I give free haircuts once a week to men coming out of jail, rehab, or homelessness. People ask me why I do it, and the truth is simple: I know what it feels like to look in the mirror and not recognize the man staring back. Years ago, I went through my own season of darkness. I wasn’t in jail, but I might as well have been - stuck in choices I didn’t know how to get out of, ashamed of who I’d become, and convinced God had run out of patience with me. One day, a man invited me to sit… Read More
My story started in Jamaica when I was 17. I left home because I disliked my parents’ strict rules. When I left to live with my brother, I found myself in a situation that was not conducive to a young girl. After four weeks, he tried to return me to my parents. Halfway there, I decided I was old enough and responsible enough to find a job without having a place to live. A man near my father’s age offered me a big job. I thought he would protect me, but he took me into his home, and I lost my innocence. He… Read More
Useless. Sad. Worthless. Those were my emotions when I experienced homelessness for the first time in 2006. Addicted. Uneducated. Criminal. That wasn’t me. I was just a mom who couldn’t afford permanent housing for me and my three children. Unfortunately, I’ve experienced homelessness three times in life because daycare costs for children are expensive, and I wasn’t receiving child support from their father. I also couldn’t afford to pay rent even though I was employed because I made too much money to qualify for government assistance. When I felt useless, sad, and worthless, I had to shield my emotions to protect my children’s mental… Read More
I apprehensively dressed for the day, carefully choosing all black to project the most intimidating image that I could. Black nails and lipstick, eyeliner, shirt and pants. It was the day my little sister and I were being taken from the orphanage where we’d been for the past three years to a private children’s home. As the child services vehicle wound its way through the mountains of Costa Rica, I fought dismay at the thought of living in the jungle. I remember praying as a child that God would save me from the cycles of witchcraft, parties, drugs, and violence that… Read More
When I first traveled to Kenya with my wife, God really opened my eyes to how people of different statuses are created in His image. This means they deserve the same love and dignity as anyone else. I felt moved by this, and wanted a practical way to apply it when I returned home to the States. God answered my prayers when I was job searching. I looked for business management positions, but He called me to work for a homeless ministry. Created in His image, people who live outside deserve the same love and dignity as anyone… Read More
I was not always a man of God. I had quite a colorful past, being involved in illegal street activity. A former drug addict, I had a $1500 per day drug habit. It didn't matter what kind of drugs either, I used any and all kinds. My choices got me into a lot of serious trouble, which alternately led me to a few prison sentences. I had previously been told about Jesus Christ, but I did not know him for myself. My life was in shambles because of my own actions. It got to the point where I was going to… Read More
