Monday, August 30, 2010

Downtown 8/27/2010

If you read last week's blog, you know it was one of the most fulfilling of my trips downtown. I guess that's why I was totally taken off-guard by this week's unfulfilling trip. It has taken me a few days to process and try to write about it. I've been off work for the last week or so and one might expect that I'd be relaxed and looking forward to a good trip. In fact, two days prior to the trip I was reading a little book by Samuel Chadwick titled "The Way to Pentecost". The book, in 20 short chapters, teaches about the purpose and work of the Holy Spirit. A memorable line from the book for me was, "The sequel to Jesus on earth is the Holy Spirit on earth and in us." I have felt promptings from the Holy Spirit many times while engaged in this ministry and while reading this book that night I felt another prompting. It was pretty clear, "Take nothing with you downtown." It was so clear that I wrote it down. I didn't get exactly when I was supposed to go with nothing but I knew it was something I was supposed to do soon. Anyway, I decided Friday was the day I was going downtown this week because it "fit in" better (first mistake) with the weekend's schedule so I got everything ready that morning and took off with my normal supplies (second mistake).
The trip started off fairly normal. I drove around for a while on the south side and found Tyronne. I even commented to him that he looked good that day. He has seemed "in a fog" at times and I'm always concerned with his health but he smiled as we talked. I also think it was the first time I've seen him standing up too. Usually he's sitting down like he's exhausted and barely speaks above a whisper. Nearby in that area I found Thomas a new acquaintance. On the east end of Washington Blvd near Santa Fe Ave. I saw two women pushing shopping carts. Their names were Wanda and Kesha. They had very little in their carts and were both very appreciative of the help. Wanda was probably in her thirties and Kesha was probably in her twenties. I didn't ask where they were staying but they appeared to be coming from a recycling place.
Later, on the north end of town under the 4th St bridge I found Michael. I hadn't seen him in a couple of months. He told me he had been staying in Watts but, "It wasn't working out." He appeared to be starting over again and didn't look too happy about it. I reminded him God was a God of second chances. I should have sat with him under the bridge and talked with him longer but I was concerned about "finishing up" on time.
I drove on down Mission Rd and towards Lincoln Park. When I got to the intersection there I saw a young Latino man there begging on one of the street corners. He had a small back pack and as cars would drive up (a different direction from where I was) he would take off his cap and hold it out and was pleading loudly in Spanish. I couldn't understand him but it was obvious he was asking for money and help. It was a pretty heart wrenching sight. So after driving around a couple of blocks I was able to pull up alongside him and gave him the last of the food and water. I asked him his name (in Spanish) and he said "Cesar, God bless you." It struck me as being ironic that someone with such a kingly name would be begging on a street corner. With that I left and drove home knowing something was missing from this trip. In my spirit I was deeply crushed. I felt I had let God and my homeless friends down.
So what went wrong? Well the most obvious thing missing to me was I didn't pray with a single person! Often when I write about a visit or encounter I don't always mention that I prayed with someone, but usually (not always) I do. This trip I seemed to be more concerned with getting done on time than about the people. To be sure I always have to fit these trips into my schedule but this one seemed way to routine and almost impersonal. I didn't have the connection with the people that I normally feel. It just seemed to be a trip where I gave out stuff and that was it. I never intended this ministry to be a social project but instead a spiritual ministry. Giving out stuff was only a means to talk and pray with people who needed to know God cares and loves them. That's the heart of this ministry, bringing the presence of God to hurting people. Don't get me wrong, I don't feel like I'm never supposed to give out stuff again, but perhaps I am being led to refocus on the original intent of the ministry. So my next trip, I 'm going with nothing (like I was told to do last time). It's a little scary and it's a little "out there", certainly out of my comfort zone. I will have to depend totally on the Holy Spirit "showing up" to make the next trip of value. In the Old Testament book of Zechariah (4:6) God speaks to the prophet about a task to be undertaken and says, "not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit." Jesus reiterates this in broader terms in the New Testament by saying simply, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." I can certainly tesify to the truth of that statement. Please pray for the next trip. ---Until next week. John

