Monday, October 25, 2010

Downtown 10/24/2010

I began yesterday's trip in hopes of seeing Richard Brown, one of the first people I met when I began these trips a year and a half ago. He lives under the I-10 freeway at Hooper St. On my way to seeing him I turned down 16th St. and saw two men and what looked like several "home sites" of homeless people under the freeway there. When I first started going downtown there usually was one or two people living right there, but not too many have been there recently. Sunday, I met Ron and Don there. Both men were probably at least in their mid-60's and from Southern California. Don said he was from Whittier actually. I talked with them for twenty minutes or so and mentioned that there used to be a man living right there in the same spot where they were by the name of Frankie, but I hadn't seen him in over a year now. They both said they knew Frankie too but hadn't seen him in a long time either. I'll always remember Frankie because he was one of the first people I ever talked to who really lived in a cardboard box under a freeway. On one visit I actually sat with him partially inside his box (it had a roof) and we talked for awhile. It was such a humbling experience for me. It made me realize that 95 percent of the stuff we have in our homes we can easily live without. Well Ron and Don both had a Christian upbringing. Don told me his parents used to attend a Lutheran church in Whittier. Ron was from L..A. and actually wanted to encourage me to continue to follow God's leading in helping the homeless. When I prayed with them he seemed most eager to receive it.
Just around the corner from Ron and Don is where Richard Brown lives. I hadn't met with Richard in several months although I have driven past his place and knew he was still there. We hadn't been talking for very long when he said, "Let's pray". Richard likes to pray his favorite prayer every time, "The one Jesus taught his disciples." and I always let him go for it. Richard then fills me in on the recent news of the homeless living in that area and the run-ins with the police. I get the rules that the homeless are supposed to abide by in living on the sidewalks if the police want to enforce the laws. They can sleep on the sidewalk if they aren't blocking the sidewalk from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. If they are still sleeping after 6 a.m. then they can be forced to leave. The problem with many of the homeless is they stay up too late (usually doing illegal activities) and then have to sleep until late in the morning or early afternoon. Richard says he's always packed up and moving by 6 a.m. and ready to start 'working' (recycling). Today he asked me to look in on a woman living under the freeway a quarter mile down 16th St. by the name of "Ogie". When I got to her I realized I had helped her before and she went by the name of "Faulstine". I gave her some food and water and remembered the last time I had given her a daily devotional booklet. I told her, "I have something else for you." and gave her a Guidepost magazine. She took one look at it and said, "My Mama used to read this all the time." I've heard people respond that way many, many times before. Before leaving her, there was another man sleeping under the freeway a few yards away from her. He went by the name of Solo. I wasn't sure I heard him right so I said, "Like Hans 'Solo' from Star Wars?" He said yes. It turns out that he uses that name because he's alone alot. He told me he was from Florida and he'd been out here for about 10 years. When I left Solo and Faulstine, she was reading from the Guidepost magazine and thanked me again for stopping.
While I was still in the area I decided to stop by and see Tera Lee and Willie. I had seen them two or three weeks back and Tera Lee was still complaining about having a skin problem. I have been concerned about him and wanted to find out if there was something specific he needed that might alleviate the problem. When I went down the alley where they lived Willie and Tera Lee were there and another man by the name of Dave Walker. I asked about Chris who was with them the last time I stopped, but he hasn't been there in awhile. I ended up staying and talking with them, particularly Dave, for about forty minutes. It turns out Dave remembered me from several months ago. He had been shot in the leg and was recuperating at the time. I do remember someone being shot in the leg, but I wouldn't have remembered it as being him. I think at the time I saw him he was closer to the skid row area, which is probably where he would have gotten better medical care than where they were yesterday. He seemed to be fully recovered. I did get a chance to ask Tera Lee about his skin condition. He seems to think it is due to not being able to take a shower regularly. I'll take him some antibacterial soap next time along with some hydrogen peroxide and see if that helps at all.
Before leaving the area I was able to help a couple more men. One man's name was Dalton on Broadway St. and the other man was on 16th St. and turned out to be unable to speak. I asked him repeatedly what his name was and I could tell he heard me but finally he just waved he hands indicating he couldn't answer. I've encountered one other man who is deaf and mute, but this man appeared to be able to hear but not able to speak. The needs of these people downtown are very great. Please pray that I will be able to help them better in the future.
At this point I was out of bags of food and headed over to Cloud 9 Alley. It was about 4 p.m. and no one was in the alley at that point. Even Gary wasn't home today, however, Pastor Rafael was in the church. I went inside hoping to see him. When he heard I was there he came to the front to meet me. During our conversation he asked if I could come by sometime at around 6 p.m. on a Sunday so he could introduce me to his congregation. Apparently, he has told them about me! Before I prayed with him about his church he asked if I could pray about a specific prayer need that they have. They had engaged the services of a 'lawyer' to get a needed permit for their church. I think it is a permit to allow up to a hundred or more people in the building at one time, but I'm not positive. Rafael did indicate it was something like that. He told me that whoever it was that took the money for this came back asking for more money and eventually they realized they were being taken advantage of. So we prayed for that specifically as well as revival in the area they are in. He told me that one of the people living in the alley heard the praise and worship music and came to them in tears because he "used to be a Christian" and wanted to come in but didn't have clean enough clothes to come in. The church gave him some clothes and now he comes inside to the church. It's really amazing what God's doing in this area. Please pray for this church and Cloud 9 Alley. Until next week. -- John

