Each Sunday since meeting Alisavel and Javier I have tried to meet with them again. The Sunday I met them it was about 10:30 in the morning and the last two Sundays it has been after 12 noon and they haven't been around. Even the two Cuban men living in the area next to them weren't around either, but all their stuff is still there, so I'm sure they haven't moved on, at least not yet. I was finally able to personally talk to Pastor Rodriguez at the Cloud Nine Church later in the afternoon and told him of their situation. He told me he would try and have one of the parishoners go by and see what they could do. I was grateful for his offer to help. I'll keep you updated as to any progress.
After leaving their place I traveled into town and ended up finding a man on a small street right near Alameda and 4th. He had a shopping cart and was picking up plastic bottles. When I pulled up to where he was and asked if he could use a bag of food I noticed he limped quite noticeably as he came towards the car. When I asked if he could use some water too, he said yes and added, "Water is #1". It was getting pretty warm by this time, probably at around 85 degrees. I asked if he could use some socks and he again said yes, so I pulled over and parked at the curb. He told me his name was Charles Medford and he was from Dallas, Texas. I'm guessing Charles to be around 65 years old. As we stood by the back of the car looking through it to see if there were other things he could use I asked how he was doing. His first response was, "I'm blessed." I noticed a walking cane sticking out of the shopping cart and he essentially used the cart as a walker. He told me as long as the Lord gives him breath, he feels blessed. He told me he has been out here in California for 22 years and so I asked him how that came about. The story that came out was difficult for him to express. He told me he had been married for fifteen years until his wife was unfaithful with a close relative of his. He said, "Some people give their all in a marriage and that's the way I am. And some people never get over it, and that's the way I am too." It was a very poignant moment, a relative stranger sharing a very personal tragedy that has affected him the rest of his life. I reminded Charles that he is still special to God, no matter where he is or what has happened to him. He had a daughter who was in her thirties by now, but talking about her seemed too difficult for him. We prayed together and talked for quite awhile before he said he needed to find a safe place to rest. He told me that when he takes naps during the day that often times his shopping cart is gone when he wakes up and he has to start all over. Please pray for Charles.
A couple of streets over I found Bill who was on a recycling hunt too. It looked like he had found the mother load of plastic bottles in one of the dumpters on that street. I had first met Bill a couple of months ago off Santa Fe. He recognized me first and then I remembered when we first met he was resting from going through a couple of dumpsters at one of the businesses nearby. Since I was fairly close to skid row I decided to go on down there. I looked for Jerry at 7th and Los Angeles but he wasn't there Sunday. I took a couple of photos of the corner where he usually is found. Perhaps he was going to wait until it cooled off before he started 'collecting'. The walk through skid row was relatively uneventful. There was one incident on San Pedro St. that was a little amusing. As I was walking up the street there was a woman who started screaming. She ended up stopping in front of a glass door to a business that was just like a mirror. She stood there screaming obsenities while looking at her reflection in the door/mirror. I pretty much ignored her and walked on by (albeit at the curbside of the sidewalk) but after I got a few yards passed her I glanced over my shoulder to make sure she wasn't about to attack me from behind (she had stopped screaming at this point). Anyway, she wasn't following me, but another woman who was lying on the sidewalk watching looked up at me and said, "That's the 'Exorcist 2'. You remember the Exorcist don't you?" I nodded, "Yes, I remember".
I left skid row and drove over to the alley where I usually can find Tara Lee, but there wasn't anyone living in that alley Sunday. Arturo, wasn't by his spot by the freeway either. However, another man by the name of Ruben was under the I-10 freeway by San Pedro. After helping and praying with Ruben I asked if he had seen Mary at all recently. He told me she is still in the area and has been moving around quite a bit (as they all do).
It was now time to head over to Cloud Nine Alley. As I mentioned earlier I was able to meet with Pastor Rodriguez, but before I did I walked down the alley and talked with Ray. Ray is quite talkative and ended up walking around the block with me. At one of the businesses on the block we went inside and he introduced me to the owner. This building has three floors, I'm not sure what's on the ground floor, but the second floor is a sewing shop and the top floor is a big room where banquets and receptions are held. You'd never guess from the outside, what goes on inside. Later, as Ray and I walked on down the street and came to the church, I was able to introduce him to Pastor Rodriguez. I guess this is what is called networking....I was happy to start getting connected with some of the other people in the block.
Before leaving downtown I stopped by the Jack in the Box. John Stokes was working the door again. I noticed he was wearing the clothes I had given him the previous week. We talked for awhile and he asked me to pray for him. He was trying to earn enough money to get another tent to live in. I told him it was Palm Sunday and at church that morning I heard a message that might be of interest to him. I gave him the 3 minute "Cliff Notes Version" of the message. Now I have read the account in the Gospel of Luke of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem many times. The uniqueness of this message that morning was the telling of the blind man receiving his sight and the tax collector, Zacheus, obtaining salvation (Luke 18:35-19:9) and laying the stories side by side (this is right before Jesus' entry into Jerusalem). In that day a blind man would be not only unable to work, but also was a burden to his family and in all likelihood a beggar (and therefore poor and powerless). The tax collector, was rich and powerful, but disconnected from society because everyone hated him for being a tax collector (and in league with the Romans). So you had the powerful and the powerless having an encounter with Jesus. I added to the message that although you would think that Jesus would be happy that day, the account tells of Jesus 'weeping' over Jerusalem during this triuphant entry. The reason given was that in a few short days they would reject their king and crucify him. I put the two thoughts together for John and told him, Jesus came for the poor and the rich, and not to reject him as your king. It was pretty cool to have heard a message in the morning and then put it to good use before the day ended. I'll have to try and do that again. One last thing, I drove by where I had seen Doug the week before, but there was no trace of him being there. I only hope he is being cared for wherever he is. Until next week. --John
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Downtown 4/10/2011--I was specifically named.
I was eager to get downtown Sunday and see what could be done for Alisavel and Javier. This is the couple I met last week who were living in a tent. When I arrived I saw the tent and called out to them but no one came out of the tent. I went back there twice more but no one was there. I have included some pictures of what they are living in. There are some old tires behind a chain link fence and
some tarps in front of the fence. Under the tarps is where the two Cuban men are living. The small tent in front of the tarps is where Javier and his wife live. I checked with the church at Cloud Nine Alley Sunday afternoon, but because Pastor Rodriguez was not there, not much information could be gained as to what they can do. Keep praying for this couple's situation. I feel that there will be more in the future about this situation, or the situation itself
may generate a response or plan of action for future situations that are similar. I have faith in the promise of Romans 8:28.
After leaving Javier's tent the first time I headed over towards Olive St. In that area on Venice Blvd I was able to help Hernando and another man by the name of Kerry. Kerry was digging through a dumpster and when I offered him a bag of food and especially the jug of water he was very happy. He said, "I'm diabetic and I drink water all day so this is perfect." Usually, the quality of water the homeless are able to obtain is very poor. The sun was out all day and it would get pretty warm if you stayed in the sun too long.
I drove around the skid row area but didn't stop at this point. I was looking for Jerry but didn't see him yet. I thought it might be a little early for him to be out so I decided to stop at the Jack in the Box on Alameda for a little bit. When I pulled into the driveway there, I saw John Stokes. As I rolled the window down to say hello he told me, "What a blessing it is to see you today." When I saw him the last time he had told me how he had lost all of his stuff as a result of a police sweep. He still didn't have much so I parked and we were able to get him restocked on a few of the clothing essentials as well as some food and water. I even got him his favorite burger there at the 'Box'. I had parked by this time and parked next to me was an old van that had seen better days. When John and I were going through the trunk I noticed the guy driving it had backed out and was really struggling with the steering wheel. I had just finished up with John and had prayed with him (at his request!) when the guy driving asked if I had any power steering or brake fluid. I told him I didn't have anything like that in the trunk only clothes. He said, "You have clothes? We could use some clothes." There were two men in the van, Adrian (the guy driving) and Rodney, I think they were living out of this van. So these guys got clothes and food too. Jeans were a big item Sunday. I must have given out 5 pairs of jeans during this trip. While helping these guys, another guy walked up by the name of Anthony. John had directed him over to me. Anthony was from Texas. So in the one stop I ended up helping four men and I hadn't even made it inside yet! What timing to have showed up a just the right moment to help all these men.
After leaving the Jack in the Box I headed back towards skid row. This time did I see Jerry (the man with one eye who I met a couple of weeks ago). He was sitting at the same spot on the corner of Los Angeles St and 7th. It took about fifteen minutes or so to find a place to park near there and then another ten to walk back to where he was. By the time I got there he was gone. I was pretty disappointed to have missed the opportunity to talk to him. My guess is he had 'collected' enough for whatever his needs were and had gone off to wherever it is that he stays. So I ended up prayer-walking around the skid row area and actually ended up talking and praying with another man named Jerry. He was out collecting cans and bottles to recycle. It's kind of rare to see someone recycling in the skid row area, but there he was with a couple of plastic bags--and no shopping cart.
