"And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God, and in accordance with the law and the commandments, to seek his God, he did with all his heart; and he prospered." -- 2 Chronicles 31:20-21, speaking about King Hezekiah
I tend to hear messages at church and understand scripture in ways geared to bringing that message to the people I meet on the streets in downtown Los Angeles. I had read the scripture above in my personal bible reading a couple of nights ago. Then I heard a message on Sunday about a husband and wife who appeared to live a life honoring God, yet somehow there was one glaring problem in their marriage. They were childless and being advanced in years, it looked like there was no hope for a resolution to this problem. Every week I see people who are not "prospering". Many are not living a lifestyle that honors God, but a lot do have a relationship with God that is closer than you may think. So often, the street people feel so separated from God that they feel beyond His reach and undeserving of His help. I try to change their attitude about that. In doing so, it changes my attitude and my relationship with God too. Oh, the couple in the message ended up being the parents of John the Baptist. God is in the business of working miracles.
When I arrived downtown I was 'expecting' a great trip. I just felt this Sunday was going to be different, yet it started out kind of slow. I drove around for quite a while before finding people to help. The first three people I helped; Mary, Henry and Jorge were all destitute and needed assistance, but only Jorge did I have conversaton and prayer with. I drove over to the alley where I did the barbecue last month (yeah, it's been four weeks since then already) and no one is living there now. There isn't even any 'stuff' on the ground to indicate that anyone is living there now, it's all deserted. As I was about to drive down that alley, there was a man pushing his cart along an adjacent alley. His name is Henry (2nd one of the day). He looked up and said, "Oh, you're the Bread Man. Am I glad to see you." It's always nice to be welcomed. Henry has been struggling of late and said that things have been made more difficult because he and a lot of the homeless in that area had been run-off by the police and public safety patrols. Not too far from here I found Jimmy from Texas. He was all bundled up and sleeping on the sidewalk near the Jack in the Box. He was really happy to receive some help and ended up getting some clothes too. When I asked if there was anything special he needed (before I prayed for him) he said he needed to pay someone back the $10 he owed them. Ten bucks seemed to be the going rate Sunday for people needing money. I think three people asked for that same amount (No, I didn't have it to give out).
I drove over to Cloud Nine Alley and still no one is living there either. It's been over a month now and no one is there to pray for (except for Pastor Rodriguez' church). I drove on down to skid row. I parked in front of the police station and got out to start prayer-walking. I asked God to give me someone to pray for during this walk. I was hoping to see Everett Whaley from a couple of weeks ago, but I'm not real hopeful of seeing him again at this point. Anyway, about half-way through the walk a man is walking towards me with a jacket on with no shirt underneath. I don't even remember how our conversation started, but he came up to me and asked how I was doing! I've never seen this man before (his name was Jimmy), so I was a little surprised but not too surprised. I told him I was prayer-walking down there. I asked him what he was up to and he told me he was trying to get into one of the missions later, but needed to 'clear his head first." He then asked me if I would remember to pray for him! I said, "Let me pray for you right now." When I asked God to clear Jimmy's mind and help him to make good decisions I heard him groan in agreement. When we were done Jimmy told me he was hungry. I told him I had food in my car, which was parked in front of the police station and I would be back there in about twenty minutes if he wanted to meet me there. I never saw him again, although when I got back there I waited for awhile. While waiting another man walked up to me and said, "Amigo." Now I don't think that I look like I speak spanish at all, so it was surprising that this guy walked up to me and started talking in spanish. I ended up praying with him too. In the end, I had asked God to give me one person to pray with, and He ended up sending me two and one in a foreign language just to show me how awesome and in control He is!!!
Before leaving I saw Michael, who is back living under the 4th St bridge. When I pulled up he was reading a gospel of John booklet (he was in chapter 9). We talked for quite a while, probably thirty minutes or so. He ended up with a pair of shoes, but didn't need the last bag of food I had. That worked out pretty good, because I found a man named Benny on the sidewalk on 7th St. who did need it. Now when I asked Benny (he was from New York) if he needed some food I had just pulled up in my car and was still sitting in it. He thanked me for the food and then said something I'll never forget. He said, "Do you have any clothes? These clothes I have are full of bugs!" It was a plea from a man desperate for relief. I hopped out of the car and gave him a new set of clothes to wear. He was very old and extremely skinny. I had a pair of pants that I didn't think I'd be able to give away because they were so skinny in the waiste, but they appeared to be able to fit this guy. I've had people complain before about lice being in their clothes from living on the street. I tend to forget about that problem because I don't hear the complaint very often. How miserable it must be to live with that problem and not be able to do anything about it because you don't have any other clothes to wear. I'm so glad to be able to help these people. --Until next week. John
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Downtown 11/21/2011
Then the king will say "Come...for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink..." --Matthew 25:34-35
This week's trip ended up being on a Monday in the middle of the day, which is not exactly my favorite time to go. However, bringing relief to the homeless is welcomed by them any time and any day of the week. I haven't seen Phillip or Nancy in the Lincoln Park area in over a year now. That hasn't stopped me from going and looking anyway. As I drove by where they used to stay I saw a man and a woman there at right about the same place. There was another man a few yards away from them, but I couldn't park at the curb right by them. After driving around I found a place to park not too far from where they all were and took a couple of bags of food with me. When I got there I met Tony and Debra. I asked about Phillip and Nancy and Debra did know them. She told me they had gotten a place to stay, but indicated they wouldn't be able to stay there much longer. Both of these folks were about the same age as Phillip and Nancy. Debra said she and Tony had been staying at this spot for about a month or so. I left a bag of food with them and gave the other one to Henry, the man who was living a few yards away from them. I had met Henry earlier in the year shortly before summer. He told me then that he was a farm laborer and was waiting for watermelon season. Monday he told me that this season wasn't very good, but he was getting along OK, just not good enough to afford a place to stay. As I recall he was almost 70 years old. He looks remarkably fit for someone that age. I prayed with him before walking back to my car, which he appreciated. I had asked Debra if they needed some water. I told her I had some in my car and I would drive back by and pass it to her from the curb. When I drove up she came over to the car and got it and saw some cans of ravioli that I had out on the seat. I was intending to give them to her and when she said she loved ravioli and Tony really liked the Chunky soup in the bag I gave her both cans and a jar of peanut butter. I told her the peanut butter they could use with the loaf of bread in the bag. She seemed very thankful and said, "God bless you." She then asked if I would remember to pray for them. I told her, "Let me pray for you right now." So holding her hand through the window I prayed for her and Tony. You would have thought from her reaction that I was the only one who had ever prayed for her (maybe I was). Debra looked like she had lived on the street for a long time, but she was in tears when I drove away. Despite the hardened appearance, even the toughest looking people are like little children inside.
In the course of the next hour and half, I drove over to Cloud Nine Alley (still no one living in the alley) and prayer-walked on skid row. I looked for Everett Whaley from last week, but didn't see him. I had told him last week that I come down there on Sundays, so on a Monday he may not have been around anymore. I hope he has found a safe place to live. I ended up stopping by to see John Stokes and David. I had bought some rodent poison to help them with their rat problem and wanted to make sure they got it. John was there, but David wasn't. John had been very sick the last time I saw him. He was better, but said he was still pretty weak from the whole ordeal. I'm sure the cold weather isn't helping. When I gave him the jar of peanut butter he said, "I love peanut butter. I could eat this whole jar." I wanted to make sure they had enough food to last through Thanksgiving on Thursday. I got to say a Thanksgiving prayer with John before I left.