Monday, August 23, 2010

Downtown 8/21/2010

Sometimes these trips downtown seem to go rather uneventfully, and then sometimes they will change in a moment of time on an encounter with someone or even on something I see that stays in my mind. These moments become tools used by God to teach me in ways I wouldn't have fully understood if I merely read about it in a book. Saturday was just such a trip. The trip started with one of those inclinations I get about wanting to see a certain person (in this case a couple) that I want to follow-up on. This time it was Phillip and Nancy who I met across from Lincoln Park about a month ago. When I got there I had to park about a quarter mile from where they have been staying and walk back towards them. When I got there neither of them were there. I was pretty sure it was their stuff because it was very neat and tidy (something a woman would probably do). There was even one of those 'tree' air fresheners hanging off one of their shopping carts! Yeah, outside too. Well I was kind of disappointed they weren't there but I left the food and water there anyway and happened to notice a woman sitting directly across the street. I walked over to her and asked if she had seen the "people that are living across the street here"? Her name was Edith and she said she had seen them walking away a while earlier. I thought she might be homeless at first too but she didn't have very much stuff with her like a homeless person would. Anyway, we talked for a few minutes and I told her the names of the people I had left the food for and to let them know I had been by (I gave her my name). Edith was actually sitting there reading a bible. I had been given some canned vegetables and had bought a can opener to give to them. When I last saw Phillip he was relieved that the can of soup I gave him was a pop top and told me the only way they have of opening regular canned food is to pound away at one end of the can on the corner of something concrete until it gives-way. I thought a can opener would be of great value to them. I hung on to it to give to them personally the next time I see them.
While walking back to the car I passed by another homeless man and got another bag of food to give to him. His name was Luis and he was in his early twenties. I asked if he had been kicked out of the park the night before (like Philip and Nancy had when I first met them). He said no but he had been kicked out of an apartment he shared with some other people by the police. I asked if he had any family nearby and he said he did but relations with them were strained at this time. I prayed with Luis asking God to heal his relationship with his family. I don't know what his family is like and what problems are there, but they are the first option and sometimes the only option for getting off the street. Pray for Luis, he is so young.
Not too far from Luis on Valley and Soto St was another homeless person sleeping under their jacket. It was about 11:15 by now and it was starting to get warm. It turned out to be a woman sleeping under the jacket. Her name was Clara and she was laying on top of a small concrete retaining wall and up against a chain link fence. She had no belongings with her. She accepted the food and water and I noticed the shoes she was wearing had no shoe laces and were pretty worn out--as were the rest of her clothes. I asked if she wanted or could use a new pair of shoes or even just some socks but she declined. She didn't want a new shirt or anything else either. All I could do was pray with her before leaving.
I left this area of northeast Los Angeles and headed downtown turning south on Alameda Street. Between 4th and 5th streets I saw a woman on the other side of the street with her shopping cart. I wasn't sure why she was stopped on the sidewalk but I turned around and drove back to her. Her name was Dina Bishop. She told me a couple of times that she lived on 5th St. between Central and Maple. She told me her husband had left her (today? five years ago?) and she lived by the Ryder moving trucks and near the recycling place. She kind of rambled and repeated herself so I wasn't quite sure she was dealing with today. Was that a beer she was drinking or was it apple juice? I didn't smell alcohol, she didn't appear to be intoxicated, but she was talkative. I was starting to get a little nervous about being stopped on Alameda by now and wondered as we talked through the passenger window if I should pray with her before leaving or just gracefully tell her I had to go. I decided to say, "Dina. Let me pray for you before I go." I held her hand through the window and prayed for her. I prayed that God would let her know that he... "loves her today, tomorrow and everyday." When I finished praying the whole encounter changed!!! She began by thanking me for praying for her and told me, "I woke up this morning hungry and mad." At this point Dina seemed as clear minded as anyone and told me she knew God loved her and thanked me again for praying for her. As I left her I was so glad that I had decided to pray for her and really, who was I to deny her or anyone else the presence of the Lord in their life by not praying. It would have been a sin on my part to not pray for Dina. At that point I decided to check out the area where she said she lived. Where was it again? On 5th by Maple and what street? As I drove down 5th I remembered it was Maple and Central. Was that why she repeated herself to me, so that I would know where I was supposed to go next? Traveling down 5th past Maple I came to a busy intersection. I don't even remember which street it was but the sight I saw there will stay with me forever. There was a man face down on the sidewalk. His face was facing the street and he had thrown-up while laying down. His arm may have been in the street but the rest of him was on the sidewalk. There was no room or place or time to stop, it was a busy downtown intersection. It was evident what had happened. This man had simply passed out on the sidewalk from drinking and had thrown-up right where he laid. In that moment I thought here lies a man, made in the image of God, and he is of value to God. So much value that He sent His son to die for his sins just like Jesus died for mine. It didn't and doesn't matter where he is or what's happened to him, this man is still of value to God the Father. In fact, Jesus gave us the story of the Prodigal Son who found himself in a similar situation as this man to drive home the point that all men are redeemable even if some people (like the older brother) aren't happy about it. Well this was skid row. I have seen homeless people drunk before. But this time the message was not about the reality of life on the streets but the spiritual reality that even the most down and out people are of value to God. He loves people today, tomorrow and everyday. Didn't I just pray that with Dina? It was also pretty unbelievable how God got me to drive down that street. He used Dina and her repeating herself to get me to drive over there and check out the lesson He wanted to teach me about how He loves people. I am just in awe of Him. God's timing is perfect, here was a teaching moment, a moment that I couldn't fix or help the situation, but one I was to observe and understand. I even drove back there later but couldn't find the guy.
I helped others afterwards, There was Pablo, (another Cuban-there have been a lot lately), Russell (he told me he has to deal with "the seeds that I have sown"), and Ricky. The Lord also blessed me in another way Saturday. I was driving down Mateo St. and passed by a man who called out to me. I turned around and drove back to him. His name was Michael and I had helped him back in February (he actually recognized me from way back then!). He needed some help and a ride. While I drove him where he needed to go he told me he had gotten a place to live in exchange for his welfare checks. He also told me his brother had died about 10 days ago and this brother (his name was Cleveland) was his closest family member. When I dropped him off at the bus depot I was able to give him some shoes and shirts in addition to some food. and prayed with him thanking God for watching over Michael. When we parted his last words to me were, "God sent you to me today." What an awesome God we serve. I felt fortunate that He let me know this day that one of the people that I had helped along the way had made if off the streets. --Until next week. John

