Downtown 10/2/2011

"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him." Phillipians 2:13 --The Apostle Paul writing to a church he absolutely loved.

I couldn't imagine how the Lord would be able to top last week's trip, but He did! Last week I didn't make it off the Jack in the Box parking lot before giving out over half the food, a trunk load of clothes and praying with 7 or 8 people. Last night there was no one in the parking lot. It shows how special last week was. However, not to be outdone....the Lord had a special treat in store for me in an alley a couple of blocks away. Before leaving the counter I asked the woman behind the counter to pray for me that I would find the right people to give the food away to. When I left the JIBox it was nighttime....and a little later, in that sense, than I usually get started lately. I was trying to decide whether or not to just go down to Wall St immediately or go by the alley off Hooper where I used to see my friends all the time. I decided to just check the alley on my way to Wall St and see if anyone was around. That was a good move. Willie, Tara Lee and Chris were there. Floyd came by there a little later before I left. Now I had seen Willie about 3 weeks ago, but I hadn''t seen Tara or Chris in several months and it was a total blessing to see them all together again. I stayed and talked with them for 30 or 40 minutes getting caught up on all the latest stuff. I can't describe in words how really, really special it was. We made plans to have a barbecue some Sunday next month. I told them to bring their friends and we'll make it a special day. Before leaving Tara asked Willie to pray for me (which he did) and then he asked Tara to sing for me. Tara sang "This Little Light of Mine." I was so hard to leave them, but they knew I was leaving to help others. It had to have been one of the most special moments downtown made possible because of the relationships built up over two years of going there.

So it was off to Wall St. After last week's trip I had made a personal commitment to bring a blanket to Deena and Edwin down there. When I got there and Deena saw me, she stood up and welcomed me. I asked her if they still needed a blanket. She told me they had gone to a gospel music program (I think she said at the Staples Center a couple of days ago) and when they got back their blankets and jackets were gone. When I handed her the blanket, she held it close and said, "It's so soft." She loved it. I told her that some special Girl Scouts made it for her. We talked awhile longer and I asked them about the gospel music program and whether or not there was a message (sermon) given there. She said it was very enjoyable and each song had a message. I told them that the church I go to on Sundays while I work this night schedule does gospel music too. I asked if they did one of my favorites that I heard at that church called "He Reigns", but I guess they didn't. (You can check it out on youtube--He Reigns by the Newsboys). After praying with Edwin and Deena I crossed the street and met with a woman named Melissa who was trying to read a paperback book in the dark while sitting on the sidewalk. I had the bag of hamburgers with me and asked if she was hungry. Of course, she was so I gave her two. I couldn't carry the water and the bag of burgers too so I walked back to the car to get her a bottle. When I returned, I whispered to her, as a joke, that she was getting the biggest bottle of water I had and not to tell anyone. Well there was a tent about 10 or 15 feet away from where she was and someone inside overheard me whispering and said, "I heard that and I'm going to tell everyone!" It turned out to be Greg and Robin who I met the first time I came down to that street. So they got food and water too (and prayed for). Greg was the one who was wearing the Azuza Pacific sweatshirt that first night. He told me Dennis was back down the street the other way, so I was able to help Dennis and Bobby too. On my way to them, I talked with Melissa for a minute or two about the book she was reading. I told her I had just fiinished reading a book titled, "Heaven is for Real" and encouraged her to read it if she could find it.

Well, with that I was out of burgers. Before ending this I want to tell you a little more about my time with Willie, Tara, Chris and Floyd. While I was with them, I remembered the last time the three of us were together (Oct 3, 2010). I had given Chris a whole bunch of clothes to wear that day (including the shoes I was wearing) and gave them a short 2 minute sermonette instead of praying with them. Well last night I told them that I had been to church in the morning and wanted to tell them the two things I remembered most about the message. The sermon was based on the story of Jesus washing the disciples' feet on the night he was arrested. Although I knew it, I was reminded how Jesus washed Judas' feet too! Knowing what Jesus knew about Judas and what he was about to do, I thought this was another example of Jesus' total love for others despite what they did or would do to him and how it is an example for all of us to follow and not return evil for evil, but let love prevail always. The other thing, was the story of Job. Job suffered incredible losses, yet remained faithful to God. The important thing was that Job never found out why he was put through the ringer. We have the benefit of knowing Job chapters 1 and 2, but he didn't. In that same way, God doesn't always let us know the first two chapters of our story and what is going on behind the scenes. In the case of homeless men and women, you can bet they often wonder why they are in the situation they're in. For some, it may be obvious to them and to others perhaps not. I encouraged them to remain faithful, love God and love each other. --Until next week. John