I thought I only had one bag of food left at this point and I had seen some homeless people near Daley St and North Main. I recognized one of them as a woman I've helped before. I was a little leary of giving one bag of food to her with two other men there, but I decided I'd head back there and see if anyone was still there. On the way, I saw a young twenty-something man looking through a trash can under a freeway, by a bus stop. I circled back and gave the last bag to him. He was obviously very needy, but didn't want to talk much. I think he was embarrassed about his situation. Hopefully, the bag of food will give him some needed relief from hunger over the next few days.
As I drove on home at this point, I didn't realize that I still had one bag of food left on the floor of the back seat. I didn't notice it until I was half-way home. By this time it was night-time and I really don't know the 'turf' where the homeless are staying in the San Gabriel Valley like I do downtown. I was kind of disappointed with the whole trip. I guess mainly because I didn't have a real 'remarkable' encounter. Thinking back I was grateful for the encounter with Debra and Tony even if it just meant that I heard news about Phillip and Nancy. I have a feeling that those receiving the food and water were sure glad I made the trip too. The scripture quoted above was read in church on Sunday. I've heard and read it many times. As I've said before, I try to bring a piece of God's Kingdom to these people each time I go. Along with the food and water, at least a 'piece of His heart." --Until next week. John
This week's trip ended up being on a Monday in the middle of the day, which is not exactly my favorite time to go. However, bringing relief to the homeless is welcomed by them any time and any day of the week. I haven't seen Phillip or Nancy in the Lincoln Park area in over a year now. That hasn't stopped me from going and looking anyway. As I drove by where they used to stay I saw a man and a woman there at right about the same place. There was another man a few yards away from them, but I couldn't park at the curb right by them. After driving around I found a place to park not too far from where they all were and took a couple of bags of food with me. When I got there I met Tony and Debra. I asked about Phillip and Nancy and Debra did know them. She told me they had gotten a place to stay, but indicated they wouldn't be able to stay there much longer. Both of these folks were about the same age as Phillip and Nancy. Debra said she and Tony had been staying at this spot for about a month or so. I left a bag of food with them and gave the other one to Henry, the man who was living a few yards away from them. I had met Henry earlier in the year shortly before summer. He told me then that he was a farm laborer and was waiting for watermelon season. Monday he told me that this season wasn't very good, but he was getting along OK, just not good enough to afford a place to stay. As I recall he was almost 70 years old. He looks remarkably fit for someone that age. I prayed with him before walking back to my car, which he appreciated. I had asked Debra if they needed some water. I told her I had some in my car and I would drive back by and pass it to her from the curb. When I drove up she came over to the car and got it and saw some cans of ravioli that I had out on the seat. I was intending to give them to her and when she said she loved ravioli and Tony really liked the Chunky soup in the bag I gave her both cans and a jar of peanut butter. I told her the peanut butter they could use with the loaf of bread in the bag. She seemed very thankful and said, "God bless you." She then asked if I would remember to pray for them. I told her, "Let me pray for you right now." So holding her hand through the window I prayed for her and Tony. You would have thought from her reaction that I was the only one who had ever prayed for her (maybe I was). Debra looked like she had lived on the street for a long time, but she was in tears when I drove away. Despite the hardened appearance, even the toughest looking people are like little children inside.
In the course of the next hour and half, I drove over to Cloud Nine Alley (still no one living in the alley) and prayer-walked on skid row. I looked for Everett Whaley from last week, but didn't see him. I had told him last week that I come down there on Sundays, so on a Monday he may not have been around anymore. I hope he has found a safe place to live. I ended up stopping by to see John Stokes and David. I had bought some rodent poison to help them with their rat problem and wanted to make sure they got it. John was there, but David wasn't. John had been very sick the last time I saw him. He was better, but said he was still pretty weak from the whole ordeal. I'm sure the cold weather isn't helping. When I gave him the jar of peanut butter he said, "I love peanut butter. I could eat this whole jar." I wanted to make sure they had enough food to last through Thanksgiving on Thursday. I got to say a Thanksgiving prayer with John before I left.
I thought I only had one bag of food left at this point and I had seen some homeless people near Daley St and North Main. I recognized one of them as a woman I've helped before. I was a little leary of giving one bag of food to her with two other men there, but I decided I'd head back there and see if anyone was still there. On the way, I saw a young twenty-something man looking through a trash can under a freeway, by a bus stop. I circled back and gave the last bag to him. He was obviously very needy, but didn't want to talk much. I think he was embarrassed about his situation. Hopefully, the bag of food will give him some needed relief from hunger over the next few days.
As I drove on home at this point, I didn't realize that I still had one bag of food left on the floor of the back seat. I didn't notice it until I was half-way home. By this time it was night-time and I really don't know the 'turf' where the homeless are staying in the San Gabriel Valley like I do downtown. I was kind of disappointed with the whole trip. I guess mainly because I didn't have a real 'remarkable' encounter. Thinking back I was grateful for the encounter with Debra and Tony even if it just meant that I heard news about Phillip and Nancy. I have a feeling that those receiving the food and water were sure glad I made the trip too. The scripture quoted above was read in church on Sunday. I've heard and read it many times. As I've said before, I try to bring a piece of God's Kingdom to these people each time I go. Along with the food and water, at least a 'piece of His heart." --Until next week. John
Monday, November 14, 2011
Downtown 11/13/2011
"The LORD took note and listened (to those who still revered Him)... They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them....Then once more you shall see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve Him."--Malachi 3:16-13
Yesterday's message in church was, in part, on this passage from the prophet Malachi. The prophet was concerned that the wicked were prospering and the righteous were struggling and the the 'people' were getting an impression of God that He didn't care or wasn't going to do anything about the increase in lawlessness that was rampant in society. Sounds familiar doesn't it? God's response was, "Just you wait and see what happens when I put things right." The inference was for the people who continue to follow the ways of God to keep it up. Don't succumb to the way the society is going. Keep on keeping on. As the morning at church ended and opportunities to do other things came up it was tempting to just 'take the rest of the day off'. I had bought food to take downtown the night before and had everything ready to go there, yet I was feeling kind of lazy. As it turned out I went on downtown shortly after getting home even though I was pretty tired. I drove on down to Lincoln Park and rested in my car for about a half an hour and finally got started looking for people to help at around 3 p.m. Since this is the first trip after daylight savings time ended, I was only going to have about 2 hours of daylight left and needed to get going. The first 4 or 5 people I gave food to were needy enough, but I didn't end up praying with anyone and I felt the trip was being wasted. I stopped at the Jack in the Box to get a cup of coffee and a quick snack, hoping to improve my energy level. As I walked in there was a woman who looked homeless walking out the door. She had a cup of coffee in her hand. I figured that was all she could afford. I ordered, used the rest room and sat down and waited for my order. She had positioned herself by a trash can outside the door and just on the other side of the glass wall where I was sitting. When my order came, two tacos and a cup of coffee, I decided to give one of the tacos to her. Her name was Darlene and she was waiting for someone to give her a ride to a doctor. She didn't say what her ailment was. I commented to her that despite all the grease in the taco, they sure did taste good. She agreed they did.