I tried one more time to find Javier and Alisavel, but still came up empty. I drove down Alameda all the way to Washington Blvd and turned west. On one of the first streets I passed I saw someone on the sidewalk who I thought might be homeless, so I drove around the block to try and find them. Along the way I saw Don. This turned out to be the 'encounter' of the day. The last time I saw Don was on December 12. That was the week I took the barbecue with me. I had seen Don five days before then and told him I would be back the following Sunday to barbecue for some friends down a certain alley off Hooper which was right near were he was at the time. He ended up waiting the five days at the end of the alley for me to show up. He told me Sunday, after suffering through a very cold night on Saturday that he had been praying to God that I would show up! He was so happy to see me and practically begged me to stop and talk with him. Don suffers from diabetes and looked absolutely terrible. He was in a lot of pain while we talked. He had on a shirt and some shorts and one sock. He complained of frostbite during the previous night and had started a little fire with some wood scraps and had placed his other sock with some water in a can and put the can over the fire. His plan was to 'dry out' his socks in anticipation of another cold night. Well, I gave him some new socks, jeans and a blanket. He never sat up while I was there, so I spread the blanket out over him. Don was very, very depressed. I'd say the last four or five times we've talked he has expressed a desire to die. He feels he is 'right' with God and is living in so much pain that he doesn't want to 'live like a disgrace' anymore. He has spent a lot of time recently in and out of hospitals and although the hospital staffs mostly treat him well, he feels that in being homeless the
hospital management is more interested in warehousing him to generate income from the state than they are in helping him. I listened to Don because I know how much it means to these folks to have anyone really listen to them. I also told him that he is special to God. As an example of how much God cares, I told him I have a son and a daughter and no matter
where they are and no matter what has happened to them I still love them and they are always going to be special to me. Don is no different in God's eyes. No matter where he is or what has happened, God always will love him. Eventually, Don's mood improved. He ended up praising God for answering his prayer to send me to him. I have often said it is a privilege to serve the homeless in the name of Christ. It was even more so Sunday, to have been specially requested by name. --Until next week. John
some tarps in front of the fence. Under the tarps is where the two Cuban men are living. The small tent in front of the tarps is where Javier and his wife live. I checked with the church at Cloud Nine Alley Sunday afternoon, but because Pastor Rodriguez was not there, not much information could be gained as to what they can do. Keep praying for this couple's situation. I feel that there will be more in the future about this situation, or the situation itself
may generate a response or plan of action for future situations that are similar. I have faith in the promise of Romans 8:28.
After leaving Javier's tent the first time I headed over towards Olive St. In that area on Venice Blvd I was able to help Hernando and another man by the name of Kerry. Kerry was digging through a dumpster and when I offered him a bag of food and especially the jug of water he was very happy. He said, "I'm diabetic and I drink water all day so this is perfect." Usually, the quality of water the homeless are able to obtain is very poor. The sun was out all day and it would get pretty warm if you stayed in the sun too long.
I drove around the skid row area but didn't stop at this point. I was looking for Jerry but didn't see him yet. I thought it might be a little early for him to be out so I decided to stop at the Jack in the Box on Alameda for a little bit. When I pulled into the driveway there, I saw John Stokes. As I rolled the window down to say hello he told me, "What a blessing it is to see you today." When I saw him the last time he had told me how he had lost all of his stuff as a result of a police sweep. He still didn't have much so I parked and we were able to get him restocked on a few of the clothing essentials as well as some food and water. I even got him his favorite burger there at the 'Box'. I had parked by this time and parked next to me was an old van that had seen better days. When John and I were going through the trunk I noticed the guy driving it had backed out and was really struggling with the steering wheel. I had just finished up with John and had prayed with him (at his request!) when the guy driving asked if I had any power steering or brake fluid. I told him I didn't have anything like that in the trunk only clothes. He said, "You have clothes? We could use some clothes." There were two men in the van, Adrian (the guy driving) and Rodney, I think they were living out of this van. So these guys got clothes and food too. Jeans were a big item Sunday. I must have given out 5 pairs of jeans during this trip. While helping these guys, another guy walked up by the name of Anthony. John had directed him over to me. Anthony was from Texas. So in the one stop I ended up helping four men and I hadn't even made it inside yet! What timing to have showed up a just the right moment to help all these men.
After leaving the Jack in the Box I headed back towards skid row. This time did I see Jerry (the man with one eye who I met a couple of weeks ago). He was sitting at the same spot on the corner of Los Angeles St and 7th. It took about fifteen minutes or so to find a place to park near there and then another ten to walk back to where he was. By the time I got there he was gone. I was pretty disappointed to have missed the opportunity to talk to him. My guess is he had 'collected' enough for whatever his needs were and had gone off to wherever it is that he stays. So I ended up prayer-walking around the skid row area and actually ended up talking and praying with another man named Jerry. He was out collecting cans and bottles to recycle. It's kind of rare to see someone recycling in the skid row area, but there he was with a couple of plastic bags--and no shopping cart.
I tried one more time to find Javier and Alisavel, but still came up empty. I drove down Alameda all the way to Washington Blvd and turned west. On one of the first streets I passed I saw someone on the sidewalk who I thought might be homeless, so I drove around the block to try and find them. Along the way I saw Don. This turned out to be the 'encounter' of the day. The last time I saw Don was on December 12. That was the week I took the barbecue with me. I had seen Don five days before then and told him I would be back the following Sunday to barbecue for some friends down a certain alley off Hooper which was right near were he was at the time. He ended up waiting the five days at the end of the alley for me to show up. He told me Sunday, after suffering through a very cold night on Saturday that he had been praying to God that I would show up! He was so happy to see me and practically begged me to stop and talk with him. Don suffers from diabetes and looked absolutely terrible. He was in a lot of pain while we talked. He had on a shirt and some shorts and one sock. He complained of frostbite during the previous night and had started a little fire with some wood scraps and had placed his other sock with some water in a can and put the can over the fire. His plan was to 'dry out' his socks in anticipation of another cold night. Well, I gave him some new socks, jeans and a blanket. He never sat up while I was there, so I spread the blanket out over him. Don was very, very depressed. I'd say the last four or five times we've talked he has expressed a desire to die. He feels he is 'right' with God and is living in so much pain that he doesn't want to 'live like a disgrace' anymore. He has spent a lot of time recently in and out of hospitals and although the hospital staffs mostly treat him well, he feels that in being homeless the
hospital management is more interested in warehousing him to generate income from the state than they are in helping him. I listened to Don because I know how much it means to these folks to have anyone really listen to them. I also told him that he is special to God. As an example of how much God cares, I told him I have a son and a daughter and no matter
where they are and no matter what has happened to them I still love them and they are always going to be special to me. Don is no different in God's eyes. No matter where he is or what has happened, God always will love him. Eventually, Don's mood improved. He ended up praising God for answering his prayer to send me to him. I have often said it is a privilege to serve the homeless in the name of Christ. It was even more so Sunday, to have been specially requested by name. --Until next week. John
Monday, April 4, 2011
Downtown 4/3/2011
Sunday's trip was unusual and I'm not sure where to begin describing it. I arrived at about 11:15 in the morning and felt I should start down at skid row instead of finishing there like I normally do. When I got off the freeway I had a few last minute things to take care of before all the bags of food were ready to give out. I had gotten off at the Central Ave exit and the I-10 which actually is 16th St. On the way to skid row I found a couple of men on 16th that I've helped before, one of them was Arturo. Both men were sleeping and so I didn't really talk to them much. I wanted to get to skid row in hopes of seeing Jerry from last week. Unfortunately, I didn't find him, but I parked and walked around quite a bit down there. As I was getting out of the car a man approached me asking for some water and a couple of bucks. I told him I had some water if he was interested in a gallon jug. His name was Keith and he was from Ohio. I told him I really didn't have any money to give out, but I did have some bags of food and asked if he wanted one. He had already gotten the water and started drinking from it when I asked if he wanted a big bag or a small bag of food. He took a small bag. While getting the stuff out of the car he said, "You're a man of God aren't you?" I'm not really sure how one is supposed to answer a question like that. I did end up praying with him, so I guess that answered the question for him. I really hadn't walked around skid row on a Sunday morning before so it was an enlightening experience. I started east on 6th from the police station and turned up San Julian St towards 5th. There are always a lot of people hanging around San Julian here because this street is the entrance to the Union Rescue Mission. Just before getting to 5th St. a brand new
black SUV had stopped and a couple were giving out bottles of water and food out of the back. It was only the second time I've seen anyone doing that in the nearly two years I've been going downtown. I walked on to 5th and turned east and walked to the next street which is San Pedro. Behind a fence I saw a van parked that had seen better days, but it was a missions van with some phone numbers on it. One of the
numbers caught my eye because it was an 800 number with the slogan 'DO AGAPE' I thought that was a great slogan, 'just do it'...'do agape'. I took a picture of the van through the chain link fence and decided to go around to the front of the building to see what was in front. It turned out there was a church service going on in a little store-front building. I took a picture of that too. I continued
walking up San Pedro and back to 6th St. On the corner of 6th and San Pedro I heard the sounds of gospel music coming out of a corner building. There was no sign out front or anything advertising a church of any kind, although there was a banner a few yards down the street for a 'Set Free Skid Row Church', perhaps this was their church service. I stood there for a few minutes with my back up against the building just listening to the music and looking around. Directly across from this building is the Mid-Night Mission building. A gentle breeze had kind of kicked up a little and brought the smell of urine which permeates this whole area. So here I was, with the sound of gospel music in the background and the sights and smells of skid row all hitting me at once and thought, this is exactly the place where the
gospel needs to be, in the most spiritually dark places around. This was skid row on a Sunday morning. Praise the Lord, he has brought His workers where they are needed the most. I took a few more pictures on the way back to the car, one was of the banner I mentioned.
