Downtown 10/17/2010

I was able to get downtown a little earlier this Sunday, around 10:30 a.m. It drizzled the whole way down there and then off and on when I got there. I have been trying to meet up with Luis across from Lincoln Park the last few weeks. I had gotten a new pair of jeans for him and hadn't been able to give them to him yet. Sunday he was there and we had quite a conversation together. He was laying down all covered up when I arrived (remember it was drizzling) but got up immediately when he saw me. He told me he was glad I came because he didn't have any bread or food or anything. I asked him if his friend that he did the work for a few weeks back ever came by to pay him and he said he did but only gave him $5.00. I told him that the last time I saw him the pants he had on didn't seem to fit very well. He said, "Oh, you noticed that, huh?" I asked if a pair of jeans 34 x 32 would fit and he looked at me kind of funny and said, "Yeah, that's my size." It was kind of cool to give him a pair with all the tags and everything still on them. We looked through the car trunk and came up with some socks and shirts and stuff along with the food and water. He was quite happy. Then the conversation got really interesting. Apparently, somebody had told him that the weather was going to start getting cold and he probably would be better off going back to his family. I confirmed that the weather was going to get really cold by the end of December and that the rainy season here in California is October through April. October and November can be cold at night (around 50 degrees) but during the day the temperatures can get up into the 90's without a cloud in the sky. I then asked about his family and what were the chances of him going back to them. He told me that it would be kind of embarrassing for him to go back because of what had happened. He briefly told me that the Mom (I gathered this was not his biological family) and he had gotten into an arguement. He said it was hard for him to not say what was on his mind when someone was giving him a hard time. He said, "I have a mouth, but sometimes I don't use the right words." I acknowledged the difficulties with keeping one's temper and tongue in check (see James chapter 3). I also told him that he must release the bitterness and anger that he has towards his Mom. I briefly told him about one of the trips downtown that I had a few months back when someone in another car started yelling at me because I didn't take off right away when the light turned green. Although I didn't respond to the other driver I was pretty angry inside. I told Luis that I decided to read a section in the bible where Jesus talks about the people who make up His kingdom. In Jesus' message He tells us to pray for our enemies and although I didn't want to do it I decided to pray for that guy anyway and as soon as I did the anger was released from me. I realized that guy was just caught up in the moment of being in a hurry and I've been there before too. As soon as I realized this the anger went away. I then told Luis that although I don't know the particulars about his situation, if he starts praying for his Mom and his own heart he will be amazed at what God can do. At this point I asked Luis if I had given him a gospel of John booklet before and he said no, so I gave him one and we prayed together. You know I don't really remember exactly what I prayed with him about, I sure it was connected to his relationship with his Mom and family and I probably ended with asking for God's presence in his life and heart. When I finished he said, "I'd like to thank him (God) for sending someone to me." I was stunned and humbled. I told him it was a privilege to be the one sent. During our conversation Luis told me his last name was Ibarra. I told him I was Irish and my last name was O'Connor and a little bit about what the "O" means and that on St Patrick's Day everyone has an "O" in front of their last name, so "Your name would be O'Ibarra". When we parted I said, "Alright Luis, I'll see you later." He said, "That's Luis with an "O"! It was an encounter I'll never forget.
I took Mission Blvd back into town and near 4th St I found Ronald from New Orleans. It was still drizzling some and he was all covered up, but he got up pretty quickly too when he realized I was there to help (see photo). Many of the people I saw Sunday needed jeans but the only pair I had I gave to Luis. Ronald told me he had been traveling around across the country for the last couple of
years. He was down here from Portland trying to get a job through some government program. I was give Ronald all the help I had to give with the clothes and food but I didn't sense any real connection with him. However, I prayed with him before leaving and as I asked for God's blessing in Jesus' name he repeated, "In Jesus' name" with me. I guess you never really know what may be in someone's heart.
Just a couple of blocks away from Ronald was Carlos. I may have met Carlos before, I'm not real sure. He was walking by himself with a couple of small bags with recyclables in them. He was happy and thankful for the help. We had quite a discussion about work and the economy on his level. He said that he goes to an office downtown during the weekdays at 6:00 a.m. to sign up for work. Sometimes there is work for a day or two days maybe even a week at a time, but lately there has been nothing. I told him that may change as we approach the Christmas season. He told me he lives with 7 or 8 other homeless people near Hope St under the freeway. He is 63 and expects to have to work to get by, What he doesn't understand are the people (particularly the ones who live on skid row) who don't work and have no ambition to work. He said, "Some are so young and they don't work". Carlos obviously has the same mentality about working that our grandparents and their grandparents had when they came to this country. We need more people here like him. When I prayed with him, he took his cap off and then thanked me for stopping to help him.
On the other side of the 4th St bridge from Carlos was Michael Wayne, I've helped Michael a few times recently. He is leaving at the end of the month for Portland to live in a Veterans Housing project. It's designed to serve as a rehab and training center for veterans. Michael desparately needs this help at this stage in his life. It was somewhat ironic that Ronald just left Portland for a government program down here and Michael is leaving for a government program up there. I talked with Michael for probably thirty minutes and towards the end a car pulled up. Probably an older model Toyota Corolla I'm guessing. There was a family in it, the man and woman probably in their mid-thirties and a daughter of about 10 years or so. They stopped and got out and they gave Michael a bottle of water and a bag with, I think, some toiletries of some kind. It may have had some food in it, I'm not really sure. It was the first time I saw anyone else offer to help a homeless person and what made it so surprising was that it was a family and not just one person by themself. I was impressed.
After leaving Michael I drove around a little more in that area. I've included some pictures of where some people live under the freeway there at First St. There wasn't anyone home at either of the places where people had set up camp. (See the
photos). After getting out and walking around there and down by the railroad
tracks I was struck by how the homeless can find any out-of-the-way place and make it their home. Then I looked up at the bridge and saw that tree growing in the
crevice, probably 30 feet or more above the ground. It's amazing the places that can make-up a home, for plants and people.

I started over towards Cloud 9 Alley and along the way was able to help Dorothy and Lance. The last time I saw Dorothy she was on Olive St on the sidewalk. Sunday she was on Wall St just off Washington Blvd. I noticed she had on a heavy full length coat with sandals and a very dirty pair of socks. In addition to the food and water I gave her a pair of tennis shoes and several pairs of new socks. While I sat with her she put the shoes and socks on. She never looked up at me but she did thank me several times. She was from the midwest. I had to refrain from saying, "Dorothy, you're not in Kansas anymore." She's probably heard it a million times. Lance, was walking down Broadway St near 11th pushing a shopping cart. He had just stopped at a small trash can and was about to go through it when I called out to him from my car. Lance was from Santa Monica, I'm guessing him to be in his early sixties. He was surprised to meet another native Californian in me.
With that I crossed over Washington Blvd and parked by Cloud 9 Alley. There were a lot of cars parked around there and Rafael's church was just letting out. I

saw Rafael coming out and he told me he was headed to Lynwood to preach in a church there and would be back at 5 p.m. to preach here again. I've included photos of the front of his church here on Los Angeles St. Just to the right of the building in that parking lot is where Gary lives. Gary and I talked for awhile Sunday too. He had noticed that I didn't seem as "up" as I usually am and I confided to him some of the struggles of the week. So then he prayed for me! Wow, that was great to have him do that for me. When I left he called out after me and said, "Hey, it's good to see you have shoes on today." We laughed about that one and then he said, "I love you man" Can you believe it? I think this area is changing already. God is awesome. --Until next week. John