After leaving there I gave out the last of the food bags and drove over to Cloud Nine Alley. I haven't seen Ray or any evidence of anyone living there in the alley for over a month. I then headed down to skid row. I had driven down there already, but the free parking in front of the police station was full. I was hoping by now there may be a couple of spots open. Somewhere around Olympic and Broadway I saw a most pathetic looking homeless man laying on the corner. His hair was all matted and with his beard you could hardly make out his face. The clothes he had on were the only thing he had. He had nothing else around him except for a styrofoam cup that was empty. I drove around the block to find a place to park near him. When I got out of the car I heard him yelling something, but I couldn't make out what it was. As I got closer someone walked around the corner in front of him and he yelled again. I thought to myself, "Well this could be interesting" as I set a can of soup with a spoon down right in front of him. I told him simply, "This is for you." He grabbed the can of soup and pulled it close to him. I turned to walk back to my car not knowing if the can was going to be thrown at the back of my head. I got to my car and started to drive on down the street. As I drove by where he was sitting on the sidewalk I could see he had already opened the can and was starting to eat out of it. Perhaps a meal in his stomach would calm him down.
I headed on down to skid row and this time found a place to park in front of the police station. Three weeks ago I had noticed a sign on the roof of a corner building on 6th and Los Angeles St. advertising for blankets. I decided to walk down there and check it out. It was still light out, probably around 4:30 p.m. The retail stores in the area were starting to close up, but there were still a lot of people walking around. Los Angeles Street, in particular, was filled with people walking around. I looked from the sidewalk at several of the stores. Most of them in that section were selling various combinations of fabric, rugs, comforters and blankets. None looked to have the kind of blankets I was looking for. I looked across the street at the stores over there and was just about to cross the street when a man came up to me and asked for some help. He had just arrived from Tuscon, Arizona the day before (probably arrived at the El Paso/LA bus depot across from the police station). He had spent the night in the lobby of the police station after he had been beaten up and robbed of the $800.00 he had on him. The police wouldn't let him leave until morning because they feared he might be attacked again by the same people thinking he had more money on him (which he didn't). He was trying to sell me his watch for $3 because he didn't have any money left and didn't want to just ask for a hand-out. I told him I come downtown once a week to help people out just like him, but the food I had was back in my car, parked in front of the police station. So as we walked back to my car together he told me his recent difficulties. He was 63 years old and was a church-going man all his life and was hoping to become an ordained minister. He told me when he saw me he felt the Lord telling him to "Go talk to this man." I gave him some food and clothing. He had a traveling bag and a jacket, but couldn't carry very much more, otherwise I would have given him more food. I gave him the last $10 I had on me and told him to keep his watch. He may need it another day. We prayed, hugged and prayed somemore. He was so thankful that he followed God's 'instructions' (so was I) and approached me for help.
When I left the area and started to process the trip on the way home, I couldn't help but think back to the morning's message at church and how, the prophet Malachi was telling the people to keep following the Lord and His ways that it does make a difference. What would have happened to this man, his name is Everett Whaley, if I hadn't gone down there. What would have happened if Everett hadn't been obedient and approached me for help. Yes, God could have used someone else to help him. But this way, we both know he was helped. We were both blessed and encouraged by the encounter. It was a privilege to be a part of it.--Until next week--John
Yesterday's message in church was, in part, on this passage from the prophet Malachi. The prophet was concerned that the wicked were prospering and the righteous were struggling and the the 'people' were getting an impression of God that He didn't care or wasn't going to do anything about the increase in lawlessness that was rampant in society. Sounds familiar doesn't it? God's response was, "Just you wait and see what happens when I put things right." The inference was for the people who continue to follow the ways of God to keep it up. Don't succumb to the way the society is going. Keep on keeping on. As the morning at church ended and opportunities to do other things came up it was tempting to just 'take the rest of the day off'. I had bought food to take downtown the night before and had everything ready to go there, yet I was feeling kind of lazy. As it turned out I went on downtown shortly after getting home even though I was pretty tired. I drove on down to Lincoln Park and rested in my car for about a half an hour and finally got started looking for people to help at around 3 p.m. Since this is the first trip after daylight savings time ended, I was only going to have about 2 hours of daylight left and needed to get going. The first 4 or 5 people I gave food to were needy enough, but I didn't end up praying with anyone and I felt the trip was being wasted. I stopped at the Jack in the Box to get a cup of coffee and a quick snack, hoping to improve my energy level. As I walked in there was a woman who looked homeless walking out the door. She had a cup of coffee in her hand. I figured that was all she could afford. I ordered, used the rest room and sat down and waited for my order. She had positioned herself by a trash can outside the door and just on the other side of the glass wall where I was sitting. When my order came, two tacos and a cup of coffee, I decided to give one of the tacos to her. Her name was Darlene and she was waiting for someone to give her a ride to a doctor. She didn't say what her ailment was. I commented to her that despite all the grease in the taco, they sure did taste good. She agreed they did.
After leaving there I gave out the last of the food bags and drove over to Cloud Nine Alley. I haven't seen Ray or any evidence of anyone living there in the alley for over a month. I then headed down to skid row. I had driven down there already, but the free parking in front of the police station was full. I was hoping by now there may be a couple of spots open. Somewhere around Olympic and Broadway I saw a most pathetic looking homeless man laying on the corner. His hair was all matted and with his beard you could hardly make out his face. The clothes he had on were the only thing he had. He had nothing else around him except for a styrofoam cup that was empty. I drove around the block to find a place to park near him. When I got out of the car I heard him yelling something, but I couldn't make out what it was. As I got closer someone walked around the corner in front of him and he yelled again. I thought to myself, "Well this could be interesting" as I set a can of soup with a spoon down right in front of him. I told him simply, "This is for you." He grabbed the can of soup and pulled it close to him. I turned to walk back to my car not knowing if the can was going to be thrown at the back of my head. I got to my car and started to drive on down the street. As I drove by where he was sitting on the sidewalk I could see he had already opened the can and was starting to eat out of it. Perhaps a meal in his stomach would calm him down.
I headed on down to skid row and this time found a place to park in front of the police station. Three weeks ago I had noticed a sign on the roof of a corner building on 6th and Los Angeles St. advertising for blankets. I decided to walk down there and check it out. It was still light out, probably around 4:30 p.m. The retail stores in the area were starting to close up, but there were still a lot of people walking around. Los Angeles Street, in particular, was filled with people walking around. I looked from the sidewalk at several of the stores. Most of them in that section were selling various combinations of fabric, rugs, comforters and blankets. None looked to have the kind of blankets I was looking for. I looked across the street at the stores over there and was just about to cross the street when a man came up to me and asked for some help. He had just arrived from Tuscon, Arizona the day before (probably arrived at the El Paso/LA bus depot across from the police station). He had spent the night in the lobby of the police station after he had been beaten up and robbed of the $800.00 he had on him. The police wouldn't let him leave until morning because they feared he might be attacked again by the same people thinking he had more money on him (which he didn't). He was trying to sell me his watch for $3 because he didn't have any money left and didn't want to just ask for a hand-out. I told him I come downtown once a week to help people out just like him, but the food I had was back in my car, parked in front of the police station. So as we walked back to my car together he told me his recent difficulties. He was 63 years old and was a church-going man all his life and was hoping to become an ordained minister. He told me when he saw me he felt the Lord telling him to "Go talk to this man." I gave him some food and clothing. He had a traveling bag and a jacket, but couldn't carry very much more, otherwise I would have given him more food. I gave him the last $10 I had on me and told him to keep his watch. He may need it another day. We prayed, hugged and prayed somemore. He was so thankful that he followed God's 'instructions' (so was I) and approached me for help.
