we
could, I think, go an entireyear, which we don't, but we
could an entire year.
And not talking, as soon as wesee each other we pick right
back up, and it is because shejust has this level of love that
(09:44):
radiates out of her, a love forher family, which I'm sure
you're going to hear about in aminute, her love for the work
that she does at the rescuemission, but also the love of
the Lord, and that's incredible.
Leah is a very active member inthe Emerging Leaders, which
we've talked about several timeson here.
But if you're a new listener,many rescue missions belong to
(10:06):
the CityGate Network Association, and that CityGate Network is
just that.
I mean it is a place to network, one on a spiritual level so
that we stay encouraged asbelievers in the work we're
doing, but also networking tolearn, one of those things of
like you know better, you dobetter, and that's what CityGate
(10:27):
provides.
And so Leah is a very importantmember of our emerging leaders,
definitely someone who makesfriends with everyone that comes
her way, and it is a blessing,leah, to have you on here with
us this morning, and I think youhave a special guy sitting next
to you so you can introduce himin a minute.
(10:47):
But go ahead, introduceyourself, leah, your position,
kind of give a little bit aboutwhat you do, and then let's talk
about that sweet guy next toyou too.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Oh, I will Trust me.
Thank you guys so much againfor having me on here.
As y'all are saying, my name'sLeah.
I work for the Caring Place atMiami Rescue Mission Broward
Outreach Centers.
I have been at thisorganization now for eight years
and counting.
In fact, I did some governmentjobs beforehand in secular
business.
I even worked up on the Hillwith a senator and I don't know.
(11:20):
Philanthropy has always been apart of my life and it came to a
point that I'm like I need toshift to my career.
I need to give back.
Coming from a family on myfather's side, unfortunately,
that struggled a lot withaddiction, and I lost my brother
to addiction as well.
When I found out that myparents were volunteering at the
caring place and then they gota job here, it just felt like
the right home for me.
(11:41):
So now I serve as the mediamanager is my capacity here, and
a big backstory, though, as tohow I ended up as the care face
is actually with the guy sittingnext to me.
So, I've known our president,antonio Villasuso, also known as
Tony, for many of years.
We met him at a church back inMiami Springs.
I think I was in like middleschool and he and my family just
(12:02):
kind of clicked, talked to mydad about the rescue mission and
then my stepdad came, startedvolunteering, eventually got
hired.
My mom followed too and Ifollowed right after we our
family basically is part of thesame church, now Metro Life.
So be a kid again.
I just got to say one thingbefore I have my stepfather.
He loves to give back to ourchurch group Right.
(12:23):
So for Fourth of July he waslike I'm going to bless our
little connect group that wehave.
You know, they can bring theirkids, their family, whatever.
And let me tell you I hadflashbacks to Arizona.
We ended up going to volcanoBay.
He took us to volcano Bay inOrlando.
We were in that lazy river,enjoying ourselves, going down
the rise, and it was the time ofour lives, so very fitting that
(12:46):
today is that day.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Yes, that is.
I love that, you know.
I just kind of wish we wereable to incorporate things like
that in our everyday rhythm oflife.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
If only if only we should get some bubble machines
around here, that's right.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Something if we don't have any kind of lazy river or
any kind of relaxation that wecan do in the midst of this.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
I just go singing around the office.
You know you got to bring somejoy every so often.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Yes, absolutely so.
Talk a little bit, Leah, aboutsome of the family members that
you have that are so embeddedaround there in the work that
you do.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Yeah, of course.
So I am the third member of myfamily that's actually working
for the organization.
My stepfather, paul, serves asour director of social
enterprise.
My mother, ida, she, actuallyworks within our operations
department assisting thedirector, so we're pretty well
connected here.
We try not to take work home.
There needs to be a line.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
The mission.
The caring place is the caringplace and home must be a family.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Right.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
You only get so many hours, josh can tell you may not
be the easiest.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
some days it is.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
And Antonio over here .
He has a little bit of abromance going on.
You know he and Paul they'rebest friends.
I'm telling you I love it.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
It's a family affair here at the Caring Place and
it's, you know, the Sigalowfamily Leah, ida, paul.
But there's so much to ourfamily, it's so big and I've
(14:25):
intentionally the presidentbefore told out so many.
You know, when you're so manyyears embedded into rescue
missions, like I am and beingrescued from where I used to be
to where I am today, it's thehand of God, the miracles.
So I try to live every day,intentionally, so my volcano
bays are not only what paultakes me.
(14:46):
I try to make volcano bays uh,blizzard beach days that's right
, I try to make be a kid dayevery day, because I think I
missed a lot of that.
From 17 to to about 27.
I was very embedded inaddiction and and and crack
cocaine was big in Miami and Iwas lost in that world.
And I went to good schools eventhough I had great parents that
(15:09):
were lifting me up.
I just didn't want to listen.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:15):
And here I am today, sitting as the president of the
caring place, not knowing onlythat it's by God's grace that I
stand here because, that's notthe journey that I thought I
would go.
You know, I got a brother who'sa police officer, two chiefs in
my family, a captain, peoplethat are in social services, but
not the way that I'm in socialservices.
(15:35):
I like to see fully transformedpeople, the team at the caring
place.
When they ask me this questionover and over what is it that
you like about your job?
And I, it's what's in the book.
It's seeing lives transformedand seeing families united.
That's the the best highlightfor me.
Don't take me into a room whereI gotta do numbers and look at
(16:00):
no just.
I always tell people god is inthe miracle business and we will
get this one way or another.
Obviously, you need the moneyto fix the chillers.
You need the money to fixbroken things in your
organization, like today we'retalking here now I got an
inspector going through, aninspector that's never been
through our center, just poppedup today and he's an
(16:21):
environmental I don't know what.
He's already for hot water forthis.
for that I told everybody it'llget taken care of.
Take the list and we'll justadd it onto the things we do.
But stopping my dinner lastnight to yes, because I'm that
crazy guy that my phone numberhas been the same for 20 years.
(16:43):
I talk to all the people whenthey graduate the program.
I share my phone number withthem.
If you need me, call me.
People tell me you're nuts andI go.
I'm not nuts.
I serve somebody that saved meand our lord is busy.
He's taking care of people herein miami at the same time he's
taking care of people in topeka.
(17:05):
so at the same time I'm not godbut I could try to be the best
of help that I can for him.
So last night got a call from aguy that graduated two years
ago, decided to leave a coupledays before july 4th.
I called last night and said Ican't make it, I need to get
back in there.
I stopped my dinner, stoppedthe show I was going to watch
(17:27):
with my son called.
Maybe that's not the best thingin the world that I did to stop
something with my family, butthey understand I'm going to
stop that to make sure I getthat soul in.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
So we got him in he's back in the center and we're
going in the right directionwith him.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
I know maybe that's not our direction of our today
being fun and joyous, but that'sto me, that's what completes
rescue missions.
We rescue people even when wedon't think it's time to rescue
we may have.
Well, they come in on Mondays.
You know what I'm telling myteam?
They come in on Mondays.
They come in on Tuesdays.
They come in on Wednesdays.
They come when they're ready.
Because I went to seven rehabsand I wasn't ready.
(18:06):
None of those seven times I wasready when the Lord wanted me
to be ready.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
And here.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
I am 30 plus years later.
Praise God, thanking God foranother day, another moment and
another chance to be able toshare the good news with
somebody that needs to hearsomething today on this podcast.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Yes, you know there's so much there that I want to
dive in First, though I want todive into Antonio, can you just
kind of talk about?
I love how you just mentionedthey're not ready.
They're not ready, but it isimportant that we're ready.
At the rescue missions, right,because everybody's on their own
(18:45):
journey and they might not beready yet, but our doors have
got to be open.
We've got to be ready becausewe never know when somebody is
going to say yes.
So talk to me a little bitabout what all you offer at the
caring place and how do y'allstand ready all the time for
people when they say they're yes.
What are things that y'alloffer and what does that look
(19:06):
like?
Speaker 4 (19:07):
My ready came from experience.
Right, it comes being fromexperience because you want
people to follow the guidelines.
You want your team to follow theguidelines but then to be ready
.
So we offer a regenerationprogram, which is a 12-month
program that helps men and womenbattle with life-controlling
issues drug addiction.
(19:27):
Now we're diving more intoconnecting them with the mental
you know co-occurring disorders,dealing with mental illness
with our partnerships withdifferent agencies in the
community.
We have a behavioral team thatwe've built into our
regeneration program that we'reworking with as well.
We've added that component.
We had it in Broward, now we'veadded it into our Miami campus.
(19:49):
We try to offer that program noquestions asked, no cost.