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Downtown 8/14/2010

With a rare Saturday off from work I went downtown around noon. This may have been the first Saturday I've gone down there since my truck driving days. Traffic was worse than I anticipated getting there and the retail sections of town were pretty busy. I started by going to the garment district since I was low on socks. When I go on Sunday's the wholesalers are closed so I wanted to take advantage of those stores being open. After leaving there I drove around that area and found Charles from Wisconsin. He was sleeping in the shade of a tree on the sidewalk on Broadway and 13th. He was 54 and had been out here awhile now. He was quite thin and happy to receive the food and water but declined on shirts. However, when I mentioned I had socks he perked up right away. I noticed the wooden cross he had around his neck and used the opportunity to pray with him. Of course, since he was from Wisconsin I didn't pass up the opportunity to talk about the great Packers teams of the 60's either.
One of the surprises of the day was finding John from Connecticut. I hadn't seen him since last summer. He was near where I had seen him last (different freeway off-ramp) but doing the same thing. I didn't recognize him at first because his hair is a lot shorter now. He told me for awhile things were going well for him. He had gotten a small studio apartment in El Monte, but apparently couldn't maintain it. He was hoping that with a buddy of his he would be able to get some employment and a fresh start soon. I pray he will be able to, he is so very young (25 yrs).
While driving down Washington Blvd I found Tyronne. I had seen him last Sunday sitting on a bus bench. Today he was pushing his shopping cart and seemed actually happy to see me. Usually, he seems in kind of a fog. There have been times when I have sat with him for 10 minutes or so and he's barely spoken. He doesn't appear to be very healthy. This was the first time I've ever seen him up and walking (slowly) around. Just off Washington Blvd on Paloma I found Sam from Ohio. He was sleeping in the shade of a building but woke up right away when I offered some food and water. There was an abandoned truck parked across the street that was full of household stuff with luggage on the top. It had a flat tire and I wondered if it was Sam's but when I asked about it he said he was laying there on the sidewalk when the people abandoned it. Just around the corner and a couple of streets down from Sam I found Peter with his dog. He was sleeping too and the dog was curled up next to him. He had no other possessions with him and awoke quickly. I was surprised the dog didn't bark. I asked him what the dog's name was but he said he hadn't
named it yet. Peter was from Louisiana and here by way of Las Vegas. Along with the food and water, socks and a t-shirt I also gave him a gospel of John booklet. I had to smile as I was driving away because instead of going through the food bag he was actually looking through the booklet first. Praise God.
I wanted to take another trip a little more south of L.A. so I drove down around 42nd St and Central and then worked my way west from there. I ended up meeting Sheila in a short alley off of Broadway and 36th. She thought I looked familiar but I don't think we've met before. There were two or three make-shift 'homes' there in the alley that she said her husband and her brother lived in with her. I gave her the last bag of food and gallon of water that I had. I then told her I had something else for her and gave her a gospel of John booklet too. She seemed pretty happy and even a bit overwhelmed by it all. After pulling away and back out on the street I noticed I had two more cans of soup in a bag in the back seat so I drove back around and gave them to her also. I said, "Now all three of you can have one." and then asked if there was anyone else living there? She said, "No, just the three of us." I told her I'd check in from time to time to see how they were doing. I thought how very difficult it must be to be homeless in that area. Can you imagine how hot it must get living in cardboard boxes on concrete and asphalt during the summer without any shade above you? --Until next week. John

