Monday, March 29, 2010

Downtown 3/29/2010

Today's trip downtown started at the local grocery store when I went to buy loaves of bread. I usually get six loaves and along with other food items I have six full bags to give out each week. Today I put six loaves in the cart and started to move on down the aisle when I felt the Lord prompting me to buy more. I had taken about a half a dozen steps and knew I needed to buy more. You may recall last week at the very last encounter with Richard Brown some other people walked up asking for food and I had none left. I'm learning to follow the Lord's leading in these things and walked back and got two more loaves of bread. I went back home and got all the other supplies ready and took off. I was given a couple of bags of shoes Sunday night so I brought a couple pairs of those with me too.
I arrived downtown at about 10:45 am and soon found Tyrone under the I-10 at Main St. I couldn't stay there since it was a no stopping zone so we didn't talk much. He thanked me for the help and said, "God bless you." I've learned from that response that they usually haven't eaten in a while and are about out of money too. I drove down a couple of blocks to 15th St and turned left. I don't think I've ever gone down this street before. I drove a couple of blocks down and just past Broadway I saw a man standing/leaning up against a building on the other side of the street. I called out to him and showed him a bag. This is a pretty small street with not a lot of traffic so he came across to the car and I handed him the bag of food. He was Latino and as he approached I said "comida". He said in very broken English "Thank you". I asked if he needed some "agua" and showed him the jugs of water I had and he said "Oh, yes". Then he started talking about there being no jobs. He said there were "Many Mexicans coming to California and there are no jobs." He said this a couple of times. We all know how our state's economy is struggling right now. I know it must be difficult for the people living on the fringes of our society to get by during these times. I didn't realize it right then, but the Lord was preparing me for my next encounter around the corner. Oh, by the way, his name was Juan.
I pulled up to the next corner and turned right. I was on Olive St now. I was driving towards the uptown area. I saw a fire station on the left and firemen out washing their trucks. On the right I passed a group of four Latino men sitting on the sidewalk in the shade of an abandoned auto body repair shop. I drove past them as I usually don't stop for groups of people but prefer to help the loners. However, I again heard the call on my heart, "John, you have extra food today. Perhaps these are the ones you brought it for!" I drove around the block and came back to where they were and parked right in front of them. I held up a bag of food and asked them if they needed "Comida?" Their response was quick. They got up and came over to the car and took the bag of food. I ended up giving them two bags of food and two gallon jugs of water. I was about to drive away and thought perhaps they could use some of the clothing I had in the trunk. So I got out and opened the trunk and gave out probably 10 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of jeans, blankets and shirts. They were thanking me profusely. I think only one of them spoke and understood much English. I then told them in my broken Spanish that I only spoke a little Spanish but I wanted to pray for them. I had to pray in English but I prayed for these men. When I finished and opened my eyes all of them had taken their caps off and closed their eyes and had their heads bowed. I was almost in tears. When I finished praying another man had just walked up and asked me for help. He showed me his torn jacket. I opened the trunk again and gave him more stuff. I ended up giving them another bag of food and another gallon of water. I left with a chorus of "thank yous". I drove down the street about a block or so and pulled over. I wanted to write down what had just happened so I wouldn't forget anything. I was parked in front of a building at 1220 S Olive St writing this stuff down when a van pulled up in front of me and drove inside that building. There was a garage door that automatically went up and while the van waited for the door to go up I noticed a black (expensive) car inside the building with a personalized license plate. The plate said, "READY 1". I'm not sure that there was any significance to that license plate for me but I sure was thankful I was "ready" for that group of men I had just met. I can't praise God enough for what He did.
Before leaving I was able to help Willie, Allen, Doug and Matthew. I hadn't seen Allen since right before the storms hit back in December. Allen is probably one of the dirtiest of the homeless people I deal with. I could only get him to nod his head when I asked him if he needed stuff today. I gave him food and water today and also a hygiene bag. I remember he had a nasty welt on his forehead the last time I saw him. That was gone but his face was so dirty. When I prayed with him today I thanked God for getting Alan through the winter. He was still dressed like it was winter. When I left him it looked like he was actually pulling stuff out of the hygiene bag. I showed him the wipes and hope he was about to use them on his face. The last man Matthew was curled up on a very small mattress by the freeway on 18th St. When I walked over and talked with him it seemed like something was bothering him. He didn't get up or even act too excited about receiving any of the food items or the blanket. When I asked if he was OK he told me he had a toothache. Well, we all know that can ruin your day. In fact, I just had some dental work done and a toothache usually ends up making my ear hurt too. I had some Hall's cough drops in the car and they have some antiseptic that helps dull the pain a little bit so I went and got them and gave them to him. He opened them up and put one in his mouth immediately. Now the age old question of "Where does a homeless man get good dental work done?" I don't have an answer for that one yet. I pray the temporary relief I gave him will help. --Until next week. John

