Downtown 6/14/2010

I didn't make it downtown until about 11:00 am Monday morning. Since it was so warm it really felt like the first day of summer (at least summer vacation) to me. Life's struggles continue for the folks living on the streets down here. I hadn't gone over to the 4th St. bridge in a while so I started there first. Just off the bridge on the west (downtown) side I found Robert sitting on the sidewalk with his back up against a chain link fence and his shopping cart of possessions next to him. He is from the Los Angeles area and I'm guessing him to be in his early forties. He didn't appear to be homeless for very long, probably recently out of work, so there he was sitting on the sidewalk trying to figure it all out. I'm sure it was a surprise to him that someone would drive up offering food and water and just talk to him for a few moments and pray with him. He told me he has relatives in the LA area and Arizona. Pray that he reconnects with them.
On the other side of the bridge I found Antonio. He was in the exact same spot as the last time I saw him a few months ago. Since he is so young (early twenties) I was quite surprised that he was still there. Because he stays at a location that is very hard to stop for any length of time it's difficult to find out his story. It would appear that his life is 'stuck' right there. His clothes, especially his pants, are falling apart. My guess is that he is staying right there and living off the missions on the other side of the bridge. I'm going to have to find a place to park and walk back to him sometime and just talk with him and see what's up. I've never gotten a chance to pray with him because I just can't stop for more that a few seconds on that bridge. Antonio is going to be a project and I am determined to help this man find hope in this world. Please pray for this man, that God would use me to bring about a transformation in his life.
Next, I went down the alley where Willie and Marvin used to live. I haven't seen either of them for a couple of months now. Today I saw a man sleeping where Marvin use to live. I called out to him as I drove by but didn't get a response. So I drove down a ways and turned around so I would be on the same side as he was and called out to him again, but still no response. It was getting pretty warm out and he was sleeping with his shirt off. I pulled over to the side and got a gallon of water and walked back to him. By now he was awake and when I asked if he wanted the water I quickly realized why I didn't get a response from him earlier. He is deaf and mute. I've seen this guy twice before, the last time was probably six months ago. He wanted the water and when I made eating motions he nodded his head so I gave him a bag of food too. The last time I saw him was actually in the area where I saw the first two men this morning and he was digging around in trash bins looking for recyclables. This is his life, deaf and mute, digging in trash cans unable to talk with anyone. I don't know if he knows sign language but I'm going to learn a few words of it and try and talk with him next time. I remember the last time I saw him I offered him some clothes in the trunk of my car and he was so happy he wanted a hug. I prayed with him today, although he couldn't hear a word of it.
I headed west along 16th St. which parallels the I-10 freeway. I turned up a small street named Trinity St. towards Washington Blvd. On the corner of Trinity and Washington Blvd is a small church named, you probably guessed, Trinity Church. Just a few yards away from this Church on Trinity I found Glen pushing a shopping cart. On Washington Blvd just a little ways east of this church I found Tyrone sitting on a planter. I was able to help both of these men and prayed with them too. I didn't recognize Tyrone at first but I think I've seen him on the other side of this block before. What I remembered about him was his very quiet voice, barely above a whisper, almost like he's out of breath. He is a fairly large man and he may be in poor health, although I don't think he's forty yet. I wonder about the church. I sometimes see racks of clothes on the sidewalk. I don't think they are selling these clothes because I don't see anyone out there. Perhaps, they are offering the clothes to the homeless living in the area. The people that go in and out of that church (when I see them on Sundays) are well dressed, but I never see them walking the short distance to the freeway underpass where the homeless are living. I wonder if they have co-existed so long together that they just don't "see" the homeless anymore. What an opportunity for a church to be a light amidst so much darkness.