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Downtown 8/8/2010

I was determined this week to find Charles. After driving to where he lives and doing a pretty extensive search of the dumpster lot I finally located someone who identified herself as his daugher, Vicky. She told me Charles was out working (recycling). So after talking with her for awhile I left her with a bag of food, some water and couple of shirts. She said she lived there in the back of the lot with her Dad and her husband. I ended up about an hour later seeing Charles (see photo) walking down N. Main pushing a cart with his dog, Smith. We had a chance to talk this time for quite awhile. He is 62 and his daughter, Vicky is in her forties. He said his is best of friends with his son in law. Charles had told me he was from Mexico and I found out Sunday it is a border town called Piedras Negras (it means 'black rocks') and they are actually of Native American descent. The border town is north of Loredo, Texas. I had left him with a gospel of John booklet a couple of weeks back which he told me he had been reading. I asked if he wanted a bible and he told me the Jehovah's Witnesses had given him one. I didn't think about it until later that the version would be the old King James version--not exactly conducive to picking up and reading when you have spare time! Charles told me he prayed daily and I've found that many homeless do. He felt he had a relationship with God that most "regular" people didn't have. Those that depend on God daily for their needs usually do have a closer relationship than those who don't. I was very happy to have finally had the chance to talk with him at length. We shared many similar experiences in life and have been to many of the same places. He thanked me especially for the can of soup that was in the bag of food I gave him a couple of weeks ago saying, it was "really good". I told him I had given his daughter 3 cans of it earlier so they all them could enjoy them together. I was sure glad I had done that now.
In between seeing Vicky and Charles I had driven down Vignes St by the county jail. I found three men there sleeping in different places along the sidewalk, Andrew, another guy from Cuba who I'll call Carlos and BB. Andrew had almost no possessions at all (see photo) and was reluctant to accept any help, I'm not sure why. Carlos looked like he had been living under the bridge there for years judging from the considerable amount of trash he had around him (see photo). He didn't speak very much English and the little that he did speak was difficult to understand. I wondered if he knew Roberto and Jesus from a couple of weeks ago. They were from Cuba too and lived not too far from there. BB had been sleeping under a tarp he had strung up alongside a chain link fence. He had a mattress and a collection of odds and ends with him. He was just getting up (it was about 9 a.m now). He declined my offer to pray with him saying he had just finished praying and that he prayed every morning. I told him I came down once a week to help people out and perhaps the next time he might want to look through the trunk of my car for clothing items he could use. I always try to leave these folks on a positive note with something to look forward to the next time we meet. Since there was no parking on Vignes St I had to park a ways away and make a separate trip from the car to each man. I wondered why they would end up so close to the jail. You would think they wouldn't want to be that close to the presence of police. Anyway, there they were and in need of help.
The last two men I encountered were Tyrone, sitting on a bus bench at Hill St. and Washington Blvd and Howard at Hill St. and 39th. You might remember Charlotte from a couple of weeks ago. She had told me that she lived in a shelter at 38th and Broadway so I decided to check out the area. She also said the area wasn't very friendly. That may explain why these two men were so surprised to receive help from someone. I do like to surprise people. I'll have to explore this area a little more in the future. 39th and Hill St is usually referred to as part of South Central LA. I really didn't even see too many people on the streets there. Perhaps it was too early on a Sunday morning still. Until next week. --John