I headed over to Lincoln Park but didn't see anyone so I headed back towards town on North Main St. On my way back I happened to notice a woman in a wheel chair off the sidewalk about 20 yards back in a driveway area. I had passed by her but decided to turn around and go back and check things out. It turned out to be 'the encounter' of the day. I pulled the car right up next to where she was and asked if she was OK. I quickly learned that she didn't speak any English. Well, she could say 'thank you' and 'yes' but not much else. I had gotten out to give her a bag of food and some water when her husband came up. His name was Javier and he did speak some English. As best as I could understand her name is Alisavel and I'm guessing they are in their late forties. They were from Mexico (no surprise there). Javier told me where exactly they were from but I didn't recognize any of the towns he mentioned until he said Loredo, Texas. That's a place I know of. They have been here many years and for the last five years had a place to stay, but in March they ran out of money and have been homeless ever since. It was heartbreaking. I gave them everything I had to give; food, water, clothes, shoes, and a blanket. It just wasn't enough, I was embarrassed that I couldn't do more. They were living in a very small tent next to a couple of Cuban men I have helped before a while back. I prayed with them and promised I would check in with them next week. They were both very appreciative of the help and seemed happy when I left them, yet I was devastated by their situation and hated to leave them. I started asked God what I could do to help them. The answer came quickly enough...the Church on Cloud Nine Alley!!!
The rest of the day was spent working my way over to that church. I still had a few bags of food left and found a few other men in need of help. I drove down the alley where Tara Lee lives but didn't see any of those folks around.
I finally got to the church at Cloud Nine Alley and parked. It was around 1:30 p.m. and their morning church service was over. There were some people there, but Pastor Rodriguez wasn't going to be back until 6 p.m. No one there was able to advise me on what they could do at this point, but I did call the church phone number on Monday and talked with a man named Robert who said they do have an evangelistic team that might be able to do something for them. We have agreed to try to hook-up next Sunday afternoon to see if anything can be done for this couple. It is essential that I get some people who speak the language involved in this. While prayer-walking in the alley there I ended up seeing Gary. He was the man living in the parking lot next to the church a few months back. It was great to see him. He was riding a bicycle through there and we got caught up on events of the last few months. Gary has been staying with various people and has gotten some temporary work here and there. He looked good and I was able to share with him some of the things happening with this downtown ministry. We prayed together...what a blessing it was.
On my way out of town I drove by where one of my friends lives and he just happened to be there. His name is Will. Billy and James used to stay with him. They have since gotten VA housing in Pasadena, but Will is still staying there in an alley off Pico and Central. Right near where Will was I found two men sleeping on opposite sides of the sidewalk. Their names were Ben and Terry. I gave out the last of the food and some clothes for both of them. Ben got some shoes too, but Terry wore size 16 and I just don't have that size! I think the biggest shoe size I've been asked for is 19! I'm not even sure I've seen shoes that size in Payless or Target. Anyway, both men were pretty happy to receive what I had and we were able to have a 'group prayer' before I left for home.
P.S. The success of any missions work is dependent upon the grace of God and our prayers and petitions to Him. Please be in prayer for Javier and Alisavel during this next week. Let's see what God will do for them. Until next week. --John
black SUV had stopped and a couple were giving out bottles of water and food out of the back. It was only the second time I've seen anyone doing that in the nearly two years I've been going downtown. I walked on to 5th and turned east and walked to the next street which is San Pedro. Behind a fence I saw a van parked that had seen better days, but it was a missions van with some phone numbers on it. One of the
numbers caught my eye because it was an 800 number with the slogan 'DO AGAPE' I thought that was a great slogan, 'just do it'...'do agape'. I took a picture of the van through the chain link fence and decided to go around to the front of the building to see what was in front. It turned out there was a church service going on in a little store-front building. I took a picture of that too. I continued
walking up San Pedro and back to 6th St. On the corner of 6th and San Pedro I heard the sounds of gospel music coming out of a corner building. There was no sign out front or anything advertising a church of any kind, although there was a banner a few yards down the street for a 'Set Free Skid Row Church', perhaps this was their church service. I stood there for a few minutes with my back up against the building just listening to the music and looking around. Directly across from this building is the Mid-Night Mission building. A gentle breeze had kind of kicked up a little and brought the smell of urine which permeates this whole area. So here I was, with the sound of gospel music in the background and the sights and smells of skid row all hitting me at once and thought, this is exactly the place where the
gospel needs to be, in the most spiritually dark places around. This was skid row on a Sunday morning. Praise the Lord, he has brought His workers where they are needed the most. I took a few more pictures on the way back to the car, one was of the banner I mentioned.
I headed over to Lincoln Park but didn't see anyone so I headed back towards town on North Main St. On my way back I happened to notice a woman in a wheel chair off the sidewalk about 20 yards back in a driveway area. I had passed by her but decided to turn around and go back and check things out. It turned out to be 'the encounter' of the day. I pulled the car right up next to where she was and asked if she was OK. I quickly learned that she didn't speak any English. Well, she could say 'thank you' and 'yes' but not much else. I had gotten out to give her a bag of food and some water when her husband came up. His name was Javier and he did speak some English. As best as I could understand her name is Alisavel and I'm guessing they are in their late forties. They were from Mexico (no surprise there). Javier told me where exactly they were from but I didn't recognize any of the towns he mentioned until he said Loredo, Texas. That's a place I know of. They have been here many years and for the last five years had a place to stay, but in March they ran out of money and have been homeless ever since. It was heartbreaking. I gave them everything I had to give; food, water, clothes, shoes, and a blanket. It just wasn't enough, I was embarrassed that I couldn't do more. They were living in a very small tent next to a couple of Cuban men I have helped before a while back. I prayed with them and promised I would check in with them next week. They were both very appreciative of the help and seemed happy when I left them, yet I was devastated by their situation and hated to leave them. I started asked God what I could do to help them. The answer came quickly enough...the Church on Cloud Nine Alley!!!
The rest of the day was spent working my way over to that church. I still had a few bags of food left and found a few other men in need of help. I drove down the alley where Tara Lee lives but didn't see any of those folks around.
I finally got to the church at Cloud Nine Alley and parked. It was around 1:30 p.m. and their morning church service was over. There were some people there, but Pastor Rodriguez wasn't going to be back until 6 p.m. No one there was able to advise me on what they could do at this point, but I did call the church phone number on Monday and talked with a man named Robert who said they do have an evangelistic team that might be able to do something for them. We have agreed to try to hook-up next Sunday afternoon to see if anything can be done for this couple. It is essential that I get some people who speak the language involved in this. While prayer-walking in the alley there I ended up seeing Gary. He was the man living in the parking lot next to the church a few months back. It was great to see him. He was riding a bicycle through there and we got caught up on events of the last few months. Gary has been staying with various people and has gotten some temporary work here and there. He looked good and I was able to share with him some of the things happening with this downtown ministry. We prayed together...what a blessing it was.
On my way out of town I drove by where one of my friends lives and he just happened to be there. His name is Will. Billy and James used to stay with him. They have since gotten VA housing in Pasadena, but Will is still staying there in an alley off Pico and Central. Right near where Will was I found two men sleeping on opposite sides of the sidewalk. Their names were Ben and Terry. I gave out the last of the food and some clothes for both of them. Ben got some shoes too, but Terry wore size 16 and I just don't have that size! I think the biggest shoe size I've been asked for is 19! I'm not even sure I've seen shoes that size in Payless or Target. Anyway, both men were pretty happy to receive what I had and we were able to have a 'group prayer' before I left for home.
