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
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