Monday, October 18, 2010

Downtown 10/17/2010

I was able to get downtown a little earlier this Sunday, around 10:30 a.m. It drizzled the whole way down there and then off and on when I got there. I have been trying to meet up with Luis across from Lincoln Park the last few weeks. I had gotten a new pair of jeans for him and hadn't been able to give them to him yet. Sunday he was there and we had quite a conversation together. He was laying down all covered up when I arrived (remember it was drizzling) but got up immediately when he saw me. He told me he was glad I came because he didn't have any bread or food or anything. I asked him if his friend that he did the work for a few weeks back ever came by to pay him and he said he did but only gave him $5.00. I told him that the last time I saw him the pants he had on didn't seem to fit very well. He said, "Oh, you noticed that, huh?" I asked if a pair of jeans 34 x 32 would fit and he looked at me kind of funny and said, "Yeah, that's my size." It was kind of cool to give him a pair with all the tags and everything still on them. We looked through the car trunk and came up with some socks and shirts and stuff along with the food and water. He was quite happy. Then the conversation got really interesting. Apparently, somebody had told him that the weather was going to start getting cold and he probably would be better off going back to his family. I confirmed that the weather was going to get really cold by the end of December and that the rainy season here in California is October through April. October and November can be cold at night (around 50 degrees) but during the day the temperatures can get up into the 90's without a cloud in the sky. I then asked about his family and what were the chances of him going back to them. He told me that it would be kind of embarrassing for him to go back because of what had happened. He briefly told me that the Mom (I gathered this was not his biological family) and he had gotten into an arguement. He said it was hard for him to not say what was on his mind when someone was giving him a hard time. He said, "I have a mouth, but sometimes I don't use the right words." I acknowledged the difficulties with keeping one's temper and tongue in check (see James chapter 3). I also told him that he must release the bitterness and anger that he has towards his Mom. I briefly told him about one of the trips downtown that I had a few months back when someone in another car started yelling at me because I didn't take off right away when the light turned green. Although I didn't respond to the other driver I was pretty angry inside. I told Luis that I decided to read a section in the bible where Jesus talks about the people who make up His kingdom. In Jesus' message He tells us to pray for our enemies and although I didn't want to do it I decided to pray for that guy anyway and as soon as I did the anger was released from me. I realized that guy was just caught up in the moment of being in a hurry and I've been there before too. As soon as I realized this the anger went away. I then told Luis that although I don't know the particulars about his situation, if he starts praying for his Mom and his own heart he will be amazed at what God can do. At this point I asked Luis if I had given him a gospel of John booklet before and he said no, so I gave him one and we prayed together. You know I don't really remember exactly what I prayed with him about, I sure it was connected to his relationship with his Mom and family and I probably ended with asking for God's presence in his life and heart. When I finished he said, "I'd like to thank him (God) for sending someone to me." I was stunned and humbled. I told him it was a privilege to be the one sent. During our conversation Luis told me his last name was Ibarra. I told him I was Irish and my last name was O'Connor and a little bit about what the "O" means and that on St Patrick's Day everyone has an "O" in front of their last name, so "Your name would be O'Ibarra". When we parted I said, "Alright Luis, I'll see you later." He said, "That's Luis with an "O"! It was an encounter I'll never forget.
I took Mission Blvd back into town and near 4th St I found Ronald from New Orleans. It was still drizzling some and he was all covered up, but he got up pretty quickly too when he realized I was there to help (see photo). Many of the people I saw Sunday needed jeans but the only pair I had I gave to Luis. Ronald told me he had been traveling around across the country for the last couple of
years. He was down here from Portland trying to get a job through some government program. I was give Ronald all the help I had to give with the clothes and food but I didn't sense any real connection with him. However, I prayed with him before leaving and as I asked for God's blessing in Jesus' name he repeated, "In Jesus' name" with me. I guess you never really know what may be in someone's heart.
Just a couple of blocks away from Ronald was Carlos. I may have met Carlos before, I'm not real sure. He was walking by himself with a couple of small bags with recyclables in them. He was happy and thankful for the help. We had quite a discussion about work and the economy on his level. He said that he goes to an office downtown during the weekdays at 6:00 a.m. to sign up for work. Sometimes there is work for a day or two days maybe even a week at a time, but lately there has been nothing. I told him that may change as we approach the Christmas season. He told me he lives with 7 or 8 other homeless people near Hope St under the freeway. He is 63 and expects to have to work to get by, What he doesn't understand are the people (particularly the ones who live on skid row) who don't work and have no ambition to work. He said, "Some are so young and they don't work". Carlos obviously has the same mentality about working that our grandparents and their grandparents had when they came to this country. We need more people here like him. When I prayed with him, he took his cap off and then thanked me for stopping to help him.
On the other side of the 4th St bridge from Carlos was Michael Wayne, I've helped Michael a few times recently. He is leaving at the end of the month for Portland to live in a Veterans Housing project. It's designed to serve as a rehab and training center for veterans. Michael desparately needs this help at this stage in his life. It was somewhat ironic that Ronald just left Portland for a government program down here and Michael is leaving for a government program up there. I talked with Michael for probably thirty minutes and towards the end a car pulled up. Probably an older model Toyota Corolla I'm guessing. There was a family in it, the man and woman probably in their mid-thirties and a daughter of about 10 years or so. They stopped and got out and they gave Michael a bottle of water and a bag with, I think, some toiletries of some kind. It may have had some food in it, I'm not really sure. It was the first time I saw anyone else offer to help a homeless person and what made it so surprising was that it was a family and not just one person by themself. I was impressed.
After leaving Michael I drove around a little more in that area. I've included some pictures of where some people live under the freeway there at First St. There wasn't anyone home at either of the places where people had set up camp. (See the
photos). After getting out and walking around there and down by the railroad
tracks I was struck by how the homeless can find any out-of-the-way place and make it their home. Then I looked up at the bridge and saw that tree growing in the
crevice, probably 30 feet or more above the ground. It's amazing the places that can make-up a home, for plants and people.