P.S. The success of any missions work is dependent upon the grace of God and our prayers and petitions to Him. Please be in prayer for Javier and Alisavel during this next week. Let's see what God will do for them. Until next week. --John
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Downtown 3/27/2011
When I first arrived downtown, it looked like it might rain a little bit, but luckily it never did. I saw Ron again under the 4th Street bridge. This Sunday he was pushing a shopping cart about to do some recycling. He told me, "I don't make any money recycling when it rains." The reason behind this is that there are fewer people out when it rains, so there is less trash (ie. recyclables) to collect. I heard that complaint more than once Sunday. I was happy to finally see Willie on Olympic Blvd just east of Alameda. He was pushing his cart and had few recyclables and very few possessions in it. The last couple of times I've seen Willie he hasn't been with Tara Lee or any of the other people he usually hangs with. Apparently, there's been a falling out among them. I was able to not only help Willie with some food and water but also some shirts, a pair of jeans and some socks. He needed a pair of shoes, but I just didn't have any his size. Willie gave me a general idea of where he's been staying and I'll have to keep watching for him. He seems very lonely these days. I was glad we were able to spend some time in prayer together.
When I left Willie I drove to the end of that same block and saw Alan who I hadn't seen since the end of last summer. He looked exactly the same with a full beard and the same green overcoat. I doubt if he's bathed since I saw him last. I called out to him, "Alan is that you?" and he looked up and over at me and I'm sure I saw a smile on his face. I asked how he'd been doing in all the rain, but all I got was a shrug of his shoulders and a slight nod of his head, as if to say, "I've made it through another winter." Alan doesn't talk to anyone, but I was sure glad to see him and I think he was glad to see me. I've wondered what's happened to him the last month or so because I haven't seen him around. I'm glad to know he's OK.
Before ending up down on skid row I was able to help four other men. During this time I don't think I've ever seen as many people digging in trash cans and some, in fact, eating out of them. One man's name was Richard. He had found a plastic thing that fast food places will put a sandwich or a salad in and he was eating the leftovers. I've encountered Richard before and he has never accepted help from me and Sunday was no different even though he was eating out of a trash can. Another man looking for food in a trash can was a man named Jeremiah who I remembered from about 5 weeks ago. At the time I saw him then, I commented that I didn't think he was in his right mind. Sunday confirmed my suspicions that he is mentally ill, however, he did accept the help as did a couple of others on that same block.
The lasting impression of Sunday's trip was seeing a man sitting on the sidewalk on the corner of Los Angeles St and 7th Ave. He was sitting with his back up against a pillar of the building on that corner. His face was deformed. Where his right eye should have been was covered in discolored skin. Something about his mouth and lips didn't quite look right either. I knew right away I had to find a place to park and get back to this man. I parked again in front of the police station and grabbed a bag with a couple of cans of food and some packs of cookies and started walking the couple of blocks back to where this man was. When I got there I noticed he had a clear plastic cup with some money that he had collected from the people passing by. I walked up and said, "Hey, this is for you." and handed him the bag. I asked what his name was and he told me his name was Jerry. I noticed his right hand was bandaged up and wished I had brought some socks with me to give him too. I asked if he usually can be found around in this area and he told me yes. I told him I'd start looking for him again when I come down there. When he answered he sounded not only completely coherent but relatively happy and upbeat too. There were a lot of people walking around on that corner and a private conversation was pretty much impossible, but next time I'm going to just sit down next to Jerry and take the time to get to know him. I'm looking forward to telling him that God loves him and I do too. Until next week. --John
When I left Willie I drove to the end of that same block and saw Alan who I hadn't seen since the end of last summer. He looked exactly the same with a full beard and the same green overcoat. I doubt if he's bathed since I saw him last. I called out to him, "Alan is that you?" and he looked up and over at me and I'm sure I saw a smile on his face. I asked how he'd been doing in all the rain, but all I got was a shrug of his shoulders and a slight nod of his head, as if to say, "I've made it through another winter." Alan doesn't talk to anyone, but I was sure glad to see him and I think he was glad to see me. I've wondered what's happened to him the last month or so because I haven't seen him around. I'm glad to know he's OK.
Before ending up down on skid row I was able to help four other men. During this time I don't think I've ever seen as many people digging in trash cans and some, in fact, eating out of them. One man's name was Richard. He had found a plastic thing that fast food places will put a sandwich or a salad in and he was eating the leftovers. I've encountered Richard before and he has never accepted help from me and Sunday was no different even though he was eating out of a trash can. Another man looking for food in a trash can was a man named Jeremiah who I remembered from about 5 weeks ago. At the time I saw him then, I commented that I didn't think he was in his right mind. Sunday confirmed my suspicions that he is mentally ill, however, he did accept the help as did a couple of others on that same block.
The lasting impression of Sunday's trip was seeing a man sitting on the sidewalk on the corner of Los Angeles St and 7th Ave. He was sitting with his back up against a pillar of the building on that corner. His face was deformed. Where his right eye should have been was covered in discolored skin. Something about his mouth and lips didn't quite look right either. I knew right away I had to find a place to park and get back to this man. I parked again in front of the police station and grabbed a bag with a couple of cans of food and some packs of cookies and started walking the couple of blocks back to where this man was. When I got there I noticed he had a clear plastic cup with some money that he had collected from the people passing by. I walked up and said, "Hey, this is for you." and handed him the bag. I asked what his name was and he told me his name was Jerry. I noticed his right hand was bandaged up and wished I had brought some socks with me to give him too. I asked if he usually can be found around in this area and he told me yes. I told him I'd start looking for him again when I come down there. When he answered he sounded not only completely coherent but relatively happy and upbeat too. There were a lot of people walking around on that corner and a private conversation was pretty much impossible, but next time I'm going to just sit down next to Jerry and take the time to get to know him. I'm looking forward to telling him that God loves him and I do too. Until next week. --John
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Downtown 3/20/2011-The first day of Spring?
Rain threatened on and off from the time I arrived at 10:00 a.m. By the time I left at 1 p.m. it was raining heavily. So much for sunshine on the first day of Spring. I figured I'd be finding people under the freeways or at least under something. The first guy I hooked up with was Ron who usually lives on top of the 4th St bridge, but Sunday he was underneath it. He told me when it rains it's the only time they (the homeless) can legally laydown on the sidewalks during the day. He was all wrapped up in a large white nylon-type blanket and riding out the bad weather.
After leaving Ron, I drove over to Olive St. In front of an abandoned auto body repair shop I found three latino men huddled under the front doorway overhang. They were all sitting/laying on an old mattress on the ground there. Last year I had a quite memorable enounter with four men in front of this exact same location. It was sunny that day. When I lifted up a bag of food so they could see it, two of the men immediately got up and came over to the car. The third man, after seeing the other two getting the bags got up and came over too. I heard him say, "comida" (food) and he kept making eating motions with his hands. All three men were hungry. The first two who came over where Hernando and Luis. I know I've helped Hernando before and probably Luis too. The third man I didn't get his name. While driving over to Olive St. I happened to pass by a man sleeping under an awning on 16th St. just before Main St. After leaving the men on Olive St I needed to find a gas station (and soon) and ended up in a station just across the street from this man. His name was Jose. Although, I intended to drive back to this guy, after seeing the men on Olive St and then noticing my car was almost out of gas, I kind of forgot about (photo)
him. Wouldn't you know there was a gas station directly across the street from where he was (although the station turned out to be closed)!
I haven't seen Willie in about a month now. I thought I might try driving by where I last saw him on the east side of Alameda. However, when I got there he wasn't there. I did see a man laying under the freeway there all covered up with a couple of blankets. It turned out to be my buddy John Stokes. He has lived for years about 20 or 30 feet away from where I saw him Sunday. Recently, the police have made him move from there during the day. I commented about the few things he had with him. He told me the police had taken everything away a week or so before.
One of the things he missed the most was a little AM radio that he had. He said he listened to his favorite program, Coast to Coast, every night on it. He asked me if I could get him another radio with an ear piece. I told him I'd look for one. John had on a light jacket with no shirt on underneath. I was able to come up with a couple of long sleeve shirts, a knit cap and a sweatshirt with a hood. He was doing a lot better when I left.
At this point I had one bag of food left. I decided to prayer-walk down skid row before leaving the area. As I drove around the area a little bit before parking the car I found David sitting in a doorway on 7th. He was cold and hungry and it was starting to rain more consistantly. I parked in front of the police station. The tents had already gone up along the sidewalks (see photo) due to the rain. Most people had found a place to hang out under a covering so there weren't near as many
people out standing around as there usually are. I walked around a couple of blocks that I normally don't go down. One man named Bill, was struggling with his cart and umbrella. I asked him how he was doing and he said, "Miserable." That kind of sums up the general feel of the whole place Sunday. I did give Bill a can of food, although he passed on the cookies due to the condition of his teeth. What is normally, during good weather, a hard enough struggle to survive, is made even more difficult in the wet weather. Even crossing the streets is difficult due to the water in the gutters. Most of the gutters seem to be stopped up so there is a lot of standing water that one has to jump over to cross a street. That's one of the reasons I didn't walk all the way down 6th like I normally do. However, every side street down in the skid row area is home to many people too. It was difficult to watch the people with few possessions trying to get by, in particular, those with shoes that obviously didn't fit. There were also many people with no jackets, maybe just a small blanket draped over their shoulders. On a digital thermometer I had noticed the temperature at 50 degrees.