Just before leaving downtown I was driving north on Maple and saw Johnny's stuff and him sleeping right next to it. His stuff is clean and neatly organized so he's easy to recognize. I only had one bag of food and one gallon of water left but before I could get back to him I found Roger just down the street a ways and decided to help him. I had never met Roger before. This made it an even split of folks I had helped before and those who I helped for the first time today. My hope is that with all of these people, as the next couple of days go by, that each time they eat and drink the stuff I left with them they will remember "the guy who prayed with me" and connect with the God who provided for them today. --Until next week. John

Downtown 6/6/10

I wasn't sure when I was going downtown this week, but ended up being able to go late Sunday afternoon. I didn't know how the traffic would be since there was a Laker game starting at 5 p.m. I arrived at about 4:30 p.m and traffic wasn't too bad at all. I got off the I-10 at Central Ave and kept going west until I got to Broadway. That's when I saw the person in the picture laying on the sidewalk. It was a warm day, probably in the mid 80's, and I'm sure the concrete sidewalk was hot to be laying on. I wanted to help this person but I couldn't find any parking on the street anywhere near there. There were parking lots available (for a price) but the curbs were red or no stopping all around that block. There were a couple of people standing on the corner nearby but no one seemed concerned. Behind the blanket hidden from this camera angle was a plastic bottle with some water in it. I'm sure it was warm water by now, but it indicated the person under the blanket was probably OK. It occurred to me that the Staples Center was less than a half a mile away. The place would be filled, at this point, with celebrities at courtside and million dollar basketball players and here within such a short distance and away from the television cameras a completely different lifestyle existed. A short distance from here at an alley around 12th and Pico I found Hernando digging through a trash bin. He was just thankful to receive the food and water I had. While driving around the area looking for a place to park for the person in the picture I found Johnny! You may remember him from a couple of weeks ago. He was the one who declined my offer to pray for him. He was sitting on the curb with his shopping cart under the shade of a small tree. Along with the food and water he told me he could use a blanket. I got one out of the trunk and when he complained of having a terrible itch all over his body and being unable to shower to get clean I offered him a couple of clean shirts. He warned me not to get too close to him because of this itch. I know there's no poison ivy around there, but he may have slept somewhere where someone dumped something with a chemical in it that is causing the skin irritation. When I offered to pray for him this time he relented but said, "Just a short prayer." So I prayed a short prayer with him and was able to give him a Guideposts magazine. I was so happy to see this man after not being able to pray for him the last time. Perhaps now he will be more open to me the next time I see him. I've been criticized for not "evangelizing" these people I meet on the street. All of these people have many needs and they all need a relationship with God through Jesus. However, some of their needs are physical and need immediate attention. In Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan there was no mention of him evangelizing the injured man. He was commended for simply helping the injured man when he needed it most. After those needs are tended to, there is then a foundation for getting to some of their other needs. Helping people when they need it without asking anything in return is a good way to establish an ongoing relationship. After all, they might just ask why you're doing it the next time. By the way, I found out Johnny is from Fort Worth, Texas.
Up a few streets from Broadway on 18th I found Carmen on a corner holding up a 'homeless needing help' sign. I stopped and gave her a bag of food and she said she could use the water too. It turned out she needed some the other items I had in the trunk, shoes, socks and a blanket. Carmen is still fairly young, about 30 or 35, but I could tell she had spent a lot of time now on the streets. I prayed with her and she thanked me for stopping. As I pulled away she was putting on her 'new' shoes and gave me a thumbs up on the fit. What a privilege.
About a mile or so east of Broadway I turned down a small street called Naomi. Under the I-10 freeway I found Faulstine. She had quite a collection of stuff around her, but it was kind of a mess too. When I asked if she needed any food and held up a bag she immediately got up and came over to the car. She asked if I'd pray for her too. I said, "Well let me pray for you right now." I held out my hand to her and she apologized saying her hand was dirty from recycling. I said, "That's OK, I don't mind." I held her hand and prayed with her. I told her I had something for her to read and she said she had a Bible. I said, "No, I've got something else." and I gave her a Guidepost magazine too.