I started over towards Cloud 9 Alley and along the way was able to help Dorothy and Lance. The last time I saw Dorothy she was on Olive St on the sidewalk. Sunday she was on Wall St just off Washington Blvd. I noticed she had on a heavy full length coat with sandals and a very dirty pair of socks. In addition to the food and water I gave her a pair of tennis shoes and several pairs of new socks. While I sat with her she put the shoes and socks on. She never looked up at me but she did thank me several times. She was from the midwest. I had to refrain from saying, "Dorothy, you're not in Kansas anymore." She's probably heard it a million times. Lance, was walking down Broadway St near 11th pushing a shopping cart. He had just stopped at a small trash can and was about to go through it when I called out to him from my car. Lance was from Santa Monica, I'm guessing him to be in his early sixties. He was surprised to meet another native Californian in me.
With that I crossed over Washington Blvd and parked by Cloud 9 Alley. There were a lot of cars parked around there and Rafael's church was just letting out. I

saw Rafael coming out and he told me he was headed to Lynwood to preach in a church there and would be back at 5 p.m. to preach here again. I've included photos of the front of his church here on Los Angeles St. Just to the right of the building in that parking lot is where Gary lives. Gary and I talked for awhile Sunday too. He had noticed that I didn't seem as "up" as I usually am and I confided to him some of the struggles of the week. So then he prayed for me! Wow, that was great to have him do that for me. When I left he called out after me and said, "Hey, it's good to see you have shoes on today." We laughed about that one and then he said, "I love you man" Can you believe it? I think this area is changing already. God is awesome. --Until next week. John