It was starting to rain a lot more and by the time I got to Cloud Nine Alley it was a real downpour. I parked and hopped over the water in the street/gutter and started down the alley. At the south entrance to the alley I noticed someone new had put up a temporary 'house' complete with plywood and tarps to help keep them dry during the rain. He won't be able to stay there on Monday. It looked like Ray was probably in his 'house' too, but since it was raining so heavily at this point I didn't try to talk to any of the residents. I prayed, I stepped over large pools of water and tried to keep out of the range of the drain pipes that were spewing out a lot of water. One thing that the rain will do, is help wash away the smell of urine which can be overpowering at times around skid row and Cloud Nine alley. I was really soaked by the time I got back to the car. I survived, the folks living on the streets and alleys survived and more importantly, winter is officially over! From the streets of downtown L.A. I can tell you we're all looking forward to springtime! Until next week. John
After leaving Ron, I drove over to Olive St. In front of an abandoned auto body repair shop I found three latino men huddled under the front doorway overhang. They were all sitting/laying on an old mattress on the ground there. Last year I had a quite memorable enounter with four men in front of this exact same location. It was sunny that day. When I lifted up a bag of food so they could see it, two of the men immediately got up and came over to the car. The third man, after seeing the other two getting the bags got up and came over too. I heard him say, "comida" (food) and he kept making eating motions with his hands. All three men were hungry. The first two who came over where Hernando and Luis. I know I've helped Hernando before and probably Luis too. The third man I didn't get his name. While driving over to Olive St. I happened to pass by a man sleeping under an awning on 16th St. just before Main St. After leaving the men on Olive St I needed to find a gas station (and soon) and ended up in a station just across the street from this man. His name was Jose. Although, I intended to drive back to this guy, after seeing the men on Olive St and then noticing my car was almost out of gas, I kind of forgot about (photo)
him. Wouldn't you know there was a gas station directly across the street from where he was (although the station turned out to be closed)!
I haven't seen Willie in about a month now. I thought I might try driving by where I last saw him on the east side of Alameda. However, when I got there he wasn't there. I did see a man laying under the freeway there all covered up with a couple of blankets. It turned out to be my buddy John Stokes. He has lived for years about 20 or 30 feet away from where I saw him Sunday. Recently, the police have made him move from there during the day. I commented about the few things he had with him. He told me the police had taken everything away a week or so before.
One of the things he missed the most was a little AM radio that he had. He said he listened to his favorite program, Coast to Coast, every night on it. He asked me if I could get him another radio with an ear piece. I told him I'd look for one. John had on a light jacket with no shirt on underneath. I was able to come up with a couple of long sleeve shirts, a knit cap and a sweatshirt with a hood. He was doing a lot better when I left.
At this point I had one bag of food left. I decided to prayer-walk down skid row before leaving the area. As I drove around the area a little bit before parking the car I found David sitting in a doorway on 7th. He was cold and hungry and it was starting to rain more consistantly. I parked in front of the police station. The tents had already gone up along the sidewalks (see photo) due to the rain. Most people had found a place to hang out under a covering so there weren't near as many
people out standing around as there usually are. I walked around a couple of blocks that I normally don't go down. One man named Bill, was struggling with his cart and umbrella. I asked him how he was doing and he said, "Miserable." That kind of sums up the general feel of the whole place Sunday. I did give Bill a can of food, although he passed on the cookies due to the condition of his teeth. What is normally, during good weather, a hard enough struggle to survive, is made even more difficult in the wet weather. Even crossing the streets is difficult due to the water in the gutters. Most of the gutters seem to be stopped up so there is a lot of standing water that one has to jump over to cross a street. That's one of the reasons I didn't walk all the way down 6th like I normally do. However, every side street down in the skid row area is home to many people too. It was difficult to watch the people with few possessions trying to get by, in particular, those with shoes that obviously didn't fit. There were also many people with no jackets, maybe just a small blanket draped over their shoulders. On a digital thermometer I had noticed the temperature at 50 degrees.
It was starting to rain a lot more and by the time I got to Cloud Nine Alley it was a real downpour. I parked and hopped over the water in the street/gutter and started down the alley. At the south entrance to the alley I noticed someone new had put up a temporary 'house' complete with plywood and tarps to help keep them dry during the rain. He won't be able to stay there on Monday. It looked like Ray was probably in his 'house' too, but since it was raining so heavily at this point I didn't try to talk to any of the residents. I prayed, I stepped over large pools of water and tried to keep out of the range of the drain pipes that were spewing out a lot of water. One thing that the rain will do, is help wash away the smell of urine which can be overpowering at times around skid row and Cloud Nine alley. I was really soaked by the time I got back to the car. I survived, the folks living on the streets and alleys survived and more importantly, winter is officially over! From the streets of downtown L.A. I can tell you we're all looking forward to springtime! Until next week. John
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Downtown 3/6/2011
Well, it was my first Sunday trip downtown in several months. I arrived there shortly before 1:30 p.m. and didn't leave until after 6 p.m. It was a good trip blessed with good weather and I was able to pray with each person I encountered. It helps to be able to park and get out and actually talk with the folks living on the street. I had been praying for a breakthrough in my prayer-walking on Cloud Nine Alley, but more on that later. My first encounter was with David on Olive St. He was sleeping on the sidewalk next to his shopping cart. It was sunny at this point in the day and he had found a place to get warm while sleeping. It looked like the only clothes he had he was wearing and although he had some water he really needed the food and some socks. I noticed the jeans he was wearing were way too big, but I didn't have any that fit him. I was able to give him a knitted cap and he was very appreciative of that.
Around the corner from David, I almost drove past another man sleeping in a parking lot alone. When I got over to him and asked if he needed some help, he started speaking in Spanish and kept talking thinking I understood him (which I
didn't). I think he said his name was Jaime, but I'm not sure. After giving him some help and praying with him he said, probably about the only words he knew in English, "Oh, thank you." I received it like it was a blessing from a king.
I continued to drive around in that area near Olive St and on a very small side street just west and parallel to Olive I encountered three different men on the same street. Luis was the first man I met. He spoke very little English and when I finished praying with him I noticed he had taken his cap off and had bowed his head. I then thought he might be able to use one of the knitted caps I had so I gave him one of those too. He had nothing except the clothes on his back, the bag of food I had given him and a handful of coins. His words to me as we parted were, "Thank you so much." Just down and across the street about 20 yards was another man sleeping on the sidewalk. His name was Hernando. He looked familiar, but he didn't indicate that he recognized me. Through the car window I asked if he needed some food and he responded by getting up and coming towards the car. I
stopped and got out to meet him. Here was another man who again, had nothing but the clothes on his back. His last words to me were, "Have a happy day." Just past Hernando was another man who was all bundled up and sitting on the sidewalk next to his shopping cart ( a man with a shopping cart is a man with some status on this street!). His name was Reginald. He was 46 years old and from Houston. He told me he had moved out here with his grandmother when he was 4 or 5 years old because,as she explained it, the educational benefits were better. I thought he was going to cry just thinking back about it. I had given him a bag of food and when I asked if he needed some water he told me, "I'd really like some beer." I told him I wasn't set up to go around giving out beer, but I did have some water. He then told me, "I willing to have whatever the Lord will provide." In the bag of food I gave him was a can of Chunky soup with beef in it. He told me it was his favorite soup. When I got back to him with the water he had already opened the can and had started eating. I ended up giving him a couple more cans of food. We actually talked for about fifteen minutes or so and it was really nice since the first four encounters I hadn't really been able to engage in conversation much. When I left Reginald, I told him loved him and God loved him too. He cheerfully replied, "God always loves me." One of the really cool things about the men on this street was that they all acted like they couldn't believe their good fortune that day. It's amazing what a little help at the right time can mean to someone.
Before going over to Cloud Nine Alley I drove over to the other side of town by Alameda St. I ended up seeing John Melon and his friend Dawn on an alley just east of Alameda at Olympic. Both of them had been injured in an alley they were living in on the other side of Alameda. John was doing OK, but Dawn never did stand up while I was there. I hadn't seen John since last fall. At the time he told me he was with Dawn and told me to go drive by where they were living, but when I did she wasn't interested in receiving any help (she didn't know who I was). In fact, I never did see her, but only talked to her through the make-shift 'housing' they had set up at the time. Anyway, John is quite a talker and told me in detail how they had been run over by the trucks going down the alley and that none of the drivers ever stopped or would acknowledge their injuries. It was another example of how homeless people are invisible and have little or no recourse when they are abused. The memorable thing for me about this encounter was that I prayed with them before leaving. Now, John was one of the first people I met when I started making these trips and the first time I met him I offered to pray with him before leaving, but he refused the offer of prayer. One of the last times I saw him, when we parted he told me he loved me and that he would pray for me. What a turnaround, huh? This time I prayed with the three of them and with my arm around John. This is the power of building relationships. Amen!