When I left the area and started to process the trip on the way home, I couldn't help but think back to the morning's message at church and how, the prophet Malachi was telling the people to keep following the Lord and His ways that it does make a difference. What would have happened to this man, his name is Everett Whaley, if I hadn't gone down there. What would have happened if Everett hadn't been obedient and approached me for help. Yes, God could have used someone else to help him. But this way, we both know he was helped. We were both blessed and encouraged by the encounter. It was a privilege to be a part of it.--Until next week--John
Monday, October 31, 2011
10/30/2011-Downtown-Don't Pass Me By
"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind and you will be blessed. Although, they cannot repay you, you will be repayed..." --Luke 14:13-14
It had been nearly eleven months since I did the last barbecue downtown. Yesterday would be the last Sunday of daylight savings time so I picked this weekend to do it again. I had told Willie and Tara Lee that this weekend we'd do it and to invite their friends to come. I even had to go downtown last Wednesday for a work issue and when I was done I drove by their alley to remind them again about the barbecue. Now just so you know, I'm a pretty normal person and I worried about the turn-out the rest of the week. It's quite a project to get all the stuff purchased and in the car and not forget something. Would anyone besides Willie and Tara be there? Would they even be there? It's possible they could be run-off by then. Would too many people show up and I wouldn't have enough food? Jesus may be able to feed the five thousand on five loaves of bread and a couple of fish, but I'm not used to hamburgers multiplying. "Oh Lord, please show up and make this go right!" Well, the day arrived and I packed up my car. I got half-way down there and realized I had everything but the charcoal briquets. Yes I had some at home, but not in the car. I had told them I'd be there between 2 and 3 p.m. Well I would have been there at 2 p.m. but now I was going to have to find a store and buy the briquets. I knew there was a Smart and Final store down there, but wouldn't you know it I couldn't find it now that I was looking for it. I decided to drive by the alley and tell my friends what was happening. As I drove down the alley, EJ was waving to me. Chris was there too and they had set up a coffee table with some newspapers on top of it for me to set up shop. I told them what was happening and they told me where there was a store nearby where I could buy the briquets. On my way out of the alley a woman was standing near a building and she asked me, "Am I too late?" I told her "No, I just need to go to the store real quick and I'll be right back." When I got back it was about 2:45 p.m., she wasn't there but about 8 or 9 men were there. A couple of them I didn't know, but most of them I did know. I had been a little concerned about how to do everything without a table, and the coffee table was a big help, but I could have used a much larger (and higher) table. Anyway, logistically it all worked out, a few other people came by and end the end there were about a dozen people served. You know I had always wanted to do this with a group of homeless folks, but figured that I would have to always set up shop at several different locations to reach people because they don't have transportation. Well, by getting the word out and letting the people that I do know spread the word to their friends it works out OK. We had potato chips, hamburgers, sausages, canned vegetables, cookies and chilled water and soda. Of course, before I left I gave out some chocolate candy for "Halloween".
OK, enough about the logistics....so what really happened? When we think about barbecues, whether they were with our families or with our friends, we usually remember them as being a good time. I so much wanted this day to be a good time and a family-type time for these people. Chris told me he was so looking forward to the barbecue all week that he had gotten there in the morning because he didn't want to miss it. I had wanted to video record some clips, but it just didn't work-out this time. I had bought a small camera on the way down there to do it, but we couldn't figure it out in time to do it. One of the guys yesterday, they call he "Dreds" because he wears his hair that way was able to figure out how to get the camera to take pictures so we could look at them. He told me I had helped him and his girlfriend in this same alley earlier this year. Some of the other guys who came by later I had helped out from time to time. They all knew me, but I didn't recognize all of them right away. When I prayed before we ate, I thanked God for always providing for us. I acknowledged that sometimes the provision comes later than we sometimes hope for and sometimes it isn't what we expected, but we're still standing (there were a lot of groans of acknowledgement at this point) and I still thanked God for that provision. When I finished Tara started singing the chorus to the song, "Don't pass me by". I wasn't real familiar with the song, but looked it up on youtube today. There are a few versions of it, including one done with a mime acting it out (yeah I know you don't like mimes). However, it was this version that finally got the message of the song through to me. It is basically the story of the blind man on the side of the road who won't keep quiet when he hears Jesus is passing by. He makes such a noise to get Jesus' attention that the people standing around tell him to shut-up, but he refuses to keep quiet. Jesus ends up healing the man as He passes by. From a homeless man's perspective it was quite a poignant moment yesterday. Everyone clapped. I told them the last song we sang at church yesterday was "everyone's" favorite song. Someone burted out, "Amazing Grace?" I said, "That's the one." I also told them about something I saw in church that morning that reminded me of them. Before the service starts there is a screen where the announcements are given about upcoming events. One of the screens was an announcemnt for a group for Moms where they get together to pray for their kids and each other. The picture on the screen was of a half a dozen small children with the line, "Mom will you pray for us?" When I saw it I thought of my friends downtown. I told them yesterday, that "I know the police can be your best friend and your worst enemy and so can other homeless people. They too can be your best friend and your worst enemy. I want you to know that I'm your friend and I always pray for you." They told me they knew it and always feel blessed when I come by. I was humbled.
It was about 5:30 p.m. when the last burger was eaten and I then started packing the car up. As is my custom, I prayed with them before leaving. I prayed about how hard the rules and scriptures in the Old Testament are to understand and follow, but how thankful we are that God sent His Son to show us, by example, how to live. It was a memorable day. Everyone ate till they were full, everyone enjoyed the time and there were no harsh words spoken by anyone. It was truly amazing. I give all the praise and glory to God, for without Him I couldn't do this. For it's times like yesterday, that I needed God's Spirit to show up and work on our hearts. I started this ministry because I just wanted to be near were God was working. My only wish is that I had started doing this years sooner. As I have grown spiritually during these last two and a half years, the goal now each week is to simply bring the Kingdom of God to these people, if only for a short time. Yesterday it really happened. --Until next time. John
P.S. I had three cooked burgers left in the end. I stopped by where John Stokes and David live under the freeway on Elwood St. They got the last of them. John has been sick lately and very weak. He didn't have enough energy to go to the Jack in the Box and hustle money for a burger. It's great when even the left-overs meet peoples needs. Below are some pictures from the barbecue.
The picture on the left is of Willie, Chis, EJ and Dred. The one on the right is Willie, Me, Chris and EJ in the front. Dred took the picture. The one below is of Prince and Chris.
It had been nearly eleven months since I did the last barbecue downtown. Yesterday would be the last Sunday of daylight savings time so I picked this weekend to do it again. I had told Willie and Tara Lee that this weekend we'd do it and to invite their friends to come. I even had to go downtown last Wednesday for a work issue and when I was done I drove by their alley to remind them again about the barbecue. Now just so you know, I'm a pretty normal person and I worried about the turn-out the rest of the week. It's quite a project to get all the stuff purchased and in the car and not forget something. Would anyone besides Willie and Tara be there? Would they even be there? It's possible they could be run-off by then. Would too many people show up and I wouldn't have enough food? Jesus may be able to feed the five thousand on five loaves of bread and a couple of fish, but I'm not used to hamburgers multiplying. "Oh Lord, please show up and make this go right!" Well, the day arrived and I packed up my car. I got half-way down there and realized I had everything but the charcoal briquets. Yes I had some at home, but not in the car. I had told them I'd be there between 2 and 3 p.m. Well I would have been there at 2 p.m. but now I was going to have to find a store and buy the briquets. I knew there was a Smart and Final store down there, but wouldn't you know it I couldn't find it now that I was looking for it. I decided to drive by the alley and tell my friends what was happening. As I drove down the alley, EJ was waving to me. Chris was there too and they had set up a coffee table with some newspapers on top of it for me to set up shop. I told them what was happening and they told me where there was a store nearby where I could buy the briquets. On my way out of the alley a woman was standing near a building and she asked me, "Am I too late?" I told her "No, I just need to go to the store real quick and I'll be right back." When I got back it was about 2:45 p.m., she wasn't there but about 8 or 9 men were there. A couple of them I didn't know, but most of them I did know. I had been a little concerned about how to do everything without a table, and the coffee table was a big help, but I could have used a much larger (and higher) table. Anyway, logistically it all worked out, a few other people came by and end the end there were about a dozen people served. You know I had always wanted to do this with a group of homeless folks, but figured that I would have to always set up shop at several different locations to reach people because they don't have transportation. Well, by getting the word out and letting the people that I do know spread the word to their friends it works out OK. We had potato chips, hamburgers, sausages, canned vegetables, cookies and chilled water and soda. Of course, before I left I gave out some chocolate candy for "Halloween".
