Hear my prayer, O Lord;
Let my cry come to you.
Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress.
Incline your ear to me:
answer me speedily in the day
when I call. --Psalm 102:1-2
This is the plea of every homeless person in the middle of a cold and lonely night.
My prayer and priority before making Monday's trip was to alleviate as much suffering as I possibly could. Some people who see the homeless are apt to make judgements about them as to why they are homeless (ie. bad choices in life). This often leads them to the conclustion that they somehow "deserve" their fate. For some reason, I don't get hung-up on those issues. I simply see a person who needs a friend to talk to and a helping hand. As cold as its been lately, the nights are very difficult for people living on the streets to get through. I just wanted to help them as much as I could. Fiscal cliffs are irrelevant to these people, only right now counts!
I guess with this mindset, this trip was going to be different from all the rest. I arrived a little after noon time and started looking for folks about 12:30pm. I found Eugene and Wayne in one of the barbecue alleys, and then headed over to where Gary lives off Washington Blvd. The last couple of weeks I haven't seen him, but I did find him yesterday. I had talked with Gary before about riding around with me and showing me places on that side of Washington Blvd where I might find people I could help. Also, he had asked me to keep a look-out for tarps or a tent that he could use. So we both piled into the car and started driving around that neighborhood. I had driven down Cloud Nine alley the previous week and noticed several large tarps laying around there. My only concern was whether they would be too big and heavy, whether they would still be there and if there would be any (legal) problem in taking one. Well, when we got there, they were gone. I did see Ray there (I hadn't seen him in quite a while) and he said someone had taken them all away a few days ago. He was glad to see me. His words were, "You don't know how happy I am to see you." We didn't talk too much, but he, apparently, hadn't had anything to eat in days.
On the way over to Cloud Nine alley, Gary showed me a couple of places he knew where people needed help. One of them had a group of men there, but only one of them took the help. The others were wary of me (being Caucasian). We'll see what happens next time. I did see Becky whom I haven't seen in a couple of years. She gave me a hug. The last time I saw her, she had four dogs and a couple of cats with her. Yesterday, she was down to two dogs. One was a white shepherd/husky looking dog (named Alaska) and the other was a rottweiler/shepherd mix. Both dogs looked old and tired (and in need of grooming). Anyway, Becky explained that she had moved over to that side of town because it was easier to recycle there. I'll have to keep looking for her over there. I'm sure it must have surprised Gary to see me calling people by name on that side of town. When Gary and I first left his alley, we saw Oscar and Jose, whom I've been seeing around there for the last month or so. It's good to consider them 'regulars' now.
We drove back to Gary's spot at this point because you don't want to leave your stuff unattended for very long or it won't be there when you get back. We continued to talk for quite a while. You may recall the last time I wrote about seeing Gary, he had had questions about the battle between the flesh and the spirit. I told him yesterday the analogy of the two dogs, one representing the flesh and the other representing the spirit. Whichever dog you feed the most is the one that dominates. He said he liked that analogy because it was something he could visualize. It probably made it easier too, because we had just seen those dogs of Becky's. One other thing that came up was I told him that it is always gratifying to me when I see someone immediately eating the food that I give them. That tells me that I came "just in time" and when they really needed help. He then told me that the first time he saw me was in one of the alleys a couple of years ago. He was with Willie, Chris and Tara when I pulled up. After I had given out some sandwiches we had all gone to the back of the car so I could give out some clothes from the trunk. He told me he had stopped while the others had walked back with me and he had started eating the sandwich. He said he also turned around with his back towards us so they couldn't see him eating right away, but he was starving at the time and too embarrassed for anyone to see him eating! While we talked I noticed a pained look across Gary's face. When I asked him about it he told me he had some back pain and pointed to where it was. It was exactly where my back pain had been from my kidney stones earlier in the month, just the other side though. As we talked more about it he said he had been prescribed some Flowmax pills when he had difficulty urinating and even had some blood in his urine before too. Well, that was all I needed to know to confirm what was happening. Unfortunately, I didn't have any of my leftover meds with me or I would have given him some. He told me that to get medical help, the process involves waiting 5-8 hours at a medical clinic (just going through the process) and then you have to wait a couple of more hours to get a prescription filled. He told me he had waited 3 hours once just to get some 800 mg Tylenol (and there had only been five other people waiting). That's why you didn't always seek medical attention because it meant spending a day trying to get help. Well, I prayed for Gary a second time, this time specifically for his back pain. One other thing of note happened with him. He had asked if I had a dress type shirt, because he was going to see him mother. She lives in Compton and is in her 80's. He wanted to look nice for her. Unfortunately, I didn't have any dress shirts, but he did see a Lakers t-shirt and a Lakers windbreaker type jacket. He told me his mother was a huge Laker fan and had Laker paraphernalia all over the house. He knew if he walked into the house wearing the Laker t-shirt she would ask him if she could have it. I told him to take them both, so now he could give his mother a Christmas present. Is that cool or what? Well, I had two burgers left. Since Gary had eaten the first two I had given him right away, I gave him the final two and called it a day. Not only did we help people who were really in need, I found some new places to go with Gary's help. It was a good trip. --Until next time. John
PS. Next time turned out to be the next morning!!!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
Christmas Eve downtown/2012
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger". And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" -Luke 2:8-13 ---Just a reminder that the first people who were told of the birth of Christ worked the night shift!!!
