10/20-Last BBQ of 2013

                                            You are enthroned above

                                                       the heavens,

                                          The earth and all creation,

                                             bow down before you,

                                                  You are crowned 

                                            with strength and glory, 

                                             the angels crying glory

                                                  All surround you

                                             Forever you will stand

                                          Your kingdom has no end

                                        Oh Holy God I stay amazed

                                           You are so much more

                                          than words can ever say

                                 Oh Holy God, I pour out my praise

                                                   on the One 

                                       who never ceases to amaze

    ---Stay Amazed, written by Jamie Birkenfield, Klaus Kuehn, Robert Quintana                                                                                                                                                                             

Last week I was only able to pass through downtown after a long trip up north.  I stopped by the McArthur Park area and prayed in front of the "I am Legion" doorway.  It was dark by the time I had gotten there.  I took a couple of pictures of the door itself, but neither of them came out.  I only had a couple of encounters with homeless people in that area, one wanted some change while I was looking in a map book in my car and the other was a woman standing on the median asking for change at Bixley and 8th St.  The first one was a man who never bent over low enough for me to see his face and the other thanked me for even acknowledging her.  I had given out most all the change to the first guy and had almost nothing left to give her.  I then remembered I had a can of "meals ready to eat" to give her.  After helping her I drove over to 'my area' looking for some of the folks I usually see, but didn't see anyone I knew.  I had told them a few weeks back that we would do a BBQ soon and the next week (this last weekend) would be the time, but most everyone was already gone to bed.  It was 8 pm and dark by this time.  This weekend and next weekend are the last two weekends of daylight savings time, so the available weekends to do a BBQ are about to come to an end this year.  So yesterday was the day, whether anyone was there on Wall St or not.  If no one was on Wall St, I'd find another place, but I had been praying all week and things turned out well.

When I first pulled up the street I saw one of the guys sitting on the sidewalk under the freeway, he called out  to me and I called back and asked him if he was ready for a BBQ.  He said, "Are you barbecuing today?", when I answered yes he was overjoyed.  There was a young man named Mario (he told me he was 24 yrs old) who was riding around that street on a bicycle who asked me what I was talking about.  He thought I came by to tell them where there was going to be one in the area, but didn't know that I was going to do one right there.  He was pretty happy too and helped me unload all the stuff in the car.  Throughout the day he was quite helpful to me.

Dave and Willie, whose stuff is a little ways further up the street were there, Willie and Eddie who work at the recycling place across the street, Mario, Paul, Louis and several others (I have trouble remembering all their names even though I recognize them) were there.  A more few people who passed by joined in.  It was a great day.  There was a young woman with a very small dog who passed by, we invited her to join us, but she didn't.  The story was she had been at the clinic on the corner and had been physically abused.  I guess it's understandable that she wouldn't want to hang around with 'all these men' that she didn't know.  I'm sure she just wanted to get away from there as quickly as possible.

My most memorable moment of the day was inviting a passerby by the name of Vernon who had stayed to eat with us to join about four or five of us in a prayer circle which he did.  I prayed with those in the circle and when I ended the prayer Mario was running up to us because he wanted to get into the prayer circle and be part of it with us.  Can you believe it?  Yes I was AMAZED.  It may not have been the 'fire coming down from heaven', but it was definitely the kingdom of heaven right there and everyone was enjoying a wonderful time.  All the food was cooked and given out and Mario and Paul helped me pack up the car before leaving.  It was a wonderful day.  I hope I am able to do it again next year.  Until next time--John

Here's the link to the song above:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7Cfo8atJPo



 

Downtown 10/6/2013

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations....and remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." --Matthew 28:19a,20b

One of my personal prayers in recent months has been that God would use me as His weapon of choice in a dark place.  With a street ministry, one realizes quickly that greater spiritual gifts are needed and to that end I have been praying 1 Corinthians 14:1, which says, "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy."  In this verse, the word prophecy doesn't necessarily mean 'foretelling the future', but speaking the word of God (yes, you could say preaching I guess).  A few weeks ago, as this ministry has taken me into new areas I have become acutely aware that I need greater gifting for spiritual warfare.  I have recently established friendships with pastors who are pursuing similar paths for the enhancement of their ministries, although none are street ministries that I know of.  Remember, this is framed in the context of me being used as His light in dark places.  I really didn't know what this might look like, but it's beginning to take shape.  So far I'm really just feeling my way around and don't know exactly how this will go down, but I can tell you the tension is slowly building.  All I can tell you now is what has happened and some of the conversations I've had with people who are familiar with the McArthur Park area.  You can form your own opinions. 

I didn't write about the trip last week (Sept 29th) because, initially, I didn't think anything 'special' happened worth writing about.  As often happens though, something occurred during the trip that stuck in my mind and it's significance grew as the days passed.  I had helped some of the homeless people on that trip that I have seen a lot of lately and again this last Sunday too.  After giving out all the food with clothes and water and praying for peoples needs I headed down to McArthur Park.  