OK, enough about the logistics....so what really happened? When we think about barbecues, whether they were with our families or with our friends, we usually remember them as being a good time. I so much wanted this day to be a good time and a family-type time for these people. Chris told me he was so looking forward to the barbecue all week that he had gotten there in the morning because he didn't want to miss it. I had wanted to video record some clips, but it just didn't work-out this time. I had bought a small camera on the way down there to do it, but we couldn't figure it out in time to do it. One of the guys yesterday, they call he "Dreds" because he wears his hair that way was able to figure out how to get the camera to take pictures so we could look at them. He told me I had helped him and his girlfriend in this same alley earlier this year. Some of the other guys who came by later I had helped out from time to time. They all knew me, but I didn't recognize all of them right away. When I prayed before we ate, I thanked God for always providing for us. I acknowledged that sometimes the provision comes later than we sometimes hope for and sometimes it isn't what we expected, but we're still standing (there were a lot of groans of acknowledgement at this point) and I still thanked God for that provision. When I finished Tara started singing the chorus to the song, "Don't pass me by". I wasn't real familiar with the song, but looked it up on youtube today. There are a few versions of it, including one done with a mime acting it out (yeah I know you don't like mimes). However, it was this version that finally got the message of the song through to me. It is basically the story of the blind man on the side of the road who won't keep quiet when he hears Jesus is passing by. He makes such a noise to get Jesus' attention that the people standing around tell him to shut-up, but he refuses to keep quiet. Jesus ends up healing the man as He passes by. From a homeless man's perspective it was quite a poignant moment yesterday. Everyone clapped. I told them the last song we sang at church yesterday was "everyone's" favorite song. Someone burted out, "Amazing Grace?" I said, "That's the one." I also told them about something I saw in church that morning that reminded me of them. Before the service starts there is a screen where the announcements are given about upcoming events. One of the screens was an announcemnt for a group for Moms where they get together to pray for their kids and each other. The picture on the screen was of a half a dozen small children with the line, "Mom will you pray for us?" When I saw it I thought of my friends downtown. I told them yesterday, that "I know the police can be your best friend and your worst enemy and so can other homeless people. They too can be your best friend and your worst enemy. I want you to know that I'm your friend and I always pray for you." They told me they knew it and always feel blessed when I come by. I was humbled.
It was about 5:30 p.m. when the last burger was eaten and I then started packing the car up. As is my custom, I prayed with them before leaving. I prayed about how hard the rules and scriptures in the Old Testament are to understand and follow, but how thankful we are that God sent His Son to show us, by example, how to live. It was a memorable day. Everyone ate till they were full, everyone enjoyed the time and there were no harsh words spoken by anyone. It was truly amazing. I give all the praise and glory to God, for without Him I couldn't do this. For it's times like yesterday, that I needed God's Spirit to show up and work on our hearts. I started this ministry because I just wanted to be near were God was working. My only wish is that I had started doing this years sooner. As I have grown spiritually during these last two and a half years, the goal now each week is to simply bring the Kingdom of God to these people, if only for a short time. Yesterday it really happened. --Until next time. John
P.S. I had three cooked burgers left in the end. I stopped by where John Stokes and David live under the freeway on Elwood St. They got the last of them. John has been sick lately and very weak. He didn't have enough energy to go to the Jack in the Box and hustle money for a burger. It's great when even the left-overs meet peoples needs. Below are some pictures from the barbecue.
The picture on the left is of Willie, Chis, EJ and Dred. The one on the right is Willie, Me, Chris and EJ in the front. Dred took the picture. The one below is of Prince and Chris.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Downtown 10/23/2011
When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, don't go back to get it, it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so the LORD your God may bless you in all your undertakings. --Deuteronomy 24:19
Last week was my first week with my new day schedule at work. This means I finish my work week on Saturday night and actually have a normal sleep schedule. So I had't quite decided what to do about this week's trip. Whether to continue to go in the evening, focusing on the streets near skid row and buy food when I got down there or revert back to the way I used to do it and buy bags of food supplies to last someone several days (instead of just one meal). While resting in the afternoon (I'm still used to sleeping in the afternoons) a friend came by with some loaves of bread and other food supplies like I used to bring! Well, that settled it. I still didn't make it down there until close to dusk, but I went with the loaves of bread, cans of soup and cookies supplies. He also had three jars of peanut butter and that proved to be a hit with some of the folks too. With peanut butter and a loaf of bread, one can eat for several days.
I arrived shortly after 6 p.m. but there wasn't going to be much daylight left. I started by going to Lincoln Park (I hadn't been there in months) and saw Ceasar begging on the corner by the park. He got the first bag and I noticed when he thanked me that his english is improving. He immediately walked away and started eating stuff from the bag. It looked like he probably hadn't eaten all day. I looked for Phillip and Nancy and even Luis, but no one else was around the park area that I knew. I left there and drove back into the downtown area and found Robert on 4th St. just off Alameda. He was just standing around there, kind of shuffling because it was starting to get cold. He had on two light-weight jackets. I asked him if he was hungry and he told me he was. After giving him some food and water I asked if there was anything else he needed. He told me he could use a blanket if I had one, but all I had were sweaters. I looked around in the trunk for the largest one I could find and put that around his shoulders. Usually, I've been passing food through the window to Robert, so since I was standing outside next to him I took the opportunity to pray with him. I asked what size pants he wore and told him I'd start looking for a pair his size to bring to him. Robert lives across the street from a very small gas station/truck stop and exists off the generosity of the people passing by in the area. On the weekends, it's pretty deserted. I'm sure he goes without food a lot.
I drove across town using 14th and Pico streets to get to Olive St. I gave another bag of food out to a man named Rodrick on 14th. When I got to Olive St, I didn't see anyone at the spots where the homeless usually hang-out so I went on down to skid row and parked in front of the police station. A block before the police station I noticed at least a dozen cars parked on the left side of the street with their flashers flashing and crowds of people on the sidewalk. After parking I walked back there to see what was going on. As I got out of the car, a man was just walking up from that area and said, "They're giving out stuff!" He had only gotten a couple of nutri-bars and so I asked him if he needed some food, his name was Art. He told me he did, (I'm still not certain why he didn't get more from the people on the other block) so I gave him a bag of food. This was one of the bags with a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. When he saw the peanut butter he got so excited you would have thought I'd given him a hundred bucks! I told him I usually don't give out food without praying for the person, so he gladly accepted the prayer too. I walked on down to the other block to see what was going on. It looked like a church group had brought down a bunch of supplies to hand-out to the homeless people. They were pretty much all college-age people. After standing around and observing for awhile I walked back to where my car was. I had seen a man sitting on the steps by the police station when I first pulled up and now I slowly started up a conversation with him while continuing to watch what was going on back down the street. His name was Terry and we talked for probably thirty minutes. He was originally from the Hollywood area, but moved to the Detroit area as a child. He had been back out here now for over 10 years. It turns out he had been to college, including some bible colleges back there that I wasn't familiar with. He had even been involved in missions work through these colleges. Somewhere along the line, he became disillusioned with the directon these organizations were going. I don't think he lost his faith, but he certainly lost faith in the institutions. We prayed together and hugged. I think he felt a lot better when I left.