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Downtown 8/1/2010

I started this trip in hopes of finding Charles whom I met last week. He had told me where he lived off Main St so that's where I headed when I got off the freeway. As it turns out I passed him while I was driving down the street but didn't recognize him, probably because he didn't have his shopping cart with him. He was walking with his dog but I wasn't quite sure it was them at the time. I did find the warehouse and the dumpsters in the back where he told me he lives. These dumpsters aren't the trash dumpsters that I was expecting to find but are instead what we call "roll-offs" and are use to haul away dirt and rocks primarily. There must have been around fifty of them in the lot behind the warehouse. In driving around the small streets in that area I found another homeless man by the name of Andrew Johnson (see picture). He was quite talkative and we must have talked for around thirty minutes or so. He just turned 55 last week and grew up in Watts. When he told me that I said, "Then we're homies." because I grew up a short distance from there (albeit a completely different neighborhood) and at the same time (Andrew is 8 months younger than me). We both had a good laugh over that one. Andrew told me a lot about how the homeless in this area survive. One of the places they depend on is the 7/11 store about a half a mile away. These type stores throw away their packaged sandwiches daily as the expiration date passes. Also, he lives off the trash thrown away at the projects nearby. He even rated the trash from the projects versus a more well-to-do apartment complex a little further down the road. Andrew had around 7 or 8 shopping carts lined up on the street and actually didn't need anything from me. He did confirm that it was Charles I saw walking down the street and told me exactly where in the lot full of dumpsters that Charles lives. I prayed with Andrew before leaving and told him I'd check back with him from time to time. It's not often I meet someone living on the street that doesn't need anything, so I told him that praying with him and leaving with God's blessing on him was more important than any physical items I could leave with him anyway. I needed to remember this later. The morning was off to a good start.
Not too far from Andrew on Mission Rd I saw a make-shift tent/lean-to erected with a homeless man standing next to it. I drove by not really sure of what I saw so I circled back. It turned out there were two men living there and their make-shift 'home' was in the back of a lot which was probably used for trucks to turn around in and cars to park in. Behind them was a chain-link fence and some sort of a salvage yard. These men were both from Cuba and were a little wary of me at first. They were both about 50 years old and had come here in 1979. I thought about what their situation in Cuba might have been in 1979 and what their hopes were in coming to America. Now thirty years later you wonder if they have regrets about coming here. I can't imagine living like this is what they had hoped for.(See picture) However, I probably can't imagine the living conditions that they left behind either. Here were two men in a foreign country not knowing the language and no doubt having to struggle every day just to survive. I was privileged to help them. Food, water, clothing; they were happy to receive anything and I was happy to pray with them before leaving. I've driven past that spot many times before and haven't seen anyone living there. I'm sure they wouldn't be allowed to stay there during the week, but I'll check there for them the next time I go by. Their names were Jesus and Roberto.
I left this northeast section of Los Angles and headed down Alameda towards the I-10. Around the corner from the Jack in the Box I found Charlotte. She is 34 years old and stays in a shelter at night at 38th and Broadway. During the day she doesn't like to stay in the surrounding neighborhood because the people are 'mean' towards the homeless. The people who run the shelter are nice but nobody else around there is. She told me her kids (nine of them!) live in Louisiana because it's too expensive out here. I didn't ask how she had so many being so young. Not too far from Charlotte at 16th and Broadway I found Debra Ann Adams digging through a dumpster. She had her shopping cart and was looking for anything she could use to recycle, wear or eat. She looked to