Now it was time to head over to Cloud Nine Alley. Since I've been going during the week for the last few months, it has seemed a somewhat fruitless endeavor. Deep inside I know that prayer time is never fruitless, but we get impatient when we don't see quick results or progress. During the week the church is not open and the people living in the alley aren't there in the daytime (at least I never see anyone). The only people I see are the people working in the businesses that are on either side of the alley. The alley is their back door. Today I knew the church would probably be open, although it was still a couple of hours before the 6 p.m. service would start. I started prayer-walking up Los Angeles St and then back down the alley. As I got to about the half-way part and just past where the words 'cloud nine' are spray painted I saw a man standing out in the alley. We said hello to each other and started talking. I asked him if he knew Gary who had lived in the parking lot next the church just a little further down the alley. He told me Gary was one of his best friends and he had actually seen him a couple of days before when a film crew shot some footage there in the alley. It turns out his name is Ray and he lived in a literal hole in the brick wall on one side of the alley. The hole is actually a doorway that is not in use. It usually has a pallet or two leaning up against it and is covered with blankets. I have never seen anyone in there. I told Ray that I've been coming down this alley once a week for several months now and one time recently I saw all his stuff laying out in the alley like it was there to dry out. I told me that "Yeah, everything got wet in the rain." I also told him I had left a can of soup on one of the pallets a while back. He was kind of shocked and said, "That was you?" I told him it was and he told me he had heard something and a minute or so later he poked his head out and saw someone (me) walking down at the end of the alley. He then saw the can of soup and put the two together. He told me the can of soup was a god-send at the time. He started telling me a little about himself at this point. He has a family history of Lupus that has claimed the lives of his mother, uncle and sister. He told me he has the disease also, although I didn't see any signs of it at this point. Ray was very talkative and we actually had a lot in common. He is 44 years old. When I told him I prayer-walk this alley once a week he asked if next week he could walk with me! Perhaps, God has placed me here to walk with Ray in the months ahead. If that's the case, I look forward to it. I'll take it one week at a time, hopefully, we'll be able to hook-up again next week. We must have hung out together for 45 minutes or so. I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with Ray.
Well, it was now time to head over to skid row. As I turned down 6th St and passed by the police station I saw a KCal 9 TV crew interviewing someone in front of the police staion. I didn't recognize either of them and didn't think much more about it. I drove on down the street and passed by the missions and found a place to park. Usually, I take a bag with some cans of food and start praying and looking for someone I might give the food to. However, I was out of food except for a few packs of cookies so I put about 5 or 6 of them in my pockets and just started walking back up the street. It was still light out, probably a little after 5 p.m. One missionary group had set up a food table across the street from the Midnight Mission and they were just about to finish up serving meals there. I think they do this every Sunday. There was also a large crowd of people already inside the courtyard at the Midnight Mission and it was really noisey there as I walked by. A police car with a couple of policemen was parked a little ways past the entrance because there was an injured man sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk there. They asked him if he was in pain, but I didn't hear his response. They told him that paramedics would be arriving soon. I didn't see where he was injured. I ended up in front of the police station just after the TV crew had pulled away. I thought I would stay there and pray for a few minutes asking for some guidance on who I might pray with. I looked up behind me by the police building and saw a man sitting right near me on the planter retaining wall. About 10 feet behind him was a flag pole and I noticed that the American flag was at half-mast. I asked the man if he had heard about anyone dying that might make them lower the flag. He said he hadn't heard anything and didn't think anyone 'famous' had died and his guess was perhaps a policeman had died. I ended up talking with "Bill" for probably 20 minutes or so. Bill was from Chicago, 63 years old and has been out here for most of the last 20 years. At one point he was looking for his cain which he had hung on the railing to the handicapped ramp (where I had been standing) and got up to go get it. I took the opportunity to hand it to him and went and sat down with him. I asked if he could use a pack of cookies. He told me he had gotten a meal, but no dessert so, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I would like some cookies." Bill had worked for the railroad back in Chicago and had gotten a broken back in a train accident. He told me everyone else in the car he was in was killed, so he considered himself lucky to have survived with just a broken back. He also, in a separate train accident, had been buried for 5 hours under a pile of coal from a box car and ended up with asthma. Despite these misfortunes, he considered himself to be doing OK and he couldn't complain. He first arrived out here 20 years ago and then after a time had left the area. When he came back here 10 years ago the turnover downtown among the homeless was probably 50 percent. Then he left and came back again about 5 years ago and there had been another big turnover of people, until now there were few people left from even just 3 or 4 years ago. Well, I prayed with Bill before leaving, asking for God's protection and healing and for some help for Bill's current situation. As I got up to leave he thanked me for praying for him. Just then a man in a wheelchair was going down the street right in front of us and I said "Hello" to him. He returned the hello and thanked me for "praying with us" (now I hadn't prayed with him). He was wearing a Korean War Veteran's cap and I took the opportunity to thank him for his service for our country. I told him both of my parents were in WWII. He told me he lost two brothers in that war. We talked for just a minute or so as we crossed the next street. He was turning down the side street and I was continuing on down 6th. I helped push him up the handicapped 'driveway' to get on the sidewalk and he again thanked me for praying with them. By now it was after 6 p.m. and it was getting a little cold. The folks down there were putting up their tents for the night and hoping it wouldn't rain. It turns out it did rain later that night. I was kind of bummed out about it. I handed out the rest of the packs of cookies on my way back to the car. All in all, it was a really good trip. I love going on Sundays, I think you can see what a difference it makes in the ability to talk with people. Until next week. --John
Around the corner from David, I almost drove past another man sleeping in a parking lot alone. When I got over to him and asked if he needed some help, he started speaking in Spanish and kept talking thinking I understood him (which I
didn't). I think he said his name was Jaime, but I'm not sure. After giving him some help and praying with him he said, probably about the only words he knew in English, "Oh, thank you." I received it like it was a blessing from a king.
I continued to drive around in that area near Olive St and on a very small side street just west and parallel to Olive I encountered three different men on the same street. Luis was the first man I met. He spoke very little English and when I finished praying with him I noticed he had taken his cap off and had bowed his head. I then thought he might be able to use one of the knitted caps I had so I gave him one of those too. He had nothing except the clothes on his back, the bag of food I had given him and a handful of coins. His words to me as we parted were, "Thank you so much." Just down and across the street about 20 yards was another man sleeping on the sidewalk. His name was Hernando. He looked familiar, but he didn't indicate that he recognized me. Through the car window I asked if he needed some food and he responded by getting up and coming towards the car. I
stopped and got out to meet him. Here was another man who again, had nothing but the clothes on his back. His last words to me were, "Have a happy day." Just past Hernando was another man who was all bundled up and sitting on the sidewalk next to his shopping cart ( a man with a shopping cart is a man with some status on this street!). His name was Reginald. He was 46 years old and from Houston. He told me he had moved out here with his grandmother when he was 4 or 5 years old because,as she explained it, the educational benefits were better. I thought he was going to cry just thinking back about it. I had given him a bag of food and when I asked if he needed some water he told me, "I'd really like some beer." I told him I wasn't set up to go around giving out beer, but I did have some water. He then told me, "I willing to have whatever the Lord will provide." In the bag of food I gave him was a can of Chunky soup with beef in it. He told me it was his favorite soup. When I got back to him with the water he had already opened the can and had started eating. I ended up giving him a couple more cans of food. We actually talked for about fifteen minutes or so and it was really nice since the first four encounters I hadn't really been able to engage in conversation much. When I left Reginald, I told him loved him and God loved him too. He cheerfully replied, "God always loves me." One of the really cool things about the men on this street was that they all acted like they couldn't believe their good fortune that day. It's amazing what a little help at the right time can mean to someone.
Before going over to Cloud Nine Alley I drove over to the other side of town by Alameda St. I ended up seeing John Melon and his friend Dawn on an alley just east of Alameda at Olympic. Both of them had been injured in an alley they were living in on the other side of Alameda. John was doing OK, but Dawn never did stand up while I was there. I hadn't seen John since last fall. At the time he told me he was with Dawn and told me to go drive by where they were living, but when I did she wasn't interested in receiving any help (she didn't know who I was). In fact, I never did see her, but only talked to her through the make-shift 'housing' they had set up at the time. Anyway, John is quite a talker and told me in detail how they had been run over by the trucks going down the alley and that none of the drivers ever stopped or would acknowledge their injuries. It was another example of how homeless people are invisible and have little or no recourse when they are abused. The memorable thing for me about this encounter was that I prayed with them before leaving. Now, John was one of the first people I met when I started making these trips and the first time I met him I offered to pray with him before leaving, but he refused the offer of prayer. One of the last times I saw him, when we parted he told me he loved me and that he would pray for me. What a turnaround, huh? This time I prayed with the three of them and with my arm around John. This is the power of building relationships. Amen!