A few more blocks over at Olympic and Alameda I saw two people I'm quite familiar with. One was Alphonso and the other was John Mellin. Both are quite talkative although Alphonso talks so quietly it's difficult for me to hear him (he's always next to a busy off-ramp). John talks pretty loud and I have no problems hearing him. He was very excited to see me. He said, "I've got something to tell you, I've got a girl friend!" I'm glad he's found some companionship. Life on the streets is so lonely for these people. Most of these people are very talkative when you get to know them and when they feel safe around you. A few blocks down Alameda I found Chavez. The street I saw him on was completely deserted on Sunday afternoon. Typically, it is crowded with tractor trailers waiting to get unloaded. He may have been looking for work as a 'lumper' (person who you pay to unload your trailer). We didn't talk much, but I know he was happy to get the food, especially without having to unload a trailer of freight!
All in all it was a good trip downtown. It was a good mix of people I'd seen before and people I met for the first time. I even got home in time for the end of the Laker game. There was a time when I would have stayed home to watch the whole game, after all it is the playoffs, right? But at the end of the day what's more important, to watch a game or help people? I guess I really have changed in the last year or so. Until next week. --John

Downtown 5/31/2010

I arrived downtown at about 8:00 a.m. which is the earliest time I've ever been down there on one of these trips. With the holiday and the early hour the traffic was extremely light. I stopped first in the garmet district to pick-up a supply of socks, if possible, and was surprised the store was even open on the holiday. After leaving that store I traveled down Olive St and at around 12th St I found Dorothy all huddled up against a building. Although the sun was shining and it appeared it would be a warm day she was thrilled to get, not only some food, but a nice heavy coat with a hood too. Dorothy is a young woman, maybe 25 or so and very dimunitive. When I prayed with her I prayed especially for her protection. It's heartbreaking to realize how this woman will most likely survive on the streets and the abuse she will have to face. Pray for Dorothy.
Usually, I take a drive down skid row each week just to get the impact of the homeless situation in Los Angeles. The actual skid row street is 6th, but I drove down 5th, 6th and 7th streets and saw hundreds of people. Some were sleeping on the sidewalks but most were up and awake. I saw one man (with a crowd of people standing around) going through someone elses shopping cart and taking all the recycleable bottles and cans. Most of the people in this area live off of the missions. Substance abuse and theft are rampant down here. I usually don't try to help the people in this area because I've learned they have become so dependent upon the missions that they often aren't interested in the food and water I have because they'd have to carry it. I figure they aren't that desperate if they know where their next meal is coming from. That's why I concentrate on the homeless along the I-10 freeway. They are trying to eke out their existence by recycling and staying away from all the trouble on skid row. They're nearly always appreciative of any help one might offer. So when I left the skid row area I traveled down Central Ave and found Octavius (yeah, that was his name) under the I-10 freeway. He was laying down on a piece of cardboard and covered up with a blanket. He was from Detroit. I asked how he ended up out here and his reply was somewhat humorous. "I came out here because of the gold in them hills and the easy livin'." We both had a good laugh over that one. Since I couldn't park on the curb next to him I had parked in a parking lot about 30 yards away. I kept making trips to the car to get more stuff for him (shoes, shirts, etc). At one point while talking with him we heard a pop noise that sounded kind of close. I looked around but didn't see any rocks or anything. Then we both noticed what had happened. A bird from up under the freeway had pooped on his cardboard sleeping mat. I said, "Yikes" when we realized what had happened. He told me he sometimes has to throw rocks at birds that have roosted directly above him at night-time. I'm thankful for a roof over my head and one that doesn't have birds under it too. As I walked back to my car a man called out to me from across the street. Apparently, he had been watching us. He was in need of help too. I always love it when someone else walks up while I'm helping someone and I get to help two at once. This was a man called Peter. And I wasn't going to pass-up an opportunity to help and to pray with Peter!
After leaving these two men I drove down 16th St which parallels the I-10 freeway and found Juan walking down the street carrying a bag that looked like it was all the possessions he had. On that street I only had a few moments to speak with him and offer him some food and water which he gladly accepted with much thanks. As I started to pull away he said, "You're beautiful." What a privilege to help people exactly when they need it most!