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Downtown 3/21/2010

What a day Sunday was downtown. I got down there at about 4:30 pm and I tried to find Louis Parks behind the Office Depot at First St. but had no luck there. I backtracked to Figueroa and 18th St. and found a man named John at a street corner. When he saw what was in the bag of food he said, "Aw man, I gonna eat tonight!" It was a reminder to me how each and every day is a struggle for the homeless to get enough to eat and how we take for granted the abundance of food we have in our homes. I moved on down the street (18th) and saw Robert on another corner. I've helped him a few times before. We didn't have much time to talk, but I commented to him about the deep and nasty wounds on his shoulder. He said he was doing a lot better now. He had spent a few days in the hospital because of them. I didn't have an opportunity to find out what happened but they did seem to be on the mend. Whatever your feelings are on the health care reform bill, I'm glad he was able to receive medical care.
Probably, my most memorable encounter Sunday was with a man named Carlos. He spoke enough English that we were able to converse well enough to understand each other. I found him near where I had found Ron from Kentucky last week. In fact, it was a different side of the same building. He had some cardboard on the front steps of the building that he used as his bed and he had a shopping cart. He told me as long as he keeps the front of the building cleaned up he is allowed to stay there. Initially, when I gave him the bag of food and water he was very grateful. I asked if he needed any clothing items. He said he could use a pair of pants (a big item with homeless folks). I got out and opened the trunk. I had 3 pairs of pants that I knew were too large for him but I was pretty sure I had one pair that might fit. We dug around and I finally found them. Carlos was extremely thankful. I gave him a couple of pairs of new socks and he showed me the condition of the pair he had on (they were really filthy dirty). I gave him a couple of shirts and a blanket and once again he was so thankful. He then asked if I was from a church downtown or -then he pointed up to the sky. I learned a valuable lesson about the character of God in this encounter. It is always a joy to me to be of help to these homeless people, especially when I leave them in a better situation and happier than when I first met them. Some are happy and then there are some who are thankful. Carlos was thankful. There is a a difference. God calls us, repeatedly, to be thankful. In Paul's letter to the Romans he talks about the condition of fallen mankind and says, "for though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him,". Elsewhere, Paul says, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thess. 5:18) I wanted to do more for Carlos. I gave him everything I had that would help him. I wished I had more to give. It occurred to me that this is the way God is with us. Perhaps, if we were genuinely more thankful to Him for the blessings He has already given us we would receive more. Our thankful heart is a piece of our relationship with God that is often missing or at least is not as prevalent as it should be. I prayed with Carlos before leaving. He repeated out loud in English every line of that prayer. Carlos thought I was helping him, but he was helping me learn about the character of God. As I was leaving he was changing into the clothes I had given him. It was about 5:30 pm and he was going to head to the garment district. The stores there would be closing and he would be picking up all the recycleables in the trash to turn in Monday. God bless you Carlos and thank you.
I drove over to the 4th St bridge in hopes of seeing Ron. I found his stuff there but not him. I'll check back next week to see how he's doing. Near the recycling center (and the Jack in the Box) at 14th and McGarry I was able to help Jessie and on Central and 16th I found Alberto. Both had just finished their recycling work for the day. With the money they earned and the bag of food I gave them they now had "an abundance". It's a comletely different outlook on life, isn't it?
I had one bag of food left and was hoping to find "Downtown Richard Brown". I have a special friendship with Richard Brown. On my very first trip downtown last year I met Richard Brown. I had given him a loaf of bread that day (that was all I took the first couple of months) and asked if I could pray for him before leaving. He said yes and so I started to pray. I prayed for God's presence in his life and God's blessing on him and to keep him safe. He was probably one of the first if not the first homeless person I prayed with. After finishing the prayer (30 or 40 seconds of prayer) he looked up at me and said, "That was better than the bread." It was memorable to me and a confirmation also that what I was doing was indeed a calling from God. Now, whenever I meet with Richard he insists on me praying with him. One such time was when he had received news from his sister that one of his brothers had passed away. Yes, I do develop special friendships with these folks. Sunday, when I found Richard he had a friend named James (another homeless man) with him (see picture-Richard's on the left).