So on Sunday/29th I was driving westbound on 7th Ave towards the Park and was about a mile to a half a mile from Alvarado St.  It was about 5:30 pm and getting close to sunset.  I was looking from side to side at the people on the sidewalks when I happened to notice a roll-up door on the south side of the street.  On this roll-up door were the words, "I am Legion."  Now this was not spray-painted on, but intentionally, in big block letters painted on this door.  These words, as most of you know, are in the New Testament in one place and that is where Jesus is confronted by a demon-possessed man living in a cemetary.  The phrase meant that the man was filled with many demons and Jesus cast them out and into a herd of pigs which subsequently ran off a cliff and drowned.  I thought to myself, why would ANYONE ever want this painted on the side of their building.  Why would anyone, especially knowing the significance of this, want to identify with this statement.  I decided I'd prayer-walk in front of this store on my way home.  I went on to the park and prayer-walked there, but for some reason, had absolutely no interactions with anyone.  When I left the park and drove home I somehow, 'forgot' all about it because I was troubled that I hadn't talked to anyone.  I had even purposely walked right in front of a group of 10 or so young Latino men hoping they would say something to me about why I was there, but it was as if I was invisible to everyone.  Anyway, about three or four days later I happened to mention seeing this 'Legion' sign to a Christian friend of mine.  I told him where I had seen the sign and he told me that a few years back, before he became a Christian, he and his wife were walking around this same area.  He knew the area very well, and I'm guessing what he was about to tell me occurred 15 to 20 years ago.  He and his wife happened to walk into a 'store' on 7th about a block or so from Alvarado St and McArthur Park.  There are many many small stores lining the streets in this area and this particular store was a 'witchcraft' store as he described it.  Maybe, it was a psychic reader or tarot card place I don't really know.  Anyway, when they went in there the store owner told my friend (remember he was not a Christian at the time), I can help you, but I can't help her (pointing to his wife who was a Christian).  He said, "She has two angels standing by her."    Well, by now I'm beginning to get an idea of what's going on in this area.  Remember, a month or so ago when I first noticed this area, it was because of a street fight that occurred there with about twenty men fighting in the street.  This last Sunday when I drove into this area, there was something going on where they had streets just north of 7th blocked off from the downtown area all the way to just west of McArthur Park.  Traffic on 7th was bumper to bumper.  I had a friend of mine in a hospital at Vermont and Sunset which is not too far from here so I  thought I'd go and visit him and come back through there on my way home.  I visited with my friend for about an hour and a half from 5:30-7 pm and then drove down Vermont to 7th and took it across town.  It was dark by now, but I did see the Legion sign on the door again.  It is at 7th and Columbia St.  There was also a Spanish speaking storefront church a couple of blocks away (with a service going on).  I had promised to visit Maurice and Elisha (a homeless couple I'm friends with) Sunday and wanted to get by their place before it got too late so I didn't stop on 7th Sunday, although I looked intently for a store that might be the one my friend had told me about, but since that was 15 or 20 years ago, it may have moved by now.  I did see one store (Psychic shop) on Vermont on my way to the hospital.

So Monday (yesterday) I was at UCI medical center all day and was talking to a technician who was taking my blood pressure and temperature all day.  I had never talked with her before and found out that she was from Central America and when she came here in the early 80's she lived in this 7th and Alvarado area.  She told me the area is totally gang infested and being a woman doesn't even like to get out of the car in that area anymore.  Needless to say, she doesn't live there anymore either.

Once again, there isn't much to tell right now, I've just written about what I've seen and some conversations I've had with people who have spent time in this area.  When I started writing the blog for this trip I said I had been praying that I would be used as God's weapon of choice in a dark place.  Well, I think I've found a dark place.  So far nothing has happened.  A few weeks ago I said in one of the blogs, "It's kind of exciting to NOT have a clue of what to expect, but know that something will happen and to be ready."  I still don't know what to expect, but I praying and working on being ready when the time comes.     

I'll end with this quote from Isaiah 58:11

"The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail."

--Until next time.  John

Downtown 9/22/2013

"Don't brag about your wisdom or strength or wealth, if you feel you must brag, then have enough sense to brag about worshiping me the Lord.  What I like best is showing kindness, justice, and mercy to everyone on earth."  Jeremiah 9:23b-24

After missing last week's trip due to scheduling issues, I was looking forward to going this week.  I have really been having problems walking of late, but was determined to not let this interfere.  I have been challenged to use praise (of God) as a weapon in the face of obstacles, so I left home praising God and praying for victory in his harvest field.  I am still looking for a break-through at McArthur Park and that is where the struggles with walking are the greatest.

When I arrived downtown I was greeted by three homeless Latino men on a small side street near Los Angeles St and 16th.  Their names were Jaime, Jose and Paco.  Paco seemed to be the leader of the group and the one who spoke the most English.  He told me they were from Mexico and had been up here for 3 years.  He told me he struggles with a drinking problem.  Today they were hungry and very appreciative of the help.  They were overwhelmed at the opportunity to look through the clothes in the back of the car.  Paco told me I was an angel sent from God and kissed my hand.  That's the fourth time that has happened and it's a humbling experience each time.  When the four of us prayed he told Jose to remove his cap.  It moves me each time the amount of respect these folks have for the things of God.  There was another man named Jose who was standing near the corner about 20 yards away.  Paco called him over and he was helped too.  This Jose didn't speak any English, but I prayed with him anyway.  There was one other man just around the corner on 16th St.  I called out to him from the car, but he refused to look at me even though he was only a few feet away.  After a few attempts to get his attention he finally pulled his shirt up to cover his face.  I took the hint.