Last year Christmas fell on a Sunday and I was able to spend a couple of hours that day with my friends downtown. This year, because it's leap year, Christmas skipped Monday and will fall on Tuesday. So after sleeping away most of Sunday, I went downtown this morning (Monday).
When I got off the freeway at Alameda I saw one of my friends, John Mellon, on the corner of the freeway exit. He waved to me and came over to the car while I was waiting at the red light. It had rained pretty hard Sunday night and into the morning hours so it was still dark, dreary and very wet out. When he came over to greet me he had me feel his sweater. It was soaked and cold. Since I hadn't gotten the food yet and since I only had moments before the light would change, I couldn't give him anything right then. I told him I'd come back by later which I did, but he wasn't there! I drove around to some of 'his spots', but never did find him. I'm sure I'll hear about it the next time I see him.
Although some of the other regulars weren't around this morning, I did get to see Don. I took his picture but couldn't seem to get it from my phone to this blog. Perhaps I'll get it posted later. He is coming along quite well with his bible reading and we got to talk for a while under the freeway on ramp where he's staying. It sure is noisy there though. You'll have to trust me, but from the picture you could see how cold it was from the way he was bundled up.
One of the pure joys of the day involved a brief encounter along 17th St and Main. It's a one-way street next to the I-10 freeway. I could only stop on the other side of the street from where "Miss Mary" was standing next to her shopping cart. She seemed busy looking at something in her hands, but she came over to the car after I got her attention. When I offered her some food I was greeted with the biggest and most beautiful smile ever! She was elderly and missing many teeth, but her gratitude and thankfulness were as pure as it gets. What a privilege and blessing to serve her.
Mark Twain was once asked if the things in the bible that he didn't understand bothered him. His response was as insightful and down-to-earth as he was. He said, "It's not the things that I don't understand that bother me, it's the things that I do understand that bother me." Throughout the bible, in the Old and New Testaments we are told to care for widows, orphans and the poor. These are people near and dear to God's heart. There are many other groups of people in need as well. The families and friends of those children lost in Connecticut a week ago, the victims of hurricane Sandy, the people who are facing their first Christmas without a spouse or child lost in the military are all near and dear to God's heart. Jesus proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." Also, when Jesus began his ministry he said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring good news to the poor...and to set free the oppressed." Where there is hurting, God's offer of the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) is there. We as people who carry the Spirit of God with us are to be His feet, hands and speak His words to meet the needs of these people. To all I met downtown today and to all who would read this.....Merry Christmas!!! Praise God, Christ came into the world to save you and me.
PS. As I was writing this blog at another Jack in the Box near home, I told one of the guys working here who was cleaning the dining area about how the shepherds who worked the night-shift (as he and I do) were the first to hear the good news of Christ's birth. It took a minute or so for him to get the significance of the night-shift people being the first to hear since we often feel like the "forgotten ones". As he finished cleaning up the dining area and was about to go back behind the counter he said to me, "You know, that makes me feel better already!" This time it was the words of God that gave comfort. All I can say to that is Hallelujah -- Praise the Lord!!
Last year Christmas fell on a Sunday and I was able to spend a couple of hours that day with my friends downtown. This year, because it's leap year, Christmas skipped Monday and will fall on Tuesday. So after sleeping away most of Sunday, I went downtown this morning (Monday).
