Gospel Con Carne

On this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan sits down with a longtime friend of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, Ilene Green!   Ilene's journey to Community First! Village began long before she called Austin home. While living out of state, Ilene started volunteering with Mobile Loaves & Fishes when her son, Charles, began working at the organization. After retiring from a career as a teaching ai...

On this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan sits down with our longtime neighbor and friend, Shorty! Born and raised in Houston, Texas and one of many siblings, Shorty's life has been shaped by both hardship and resilience. After losing his mother at just nine years old, he eventually spent 31 years living on the streets, struggling with addiction and searching for stability and belongin...

On this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan sits down with our neighbor and friend, Brenda!   Born and raised in Midland and one of 14 siblings, Brenda's life has been marked by both deep love and deep hardship. After losing her sense of identity and falling into addiction, Brenda spent more than a decade living on the streets of Austin. This experience humbled her in ways she never imag...

The Gospel Con Carne podcast is back! Join us this season as Mobile Loaves & Fishes' Founder & CEO, Alan Graham, and his guests share the powerful, untold stories of individuals who have experienced homelessness—and the hope that meets them along the way.   We're honored to kick off the season with Debra, one of Alan's neighbors in Community First! Village. A lifelong wanderer and mother of eight,...

On our season finale of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan sits down with our neighbor and friend, Ruvi. Born and raised in Cuba, Ruvi grew up amid political and economic hardship. After graduating, he traveled the world while working for the Cuban government before coming to Austin nine years ago to seek asylum, leaving behind his family in Cuba.   Life in the United States brought new challenges...

On this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan sits down with our neighbor and friend, Deirdre. Born in California, Deirdre's early life was marked by loss and instability. Even after her father died from addiction, she turned to alcohol and drugs at a young age, leading to years of struggle, incarceration, homelessness and heartbreak. After entering a long-term therapy program, Deirdre reb...

On this episod e of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan sits down with our neighbor and friend, Jeff. Raised in a strict military household and serving in the Navy himself, Jeff's life was marked by both discipline and deep loss, including the passing of his parents and two siblings. For 30 years he battled addiction, but it was during a season of homelessness in Austin while living under a bridge...

Join Alan on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast as he sits down with our friend and neighbor, Jim. Life for Jim has been marked by its share of highs and lows. He has experienced the joy of being a father, and has also experienced deep loss after losing his wife to cancer. In 2017, Jim faced another battle when a life-threatening illness left doctors uncertain if he would make it. Miracu...

On this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan sits down with our neighbor and friend, Kim! From losing homes in natural disasters to living out of her car during the pandemic, Kim's journey hasn't been easy—but it's been marked by grit, love and unshakable determination. Originally from western Kansas, Kim made her way to Austin in 2017 after years of navigating life's twists and turns alo...

On this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan sits down with our neighbor and friend, Jordan. Born in Omaha, Nebraska , Jordan's story is one of quiet strength and deep faith. After facing a series of life-altering events—including a hurricane in Florida, a flood in Colorado, and a devastating house fire—Jordan and his mom found themselves living out of their car in Lakeway for over a year...

On this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan sits down with our neighbor and friend, DeLori. With a life shaped by both hardship and incredible resilience, DeLori shares her journey of transformation—one marked by early struggles and a spirit of survival. Growing up in an abusive home where drugs and alcohol were part of daily life, DeLori ran away  when she was only nine years old. Throu...

On this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan sits down with our friend and neighbor, Justin! Originally from Houston, Justin later made his way to Austin where he found support from a family friend as he navigated life in a new city. After experiencing some bumps along the way, Justin made his way home to Community First! Village in 2021 and has embraced a new chapter of life—one marked b...

Join Alan on an emotional episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast as he sits down with our Community First! Village neighbor, Kim. Originally from Oklahoma, Kim made her way to Austin through Child Protective Services and spent years in foster care and group homes before being adopted. Her parents strived to never give up on her, even as she struggled to let people into her life. Kim encountered h...

The Gospel Con Carne podcast is back! Join us this season as Mobile Loaves & Fishes' Founder & CEO, Alan Graham, and his guests tell the untold stories of individuals who have encountered homelessness. We are excited to kick off this season talking with Honey, one of Alan's neighbors who lives in Community First! Village. Honey grew up in a broken home and transitioned into foster care when she wa...

Join us for our final Gospel Con Carne podcast episode of the season as Alan sits down with our friend and neighbor, Cecile! Originally from Dallas, Cecile and her siblings were raised in a loving home by her parents until they later separated. After graduating high school, Cecile worked in the restaurant industry for a number of years, followed by decades-long work in accounting. She eventually m...

Joining our host, Alan Graham, on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast is our neighbor, Nick! Originally born in Kenya, Nick's mom moved him and his sister to the United States when he was just nine years old. After spending his childhood in Georgia, Nick enrolled in the Army directly out of high school and served for six years. In 2014, Nick's job brought him to Austin where he had a stab...

On our newest episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by our friend and neighbor, Bennie! Born and raised in Austin, Bennie learned early on what it looked like to care for others while growing up in a two-bedroom home with eight siblings. His parents, who were functioning alcoholics, took care of his family well despite being poor. With the integration of Austin happening during m...

Joining our host, Alan Graham, on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast is our neighbor, Cathy! Growing up in Freeport, Texas, Cathy experienced chronic homelessness from a young age alongside her mother and siblings. Often moving from place to place her whole life, Cathy says she doesn't feel like she had her first real home until she moved into Community First! Village in April of 2023. H...

On this week's episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by our neighbor and friend, Bernadette! Originally from New York, Bernadette grew up in an orphanage but was eventually adopted and had a great upbringing as an only child. Throughout her life, Bernadette became a hard worker within the entertainment industry which led to her passion for concerts and even renaissance fairs! Unf...

On our newest episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by our friend and Community First! Village neighbor, Jimmy! Growing up in Queens, New York, Jimmy says he never really felt at home until he moved to Austin in 1982 to go to college. Despite having distant relationships with his immediate family growing up, Jimmy had the chance to reconnect with his dad after moving to Austin. D...

Join Alan on an emotional episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast as he sits down with our neighbor Linda. In addition to learning more about Linda's story, you'll hear from one of our Mobile Loaves & Fishes' staff members, Frazel, who works directly with Linda in our Community Inn! Linda grew up in Louisiana with six siblings, later moving to several locations in Houston, and ultimately ending up...

On this week's episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by our neighbor and friend, John! Growing up on the beaches of Florida, John's childhood was filled with love, surrounded by his mom, stepdad and two brothers. John later attended college in Arizona where he was able to reconnect with his biological father, working to create a relationship even as his dad struggled with alcohol...

On our newest episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, we are joined by our neighbor and friend, Tuana! Originally from Louisiana, Tuana grew up with her mom and two brothers. She says her mom's drug problem forced the family to move around quite a bit, which left her to become involved with the wrong crowds from an early age. The pain Tuana experienced from the people she was left surrounded by l...

Joining our host, Alan Graham, on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast is our neighbor, Orion! Growing up in a small Texas town, Orion had a simple, old-fashioned life and knew what good hospitality looked like. However, what he thought was considered a "normal" family dynamic ended up causing him trouble in the years to follow. With a family history of alcoholism and other unfortunate cir...

On this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, we are joined by not one, but two Alan's! Joining our host, Alan Graham, is his friend and neighbor, Alan, who moved home to Community First! Village in December of 2019. Adopted as a baby, Alan built close relationships with his adoptive parents and fondly remembers his childhood growing up in north Austin. His life took a turn when he began using...