 Next I drove over to Trinity St and saw Antonio, Leticia and Felipe.  Alex wasn't there and they haven't seen him for a couple of weeks now.  I had given Alex and his friend the phone number for a contact that deals with Spanish speaking people when I saw them the last time.  I'm hoping they received help from them.  I was kind of hoping they would all hang around together so I could do a mini BBQ just for them sometime.  Well, we'll have to see if they return.

When I finished there I drove around the block to Wall St.  Outside of Willie, Dave and a friend of theirs I hadn't met before, Joseph, there weren't very many other people there compared to the large crowd that's been there recently.  Paul and Guillermo came by, but the place was surprisingly quiet.  I gave out the last of the food, prayed with them and headed over to McArthur Park.

When I got over there, unbelievably there was a parking place available and since it was Sunday I didn't even have to put change in the meter, although I would gladly have paid a couple of dollars to be able to park this close.  So I grabbed my bible and started walking in the park.  I walked a hundred yards or so to a street light in the park that had a concrete tub around it and sat down.  I rested there for a while and read my bible and kind of looked at the people laying on the grass nearby.  There was a group of a dozen or so twenty-something Latino men 20 or 30 feet away and a few parents with their little ones enjoying the late afternoon sunshine in the park.  Pretty much everyone kept to themselves including me.  I walked a little further close to the corner of 7th and Alvarado and sat down on a concrete retaining wall.  There was a group of men talking loudly nearby, but I didn't pay too much attention to them.  I was reading my bible when one of those men came by and asked me if I wanted to purchase his bicycle for $15.00.  I politely declined. He then asked if I had a dollar as he was in a 'difficult situation'.  Now keep in mind that I had been praying for an opportunity to talk with someone down here and now all of the sudden a man walks up and says, in short, "I'm in a difficult situation."  I'm thinking to myself, "Is this the opportunity God is providing me?"  (Sometimes I have to be hit over the head to see things)  I told the man, his name was Peter, that I really didn't have any money, but that I would pray for him.  I stood up and leaned over to him and while I was putting my hand on his shoulder he said, "No, you don't have to pray for me."  At this point, there was no stopping me and I just started praying for him and his "difficult situation". When I finished praying, he then wanted to start talking and asked me where I worked and stuff like that.  He reached his left hand out to shake my hand and I shook it.  He showed me his right hand and said it had been injured.  We talked a little more before he left.  It wasn't until I was driving home that I thought about the missed opportunity to have prayed for healing in his hand.  What a witness that would have been to the people standing around!  I think that would be the definition of a break-through!  Well, I'm still just getting started in this ministry at the park. I'll keep praising God and praying for victory in His harvest field and we will see what great things God will do.--Until next time.  John

Downtown 9/8/2013

Some Pharisees asked Jesus when God's kingdom would come.  He answered, "God's kingdom isn't something you can see.  There is no use saying, "Look!  Here it is" or "Look!  There it is.  God's kingdom is here with you."  -Luke 17:20-21

Since I hadn't seen John Stokes is three weeks or so I decided to check-in with him and see how he was doing.  For the first time in awhile he was by himself.  He was very happy to see me and bounced up and came over to the car.  I guess he was down to a single dollar and no food, so as he told me when I was leaving, "You're right on time, as always!"  He still hasn't gotten any action on his Social Security issue and it would appear as though he's resigned to having to wait two more years (until he's 67) before he can start receiving those benefits.  I'm going to try and make a few phone calls and see what I can find out.  Maybe, the issue is him being able to prove how old he really is.  We had a good visit and when I asked about Angelina (I had seen her with him the last couple of times) he told me she was pregnant and he hadn't seen her in a week or so.  So along with her insecurity issues, she's now pregnant.  The last time I saw them they were both so hungry they ate all the food I gave them while I was talking with them.  I guess it's easy to understand John's comment when I left, "You're right on time, as always!"

I drove a couple of blocks away and found Maurice and a man named Clay hanging out with him.  Elishia had gone on to Texas a couple of weeks ago and apparently, got into some trouble with the law.  Maurice has been trying to find out what happened and get down there himself, but she mistakenly took his bus ticket with her when she left.  I made some phone calls and found out where she was, so he's got a game plan now and should be leaving for Texas this week sometime.  We prayed together for healing in their relationship and resolution to her situation.

Since I didn't get a chance to stop and see Antonio and Leticia last week I started driving over to where I usually see them on Trinity St.  I drove down an alley off 16th and saw them slowly walking towards me in that alley.  Antonio was looking through piles of trash (I'm not sure what for since he didn't have a shopping cart to collect things) and Leticia was 10 yards or so behind him.  When I got to her and reached out through the car window for her hand, she leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.  I think they were both very hungry and thirsty and I had come if not 'right on time', then 'just in time'.  I had a yellow soccer jersey in the back of the car that I made sure Antonio received.  He held it up to check the size against his body and it put a smile on his face.  I asked if Alex was around and Antonio said he was, but I didn't see him when I got on down to Trinity St.  They both got food, water and some clothes, we prayed and I left them better off than when I found them.  How blessed it is to give to these people.

