“What’s the bravest thing you ever did? He spat in the road a bloody phlegm. Getting up this morning, he said.”

This is a line from my favorite book, The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It is a dark story, but it speaks to me about the human will to survive and thrive and find that purpose and meaning in the darkest of times. For over a decade I have had the honor and privilege to work for the Syracuse Rescue Mission. It is one of the oldest and largest Mission’s in the United States, situated in the Rust Belt in the snowiest metro city in the country. The Syracuse Rescue Mission has served over 100,000 individuals since 1887 as a human service organization for the hungry and homeless. The power behind the stories of these individuals often goes unheard. The Drink From The Well Podcast is our attempt to expose the factors that compound on an individual’s life which drives them to the road so to speak. I sit down, one on one with people who have been homeless to record their story. –Dan Sieburg, CEO Syracuse Rescue Mission

So what does Drinks from the well mean? Well, I have always been intrigued by the story of the Samaritan Woman at the Well. In the book of John, Jesus is passing through an area, and he strikes up a conversation with a woman who is of a different culture and class, and in this time, place and environment, he should probably not be engaging with her. Jesus and the woman then have a powerful exchange of dialogue and thoughts that change both of them forever.

Drinks from the well is our attempt to open up dialogue, conversations and understanding between those who have been homeless and everyone interested in understanding how it happened.

Each week we will release a new story, please subscribe to this podcast for your weekly journey. Thanks for listening.