As I left the area I gave out the last two bags of food to some homeless people on the corner of Wall St and about 9th St. The man's name was Derek and the woman's name was Jamaica (probably not her real name). The man was obviously homeless (he had a shopping cart, right?), but the woman, really didn't look the part. It's at times like this that I think about motives and how pure my own motives are when I pray and ask God for him to get involved in whatever it is I'm asking about. Does he look at me and my requests the same way I looked at this woman and her request? I'm sure I've given away food and other items to people who just wanted to know what they could get from me. Hopefully, in most of those cases the items ended up in the hands of people who did need them. In my case, I wonder if the silence I experience from God, is really not so silent. Is he answering in a way to draw a deeper and more engaging conversation/relationship with me and I just go on about my life unaware? I think these encounters with the homeless take on a more far-reaching importance than what I see in the moment.
Before leaving the area I prayer-walked on Cloud Nine Alley. Ray's spot seems to be unlived in for a few days. Pastor Rodriguez was preaching, but I didn't go inside. I did stop by the alley where Willie and Tara Lee live. Since there is only one more weekend of daylight savings time we set up this next weekend to do a barbecue. I told them I'd be there between 2-3p.m and to invite their friends. We'll see how it goes. Please pray that I can reach a group of people with God's love. Until next week. John
Last week was my first week with my new day schedule at work. This means I finish my work week on Saturday night and actually have a normal sleep schedule. So I had't quite decided what to do about this week's trip. Whether to continue to go in the evening, focusing on the streets near skid row and buy food when I got down there or revert back to the way I used to do it and buy bags of food supplies to last someone several days (instead of just one meal). While resting in the afternoon (I'm still used to sleeping in the afternoons) a friend came by with some loaves of bread and other food supplies like I used to bring! Well, that settled it. I still didn't make it down there until close to dusk, but I went with the loaves of bread, cans of soup and cookies supplies. He also had three jars of peanut butter and that proved to be a hit with some of the folks too. With peanut butter and a loaf of bread, one can eat for several days.
I arrived shortly after 6 p.m. but there wasn't going to be much daylight left. I started by going to Lincoln Park (I hadn't been there in months) and saw Ceasar begging on the corner by the park. He got the first bag and I noticed when he thanked me that his english is improving. He immediately walked away and started eating stuff from the bag. It looked like he probably hadn't eaten all day. I looked for Phillip and Nancy and even Luis, but no one else was around the park area that I knew. I left there and drove back into the downtown area and found Robert on 4th St. just off Alameda. He was just standing around there, kind of shuffling because it was starting to get cold. He had on two light-weight jackets. I asked him if he was hungry and he told me he was. After giving him some food and water I asked if there was anything else he needed. He told me he could use a blanket if I had one, but all I had were sweaters. I looked around in the trunk for the largest one I could find and put that around his shoulders. Usually, I've been passing food through the window to Robert, so since I was standing outside next to him I took the opportunity to pray with him. I asked what size pants he wore and told him I'd start looking for a pair his size to bring to him. Robert lives across the street from a very small gas station/truck stop and exists off the generosity of the people passing by in the area. On the weekends, it's pretty deserted. I'm sure he goes without food a lot.
I drove across town using 14th and Pico streets to get to Olive St. I gave another bag of food out to a man named Rodrick on 14th. When I got to Olive St, I didn't see anyone at the spots where the homeless usually hang-out so I went on down to skid row and parked in front of the police station. A block before the police station I noticed at least a dozen cars parked on the left side of the street with their flashers flashing and crowds of people on the sidewalk. After parking I walked back there to see what was going on. As I got out of the car, a man was just walking up from that area and said, "They're giving out stuff!" He had only gotten a couple of nutri-bars and so I asked him if he needed some food, his name was Art. He told me he did, (I'm still not certain why he didn't get more from the people on the other block) so I gave him a bag of food. This was one of the bags with a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. When he saw the peanut butter he got so excited you would have thought I'd given him a hundred bucks! I told him I usually don't give out food without praying for the person, so he gladly accepted the prayer too. I walked on down to the other block to see what was going on. It looked like a church group had brought down a bunch of supplies to hand-out to the homeless people. They were pretty much all college-age people. After standing around and observing for awhile I walked back to where my car was. I had seen a man sitting on the steps by the police station when I first pulled up and now I slowly started up a conversation with him while continuing to watch what was going on back down the street. His name was Terry and we talked for probably thirty minutes. He was originally from the Hollywood area, but moved to the Detroit area as a child. He had been back out here now for over 10 years. It turns out he had been to college, including some bible colleges back there that I wasn't familiar with. He had even been involved in missions work through these colleges. Somewhere along the line, he became disillusioned with the directon these organizations were going. I don't think he lost his faith, but he certainly lost faith in the institutions. We prayed together and hugged. I think he felt a lot better when I left.
As I left the area I gave out the last two bags of food to some homeless people on the corner of Wall St and about 9th St. The man's name was Derek and the woman's name was Jamaica (probably not her real name). The man was obviously homeless (he had a shopping cart, right?), but the woman, really didn't look the part. It's at times like this that I think about motives and how pure my own motives are when I pray and ask God for him to get involved in whatever it is I'm asking about. Does he look at me and my requests the same way I looked at this woman and her request? I'm sure I've given away food and other items to people who just wanted to know what they could get from me. Hopefully, in most of those cases the items ended up in the hands of people who did need them. In my case, I wonder if the silence I experience from God, is really not so silent. Is he answering in a way to draw a deeper and more engaging conversation/relationship with me and I just go on about my life unaware? I think these encounters with the homeless take on a more far-reaching importance than what I see in the moment.
Before leaving the area I prayer-walked on Cloud Nine Alley. Ray's spot seems to be unlived in for a few days. Pastor Rodriguez was preaching, but I didn't go inside. I did stop by the alley where Willie and Tara Lee live. Since there is only one more weekend of daylight savings time we set up this next weekend to do a barbecue. I told them I'd be there between 2-3p.m and to invite their friends. We'll see how it goes. Please pray that I can reach a group of people with God's love. Until next week. John
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Downtown 10/16/2011
"You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD." Leviticus 19:18
Yes, loving your neighbor as yourself is a concept in the Old Testament too. To answer the question of "Who is my neighbor?", continue reading....
After missing a week (car in the shop again) I returned downtown Sunday night. Feeling a need to see some familiar faces I went to see some of my 'regulars' and other old friends starting with John Stokes and his friend David. Where they live under the freeway there is a fenced dirt lot next to them. A trucking company had leased the lot to park their trucks there, but the lease was up and they had moved out. In addition to the trucks and equipment being gone so were the guard dogs. I mention this because John and David told me that now along with the flies in the day and the mosquitos at night, their place is now infested with rats and mice. I think in the past the guard dogs must have kept the rats away. I promised to bring them some traps next time. I can't imagine living under those conditions on a daily basis--as if being homeless isn't bad enough. When David asked me to pray for them it brought on new meaning when I asked God to protect them that night.
