"You listen to the longings of those who suffer. You offer them hope, and you pay attention to their cries for help. You defend orphans and everyone else in need,..." Psalm 10:17-18a
This was my first trip after missing two Sundays. My work schedule is now back on the night shift, so Sundays are spent sleeping for the most part and makes my arrival downtown considerably later. I didn't arrive until almost 6:30 pm. In another two weeks daylight savings time will be over and each trip will be at night. The next four months will be interesting and different so say the least.
On my last trip I saw Nichole, a pregnant woman I first met a month or so earlier during the BBQ. She told me this last time that she was gong to deliver her baby boy on the following Wednesday. Since I hadn't made a trip since then I wanted to find out what I could about her and the birth of Billy. The freeway off-ramp is right there where she works, which is a recycling center. I pulled in there and looked around at the people working there, but didn't see her. I waited there in the car for a minute and while I was waiting I heard my name being called. Will or "Willie" was panhandling on the corner and he was calling out to me. He told me that Nichole had her baby, but she and her husband had lost their little apartment. In fact, they had stayed with him for a night in his tent last week as they look to get their situation settled. After talking with Willie I pulled around the corner to where we had the BBQ and where Willie's tent is. He had told me there were a couple of other people there. It turned out there were about four or five people there. I told them when they see Nicole to let her know I have some things collected for her and her baby. It may be awhile before I actually see her.
By the time I left them it was completely dark out. I drove around the block and saw John Stokes and talked to him for a while. By this time I only had three burgers left, so my options were kind of limited. I didn't want to go down to 25th and San Pedro again with only three burgers left (like the last time), so I decided to go over to the other side of town and look for men on the sidewalk by themselves. I wasn't really expecting what happened. There is a little street just west of Pico and Olive. I've helped a few people on this street before, but it's been a while and I usually end up using this street to just go around the block and come out on Olive again so I can either cross it (Olive is a one-way street) or get to the far east lane to turn back east on Pico. When I pulled onto this small street I immediately saw a man sleeping on the sidewalk with his shoes off and another man on the other side of the street sitting on the sidewalk with his back up against a building. I pulled up to where the man was sleeping and parked. I tried taking his picture in the darkness from the car, but the picture didn't turn out too well because the flash from the camera lit up the window on the passenger side. I had my driver window down and could hear the other man talking. I wasn't sure what he was saying, but I thought it might be about me and my picture taking. Anyway, I put all three burgers in a bag along with three water bottles and got out of the car. The man sitting up across the street, his name was Rodney. Another man, named BB had walked by at this time pushing a shopping cart. He thought he was going to miss out on the free food, but when I walked over to him he got all happy about the 'perfect timing' of his arrival to that street. BB motioned to the guy sleeping that he 'must be pretty tired because he didn't even find a piece of cardboard to lay down on'. Sadly, this man was sleeping straight on the concrete sidewalk, no blanket, no pillow, no nothing. I walked over to this sleeping man and bent over to set the bag down next to him with the last burger and the water bottle and gently spoke to him. He was Latino and spoke no English. However, when I said,"Comida" he immediately understood and sat up and opened the bag and started eating the burger. I went to the back of my car and got out three pairs of new socks and gave each man one. All three of these men would have slept through the night without a meal if I hadn't have come by.
When I left the house before this trip, I asked my wife to pray for me. I really wasn't feeling "up to" or "connected" to this trip. I know part of that is because of the schedule change to nights at work. Part of it was due to it being three Sundays ago since the last trip. Knowing that it would be dark soon puts a different spin and expectation level to a trip also. During the next four months things will be different. People will be getting ready to sleep and a lot of folks will be covered up and sleeping as soon as the sun goes down. It can be kind of rude to "wake someone up" when they've gone to bed. Well, we'll see what happens. God will lead me to people needing help, that I know. Until next time.---John
Monday, October 20, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
Downtown 9/28/14
"Not everyone can work miracles. Not everyone can heal the sick. Not everyone can speak different kinds of languages. Not everyone can tell you what these languages mean. I want you to desire the best gifts. So I will show you a much better way." ---1 Cor. 12:29b-30. The Apostle Paul's introduction into the 'love chapter' ( 1 Cor.13).