Monday, October 11, 2010

Downtown 10/10/10

Sunday's trip downtown seemed pretty normal until I got to the alley between Main and Los Angeles streets where I've been prayer walking. At that point the day's trip changed from an average trip to a memorable one. I had come into L.A. by way of Long Beach and came up the Harbor Freeway. I had gotten off at Florence Ave and drove north into the downtown area. I found one guy sleeping on a street corner (with a patch over his eye) but he wasn't interested in any help, so I continued on towards the I-10 and turned onto 18th St. I parked and was able to help a man by the name of Edward and while I was helping him Jackie came over to where we were. Edward wasn't very talkative and when Jackie came over he left. I've helped Jackie a couple of times recently. She seemed somewhat bummed out and I asked her how things were going. She told me her cat of 13 years (Chloe) had died the week before. I asked if I could pray for her and she initially declined but then said, "Well, OK if you want to." I simply asked God to comfort her during this time of grief. She said her cat had been with her through a lot of changes and referred to their early years as, "When I had my life together." Somehow her life has gotten off track and now she is standing on a street corner by a freeway asking for hand-outs. She's probably around 40 years old and seems like such a lost little girl.
A couple of miles away from where Jackie was along the same freeway but near San Pedro St. I found Terry from Dallas and Robert from Atlanta. They were about twenty yards away from each other and both under the I-10 freeway alone. Terry was at least my age and had a few possessions but Robert had almost nothing. He was 41 years old. Along with the food and water they received Robert got a blanket too. The amount of trash and broken glass around them was appalling.
The next person I was able to help was John Stokes from Atlanta. John was one of the first homeless men I met when I began these trips downtown. He was the one I sat down and asked, "What do homeless people need?" I was so new at the time I didn't know very much about their needs. He was the one that told me, "Water, socks and a clean blanket." Well, John received all those yesterday again. Since it has started to get colder he struggles with arthritis in his legs during these times. The police took away his mattress so he sleeps on the sidewalk with only a couple of other blankets between him and the ground.
Last week I met Robert just off Alameda St near 4th St. for the first time. He wasn't too talkative last week but yesterday I saw him again and he actually seemed happy to see me. He was standing almost at exactly the same place as last week. He told me he had eaten everything in the bag from last week. As I drove around the block I saw a couple of blankets on the ground up against one of the buildings. I wondered if that's where he sleeps at night.
I drove over to where Luis sleeps by Lincoln Park but he wasn't there again although his stuff was. I had gotten another pair of jeans for him but will have to keep checking back to give them to him. Along the way back through town I met Costica Vrable near skid row. He said he remembered me but I didn't remember him. He is from Romania and speaks with an heavy accent. The last man I helped was Jessie and he was right there on the outskirts of skid row too. I know I've helped him a few times before because after receiving the bag of food he asked it I had some water too!
At this point all the bags of food were gone and I headed over to Cloud 9 (the alley between Main St and Los Angeles St). There were three men sleeping on the sidewalk of the small street where I park my car. I had some cans of food to give them (I've learned to bring extra stuff each week) but I thought I'd wait until I was ready to leave before giving it to them because they might be awake then. I walked up Los Angeles St and as I got to the new church there were three men standing outside by their cars. As I walked up and said hello one of the men came forward to talk. It turned out his name was Rafael and he is the pastor of this new church. I asked him if I could pray with him for his new church thinking we would stand right there on the sidewalk but instead he invited me inside. I told him how I had started prayer-walking in the back alley of his church four weeks ago when they were first looking at the building. It was pretty exciting to learn that we have both been praying for revival in this area. He told me he came to this country in 1973 (he's 61 now) and was saved in 1977. He has been through a lot and traveled extensively preaching in South America and here in North America too. He had reached the point where traveling was getting to be too much for him and he felt led by the Lord to establish a church here. He has been a pastor of a church near Florence and Broadway in the past and one other one in the downtown area years ago. He told me about the two radio programs he has here locally. I asked if they were both in Spanish and he said yes. I said, "No English, huh?" and he replied, "No English. That's your job!" He also told me his philosophy of pastoring is to preach evangelically and pray for the Spirit to fill the people and empower them to go out and reach the people in the community. What a concept! This is the way the church grew in the first century. He said his radio program has already started to reach people who live nearby and they are coming to the services. We both were getting very excited talking about revival for this area and I asked him to pray for me before I left. I've got to learn Spanish because I don't have any idea what he prayed! It was an inspiring fifteen or twenty minutes we spent together and I told him I'd check back each week when I prayer-walk in that area. What an exciting thing to see God working here. Before leaving downtown I walked around the block and down "Cloud 9 Alley". Gary was waiting for me when I got to his place. We talked for quite a while and ended up talking about his Mother, Marilyn. She lives in Atlanta too. I prayed with Gary about his family situation and specifically for his Mom. I also told him family was usually the best if not only option for getting off the streets. He told me he needed to call her. Maybe next time we'll get to do that. As I left Gary a kitten had walked up to us in the alley. Gary said the
kitten's name was Tyson. I took their picture together. It seems somewhat ironic that the trip started with Jackie losing her cat and Gary having a kitten. As I
walked back to the car the three men who had been sleeping on the sidewalk weren't there anymore. Perhaps next week I'll see them again. --Until then. John