Now it was time to head over to Cloud Nine Alley. Since I've been going during the week for the last few months, it has seemed a somewhat fruitless endeavor. Deep inside I know that prayer time is never fruitless, but we get impatient when we don't see quick results or progress. During the week the church is not open and the people living in the alley aren't there in the daytime (at least I never see anyone). The only people I see are the people working in the businesses that are on either side of the alley. The alley is their back door. Today I knew the church would probably be open, although it was still a couple of hours before the 6 p.m. service would start. I started prayer-walking up Los Angeles St and then back down the alley. As I got to about the half-way part and just past where the words 'cloud nine' are spray painted I saw a man standing out in the alley. We said hello to each other and started talking. I asked him if he knew Gary who had lived in the parking lot next the church just a little further down the alley. He told me Gary was one of his best friends and he had actually seen him a couple of days before when a film crew shot some footage there in the alley. It turns out his name is Ray and he lived in a literal hole in the brick wall on one side of the alley. The hole is actually a doorway that is not in use. It usually has a pallet or two leaning up against it and is covered with blankets. I have never seen anyone in there. I told Ray that I've been coming down this alley once a week for several months now and one time recently I saw all his stuff laying out in the alley like it was there to dry out. I told me that "Yeah, everything got wet in the rain." I also told him I had left a can of soup on one of the pallets a while back. He was kind of shocked and said, "That was you?" I told him it was and he told me he had heard something and a minute or so later he poked his head out and saw someone (me) walking down at the end of the alley. He then saw the can of soup and put the two together. He told me the can of soup was a god-send at the time. He started telling me a little about himself at this point. He has a family history of Lupus that has claimed the lives of his mother, uncle and sister. He told me he has the disease also, although I didn't see any signs of it at this point. Ray was very talkative and we actually had a lot in common. He is 44 years old. When I told him I prayer-walk this alley once a week he asked if next week he could walk with me! Perhaps, God has placed me here to walk with Ray in the months ahead. If that's the case, I look forward to it. I'll take it one week at a time, hopefully, we'll be able to hook-up again next week. We must have hung out together for 45 minutes or so. I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with Ray.
Well, it was now time to head over to skid row. As I turned down 6th St and passed by the police station I saw a KCal 9 TV crew interviewing someone in front of the police staion. I didn't recognize either of them and didn't think much more about it. I drove on down the street and passed by the missions and found a place to park. Usually, I take a bag with some cans of food and start praying and looking for someone I might give the food to. However, I was out of food except for a few packs of cookies so I put about 5 or 6 of them in my pockets and just started walking back up the street. It was still light out, probably a little after 5 p.m. One missionary group had set up a food table across the street from the Midnight Mission and they were just about to finish up serving meals there. I think they do this every Sunday. There was also a large crowd of people already inside the courtyard at the Midnight Mission and it was really noisey there as I walked by. A police car with a couple of policemen was parked a little ways past the entrance because there was an injured man sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk there. They asked him if he was in pain, but I didn't hear his response. They told him that paramedics would be arriving soon. I didn't see where he was injured. I ended up in front of the police station just after the TV crew had pulled away. I thought I would stay there and pray for a few minutes asking for some guidance on who I might pray with. I looked up behind me by the police building and saw a man sitting right near me on the planter retaining wall. About 10 feet behind him was a flag pole and I noticed that the American flag was at half-mast. I asked the man if he had heard about anyone dying that might make them lower the flag. He said he hadn't heard anything and didn't think anyone 'famous' had died and his guess was perhaps a policeman had died. I ended up talking with "Bill" for probably 20 minutes or so. Bill was from Chicago, 63 years old and has been out here for most of the last 20 years. At one point he was looking for his cain which he had hung on the railing to the handicapped ramp (where I had been standing) and got up to go get it. I took the opportunity to hand it to him and went and sat down with him. I asked if he could use a pack of cookies. He told me he had gotten a meal, but no dessert so, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I would like some cookies." Bill had worked for the railroad back in Chicago and had gotten a broken back in a train accident. He told me everyone else in the car he was in was killed, so he considered himself lucky to have survived with just a broken back. He also, in a separate train accident, had been buried for 5 hours under a pile of coal from a box car and ended up with asthma. Despite these misfortunes, he considered himself to be doing OK and he couldn't complain. He first arrived out here 20 years ago and then after a time had left the area. When he came back here 10 years ago the turnover downtown among the homeless was probably 50 percent. Then he left and came back again about 5 years ago and there had been another big turnover of people, until now there were few people left from even just 3 or 4 years ago. Well, I prayed with Bill before leaving, asking for God's protection and healing and for some help for Bill's current situation. As I got up to leave he thanked me for praying for him. Just then a man in a wheelchair was going down the street right in front of us and I said "Hello" to him. He returned the hello and thanked me for "praying with us" (now I hadn't prayed with him). He was wearing a Korean War Veteran's cap and I took the opportunity to thank him for his service for our country. I told him both of my parents were in WWII. He told me he lost two brothers in that war. We talked for just a minute or so as we crossed the next street. He was turning down the side street and I was continuing on down 6th. I helped push him up the handicapped 'driveway' to get on the sidewalk and he again thanked me for praying with them. By now it was after 6 p.m. and it was getting a little cold. The folks down there were putting up their tents for the night and hoping it wouldn't rain. It turns out it did rain later that night. I was kind of bummed out about it. I handed out the rest of the packs of cookies on my way back to the car. All in all, it was a really good trip. I love going on Sundays, I think you can see what a difference it makes in the ability to talk with people. Until next week. --John
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Downtown 2/21/2011
After several months of repeated checking I finally saw one of my friends by Lincoln Park. Luis was there with a friend of his. He told me he had been staying with his Mom recently and it had been going OK. I'm not sure why he was back there at his spot by the park. He seemed a little reticent to talk to me in much detail with his friend standing there. I asked if he had seen Phillip and Nancy, but he told me he hadn't seen them. He did tell me he has continued to "be with God" and I was glad to hear that. It will be interesting to see if he is back there next week or not. Although I want to continue to see him, I hope he is able to find a place to live and stay off the streets. Please pray for Luis, as I think this is a critical time in his life.
After leaving the Lincoln Park area I headed into town and saw Robert off Alameda and 4th St. Robert is an elderly man and seems barely able to make it. He hardly speaks above a whisper and I'm sure that living on the street during the winter, albeit in Southern California, is very hard on him. I think his only method of survival is what help he receives from the people in the area. I asked if he ever goes down to the missions that are near there (maybe a half a mile walk) and he told me no. When it rains he finds a place nearby with an overhang to stay under. He has no shopping cart and very few 'things'. When I told him I loved him, I actually saw a faint smile come across his face. It was worth the trip.
On the other side of town I saw a homeless man laying down on the sidewalk at Hope and Venice. He was laying in the sun and had his shoes off. His feet looked all swollen and kind of like your fingers look if you've been in a swimming pool too long. I pulled the car around so as to be on his side of the street when I went by and passed a bag of food to him through the car window. He struggled to put his shoes on and limped badly as he came to the car. His shoes had no shoe strings, perhaps that is because his feet hurt and that prevented him from tying his shoes tightly. I ended up finding a place to park and taking some water and socks over to him. I had to ask him a couple of times what his name was and he finally answered, "Jeremiah". I'm not real sure if that name is legit or not; he didn't actually talk like he was all there. However, he was 'there' enough to know I had the bag of food for him. I hope he is able to get the socks on; unfortunately, I didn't have a pair of shoes that would fit him.
Over by the Jack in the Box at Alameda I saw another elderly man all hunched over pushing a shopping cart towards the recycling place. He really didn't have much in the cart to recycle; in fact, I don't think it was a dollar's worth of stuff. He said he had water but could use the bag of food. His name was Walker. At the Jack in the Box I was surprised to see John Stokes (from Atlanta, Georgia) opening the door for people as they went in. We talked for quite a while as I've known John for over a year now. The police have made him move during the day from his spot under the I-10 freeway. He can stay there at night, but not during the day. He relocates during the day to another side street right by the Alameda off-ramp. It is right near where Alphonzo stays. He told me times have been very difficult lately and it's been hard to get enough food to eat. I gave him a bag of food and some water and asked if he needed a ride back to his place, but he told me he wanted to stay there by the Jack in the Box. My guess is he was working the door in hopes of getting tips from people walking in and out.