OK, so I'm only around the block from the big group on Wall St, so I headed over there and received another warm welcome from all the folks there.  There's one guy there who lives in an old RV and has shoulder length gray hair with a leather cowboy hat.  He always tells me how glad he is to see me and how happy it makes him feel when I pray with him.  Another man, Dave, has been bugging me for about a month for a pair of pants size 40.  The closest I had was pair of jeans size 38 that I had put aside to give to him.  He put the jeans on with a white T-shirt I had and said everything fit.  I teased Willie about the way he looked with a blanket wrapped around him in the summer-time heat.  Now at this point a couple of young men came over to the car.  They have been around here for awhile and the most tactful way to describe them is that they act like orphan children.  I was introduced to this concept by some missionaries who rescue orphan kids living on the streets and at trash dumps.  These kids have to 'watch out for themselves' and take whatever they can get however they can get it.  After they've been taken in, it usually takes awhile before they realize they don't have to live that way, that they are now somebody's kids and they will be taken care of.  Sometimes it takes a few days, for others a couple of weeks and for others even longer before they realize they don't have to fight for their own survival.  This is the difference between the orphan mentality and the adopted child mentality.  It also applies to our understanding of our place in Christ.  Are we orphans (doing things in our own strength) or 'heirs to the throne with Christ' (allowing Him in His power to work through us).  It makes a big difference in your attitude and your prayer life.  Anyway, I had been given three pairs of size 12 shoes recently and had them in the car.  One pair was brand new and was in a separate bag and the other two were used and in another bag.  Well, one of these men asked if I had any 11 1/2's.  I said I didn't, but the closest I had was some size 12's.  He showed me his worn-out shoes that had some holes in the toes, like they weren't quite big enough.  So I got out the two pairs in the one bag and let him pick one.  The other man that was with him grabbed the other pair even though he didn't wear shoes anywhere close to that size.  Now another man had come up and he needed size twelves also (his feet were definitely that size), but the one man had taken the other pair.  So the one man who really needed that size backed off and said, "OK, even though you don't wear that size, go ahead and take them."  I kind of signaled to him that I had him covered and gave him the pair of new shoes in the other bag.  I didn't take them out, but just put them in his shopping cart. It was at this point that he told me what happened to him after I prayed with him last week.  He had come by after I had given out all the food, but I did have some water left and I gave him a couple of bottles and prayed for him.  He told me that he, "felt something happen" when I prayed for him and that the next two people he saw that evening bought him some food.  He said, "I just wanted you to know what happened, because I felt something when you prayed for me."  Well, that was pretty cool and I thanked him for sharing that with me.  Then I showed him what was in the bag in his shopping cart.  I told him later, "You see, if you're patient, things will work out better than you imagined."  When I prayed for the 'big group' I explained to them that I 'try and bring the Kingdom of Heaven with me when I come down there.  That when they see me I want the 'peace that surpasses all understanding' to come upon them and I want them to feel the release of tension and that a pleasant and  happy atmosphere exists while I'm there if only for a short time.  However, if they continue to live in this kingdom with the mind of Christ the next day, when I'm not around, and the problems and pressures of this world are biting at their heels, then they can walk in this presence (kingdom) everyday."  I should add that I didn't say this until Dave (who had received his pants, shirts, food and water) said, "OK, John, hit me!"  That was the signal for me to start preaching and praying for them.  What an honor to be asked to speak to this group.

Well, I left there and went down to McArthur Park.  I got there later than usual and I absolutely couldn't find a place to park.  There seemed to be some festival going on in the park.  I found out later it was Mexican Independence Day (I thought that was May 5th), but apparently they celebrate Sept 8th too.  I drove around the park area for 15 -20 minutes looking for a parking place but had no luck.  So, I'll try again next time.  I knew there would be obstacles to this phase of ministry and that's fine, I expected it.  I'm not sure who said it (I think it was Bill Johnson from Bethel Church in Redding, CA), but I ran across something I had written down that said, "It's foolish to think you're going to coast into your destiny."  How true.  Until next time. --John             

 

Labor Day downtown-9/2/2013

"An ancient sage sent his son to a Bible teacher.  When the boy returned, his father asked him, 'What did you learn?' The son told him, 'All the subject matter'.

'This is nothing,' the father replied. 'Go and learn more'.

The son returned one year later.  This time he boasted of having learned other disciplines.  The father still wasn't satisfied and sent him back to the school another time.  This time when the son returned his face shone.  The father embraced him.  'You knew theology before.  Now you know God'."

--Richard Wurmbrand from his book Alone with God.  Written from solitary confinement in a Romanian prison in the 1950's.

May your face shine today with a love that draws others to our Saviour.

