PROFESSIONALS ON OZARKS
FIRST.COM.
NOVEMBER IS HOMELESSNESS
AWARENESS MONTH THAT WE ARE
BEYOND EXCITED TO HAVE NEW YORK
TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR
INTERNATIONAL ART DEALER
PRODUCER AND HOMELESS ADVOCATE,
RON HALL WITH US ALONG WITH MY
DEAR FRIENDS WHO I LOVE MORE
THAN WORDS DOCTOR DAVID AND
LINDA BROWN THE FOUNDERS OF THE
GATHERING TREE AND VILLAGE
WHICH YOU ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH
AND I LOVE THIS TINY HOME
VILLAGE FOR THE CHRONICALLY
HOMELESS IN SPRINGFIELD.
THERE IS SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT
BUT YOU ARE A BIG GUEST IN
SPRINGFIELD WE ARE HONORED TO
HAVE YOU.
YOU HAVE WRITTEN A BOOK THAT
WAS AMAZING AND THEY TURNED IT
INTO A MOVIE.
THERE IS A SPECIAL SCREENING
TONIGHT ALAMO DRAFT CASPER
TELLS ABOUT THE BOOK AND HOW
YOU MET DENVER.
I MET IN DENVER THROUGH
ADRIAN THE MY WEIGHT LATE
WIFE DEBBIE HAD.
WE WERE HAVING DINNER LAST
NIGHT IT WAS THE 19TH YEAR OF
HER HOME-GOING AND ANYWAY IN
1998 SHE HAD A LITERAL DREAM
ABOUT A HOMELESS MAN THAT WOULD
CHANGE OUR LIVES AND SHE ASKED
ME TO GO IN THE INNER CITY TO
SEARCH THIS MAN OF HER DREAMS
WE HAVE BEEN SERVING AN OLD
RUNDOWN SOUP KITCHEN FOR A
COUPLE OF WEEKS WHEN ALL OF A
SUDDEN THIS MAN A GIANT LOOKING
MAN WITH NO SHIRT AND NO SHOES
AND SOME RAGGEDY UNZIPPED
BRITCHES STORMS INTO THE DINING
HALL STARTS SCREAMING AT THE
TOP OF HIS LUNGS I'M GOING TO
KILL WHOEVER STOLE MY SHOES.
AND MY WIFE SAID THAT'S HIM.
THAT'S THE MAN IN MY DREAM AND
SHE SAID I BELIEVE I HEARD FROM
GOD THAT YOU HAVE TO BE HIS
FRIEND TO FIND OUT IF MY DREAM
IS REAL AND I SAID HONEY I WAS
NOT AT THAT MEETING YOU HAD
WITH GOD.
I DON'T WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH
SOMEONE WHO'S GOING TO KILL
EVERYONE I SHOULD TALK TO GOD
MYSELF.
I DID HAVE A TALK WITH GOD AND
I BELIEVE I HEARD HIM SAY FOR
THE FORGIVENESS THAT MY WIFE
AND GOD HAS SHOWN ME THAT BEING
FRIENDS WITH A HOMELESS MAN IS
A SMALL PRICE TO PAY SO FOR
FIVE MONTHS I PURSUED THE MAN
OF HER DREAMS THROUGHOUT THE
CITY OF FORT WORTH TEXAS AND I
GET HIM IN MY CAR AND YOU ALL
ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY AND HE
SAID YOU WANT TO BE MY FRIEND?
THAT BEGIN THE ADVENTURE WHICH
BECAME THE SAME KIND OF
DIFFERENT AS ME.
HE TOLD ME AFTER OUR ALMOST 19
MONTHS OF FRIENDSHIP THE
SOMETHING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN
TO MY WIFE AND THREE DAYS LATER
SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER
BUT HE WAS THE PERSON THAT GOD
USED TO ENCOURAGE US EVERY DAY
THROUGH HER BATTLE WITH CANCER
UNTIL SHE WENT TO HEAVEN 19
YEARS AGO TODAY.
AND AFTER SHE DIED HE AND I
LIVED TOGETHER FOR THE NEXT 12
YEARS UNTIL HE JOINED HER IT'S
A STORY THAT'S ALMOST
UNBELIEVABLE AND I WOULD NOT
BELIEVE IT MYSELF.
DOESN'T SOUND REAL ASSAILS
LIKE A MOVIE.
AND YOU DID TURN IT INTO A
MOVIE.
HERE'S THE COVER AND YOU
CHRONICLED THIS EXPERIENCE IN
THE BOOK AS WELL AS THE MOVIE.
AND A FOLLOW-UP BOOK.
THIS BOOK ENDS WHEN DEBBIE GOES
TO HEAVEN AND THE MOVIE ENDS SO
MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW TOGETHER
WE LIVE TOGETHER AS ROOMMATES.