In recent weeks I have been really overcome with an intense desire to just love people and demonstrate God's love for the people I meet on these trips. I prayed that I would give everything out of me I could, not just the 'stuff'' I brought with me in the car, but everything inside me as well. I just wanted to give away what God has given me. It's kind of a hard 'thing' to describe, but I hope you'll understand it somehow.
I arrived kind of late in the day, shortly after 5 pm with enough food and water for about 9-10 people. I decided to focus on the 'loners'. People who are off by themselves. Usually, you get the best conversations/encounters with these folks. I drove to Hunter St which is one of the streets around the LA Times building. Maurice and Elaine used to live there, but I haven't seen them in months. It is, however, where my friend Michael and his dog have stayed, although the last time I went there, there was no sign of them. Sunday, I found a couple of guys there, one on a bike talking to a another guy in a tent. When I pulled up and asked them about Michael, they said he was staying there, but wasn't there right then. Their names were Jacob and Miguel. On down the street I almost drove by a man laying on the sidewalk. I stopped and backed the car up to ask if he was hungry. His name was Malich. We talked for quite a while when we found out we both grew up here locally. He went to high school at Manuel Arts and when I told him I went to El Segundo High he asked me if I knew George Brett (the Hall of Fame baseball player). I told him that George was a year older than me and yes I did know him way back in those days We had gone to school from elementary to high school together. Malich seems to be drifting around these days between his home town area and LA. He seemed very likeable and coherent so it was somewhat troubling to see him disconnected from family and friends at this age in his life. I sure hope I see him again soon.
When I had first gotten off the freeway at Alameda I saw a homeless man walking around the cars coming down the freeway off-ramp. I drove back around to get to him. It turned out to be Willie or just "Will" whose picture I put in the blog from the last BBQ. He lives directly across the street from where I had set up. Will is originally from Denver. Can you imagine being homeless in a very cold city like that during the winter? That's why he's out here. I drove on down to Channing St, which is where the BBQ was. Jessie was there in the spot where I had set up and while I was talking with him, Nichole came by. She was the woman who came by in the car several times that day. She told me her baby is due Wednesday and he will be named Billy. I prayed with her for a safe delivery. She lives in what she described as a cheap apartment in Inglewood and works there at the recycler on the corner to make ends meet. She asked if I came across any baby boy clothes to keep her in mind. I'll have to get some things together for her. I look forward to giving them to her.
There were a couple of others I helped before I decided to go down to the area on 25th and San Pedro. This is where my friends Dave and Queen Victoria (and others) live on the sidewalk of that corner. Yet I didn't want to actually see them, but look for Elba, a recently widowed woman who lives in a house on that street. I only had 3 hamburgers left and was concerned about not having near enough food for the amount of people that might be there on the corner. I planned to just go down 25th from the east side going west and look for Elba and maybe ask if anyone knew where she lived, and then take the last cross street before San Pedro. Well, the Lord had other plans! I missed the last street and ended up driving right by all my friends on the corner. Sunday, there were more people there than I had ever seen on that corner before. There were probably seven or eight people sitting on the sidewalk and I only had 3 burgers! What was I going to do? Well,they all saw me and told me to come back around and park there so I did.
The first thing they wanted was to go through the clothes in the back of the car. I told them I didn't have much food left, but I dug around for some bags of chips and I found three cans of food (one was a can of pineapple slices). The one gal in the powder blue jacket shared her burger with the two men next to her. Victoria and Dave got the other two. There were probably a half dozen or so others who came walking by on the street and got to go through the clothes too. It was really a very 'family' atmosphere and no one complained that I didn't have enough food, although some of the passersby were hungry and disappointed that they missed out on what I did have. I even gave out a bible to a man named Pops who asked for one. Anyway, we made plans to do a dinner of sorts in November. It won't be a BBQ, but I'll figure out some way of doing an early Thanksgiving type dinner (it may not be turkey either). I had asked about Elba and if anyone knew where she lived. Victoria and the woman in the brown shirt said she lived in the third house from the corner at the other end of the block. About twenty minutes later, Elba and her grandson Nicholas, came by on their way home! I told Elba (her name is actually Elva) I would stop by her house on my way home. I talked with my friends on the corner for a few minutes more. Dave asked me to pray for them before I left. I told them about the message at church I had heard that morning. It was about being anchored to Christ and how we sometimes drift away from what we know is right. The pastor that morning used an example of a priest by the name of Eli in the book of 1 Samuel and his two (wicked) sons who were priests in the temple. The sons were wicked and immoral, but the father did nothing about their behavior. Some of us see ourselves as the wicked sons, some as the father who doesn't confront the bad behavior. During various times of my life I could identify with both, yet all I could think of during the message that morning was little Samuel who was growing up surrounded by this dysfunctional family. He was "all in" on God's plan for his life and that's what I want to be..."all in". I told my friends how I wanted to just give out everything I had and that "as you know, you guys got everything today". It was actually quite a testimony to them. Then just as I was about to get into my car a woman walked up to me from the street and asked for help. She had been evicted from her house by Sheriff Marshals the day before and she had four kids. I was heartbroken. I gave her the remaining change I had in the cup holder in my car and what was in my pocket. Maybe it was two bucks. The needs are always so great and immediate on the streets.