It has been another hot week in Southern California with reports saying another hot week ahead of us before any cooling trend will occur.  Monday, being the Labor Day holiday, gave me an extra day to make a trip with it feeling like a Sunday evening (low traffic volumes and a slower pace than a weekday).  My first encounter was with a man named Dee in an alley off 14th St.  It was right about 4 pm and he was pretty happy to receive the help and prayer.  I remember commenting to him that I often would go down there in the mornings, but I think it's better for folks if I go in the late afternoon/evening because then they don't go to sleep hungry.  He nodded in agreement, however, a case could be made that alleviating hunger whenever its occurring is better period!

After driving down a couple of other alleys and finding no one I drove over to a small alley under the I-10 freeway off San Pedro and 16th St.  It's the path I usually take to get to Trinity St where Antonio, Leticia and Alex live.  As I pulled into this alley I saw one of the Willies that I know.  In fact, when I met this Willie the first time it was right there a couple of years ago.  His name is Willie Brown Jr.  He is one of the folks living under the freeway on Wall St.  He had his shopping cart with him containing a couple of empty 5 gallon water bottles that he was seeking to fill up.  He was so happy to see me.  He told me that everyone at the 'camp' under the freeway where he stays is angry and yelling at each other and he just had to get away for awhile.  I told him its probably because of the heat that's got everyone all stressed out. He told me everyone over there has been asking about me, wondering if I was going to be coming by.  They probably were expecting me on Sunday and when I didn't show up were wondering what happened.  I gave him some ice cold water and asked if he needed any clothes.  He thanked me and said whatever I had to give him he would take.  He apologized for smelling so bad and for having beer on his breath.  I told him I didn't mind or care how he smelled, I was there to help.  For the next fifteen minutes or so we had the most heart to heart conversation I had had with anyone in a while.  Sometimes you meet up with someone who is so discouraged that they are ready and willing to just spill their heart out to you.  Of course, it helps if they know you and feel at ease talking to you, that you're not going to judge them and tell them what to do, but are willing to first, just listen to their heart.  Willie said he wondered why God allowed him to exist in this cesspool of a life that he lived. He pointed around to the dirt and debris all around us at that time.  He said "Sometimes I'd rather be that dirt than be me!"  He was disgusted with his life and the direction of it and sometimes just wanted it to be over.  It was at this point that I needed to gently remind Willie of something we all know, but forget at times like this.  It's that there are people with lots of money and yet, they too are miserable.  It turned out it was something he was well aware of because he had seen it first hand.  He told me he had been around wealthy people in the entertainment industry and had seen their lives up close.  He agreed that money didn't guarantee happiness.  I reminded him that Jesus came that we would have an 'abundant' life and that the kind of abundance that Jesus talked about was far different and more real than the abundance that the world seeks after.  He then said to me that some of the stories in the bible just seemed impossible to him.  I said, "Remember, with God all things are possible.  He's God that's why it's possible ."  Every once in a while Willie would punctuate his unhappiness with profanity and then say he was sorry for using that language or once again apologize for the way he smelled.  I told him that didn't matter to me at all and, in fact, I was totally cool with him talking and being just like he is.  I told him about Jesus being with some "outcasts" in Luke 15.  I said, "Do you remember the story of the prodigal son?"  He admitted to me that he really didn't know the bible very well, so I briefly told him the story, that a man had two sons and the younger one wanted to receive his inheritance right then, before the father died and go off and live somewhere else.  Shockingly, the father agreed and gave the son his money and he left.  Like most all young people who receive too much money too fast he blew it all and ended up destitute.  The son then decided the servants in his father's house were better off than he was so he thought he'd go back and ask his father if he could live with him as a servant since he didn't deserve to be treated like a son anymore.  I told Willie, that the father was overjoyed with the son's return and not only welcomed him back, but threw a party to boot."  Well, I told this story to Willie simply so I could show him the first verse in that chapter that tells us the reason Jesus told the story to begin with.  And that was that Jesus had been talking to group of "outcasts", just like Willie had been feeling, then the 'religious leaders' got after Jesus for even talking to these people.  I said, "Look, Jesus would 'touch' lepers (this was strictly forbidden in that day), talk with prostitutes and other outcasts.  The religious people would never talk to these people, but Jesus looked at them "as people of worth"  and he wouldn't let others stop him from meeting and talking with them.  I told Willie, "I love coming down here and hanging with you guys and doing what I can to help out.  I just try and bring the Kingdom of Heaven down to you guys even if its just for a little while."  He told me what everyone where he lives thinks about me, "We love you.  You are Jesus."  Well, I was kinda floored by that statement and realized I must be starting to reflect Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 11:1.  Well, we talked for a little while longer until it was time for me to go, when I said, "Well, you know what happens now don't you?  I've got to pray for you before I go."  So standing directly in front of Willie with both of my hands on his shoulders I started to pray for him.  He again, apologized for smelling the way he did and I again told him not to worry.  I prayed for Willie to feel God's presence in his life and look for the "real" abundance that he possesses.  Willie is a great guy, enjoyable to be with and always appreciative when I've seen him.  I'll continue to pray for his situation.  Unfortunately, I didn't think of it until I was coming home that he seems like a good candidate for the Dream Center's training program.  What I found out when I visited them two weeks ago was that they have a one year training program that totally immerses you in bible study and a Christian culture and then works with you at the end of that time to find a place in society to live and work.  It is just the thing for someone who is fed-up with their lifestyle and ready to commit to this kind of a program.  Next week, I'll start talking to Willie about it.  I think he's ready.