After leaving Juan I crossed over to Washington Blvd and found two people needing help. One was another young man whose name was Brandon. He was in almost the identical shape as Juan. Walking down the street with one bag that appeared to contain all his possessions. A little further down Washington and across the street was Becky. I've been able to help Becky a couple of times before. She was sitting on the steps of a house that looks like they rent out rooms. It's a fairly good size house with maybe 6 to 10 rooms in it. I was surprised they let her stop there because she has a couple of dogs that were laying down on the steps with her (and of course her shopping cart with A LOT of stuff in it). Becky proudly showed off a tiny little kitten in her hands. As I drove away I couldn't help but think how this woman would make a good loving mother to small children. She has always been happy and talkative with me and it's unfortunate that her mothering instincts aren't allowed to blossom some place where they are most needed. Pray that Becky finds that place. Until next week. John

Downtown 5/23/2010

I was fortunate again this week and made the trip downtown on a Sunday. Traveling down Olive St. near 12th I saw a man lying on the sidewalk and decided to drive around the block and come back to him on his side (Olive is a one-way street there). While driving around the block I passed an alley and saw another man sleeping so I pulled down this alley to meet him first. His name was Jaime (see picture). When you think of how much "stuff" we have in our homes and then see someone like this, sleeping on a piece of cardboard, and using a small bag of fruit as a pillow it just amazes me. Needless to say, Jaime needed the food and water and a blanket. It was actually kind of breezy and cool (61 degrees) at 5 p.m. Night time was going to be even colder. You can see from the picture he had no blanket and only an overshirt and that was it. Around the corner and back on Olive St. I met Hernando. He was pretty much in exactly the same condition, he had nothing but the clothes on his back. The only difference between the two was he had no piece of cardboard to sleep on. He was so thankful for the help. I prayed with both men but after praying with Hernando he looked up at me thankfully and pointed up to the sky and said, "Jesus prays for you." I guess that was his way of saying "God bless you." How can one not be touched by such a heartfelt response.
I kept going down Olive St and then turned down 7th. This is part of the skid row area as you go east on 7th. After passing Alameda I looked for shoeless Marie and found her. She was just walking down the street with no shoes on and a small blanket wrapped around her. It really is shocking the condition of her feet after being barefoot for probably the last fifteen years. Someday I'll try and get another picture of her. I know this woman needs someone to take care of her. Giving her a bag of food to help her get through the next few days seems so inadequate, I just don't know what else I can do for her. Since she seems to live near the skid row missions, I'm sure she frequents them and they are aware of her condition. She is difficult to help because she seems to want to be alone or at least on her own all the time. That may be because she doesn't trust anyone. Pray for Marie.
Back on the west side of Alameda on 7th I found another man with a shopping cart (we're moving up in the world) sleeping on the sidewalk. He was using a large plastic container of water as a pillow. When I walked over to him and bend down to talk to him I could see the bottle of beer laying next to him. He sort of woke up when I started talking to him. His name was Carl. There was a time when if I saw a man in his condition I would have been disgusted and just walked away. But here I am trying to bring the love of Christ to people who are outcasts of society for whatever their reasons may be. I can't refuse to help even the least of these. God loves Carl too. No matter his condition, he was made in the image of God and I am here to bring the presence of God to this man. His response was pretty much what you would expect from someone who had been drinking. Before I drove away I was amazed that he was able to even stand up (and then urinate on the sidewalk). This is life on the street in the skid row area.