The first thing he asked me was to pray for them. With my hands on their shoulders we all prayed together. I gave them the last bag of food and the last of the water that I had with me. We stood on the sidewalk talking and up walked two other homeless people, Clay and Teresa. They asked if I had any more food to give away. I had an unopened box of cookies that I gave them and then I said, "Why don't you look through the trunk and see if you can find anything you can use?" They left with blankets, sweaters and socks. They were quite thrilled and it sure did end the visit downtown with a flourish. What a day! Until next week. --John

Monday, March 15, 2010

Downtown 3/14/2010

Well, with the time change last night I not only worked an hour less, but since it stays light an hour later I was able, on short rest, to go downtown on Sunday also. I arrived at about 4:00 pm and the pace of things was slow and easy. I started by looking for Louis Parks down near First and Alameda St. but he wasn't there again this week. It looks like he's had to move on to another location. I'll keep looking for him. Marie was curled up on the sidewalk sleeping on 7th St. I decided this week not to wake her up. There must have been 8 or 10 people walking on the sidewalk near her. I guess she's invisible to most people.
As I made my way towards the south side of downtown (9th and Central by the McDonald's) I saw someone on a bicycle that I was pretty sure I recognized. Sure enough it was John Mellon. He used to live in an alley off Alameda St. He has since had to move because the owner of the block kept giving him a hard time. John loves getting the bread from me because the condition of his teeth is so bad that soft foods are best for him. We must have talked for 20 or 30 minutes (he's quite a talker) and just got caught up on stuff since I had last seen him. You can only do that on a Sunday. I have met with John since my earliest visits last year. He and one other man are the only ones to have declined my offer to pray for them. I never pushed the issue with John and have always treated him nicely. I don't know what John's spiritual background is or what might have made him suspiscous of anyone offering to pray for him. I have heard him bad-mouth people (televangelists) who have taken money from people and then lived a lifestyle contrary to Christian ways. You can imagine my surprise when as we parted he said to me, "I'll pray for you John, I love you."
I drove over to 18th near Los Angeles St. and saw a man laying down on the sidewalk sleeping. Well, I thought he was sleeping until I walked over to him with a bag of food. It turned out he was drunk and passed out. I couldn't really wake him up. As I stood there trying to decide whether or not to leave the bag of food with him I saw Dave across the street holding a 'homeless' sign up for passers-by. I walked over to him and gave him the bag of food. When I walked back to the car, the man on the sidewalk had gotten up and was urinating on the sidewalk. He had no possessions with him so it's very possible he lived in the neighborhood nearby and had been drinking at a local bar there on the corner and couldn't make it home. I can only hope for the best for him.
Just a few blocks east of where this occurred I turned right and drove towards Washington Blvd. Just before Washington Blvd. I saw a woman with her shopping cart and a couple of dogs. I was sure I recognized her and called her name out. I had helped her out last summer not too far from there. Her name is Becky. I remember she called me "Pastor John" back then. I think she was just as happy that I remembered her name as she was to receive the food and clothing items I gave her. We talked for a while and she introduced me to her 'family' (dogs). She was very upbeat and happy and thankful that I had stopped and prayed with her. As I left Becky I was about to turn right and get back out on the street when I saw in the alley to the left a man and his dog, in a baby stroller (it was a small dog). The man was digging through a dumpster. I'm hoping he was only looking for recyclables. His name was Lariano and he was from Cuba. I'm guessing he was in his mid forties. He was very happy for the food and water. We didn't talk too much because of the language barrier. He introduced me to his "perro" (dog) but I still can't figure out the name he called that dog! Just around the corner of that building and sitting on some steps of another building was a man eating out of an ice cream box. I remembered him from a couple of months ago. His name is Ron and he is from Kentucky. He was eating out of an ice cream box that day too. I hope that isn't his diet. It was somewhat amazing that within a 100 yards I was able to help 3 different people. They were all very happy to have received the help and I was glad to be there for them.
I had one bag of food left and decided I'd head over to the Jack in the Box off the I-10 and Alameda St. I ended up going inside and ordering a couple of tacos. While I was waiting for them a man came into the parking lot pushing a shopping cart. He had just done his recycling thing and was counting his money. He walked over to the trash can outside the door (and right next to a couple sitting inside at a table) and started going through the trash. Right then they called my order so I picked it up and put it down on a table and walked outside and asked "Henry" if he needed some food. He recognized me and said, "All right. I remember you. You had some chicken soup the last time." I've been remembered for a lot of things but I didn't know I was remembered by anyone for chicken soup. Then I remembered that some of the cans of soup I had in my food bags might have been chicken soup. Today it was some kind of sirloin steak in vegetable soup. Unfortunately, as soon as I gave away the last bag to Henry there were two other homeless people walking through the parking lot. I wished I had brought more today. Until next week. --John