I drove over to Wall St where the rest of his group lives.  It was quite a homecoming.  There are two groups of people living on both sides of that street.  The other Willie that I've known for 4 years and Dave and EJ were on one side and the group where Willie Brown lives are down the street a little ways.  I parked in front of where Willie and Dave were then I walked back to the other group specifically to tell the two women living there that I had some women's clothes with me if they wanted to look through them.  It wasn't too long before I had quite a group around the car and I was giving out food, cold bottles of water and clothes to everyone.  They were all very happy and I got to talk individually with most everyone.  Then when the opportunity was just right I said, "Let me pray for you guys before you go."  Everyone gathered around and we put our arms around each other (there must have been about 10 or 12 people) and I prayed with them. It was a Divine moment and totally cool.  I stayed there about thirty minutes talking and enjoying the company of these folks.  It's interesting how my life's experiences come into play in a group like this.  So many of these people are transplants from the mid-west and are surprised to hear that I have spent so much time there.  Another amazing thing is how people respond to little snippets of scripture.  One of the women who came over was Sandra.  For some reason, she mentioned the words in scripture where it says, "even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."  She had been assaulted a while back and that morning someone had taken her shopping cart with all her stuff in it.  I said, "Oh, you're quoting Psalm 23.  You know I quoted something from that Psalm a few months ago myself," and explained what had happened.  She responded with a lot of interest in what had happened to me at the time.  It proves the point that Jesus made in Matthew 10:19 when it says, "When they hand you over, don't worry about how or what you are to say, for it will be given to you in that hour what you are to say."  It has been an amazing journey that has brought me to the streets of Los Angeles with words that speak life to these people.  I cherish every moment.

As I left this group I asked for their prayers for the next group I'm beginning to work with.  That group is the folks down at 7th and Alvarado St.  This is a new area for me to prayer-walk through and begin to build relationships.  Luckily, since it was a holiday, I was able to find a place to park a couple of blocks away for the hour that I spent at McArthur Park.  This time I took my Bible with me and it had the desired affect.  Two couples spotted me with it and I was able to speak with them.  I prayed with another woman too.  It is a small step, but it will lead to where God wants me to go.  It's kind of exciting to NOT have a clue of what to expect, but know that something will happen and to be ready.  --Until next time. John        

Downtown 8/25/2013

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.  And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." --Hebrews 13:15-16

In yesterday's church service the message was about worship and praise in the context of being spiritual warfare.  I'd don't think I had ever seriously considered worship and warfare together in quite this way, although I've heard the idea expressed before. Hebrews 13:15 was one of the verses used in the message, but when I read the next verse this morning, well, I had to include it too.  Anyway, more about this message later....

It was another hot day in Southern California.  Temperatures in the mid to upper 90's around here.  It was difficult to sleep during the day(after working all night), so after 3 or 4 hours I just got up.  I was pretty excited about Sunday's trip because I felt I was being led to a different direction/adventure today.  I finished getting everything together for the trip and arrived downtown at about 5:15 pm.  Once again, like last week, I drove to the small alley where I saw Rico and Miguel a couple of weeks ago, but they weren't there.  I had given Rico the address of the Dream Center that day, I hope she found some stabilizing help there or somewhere else.

So I drove over to Trinity St and there I found Antonio, Leticia and Julio and then another man by the name of Bruce showed up. Remember I hadn't seen Leticia the last two trips, but she was there Sunday.  Also, Alex who was down the block a hundred yards or so had a friend with him by the name of Victor.  Victor spoke a little more English than Alex so it helped greatly him being there.  Alex referred to him as his "cousin", although he said they technically weren't related.  I had given Alex the address and phone# for the Dream Center last week.  He didn't go there (it would be quite a lengthy walk), but he did see a Dream Center truck driving by earlier in the week.  I told them that there is a food bank on Paloma St and Washington Blvd.  Perhaps, that could be where the truck was going.  Without mentioning the name of the founder of the Dream Center, Victor said he had heard Matthew Barnett speak a couple of times, probably at the Angelus Temple.  I was amazed that he knew who he was.  Just so that you know who he is, here is a partial quote from his recent blog on June 3 this year...

"I remember the first day I ran a bus to bring the homeless to church.  I also remember the first mass exodus.  I was told that bringing the homeless to church on a Sunday would be ministry suicide.  The church demographic would not attend a church like this.  Temporarily, we paid the price.  Nineteen years later it's been the key to consistent growth.....No matter how big the church gets, no matter how many services we have, if we don't fight for the homeless and suffering we've missed the point."