That usually is a Monday intakebut I try to put into my team
that a person may want to comein Tuesday and we may need to
hold to the next Monday.
So we try to.
I try to build that.
How do I say?
Build that atmosphere, buildthat moment, so that people just
(20:11):
be ready.
You know you don't need me.
This is a tool that God hasgiven us to be able to not
rescue people, but rescue them,yes, and then point them in a
direction towards christ, sothat it could be a life long,
lasting change and that is oneof the things that I take our
pride in, that we haven'tchanged the gospel of jesus
(20:32):
christ that we offer it from themoment that they walk in
through the door to the momentthey live.
So regeneration is is one.
Then, you know, a lot of peoplesay, don't take that contract
with the government, don't dothis.
Well, I'm the opposite.
I'm like how can we build arelationship with the government
so that you know, it's beenembedded me through the three
(20:56):
R's relationship relationship,relationship, you know,
relationship with one another,relationship with the community
and relationship with God andwith Christ.
So the relationship with thecommunity is there's people out
there that need the bed, so ifthey could come in and you can
get paid for that bed, then whynot?
Because that could take care ofthe bills that could take care
(21:17):
of the regeneration program aslong as we don't cross over.
You know, I've.
As as recently as two monthsago, I was talking to one of our
leaders from the homeless trusthere in miami.
They said well, we don't wantto change what you're doing and
that you don't hear fromgovernment much right usually
they want to change everything.
Now there are things that wehave to submit to, there is
(21:37):
things, guidelines and thingsthat we have to look at.
So, saying that, to say that wealso offer 110 beds with our
government and when I saygovernment, our city of Miami,
city of Hollywood.
We work alongside with them,they have some beds with us and
they partner with us and theycome in and we have those beds
ready for those, and then we tryto get those, and is that in
(21:58):
your?
Speaker 2 (21:58):
is that your overnight shelters?
Speaker 4 (22:02):
And is that your overnight shelters?
Speaker 2 (22:03):
It's not overnight anymore.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
They're placed by outreach teams that are in the
city.
Got it and they're placed thereand usually they want you to
turn them over quickly and getthem into housing.
But you know well I don't knowabout in Topeka, but here in
Miami housing is through theroof.
It's crashing a little bit,it's coming down.
So that crisis is coming down,but not enough for somebody
(22:25):
that's making maybe $776 out ofan SSI check.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Accurate.
Speaker 4 (22:31):
That's not going to take you far.
The idea of government comingalongside and paying your bills.
That's good for a little while,but that's not going to last
forever.
Correct, so it's working, allthose things.
There's moments where you'replacing people left and right in
apartments and there's momentsthat you're not.
And I think I get to see all ofit because I've got people that
(22:53):
move through quickly and I'vegot people that stay for a while
, and then I've got people thatI've had to put in a different
category and sometimes evenremove them from our, our data,
so that I could take care ofthem as long as it takes,
because some people that are not.
You know, I heard a message verylong time ago that some people
are going to get it right away.
(23:13):
Some people are not going toget it right away.
Some people are going to haveto walk side by side with them.
Some you're going to have tohold on to, some you're going to
have to walk side by side withthem.
Some you're going to have tohold on to, some you're going to
have to carry, and some you'regoing to have to push, and some
it's going to be to yourdeathbed.
You're going to have them withyou.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
And you know that's history.
I'm glad that you say thatbecause that has been an area, I
think if I can even be as boldof saying an area of contention
here in Topeka.
And sometimes it's because oflack of education, sometimes
it's because of people'spersonal biases that sometimes
are rooted in a not very niceheart, and then sometimes it is
(23:50):
just plain unrealisticexpectations.
But there is this expectation,sometimes from decision makers,
sometimes even community members.
Well, why can't they just get ajob?
Or why can't they just getclean, or why can't they just
stay at your shelter?
And my, what I tried tocommunicate is it's the same
(24:13):
thing as if I just automaticallytold you whatever habit you
have, whether that habit is goodor bad, and told you to no
longer do it and just changeLike it.
It's a process and trustbuilding and all of that I think
it's spelled T-I-M-E.
It takes time to do that.
So you know, I want thelisteners to really hear.
(24:36):
What Antonio is talking about issometimes you've got people
that are coming through yourdoors or coming to those teams
that are eager, they are trulyready to shed whatever struggles
they have and they're ready totake the next steps.
You've got some who arehesitant.
You've got some who maybe evenbe rebellious.
They, they um ended up here butthey're not ready to change,
and all of that.
(24:56):
And the bottom line is rescuemissions are the primary
organizations that are standingnavigating through that, trying
whichever one it is be intohousing in 30 days and healed.
It just doesn't work like that.
(25:31):
So I love that you mentionedthat and I can celebrate.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
Listen, I have different.
I was just sharing with anotherstaff member, before this call,
before this podcast here, thatwe were gonna jump on.
You know you have to yeah, asyou grow older in life, you have
to understand People.
People are not all like you'resaying, they're not.
I celebrate with a Catholicoutreach team that's out there
(25:56):
that's placing people on a dailybasis into housing.
How long the person in a placeis going to stay there, I don't
know.
I used to be the one that said,oh, you can't do that.
Well, they did it.
So now I celebrate that withthem and if it works for the
person, praise the Lord.
And if it doesn't work, thenwe're here to catch the person
and try to work with that personso that they can get used to
(26:18):
living in four walls.
Some people think that living infour walls is easy, and it's
not when you've lived free andunder a bridge and begging for
money because a divorce took youthere or because a
life-changing moment in yourlife.
And I wasn't like this alwaysI've learned over the years of
(26:39):
watching the people and watchingmy own life.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (26:41):
You know, as you get older you get wiser.
That's a true saying.
But also watching people's asthey're coming in, you know
again, not everybody comes witha weight.
Of course rules have to.
I tell the guys, the rules arethere for a reason.
You have to be.
They have to be done, but wemade the rules.
We could also change the rule,make the rule a little bit more
(27:06):
lenient to work that person, butthen it leads you to other
things.
Because I like things like this.
I'm learning sometimes.
Like this is not going to work.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Sometimes it's not going to work.
Speaker 4 (27:18):
And Leo was saying there's piles all over your desk
.
These piles made me forgetabout the person that needs a
hug or the person that needs tobe said yes to.
Then I need to take a walk backto the center, because I'm not
in the center anymore.
I'm in the administrativeoffice.
But you know, today's one ofthose days when I feel like
(27:38):
walking through the center.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Me too.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
Because I feel like I need to be there, but I also
want to let my new director dowhat he needs to do and not
overshadow him, Because walk in,they dump him and they go to
you and you're like no stay overhere.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
We've navigated that too.
We really have in transitioningand I'm the same way.
I can tell I say all the timewell, I usually say it about
policy, but I'm like when Istart doing policies over people
, that's when I need to get anew gig, because it just you can
have parameters, you can do allof that, but it has to remain
people centered, and sometimesthe Lord works in ways that
(28:16):
makes no sense to man, but wehave to cling to that.
Leah, talk to me a little bitabout what you do, but also then
talk to me about why is thisimportant?
Like you've heard Antonio kindof talk about this bigger
picture, right, and um, some ofthe options and the whys for
basically what it looks like forthe caring place as a whole.
(28:38):
But why, why are you sofaithful to it after eight years
?
And why is it something thatyour family is so involved in?
Because it's hard, it'schallenging, it requires a great
amount of flexibility.
Lots of heartaches comes withthis job as well.
So tell me what you do and justwhy.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Yeah, I mean I would be lying to you if I said I've
had the same position since Istarted.
I have gone through fourdifferent titles, four different
areas and now I'm newly intojust being solely media manager.
No more database, nothing to dowith donor services.
It has been a transition.
When I go into the why, we havea saying that we said that we
(29:26):
started many, many years ago onone of our buildings that was
taken away by eminence domainand it was put on the outside
and it states when you don'thave a friend in the world,
you'll find one here, and thatsaying is kind of the core and
essence of who the caring placeis here, in Miami and Hollywood
Florida.
Here in Miami and HollywoodFlorida, we truly care about the
individual, the soul, theperson, and not just getting
(29:46):
them off the street and gettingthem to an apartment.
We care about theirtransformation, their
rehabilitation, making suretheir case manager works for
them, making sure they geteducation, and all of that bells
and whistles.
Now me on the back end, beingon the media side, what I'm
trying to do now, my newestinitiative is I'm trying to form
relationships with ourcommunity partners in media
(30:07):
radio, tv print to let them knowwho we are.
And I'm going to tell yousomething.
I've got some people respond tome like we had no idea you
existed.
I'm like we must be a treasure,because we've been here for
over 100 years and y'all don'tknow who we are.