PS. I looked for Downtown Richard Brown but he wasn't "home" (where his stuff is).

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Downtown 3/8/2010

I arrived downtown slightly after 11:00am knowing it wasn't going to get much warmer than the 61 degrees showing on a thermometer/clock by the freeway. I guess that's really not too bad for winter time anywhere else. I got off the freeway at Central and a couple of blocks down the street found a woman sitting on the corner with several small plastic bags that she was going through. With the weather the way it was I was a little surprised she didn't have more on than a sweatshirt and jeans. Being that it was a busy street I didn't have much time so I gave her a bag of food. She saw that there was a small book in the bag and asked if it was a bag a books. I told her there was a booklet in the bag along with some food. She then asked if I was from "the church"? I've been asked that question many times by the people I meet down there and it always amazes me. Apparently, only "church people" go and help these folks. I continued going west and turned uptown on Figueroa St. I had only gone a couple of blocks down when I saw a man pushing a shopping cart in the same direction. I couldn't get over just then so I circled around the block and came back to where he was. The "problem" on that street is the right-hand lane is for buses only and no stopping, of course. I checked behind me and didn't see any buses coming for a couple of blocks so I pulled up next to where he was walking and held up a bag of food. He immediately came over to the car and got a gallon of water too. He kept saying the same thing over and over (I think it was yes) until I realized he didn't speak english. I said, "Como te llama?" and he answered "Jorge". Then he said "Thank you" a couple of times and had a big smile on his face. I was so happy to have helped.
I continued on Figueroa St. and went all the way up the street past Temple and backtracked on Hill St. I kind of just cruised around that part of the city and saw about 10 homeless people sleeping in a grassy park area near Olvera St. There was no place really to park there so I had to keep going past them. One of these days I'll have to take a shopping cart myself and fill it up with the stuff from my car and push it over there to where they are and just give it out to them! Wouldn't that be a scene?
Since I was near where Marie sleeps (7th St) I thought I'd drive by and see if she was there. I'm really trying to build a trusting relationship with this woman and the only way to do that is to try helping her fairly frequently. However, as I drove by where she sleeps she wasn't there. A little ways further down the street, about a block, and on the other side, I saw a man sleeping on the sidewalk in front of some building. I was surprised that he hadn't been forced to move on since it was probably 11:30 at this point. I parked and grabbed a bag of food and some water and walked across the street to him. He was sleeping with his sweatshirt pulled up over his head for warmth. I had to keep tapping his knee to get him to wake up. When he finally did wake up he said yes to the food and water and when I asked if he could use a blanket he got real excited. I told him I'd have to go back to the car to get one and I'd be right back. I grabbed a blanket, a T shirt and another sweater with a hood on it and took it back to him. By now he was digging into the bag of food and, specifically, eating the packages of cookies. We started talking and it was actually kind of hard to understand him because he was popping one cookie after another into his mouth. I found out his name was Mike and he had just spent two years at the Tehachapi prison. He was 39 years old. He had no idea what he was going to do now. I asked if he had any identification and he said he had lost his but the missions can help you get one. I hope they will. Getting a job without one would be next to impossible. I told Mike I come down there every week and I will look for him again. We prayed and he was very thankful that I had come by.