Well, I had prayed with my friends on the corner before leaving for Elva's house. She was out front sweeping the sidewalk and waiting for me to come by. Luckily, her son-in-law, Nicholas' father, was there and he is bilingual. I stayed with them for over an hour. It looks as though they will be forced to move out soon. They aren't sure where they will go at this point. The son-in-law's name is Emanuel and he has a low paying construction job. He is trying to get into a tech school to get a better job. Elva's emotions are still very raw as you can imagine since her husband died so recently. She brought out her wedding photo album, there were lots of tears as she showed me the people in the photos, both his family and hers. She and her husband, Ruben were married in 1973 at a church on 12th and Los Angeles St. In fact, its down about 10 blocks from the church on Cloud Nine Alley. It turns out Elva is only a couple of years older than me and she has five children. Her daughter, Nicolas' mother is disabled after being shot ten years ago. You can imagine how fearful Elva is about the future with so many problems to deal with. I won't be able to get back down there for two weeks, so I'm hoping I'll be able to find out where they end up if they're gone before I see them again. I'm confident the Lord will keep us connected.
So I began this blog with the intro to the"love chapter" and how my desire was to just love these people as God loves them. I try to read through the bible every year (one of those disciplines I try to do). Wouldn't you know that when I got home Sunday night, the next section of the bible I read was Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians!!!!!! Is that divine planning or what? So I'll end this blog with the first eight verses in this famous chapter from the Apostle Paul. I hope you will see it in a whole new light as I did....
"What if I could speak all languages of humans and of angels? If I did not love others I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
What if I could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved mountains? I would be nothing, unless I loved others.
What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing unless I loved others.
Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.
Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.
Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful and trusting.
Love never fails......."
Stay tuned. Love likes happy endings and in Christ they are always ultimately going to be happy endings.--- Until next time. John
In recent weeks I have been really overcome with an intense desire to just love people and demonstrate God's love for the people I meet on these trips. I prayed that I would give everything out of me I could, not just the 'stuff'' I brought with me in the car, but everything inside me as well. I just wanted to give away what God has given me. It's kind of a hard 'thing' to describe, but I hope you'll understand it somehow.
I arrived kind of late in the day, shortly after 5 pm with enough food and water for about 9-10 people. I decided to focus on the 'loners'. People who are off by themselves. Usually, you get the best conversations/encounters with these folks. I drove to Hunter St which is one of the streets around the LA Times building. Maurice and Elaine used to live there, but I haven't seen them in months. It is, however, where my friend Michael and his dog have stayed, although the last time I went there, there was no sign of them. Sunday, I found a couple of guys there, one on a bike talking to a another guy in a tent. When I pulled up and asked them about Michael, they said he was staying there, but wasn't there right then. Their names were Jacob and Miguel. On down the street I almost drove by a man laying on the sidewalk. I stopped and backed the car up to ask if he was hungry. His name was Malich. We talked for quite a while when we found out we both grew up here locally. He went to high school at Manuel Arts and when I told him I went to El Segundo High he asked me if I knew George Brett (the Hall of Fame baseball player). I told him that George was a year older than me and yes I did know him way back in those days We had gone to school from elementary to high school together. Malich seems to be drifting around these days between his home town area and LA. He seemed very likeable and coherent so it was somewhat troubling to see him disconnected from family and friends at this age in his life. I sure hope I see him again soon.
