What a blessed trip this was. I happened to be talking with a friend of mine on the way into Los Angeles. When I got there and was ready to start reaching out to people needing help, I asked my friend to be praying that I would reach people that really needed help. Within minutes of hanging up, I met Andre, sitting on the sidewalk next to his shopping cart on 15th St near Broadway. After helping him with some food and water and then praying with him I started driving east down 16th St. As I got a couple of blocks past Los Angeles St I saw a man laying down on the sidewalk. I had already passed that street so I had to circle back around which probably took almost five minutes. As I approached that street I remembered a very small alley just west of that small street that you can reach that small street from. I have only driven down that alley once before and that was 4 months ago or so. I remember it because I drove down it from the other direction and this alley is so narrow that it's barely wide enough to drive your car down it. What made it memorable then was a dog with the biggest head I've seen in awhile got up and started towards me from behind a chain link fence. It looked like a pit bull....I kept driving that day. Today I thought I'd come from the other side so the dog, if it was there was on the other side of the car. As I passed that spot where the dog was, a woman and a young man (maybe he was twenty, but I doubt it) came out from a hole in the chain link fence from the building next to where the dog had been. I didn't recognize the woman at first, but she recognized me. Her name was Rico and she remembered me from when I helped her with some clothes in an alley about 3 miles east of there and several months ago. That day I found her looking through clothes that had been dumped in a dirt alley. That day as I pulled up to her I asked if she wanted to go through the clothes I had in the back of my car. I remember her telling me about her situation that day and that she would rather be homeless than to be at home and get beaten up by her boyfriend. I asked her today if she had ever gone back to him. She said, "No way!" I was proud of her and should have told her so, but I think all I said was "Good." I let them both go through the clothes in the car and gave them some food and water. I asked Rico if they were staying next to the building behind the chain link fence where they had come out from, but she said, "No, we stay next to a dumpster around the corner (near where I had seen the man laying down originally). I took a picture of it as I drove on out. However, I asked Rico if she had ever heard of the Dream Center. When she said she hadn't, I googled the address and gave it too them. I told her they could get help there and these people would help them get on the road to self sufficiency. I'm going to keep checking back with them. I so much want her to find a safe place to live. We had a group prayer before I left them. So do you think it was just by chance that I had to drive around the block and come up that alley just as they were climbing through the hole in the fence? The picture below is where they stay at night. I wouldn't be surprised if they sleep behind the dumpster so no one will notice them if they drive or walk by. And the man I had originally seen laying down on the sidewalk? His name was Adolfo and yes I helped and prayed with him too.
Before getting too far down 16th St, I found Johnny. I had helped him a couple months back and at the time he identified himself by the name of "Joker", until it came time to pray for him, then he wanted me to know (and pray for him) by the name of Johnny. I also remember at the time he was going through a dumpster that was right behind a Pentecostal Church on Washington Blvd. And they were having a service there at the time too! I drove on over to Trinity St to look for Antonio and Leticia. I only found Antonio. He said Leticia hadn't gotten back yet (from wherever it is that they go during the day). It was a little earlier than usual for me to see them. The last man I saw was named Mario and he was on Washington Blvd next to his shopping cart. He was hungry (as everyone I met today was) and thanked me several times for the help. After Mario, all the food was gone. I wished I had had more to give out. I think all the food was gone in less than an hour and I got to pray with just about everyone. This is why I love making these trips on Sundays, the people who need help are easier to find and its easier to talk with them. I had missed going last Sunday, but went down on Wednesday, four days ago, in the early afternoon. That's a very difficult time to go, but still people need help during the weekdays too. I remember vividly, the last person I helped Wednesday was a young girl of about 16 or 17 years old. She seemed way to young to be alone and she had absolutely nothing with her. No bag of clothes or anything. Her name was the same as my wife's name and she was barely older than my daughter. I kept thinking, "She is somebody's little girl." I need to get into a working relationship with places like the Dream Center so I can get people that I meet on the street that are so vulnerable some help. Pray for me that I can find people who will help. Until next time. --John
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