Downtown 5/20/2012

"I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall live in your presence." --Psalm 140: 12-13

In the last couple of years two locations downtown have regularly stood out as memorable. Surprisingly, Cloud 9 Alley has not had much activity in recent times, but another alley off Hooper St has. This is the alley where the barbecue took place last October. This is where Tara Lee and Willie have stayed off and on and Chris has been there at times also. I hadn't seen Tara or Chris since last October. Sunday night the whole gang was there. It was wonderful to see them all. A few other men came by while I was there and we had a great time catching up. People were fed (6 total), clothes where given out and prayers were offered while everyone was there. Unfortunately, I didn't have any socks to give out and that's the one clothing item that there is a constant need for. I was kind of surprised that I couldn't find one pair in the back of the car. However, I did set a target date for the next barbecue as either the Sunday before or the Sunday after the 4th of July, which is on a Wednesday this year. Hopefully, the coast will be clear (that means they won't get run off before then) and everyone will be able to come by on one of those days.

The other location that has become a regular visit is the area near skid row where I began the 'burgers and doorways' outreach last fall. Sunday night another 5 people were reached including two couples. Being as close to the missions as this place is I'm always shocked at the number of people who haven't had a recent meal in this area. I know the streets where the crowds of people are on skid row are filled with drug problems and loud and violent people and I know that's one reason some of these people stay away from there. But you got to figure that if you get hungry enough you're going to put up with just about anything to get a meal. Anyway, it was a privilege to be able to meet needs and pray for people so close to the skid row area. I hesitate to try and do a barbecue down there because I might get over-run very quickly with scores of people looking for a meal that close to the missions. I'll have to ask around sometime down there and see what could be done.

Before ending this week's blog I wanted to express what a victory this trip was. I have been having a lot of personal struggles lately encompassing nearly every realm of life. From health issues and cash flow to just plain being kind of bummed out about a lot of things. I had prayed before leaving the house and asked God's forgiveness for being so unhappy about the way things were going in my life. One of my favorite contemporary Christian songs is by Matt Redman and is titled, "Blessed be the Name". The title and theme of the song is taken from the book of Job where Job has just heard that all his children have been killed. In Job 1:21 he says, "Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." In the song it echos the example of Job when it says, "Blessed be your name on the road marked with suffering, though there's pain in the offering--blessed be your name." I decided Sunday that the path the Lord wants us to take is not the one where we are complaining about our lot in life, but to rejoice and praise God in and through everything. I specifically asked God to let this trip be one where I would 'experience' His presence. I can't express how happy I was when I turned down the alley off Hooper and saw my friends there. It was the most perfect 'gift' I could have received in that moment. Praise God. --Until next week. John