After leaving John and David I went over to Hooper St. under the I-10 freeway where Richard Brown lives. I met Richard on the very first trip I made downtown. Usually Raul is nearby but I didn't see him. Instead two other men by the names of Steve and Earl were there. Richard called them over so I could pray for all of them. Richard told me he was going to turn 64 in 10 days (the 26th) and was looking forward to turning 65 the next year. At 65 he can begin collecting Social Security and would have enough of a monthly income to afford a place in Mississipi where his sister lives. I really hope his dream comes true because he told me one of his friends, by the name of Angel, had died on the street the previous week about 10 blocks away there on Hooper St. I'll have to bring Richard something special for his birthday next week.
When I left there I drove just a couple of hundred yards north on Hooper to the alley where I saw Willie and Tara Lee a couple of weeks ago. I was hoping they were still there and they were. As I pulled up I saw Willie and another man standing in the alley talking. Tara Lee usually is inside his make-shift 'house' and doesn't come out. He will usually poke his head out to say hello and we talk through the 'drapes' of his house. So as I pulled up and said hello to Willie and then pulled over to one side to park the car I heard Tara ask who had come by. Willie said, "It's John" and Tara asked, "Is it 'our' John?" They had all been hoping I would come by that night. It was one of the most heartwarming welcomes I've ever received and I realize it's a result of time spent developing a relationship with them. During our conversation Willie prayed specifically for me (I was seeing a doctor the next day) and then Tara asked me to pray for everyone before I left. I don't know if you noticed, but all three of these groups asked me to pray for them, how wonderful is that?
At this point I had four hamburgers left, so I went over to Olive St and at Pico I saw a man named Julio sitting on the corner sitting up against a short retaining wall. He told me he was hungry and then I noticed he had on socks and sandals but no shoes. I was out of socks, but I did have a pair of shoes for him and a blanket too (he didn't have one). After praying for Julio another homeless man was walking by. He had a small blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Knowing I only had two burgers left I asked him if he was hungry too and he told me he was. I had a hooded sweatshirt in my hand that I was going to give Julio, but since I had given Julio a blanket I asked this man, his name was Pierre, if he could use it. He said yes, but then said, "I thought you had some food?" I told him I did and we walked over to the car and I gave him the last two burgers and some water. Before leaving him I prayed for him. I don't think I've ever prayed for someone named Pierre before! I continued on down to Skid Row and Cloud Nine alley to prayer-walk before leaving for home. It's always a good trip being able to pray for everyone I meet down here. --Until next week. John
Yes, loving your neighbor as yourself is a concept in the Old Testament too. To answer the question of "Who is my neighbor?", continue reading....
After missing a week (car in the shop again) I returned downtown Sunday night. Feeling a need to see some familiar faces I went to see some of my 'regulars' and other old friends starting with John Stokes and his friend David. Where they live under the freeway there is a fenced dirt lot next to them. A trucking company had leased the lot to park their trucks there, but the lease was up and they had moved out. In addition to the trucks and equipment being gone so were the guard dogs. I mention this because John and David told me that now along with the flies in the day and the mosquitos at night, their place is now infested with rats and mice. I think in the past the guard dogs must have kept the rats away. I promised to bring them some traps next time. I can't imagine living under those conditions on a daily basis--as if being homeless isn't bad enough. When David asked me to pray for them it brought on new meaning when I asked God to protect them that night.
After leaving John and David I went over to Hooper St. under the I-10 freeway where Richard Brown lives. I met Richard on the very first trip I made downtown. Usually Raul is nearby but I didn't see him. Instead two other men by the names of Steve and Earl were there. Richard called them over so I could pray for all of them. Richard told me he was going to turn 64 in 10 days (the 26th) and was looking forward to turning 65 the next year. At 65 he can begin collecting Social Security and would have enough of a monthly income to afford a place in Mississipi where his sister lives. I really hope his dream comes true because he told me one of his friends, by the name of Angel, had died on the street the previous week about 10 blocks away there on Hooper St. I'll have to bring Richard something special for his birthday next week.
When I left there I drove just a couple of hundred yards north on Hooper to the alley where I saw Willie and Tara Lee a couple of weeks ago. I was hoping they were still there and they were. As I pulled up I saw Willie and another man standing in the alley talking. Tara Lee usually is inside his make-shift 'house' and doesn't come out. He will usually poke his head out to say hello and we talk through the 'drapes' of his house. So as I pulled up and said hello to Willie and then pulled over to one side to park the car I heard Tara ask who had come by. Willie said, "It's John" and Tara asked, "Is it 'our' John?" They had all been hoping I would come by that night. It was one of the most heartwarming welcomes I've ever received and I realize it's a result of time spent developing a relationship with them. During our conversation Willie prayed specifically for me (I was seeing a doctor the next day) and then Tara asked me to pray for everyone before I left. I don't know if you noticed, but all three of these groups asked me to pray for them, how wonderful is that?
At this point I had four hamburgers left, so I went over to Olive St and at Pico I saw a man named Julio sitting on the corner sitting up against a short retaining wall. He told me he was hungry and then I noticed he had on socks and sandals but no shoes. I was out of socks, but I did have a pair of shoes for him and a blanket too (he didn't have one). After praying for Julio another homeless man was walking by. He had a small blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Knowing I only had two burgers left I asked him if he was hungry too and he told me he was. I had a hooded sweatshirt in my hand that I was going to give Julio, but since I had given Julio a blanket I asked this man, his name was Pierre, if he could use it. He said yes, but then said, "I thought you had some food?" I told him I did and we walked over to the car and I gave him the last two burgers and some water. Before leaving him I prayed for him. I don't think I've ever prayed for someone named Pierre before! I continued on down to Skid Row and Cloud Nine alley to prayer-walk before leaving for home. It's always a good trip being able to pray for everyone I meet down here. --Until next week. John
Monday, October 3, 2011
Downtown 10/2/2011
"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him." Phillipians 2:13 --The Apostle Paul writing to a church he absolutely loved.
I couldn't imagine how the Lord would be able to top last week's trip, but He did! Last week I didn't make it off the Jack in the Box parking lot before giving out over half the food, a trunk load of clothes and praying with 7 or 8 people. Last night there was no one in the parking lot. It shows how special last week was. However, not to be outdone....the Lord had a special treat in store for me in an alley a couple of blocks away. Before leaving the counter I asked the woman behind the counter to pray for me that I would find the right people to give the food away to. When I left the JIBox it was nighttime....and a little later, in that sense, than I usually get started lately. I was trying to decide whether or not to just go down to Wall St immediately or go by the alley off Hooper where I used to see my friends all the time. I decided to just check the alley on my way to Wall St and see if anyone was around. That was a good move. Willie, Tara Lee and Chris were there. Floyd came by there a little later before I left. Now I had seen Willie about 3 weeks ago, but I hadn''t seen Tara or Chris in several months and it was a total blessing to see them all together again. I stayed and talked with them for 30 or 40 minutes getting caught up on all the latest stuff. I can't describe in words how really, really special it was. We made plans to have a barbecue some Sunday next month. I told them to bring their friends and we'll make it a special day. Before leaving Tara asked Willie to pray for me (which he did) and then he asked Tara to sing for me. Tara sang "This Little Light of Mine." I was so hard to leave them, but they knew I was leaving to help others. It had to have been one of the most special moments downtown made possible because of the relationships built up over two years of going there.
