Well, it's been a few weeks since I've written, but I've made trips every week. Recently, I've begun getting off the freeway at Sante Fe Ave instead of Alameda or Central. There are a lot of homeless folks living on the streets around the LA Times building (more on their building later). A few weeks back when I got off the freeway there a man was sitting on the sidewalk using a needle (you may remember that-I wrote about it). So I've been starting there of late and one trip, in particular, I ended up helping 4 homeless men and even jump-started another man's car. The odd thing is I was looking for a couple living in a van on that street, Mateo, (they weren't there) and ended up helping all these others. About three weeks ago on another street near there I found three other men, each by himself, on a street off Alameda (either Hunter or 8th). It was nearly dark and they must have been hungry and were wondering if they were going to eat anything that day. One of the men was walking with his back turned to me as I pulled up. After I gave him some food he asked me if I was an angel. He said, "I was thinking about how hungry I was and then bam.... you showed up out of nowhere." Don't worry, I assured him I am no angel.
On the way downtown
During that same trip I happened to see Debbie walking down 10th St just off San Pedro. This is where she and her boyfriend, Chris, used to live until he died about 6-7 weeks ago. She doesn't stay there anymore, but goes there just for the memories every once in a while. I ended up giving her a ride down to where she stays now on 55th just off Broadway. When I think of Chris' passing, I think how he won't have to endure another winter living on the street with his kidney and liver problems and dealing with life from a wheel chair at that.
So a couple of weeks back I was looking for homeless folks around the LA Times building again and noticed a temporary fence installed around one side of the building about 4 feet around their permanent fence. This is to keep homeless people from living on the sidewalk. So instead they live on the other side of the street where there is no fence in the middle of the sidewalk. On the other side of the building they have signs posted prohibiting sleeping on the sidewalk. In effect, they have made people who are poor and homeless with no place to go unwanted on the streets and sidewalks around their building.
No sleeping on this street
Thanksgiving day trip
So I made a trip on the morning of Thanksgiving. A year ago it rained the night before. That morning, although the rain had stopped, it was still all wet outside. This year, it rained the night before and that day. It rained on the way down, but during the time I was there the rain had stopped for the most part but started up again on the way home. I usually make some pasta so the folks have a hot meal that day, but I knew with the rain and cold weather the pasta would not stay hot or even warm for long, so I decided to buy some hot food on the way down there and keep it in a box I could keep warn plugged in to the cigarette lighter. That worked out OK. In fact, I bought ten breakfast burritos to start with and then some burgers at the end of the trip. In the first part of the trip I saw Gregory. I almost didn't recognize him. He was dragging wet cardboard into a pile under an awning about twenty feet high. That awning was too high and too short to really keep the rain off you if you were sitting on the street. But he was trying to build something while the rain had stopped to keep the rain from coming down on him. Everything he had was wet. I asked him if he could use a tarp as I had one in my car. He said he could use anything. When I got out of the car I realized he was cold, shivering and absolutely miserable. He didn't have a jacket, but only a long sleeve sweatshirt on and it was wet. I realized how desperate he was, so I gave him my jacket. My jacket was warm and had a hood on it too. So between the hot breakfast burrito, the tarp and the jacket I felt he had some hope of getting through the next couple of days where they were projecting more rain. Now remember it was Thanksgiving Day and usually you will depart from someone and say "Happy Thanksgiving". I just felt like saying something like that to him at that time was utterly ridiculous, so I simply told him I'd see him again soon. It was just devastating to me to be leaving him like that knowing what he would be facing the next few days. But here I was driving away to look for more folks needing help.
Gregory
After I ran out of burritos I drove through a Burger King and got six big hamburgers. I was quite surprised at the long line at the drive-thru on a Thanksgiving day. When I got to the window and paid for my order I looked to the right side of the car and saw a half dozen or so folks sitting on the ground with their backs against the windows/walls of the stores next to the Burger King. They were all bundled up with whatever they had. I don't think I'll ever forget that sight of despair. Now usually these people would not be allowed to stay there, but the store owners realized the situation called for these folks to find some kind of shelter from the rain. I drove around the block and entered that small crowded parking lot and was able to stop and position my car where I could see a couple of them. I motioned for the one or two that I saw to come over to me. Then they motioned for others to come over, one of which was Becky (I've known her a long time). I ended up giving out most all of the burgers that I had just purchased. Can you imagine being homeless, hungry and cold and the only place you could find to sit and be dry would be next to a burger joint where all you could smell were burgers, but you didn't have any money to buy one? I think that''s the definition of quiet desperation.
Tonight's trip
Ok, just a quick word about tonight's trip. One of the things about a homeless ministry this time of the year is that just about everyone you meet is in dire need of help. One of the first streets I drove down tonight was the street by the Times building where the temporary fence is. All the homeless folks are living on the other side of the street. I stopped for the first woman I saw there and before I pulled away three other people hustled over to where I was. At a point of grace, people are attracted. Before the trip was over, I did see Gregory tonight. He still had the jacket on I gave him on Thanksgiving, in fact, I think he said he hadn't taken it off since I gave it to him. He even had the hood on and it wasn't raining (it was just down right cold). He went through the clothes in the trunk of the car and got a couple of pairs of pants. He even asked me if I had any Christmas lights that he could put up on his cardboard 'house'. (He was joking) I was glad to see he still had a sense of humor in all this turmoil. I prayed with him and Red, who was staying right near him on that street tonight, asking for God's provision, blessing and presence in their lives during this time. It was a lot easier leaving them tonight than it was on Thanksgiving. I told them both I expected to be back next Sunday.
I began this blog with the story of Jesus calming the wind and seas during a storm. Often times we wonder where God is during the difficult times of our lives. We want immediate relief from our problems, yet God knows what is best for us and sometimes the 'weathering' through the storm is useful in the future for building our faith and trust in Him. In this case, with these homeless folks we wonder what benefit there is to them suffering. Yet allowing me to see this and in turn sharing this experience with you may lead us to be committed to doing more to end human suffering wherever we may see it or experience it. Yes, "the waves and wind still know His name and through it all...it is well with my soul". Yes indeed. --Until next time. John