Well of course, I couldn't agree more.  After praying with everyone on Trinity St I drove around the block to Wall St.  This is the site of last month's BBQ and where a bunch of people now live.  In fact, I only had four burgers left after Trinity St, so the main draw was a trunk full of clothes.  Also, I gave someone a toothbrush and toothpaste, and I must have had four or five others asking for them too.  Luckily, I had enough for the ones asking, but I'll have to bring some more next week.  One side of the street is where Willie, Dave and now Larry (who sleeps in his van) live.  The other side of the street there are about 6 others living, including Louis, another Willie, Tom, Joe and some others whose names I haven't memorized yet.  I must have given out 75% of the clothes I had with me.  Willie and Dave wanted to know if I was doing the next BBQ next week!  I had told them we would have another one soon. Now I had to tell them we'd have to wait until after my schedule changes back to days at the end of next month.  Before I left, I walked back across the street under the freeway where the other group was staying.  As I walked up, I'll never forget the 'other' Willie had toothpaste dripping from his mouth (he was in the midst of brushing) as I told them sometime in early October we would have another BBQ.  I lifted up my arms towards them as if to give them a group embrace and gave them a parting prayer and blessing.  On two streets and one block, all the food, most all of the clothes and all but three bottles of water were given out.  "Lord, please bless me with more of your resources to help these people."  Now as to the next adventure....

Let's go back to the church service Sunday morning.  During the worship and praise time (also called the singing part by some people) there was a woman, about thirty-ish I'm guessing and looked like Aretha Franklin or Ella Fitzgerald at a similar age.  And man could this gal sing!  She didn't take a back seat to those two in the singing department.  I didn't get the name of the song because I was pretty mesmerized by it, but one of the lines in the song was, "I'm pouring out my praise to you."  I went on youtube to try and get the song name, but the songs that came up weren't the one I heard.  Anyway, as I'm listening to this woman singing this song and realizing that her 'gift' is obviously a voice that can sing well and inspire others in worship and praise I was suddenly "hit" with the question, "What gift do I have that I am using to bring praise and worship to God?  Then the next thing that comes to mind is the sight last week at 7th and Alvarado where I witnessed the street fight with about twenty guys fighting in the middle of the street.  For this 'old white dude from the suburbs' that wasn't a sight I will soon forget.  I realized my 'gift' is one-on-one personal relationships.  I now knew what I was supposed to do.  Go down there Sunday, get out of the car and walk around!  What was I supposed to do?  I didn't know really.  Try and talk to people and bring what I bring to that relationship.  Obviously, it would be apparent that I'm not from that 'hood'.  Maybe that would be something I could use to an advantage.  Anyway, I was pretty excited about the prospects (this added to me being unable to sleep I'm sure).  So now with the 'normal' part of the trip done, I headed down to 7th and Alvarado.

  
So the signal in the background is 7th and Alvarado, the foreground is right where the fighting occurred last week and at about the exact same time as last week.

This is the park directly to the left of the first picture.  Through those trees there are lots of people as well as street vendors selling food, drinks and all kinds of stuff on the sidewalks of Alvarado St.  Hundreds of people are milling around on the streets there and throughout the park.  The park is actually pretty big and just driving around it took some time.  There is a sidewalk that circles the 'lake' and fountain area that I walked around.  Below is a picture from the other side of the lake.

Behind where I took this picture is another section of the park and I saw two large groups of people gathered.  I didn't know what was going on there, but they both seemed to be some kind of organized thing.  So it was quite a walk and I had to rest about two thirds of the way around it (my health is not anywhere near what it once was).  There wasn't any place to park on the streets around the park itself.  There is also an underground metro link station on Alvarado St in the background of the first picture.  I found a 10 minute parking lot on the street behind that picture.  So I was kind of leery about leaving my car there and only intended to leave it for about that long, but I kept walking and ended up walking all around the lake and my car was still there when I got back.  I'll try and find a more suitable place to park next week. So that's the first obstacle, where to park.  The next thing is English is not exactly the primary language spoken here.  However, you may recall the church on Cloud Nine Alley.  I had started prayer-walking on Sept 19, 2010 down Cloud Nine Alley.  Six weeks later, a church was planted in an empty warehouse building and I'm standing in it speaking to the congregation (Blog Nov. 1, 2010).  The congregation was Spanish speaking and the pastor brought someone up to interpret for me.  It is one of my most cherished memories of this ministry.  So I shouldn't consider language as an impossible barrier.  After all, I'm sure there are many around this park area that speak English.  But we will see.  I also remember when I was talking to the guys at the Dream Center last week.  They said that Matthew Barnett, on the 15th anniversary of the Center decided to spend a night on skid row.  He was discouraged from doing this (isn't that what everyone's initial reaction is to anything adventurous?).  He ended up taking his bible with him and when people saw his bible they kept coming up to him asking him to pray for them!  That was going to be my plan Sunday, but when I first left my car I didn't intend to be gone that long and then when I got back to it-it was time to go.  So next week that's the plan after I scout out a new place to park the car.  Be praying for this new opportunity.  I've been praying that I could be God's weapon of choice to a spiritually dark place.  I've now received my assignment.  This week is the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" march in Washington DC. I guess I have a dream too!--Until next time.  John

PS.  Remember you can click on the photos to make them bigger.

