Downtown 11/11/2012

"Some people pray for the things we take for granted." --a quote I ran across the other day on facebook.

This could be said about every person I met downtown last night, from the first couple, huddled under a jacket together, to the last man I met crossing Olive Street.  This morning when I woke up and got out from under my warm covers at 6 am, I thought about how these folks spent their night.  At least they didn't go to sleep hungry.  I keep thinking how incredibly difficult it must be trying to sleep on a concrete sidewalk when it's so cold outside.  This may be Southern California, but it does get cold at night this time of year and it will only get colder over the next few months.

Once again, I spent time in the 'barbecue area' looking for people I knew, but to no avail.  I looked again where last week Terrance told me some of those people had migrated to on the other side of Washington Blvd.  I think I told you that I found a couple of people sleeping over there last week, but since I didn't recognize them, and since it was late, I didn't want to wake them up.  Well, yesterday it was still daylight and the one man I did see there was still awake (and hungry).  His name was Gary and he knew me from the other location.  I told him I had been by the week before, but he had been asleep.  He gave me permission to wake him up next time!  I was able to go down there late Sunday afternoon (I arrived about 4:15) because I took a vacation day from work on Saturday night.  I was hoping to see some of my regulars, but it just didn't happen.  What it means is that the new people you meet aren't quite as open and talkative as the ones you know.  However, I still prayed with just about everyone since it was a Sunday and things are a little slower and casual on the weekend.

The vacant lot from last week, where I met Helen was still occupied, but Helen and her companion weren't there at the time.  Instead, I met a woman named Jackie in one of the other shelters.  There was someone in there with her too, but I didn't see them.  The woman who was sick from last week, wasn't there either, but her stuff was still there.  I left some extra food with Jackie to give to some of the others when they came back.  I don't know if it will get to them, but I know it won't go uneaten.  The couple, huddled up, that I mentioned in the beginnnig, was sitting across the street on the sidewalk from this lot.  His name was Danny,  but I couldn't hear the woman, when she said her name.  Danny said they had been moving around a lot lately.  I think they are recently homeless.  They had almost no possesions.

After giving out some burgers to various homeless people in the immediate area, I drove over to the other side of town and down Olive St.  I back-tracked up one street parallel to Olive and then came east, back towards Olive.  I had two burgers left when I saw this man crossing Olive St.  It was almost dark at the time.  Maybe it was because he was shuffling across the street kind of slow, but I knew that look in his face and eyes.  I've seen it hundreds of times by now.  He had no shopping cart, just the clothes on his back.  I had the window down when I called out to him and asked if he was hungry.  In almost desparation, he said he was.  "Como te llama?" I asked as he came over to the car.  "Carlos" he replied.  I gave him the last of the food, a bottle of water and prayed for him through the window.  "Thank you, and God bless you senor", he said as I drove away.

I ended the trip prayer-walking on skid row.  I couldn't count the number of times while walking around down there I've heard people shouting angry and vile things (not at me, but at other people).  I know the lifestyle of the homeless is cause for great frustraion and the spirit of oppression is palpable down there.  Part of what I pray for when I walk around down there is that the Spirit of Light would permeate the area and push away the spirit of oppression.  As I continued praying this while walking, those shouting at others either stopped or walked away before I got to where they were.  Don't ask me to explain it, I'm just telling you what happened.

This morning, before writing this I watched online the service at Bethel Church in Redding, California.  Bill Johnson was speaking (I really like him).  His message today (Sunday morning) was all about serving the poor, and feeding the hungry!  One of the scriptures he shared was from Isaiah 58:10 which says, "If you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon."   Wow.  Like I said, I'm only telling you what I saw happen.  --Until next time.  John

PS.  When I was leaving downtown last night, the thing most on my mind was, "I wish I had more to give out.  Lord there were so many more people to help, but I don't have anything left to give."  It was disappointing.