Well, let me introduceourselves.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
We're at a caring place at Miami Rescue Mission
Broward Outreach Centers and weserve the Austin Forgotten.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
She will keep you busy, though she will keep you
on podcast.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
She'll keep you going .
So I mean, ultimately, let's behonest, we're here because we
love our Lord, we're servicingthe Lord and we care about
transformation.
And I know I touched on it alittle bit on the beginning, but
when I was younger I trulydidn't really understand, like I
always heard the jokes ofaddiction and people ODing and
this that the other.
Unfortunately it did run on myfather's side and once you
(30:55):
mature and you go throughcollege, you go through
different avenues of life andthen you kind of go more into
the church scene and you getdevelop who you are as an
individual.
It really is home and the moreI found out about what my
parents did, you know it allactually kind of the way I got
into this.
Believe it or not, it's thesilliest story.
My stepfather he used to havewe call them Christian service
(31:17):
assignments, csas so he had thiskid that he was helping out.
He had a watch that was given tohim by his grandfather or
something and the watch it diedand he needed a battery.
And then he knew that I wasalways at the mall because I
love going to the mall to finddeals.
I'm one of those like I shopfor Christmas in June.
Yes, Christmas gifts delivered.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
Same.
Speaker 3 (31:38):
So I went to the mall and I got, you know, the
battery put in and then I hadgone over to the mission to give
it to my stepfather so he cangive it to his CSA done.
And the look on thisgentleman's face for something
so simple as a five dollarbattery watch replacement, it's
like wow, that little thingreally impacted your life and I
(32:01):
I'm like, all right, this placeis a lot more than what I think
it is, because even when I wasin high school down in Miami, we
would do volunteer service days.
Right, we'd go to differentlike soup kitchens.
Basically.
That's what I'm going to say.
That's all you did.
You know we have volunteeropportunities as well, but I
feel like when you volunteerwith us you get to see a larger
picture because, I wasvolunteering as a high schooler
(32:23):
and I was just in a kitchenserving a plate.
I didn't really see atransformation.
I didn't see a change.
You know we have women andchildren.
We have focus groups, covergirls, girlfriends for
girlfriends, home run team, andall of this is part to help you
reintegrate to society.
So you're able to go and leavethose vices, work on
(32:43):
transforming your life and youhave a mentor to help you
reintegrate to society.
So you're able to go and leavethose vices, work on
transforming your life and youhave a mentor to help you
through that.
And that ties into being a kidday, just for fun.
I'm going to say this one thosefocus groups I mentioned Cover
Girls, girlfriends forGirlfriends, home Run Team those
mentorship opportunities andthe way that they help these
individuals is by far,incredible.
Home Run Team they go out tobaseball games together.
They go to top golf together andthey really integrate and they
(33:05):
go bowling too, and this is justa way to bring the fun out of
an everyday situation that shows, hey, you can have fun in
society again without picking upa drink, without picking up
whatever it is that your vicemay have been, and you can do it
.
You can be there and you'llalways have a friend me All
tying back into the.
When you don't have a friend inthe world, you'll find one here
.
Ultimately, our kindness, ourcaring, is what we give to those
(33:27):
that come to our doors, evenour outside guests, because we
have outside guests andresidential people.
We service over a thousandpeople daily between our two
centers and we treat them allthe same inside and out.
Speaker 4 (33:40):
And to her point you had asked.
Yes, we have the feedingprogram that we do daily.
We have the women and childrenin our Broward campus.
We have our duplicateregeneration program that we
didn't have up there before.
We have a regeneration programfor the women up there, the
behavioral.
We have a free clinic.
We have a school across thestreet.
Even though it's not run by us,it's our building but we try to
(34:03):
make sure that the kids areeducated there before they hit
homelessness.
They're from the area butsometimes she said there that it
goes with everything that I tryto do with the word time that
we were just talking about alittle bit before you know you
have so many bad memories.
(34:23):
You have to help people createnew memories.
And long ago, when I was inrehabilitation, an
80-something-year-old man sat inmy chapel with me and I was
learning scripture memorizationin the program and he told me
young man, why do you look sosad and I go?
Because I'm doing the samething again and again, and again
.
And he said well, you know what?
I'm 87 and that's how life is.
(34:44):
You do things in like aroutinely manner until your
savior or your life finishes,but you make different memories
and you make differentexperiences through life.
You make good ones and bad ones.
So when they come to us, theymade so many bad ones that you
have to reteach on that.
There's still life to live.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (35:06):
Hope that there's still a chance for you.
So there was a chance for me,there's a chance for you, so I
just want it on that memorything, with all these focus
groups that we work withtogether to get there.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
In between, you know, everything else that has to go
on goes on at the rescue missionand I think we kind of do
service as a great tool in thecommunity because Tony was
switching on the school that wehave that runs from us Care
Elementary, but we also have aclinic that runs from us to
Miami, rescue Mission Clinic andboth of these that are now
their own 501c3s were kind ofstarted by us back in the day.
(35:40):
So they used to be ours and theybranched off and became their
own 501c3.
So I like to say that webirthed two 501c3s, two
nonprofits.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
I think so too.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
And they still work with us, we still partner
together.
Our clinic is in Miami and inHollywood.
They even have a center inDoral and they work with our
residents.
And then, obviously, we havepartnerships as well with the
hospitals.
And it's just seeing that otherpeople care about the soul and
the person and not just aboutthe toddler, and they're willing
to get this person.
Aid makes everything we do, allthe trials, all the tribulations
(36:15):
, everything it justifies it itjustifies sometimes the long
hours, the headaches that followyou, the situations that keep
you up at night, because you'relike, oh my gosh, could we have
handled that better?
What could we have done?
Speaker 4 (36:27):
and and ultimately, it just boils down to caring for
an individual and thevisionaries, the visionaries
that have come before us, thathave opened the road.
You know because I don't knowit things that we don't
understand sometimes sure dailythat you may make a decision as
a ceo and I may make a decisionand the rest of the team doesn't
(36:48):
understand and the politics ofit and the problems of it and
the relations and the thingsthat go through it.
Hey, listen, there's nothing newunder the sun.
It's in the book ofecclesiastes.
There's nothing new under thesun.
It's in the book ofecclesiastes.
There's nothing new.
And there's nothing that youshould hide from anybody.
If you know a good way of doingit, how can you not share that
with other people so they coulddo it the same, especially our
(37:09):
rescue mission?
Brothers and sisters, we needmore of that in our world.
We need more.
Let's work together so that wecan accomplish the goal of
seeing a person made wholethrough the Lord Jesus Christ.
So it's a battle and those, asyou said, that have been birthed
into five-year-old nonprofitsand things that we've done.
(37:30):
Thank God for the visionarythat came behind me and saw
something when I didn't see itwhen I was.
I was just an assistant directoror a case manager or or a guest
service person or whatever itwas, because I've been through
all of it yes you need to knowall of it to be able to do some
(37:50):
of it sure.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
So you know, y'all have just dove in.
I mean, I feel like we needlike three different podcasts
just on diving into services andthe whys, because I know both
of y'all have very connectedreasons why this is so important
.
But I'm going to kind of throwa zinger in here and ask it
(38:14):
could be one or both of you aswe wrap up, and I have a reason
why I want to connect this.
So you, the listeners, haveheard a lot about what you all
have to offer, why it's soimportant, a little bit about
your personal connections.
The zinger I want to throw iswhat would Miami be like without
you all?
(38:35):
So as you talk about the peoplethat came before you I mean you
guys have existed over 100 years, right?
So there has been a lot ofkingdom work done on earth
through people and through yourdoors and through change and
transition.
Have so many people that say,oh, I had no idea or I didn't
(39:00):
know.
We faced that here too, and sowe're trying to work on that.
Yes, that's what we've said tothe.
I don't know, I had no idea.
But really, what have you guysthought about what your
community would be like withouty'all?
Speaker 3 (39:10):
I think it would be so different.
I'm just going to jump right inand you know, tony feel free to
correct me along the way what Ihave noticed over time because
I've only been here eight years.
I'm a newbie compared to the100 years and 30, 20 year
experience beforehand.
We have graduates from ourprogram in high ranking
positions, graduates that havealways told me when I've asked
(39:34):
them because we used to do awhere are they now segment.
So I got to interview a lot ofour prior graduates.
Sometimes it's not that you justneed to go to a rehab and get
clean.
Sometimes it's that you needthe word and you need to Lord to
help you and bring you up andbring you to that final change.
As Tony mentioned earlier, andlooking around in South Florida,
(40:01):
there's not many people like us.
There's not many faith-basedmissions that care about an
individual to bring them in forthe amount of time we bring them
in for while we lead them tothe Lord and show them that
there is a better tomorrow forthese individuals.