After the encounter with Carl I drove up Central Ave towards the I-10 freeway. When I got near Pico I remembered Ben and Kevin from last week and decided to drive down there and see who might be there today. Well I didn't see either of them but I saw a very neat and orderly arrangement of possessions positioned for privacy and warmth (remember it was a little breezy). It turned out this is where Johnny was living. Johnny was a very polite man. While he accepted the bag of food I offered him, he declined the water and blanket I offered him saying he was OK on that. He also declined my offer to pray with him. In the last year I have prayed with
hundreds of people living on the streets of Los Angeles. I have only had two before Johnny decline my offer of prayer. One man I've seen many times and developed a good relationship with and the last time I saw him he wanted to pray for me. The other man I never saw again but I think he was afraid I was going to preach to him which is why the first guy originally declined. Johnny is now the third man to decline. I suspect there are other issues involved concerning his lifestyle that prevent him from feeling "worthy" of prayer. He said, "Maybe another time." I was disappointed. Of course, I prayed for him anyway when I got back to the car. I wondered if he understands the words of John 3:16 that begin with, "Whosoever believes in Jesus..." It doesn't have a disclaimer about the sin in our lives. It simply says, "Whosoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life." Jesus makes this claim because "God so loved the world that He gave his only Son.." There is no fee or conditions to this gift other than accepting the gift (believing in the One He sent!). I don't want to be the kind of Christian that just runs over these people, for the most part they get run over enough. But next time I'm praying for Johnny anyway, loud enough for him to hear.
Before leaving I wanted to see if I could find (downtown) Richard Brown. He is now situated under the freeway at Hooper St right about where I first saw him a year ago. He was setting up his "house" for the night. He commented that he can't get too cozy or the police will roust him around 4 or 5 in the morning. We had quite a conversation about his difficulties living on the street the last month or so. While talking with Richard, Raul from last week appeared too. They are both living under the freeway there (just like they were a year ago). Raul was very thirsty and needed the water I had. Richard wasn't thirsty at all, because he had been drinking (and was quite talkative because of it). I was glad to see them both. --Until next week. John

Downtown 5/16/2010

It has been quite a while since I was able to go downtown on a Sunday, but I finally got the chance yesterday. What a difference it makes. The pace is so much more conducive to talking (and praying) with people than on a weekday. I mentioned last week that my friend Richard Brown has moved and I've been unable to locate him. I looked yesterday but still haven't found him. While looking for him around the I-10 and Hooper I did see Raul, who I hadn't seen in probably six months or more. He was under the freeway there on Hooper but hadn't seen Richard in a while either. Raul is a very small frail man and it's difficult to know how old he is. He was living under that freeway just a few yards away from Richard the first time I went downtown last year. We talked about him making it through the winter. Apparently, he spent some time at the missions on skid row, but doesn't like to make a habit of staying down there. This seems to be consistent with a lot of the folks I meet on this end of the town. Put simply, anytime there is a large congregation of homeless people (even the general public at large) there are inherent problems.
While driving around that area I came to 16th St and Central. As I passed Central Ave. I saw a man with a shopping cart on one of the corner lots. I pulled around and came back to where he was and called out to him as he was about to try to cross the street (not at the intersection). His name was Mario and he was having great difficulty pushing his cart around. I got out of the car and went over to talk with him bringing a bag of food with me. He had, maybe, a half a dozen or so empty plastic bottles in his cart. With his limited ability to walk I can only imagine how long it must take him to find enough stuff to recycle. He literally was taking six inch steps pushing the cart. I gave him some water and shirts and socks and prayed with him. He thanked me for helping him and started to go his way (trying again to cross the street). While he was making his way, another man by the name of George came by asking where the closest recycling place was. Where we were was a recycling place but it is closed on Sundays. The nearest ones that I knew of were several blocks away in either directon. He was quite disappointed to hear how far away they were but perked up when I offered him some food and water. As he left I turned my attention back to Mario who was still trying to cross the middle of the street with his six inch steps!!! Some cars were stopping but in the lane furthest away vehicles, including a transit bus, were continuing to drive by. Finally, I heard a siren coming from down 16th St. It turned out to be a paramedic unit. They turned onto Central and came around blocking the traffic with their vehicle so Mario could continue crossing the street. One of the paramedics got out and helped him across. After getting him and their vehicle across the street I saw them pull into the corner lot there (directly across from where I was). Apparently, someone must have called 911 because there was a man lying down there near the front corner of that lot (it was an old abandoned gas station). Yeah, never a dull moment downtown. Maybe fifteen minutes later I was again driving down Central Ave at this location and Mario had stopped and was sitting on a milk crate eating some of the bread I had given him. I can only imagine what challenges each day must bring for him. For now, he has enough food to get by for a couple of days.