Downtown 8/18/2013

"Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear." -Isaiah 65:24

I made a beeline straight to the alley where I saw Rico and Miguel last week, however, I didn't see them or anyone else there.  I was hoping to find out if they contacted the Dream Center or not.  I ended up going there (to the Dream Center) at the end of Sunday's trip.  I'm starting to learn something about how the Center functions as well as some of it's many outreaches. There is even a guy who daily goes out and serves people (gives food and stuff) to people living under freeways etc.  Sounds familiar, huh?  The name of that outreach is "Under the Bridge".  I got the email address of the guy who runs it and am hoping to find out what he does with people who are recently  homeless and need some help getting off the streets.  I saw a video a couple of weeks ago of the founder of the Dream Center.  His name is Matthew Barnett.  In the video he tells the story of how things began and one of the turning points was a night where he went to a location in Echo Park around midnight.  Echo Park, for those not familiar with this area, is the area right near Dodger Stadium.  That night he saw the police arresting gang members for various violations and God spoke to him about establishing a place where these people could get help to change the direction in their life.  In addition to that he felt God asking him if he was willing to give up his own dreams of pastoring a 'big church' like most pastors want and instead do something for these people that he saw being arrested that night.  Ironically, he has ended up having the big church, but the path was by way of establishing this Center.  The Center is the old Queen of Angels Hospital, a landmark location in Los Angeles, about two miles from downtown.  On my way there I drove up Alvarado St.  At around 7th I was stopped waiting for the signal to change when I noticed a commotion west of the intersection.  I was stopped a few cars back from the intersection and couldn't see what was going on, but everyone standing on the corners of the sidewalks were looking west down the street.  This street and the surrounding streets are filled with storefront retail stores and the place was packed with pedestrians.  It was about 7 pm.  There is a park on one of the corners.  As I pulled through the intersection I saw what the commotion was.  There must have been twenty men fighting in the middle of the street (most likely gangs).  Police sirens could be heard on the way to break-up the disturbance.  I can only imagine that this was something similar to what Matthew saw that night years ago.  When you think about the direction of the lives of those men involved, it's heartbreaking to think of the lost potential.  Then again, I see it on a one-on-one level each week when I serve the people where I go. At the Center, I was given a list where people can go to receive help from various outreaches in the downtown area.   I'm hoping to start incorporating this into the help I give out each week.

One of the men I saw yesterday was Alex.  I've seen him several times in the last couple of months.  Yesterday, he was reading his bible on the sidewalk on Trinity St.  He was happy to see me and we talked about what he was reading.  His bible is in Spanish and we struggle a little with the language barrier.  However, I asked him what book he was reading and he pointed in his bible to Isaiah chapter 40.  So I got out my bible and he showed me where he was reading and he read it to me (in Spanish while I followed along in my English bible).  Later, I told him about the Dream Center and gave him the address and phone number.  Next week I'll give him some of the places on the list of outreach programs.  I hope we can find a place for him before the cold weather starts.  So after giving Alex the usual food and water and some shirts I left some cans of food for him to save for Monday.  He was overwhelmed with joy over that.  I really really like this guy.  I pray things will work out well for him.

Up the street from Alex was Antonio and Julio.  I haven't seen Leticia the last two times I've seen Antonio.
Both times he's simply said, "She's not back yet."   Although both men were happy to see me, Julio seemed particularly happy.  I think he's pretty lonely and just needs a friend (don't we all?).

After that I drove around the block to Wall St.  I haven't seen Willie since the BBQ last month.  I've driven by a few times, but no one on his side of the street was there.  Yesterday, not only was Willie there, but Dave Parker who I haven't seen since the BBQ last October.  He had been staying in a location where it was impossible to park the car nearby.  When I opened up the back of the car so they could look through the clothes, that brought everyone from the other side of the street over.  Louis and a few others from the BBQ last month came over and a lot of clothes were given out.  I got to pray individually with just about everyone.  It was a pretty cool time with these folks.  In a month or so, I'll be switching back to working days and will have Sundays off.  So I told them we'd do another BBQ in October.

One last encounter I wanted to mention.  It was actually the first guy I saw Sunday.  He was walking down San Pedro I think and he had the look of being homeless and hungry.  His name was Alphonzo.  After passing some food and water to him through the window he said, "Dios la bendigo" (God bless you in Spanish).  Luckily, I'm familiar with this is Spanish or I wouldn't have known what he said.  How blessed I was to have helped him.  I felt like God had specifically pointed this man out for me to help.

Before I finish this entry, I wanted to comment on the verse I opened with.  It's one of my favorite verses in the book of Isaiah and is centered on God being able and willing to provide for us in advance.  I have been praying that I would eventually be able to do more than just provide temporary relief to the people I meet downtown.  There will always be a need for the temporary relief I give.  Some of the homeless will, no doubt, always live on the street, however, my heart goes out to those who I can see that just "don't belong" there and don't want to be there.  Some have adopted life on the street as a lifestyle and aren't too concerned with finding a way out or have long ago given up on finding a way out.  Others who haven't lived this way for very long and are still hoping to find their way back into society deserve whatever help and direction I can give them.  It's to this end that I looked into what help the Dream Center can provide.  We'll see where this leads.  I'll keep you posted. --Until next time. John