So I think that if our littletreasure in South Florida were
to be gone, we'd see a decrease,maybe in even people that have
transformed their lives.
There wouldn't be as many quoteunquote productive members of
(40:23):
society, because that's what wetry to teach that you can
reintegrate and be productivemembers of society.
Just believe so.
That's one of the aspects Ihave a takeaway from.
Speaker 4 (40:34):
Well, for me.
Again, I want to thank the team, you know, because it's not
about the Tony show or the Sigloshow and I want to make sure,
if they listen from beginning tothe end when we share it, that
they know that I appreciate eachand every one of them.
But for me, I think that therewould be a void of love hope
(40:56):
missing from our community, voidof of love hope missing because
, um, yes, you can find a friendhere, but, yes, you can find a
plate of food, yes, you can finda hug, you can find a pair of
jeans if you need it.
So it would be that componentmissing that you know, people
can just walk in and either getwhat you need or not get what
(41:18):
you want or you get what youwant, or I don't know how to put
it, but I think that the lovething would be missing.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (41:24):
I think our I want to say that we do give that here
and a family atmosphere.
At least your family doesn'twant you, we want you.
If society doesn't want you, wewant you.
So I don't want, I wouldn'twant that component to be gone
from the community and we needit to stay here.
Speaker 2 (41:46):
I love that, you know , man, there's just so much.
But, yes, I completely agreethat, even as I'm looking at TRM
, you know we've existed forover 70 years and sometimes
there's just whether it's againa misconception or blame because
(42:07):
of uneducation.
You know, I don't, I don't knowwhat it is, but there is this
myth of well, sometimes therescue mission makes
homelessness worse, or ourcommunity would improve if the
rescue mission wasn't here doingthis work.
And when you look at scriptureand you look at truth and not
just the scripture that we allkind of go to, if the poor will
(42:28):
always be among you, there's alot of other things that elude
the importance of when peopleare hurting, that there's
restoration, that is all throughthe Bible, that was Jesus's
three-year ministry, those kindsof things.
And so I appreciate you guys notonly unpacking what all you do,
but that you also are able tostand boldly and say and if we
(42:51):
weren't here, there is going tobe a void.
We have people that aren'tgoing to find friends, we have
people who are not going torehabilitate.
We're going to have people whoare not going to experience not
only healthy love from human andflesh, but also the love of
Christ.
And so thank you both for beingmy special guest today.
(43:11):
Man, you guys are godsends.
I'm thankful for that, leah.
I'm thankful for your sweetfamily that's so embedded there
as well, and we definitelyappreciate both of you being on
here.
Speaker 4 (43:22):
Now you have another friend in Miami besides Leah.
Speaker 3 (43:25):
You're going to have to come and just help us set up
our media room and everything Imean.
I really think that I need youhere.
Speaker 2 (43:31):
Yeah, you know, because I'm so good with the
wires and technology.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
That means me.
Speaker 2 (43:37):
That's exactly right.
Getting the company credit card?
No company credit card, that'sfor sure.
No Amazing, josh, as we wrap up, you know, I just want to
encourage listeners.
You've heard a lot of good stuff.
You've heard a lot of goodstuff today about what is
happening in Miami, what ishappening in the city of
Hollywood, florida.
(43:57):
You have heard a little bit ofpersonal connections of both of
these people that are talkingtoday.
A main reason they serve is onetheir love for the Lord.
But two they've had personalconnections to people that have
been either themselves or theirloved ones, have been the one
without a friend.
They either themselves havebeen the one who felt the void
(44:19):
of love and they are determinedthat that does not happen
anymore and they're going toserve that.
That is what you have here atthe rescue mission Our staff
every day, whether they arewalking in lived experience or
they are just determined totruly share the gospel of the
love of Jesus Christ and whathe's done for themselves and
(44:40):
others.
We see that every day in ourstaff.
So if you are listening to thisand you want to be a friend for
someone, please get involved.
You can look at our website attrmonlineorg trmonlineorg to
help become a friend.
Just like the friendships thatare happening in Miami, we need
the friendships in Topeka.
If you are someone right nowthat's filling the void you are
(45:04):
feeling absent in love.
I can assure you you are lovedby the heavenly father who
created you, and you are alsoloved by people in Miami and you
are loved by people in Topeka.
Don't forget it.
God bless.
Gracious Heavenly Father.
We just thank you, lord, forthis time and this podcast.
Lord and Lord, just all thelisteners that are listening to
this, lord, I pray that they'dbe blessed today.
Lord, I thank you for ourfriends that we get to interview
and, lord, the work that theyare doing.
Lord, just the unified workthat we're all doing together.
Lord, we thank you for it andpraise you for it and pray that
you'd be glorified in thisconversation.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
In your holy name we pray Amen.
Hello everyone, this is LamandaCunningham, the Topeka Rescue
Mission CEO, on this beautifulTuesday, july 8th morning, where
we are talking to someincredible friends.
Talking to some incrediblefriends which we'll get to in
(00:50):
just a minute on this episode274.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Josh that's a lot of podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
It's a lot.
Do you feel like it's aged you?
Speaker 1 (00:54):
I mean I have some more gray hairs, but I can't
tell if that's just.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
You know the kids, the job in general, you know all
of it.
What we know it isn't is.
It's not the wife, oh,absolutely not.
She does not cause gray hairs,she's a saint.
In case you don't know, josh'sbeautiful bride, kim, also works
here and has done a lot ofdifferent roles and let me tell
you she is definitely a pillarfor TRM and we appreciate her.
(01:19):
Josh, I appreciate you, as wewere kind of even just unpacking
to our guests kind of thehistory of this.
It's just cool to be thinkinghow long we've done it.
I think what stood out to me asI was telling them is we have
been able to really be a beaconfor a lot of good stuff that's
happening, that's outside of us.
You know, this isn't just oh,it's all about the rescue
(01:41):
mission, like everything fromgovernment things, other
nonprofits we've had businessowners.
What is something that you likeabout these podcasts?
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Well, I think, kind of like you said, it really just
kind of shines a light throughall of the different areas of
what God's doing right, I think,ultimately, that's what this
podcast is is telling the storyof what God's doing through the
work here, because I think allof us genuinely recognize it's
not us, it's him, and we're justtools as part of that, which is
really cool.
And so this is just kind of oneof those tools of shining lights
(02:14):
on different areas, like, hey,it's not just us, god's doing
some really cool stuff here, butit's the community, it's
literally our community, ourmission, and now doing these
other podcasts, of expanding tohey, it's not just Topeka, it's,
you know, different states,different cities, and so, yeah,
(02:35):
I think that's been my favoritepart of just seeing the
conversation expand.
You know, when you werementioning that, I remember when
, like, we first started inSeptember 19, I think, 2019.
You know it was Barry and Ithink Kim kind of did co-hosting
a lot, and so it's just, butit's just kind of changed and
evolved, but it's still held thesame kind of core message,
which has been really cool.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
So, I love that too and you know, I just what I
think is incredible is, when wedo these, so much of it is like
uplifting and so much of it isreally stories of hope, stories
of redemption, stories of reallyneat things that are being done
.
And it's not that we don'tsteer away from heavy topics.
We've had some on here as well,and so it's just to me.
(03:14):
It's really neat how we've beenable to bring a lot of truth
even in controversial settingsand sometimes talking about the
major complexities ofhomelessness, like we've been
able to dive into that.
But there's also a lot oflightheartedness and silliness
We've got to laugh through it.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
We've got to laugh through it, that's right.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Um, yeah, I had somebody I'm, I met with
somebody yesterday that justblessed me and it was a last
minute thing and, honestly,yesterday was just kind of tough
and, um, it's kind of tough andthis person said, just spoke
words over me but then said theenemy is trying to take your joy
(03:52):
and you cannot allow that tohappen.
And this person really doesn'tknow me or anything like that,
but just kind of talked abouthow joy is really not dependent
on circumstance, because we getthat from the Lord.
And that was such a kind of aconvicting reminder of me too
that, regardless if we're doinga heavy topic on podcast or if
(04:14):
we're talking about stuff thatwe're facing that we're not sure
what the end game is going tobe budgets, those kinds of
things we can still have joy andlife in the middle of that.
Yeah, absolutely Well, and it'slike you said you can get so
joy and life in the middle ofthat.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Yeah, absolutely Well , and it's like you said, you
can get so caught up with theday-to-day or the and you said
it was it last week or a coupleweeks ago.
You can't lose sight of theforest or the trees, or
something similar to thatCorrect.
Yes, we have to sometimes pullback and remember big picture
what God's doing instead ofgetting stuck in the minutia of
everything Right, Right.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So today we're going to practice that.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
Josh.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
We're going to practice our humor and the
lightheartedness by recognizingthat this day is known for three
very important, I'm sure,life-changing things I did a ton
of research on this I can tell.
