some tarps in front of the fence. Under the tarps is where the two Cuban men are living. The small tent in front of the tarps is where Javier and his wife live. I checked with the church at Cloud Nine Alley Sunday afternoon, but because Pastor Rodriguez was not there, not much information could be gained as to what they can do. Keep praying for this couple's situation. I feel that there will be more in the future about this situation, or the situation itself
may generate a response or plan of action for future situations that are similar. I have faith in the promise of Romans 8:28.
After leaving Javier's tent the first time I headed over towards Olive St. In that area on Venice Blvd I was able to help Hernando and another man by the name of Kerry. Kerry was digging through a dumpster and when I offered him a bag of food and especially the jug of water he was very happy. He said, "I'm diabetic and I drink water all day so this is perfect." Usually, the quality of water the homeless are able to obtain is very poor. The sun was out all day and it would get pretty warm if you stayed in the sun too long.
I drove around the skid row area but didn't stop at this point. I was looking for Jerry but didn't see him yet. I thought it might be a little early for him to be out so I decided to stop at the Jack in the Box on Alameda for a little bit. When I pulled into the driveway there, I saw John Stokes. As I rolled the window down to say hello he told me, "What a blessing it is to see you today." When I saw him the last time he had told me how he had lost all of his stuff as a result of a police sweep. He still didn't have much so I parked and we were able to get him restocked on a few of the clothing essentials as well as some food and water. I even got him his favorite burger there at the 'Box'. I had parked by this time and parked next to me was an old van that had seen better days. When John and I were going through the trunk I noticed the guy driving it had backed out and was really struggling with the steering wheel. I had just finished up with John and had prayed with him (at his request!) when the guy driving asked if I had any power steering or brake fluid. I told him I didn't have anything like that in the trunk only clothes. He said, "You have clothes? We could use some clothes." There were two men in the van, Adrian (the guy driving) and Rodney, I think they were living out of this van. So these guys got clothes and food too. Jeans were a big item Sunday. I must have given out 5 pairs of jeans during this trip. While helping these guys, another guy walked up by the name of Anthony. John had directed him over to me. Anthony was from Texas. So in the one stop I ended up helping four men and I hadn't even made it inside yet! What timing to have showed up a just the right moment to help all these men.
After leaving the Jack in the Box I headed back towards skid row. This time did I see Jerry (the man with one eye who I met a couple of weeks ago). He was sitting at the same spot on the corner of Los Angeles St and 7th. It took about fifteen minutes or so to find a place to park near there and then another ten to walk back to where he was. By the time I got there he was gone. I was pretty disappointed to have missed the opportunity to talk to him. My guess is he had 'collected' enough for whatever his needs were and had gone off to wherever it is that he stays. So I ended up prayer-walking around the skid row area and actually ended up talking and praying with another man named Jerry. He was out collecting cans and bottles to recycle. It's kind of rare to see someone recycling in the skid row area, but there he was with a couple of plastic bags--and no shopping cart.
I tried one more time to find Javier and Alisavel, but still came up empty. I drove down Alameda all the way to Washington Blvd and turned west. On one of the first streets I passed I saw someone on the sidewalk who I thought might be homeless, so I drove around the block to try and find them. Along the way I saw Don. This turned out to be the 'encounter' of the day. The last time I saw Don was on December 12. That was the week I took the barbecue with me. I had seen Don five days before then and told him I would be back the following Sunday to barbecue for some friends down a certain alley off Hooper which was right near were he was at the time. He ended up waiting the five days at the end of the alley for me to show up. He told me Sunday, after suffering through a very cold night on Saturday that he had been praying to God that I would show up! He was so happy to see me and practically begged me to stop and talk with him. Don suffers from diabetes and looked absolutely terrible. He was in a lot of pain while we talked. He had on a shirt and some shorts and one sock. He complained of frostbite during the previous night and had started a little fire with some wood scraps and had placed his other sock with some water in a can and put the can over the fire. His plan was to 'dry out' his socks in anticipation of another cold night. Well, I gave him some new socks, jeans and a blanket. He never sat up while I was there, so I spread the blanket out over him. Don was very, very depressed. I'd say the last four or five times we've talked he has expressed a desire to die. He feels he is 'right' with God and is living in so much pain that he doesn't want to 'live like a disgrace' anymore. He has spent a lot of time recently in and out of hospitals and although the hospital staffs mostly treat him well, he feels that in being homeless the
hospital management is more interested in warehousing him to generate income from the state than they are in helping him. I listened to Don because I know how much it means to these folks to have anyone really listen to them. I also told him that he is special to God. As an example of how much God cares, I told him I have a son and a daughter and no matter
where they are and no matter what has happened to them I still love them and they are always going to be special to me. Don is no different in God's eyes. No matter where he is or what has happened, God always will love him. Eventually, Don's mood improved. He ended up praising God for answering his prayer to send me to him. I have often said it is a privilege to serve the homeless in the name of Christ. It was even more so Sunday, to have been specially requested by name. --Until next week. John
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