Downtown 10/6/2013

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations....and remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." --Matthew 28:19a,20b

One of my personal prayers in recent months has been that God would use me as His weapon of choice in a dark place.  With a street ministry, one realizes quickly that greater spiritual gifts are needed and to that end I have been praying 1 Corinthians 14:1, which says, "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy."  In this verse, the word prophecy doesn't necessarily mean 'foretelling the future', but speaking the word of God (yes, you could say preaching I guess).  A few weeks ago, as this ministry has taken me into new areas I have become acutely aware that I need greater gifting for spiritual warfare.  I have recently established friendships with pastors who are pursuing similar paths for the enhancement of their ministries, although none are street ministries that I know of.  Remember, this is framed in the context of me being used as His light in dark places.  I really didn't know what this might look like, but it's beginning to take shape.  So far I'm really just feeling my way around and don't know exactly how this will go down, but I can tell you the tension is slowly building.  All I can tell you now is what has happened and some of the conversations I've had with people who are familiar with the McArthur Park area.  You can form your own opinions. 

I didn't write about the trip last week (Sept 29th) because, initially, I didn't think anything 'special' happened worth writing about.  As often happens though, something occurred during the trip that stuck in my mind and it's significance grew as the days passed.  I had helped some of the homeless people on that trip that I have seen a lot of lately and again this last Sunday too.  After giving out all the food with clothes and water and praying for peoples needs I headed down to McArthur Park.  

So on Sunday/29th I was driving westbound on 7th Ave towards the Park and was about a mile to a half a mile from Alvarado St.  It was about 5:30 pm and getting close to sunset.  I was looking from side to side at the people on the sidewalks when I happened to notice a roll-up door on the south side of the street.  On this roll-up door were the words, "I am Legion."  Now this was not spray-painted on, but intentionally, in big block letters painted on this door.  These words, as most of you know, are in the New Testament in one place and that is where Jesus is confronted by a demon-possessed man living in a cemetary.  The phrase meant that the man was filled with many demons and Jesus cast them out and into a herd of pigs which subsequently ran off a cliff and drowned.  I thought to myself, why would ANYONE ever want this painted on the side of their building.  Why would anyone, especially knowing the significance of this, want to identify with this statement.  I decided I'd prayer-walk in front of this store on my way home.  I went on to the park and prayer-walked there, but for some reason, had absolutely no interactions with anyone.  When I left the park and drove home I somehow, 'forgot' all about it because I was troubled that I hadn't talked to anyone.  I had even purposely walked right in front of a group of 10 or so young Latino men hoping they would say something to me about why I was there, but it was as if I was invisible to everyone.  Anyway, about three or four days later I happened to mention seeing this 'Legion' sign to a Christian friend of mine.  I told him where I had seen the sign and he told me that a few years back, before he became a Christian, he and his wife were walking around this same area.  He knew the area very well, and I'm guessing what he was about to tell me occurred 15 to 20 years ago.  He and his wife happened to walk into a 'store' on 7th about a block or so from Alvarado St and McArthur Park.  There are many many small stores lining the streets in this area and this particular store was a 'witchcraft' store as he described it.  Maybe, it was a psychic reader or tarot card place I don't really know.  Anyway, when they went in there the store owner told my friend (remember he was not a Christian at the time), I can help you, but I can't help her (pointing to his wife who was a Christian).  He said, "She has two angels standing by her."    Well, by now I'm beginning to get an idea of what's going on in this area.  Remember, a month or so ago when I first noticed this area, it was because of a street fight that occurred there with about twenty men fighting in the street.  This last Sunday when I drove into this area, there was something going on where they had streets just north of 7th blocked off from the downtown area all the way to just west of McArthur Park.  Traffic on 7th was bumper to bumper.  I had a friend of mine in a hospital at Vermont and Sunset which is not too far from here so I  thought I'd go and visit him and come back through there on my way home.  I visited with my friend for about an hour and a half from 5:30-7 pm and then drove down Vermont to 7th and took it across town.  It was dark by now, but I did see the Legion sign on the door again.  It is at 7th and Columbia St.  There was also a Spanish speaking storefront church a couple of blocks away (with a service going on).  I had promised to visit Maurice and Elisha (a homeless couple I'm friends with) Sunday and wanted to get by their place before it got too late so I didn't stop on 7th Sunday, although I looked intently for a store that might be the one my friend had told me about, but since that was 15 or 20 years ago, it may have moved by now.  I did see one store (Psychic shop) on Vermont on my way to the hospital.

So Monday (yesterday) I was at UCI medical center all day and was talking to a technician who was taking my blood pressure and temperature all day.  I had never talked with her before and found out that she was from Central America and when she came here in the early 80's she lived in this 7th and Alvarado area.  She told me the area is totally gang infested and being a woman doesn't even like to get out of the car in that area anymore.  Needless to say, she doesn't live there anymore either.

Once again, there isn't much to tell right now, I've just written about what I've seen and some conversations I've had with people who have spent time in this area.  When I started writing the blog for this trip I said I had been praying that I would be used as God's weapon of choice in a dark place.  Well, I think I've found a dark place.  So far nothing has happened.  A few weeks ago I said in one of the blogs, "It's kind of exciting to NOT have a clue of what to expect, but know that something will happen and to be ready."  I still don't know what to expect, but I praying and working on being ready when the time comes.     

I'll end with this quote from Isaiah 58:11

"The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail."

--Until next time.  John