I'm impressed with your workethic.
So today is known as Be A KidAgain Day.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Yeah, I like that one .
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Do people really have to be reminded of that?
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
I kind of feel like that's just part of our norm
here.
Maybe too much, maybe too muchUm, but yeah, you know it talks
about just don't forget yourinner child um, trying to worry
less um, and being able tobalance, yes, those
responsibility and workpressures but really to not
stress about the future.
And then this said let out thatjoyful, innocent kid that's
(05:32):
still deep down there in all ofus.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
And what a like biblical thing even you know,
let the children come to me andnot worrying about tomorrow, for
tomorrow has its own fears.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Like, just let it go Well and I think, think, oh, you
know, I want to sing that.
But I won't?
I'm dealing with some drainagethis morning.
Um, I'm not sure if I shouldsay this, but my voice this
morning sounded a little bitlike fran dresser off the nanny.
It was like these high pitchbreak, yes yeah but then there
was like this raspy part and Ithought, great, what a great
(06:04):
podcast day.
But I got up earlier, drank twocups of coffee and tried to wet
it, but anyways, okay, so we'regoing to be joyful, we're going
to act like a kid, but I don'tknow about you.
When I was a kid, I did not eatmy blueberries.
So today is National BlueberryDay.
Do you like blueberries?
Speaker 1 (06:23):
So I don't mind them.
My kids love them, like we'llget a thing of blueberries and
they'll be gone in like at mosttwo days.
Typically it's the next day but, they'll just like eat handfuls
of them and I'm like, great,like my kids love fruit.
That's huge, but it's expensive.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
I was going to say, when I buy them, I literally am
like I know it's nourishingtheir bodies and I would rather
them do that than a bag of chips.
But the other side of me islike I'm about to watch $5
evaporate in about 45 secondswhen all five of them put their
hands in them and start eatingthem.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
The chips are cheaper .
Speaker 2 (06:58):
That's right.
That's right.
Let's not talk about what itdoes to your innards, but you
know, yeah, so lots of benefitsabout uh blueberries um
nutritious fiber, richantioxidants, um lots of
benefits for it.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
And they do sound good on a nice hot summer day
like today.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
They do, and you know I made several desserts over
the weekend for the fourth andall of them, of course, I had to
use blueberries for red, whiteand blue.
Yeah, red, white and blue.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
So it worked.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
I'm not sure I ever just I'm like woohoo, can't wait
to eat my blueberries.
That's probably not me.
Dill pickles maybe.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Well, so you might like the next day then.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yes, okay, so the next day take it away.
Josh, what is it?
National ice cream Sunday day,as if you didn't need an excuse.
Yes, today is your day.
Today is the day and I'mtelling I love sundays.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Do you like sundays?
I do.
I can't eat a lot of ice creamjust because I got a weird
stomach.
I know me too, which is dumb.
Yeah, I pay for it like it'snot fun.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
It's not fun, but it's definitely good.
While I'm eating it, oh yeah sodo you like nuts on your sundae
or not?
Speaker 1 (08:01):
um, it depends, it really does some days I
sometimes I don't.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
I don't know, Some days you feel like it depends on
the work day.
Yeah, it's kind of nutty, ohthat's right man, that's
probably more often than not.
Um, yeah, so there's so manydifferent types of um ice cream.
Sundays, we celebrate it.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Um throw some blueberries on there, throw some
blueberries, it evens it out.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
That's what we hope for.
So, okay, well, enough of that.
That helps us.
You know, just get ready for,honestly, a fun, fun personality
this morning, and so I wantedto say this earlier, but I
hadn't introduced her.
Yes, but I'm going to introduceour sweet friend Leah.
I'm going to let her talk alittle bit about her position at
(08:49):
the Caring Place, which isactually located in Miami,
florida.
I'm pretty sure she needs me tocome visit for something soon.
Yeah, just, I mean, that's agiven, I'll come too.
I mean, I'm happy to go to MiamiField trip Field trip to Miami,
but it is so fitting that Be AKid Again Day is on the day that
we are talking to Leah.
Leah is man.
(09:18):
There's so much that I couldsay about her, but her vibrancy,
her contagious smile and spiritfills whatever space she's in.
And so I'm going to look at you.
So I don't look at her on thelittle zoom and cry Um, but met
her a couple of years ago andit's one of those things that we
could, I think, go an entireyear, which we don't, but we
could an entire year.
And not talking, as soon as wesee each other we pick right
back up, and it is because shejust has this level of love that
(09:44):
radiates out of her, a love forher family, which I'm sure
you're going to hear about in aminute, her love for the work
that she does at the rescuemission, but also the love of
the Lord, and that's incredible.
Leah is a very active member inthe Emerging Leaders, which
we've talked about several timeson here.
But if you're a new listener,many rescue missions belong to
(10:06):
the CityGate Network Association, and that CityGate Network is
just that.
I mean it is a place to network, one on a spiritual level so
that we stay encouraged asbelievers in the work we're
doing, but also networking tolearn, one of those things of
like you know better, you dobetter, and that's what CityGate
(10:27):
provides.
And so Leah is a very importantmember of our emerging leaders,
definitely someone who makesfriends with everyone that comes
her way, and it is a blessing,leah, to have you on here with
us this morning, and I think youhave a special guy sitting next
to you so you can introduce himin a minute.
(10:47):
But go ahead, introduceyourself, leah, your position,
kind of give a little bit aboutwhat you do, and then let's talk
about that sweet guy next toyou too.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Oh, I will Trust me.
Thank you guys so much againfor having me on here.
As y'all are saying, my name'sLeah.
I work for the Caring Place atMiami Rescue Mission Broward
Outreach Centers.
I have been at thisorganization now for eight years
and counting.
In fact, I did some governmentjobs beforehand in secular
business.
I even worked up on the Hillwith a senator and I don't know.
(11:20):
Philanthropy has always been apart of my life and it came to a
point that I'm like I need toshift to my career.
I need to give back.
Coming from a family on myfather's side, unfortunately,
that struggled a lot withaddiction, and I lost my brother
to addiction as well.
When I found out that myparents were volunteering at the
caring place and then they gota job here, it just felt like
the right home for me.
(11:41):
So now I serve as the mediamanager is my capacity here, and
a big backstory, though, as tohow I ended up as the care face
is actually with the guy sittingnext to me.
So, I've known our president,antonio Villasuso, also known as
Tony, for many of years.
We met him at a church back inMiami Springs.
I think I was in like middleschool and he and my family just
(12:02):
kind of clicked, talked to mydad about the rescue mission and
then my stepdad came, startedvolunteering, eventually got
hired.
My mom followed too and Ifollowed right after we our
family basically is part of thesame church, now Metro Life.
So be a kid again.
I just got to say one thingbefore I have my stepfather.
He loves to give back to ourchurch group Right.
(12:23):
So for Fourth of July he waslike I'm going to bless our
little connect group that wehave.
You know, they can bring theirkids, their family, whatever.
And let me tell you I hadflashbacks to Arizona.
We ended up going to volcanoBay.
He took us to volcano Bay inOrlando.
We were in that lazy river,enjoying ourselves, going down
the rise, and it was the time ofour lives, so very fitting that
(12:46):
today is that day.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Yes, that is.
I love that, you know.
I just kind of wish we wereable to incorporate things like
that in our everyday rhythm oflife.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
If only if only we should get some bubble machines
around here, that's right.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Something if we don't have any kind of lazy river or
any kind of relaxation that wecan do in the midst of this.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
I just go singing around the office.
You know you got to bring somejoy every so often.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Yes, absolutely so.
Talk a little bit, Leah, aboutsome of the family members that
you have that are so embeddedaround there in the work that
you do.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Yeah, of course.
So I am the third member of myfamily that's actually working
for the organization.
My stepfather, paul, serves asour director of social
enterprise.
My mother, ida, she, actuallyworks within our operations
department assisting thedirector, so we're pretty well
connected here.
We try not to take work home.
There needs to be a line.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
The mission.
The caring place is the caringplace and home must be a family.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Right.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
You only get so many hours, josh can tell you may not
be the easiest.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
some days it is.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
And Antonio over here .
He has a little bit of abromance going on.
You know he and Paul they'rebest friends.
I'm telling you I love it.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
It's a family affair here at the Caring Place and
it's, you know, the Sigalowfamily Leah, ida, paul.
But there's so much to ourfamily, it's so big and I've
(14:25):
intentionally the presidentbefore told out so many.
You know, when you're so manyyears embedded into rescue
missions, like I am and beingrescued from where I used to be
to where I am today, it's thehand of God, the miracles.