When I got off the freeway at Alameda I saw one of my friends, John Mellon, on the corner of the freeway exit. He waved to me and came over to the car while I was waiting at the red light. It had rained pretty hard Sunday night and into the morning hours so it was still dark, dreary and very wet out. When he came over to greet me he had me feel his sweater. It was soaked and cold. Since I hadn't gotten the food yet and since I only had moments before the light would change, I couldn't give him anything right then. I told him I'd come back by later which I did, but he wasn't there! I drove around to some of 'his spots', but never did find him. I'm sure I'll hear about it the next time I see him.
Although some of the other regulars weren't around this morning, I did get to see Don. I took his picture but couldn't seem to get it from my phone to this blog. Perhaps I'll get it posted later. He is coming along quite well with his bible reading and we got to talk for a while under the freeway on ramp where he's staying. It sure is noisy there though. You'll have to trust me, but from the picture you could see how cold it was from the way he was bundled up.
One of the pure joys of the day involved a brief encounter along 17th St and Main. It's a one-way street next to the I-10 freeway. I could only stop on the other side of the street from where "Miss Mary" was standing next to her shopping cart. She seemed busy looking at something in her hands, but she came over to the car after I got her attention. When I offered her some food I was greeted with the biggest and most beautiful smile ever! She was elderly and missing many teeth, but her gratitude and thankfulness were as pure as it gets. What a privilege and blessing to serve her.
Mark Twain was once asked if the things in the bible that he didn't understand bothered him. His response was as insightful and down-to-earth as he was. He said, "It's not the things that I don't understand that bother me, it's the things that I do understand that bother me." Throughout the bible, in the Old and New Testaments we are told to care for widows, orphans and the poor. These are people near and dear to God's heart. There are many other groups of people in need as well. The families and friends of those children lost in Connecticut a week ago, the victims of hurricane Sandy, the people who are facing their first Christmas without a spouse or child lost in the military are all near and dear to God's heart. Jesus proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." Also, when Jesus began his ministry he said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring good news to the poor...and to set free the oppressed." Where there is hurting, God's offer of the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) is there. We as people who carry the Spirit of God with us are to be His feet, hands and speak His words to meet the needs of these people. To all I met downtown today and to all who would read this.....Merry Christmas!!! Praise God, Christ came into the world to save you and me.
PS. As I was writing this blog at another Jack in the Box near home, I told one of the guys working here who was cleaning the dining area about how the shepherds who worked the night-shift (as he and I do) were the first to hear the good news of Christ's birth. It took a minute or so for him to get the significance of the night-shift people being the first to hear since we often feel like the "forgotten ones". As he finished cleaning up the dining area and was about to go back behind the counter he said to me, "You know, that makes me feel better already!" This time it was the words of God that gave comfort. All I can say to that is Hallelujah -- Praise the Lord!!
Monday, December 17, 2012
Downtown 12/16/2012
"If any of your people become poor and unable to support themselves, you must help them, just as you are supposed to help foreigners who live among you." --Lev. 25:35
After traveling all day I finally arrived downtown at 4:30 pm. As you know, it's dark by 5 pm now, so after buying some food to give out I had less than twenty minutes of light left. It was also cold and wet. Although it really wasn't raining, it was misting steadily and the streets and sidewalks were wet. I had even thought about not even stopping since it would be dark soon and I was concerned about being able to find and/or reach people in this kind of weather. I decided God would put people in place where I could find and serve them regardless of the weather and circumstances. I prayed about the conditions and obstacles and asked for God's help in reaching His people. I left it all up to Him and would give Him the glory. Somehow, I just knew it was going to be amazing!
I left the Jack in the Box at 4:40. There had been two homeless men standing around when I arrived, but when I was ready to leave they had disappeared. I even drove around the block and back through the parking lot at the Jack in the Box, but couldn't find them. I drove through the two alleys where I've had the barbecues, but no one was there either. I found one guy near one of the alley's, his name was Albert, but that was it. I drove down a couple of the streets nearby, but still no one was around. It was now 5 pm. and completely dark out. Yes, I was beginning to wonder what was going on. When it's wet out, the homeless usually find places even more remote and hidden than usual so that they can keep dry. I decided to try under the I-10 freeway at San Pedro. I used to see people under this freeway just about every week, but in the last 3 or 4 months, no one's been there. Sunday night, there were five people huddled under this freeway overpass. First there were Antonio and Leticia and then Elsa was just a few feet away from them. They were all cold and hungry. About thirty yards down from them was another couple. They seemed to be doing better (they were under blankets at least). His name was Jay Dean (didn't get her name). What a joy to be able to help these people on a night like last night.