When I had first gotten off the freeway at Alameda I saw a homeless man walking around the cars coming down the freeway off-ramp. I drove back around to get to him. It turned out to be Willie or just "Will" whose picture I put in the blog from the last BBQ. He lives directly across the street from where I had set up. Will is originally from Denver. Can you imagine being homeless in a very cold city like that during the winter? That's why he's out here. I drove on down to Channing St, which is where the BBQ was. Jessie was there in the spot where I had set up and while I was talking with him, Nichole came by. She was the woman who came by in the car several times that day. She told me her baby is due Wednesday and he will be named Billy. I prayed with her for a safe delivery. She lives in what she described as a cheap apartment in Inglewood and works there at the recycler on the corner to make ends meet. She asked if I came across any baby boy clothes to keep her in mind. I'll have to get some things together for her. I look forward to giving them to her.
There were a couple of others I helped before I decided to go down to the area on 25th and San Pedro. This is where my friends Dave and Queen Victoria (and others) live on the sidewalk of that corner. Yet I didn't want to actually see them, but look for Elba, a recently widowed woman who lives in a house on that street. I only had 3 hamburgers left and was concerned about not having near enough food for the amount of people that might be there on the corner. I planned to just go down 25th from the east side going west and look for Elba and maybe ask if anyone knew where she lived, and then take the last cross street before San Pedro. Well, the Lord had other plans! I missed the last street and ended up driving right by all my friends on the corner. Sunday, there were more people there than I had ever seen on that corner before. There were probably seven or eight people sitting on the sidewalk and I only had 3 burgers! What was I going to do? Well,they all saw me and told me to come back around and park there so I did.
The first thing they wanted was to go through the clothes in the back of the car. I told them I didn't have much food left, but I dug around for some bags of chips and I found three cans of food (one was a can of pineapple slices). The one gal in the powder blue jacket shared her burger with the two men next to her. Victoria and Dave got the other two. There were probably a half dozen or so others who came walking by on the street and got to go through the clothes too. It was really a very 'family' atmosphere and no one complained that I didn't have enough food, although some of the passersby were hungry and disappointed that they missed out on what I did have. I even gave out a bible to a man named Pops who asked for one. Anyway, we made plans to do a dinner of sorts in November. It won't be a BBQ, but I'll figure out some way of doing an early Thanksgiving type dinner (it may not be turkey either). I had asked about Elba and if anyone knew where she lived. Victoria and the woman in the brown shirt said she lived in the third house from the corner at the other end of the block. About twenty minutes later, Elba and her grandson Nicholas, came by on their way home! I told Elba (her name is actually Elva) I would stop by her house on my way home. I talked with my friends on the corner for a few minutes more. Dave asked me to pray for them before I left. I told them about the message at church I had heard that morning. It was about being anchored to Christ and how we sometimes drift away from what we know is right. The pastor that morning used an example of a priest by the name of Eli in the book of 1 Samuel and his two (wicked) sons who were priests in the temple. The sons were wicked and immoral, but the father did nothing about their behavior. Some of us see ourselves as the wicked sons, some as the father who doesn't confront the bad behavior. During various times of my life I could identify with both, yet all I could think of during the message that morning was little Samuel who was growing up surrounded by this dysfunctional family. He was "all in" on God's plan for his life and that's what I want to be..."all in". I told my friends how I wanted to just give out everything I had and that "as you know, you guys got everything today". It was actually quite a testimony to them. Then just as I was about to get into my car a woman walked up to me from the street and asked for help. She had been evicted from her house by Sheriff Marshals the day before and she had four kids. I was heartbroken. I gave her the remaining change I had in the cup holder in my car and what was in my pocket. Maybe it was two bucks. The needs are always so great and immediate on the streets.