After seeing Mike, I continued down 7th to Alameda and turned left (south) and headed back towards the I-10. Just up the street guess who I saw walking with the only possession she has wrapped around her shoulders? Yep, it was Marie. Well, I couldn't stop on Alameda St but she just happened to be walking by a drive-way in front of a chain-link fence. I was able to get the car off the street and in the driveway and with the window down called out to her. She quickly came over to get the bag of food but declined the water when she saw that it was a gallon and probably more than she wanted to carry at that point. I told her I'd look for her again next week and drove on. She was wrapped in the same blanket you saw in the picture from last week.
I made my way up to Washington and Santa Fe Ave and as I passed a small steet named McGarry I saw out of the corner of my eye a man walking on the sidewalk with a bag over his shoulder. This street normally doesn't have anyone walking on it. There is a truck scale and truck wash there and some industrial buildings but usually only tractor trailers are parked on the street waiting to get into the truck wash. I drove around the block and came up along side where "Mark" was walking. I sometimes wonder what these folks think when a total stranger just drives up along side of them and gives them food and water. They must feel like it's their lucky day. I guess in a way it is. Now most people probably would have just driven on by Mark because he was walking down the street drinking a beer. Yet, I remember from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, it says in verse one, "Now the tax collectors and 'sinners' were all gathering around to hear him [Jesus]. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." I just couldn't pass up an opportunity to do just as Jesus did. Not only was I sure that he wasn't drunk (he wasn't walking like he was) but remember inside the bag of food is a copy of the Gospel of John. One never knows who might be blessed by receiving God's word. He was indeed thankful for the food and water I gave him.
The last stop was down "the alley" off Hooper St. where Willie and Marvin live. I haven't seen either of them in several weeks so I thought I'd drive down there and check in on them. I had driven down there a couple weeks back and saw Marvin's stuff but neither man was there. Today I drove in the back way and saw Willie laying under a blanket. When he pulled the cover off he said, "Man, I was just thinking about you." It really is gratifying to get a welcome like that! And it's so absolutely wonderful to be able to help someone like that too. Beyond the food and water I asked Willie if there was anything special he needed and he said he could use a pair of pants. We looked through the trunk and we found a pair of 36 x 30's that should fit him just fine. We talked for awhile about how he weathered the storms we've had lately. He said he prefers to stay under a freeway when it rains because the missions are not only very crowded but the people steal from one another too. We talked for quite awhile. Willie is a loner and really needed a "safe" friend and person to just talk too. We prayed and I was so glad to be there. When I left him I drove on down the alley and saw Marvin's stuff but not Marvin. I'll look for him again next week. I also figure it's time to check in on Downtown Richard Brown again. I'll do that next week too. Until then. John