So I try to live every day,intentionally, so my volcano
bays are not only what paultakes me.
(14:46):
I try to make volcano bays uh,blizzard beach days that's right
, I try to make be a kid dayevery day, because I think I
missed a lot of that.
From 17 to to about 27.
I was very embedded inaddiction and and and crack
cocaine was big in Miami and Iwas lost in that world.
And I went to good schools eventhough I had great parents that
(15:09):
were lifting me up.
I just didn't want to listen.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:15):
And here I am today, sitting as the president of the
caring place, not knowing onlythat it's by God's grace that I
stand here because, that's notthe journey that I thought I
would go.
You know, I got a brother who'sa police officer, two chiefs in
my family, a captain, peoplethat are in social services, but
not the way that I'm in socialservices.
(15:35):
I like to see fully transformedpeople, the team at the caring
place.
When they ask me this questionover and over what is it that
you like about your job?
And I, it's what's in the book.
It's seeing lives transformedand seeing families united.
That's the the best highlightfor me.
Don't take me into a room whereI gotta do numbers and look at
(16:00):
no just.
I always tell people god is inthe miracle business and we will
get this one way or another.
Obviously, you need the moneyto fix the chillers.
You need the money to fixbroken things in your
organization, like today we'retalking here now I got an
inspector going through, aninspector that's never been
through our center, just poppedup today and he's an
(16:21):
environmental I don't know what.
He's already for hot water forthis.
for that I told everybody it'llget taken care of.
Take the list and we'll justadd it onto the things we do.
But stopping my dinner lastnight to yes, because I'm that
crazy guy that my phone numberhas been the same for 20 years.
(16:43):
I talk to all the people whenthey graduate the program.
I share my phone number withthem.
If you need me, call me.
People tell me you're nuts andI go.
I'm not nuts.
I serve somebody that saved meand our lord is busy.
He's taking care of people herein miami at the same time he's
taking care of people in topeka.
(17:05):
so at the same time I'm not godbut I could try to be the best
of help that I can for him.
So last night got a call from aguy that graduated two years
ago, decided to leave a coupledays before july 4th.
I called last night and said Ican't make it, I need to get
back in there.
I stopped my dinner, stoppedthe show I was going to watch
(17:27):
with my son called.
Maybe that's not the best thingin the world that I did to stop
something with my family, butthey understand I'm going to
stop that to make sure I getthat soul in.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
So we got him in he's back in the center and we're
going in the right directionwith him.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
I know maybe that's not our direction of our today
being fun and joyous, but that'sto me, that's what completes
rescue missions.
We rescue people even when wedon't think it's time to rescue
we may have.
Well, they come in on Mondays.
You know what I'm telling myteam?
They come in on Mondays.
They come in on Tuesdays.
They come in on Wednesdays.
They come when they're ready.
Because I went to seven rehabsand I wasn't ready.
(18:06):
None of those seven times I wasready when the Lord wanted me
to be ready.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
And here.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
I am 30 plus years later.
Praise God, thanking God foranother day, another moment and
another chance to be able toshare the good news with
somebody that needs to hearsomething today on this podcast.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Yes, you know there's so much there that I want to
dive in First, though I want todive into Antonio, can you just
kind of talk about?
I love how you just mentionedthey're not ready.
They're not ready, but it isimportant that we're ready.
At the rescue missions, right,because everybody's on their own
(18:45):
journey and they might not beready yet, but our doors have
got to be open.
We've got to be ready becausewe never know when somebody is
going to say yes.
So talk to me a little bitabout what all you offer at the
caring place and how do y'allstand ready all the time for
people when they say they're yes.
What are things that y'alloffer and what does that look
(19:06):
like?
Speaker 4 (19:07):
My ready came from experience.
Right, it comes being fromexperience because you want
people to follow the guidelines.
You want your team to follow theguidelines but then to be ready
.
So we offer a regenerationprogram, which is a 12-month
program that helps men and womenbattle with life-controlling
issues drug addiction.
(19:27):
Now we're diving more intoconnecting them with the mental
you know co-occurring disorders,dealing with mental illness
with our partnerships withdifferent agencies in the
community.
We have a behavioral team thatwe've built into our
regeneration program that we'reworking with as well.
We've added that component.
We had it in Broward, now we'veadded it into our Miami campus.
(19:49):
We try to offer that program noquestions asked, no cost.
That usually is a Monday intakebut I try to put into my team
that a person may want to comein Tuesday and we may need to
hold to the next Monday.
So we try to.
I try to build that.
How do I say?
Build that atmosphere, buildthat moment, so that people just
(20:11):
be ready.
You know you don't need me.
This is a tool that God hasgiven us to be able to not
rescue people, but rescue them,yes, and then point them in a
direction towards christ, sothat it could be a life long,
lasting change and that is oneof the things that I take our
pride in, that we haven'tchanged the gospel of jesus
(20:32):
christ that we offer it from themoment that they walk in
through the door to the momentthey live.
So regeneration is is one.
Then, you know, a lot of peoplesay, don't take that contract
with the government, don't dothis.
Well, I'm the opposite.
I'm like how can we build arelationship with the government
so that you know, it's beenembedded me through the three
(20:56):
R's relationship relationship,relationship, you know,
relationship with one another,relationship with the community
and relationship with God andwith Christ.
So the relationship with thecommunity is there's people out
there that need the bed, so ifthey could come in and you can
get paid for that bed, then whynot?
Because that could take care ofthe bills that could take care
(21:17):
of the regeneration program aslong as we don't cross over.
You know, I've.
As as recently as two monthsago, I was talking to one of our
leaders from the homeless trusthere in miami.
They said well, we don't wantto change what you're doing and
that you don't hear fromgovernment much right usually
they want to change everything.
Now there are things that wehave to submit to, there is
(21:37):
things, guidelines and thingsthat we have to look at.
So, saying that, to say that wealso offer 110 beds with our
government and when I saygovernment, our city of Miami,
city of Hollywood.
We work alongside with them,they have some beds with us and
they partner with us and theycome in and we have those beds
ready for those, and then we tryto get those, and is that in
(21:58):
your?
Speaker 2 (21:58):
is that your overnight shelters?
Speaker 4 (22:02):
And is that your overnight shelters?
Speaker 2 (22:03):
It's not overnight anymore.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
They're placed by outreach teams that are in the
city.
Got it and they're placed thereand usually they want you to
turn them over quickly and getthem into housing.
But you know well I don't knowabout in Topeka, but here in
Miami housing is through theroof.
It's crashing a little bit,it's coming down.
So that crisis is coming down,but not enough for somebody
(22:25):
that's making maybe $776 out ofan SSI check.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Accurate.
Speaker 4 (22:31):
That's not going to take you far.
The idea of government comingalongside and paying your bills.
That's good for a little while,but that's not going to last
forever.
Correct, so it's working, allthose things.
There's moments where you'replacing people left and right in
apartments and there's momentsthat you're not.
And I think I get to see all ofit because I've got people that
(22:53):
move through quickly and I'vegot people that stay for a while
, and then I've got people thatI've had to put in a different
category and sometimes evenremove them from our, our data,
so that I could take care ofthem as long as it takes,
because some people that are not.
You know, I heard a message verylong time ago that some people
are going to get it right away.
(23:13):
Some people are not going toget it right away.
Some people are going to haveto walk side by side with them.
Some you're going to have tohold on to, some you're going to
have to walk side by side withthem.
Some you're going to have tohold on to, some you're going to
have to carry, and some you'regoing to have to push, and some
it's going to be to yourdeathbed.
You're going to have them withyou.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
And you know that's history.
I'm glad that you say thatbecause that has been an area, I
think if I can even be as boldof saying an area of contention
here in Topeka.
And sometimes it's because oflack of education, sometimes
it's because of people'spersonal biases that sometimes
are rooted in a not very niceheart, and then sometimes it is
(23:50):
just plain unrealisticexpectations.
But there is this expectation,sometimes from decision makers,
sometimes even community members.
Well, why can't they just get ajob?
Or why can't they just getclean, or why can't they just
stay at your shelter?
And my, what I tried tocommunicate is it's the same
(24:13):
thing as if I just automaticallytold you whatever habit you
have, whether that habit is goodor bad, and told you to no
longer do it and just changeLike it.
It's a process and trustbuilding and all of that I think
it's spelled T-I-M-E.
It takes time to do that.
So you know, I want thelisteners to really hear.
(24:36):
What Antonio is talking about issometimes you've got people
that are coming through yourdoors or coming to those teams
that are eager, they are trulyready to shed whatever struggles
they have and they're ready totake the next steps.
You've got some who arehesitant.