Well, I had prayed with my friends on the corner before leaving for Elva's house. She was out front sweeping the sidewalk and waiting for me to come by. Luckily, her son-in-law, Nicholas' father, was there and he is bilingual. I stayed with them for over an hour. It looks as though they will be forced to move out soon. They aren't sure where they will go at this point. The son-in-law's name is Emanuel and he has a low paying construction job. He is trying to get into a tech school to get a better job. Elva's emotions are still very raw as you can imagine since her husband died so recently. She brought out her wedding photo album, there were lots of tears as she showed me the people in the photos, both his family and hers. She and her husband, Ruben were married in 1973 at a church on 12th and Los Angeles St. In fact, its down about 10 blocks from the church on Cloud Nine Alley. It turns out Elva is only a couple of years older than me and she has five children. Her daughter, Nicolas' mother is disabled after being shot ten years ago. You can imagine how fearful Elva is about the future with so many problems to deal with. I won't be able to get back down there for two weeks, so I'm hoping I'll be able to find out where they end up if they're gone before I see them again. I'm confident the Lord will keep us connected.
So I began this blog with the intro to the"love chapter" and how my desire was to just love these people as God loves them. I try to read through the bible every year (one of those disciplines I try to do). Wouldn't you know that when I got home Sunday night, the next section of the bible I read was Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians!!!!!! Is that divine planning or what? So I'll end this blog with the first eight verses in this famous chapter from the Apostle Paul. I hope you will see it in a whole new light as I did....
"What if I could speak all languages of humans and of angels? If I did not love others I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
What if I could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved mountains? I would be nothing, unless I loved others.
What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing unless I loved others.
Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.
Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.
Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful and trusting.
Love never fails......."
Stay tuned. Love likes happy endings and in Christ they are always ultimately going to be happy endings.--- Until next time. John
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Downtown 9/14/14
"When the poor and needy are dying of thirst and cannot find water, I, the LORD God of Israel, will come to their rescue. I won't forget them. I will make rivers flow on mountain peaks. I will send streams to fill the valleys." Isaiah 41:17-18a
Not only are we experiencing a severe drought here in California, but probably the last heat wave of the summer too. When I left home for this week's trip it was 107 and it was almost 4 pm. Downtown wasn't near as hot, low to mid 90's, but it had been a very hot day and had been that way for the last three or four days with more to come. I had been looking forward to the trip because I knew people would be really wanting cold water, so I brought a lot with me.
Once again, there wasn't any one encounter that stood out, but everyone I handed food and cold water to was happy to receive it. There were a few people by themselves spread out over the usual places and then I drove over to my friends at 25th and San Pedro. At first I couldn't find a place to park there, but eventually a spot opened up that I was able to get. I spent quite a lot of time with them, Dave, Hiram, Queen Victoria and a couple of new guys I met, Jimmy and Junior. In talking with Victoria I learned that Elba's (from a couple of weeks ago) husband died just a couple of months ago. She is also the grandmother of the kids I saw that day, the kids' mother is handicapped. Jimmy,who I didn't recognize, didn't recognize me at first either, but then after about ten minutes or so said, "I remember you. You've been doing this a long time haven't you?" I probably spent 45 minutes there just talking with them. Other folks came by, including Becky. I saw Dorothy walking by across the street, but she didn't come over. Eventually, I prayed with them and left. I told them I wouldn't be down there next week I have a trip to make out of town.
Before leaving for home I wanted to go by the store on 7th ave and Columbia. Last week I had driven by there and for the first time in months the door where the words "I am Legion" had been painted were now gone. The door had been rolled up for months and I didn't know they had been removed. I'll take small victories like that any time. This week I wanted to take a picture to show that prayer makes a difference!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85P2iMHfzKw&list=UUu4X846OSea5YU6S8fIpy1A
Make sure you watch the video from the link above, you may have to copy and paste it into your address line.
Not only are we experiencing a severe drought here in California, but probably the last heat wave of the summer too. When I left home for this week's trip it was 107 and it was almost 4 pm. Downtown wasn't near as hot, low to mid 90's, but it had been a very hot day and had been that way for the last three or four days with more to come. I had been looking forward to the trip because I knew people would be really wanting cold water, so I brought a lot with me.