Monday, October 4, 2010

Downtown 10/3/2010

Sometimes a need of one of the people I encounter stays with me all week and I try and meet that need and find them the next week. Such was the case this week. Last week you may recall the first encounter was with a young man named Luis who lives in a gulley across the street from Lincoln Park. He is the one who helped a friend of his for three days (helping him move) and then wasn't paid anything for his time and effort. I had noticed while we talked that his pants were too big and I decided to get him a new pair that fit. So I took off Sunday with a new pair (guessing that a pair size 34 x 32 would fit) in hopes of finding him. However, when I arrived there he was nowhere to be found and I didn't see Phillip or Nancy either. I decided I'd come back by at the end of the trip and maybe he would be there then. With that I went over to Mission Rd to see if I could find Marsela and her dog Moses but again came up empty on that search too. While driving in that deserted industrial area I did find a man digging through a dumpster. His name was Pedro Cruz and he was from Arizona. He spoke very little English but I think he wanted to make sure that I didn't think he was an illegal immigrant. After digging through his pockets he showed me a picture ID from an Arizona Mission Outreach. My feeling is if I find a man digging through a dumpster I think he has bigger issues than whether he's legal to be here or not and my Christian responsibility is to help meet his immediate needs. After giving him a bag of food and some water he was very happy and I think greatly relieved. He even wanted to know, "Are you a Padre?"
Not too far from Pedro I found Richard off Alameda Blvd. I'm not sure if I've ever seen this Richard before. He is a very typical looking homeless person. I'm guessing him to be about 65 years old with very matted hair, a fairly large frame and the smell of homelessness abounding about him. He looked tired and worn out and spoke in a very soft voice. I felt so privileged to put my hand on his shoulder and pray for him. I doubt if any "normal" people ever talk to him much anymore. As I left he had started eating out of the can of soup in the bag of food I left with him. I wondered how long it had been since he had a decent meal.
I drove around for a while after this. I've been trying to find Darrel Roberts who I met a month ago at one of the corners of Pershing Square Park, but I didn't find him today either. I did find a homeless man sleeping on the sidewalk near Central Ave and Pico. His name was Fredrick. When I parked and got out and started walking towards him he got up. I think he thought I was going to run him off. I asked if he needed any food or water but he declined both. I then asked if he needed any socks. That got his interest and he said, "You got any?" I told him I did and opened the trunk of my car. He ended up with the socks and a T-shirt. I again asked him if he needed any food or water but again he said he didn't. His clothes were pretty dirty and he didn't have much in his shopping cart (mostly just recyclables). Before leaving Fredrick I prayed with him and told him to keep an eye out for me since I come around every week. Maybe the next time he'll need more help from me.
Eventually, I ended up going down the alley off Hooper St where Willie and Tara Lee live. Today there was another man living there with them by the name of Chris. They were all sleeping when I pulled up. It had started to cool off (it was about 3-3:30 p.m.) by now and they were all covered up. I noticed Willie didn't have the yellow plastic toddler slide to sleep on anymore. He told me someone had stolen it! The encounter with these three men turned out to be quite memorable. I gave Willie a bag of food and some water and he asked if I could give Chris some too. I said, "Sure" and gave Chris a bag and a gallon of water too. I noticed Chris had on some slippers and asked if he needed some socks. His jaw dropped and he said, "Yes." I then asked if he needed a shirt or anything. He said he could use a big T-shirt (Chris was a pretty big guy). He was standing by the trunk of my car at this point and I had a couple of large T-shirts left out of about 35 or 40 that I had originally. He got the socks, a T-shirt and I had a pair of long shorts that fit too. He asked about shoes and I asked him what size he wore. He told me he wore 12's and I only had 10's in the car except for the pair of 12's that I had on. I told him I'd give him my pair. He was stunned and said, "I think I'm about to cry." He ended up with a blanket too and asked, "You don't have a cap by chance do you?" I said, "Yeah, I have a cap." I had a couple on the floor of the front seat of my car. When I looked I found three, one was a Green Bay Packer cap and I wasn't going to part with that! Besides the Roadway cap was a lot cleaner anyway. He told me that during the daytime the sun has been so hot that the cap will help
