Broadway. That's when I saw the person in the picture laying on the sidewalk. It was a warm day, probably in the mid 80's, and I'm sure the concrete sidewalk was hot to be laying on. I wanted to help this person but I couldn't find any parking on the street anywhere near there. There were parking lots available (for a price) but the curbs were red or no stopping all around that block. There were a couple of people standing on the corner nearby but no one seemed concerned. Behind the blanket hidden from this camera angle was a plastic bottle with some water in it. I'm sure it was warm water by now, but it indicated the person under the blanket was probably OK. It occurred to me that the Staples Center was less than a half a mile away. The place would be filled, at this point, with celebrities at courtside and million dollar basketball players and here within such a short distance and away from the television cameras a completely different lifestyle existed. A short distance from here at an alley around 12th and Pico I found Hernando digging through a trash bin. He was just thankful to receive the food and water I had. While driving around the area looking for a place to park for the person in the picture I found Johnny! You may remember him from a couple of weeks ago. He was the one who declined my offer to pray for him. He was sitting on the curb with his shopping cart under the shade of a small tree. Along with the food and water he told me he could use a blanket. I got one out of the trunk and when he complained of having a terrible itch all over his body and being unable to shower to get clean I offered him a couple of clean shirts. He warned me not to get too close to him because of this itch. I know there's no poison ivy around there, but he may have slept somewhere where someone dumped something with a chemical in it that is causing the skin irritation. When I offered to pray for him this time he relented but said, "Just a short prayer." So I prayed a short prayer with him and was able to give him a Guideposts magazine. I was so happy to see this man after not being able to pray for him the last time. Perhaps now he will be more open to me the next time I see him. I've been criticized for not "evangelizing" these people I meet on the street. All of these people have many needs and they all need a relationship with God through Jesus. However, some of their needs are physical and need immediate attention. In Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan there was no mention of him evangelizing the injured man. He was commended for simply helping the injured man when he needed it most. After those needs are tended to, there is then a foundation for getting to some of their other needs. Helping people when they need it without asking anything in return is a good way to establish an ongoing relationship. After all, they might just ask why you're doing it the next time. By the way, I found out Johnny is from Fort Worth, Texas.Up a few streets from Broadway on 18th I found Carmen on a corner holding up a 'homeless needing help' sign. I stopped and gave her a bag of food and she said she could use the water too. It turned out she needed some the other items I had in the trunk, shoes, socks and a blanket. Carmen is still fairly young, about 30 or 35, but I could tell she had spent a lot of time now on the streets. I prayed with her and she thanked me for stopping. As I pulled away she was putting on her 'new' shoes and gave me a thumbs up on the fit. What a privilege.
About a mile or so east of Broadway I turned down a small street called Naomi. Under the I-10 freeway I found Faulstine. She had quite a collection of stuff around her, but it was kind of a mess too. When I asked if she needed any food and held up a bag she immediately got up and came over to the car. She asked if I'd pray for her too. I said, "Well let me pray for you right now." I held out my hand to her and she apologized saying her hand was dirty from recycling. I said, "That's OK, I don't mind." I held her hand and prayed with her. I told her I had something for her to read and she said she had a Bible. I said, "No, I've got something else." and I gave her a Guidepost magazine too.
A few more blocks over at Olympic and Alameda I saw two people I'm quite familiar with. One was Alphonso and the other was John Mellin. Both are quite talkative although Alphonso talks so quietly it's difficult for me to hear him (he's always next to a busy off-ramp). John talks pretty loud and I have no problems hearing him. He was very excited to see me. He said, "I've got something to tell you, I've got a girl friend!" I'm glad he's found some companionship. Life on the streets is so lonely for these people. Most of these people are very talkative when you get to know them and when they feel safe around you. A few blocks down Alameda I found Chavez. The street I saw him on was completely deserted on Sunday afternoon. Typically, it is crowded with tractor trailers waiting to get unloaded. He may have been looking for work as a 'lumper' (person who you pay to unload your trailer). We didn't talk much, but I know he was happy to get the food, especially without having to unload a trailer of freight!
All in all it was a good trip downtown. It was a good mix of people I'd seen before and people I met for the first time. I even got home in time for the end of the Laker game. There was a time when I would have stayed home to watch the whole game, after all it is the playoffs, right? But at the end of the day what's more important, to watch a game or help people? I guess I really have changed in the last year or so. Until next week. --John
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