At this point I decided to drive across Alameda St. and check out the area around there where John lives. I drove across Alameda at 14th and then up a small street called Hunter that passes under the freeway. I saw a couple of homeless guys sitting under the freeway and one smiled at me as I drove by. I had opened a can of soup after leaving the Jack in the Box and was eating it while I was driving. I pulled over and was going to finish it and then drive back to the two guys under the freeway. A couple of minutes later they both walked up to where I was parked. The other guy was my friend Willie. Usually, I see Willie with Tara Lee but I hadn't see either of them lately. Willie told me that he and Tara Lee had to leave the alley where they had been staying because the police had run them off and it was getting difficult and unsafe there due to the other homeless people! Willie told me that he had seen Tara Lee a couple of times lately but didn't know where he was staying. The other man Willie was with this day was Ernest, I hadn't seen him before. I let Willie know that soon I would be coming down there on Sundays and to let me know where we could meet up with all our friends down there to have another barbecue. He told me a couple of our other friends, Billy and James, have gotten a place through the VA in Pasadena. In fact, Willie had been staying in another alley adjacent to where they had been staying. I'm looking forward to having a "family" gathering down there soon. In less than a month, it will be officially springtime (and warmer for everyone).
As I drove over to Cloud Nine Alley I drove past where Arturo had been staying by the freeway at San Pedro, but he wasn't there again. I haven't seen him in several weeks now. There was no one over by Cloud Nine Alley either. This will probably change when I start going on Sundays. I prayer-walked the alley anyway. Several years ago, some church planters told me that invariably, the streets that they would prayer-walk down before planting a church would be the streets that the people who attended the church would ultimately come from and the streets they didn't go down, they would pretty much never get those families attending their churches. It was actually kind of eerie the way it worked out. Since then, I never under-estimated the impact of prayer-walking in an area.
That leads me to the final stop of the day, skid row. As my commitment and passion for this area grows, the vision for this area is growing each week also. At this point, my goal is to pray with at least one person there each week. Hopefully, this will increase as time goes on. I hope to become a recognized person down there and have a reputation among the people who live there that they can talk to me and be prayed for. I don't think any of the missions have people going out on the streets to do this. Before it can happen, the people there have to see me often enough to be willing to trust me. That will take a lot of time, perhaps six months to a year of going regularly before they are used to seeing me and I am used to seeing what goes on there. Right now it can be a little overwhelming. The obvious prostitution and drug abuse is pretty rampant. Yesterday, as I walked by two women talking to each other I heard one tell the other, "I can get you some crack right now." This isn't the kind of conversation I hear everyday, but it's pretty common down there. Yesterday, I met James. He was sitting near where David was a couple of weeks ago and said he was enjoying the warm sun. He was from the east coast and had traveled around many cities. Southern California was by far the best place to be during the winter time. He was soon to turn 61 years old and was trying to get some help for some medical problems from the VA. He had served in the Marines from 69'-73'. We probably talked for 20 minutes or so. I told him about the Midnight Mission and how they serve 3 meals a day there. He told me that the Union Mission around the corner serves 3 meals a day too but at different times than the Midnight Mission.
When I asked James if I could pray for him before leaving he said "Sure, let me get up for this." I helped him stand up (he was shorter than I thought he was). I put my arm around him and prayed for God's blessing and protection there on the street. It was a wonderful privilege to pray for him. --Until next week. John
P.S. I have included a couple of photos I took from the last couple of weeks down there at skid row. One of the pictures is from the trip I took at night last week. Several others just didn't turn out well. The one on the right is from the courtyard at the Midnight Mission. You really can't get a feel from this picture as to how many people were actually in there Monday afternoon.
After leaving the Lincoln Park area I headed into town and saw Robert off Alameda and 4th St. Robert is an elderly man and seems barely able to make it. He hardly speaks above a whisper and I'm sure that living on the street during the winter, albeit in Southern California, is very hard on him. I think his only method of survival is what help he receives from the people in the area. I asked if he ever goes down to the missions that are near there (maybe a half a mile walk) and he told me no. When it rains he finds a place nearby with an overhang to stay under. He has no shopping cart and very few 'things'. When I told him I loved him, I actually saw a faint smile come across his face. It was worth the trip.
On the other side of town I saw a homeless man laying down on the sidewalk at Hope and Venice. He was laying in the sun and had his shoes off. His feet looked all swollen and kind of like your fingers look if you've been in a swimming pool too long. I pulled the car around so as to be on his side of the street when I went by and passed a bag of food to him through the car window. He struggled to put his shoes on and limped badly as he came to the car. His shoes had no shoe strings, perhaps that is because his feet hurt and that prevented him from tying his shoes tightly. I ended up finding a place to park and taking some water and socks over to him. I had to ask him a couple of times what his name was and he finally answered, "Jeremiah". I'm not real sure if that name is legit or not; he didn't actually talk like he was all there. However, he was 'there' enough to know I had the bag of food for him. I hope he is able to get the socks on; unfortunately, I didn't have a pair of shoes that would fit him.
Over by the Jack in the Box at Alameda I saw another elderly man all hunched over pushing a shopping cart towards the recycling place. He really didn't have much in the cart to recycle; in fact, I don't think it was a dollar's worth of stuff. He said he had water but could use the bag of food. His name was Walker. At the Jack in the Box I was surprised to see John Stokes (from Atlanta, Georgia) opening the door for people as they went in. We talked for quite a while as I've known John for over a year now. The police have made him move during the day from his spot under the I-10 freeway. He can stay there at night, but not during the day. He relocates during the day to another side street right by the Alameda off-ramp. It is right near where Alphonzo stays. He told me times have been very difficult lately and it's been hard to get enough food to eat. I gave him a bag of food and some water and asked if he needed a ride back to his place, but he told me he wanted to stay there by the Jack in the Box. My guess is he was working the door in hopes of getting tips from people walking in and out.
At this point I decided to drive across Alameda St. and check out the area around there where John lives. I drove across Alameda at 14th and then up a small street called Hunter that passes under the freeway. I saw a couple of homeless guys sitting under the freeway and one smiled at me as I drove by. I had opened a can of soup after leaving the Jack in the Box and was eating it while I was driving. I pulled over and was going to finish it and then drive back to the two guys under the freeway. A couple of minutes later they both walked up to where I was parked. The other guy was my friend Willie. Usually, I see Willie with Tara Lee but I hadn't see either of them lately. Willie told me that he and Tara Lee had to leave the alley where they had been staying because the police had run them off and it was getting difficult and unsafe there due to the other homeless people! Willie told me that he had seen Tara Lee a couple of times lately but didn't know where he was staying. The other man Willie was with this day was Ernest, I hadn't seen him before. I let Willie know that soon I would be coming down there on Sundays and to let me know where we could meet up with all our friends down there to have another barbecue. He told me a couple of our other friends, Billy and James, have gotten a place through the VA in Pasadena. In fact, Willie had been staying in another alley adjacent to where they had been staying. I'm looking forward to having a "family" gathering down there soon. In less than a month, it will be officially springtime (and warmer for everyone).
As I drove over to Cloud Nine Alley I drove past where Arturo had been staying by the freeway at San Pedro, but he wasn't there again. I haven't seen him in several weeks now. There was no one over by Cloud Nine Alley either. This will probably change when I start going on Sundays. I prayer-walked the alley anyway. Several years ago, some church planters told me that invariably, the streets that they would prayer-walk down before planting a church would be the streets that the people who attended the church would ultimately come from and the streets they didn't go down, they would pretty much never get those families attending their churches. It was actually kind of eerie the way it worked out. Since then, I never under-estimated the impact of prayer-walking in an area.
That leads me to the final stop of the day, skid row. As my commitment and passion for this area grows, the vision for this area is growing each week also. At this point, my goal is to pray with at least one person there each week. Hopefully, this will increase as time goes on. I hope to become a recognized person down there and have a reputation among the people who live there that they can talk to me and be prayed for. I don't think any of the missions have people going out on the streets to do this. Before it can happen, the people there have to see me often enough to be willing to trust me. That will take a lot of time, perhaps six months to a year of going regularly before they are used to seeing me and I am used to seeing what goes on there. Right now it can be a little overwhelming. The obvious prostitution and drug abuse is pretty rampant. Yesterday, as I walked by two women talking to each other I heard one tell the other, "I can get you some crack right now." This isn't the kind of conversation I hear everyday, but it's pretty common down there. Yesterday, I met James. He was sitting near where David was a couple of weeks ago and said he was enjoying the warm sun. He was from the east coast and had traveled around many cities. Southern California was by far the best place to be during the winter time. He was soon to turn 61 years old and was trying to get some help for some medical problems from the VA. He had served in the Marines from 69'-73'. We probably talked for 20 minutes or so. I told him about the Midnight Mission and how they serve 3 meals a day there. He told me that the Union Mission around the corner serves 3 meals a day too but at different times than the Midnight Mission.
When I asked James if I could pray for him before leaving he said "Sure, let me get up for this." I helped him stand up (he was shorter than I thought he was). I put my arm around him and prayed for God's blessing and protection there on the street. It was a wonderful privilege to pray for him. --Until next week. John
P.S. I have included a couple of photos I took from the last couple of weeks down there at skid row. One of the pictures is from the trip I took at night last week. Several others just didn't turn out well. The one on the right is from the courtyard at the Midnight Mission. You really can't get a feel from this picture as to how many people were actually in there Monday afternoon.
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