I was born into a very poor family on a small farm in Wyoming. My father raised a few head of cattle and some wheat and oat crops. We grew most of our own food and had a well where we got our drinking water. We had no electricity, no running water and no plumbing. It was a very hard life to start with and the weather did not help matters. When I was in third grade, a terrible blizzard killed all our cattle. The snowdrifts were over twelve feet high, so we had to dig our way out of the house. If that wasn’t bad enough, in the spring a hailstorm killed all of our crops. We were completely wiped out and had nothing left with which to rebuild.

 

We packed up what little we owned and drove west. My dad tried to find work in certain towns along the way, but nothing panned out until we arrived a couple months later in Los Angeles. It was nice in California because we didn’t have the horrible weather problems we had encountered in Wyoming.

 

 

This alone made life easier, but in other ways it was more difficult. We couldn’t raise our own food like before, so when there wasn’t enough money to buy food when we needed it, we didn’t eat. The place we lived in was old, dirty and run down. Rats even ran across my bed at night—which is terribly frightening as a child. But going to bed hungry was the most frightening of all. I felt helpless to do anything about it and I didn’t know when I would ever eat again.

 

It was during that vulnerable time in my life that I decided when I grew up I would do whatever it took to never go hungry again. I would also help others who struggled in that way as well. No one should ever have to be homeless or go hungry. It’s terrifying and demeaning. And it deeply wounds the soul.

 

Everyone is valuable in God’s eyes. Everyone has great worth and a high purpose. And the wonderful people who run the Nashville Rescue Mission believe that, too. That’s why they are dedicated to helping others who have had a rough road so they can get back on their feet. They don’t just provide a meal and refuge for a night—as wonderful, valuable and necessary as that is—they also help people find a better quality of life. And they share the most valuable gift of all—the love of God.

 

Going to bed hungry is something I will never forget—I still can feel the despair of it. And I pray none of us will ever forget those who are suffering today in that same way.