So it was off to Wall St. After last week's trip I had made a personal commitment to bring a blanket to Deena and Edwin down there. When I got there and Deena saw me, she stood up and welcomed me. I asked her if they still needed a blanket. She told me they had gone to a gospel music program (I think she said at the Staples Center a couple of days ago) and when they got back their blankets and jackets were gone. When I handed her the blanket, she held it close and said, "It's so soft." She loved it. I told her that some special Girl Scouts made it for her. We talked awhile longer and I asked them about the gospel music program and whether or not there was a message (sermon) given there. She said it was very enjoyable and each song had a message. I told them that the church I go to on Sundays while I work this night schedule does gospel music too. I asked if they did one of my favorites that I heard at that church called "He Reigns", but I guess they didn't. (You can check it out on youtube--He Reigns by the Newsboys). After praying with Edwin and Deena I crossed the street and met with a woman named Melissa who was trying to read a paperback book in the dark while sitting on the sidewalk. I had the bag of hamburgers with me and asked if she was hungry. Of course, she was so I gave her two. I couldn't carry the water and the bag of burgers too so I walked back to the car to get her a bottle. When I returned, I whispered to her, as a joke, that she was getting the biggest bottle of water I had and not to tell anyone. Well there was a tent about 10 or 15 feet away from where she was and someone inside overheard me whispering and said, "I heard that and I'm going to tell everyone!" It turned out to be Greg and Robin who I met the first time I came down to that street. So they got food and water too (and prayed for). Greg was the one who was wearing the Azuza Pacific sweatshirt that first night. He told me Dennis was back down the street the other way, so I was able to help Dennis and Bobby too. On my way to them, I talked with Melissa for a minute or two about the book she was reading. I told her I had just fiinished reading a book titled, "Heaven is for Real" and encouraged her to read it if she could find it.
Well, with that I was out of burgers. Before ending this I want to tell you a little more about my time with Willie, Tara, Chris and Floyd. While I was with them, I remembered the last time the three of us were together (Oct 3, 2010). I had given Chris a whole bunch of clothes to wear that day (including the shoes I was wearing) and gave them a short 2 minute sermonette instead of praying with them. Well last night I told them that I had been to church in the morning and wanted to tell them the two things I remembered most about the message. The sermon was based on the story of Jesus washing the disciples' feet on the night he was arrested. Although I knew it, I was reminded how Jesus washed Judas' feet too! Knowing what Jesus knew about Judas and what he was about to do, I thought this was another example of Jesus' total love for others despite what they did or would do to him and how it is an example for all of us to follow and not return evil for evil, but let love prevail always. The other thing, was the story of Job. Job suffered incredible losses, yet remained faithful to God. The important thing was that Job never found out why he was put through the ringer. We have the benefit of knowing Job chapters 1 and 2, but he didn't. In that same way, God doesn't always let us know the first two chapters of our story and what is going on behind the scenes. In the case of homeless men and women, you can bet they often wonder why they are in the situation they're in. For some, it may be obvious to them and to others perhaps not. I encouraged them to remain faithful, love God and love each other. --Until next week. John
I couldn't imagine how the Lord would be able to top last week's trip, but He did! Last week I didn't make it off the Jack in the Box parking lot before giving out over half the food, a trunk load of clothes and praying with 7 or 8 people. Last night there was no one in the parking lot. It shows how special last week was. However, not to be outdone....the Lord had a special treat in store for me in an alley a couple of blocks away. Before leaving the counter I asked the woman behind the counter to pray for me that I would find the right people to give the food away to. When I left the JIBox it was nighttime....and a little later, in that sense, than I usually get started lately. I was trying to decide whether or not to just go down to Wall St immediately or go by the alley off Hooper where I used to see my friends all the time. I decided to just check the alley on my way to Wall St and see if anyone was around. That was a good move. Willie, Tara Lee and Chris were there. Floyd came by there a little later before I left. Now I had seen Willie about 3 weeks ago, but I hadn''t seen Tara or Chris in several months and it was a total blessing to see them all together again. I stayed and talked with them for 30 or 40 minutes getting caught up on all the latest stuff. I can't describe in words how really, really special it was. We made plans to have a barbecue some Sunday next month. I told them to bring their friends and we'll make it a special day. Before leaving Tara asked Willie to pray for me (which he did) and then he asked Tara to sing for me. Tara sang "This Little Light of Mine." I was so hard to leave them, but they knew I was leaving to help others. It had to have been one of the most special moments downtown made possible because of the relationships built up over two years of going there.
So it was off to Wall St. After last week's trip I had made a personal commitment to bring a blanket to Deena and Edwin down there. When I got there and Deena saw me, she stood up and welcomed me. I asked her if they still needed a blanket. She told me they had gone to a gospel music program (I think she said at the Staples Center a couple of days ago) and when they got back their blankets and jackets were gone. When I handed her the blanket, she held it close and said, "It's so soft." She loved it. I told her that some special Girl Scouts made it for her. We talked awhile longer and I asked them about the gospel music program and whether or not there was a message (sermon) given there. She said it was very enjoyable and each song had a message. I told them that the church I go to on Sundays while I work this night schedule does gospel music too. I asked if they did one of my favorites that I heard at that church called "He Reigns", but I guess they didn't. (You can check it out on youtube--He Reigns by the Newsboys). After praying with Edwin and Deena I crossed the street and met with a woman named Melissa who was trying to read a paperback book in the dark while sitting on the sidewalk. I had the bag of hamburgers with me and asked if she was hungry. Of course, she was so I gave her two. I couldn't carry the water and the bag of burgers too so I walked back to the car to get her a bottle. When I returned, I whispered to her, as a joke, that she was getting the biggest bottle of water I had and not to tell anyone. Well there was a tent about 10 or 15 feet away from where she was and someone inside overheard me whispering and said, "I heard that and I'm going to tell everyone!" It turned out to be Greg and Robin who I met the first time I came down to that street. So they got food and water too (and prayed for). Greg was the one who was wearing the Azuza Pacific sweatshirt that first night. He told me Dennis was back down the street the other way, so I was able to help Dennis and Bobby too. On my way to them, I talked with Melissa for a minute or two about the book she was reading. I told her I had just fiinished reading a book titled, "Heaven is for Real" and encouraged her to read it if she could find it.
Well, with that I was out of burgers. Before ending this I want to tell you a little more about my time with Willie, Tara, Chris and Floyd. While I was with them, I remembered the last time the three of us were together (Oct 3, 2010). I had given Chris a whole bunch of clothes to wear that day (including the shoes I was wearing) and gave them a short 2 minute sermonette instead of praying with them. Well last night I told them that I had been to church in the morning and wanted to tell them the two things I remembered most about the message. The sermon was based on the story of Jesus washing the disciples' feet on the night he was arrested. Although I knew it, I was reminded how Jesus washed Judas' feet too! Knowing what Jesus knew about Judas and what he was about to do, I thought this was another example of Jesus' total love for others despite what they did or would do to him and how it is an example for all of us to follow and not return evil for evil, but let love prevail always. The other thing, was the story of Job. Job suffered incredible losses, yet remained faithful to God. The important thing was that Job never found out why he was put through the ringer. We have the benefit of knowing Job chapters 1 and 2, but he didn't. In that same way, God doesn't always let us know the first two chapters of our story and what is going on behind the scenes. In the case of homeless men and women, you can bet they often wonder why they are in the situation they're in. For some, it may be obvious to them and to others perhaps not. I encouraged them to remain faithful, love God and love each other. --Until next week. John
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