I found another man on 17th St named David. This street parallels the freeway. He had a jacket on, but no other possessions. I drove on over to the alley behind the Auto Zone store on Central and Washington Blvd. This is the alley where Gary lives, however, he wasn't 'home' at the time. A few weeks ago I went ahead and left some burgers for him in his make-shift home, but he told me the next week he never got them, so I didn't leave anything this time. The last time I was in this alley I had seen a couple of Latino men at the entrance to the alley. There names were Jorge and Oscar. They had that 'iconic homeless look' that I commented on and they were counting out coins at the time. Well, I had seen a guy sitting on the ground up close to the roll-up doors of a store on the other side of Washington Blvd, when I crossed the street looking for Gary. I drove back across to that man I had seen. It turned out to be Oscar, remember it was totally dark by now. He was all alone and didn't exactly have a good spot to keep dry for the night. I ended up giving him not only food and water, but some socks and a blanket too. I asked about Jorge and he told me he was close by and would be returning soon. I had given Oscar the last of the food and prayed with him. He was so thankful. I was so blessed to be able to help him. Maybe next week, I'll start at this location.
When I got back in my car and started driving towards the freeway entrance, I noticed it was 5:18 pm. After a slow start, this all happened in less than 40 minutes and the first 10 minutes I didn't even see anyone. All praise and honor goes to Him. I just knew it was going to be amazing! --Until next week. -John
After traveling all day I finally arrived downtown at 4:30 pm. As you know, it's dark by 5 pm now, so after buying some food to give out I had less than twenty minutes of light left. It was also cold and wet. Although it really wasn't raining, it was misting steadily and the streets and sidewalks were wet. I had even thought about not even stopping since it would be dark soon and I was concerned about being able to find and/or reach people in this kind of weather. I decided God would put people in place where I could find and serve them regardless of the weather and circumstances. I prayed about the conditions and obstacles and asked for God's help in reaching His people. I left it all up to Him and would give Him the glory. Somehow, I just knew it was going to be amazing!
I left the Jack in the Box at 4:40. There had been two homeless men standing around when I arrived, but when I was ready to leave they had disappeared. I even drove around the block and back through the parking lot at the Jack in the Box, but couldn't find them. I drove through the two alleys where I've had the barbecues, but no one was there either. I found one guy near one of the alley's, his name was Albert, but that was it. I drove down a couple of the streets nearby, but still no one was around. It was now 5 pm. and completely dark out. Yes, I was beginning to wonder what was going on. When it's wet out, the homeless usually find places even more remote and hidden than usual so that they can keep dry. I decided to try under the I-10 freeway at San Pedro. I used to see people under this freeway just about every week, but in the last 3 or 4 months, no one's been there. Sunday night, there were five people huddled under this freeway overpass. First there were Antonio and Leticia and then Elsa was just a few feet away from them. They were all cold and hungry. About thirty yards down from them was another couple. They seemed to be doing better (they were under blankets at least). His name was Jay Dean (didn't get her name). What a joy to be able to help these people on a night like last night.
I found another man on 17th St named David. This street parallels the freeway. He had a jacket on, but no other possessions. I drove on over to the alley behind the Auto Zone store on Central and Washington Blvd. This is the alley where Gary lives, however, he wasn't 'home' at the time. A few weeks ago I went ahead and left some burgers for him in his make-shift home, but he told me the next week he never got them, so I didn't leave anything this time. The last time I was in this alley I had seen a couple of Latino men at the entrance to the alley. There names were Jorge and Oscar. They had that 'iconic homeless look' that I commented on and they were counting out coins at the time. Well, I had seen a guy sitting on the ground up close to the roll-up doors of a store on the other side of Washington Blvd, when I crossed the street looking for Gary. I drove back across to that man I had seen. It turned out to be Oscar, remember it was totally dark by now. He was all alone and didn't exactly have a good spot to keep dry for the night. I ended up giving him not only food and water, but some socks and a blanket too. I asked about Jorge and he told me he was close by and would be returning soon. I had given Oscar the last of the food and prayed with him. He was so thankful. I was so blessed to be able to help him. Maybe next week, I'll start at this location.