Just down 16th St at San Pedro there were a few people living under the freeway. There was one couple who I had seen there the week before and then another man by himself and a woman by herself not too far way. I was able to pull up fairly close to the single man and woman and walked back to them with a bag of food. The woman's name was Laticia and the man's name was George (not the same George from down the street). I gave the bag of food to Laticia and asked if George wanted one too. He said he did and they both needed water also. So I went back to the car and got some for them. This is the same location where I last saw Mary a couple of months ago. I told them it is supposed to rain on Tuesday and to be ready to move around the corner under the freeway to stay dry. I prayed with both of them and as I turned to leave I asked Laticia if she could use a sweater. When she said yes I told her to come over to the car and take a look and see if there was one she could use. Both of them were quite appreciative of the food and water but when she saw the trunk of clothes and I showed her a couple of the sweaters she was absolutely thrilled! I gave her a couple of sweaters (she commented about how warm they looked) and a blanket and a pair of shoes and socks. She thanked me again quite profusely. I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder and I said that's what I'm here for is to help. She took my hand and kissed it several times thanking me again. Looking to comfort her I put my arm around her and gave her a hug (she then kissed my neck). Needless to say, I haven't encountered that reaction before. It was quite humbling to me. I told them both that "I come down here cada semana (each week) and I will look for them again." When you encounter people with needs so great, it's hard to just get in your car and drive away even though you've given all you had to give.
Well, at this point I had one bag of food left and three gallon jugs of water left. I ended up finding Ben sleeping on the corner of Paloma and Pico. It is a very small street, in fact, this is where Pico Blvd ends at Central Ave one block east of Paloma. Ben needed the food and water and prayer. He's probably around thirty years old. While talking with Ben, Kevin walked up and asked if I had anymore food. While I didn't have another bag of food, I did have a couple of cans of soup left and gave them to him. I also ended up giving both of them shirts and blankets. I also had a pair of shoes that seemed to fit Ben. Kevin was a fairly large man and none of the shoes I had fit him. I must have given out 3 or 4 pairs of shoes on this trip. I am so grateful to all of you who have given clothes that I can give out to these needy folks. On their behalf I thank you so much. It was a great trip, what a difference it makes going on a Sunday. --Until next week. John

Downtown 5/10/2010

I arrived downtown at around 11:00 a.m. It is interesting to me that some homeless folks you can find in the same place for several weeks in a row and others you don't. I have driven down Olive St. for several weeks now in hopes of seeing any of the four men in front of the abandoned auto body repair shop from several weeks back, but to no avail. However, I did see Gerald from last week sleeping on the sidewalk again, just a couple of blocks down from there. Gerald is very young, I'm guessing under thirty years old. I asked if he had any family that could help him out and I could tell from the hesitation in his answer that family relations were strained. At this point, his family is probably still his best option to getting off the streets.
A little while later, I found Willie in an alley off Hooper street where he usually lives. I hadn't seen Willie in a couple of months so we talked awhile and got caught up on things. Apparently, he had most of his stuff stolen a few weeks ago. I was able to give him another jacket, a blanket, shoes and socks along with some food and water. Willie told me he was hoping I'd come by. I wrote last week about the man who several months ago answered, when I asked if he needed help with, "I'm hungry and thirsty." Well, it was this man, Willie. Since he lives in an alley, I nearly always get to spend time just talking with him. He is always nice and polite with me and is someone you wouldn't mind having as a neighbor. I gave him a couple of "Guidepost" magazines which he really appreciated. He also told me that my friend, [Downtown] Richard Brown, who lives a couple of streets away had all of his stuff stolen too. I noticed last week that Richard's stuff was not there where it normally is and I wondered what had happened. I'll be watching to see where he ends up.
