Downtown 2/9/2014

"Then the king (Jesus) will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'  Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when [did we do these things to you]?'  And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' --Matthew 25:34-40

Last week's trip occurred on Monday.  When the trip is during the week, the opportunities for conversation are greatly limited due to traffic congestion and my available time.  However, I did see Robert that day.  He lives near Alameda and 4th by a little mini truck stop.  Robert is about 70 years old and lives off of the hand-outs people give him in that area.  He is old, tired and speaks in a whisper.  I had asked him last week if there was anything special that he needed that I could bring him.  I had given him some food, but suggested maybe a blanket or a jacket.  He said, "I could use a blanket I guess."  So Sunday I brought him one.  While we stood at the back of the car I asked if there was anything else he could use.  I had asked if he needed some socks and he said yes to that and then he asked if I had a T-shirt.  Now usually I let the people I see just go through the clothes and take whatever they see that they need, but Robert is so old and weak from years on the street that I went through the clothes myself looking for a T-shirt.  Lo and behold I found a white T-shirt, just what he wanted!  I didn't even know I had one in there!  A sweet gentle smile appeared on Roberts face!  That was worth the trip right there.  We talked for a few minutes, Robert barely speaks loud enough to hear and standing by Alameda St doesn't help either.  I asked him how old he was, but I couldn't hear his response.  I asked where he was from originally and he told me "this area".  I told him I was from "this area too".  I prayed for Robert and gave him enough food to last into Monday.  I was privileged to help him through his day.

Two weeks ago I wrote about a man named Carlos who I see hanging around some buildings in an industrial area by Washington Blvd and Alameda.  Actually, he hangs around closer to Long Beach Blvd and Washington.  Anyway, he has never accepted any food, but I had given him a blanket a while back and the last time I saw him a bottle of water.  This time he accepted another bottle of water and we talked some more (he declined the food again).  I saw him reading a book on the French language.  He told me when he was in school, years ago, he had taken a couple of years of French, so he was trying to study the language again.  I learned that he is from Nicaragua.  He told me, "Nicaragua is in Central America".  I told him that I knew where it was and that one of my best friends at work was from that country too.  I learned the word for "socks" in Spanish is "calcetines".  Little by little, Carlos and I will build a relationship.  I am convinced that beyond the physical needs that Carlos and others have, the most important commodity that they need is someone spending some time with them.  Listening to their stories and their dreams helps validate their lives as worth something to someone.  Eventually, I'll be able to help them understand that their life is far more valuable than they ever imagined.....in fact, priceless to their Creator God.

During the course of the trip, I drove over to the Lincoln Park area.  I ended up parking and using the public restroom facilities.  As I was starting to walk back to my car a homeless man stopped me and asked me if I wanted a peach.  He held up a bag with 4 or 5 peaches in it.  I declined his offer, but asked him if there was anything he needed.  He replied, "I could use some meat".  I told him, "Well, I think I can help you with that.  Follow me back to my car, I think I've got something there for you."  It wasn't very far to get back to my car, but along the way he told me he was from El Paso and that he had just gotten out here a couple of days ago.  He said, "Its too cold there in the winter and too hot in the summer."  When we got to the car I gave him a deli sandwich and a couple of bottles of water.  I asked if he needed some socks.  He said, "Well, my socks are wet, I guess I could use some."  I think he was surprised that I had some to give out.  His name was Daniel and he was 54 years old.  I got to pray for him too.  The "coincidence" of meeting him was pretty amazing.  To think I almost brushed him off as I walked back to my car because I was on a mission to go help people and here right in front of me I almost tripped over someone in my blindness who needed help.

A few months back when my trips downtown were finished I had stopped by a friend of mine from work who was in the hospital with a serious health issue.  I saw him in the hospital and at his house when he got out and talked with him a couple of times on the phone.  Word got around at work that I had seen this guy and gone to his house and prayed with him.  Few people ever expected to see this man return to work, but last week he did return.  One of the other guys at work who knew I had gone to see him came over to my desk and talked with me about how amazed he was that our friend had returned to work.  We chatted about it for a few minutes and then just before he went home he said in all seriousness, "I guess that prayer stuff really works."  Without hesitation or even thinking about it I replied, "Prayer always works."  It didn't occur to me until a while later that pretty much everyone in our department knew that I had gone over to pray for and with this man.  It was now a testimony to the power of God.  What a privilege to be a part of that story.

Well, I'll finish this blog with a quick word on my trip into McArthur Park.  It went pretty much the same way it has gone the last few weeks.  I got there as my Spanish speaking Pentecostal friends were preaching and at the end, they let me preach too.  While they are preaching I'm praying for the hearts of the people milling around in that area of the park.  There seemed to be more people there than usual due to some "get the vote out" folks who were gathered around the statue of Signor Oscar Romero.  Anyway, as I was standing behind my Pentecostal friends I noticed a few other Christians walking around in the park that day.  One couple was a very young couple, I'm guessing in their mid to late twenties who walked right up to me when they saw my Bible in my hands.  His name was Luke and hers was Katie.  He had on a T-shirt with some words on it about Jesus so we had an immediate bond and talked for quite awhile before it was my time to preach.  During this time I also noticed a Muslim family walking past us.  I commented about this family later to the Spanish speaking group that was going to take over after we left and one of the men said, "I didn't want to have anything to do with them."  I told him, "Remember, Jesus died for Muslims too.  We'll never reach Muslims unless we're willing to talk to them."  One other thing of note.  A blind couple walked passed us at one point too.  They both had their walking sticks out.  My father was blind the last thirty years of his life and he used a walking stick too.  My biggest regret yesterday was not going over to pray for them.  Another missed opportunity.  Until next time. --John