Once again, there wasn't any one encounter that stood out, but everyone I handed food and cold water to was happy to receive it. There were a few people by themselves spread out over the usual places and then I drove over to my friends at 25th and San Pedro. At first I couldn't find a place to park there, but eventually a spot opened up that I was able to get. I spent quite a lot of time with them, Dave, Hiram, Queen Victoria and a couple of new guys I met, Jimmy and Junior. In talking with Victoria I learned that Elba's (from a couple of weeks ago) husband died just a couple of months ago. She is also the grandmother of the kids I saw that day, the kids' mother is handicapped. Jimmy,who I didn't recognize, didn't recognize me at first either, but then after about ten minutes or so said, "I remember you. You've been doing this a long time haven't you?" I probably spent 45 minutes there just talking with them. Other folks came by, including Becky. I saw Dorothy walking by across the street, but she didn't come over. Eventually, I prayed with them and left. I told them I wouldn't be down there next week I have a trip to make out of town.
Before leaving for home I wanted to go by the store on 7th ave and Columbia. Last week I had driven by there and for the first time in months the door where the words "I am Legion" had been painted were now gone. The door had been rolled up for months and I didn't know they had been removed. I'll take small victories like that any time. This week I wanted to take a picture to show that prayer makes a difference!!!
 |
| Before prayer |
 |
| After several months of weekly prayer in front of it. |
It should probably be noted that I never talked to anyone at this place, the 7/Eleven store or anyone on the whole block....ever!
Before closing, I wanted to share this video a friend posted on facebook the other day. It's just under five minutes long. It gives you an idea of how 'regular' people view the homeless and how just the least bit of kindness towards the homeless affects them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85P2iMHfzKw&list=UUu4X846OSea5YU6S8fIpy1A
Make sure you watch the video from the link above, you may have to copy and paste it into your address line.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Downtown 9/7/2014
"With all my heart I praise the Lord, and with all that I am I praise his holy name! With all my heart I praise the Lord! I will never forget how kind he has been. The Lord forgives our sins, heals us when we are sick and protects us from death. His kindness and love are a crown on our heads. Each day that we live, he provides for our needs and gives us the strength of a young eagle." Psalm 103:1-5
Sometimes their doesn't seem to be anything special about a trip. I was reminded recently that most days of ministry are that way and then once in a while you get a 'wow' day. Sunday's trip didn't seem to have anything special about it. There were people who were needful and I helped them, but nothing really stood out.
Carlos and another man were sitting on a sidewalk on a little street just east of Los Angeles St. Curtis from Louisiana was in one of the alleys where I've had BBQ's He was kind of the most interesting encounter of the day. He had only two large teeth, one on each upper side of his mouth, but that didn't hamper him from asking me for two sandwiches. (yes I gave him two and prayed with him also)
Then there was Jayson and Sonny and at the end of the trip John Stokes and Dave and around the corner from them Beverly and another man. I drove down Hunter St by the LA Times building to see if Michael and his dog were there, but it looked like they haven't been there for days. Maurice and Elaine's stuff had been removed also, but I haven't seen or heard from them in well over a month now.
So there was one thing about this trip that did stand out. About a year ago at this time I was driving down 7th Ave each week on my way to McArthur Park. Along the way I had noticed a gray roll-up door at the corner of 7th and Columbia next to a 7 Eleven store. I noticed it because it had the words "I am Legion" spelled out in big block letters on the door. Whoever painted those words on the door knew precisely that they carried with them demonic implications. There is only one place in the New Testament where this phrase is used and that is exactly what it represents. I started praying in front of this door every week when I would pass by it on the way to the park. Somewhere around April I noticed the door was rolled-up. It looked like someone might be getting ready to reopen the store that was behind this door, but I never did see any movement of things behind the glass windows, never saw any people in there at all. Last week the door was down. The words had been painted over and were now gone completely! I'd like to think my prayers had something to do with their removal, but I'll probably never know. I do know I was faithful to pray about it weekly. I do know God is faithful. I also know God is against this type of thing. You can make your own assumptions. --Until next time. John
Sometimes their doesn't seem to be anything special about a trip. I was reminded recently that most days of ministry are that way and then once in a while you get a 'wow' day. Sunday's trip didn't seem to have anything special about it. There were people who were needful and I helped them, but nothing really stood out.
Carlos and another man were sitting on a sidewalk on a little street just east of Los Angeles St. Curtis from Louisiana was in one of the alleys where I've had BBQ's He was kind of the most interesting encounter of the day. He had only two large teeth, one on each upper side of his mouth, but that didn't hamper him from asking me for two sandwiches. (yes I gave him two and prayed with him also)
Then there was Jayson and Sonny and at the end of the trip John Stokes and Dave and around the corner from them Beverly and another man. I drove down Hunter St by the LA Times building to see if Michael and his dog were there, but it looked like they haven't been there for days. Maurice and Elaine's stuff had been removed also, but I haven't seen or heard from them in well over a month now.
