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[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Restaurateur makes difference for homeless at Thanksgiving

Nov. 16, 2005

NOTE: A UMTV report and photographs are available at
http://umns.umc.org.

By Lilla Marigza*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Sam Lee is living the American dream.

He came to the United States five years ago from Seoul, South Korea, to
study at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management. He
now owns Khan's Mongolian BBQ in downtown Nashville.

More than being a successful businessman, he is an example of how one
person can make a difference in the lives of hundreds of people in need.

Since his first day in business, Lee has been helping the city's less
fortunate. "The first customer was homeless and he asked me, 'Could you
give me a cup of coffee?,'" Lee recalls. "At the time, I worried about
my business so I asked him ... 'This is my first day of business, please
go somewhere else.'"

That encounter and others with homeless men and women - who asked for
food or rummaged through the restaurant garbage - stayed with Lee. A few
months after his business opened, he joined a Bible study group at
Nashville Korean United Methodist Church.

He was inspired by the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.
"He (Jesus) said, 'You should do like I do,'" Lee says.

On a rainy Friday last year, Lee cooked meals and took them to a
downtown park where homeless people gather. He prepared 20 servings for
the people in the park.

"I told them, 'Jesus loves you.'" Lee says. He also wrote his message on
each Styrofoam takeout box, along with the reference, "John 3:16."

Every Friday for months, Lee would bring his boxed meals to the park
until the crowd he served grew too big for one man to manage. "There is
more and more people coming, so there is lots of mess in (the) park. So
maybe residents near park, they don't like. So the police come in there
and talk about the problem."

Lee needed to find a better place to feed his new friends. He turned to
his church and Pastor Paul Kang for help.

"We have a young men's group at our church," Kang says. "As soon as they
found out he was doing this, they jumped in and volunteered."

Kang's church partnered with McKendree United Methodist, a downtown
church with cafeteria facilities to accommodate hundreds. "We've got a
big building here and we don't mind sharing it," says McKendree Pastor
Tom Halliburton. "We are excited to be a part of what God wants to do
down here."

Lee now finds he can serve more than 100 with the help of the two
churches. And each Thursday, church members sit down to share dinner
with their homeless friends.

Homeless advocate Steve Reiter of Nashville says a little food can
conquer many problems. "If people are fed, they are less likely to
commit a crime. If people are desperate and hungry, they make poor
decisions."

And then there is food for the soul. As much as they appreciate the
meal, men and women at the dinners say they look forward to the company
and friendship of the church members, who always seem willing to listen.

Robert Smith, homeless for almost seven months now, comes to the program
every week. "If you let them know what you need and what's going on in
your life, they will try and help you out as much as they can."

Lee cooks for this crowd every Thursday, and Thanksgiving Day - Nov. 24
- will be no different except the food will be extra special. "We plan
to serve some traditional Korean food," Lee says.

Some of the homeless people say they choose life on the street because
relationships at home are strained. Many feel they have no one they can
go home to.

Cole Barnes says he no longer speaks to his family. He plans to be at
McKendree for the holiday meal. It means a lot to Barnes that Lee and
his friends will spend their Thanksgiving there too.

"In my heart, it means someone really does care for the homeless,"
Barnes says. "I am very grateful for these people."

*Marigza is a freelance producer in Nashville, Tenn.

News media contact: Fran Coode Walsh, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5458
or newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org

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