In between where Richard normally is and Willie's alley I found another man named Willie living under the freeway at 14th and Hoooper. This Willie is a new arrival to this area. I was able to help him with some food and water but couldn't stop there for very long and had to keep moving. He had seen Richard Brown recycling the day before but didn't know where he was staying now.
After leaving this area, I turned on Central Ave and headed up town. Along the way I saw Matthew walking down the street. You may remember him from a few weeks back. He was the homeless man with the toothache. I asked him how his tooth was doing and if the Hall's cough drops had given him any relief from the pain. He told me his tooth had been hurting some lately and that the cough drops did help. I just happened to have a half a bag of them with me so I gave them to him along with some food.
From there I headed towards Lincoln Park. Along the way, I found Abel Martinez pushing a shopping cart at Mission Blvd and Cesar Chavez Blvd and was able to help him with some food. When I got to the Lincoln Park area I saw probably a half dozen shopping carts semi hidden in bushes. You can see as these people are out "working" (recycling) they leave their stuff behind. That's when it gets stolen. It's a lot harder to take all your stuff with you as you go recycling so they try and find a safe place to leave it. This leads to endlessly having to start all over when they return and find their belongings pilfered. This gets to be very demoralizing for them and there's little they can do about it short of taking it all with them wherever they go. I walked through the park and found Marcos lying on a piece of cardboard. He needed the bag of food I gave him and was very glad to get it. As always, it was a privilege to serve these men. As much as they need the physical items I give them, they need a friend just as much. --Until next week. John

After one year of going downtown-5/3/2010

It was an overcast Monday, a year ago in May, that I started making these trips downtown. Few people know what inspired me to start making these trips so I thought it was time to share with you my personal story of how it all began. A year ago, late one Sunday night in March I was watching a documentary film a man by the name of Darren Wilson made on a $20,000 budget. It was obviously a low budget film, but the subject was fascinating. Mr. Wilson and his film crew started in their home state of Illinois and ended up going around the world filming God working. You know, like supernatural stuff. There were interviews and bits and pieces of film of underground churches in countries where Chrisianity is forbidden as well as footage of the gospel being preached to villages for the first time in Africa with miracles right there on camera to validate the message. It was all so "first century" book of Acts type stuff. In the film there was a part about a church up in Redding, California and the prayer and healing ministry they have. It was a real eye opener and the next day I went online and ordered the DVD. I must have had some extra money at the time because I ended up ordering the deluxe version that included the movie and 4 DVD's of stuff that didn't make it into the final movie cut. Boy was I glad I did. On the fifth DVD there was an interview with a man by the name of Rolland Baker. He is the grandson of a missionary to China. He told the story of how his grandfather had gone to China as a missionary for a few years and came back to America totally disillusioned. Within two years he felt led by the Holy Spirit to go back to China. He ended up in Southwestern China with an orphanage of about 15-20 very young kids. He found these kids after they were dumped and left to die by mine owners. Most of the ones they found died within a few days, they had been literally worked to death by the mine owners. After a while, these kids over a two month period, started experiencing visions (all of the kids!) by the Holy Spirit and were now asking questions about stories in that "Black Book" (the Bible) that Rolland's grandfather had. They didn't know anything about the Bible so when they started asking specific questions about biblical stories that they had no knowledge of it was pretty amazing. So the grandfather, H.A. Baker, ended up writing a book about these kids and the experiences they had. The book is titled "Visions Beyond the Veil". I remember the interview was 33 minutes long and in the middle I stopped the DVD and ordered the book online. Towards the end of the DVD Rolland told about how he and his wife Heidi are experiencing much of the same thing at their orphanage in Mozambique, Africa. They now have an orphanage of over 8,000 kids. So at the end of the DVD Rolland made this statement that really got hold of me. He said if you want see God working, find the most unlikely group of people you can think of and go there! I've been in the trucking industry for over thirty years now. As soon as he said that I knew who the most unlikely group of people were for me. In the early eighties I used to deliver freight in the downtown area and I saw street people every day. Those people immediately came to mind. I knew I now had to go to these people. I really wasn't sure what to do but I had to go. The night before the first trip I felt led to buy loaves of bread to take with me. So the next morning I bought eight loaves and took off downtown totally clueless as to what I was going to do. I hadn't even been downtown in probably 10 years or so. Anyway, that's how it started. I didn't even tell my wife until I had made two or three trips, I didn't know what she would think about this totally out of the box adventure. I think I shared a month or so ago about a guy the first day who said the prayer I prayed with him, "was better than the bread". You can imagine how important it was for me to hear someone say that the first day!