So there was one thing about this trip that did stand out. About a year ago at this time I was driving down 7th Ave each week on my way to McArthur Park. Along the way I had noticed a gray roll-up door at the corner of 7th and Columbia next to a 7 Eleven store. I noticed it because it had the words "I am Legion" spelled out in big block letters on the door. Whoever painted those words on the door knew precisely that they carried with them demonic implications. There is only one place in the New Testament where this phrase is used and that is exactly what it represents. I started praying in front of this door every week when I would pass by it on the way to the park. Somewhere around April I noticed the door was rolled-up. It looked like someone might be getting ready to reopen the store that was behind this door, but I never did see any movement of things behind the glass windows, never saw any people in there at all. Last week the door was down. The words had been painted over and were now gone completely! I'd like to think my prayers had something to do with their removal, but I'll probably never know. I do know I was faithful to pray about it weekly. I do know God is faithful. I also know God is against this type of thing. You can make your own assumptions. --Until next time. John
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Saturday evening downtown 8/30/14
"The LORD All-Powerful will destroy the power of death and wipe away all tears." Isaiah 25:8a
"He [God] will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying or pain. These things of the past are gone forever." Revelation 21:4
"Now I tell you to love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12
I had only one prayer request as I drove into Los Angeles, and that was to love the people I would meet as God loves them.
I haven't been able to make a trip downtown since the BBQ two Sundays ago. This week I've been on vacation from work and was able to get a trip in on a Saturday evening. I decided to try and find the folks I invited to the BBQ, but didn't show up. One such place was on the corner of San Pedro and about 25th, across the street from the Winchell's donut shop. There are about 4 or 5 folks living there on the sidewalk including Dave Parker and Queen Victoria. I had seen a couple of other people before going over there, but didn't want to see too many others because I didn't want to show up there with only a couple of sandwiches left.
One of the cool things about the folks on this corner is that every time I show up there, several other people walk by or drive by and stop. So it ends up being a lengthy stop with lots of opportunities to talk to different people you otherwise might not meet. This evening was no exception. Since there are a lot of stores on San Pedro Ave, the pedestrian traffic is fairly heavy especially in the last hour or so before the sun goes down. When I arrived only Dave and Victoria were there, but soon a pick-up truck pulled up with Tony and Johnny. Victoria is introducing me to these people as they show up. I don't think Tony was homeless, but apparently Johnny is. Tony didn't accept any food or look at any of the clothes, but Johnny did, I got to pray with both of them before they left. Becky showed up too (I've seen her many times before). Then a man named Bill who it appeared lived on the street with Dave and Victoria came over. Bill was a little difficult to deal with, but I managed. A couple of guys from across the street came over. I had met one of them before and he remembered me. Dave had to take off for a while, but before he left he wanted me to pray for them (he and Victoria) which I did. So sometime along here a woman with two kids walked by. I didn't get a good look at the older child because she had gone on ahead, but Victoria seemed to know them and was saying hello to the little boy, whom I'm guessing was about 4 years old. I said hello to the mom who was probably about fortyish. She told me her son, whose hand she held, was Nicholas and her daughter's name was Ruby. Her name was Elba. Elba didn't speak any English, so I thought she started telling me about a ten year old son at home who was 'incapacion'. I thought maybe this was a child at home, but I think it was about the girl who had gone on ahead down the sidewalk. The daughter, Ruby looked like she was maybe sixteen or so from where I was standing. Anyway, I offered to pray for her family. When I finished she looked up at me and started telling me about her 'esposo' (husband) who was 'muerte' (died). I sensed that this had happened fairly recently. About this time, Nicholas had taken-off down the street after his sister, so Elba had to leave. After she left, Victoria confirmed that her husband had died. I don't know if I'll see her again or not. Perhaps, Victoria knows about where they live and I could check in on them. I felt privileged to pray for them and it was obvious that Elba's husband's death was still fresh on her heart. It was the most special and holy moment of the trip and I just wanted to give out the peace and comfort that only comes from Jesus. I would love to get to know more of the people in the neighborhood and finding out where Elba lives could be a way to get to know other people in the neighborhood. Then again, just hanging out there you end up meeting a lot of folks and those that live there on the sidewalk, like Victoria, seem to know lots of the people that walk by there.