When I got back in my car and started driving towards the freeway entrance, I noticed it was 5:18 pm. After a slow start, this all happened in less than 40 minutes and the first 10 minutes I didn't even see anyone. All praise and honor goes to Him. I just knew it was going to be amazing! --Until next week. -John
Monday, December 3, 2012
Sunday night 12/2/2012
"Jesus asked a second time, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know I love you!' 'Then take care of my sheep,' Jesus told him." --John 21:16
After a very difficult week health-wise I decided to go ahead and make a trip downtown. It has been raining off an on for the last 4 or 5 days and although it was raining a little when I left, I felt it was better to go ahead and go Sunday than wait and go during the week. My health issues had interrupted my sleep schedule as well as my work schedule for the last 4 days also. So I wasn't feeling great, but at least I wasn't hurting when I left. I could only pray that God would lead me to those he wanted me to reach because there also wasn't going to be a lot of daylight time left either.
You may remember a couple of weeks ago I wrote about an encounter with Gary. He asked me for a bible and I ended up giving him a New Testament. I didn't see him last week, but yesterday I did. He told me he had been reading Galations 4 and 5 and was caught up in the struggle between the flesh and the spirit that chapter 5 (vs. 16-26) talks about. Wow. Talk about getting right to the heart of the matter, huh? We must have talked about this for 15 or 20 minutes. One of the things he pointed out to me was the attitude he gets or at least feels he gets from people. For example, if he goes into a store with only a few coins and is counting out the change he gets very self-conscious that people are irritated waiting on him. If he isn't dressed very well, he feels self-conscious about that when he is out having to deal with the public. These types of things put him mentally in a very defensive position when it come to coping with the outside world. When I pulled up to his spot in this alley, he told me he had just put on his shoes so he could go looking in the trash behind some medical clinic on the other side of Washington Blvd. He told me that the women who work there throw out their food/lunches that they don't eat. But then he realized it was Sunday and they were closed, so there wouldn't be any food there. And then I drove up right then and called out to him! He said what a great time of rejoicing that was. Well, I must have spent a good half hour with Gary. I ended up giving him some shirts a pair a shoes and a blanket. He also said he'd be more than happy to ride with me and point out some of the spots where the homeless on that side of Washington Blvd live. I'm looking forward to it. It's amazing how this relationship with Gary has grown in the last month.
Just before I pulled into the alley where Gary lives, I saw a couple of homeless men on the other side of Central. I kept them in mind after leaving Gary and found them in a parking lot at the end of Gary's alley. I don't know what your mental picture of homeless people is, but as I passed by these two latino men, I saw a pretty much iconic sight. Both men were unshaven and carrying bags. One man was counting out coins in his hand and the other was watching. I don't know if they were pooling their meager rescources or not. I pulled up and asked if they needed some 'comida'. Their names were Jorge and Oscar and they responded like anyone who is hungry would respond. After giving them some food and water I said, "Dios, la bendiga." You remember I learned how to say that in Spanish about a week ago. I put it into practice immediately and they responded warmly. I hope I see them again soon. At least for a while, I'll probably be spending more time in this area.
Last week I met a man named Caseem and his wife (Brenda it turns out). There was another man with them this week whose name was Louis and he is Caseem's brother. When I pulled up Caseem said, "You came back! You did what you said you would do!" It makes you wonder how many promises Caseem has heard that didn't come through. By now it was completely dark. Brenda looked around in the back for clothes they could use and Louis and Caseem and I talked. Louis had actually dealt with the health issue (kidney stones) that I had been dealing with this week. He told me what worked for him (drinking tea) and, in fact, they gave me a couple of bags of tea. Not being a tea drinker, I was somewhat amused by the name of the tea....Jerusalem Tea (no I'm not kidding).
Just down the street from them was a sight that always discourages me. On the sidewalk was someone with only a blanket over them. It turned out to be a woman whose name was Mary. She was somewhat small in build and probably somewhere around 35-40 years old. It's hard to tell a person's age on the street and even more so with women. One has to be very careful dealing with women alone on the street, so I called out to her when I saw her blanket moving. I asked if she needed some food. She kind of struggled to get up, but made it over to the car and got the food. She had socks on, but no shoes. I don't know that she didn't have any shoes, but she didn't have any on. I kept the encounter brief, I'm sure this was probably more of a risk for her than she wanted to take, but she was willing to do it if she was hungry enough.
