Downtown 8/26/2012

Rejoice in the Lord always... Always be gentle with others...  Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God.  Then because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand.  And this peace will control the way you think and feel.--Philippians 4:4-7


It is difficult to describle in words how moving this trip was.  On the surface I only went down two alleys and under one freeway, yet I handed out close to twenty burgers and about the same number of chilled bottles of water.  Since these trips are more a spiritual journey and stem from a desire to "be close to where God is working", the fact that I prayed with just about everyone I met with made this trip the success it was as much as anything.  I also need to say that these trips also require prayer ahead of time too.  I was unable to make the trip last week.  I had been suffering from an abcess tooth and after taking some antibiotics for about a day and a half the pain was subsiding, but the lack of sleep the previous couple of nights had left me exhausted.  I must say as I approach another birthday in a couple of months, age has a tendency to talk a little louder than it used to.  I can come up with all kinds of reasons to stay home and rest.  Yet, if I don't go (when I've been called) who will go in my place?  Who will pray with these people and tell them God loves them?  It has taken me these three plus years of going to have a place in these peoples' hearts where they not only trust me, but know I'm there to hear and listen to their troubles.  Because they know I have a life that is not devoid of problems and burdens, they know I can relate to them. 

One of the men Sunday, goes by the name of Santa Barbara.  He was with a woman when I met them in the first alley.  I was helping another man a couple of hundred yards away when he saw me and told the woman, "That's John, he'll have something for us!"  They waited for me to come down to them.  Santa Barbara started telling me he was recently released from the hospital where he found out he had a tumor on his kidney.  He had been feeling weak and dizzy and started bleeding profusely.  He ended up in a hospital for a week.  They are scheduling surgery in another week or so.  Knowing that he is facing an uncertain future and that that can be unsettling I told him of a recent diagnosis of my own.  Then the three of us prayed as I gathered the two of them in my arms.  I acknowledged  "Lord we know these bodies wear-out and they have defects, but you are the Great Physician.  You can heal us or you can use this as a means to draw us closer to you."  I continued to pray for His presence and comfort in our lives.  When I finished, Santa Barbara started praying.  He thanked God for me!  He thanked God for me being so faithful as to keep coming down there and ministering to them.  I was so humbled.  To think I almost listened to that voice that was telling me to stay home and rest, that no one will miss me down there! 

I went over to the next alley and saw my friends, Willie, Tara and Dave.  A couple of others came by while I talked with them.  They always ask how my son is doing and are concerned for my well being.  We talked about God's power over human events and how important prayer is.  Just before I left them I remembered and shared with them a recent bible teacher teaching about the story of Hannah and her son Samuel.  You may recall Samuel was promised and dedicated to the service of God before he was born.  He grew up with Eli the High Priest in the temple.  Eli had two sons who didn't care about the things of God and their jobs as priests, but cared more about the things of this world and satisfying their lustful desires.  This is the environment that Samuel grew up in.  This bible teacher said despite this environment, Samuel grew up favored by God because he had a praying mother!  I'll always remember this example when it comes to my family and friends and I'll be praying for them!

Well, I had given out all the burgers and only had three bottles of water left.  I decided to go by one of my regular stops under the I-10 freeway by San Pedro.  On the way over, while waiting for a signal to change at Central, I was approached by a Latino man who held out his cap to me.  I gave him some water and a can of beef ravioli.  He spoke no English.  I would have tried to talk with him more, but the light changed and I had to move on.  Under the freeway I found a man named Charles.  He was laying down on a blanket, but now the sun was down and it would be dark soon.  I got out and gave him the last bottle of water and 3 cans of food.  He told me he was hungry.  I guess he would have gone to sleep that night without eating if I hadn't come by.  I prayed with him before leaving.  In fact, the only one I didn't pray with was the man on the street corner.

Well, here was another trip where I started with little energy and my passion was low.  I prayed for God to intervene.  He did.  He multiplied what I had to give and made it cover everyone I met.  All praise be to Him! --Until next week.  John