alot. He had put everything on at this point and said, "I feel like a new man now! Thank you." (see photo) I took his picture and showed it to him. He said he looked like a big kid. By now Willie wanted to make sure that Tera Lee got some food and water so I took a bag and some water to him. He lives about 10 yards down on the other side of the alley. I asked him if he needed any clothes and he said he could use a long sleeve shirt because he was going to the post office on Monday. I told him I had one just right for him (a bright blue one) and I think I gave him a T-shirt too. By now both Willie and Chris had settled back down on their blankets and were eating and drinking from the water jugs. I heard them comment to each other how nice it was to have good tasting water. They told me that the water they had been drinking tasted so bad due to the pipes it came out of. At this point I usually say, "Let me pray for you before I go." But since they were both sitting down in their 'homes' and quite on the spur of the moment I said, "Let me tell you a story before I go." I had noticed a couple of Bibles in Willie's shopping cart and had already given Chris a Gospel of John booklet. I began to tell them about the Jewish Passover celebration and how during Passover the Jews would live in a tent usually on the roof of their house during Passover week. I explained that they would have a Passover lamb and that this lamb would have to be perfect in order to be used for the Passover celebration and they would generally bring the lamb inside to live with them almost like a pet and the children would become very attached to this lamb. When the lamb was then sacrificed for their sins this became a "real sacrifice" especially for the children and it became something personal to them. I then told them that John the Baptist called Jesus the "Lamb of God" and when we bring this Jesus into our hearts his sacrifice on the cross becomes very personal and real to us too. Chris told me, "Wow, I've never heard it said like that before!" I told them, "Remember, God loves you and so do I. I'll be back by in a few weeks and I'll see you then." I pulled on down and said goodby to Tera Lee as I drove away. It occurred to me that it was the first "sermonette" I had given in an alley downtown. It was pure joy.
I drove south on Central Ave to Washington Blvd and then drove west. When I passed Hill street I saw a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk by himself with a small blue bag. I drove around the block and pulled up next to where he was sitting. I got out and asked if he needed some food. His name was Ron and he originally was from the east coast. I don't exactly remember what clothes I gave him, I know I gave him some socks and a shirt but he kind of surprised me when he asked if I had a belt. The only belt I had was the one I had on and it was my 'best' belt. I then noticed the reason for his request. The pants he had on were, and I'm not exaggerating, at least 10 sizes too big for him. He had to constantly use one hand just to hold them up (see photo). It then occurred to me that I had a pair in the car that might fit (th ones for Luis). I said, "Would a pair of pants size 34 x 32 fit you?" He thought for about 3 seconds and
said, "That's the exact size I wear!" I told him, "Well then take these" and handed him the new pair. I then took his picture and prayed with him. I helped him carry the stuff over to his bag. He told me someone else had helped him earlier that day and pointed to a gospel tract that they had left with him. I told him, "See, God has not forgotten about you." I couldn't help but think that Sunday night when Ron is by himself he has to be amazed about the God who sent two people that day to help him.
From there I drove down to 36th and Broadway to check on the family living in an alley that I know. Sheila and Joe with her brother live in this short alley. I didn't see Sheila but Joe was home and I spoke with him. It turns out they are from Georgia. The last time I had stopped by I didn't have much food left and I wanted to do better this time. Getting by has been a real struggle for these folks and Joe was very appreciative of the help.
Well, I couldn't leave downtown without stopping by the alley where I have been prayer-walking. I drove over there and parked next to the parking lot where Gary lives. He was just coming in from the gate on the alley side of the parking lot. He told me the people with the church in the building next to him have been busy all weekend renovating it. It had been freshly painted on the front of the outside of the building and inside there were now several dozen pews being installed. There were still several workers there and I learned that the pastor's sermons are broadcast down in Mexico on a radio station. Perhaps, that is how they can afford the rent there. Eventually, I prayer-walked down the alley and back down to my car from the Main St. side Remember I was walking in my socks. The alley had been cleaned up remarkably (see photo). I took a couple of pictures in the places where all the debris had been before and then a rather interesting photo of some graffitti with the words "cloud nine". It was a fitting end to a memorable trip. Until next week. --John


P.S. Don't worry about a pair of pants for Luis...I got him another new pair on Monday. Oh, and a pair of shoes for me too.