There were a couple others that I was able to help last night, but due to my own health concerns and the weather I didn't venture down to prayer-walk on skid row. We'll have to do that next week. Until then. --John
After a very difficult week health-wise I decided to go ahead and make a trip downtown. It has been raining off an on for the last 4 or 5 days and although it was raining a little when I left, I felt it was better to go ahead and go Sunday than wait and go during the week. My health issues had interrupted my sleep schedule as well as my work schedule for the last 4 days also. So I wasn't feeling great, but at least I wasn't hurting when I left. I could only pray that God would lead me to those he wanted me to reach because there also wasn't going to be a lot of daylight time left either.
You may remember a couple of weeks ago I wrote about an encounter with Gary. He asked me for a bible and I ended up giving him a New Testament. I didn't see him last week, but yesterday I did. He told me he had been reading Galations 4 and 5 and was caught up in the struggle between the flesh and the spirit that chapter 5 (vs. 16-26) talks about. Wow. Talk about getting right to the heart of the matter, huh? We must have talked about this for 15 or 20 minutes. One of the things he pointed out to me was the attitude he gets or at least feels he gets from people. For example, if he goes into a store with only a few coins and is counting out the change he gets very self-conscious that people are irritated waiting on him. If he isn't dressed very well, he feels self-conscious about that when he is out having to deal with the public. These types of things put him mentally in a very defensive position when it come to coping with the outside world. When I pulled up to his spot in this alley, he told me he had just put on his shoes so he could go looking in the trash behind some medical clinic on the other side of Washington Blvd. He told me that the women who work there throw out their food/lunches that they don't eat. But then he realized it was Sunday and they were closed, so there wouldn't be any food there. And then I drove up right then and called out to him! He said what a great time of rejoicing that was. Well, I must have spent a good half hour with Gary. I ended up giving him some shirts a pair a shoes and a blanket. He also said he'd be more than happy to ride with me and point out some of the spots where the homeless on that side of Washington Blvd live. I'm looking forward to it. It's amazing how this relationship with Gary has grown in the last month.
Just before I pulled into the alley where Gary lives, I saw a couple of homeless men on the other side of Central. I kept them in mind after leaving Gary and found them in a parking lot at the end of Gary's alley. I don't know what your mental picture of homeless people is, but as I passed by these two latino men, I saw a pretty much iconic sight. Both men were unshaven and carrying bags. One man was counting out coins in his hand and the other was watching. I don't know if they were pooling their meager rescources or not. I pulled up and asked if they needed some 'comida'. Their names were Jorge and Oscar and they responded like anyone who is hungry would respond. After giving them some food and water I said, "Dios, la bendiga." You remember I learned how to say that in Spanish about a week ago. I put it into practice immediately and they responded warmly. I hope I see them again soon. At least for a while, I'll probably be spending more time in this area.
Last week I met a man named Caseem and his wife (Brenda it turns out). There was another man with them this week whose name was Louis and he is Caseem's brother. When I pulled up Caseem said, "You came back! You did what you said you would do!" It makes you wonder how many promises Caseem has heard that didn't come through. By now it was completely dark. Brenda looked around in the back for clothes they could use and Louis and Caseem and I talked. Louis had actually dealt with the health issue (kidney stones) that I had been dealing with this week. He told me what worked for him (drinking tea) and, in fact, they gave me a couple of bags of tea. Not being a tea drinker, I was somewhat amused by the name of the tea....Jerusalem Tea (no I'm not kidding).
Just down the street from them was a sight that always discourages me. On the sidewalk was someone with only a blanket over them. It turned out to be a woman whose name was Mary. She was somewhat small in build and probably somewhere around 35-40 years old. It's hard to tell a person's age on the street and even more so with women. One has to be very careful dealing with women alone on the street, so I called out to her when I saw her blanket moving. I asked if she needed some food. She kind of struggled to get up, but made it over to the car and got the food. She had socks on, but no shoes. I don't know that she didn't have any shoes, but she didn't have any on. I kept the encounter brief, I'm sure this was probably more of a risk for her than she wanted to take, but she was willing to do it if she was hungry enough.
There were a couple others that I was able to help last night, but due to my own health concerns and the weather I didn't venture down to prayer-walk on skid row. We'll have to do that next week. Until then. --John
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