You've got some who maybe evenbe rebellious.
They, they um ended up here butthey're not ready to change,
and all of that.
(24:56):
And the bottom line is rescuemissions are the primary
organizations that are standingnavigating through that, trying
whichever one it is be intohousing in 30 days and healed.
It just doesn't work like that.
(25:31):
So I love that you mentionedthat and I can celebrate.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
Listen, I have different.
I was just sharing with anotherstaff member, before this call,
before this podcast here, thatwe were gonna jump on.
You know you have to yeah, asyou grow older in life, you have
to understand People.
People are not all like you'resaying, they're not.
I celebrate with a Catholicoutreach team that's out there
(25:56):
that's placing people on a dailybasis into housing.
How long the person in a placeis going to stay there, I don't
know.
I used to be the one that said,oh, you can't do that.
Well, they did it.
So now I celebrate that withthem and if it works for the
person, praise the Lord.
And if it doesn't work, thenwe're here to catch the person
and try to work with that personso that they can get used to
(26:18):
living in four walls.
Some people think that living infour walls is easy, and it's
not when you've lived free andunder a bridge and begging for
money because a divorce took youthere or because a
life-changing moment in yourlife.
And I wasn't like this alwaysI've learned over the years of
(26:39):
watching the people and watchingmy own life.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (26:41):
You know, as you get older you get wiser.
That's a true saying.
But also watching people's asthey're coming in, you know
again, not everybody comes witha weight.
Of course rules have to.
I tell the guys, the rules arethere for a reason.
You have to be.
They have to be done, but wemade the rules.
We could also change the rule,make the rule a little bit more
(27:06):
lenient to work that person, butthen it leads you to other
things.
Because I like things like this.
I'm learning sometimes.
Like this is not going to work.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Sometimes it's not going to work.
Speaker 4 (27:18):
And Leo was saying there's piles all over your desk
.
These piles made me forgetabout the person that needs a
hug or the person that needs tobe said yes to.
Then I need to take a walk backto the center, because I'm not
in the center anymore.
I'm in the administrativeoffice.
But you know, today's one ofthose days when I feel like
(27:38):
walking through the center.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Me too.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
Because I feel like I need to be there, but I also
want to let my new director dowhat he needs to do and not
overshadow him, Because walk in,they dump him and they go to
you and you're like no stay overhere.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
We've navigated that too.
We really have in transitioningand I'm the same way.
I can tell I say all the timewell, I usually say it about
policy, but I'm like when Istart doing policies over people
, that's when I need to get anew gig, because it just you can
have parameters, you can do allof that, but it has to remain
people centered, and sometimesthe Lord works in ways that
(28:16):
makes no sense to man, but wehave to cling to that.
Leah, talk to me a little bitabout what you do, but also then
talk to me about why is thisimportant?
Like you've heard Antonio kindof talk about this bigger
picture, right, and um, some ofthe options and the whys for
basically what it looks like forthe caring place as a whole.
(28:38):
But why, why are you sofaithful to it after eight years
?
And why is it something thatyour family is so involved in?
Because it's hard, it'schallenging, it requires a great
amount of flexibility.
Lots of heartaches comes withthis job as well.
So tell me what you do and justwhy.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Yeah, I mean I would be lying to you if I said I've
had the same position since Istarted.
I have gone through fourdifferent titles, four different
areas and now I'm newly intojust being solely media manager.
No more database, nothing to dowith donor services.
It has been a transition.
When I go into the why, we havea saying that we said that we
(29:26):
started many, many years ago onone of our buildings that was
taken away by eminence domainand it was put on the outside
and it states when you don'thave a friend in the world,
you'll find one here, and thatsaying is kind of the core and
essence of who the caring placeis here, in Miami and Hollywood
Florida.
Here in Miami and HollywoodFlorida, we truly care about the
individual, the soul, theperson, and not just getting
(29:46):
them off the street and gettingthem to an apartment.
We care about theirtransformation, their
rehabilitation, making suretheir case manager works for
them, making sure they geteducation, and all of that bells
and whistles.
Now me on the back end, beingon the media side, what I'm
trying to do now, my newestinitiative is I'm trying to form
relationships with ourcommunity partners in media
(30:07):
radio, tv print to let them knowwho we are.
And I'm going to tell yousomething.
I've got some people respond tome like we had no idea you
existed.
I'm like we must be a treasure,because we've been here for
over 100 years and y'all don'tknow who we are.
Well, let me introduceourselves.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
We're at a caring place at Miami Rescue Mission
Broward Outreach Centers and weserve the Austin Forgotten.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
She will keep you busy, though she will keep you
on podcast.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
She'll keep you going .
So I mean, ultimately, let's behonest, we're here because we
love our Lord, we're servicingthe Lord and we care about
transformation.
And I know I touched on it alittle bit on the beginning, but
when I was younger I trulydidn't really understand, like I
always heard the jokes ofaddiction and people ODing and
this that the other.
Unfortunately it did run on myfather's side and once you
(30:55):
mature and you go throughcollege, you go through
different avenues of life andthen you kind of go more into
the church scene and you getdevelop who you are as an
individual.
It really is home and the moreI found out about what my
parents did, you know it allactually kind of the way I got
into this.
Believe it or not, it's thesilliest story.
My stepfather he used to havewe call them Christian service
(31:17):
assignments, csas so he had thiskid that he was helping out.
He had a watch that was given tohim by his grandfather or
something and the watch it diedand he needed a battery.
And then he knew that I wasalways at the mall because I
love going to the mall to finddeals.
I'm one of those like I shopfor Christmas in June.
Yes, Christmas gifts delivered.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
Same.
Speaker 3 (31:38):
So I went to the mall and I got, you know, the
battery put in and then I hadgone over to the mission to give
it to my stepfather so he cangive it to his CSA done.
And the look on thisgentleman's face for something
so simple as a five dollarbattery watch replacement, it's
like wow, that little thingreally impacted your life and I
(32:01):
I'm like, all right, this placeis a lot more than what I think
it is, because even when I wasin high school down in Miami, we
would do volunteer service days.
Right, we'd go to differentlike soup kitchens.
Basically.
That's what I'm going to say.
That's all you did.
You know we have volunteeropportunities as well, but I
feel like when you volunteerwith us you get to see a larger
picture because, I wasvolunteering as a high schooler
(32:23):
and I was just in a kitchenserving a plate.
I didn't really see atransformation.
I didn't see a change.
You know we have women andchildren.
We have focus groups, covergirls, girlfriends for
girlfriends, home run team, andall of this is part to help you
reintegrate to society.
So you're able to go and leavethose vices, work on
(32:43):
transforming your life and youhave a mentor to help you
reintegrate to society.
So you're able to go and leavethose vices, work on
transforming your life and youhave a mentor to help you
through that.
And that ties into being a kidday, just for fun.
I'm going to say this one thosefocus groups I mentioned Cover
Girls, girlfriends forGirlfriends, home Run Team those
mentorship opportunities andthe way that they help these
individuals is by far,incredible.
Home Run Team they go out tobaseball games together.
They go to top golf together andthey really integrate and they
(33:05):
go bowling too, and this is justa way to bring the fun out of
an everyday situation that shows, hey, you can have fun in
society again without picking upa drink, without picking up
whatever it is that your vicemay have been, and you can do it
.
You can be there and you'llalways have a friend me All
tying back into the.
When you don't have a friend inthe world, you'll find one here
.
Ultimately, our kindness, ourcaring, is what we give to those
(33:27):
that come to our doors, evenour outside guests, because we
have outside guests andresidential people.
We service over a thousandpeople daily between our two
centers and we treat them allthe same inside and out.
Speaker 4 (33:40):
And to her point you had asked.
Yes, we have the feedingprogram that we do daily.
We have the women and childrenin our Broward campus.
We have our duplicateregeneration program that we
didn't have up there before.
We have a regeneration programfor the women up there, the
behavioral.
We have a free clinic.
We have a school across thestreet.
Even though it's not run by us,it's our building but we try to
(34:03):
make sure that the kids areeducated there before they hit
homelessness.
They're from the area butsometimes she said there that it
goes with everything that I tryto do with the word time that
we were just talking about alittle bit before you know you
have so many bad memories.
(34:23):
You have to help people createnew memories.
And long ago, when I was inrehabilitation, an
80-something-year-old man sat inmy chapel with me and I was
learning scripture memorizationin the program and he told me
young man, why do you look sosad and I go?
Because I'm doing the samething again and again, and again
.
And he said well, you know what?
I'm 87 and that's how life is.
(34:44):
You do things in like aroutinely manner until your
savior or your life finishes,but you make different memories
and you make differentexperiences through life.
You make good ones and bad ones.