Since that day I've experienced many wonderful blessings as a result of working with these folks. I've learned things about the character of God that as Bill Johnson, the pastor at that church in Redding, California says, "truth that is experienced is not forgotton." I've experienced a deeper understanding of God's love through forgiveness and mercy. I've learned that God's forgiveness is a total gift. There is nothing we can do to earn it. I've come to know that real thankfulness is for a Person, God, and not just for temporary good fortune. I've seen the suffering of these people up close too. One man who when I asked if I could help him simply said in a quiet voice, "I'm hungry and thirsty." You cannot help but be changed when you sit with someone in their cardboard box "home" and just talk with them for awhile and pray with them. Yes, many of these folks have character flaws that manifest in obvious ways, but my calling is just to try to bring the presence of God into their lives if only for a brief moment and not to judge them or tell them what to do. If I can ease their pain and be a friend when they are in desperate need, then that's something I can do.
When I started this I was perfectly content to make my little trips downtown and tell some of my friends about experiences I was having among the homeless. I was then encouraged to write these things down and share them with a wider circle of friends. I had no idea that it would trigger the response that it has. I could not have helped these folks nearly as much, especially this winter, without the outpouring of help and support from these friends. I received blankets, clothing, shoes, jackets and financial support from so many people that was completely unexpected. I just couldn't have done it without the help of others. You can't imagine the relief on the faces of people when you give them a blanket or a jacket during the winter when they have none. It's a total privilege.
About a year and a half ago, well before I starting making these trips, I was reading a book by Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary to China in the 1800's. In his biography it told of his time of medical training in London before he left for China. He decided to go and live in the down and out section of London and preach the gospel to those people. He felt it would be good training for when he got to China. I thought about that and felt I should do something similar. So I prayed about it and inquired of a couple of friends (one a pastor friend) about opportunities to preach the gospel in non-church settings. Unfortunately, no opportunities developed at that time. Then about six months ago I was reading a book by Richard Stearns, CEO of World Vision. In his book, "The Hole in the Gospel", he quotes St. Francis of Assisi as saying, "We must preach the gospel at every opportunity and when necessary use words." It suddenly dawned on me that, by his definition of the gospel, I had been doing just that. God had answered my prayer and I didn't even realize it until then. In that moment I felt like Jacob in the Old Testament who said, "Surely, God was in this place and I did not know it." (Gen. 28:16)
What will become of all this? I do not know. How long will I do it? I hope as long as I'm able. All I know is that today, downtown, I was able to help, Gerald and Jessie on Olive St near 9th, Hector at Temple near La Fayette Place, Alphonso by the Jack in the Box on Alameda and 14th St and two others, Oscar and Allen, on a side street near there. As always it was a privilege.
I couldn't end without a dose of reality. Anytime one endeavors to do anything on behalf of our Lord the enemy will come. His favorite targets are your health and your family. The wonderful experiences of the last year plus have not come without cost. Yet, may God be praised through it all. I ran across this quote from Charles Dickens the other day that sums up very well my prayer despite the difficult times. He said, "Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts." --Until next week. John