THERE HE IS PRAYING WE LIVED
TOGETHER AS ROOMMATES FOR THE
NEXT 12 YEARS UNTIL HE JOINED
MISS DEBBIE IN HEAVEN.
THAT'S EMOTIONAL FOR YOU TO
LOSE YOUR WIFE AND YOUR BEST
FRIEND.
THAT HAS TO BE DIFFICULT.
RENIE ZELLWEGER, GREG KINNEAR,
JOHN VOIGHT.
SO MANY GREAT ACTORS IN THIS
MOVIE BEING SCREENED TONIGHT AT
6:40 PM AT THE ALAMO DRAFT
HOUSE.
WE WILL TALK ABOUT THE FILM,
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
I LOVE DOING THESE THINGS
BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE WHEN
THEY SEE THE MOVIE IT MOVES
THEM TO WANT TO DO SOMETHING
FOR THE HOMELESS.
LIKE DAVID AND LINDA.
MOST PEOPLE SEE THE HOMELESS AS
A PROBLEM BUT MY HOMELESS
FRIEND DENVER TOLD ME GOD SEES
THE HOMELESS AS AN OPPORTUNITY
FOR THE FAITHFUL TO SHOW THE
LOVE OF GOD AND THAT'S WHAT
THEY HAVE DONE IN BUILDING EVEN
VILLAGE WHICH IS WHAT I PREACH.
I AM NOT A PREACHER.
I TALK ABOUT THE EDEN VILLAGE
ALL ACROSS AMERICA.
I HAVE DONE OVER A THOUSAND
EVENTS AND RAISED HUNDRED $7
MILLION FOR THE HOMELESS.
WHAT I TALK ABOUT IS HOUSING
WITH DIGNITY GOING ON RIGHT
HERE IN SPRINGFIELD.
YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW FORTUNATE
YOU ARE TO HAVE A COUPLE LIKE
THIS THAT'S COMMITTED TO
CHANGING THE WAY AMERICA, GOD
AND EVERYONE ELSE SEES THE
HOMELESS AND THIS IS THE MODEL
FOR AMERICA TO SOLVE NOT THE
PROBLEM BUT THE OPPORTUNITIES
TO BLESS THE HOMELESS.
AND I WANT TO GET TO DOCTOR
DAVID AND LINDA BROWN BECAUSE
OUR COMMUNITY SPRINGFIELD IS
THANKFUL FOR YOU GUYS EVERY DAY
BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY
TIMES I HAVE HEARD YOU TALK
ABOUT DIGNITY AND THAT'S A
KEYWORD.
TO HAVE DIGNITY AND
SELF-WORTH AND TO SEE THAT COME
TO LIFE AFTER THEY SETTLE IS
HUGE.
WE THANK BOTH OF YOU.
IT HAS TURNED INTO WHAT THEY
SAW AS A PROBLEM THAT HAS MOVED
INTO THE TINY HOME COMMUNITY
WHICH I HAVE BEEN TO SO MANY
TIMES I CAN'T EVEN COUNT.
I GOT TO MEET WITH THEM AND
TALK TO THEM.
YOU ARE NOT GIVING THEM A
HANDOUT BUT A HAND UP AND IT
HAS TURNED INTO A FULL-TIME JOB
AND I LOVE WHAT YOU ARE DOING
AND WE ARE PRAYING FOR VILLAGE
TWO, THREE, FOUR AND FIVE AND
YOU COULD SEE RON PAUL'S ALAMO
DRAFT HOUSE SCREENING HAS MOVIE
ENDED AUGUST I GOT TO TAKE PART
OF THE MASKED SINGER NIGHT FOR
THE SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS IN MY
CHARITY OF CHOICE WAS EDEN
VILLAGE AND THE GATHERING TREE
I WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT $200 ON
BEHALF OF THE SPRINGFIELD
CARDINALS AND MYSELF FOR THE
GATHERING TREE AND I HAVE A
FEELING YOU GUYS CAN TAKE
DONATIONS YEAR ROUND.
WE HAVE TO.
AND THEIR OFFERING FREE
TOURS.
YOU CAN STOP BY AND GET A TOUR
OF THE FACILITY AND WHEN YOU
SEE IT I PROMISE YOU YOUR HEART
WILL BE CHANGED AND YOU CAN
PREACH THE GOSPEL OF WHAT THEY
ARE DOING SO GO TO SAME KIND
FOUNDATION.org FOR MORE
INFORMATION WITH RON HALL AND
HAS MOVIE AND THE FOLLOW-UP
BOOK OF THANK YOU SO MUCH.
COMING UP ITS RECORD TIME WITH
KELLY.
DON'T GO ANYWHERE.