So when they come to us, theymade so many bad ones that you
have to reteach on that.
There's still life to live.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (35:06):
Hope that there's still a chance for you.
So there was a chance for me,there's a chance for you, so I
just want it on that memorything, with all these focus
groups that we work withtogether to get there.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
In between, you know, everything else that has to go
on goes on at the rescue missionand I think we kind of do
service as a great tool in thecommunity because Tony was
switching on the school that wehave that runs from us Care
Elementary, but we also have aclinic that runs from us to
Miami, rescue Mission Clinic andboth of these that are now
their own 501c3s were kind ofstarted by us back in the day.
(35:40):
So they used to be ours and theybranched off and became their
own 501c3.
So I like to say that webirthed two 501c3s, two
nonprofits.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
I think so too.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
And they still work with us, we still partner
together.
Our clinic is in Miami and inHollywood.
They even have a center inDoral and they work with our
residents.
And then, obviously, we havepartnerships as well with the
hospitals.
And it's just seeing that otherpeople care about the soul and
the person and not just aboutthe toddler, and they're willing
to get this person.
Aid makes everything we do, allthe trials, all the tribulations
(36:15):
, everything it justifies it itjustifies sometimes the long
hours, the headaches that followyou, the situations that keep
you up at night, because you'relike, oh my gosh, could we have
handled that better?
What could we have done?
Speaker 4 (36:27):
and and ultimately, it just boils down to caring for
an individual and thevisionaries, the visionaries
that have come before us, thathave opened the road.
You know because I don't knowit things that we don't
understand sometimes sure dailythat you may make a decision as
a ceo and I may make a decisionand the rest of the team doesn't
(36:48):
understand and the politics ofit and the problems of it and
the relations and the thingsthat go through it.
Hey, listen, there's nothing newunder the sun.
It's in the book ofecclesiastes.
There's nothing new under thesun.
It's in the book ofecclesiastes.
There's nothing new.
And there's nothing that youshould hide from anybody.
If you know a good way of doingit, how can you not share that
with other people so they coulddo it the same, especially our
(37:09):
rescue mission?
Brothers and sisters, we needmore of that in our world.
We need more.
Let's work together so that wecan accomplish the goal of
seeing a person made wholethrough the Lord Jesus Christ.
So it's a battle and those, asyou said, that have been birthed
into five-year-old nonprofitsand things that we've done.
(37:30):
Thank God for the visionarythat came behind me and saw
something when I didn't see itwhen I was.
I was just an assistant directoror a case manager or or a guest
service person or whatever itwas, because I've been through
all of it yes you need to knowall of it to be able to do some
(37:50):
of it sure.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
So you know, y'all have just dove in.
I mean, I feel like we needlike three different podcasts
just on diving into services andthe whys, because I know both
of y'all have very connectedreasons why this is so important
.
But I'm going to kind of throwa zinger in here and ask it
(38:14):
could be one or both of you aswe wrap up, and I have a reason
why I want to connect this.
So you, the listeners, haveheard a lot about what you all
have to offer, why it's soimportant, a little bit about
your personal connections.
The zinger I want to throw iswhat would Miami be like without
you all?
(38:35):
So as you talk about the peoplethat came before you I mean you
guys have existed over 100 years, right?
So there has been a lot ofkingdom work done on earth
through people and through yourdoors and through change and
transition.
Have so many people that say,oh, I had no idea or I didn't
(39:00):
know.
We faced that here too, and sowe're trying to work on that.
Yes, that's what we've said tothe.
I don't know, I had no idea.
But really, what have you guysthought about what your
community would be like withouty'all?
Speaker 3 (39:10):
I think it would be so different.
I'm just going to jump right inand you know, tony feel free to
correct me along the way what Ihave noticed over time because
I've only been here eight years.
I'm a newbie compared to the100 years and 30, 20 year
experience beforehand.
We have graduates from ourprogram in high ranking
positions, graduates that havealways told me when I've asked
(39:34):
them because we used to do awhere are they now segment.
So I got to interview a lot ofour prior graduates.
Sometimes it's not that you justneed to go to a rehab and get
clean.
Sometimes it's that you needthe word and you need to Lord to
help you and bring you up andbring you to that final change.
As Tony mentioned earlier, andlooking around in South Florida,
(40:01):
there's not many people like us.
There's not many faith-basedmissions that care about an
individual to bring them in forthe amount of time we bring them
in for while we lead them tothe Lord and show them that
there is a better tomorrow forthese individuals.
So I think that if our littletreasure in South Florida were
to be gone, we'd see a decrease,maybe in even people that have
transformed their lives.
There wouldn't be as many quoteunquote productive members of
(40:23):
society, because that's what wetry to teach that you can
reintegrate and be productivemembers of society.
Just believe so.
That's one of the aspects Ihave a takeaway from.
Speaker 4 (40:34):
Well, for me.
Again, I want to thank the team, you know, because it's not
about the Tony show or the Sigloshow and I want to make sure,
if they listen from beginning tothe end when we share it, that
they know that I appreciate eachand every one of them.
But for me, I think that therewould be a void of love hope
(40:56):
missing from our community, voidof of love hope missing because
, um, yes, you can find a friendhere, but, yes, you can find a
plate of food, yes, you can finda hug, you can find a pair of
jeans if you need it.
So it would be that componentmissing that you know, people
can just walk in and either getwhat you need or not get what
(41:18):
you want or you get what youwant, or I don't know how to put
it, but I think that the lovething would be missing.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (41:24):
I think our I want to say that we do give that here
and a family atmosphere.
At least your family doesn'twant you, we want you.
If society doesn't want you, wewant you.
So I don't want, I wouldn'twant that component to be gone
from the community and we needit to stay here.
Speaker 2 (41:46):
I love that, you know , man, there's just so much.
But, yes, I completely agreethat, even as I'm looking at TRM
, you know we've existed forover 70 years and sometimes
there's just whether it's againa misconception or blame because
(42:07):
of uneducation.
You know, I don't, I don't knowwhat it is, but there is this
myth of well, sometimes therescue mission makes
homelessness worse, or ourcommunity would improve if the
rescue mission wasn't here doingthis work.
And when you look at scriptureand you look at truth and not
just the scripture that we allkind of go to, if the poor will
(42:28):
always be among you, there's alot of other things that elude
the importance of when peopleare hurting, that there's
restoration, that is all throughthe Bible, that was Jesus's
three-year ministry, those kindsof things.
And so I appreciate you guys notonly unpacking what all you do,
but that you also are able tostand boldly and say and if we
(42:51):
weren't here, there is going tobe a void.
We have people that aren'tgoing to find friends, we have
people who are not going torehabilitate.
We're going to have people whoare not going to experience not
only healthy love from human andflesh, but also the love of
Christ.
And so thank you both for beingmy special guest today.
(43:11):
Man, you guys are godsends.
I'm thankful for that, leah.
I'm thankful for your sweetfamily that's so embedded there
as well, and we definitelyappreciate both of you being on
here.
Speaker 4 (43:22):
Now you have another friend in Miami besides Leah.
Speaker 3 (43:25):
You're going to have to come and just help us set up
our media room and everything Imean.
I really think that I need youhere.
Speaker 2 (43:31):
Yeah, you know, because I'm so good with the
wires and technology.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
That means me.
Speaker 2 (43:37):
That's exactly right.
Getting the company credit card?
No company credit card, that'sfor sure.
No Amazing, josh, as we wrap up, you know, I just want to
encourage listeners.
You've heard a lot of good stuff.
You've heard a lot of goodstuff today about what is
happening in Miami, what ishappening in the city of
Hollywood, florida.
(43:57):
You have heard a little bit ofpersonal connections of both of
these people that are talkingtoday.
A main reason they serve is onetheir love for the Lord.
But two they've had personalconnections to people that have
been either themselves or theirloved ones, have been the one
without a friend.
They either themselves havebeen the one who felt the void
(44:19):
of love and they are determinedthat that does not happen
anymore and they're going toserve that.
That is what you have here atthe rescue mission Our staff
every day, whether they arewalking in lived experience or
they are just determined totruly share the gospel of the
love of Jesus Christ and whathe's done for themselves and
(44:40):
others.
We see that every day in ourstaff.
So if you are listening to thisand you want to be a friend for
someone, please get involved.
You can look at our website attrmonlineorg trmonlineorg to
help become a friend.
Just like the friendships thatare happening in Miami, we need
the friendships in Topeka.
If you are someone right nowthat's filling the void you are
(45:04):
feeling absent in love.
I can assure you you are lovedby the heavenly father who
created you, and you are alsoloved by people in Miami and you
are loved by people in Topeka.
Don't forget it.
God bless.
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