Monday, March 1, 2010

Downtown 2/28/10


Due to some last minute scheduling issues I went downtown this afternoon (on about 3 or 4 hours of sleep). I decided to try to find Louis Parks first when I got off the freeway but made a turn down 7th St to see if I could find shoeless Marie. Well I found her sleeping on the sidewalk. I couldn't park on 7th so I parked around the corner and walked back to her. I took a bag of food and gently awakened her. I called her by name and asked if she'd like to have the food which she accepted. I then asked her if she could use another blanket and she said yes to that too. So I walked back to the car and got some water, a blanket and a couple of warm sweaters and went back to her. She was standing up at this point and had looked through the bag of food. By the way, I only saw one tooth in the front of her mouth. She took the water but ended up declining the blanket and sweaters. I had also brought a bag with three pairs of womens sandals but she refused those also. You can see from the picture she has almost no possessions at all. Perhaps she doesn't want to have to keep tabs on another blanket. Where she sleeps is close to some of the missions on skid row so it's possible everything she doesn't hold on to gets stolen by others. After walking back to the car (somewhat dejectedly) I drove back by her and took a picture of her sitting up on the sidewalk (she was eating some of the food at this point). I got the photo but as I pulled forward and stopped at a signal about 30 feet away a man was standing there at the curb and asked, "Hey, do you have any other stuff you're giving away?" At this point I forgot to save the photo of Marie on my phone so I lost it. I'll try to get one another time but I was able to help Brad there on the corner too.
I drove back up to Alameda and then turned uptown towards First St. I saw Louis on the same back steps of the Office Depot building as last week. I had to drive around a couple of blocks to get back to him and along the way I found Alfredo digging through a dumpster. I had actually driven past him when I realized what he was doing so I drove around the block again to get back to him. By that time he had finished going through the dumpster and was pushing his shopping cart towards me in the street. I was able to quickly pass him some food and water through the window before having to drive on. He remembered me from a couple of weeks ago. I then remembered I had seen him a couple of blocks away near where Marie sleeps going through dumpsters in that area too.
I drove up Alameda to the I-10 and was able to help out Jerry who was just about to cash in his 'take' for the day at the recycler and Lorenzo who was down 16th St near Central. I helped Lorenzo out before a few weeks ago and noticed today that he had on some sandals and was walking somewhat precariously in them. I had a pair of shoes in the trunk and gave them to him. I offered to give him some new socks to go with the shoes but he said he had some. You never know if the shoes might be a little too big so wearing an extra pair of socks can help the 'fit', but he said he was OK so I didn't insist.


Since I was so close to Central I thought I would try to find Mary. The first time I saw Mary was at Christmas and I've seen her a couple of times since then. She was the one holding the "recently homeless" sign back then. I knew she was forced to vacate the street where she had been living and I hadn't found her new location yet. As I was about to drive down an alley off 16th St. to look for her I saw someone sleeping under a blanket under the freeway on 16th. I parked and got out and it just happened to be Mary! I told her I had something special for her today. One of the things I forgot to mention last week was the hygiene bags I've started bringing along on these trips. They were provided to me by my niece and her friends as part of her Girl Scout project. They include a toothbrush and toothpaste along with some wipes and some soap. I just knew Mary would love to have one of these bags and she did.
Mary and I talked for a bit about her new location. It's kind of noisy there but she said it was somewhat safe and she hadn't been bothered yet. I told her it was supposed to rain again on Tuesday night. She is right by the freeway so she can get some protection from the rain when it starts.
At this point I was out of food so I made my way to the westbound freeway on-ramp. Along the way I gave Matthew the last gallon of water I had. He was standing right by the freeway on-ramp at 18th and Main. I was really glad to be able to give everything away today. I got on the freeway and made my way into Whittier. There is a transition house there called First Day that helps people make the transition from the street back into society by providing a place to stay and some job skill training. Tonight they were having a special church service for the residents there. It is an opportunity to talk with people who are going through a difficult time in their life and offer prayer and encouragement. There was a young man who spoke tonight and shared his powerful testimony that had everyone's attention. Afterwards I was able to talk with Monica and John who are residents there. Both are in the process of starting a new life with new hope. Starting over is never an easy thing to do, but where they are tonight is a far better place than that of these people whose story I've shared with you from downtown. In the New Testament, Peter, someone who had some experience in starting over, tells us, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." Can you believe it? We actually have the privilege of administering God's grace to others. Until next week. --John