be in her forties and was very thin. Judging from what she was doing when I found her one can only imagine how she survives on the street every day. She was pretty happy to receive the food and water and when I asked her if she would like to look through the trunk of my car for clothes she might need she couldn't believe it. She found a coat that was black, mid-length and kind of looked like fake leather and said, "You're not giving this away are you?" I told her, "Yes, and if you want it, it's yours." I'm sure in her world everything comes with a price and this was something she didn't experience very often--getting something with no strings attached. I prayed with her before leaving and I thought about how her encounter with me was probably something so out of the ordinary that she didn't know what to think. I left her with enough food and water to last her for at least two or three days and with a new blanket and some clothes. My only regret was I forgot to put a Gospel of John booklet in the food bag. I really hope I can find her again sometime and leave one with her.
Not too far from Debra Ann I found Bob sleeping on the sidewalk on Olive Street with a wheel chair next to him. He was in the exact same spot that Dorothy was a couple of months ago. He was asleep when I walked up (see photo) but woke up immediately. He was from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and had been laid off from the his railroad job in 1998. I guess somewhere along the line he was found passed out on the street and when he woke up he had had his leg amputated due to diabetes. They told him he could control the diabetes with diet. He was pretty upset with the whole ordeal as you might imagine. I had brought the bag of food to him when I walked up and asked if he wanted some water. By the time I walked back to him with the water he was opening the can of soup and started eating it. He was very thankful for the help. I was glad to be of help to him and prayed with him, but I knew it wasn't near enough help for this man. Please pray for Bob's needs.
Around the block from Bob I found a woman (I think!) lying on the sidewalk. When I walked up to her she was laying on her side kind of rocking back a forth. She had a blanket over her and that was about all she had. I asked if she needed some food. When she rolled over and looked up at me I wasn't quite prepared for the sight I saw. She was very small and thin with no hair and a knit cap on her head. She was African-American with heavy black eye-liner under her eyes. She was kind of freaky looking. At first she kind of mouthed some words that I couldn't hear or understand and then quickly launched into a litany of problems, mostly health issues in a desparate whisper. I asked her again if she wanted some food or water but she said no and that she only wanted money. I told her I wasn't really set up to give out money and at that point she had no interest in talking to me further. She laid back down closed her eyes and continued rocking. Here was another homeless person I left knowing they needed more help than I could give. The only identity she gave me was that she was married to James Cameron. The only James Cameron that I know of is the movie director. She couldn't possibly mean him could she?
Before leaving downtown I was able to help Jessie who was in an alley on the south side of Washington Blvd near San Pedro Street. Compared to the last few people I saw he was doing great! He was pushing his shopping cart with a smile on his face! Just like any other group of people the homeless encompass a wide spectrum of needs. I don't know about you reading this today, but it took me a while to assimilate today's experiences. There are so many different needs down here. The physical needs are far easier to meet than the emotional ones. I can only pray with them for those needs and let them know God does care about them and point them in His direction. Today reminded me more than ever about three verses Jesus taught at the end of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt.7:24-27). In these verses Jesus talks about two people who build their "houses" (lives), one on Jesus' teachings and the other not on Jesus' teachings. When the wind blows, as it will on everyone (believers and non-believers alike), the believer's "house" will be the one standing in the end. Pray that we can all point people to Jesus, the One who enables us to remain standing in the end. Until next week.--John