Meet Michael Ray | Blue Flame Ministry

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Ray and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, how do you think about risk?
We take risks every single time we walk up to an unhoused person, or into a homeless camp. The payoff to the risks, has been the lives that have been changed. The “Leo’s” who have decided to enter rehab, be reunited with his family, got to see his kids for the first time in 5 years, completed rehab and is now counseling addicts at the same center that rehabilitated him. It takes consistency, love and empathy. Everyone needs to know that someone loves and believes in them.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We understand that homelessness can be a nusance. It can be dirty and violent. The solution is not to offer “housing” in an old run down hotel, that’s already known for violence, drugs and trafficking and then bulldoze camps. People who don’t fall for the scam, scatter and are left wandering the streets. So many of the ones that do accept this “housing” figure it out quickly, and go back to the streets. Communities can be cruel to these people, forgetting that they are people with stories, hurts, frustrations, abuse, neglect and a plethora of other thing’s, they’ve had to deal with. We all deal with negative situations, differently. Unfortunately, some deal with them inappropriately. That doesn’t change the fact that they are still people who need love. Some of the challenges we’ve had to face, hasn’t been in the homeless camps, but rather, communities, who are okay with the drug dealers, fueling the problem, but shout out obscenities to us, when we’re out trying to convince these people, that they are worth rehabilitation. Nothing about what we’re doing, has been easy. It’s mentally and financially draining, but we wouldn’t have life any other way. To see hardened people melt, when we tell them we love them and when my wife, Amanda, gives them hugs and they cry because it’s been years since they’ve felt loving arms wrap around their dirty worn out body, makes the mental and financial difficulties seem so irrelevant.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Global Vision Bible Church, the online community, Pastor Greg Locke, D.R Harrison from Voice of Hope and the Blue Flame Ministry Facebook page followers has been an amazing support system. Without God and people behind you, the whole thing would be impossible. The lashing out from certain people and communities, can be overwhelming at times, but just like we are the support system to the unhoused, the people mentioned above, are an amazing support system to us, and quite honestly, make what seems to be impossible, possible.

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Image Credits
Self taken