Downtown 10/23/2012

God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.  So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and mountains fall. --Psalm 46: 1-2 


The above verse came to mind after witnessing so many of my friends shelters gone today.  It was a  day I won't soon forget.  Richard Brown, who I met the first day I started making these trips was no longer under the I-10 freeway on Hooper St.  His 65th birthday is this Friday and he had been telling me he was going to move to Mississippi as soon as he could start collecting Social Security.  I was hoping to see him once more before he left.  Some of the things I'll remember about him include how he always (and I mean every time) insisted on me praying with him.  He was the one who, after meeting and talking with him during my very first trip, said my prayer for him was better than the food I gave him.  I learned how God really does forgive every time we ask.  One day I pulled up to where he was cooking on the sidewalk and I could tell he had been drinking.  In an instant it hit me, "John do you really believe that God forgives repeatedly for the same offense?"  His word tells us he does, but do I 'really' believe it?  It was a wake-up call for me about believing what God's word tells us.  I'll also, never forget that people living on the street grieve too.  One day I pulled up to where he was and he showed me the program of the funeral service of his brother, Cleveland.  I could tell he was really upset about it.  His brother was several years younger than he was and was fairly well off, but died suddenly of a heart attack. His sister had come by to tell him.  It got me to thinking about how homeless people deal with the deaths of their family members and their friends on the street.  There are no 'funeral services' that they can go to, their relationship is just over...suddenly.  I had a barbecue earlier in the summer and had a chance to talk with some of my friends about it.  I hope it helped.  Richard was always upbeat and talkative.  If he had gone to bed for the night, he would always get up to talk with me.  I'll miss him.  I'll be praying for a successful transition to this stage of his life, he's been looking forward to it for years.

Just up the street from where Richard lived is the alley where I had the last barbecue (4 Sundays ago on Sept 30th).  All of my friends there were gone.  It appears the city went through and cleared everything away.  There were no people and no debris left in the alley.  I couldn't even find any of them in the vicinity.  I'll have to try going on Sunday evening to see if anyone is around.  It's hard finding some of these people on a weekday like today.  I did find John Stokes at his spot under the freeway east of Alameda.  All of his stuff was gone too, but he was sleeping on the ground with a couple of blankets.  He told me he had gone to the Jack in the Box a week ago and when he came back everything had been taken away.  This has happened 3 or 4 times that I know of in the last 3 1/2 years.  I was able to give him a nice jacket with a hood and a couple of pairs of socks.  He told me he was going to be turning 65 on May 3rd of next year and was going to move back to Georgia, where his family is from.

Although I will miss some of the regulars that were living in these alleys, it forces me to find and meet other people in need.  My 'regulars' will turn up eventually.  There's always a new influx of homeless people to the area.  It's an opportunity to show them God hasn't forgotten them and cares about their well-being.  I did meet some new people today.  Carlos, who was sleeping in a shopping cart on a small street off Olive, Lamar who was on 14th St, Kenneth in a small alley off Alameda all were struggling to survive today.  They were a little suspect of my motive initially, but gladly accepted the help.  When I asked for nothing in return, I'm sure it surprised them.  Next time they will probably be more responsive.  I did see a man named Isaiah, who I hadn't seen in a couple of years.  He was under the 4th St bridge and was digging around in a dumpster.  There was another woman sleeping under a blanket in the parking lot of the Jack in the Box right in front of their dumpster.  She looked lonely, tired and frustrated with life.  I don't think she wanted to be woken up, but as I drove away she was already starting to eat some of the food.  I'm sure all these people would have continued on with their day with hunger pains if I hadn't come by. 

One final thought.  One of the girls who took my order at the Jack in the Box asked if I was giving away the food to the homeless.  When I said I was, she replied, "You have a big heart."  I really didn't know what to say at the time.  But later, I thought, God has the big heart, he just gave me a piece of his.  --Until next time.  John