Well, when I finally left there I ended up going to the Jack in the Box on Alameda to wait out the evening traffic for a while. When I was about to get out of the car, a woman who came to the BBQ a couple of weeks was walking out the door with someone. She came up to the car and asked where the BBQ was today! I told her I only do BBQ's a couple of times during the summer months and that I usually just drive around looking for folks in need and told them about some of the stuff that happened on this trip. Eventually, I went inside, but while I was waiting for my order I needed to go get something out of the car. When I went out to the car, John Stokes was walking up. Then while he and I were inside, another guy I know by the name of Kenny walked up. He had a large cup and wanted to get it filled with water. No food, just water (no money). We talked for a while and he told me where he was staying on 14th St. I gave him a couple of dollars to get something to eat with his water and let him look through the clothes in the car. It was amazing how I thought the trip was over and yet there were still opportunities to serve even when I was out of food.
So as I left to go home I kept thinking about Elba and her family. How is she making ends meet? Does she have another child who is handicapped? How can I find her again? How can I remove the sorrow and pain in her life. The verses I opened with came to mind. I was surprised to see a verse in Isaiah mirror so closely with that familiar verse from Revelation. My desire to "love these people as you love them Lord", was answered so powerfully. Be careful what you pray for! --Until next time. John
Here is a photo of Queen Victoria. I asked her to give me a big smile because when she smiles her face just lights up!
"He [God] will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying or pain. These things of the past are gone forever." Revelation 21:4
"Now I tell you to love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12
I had only one prayer request as I drove into Los Angeles, and that was to love the people I would meet as God loves them.
I haven't been able to make a trip downtown since the BBQ two Sundays ago. This week I've been on vacation from work and was able to get a trip in on a Saturday evening. I decided to try and find the folks I invited to the BBQ, but didn't show up. One such place was on the corner of San Pedro and about 25th, across the street from the Winchell's donut shop. There are about 4 or 5 folks living there on the sidewalk including Dave Parker and Queen Victoria. I had seen a couple of other people before going over there, but didn't want to see too many others because I didn't want to show up there with only a couple of sandwiches left.
One of the cool things about the folks on this corner is that every time I show up there, several other people walk by or drive by and stop. So it ends up being a lengthy stop with lots of opportunities to talk to different people you otherwise might not meet. This evening was no exception. Since there are a lot of stores on San Pedro Ave, the pedestrian traffic is fairly heavy especially in the last hour or so before the sun goes down. When I arrived only Dave and Victoria were there, but soon a pick-up truck pulled up with Tony and Johnny. Victoria is introducing me to these people as they show up. I don't think Tony was homeless, but apparently Johnny is. Tony didn't accept any food or look at any of the clothes, but Johnny did, I got to pray with both of them before they left. Becky showed up too (I've seen her many times before). Then a man named Bill who it appeared lived on the street with Dave and Victoria came over. Bill was a little difficult to deal with, but I managed. A couple of guys from across the street came over. I had met one of them before and he remembered me. Dave had to take off for a while, but before he left he wanted me to pray for them (he and Victoria) which I did. So sometime along here a woman with two kids walked by. I didn't get a good look at the older child because she had gone on ahead, but Victoria seemed to know them and was saying hello to the little boy, whom I'm guessing was about 4 years old. I said hello to the mom who was probably about fortyish. She told me her son, whose hand she held, was Nicholas and her daughter's name was Ruby. Her name was Elba. Elba didn't speak any English, so I thought she started telling me about a ten year old son at home who was 'incapacion'. I thought maybe this was a child at home, but I think it was about the girl who had gone on ahead down the sidewalk. The daughter, Ruby looked like she was maybe sixteen or so from where I was standing. Anyway, I offered to pray for her family. When I finished she looked up at me and started telling me about her 'esposo' (husband) who was 'muerte' (died). I sensed that this had happened fairly recently. About this time, Nicholas had taken-off down the street after his sister, so Elba had to leave. After she left, Victoria confirmed that her husband had died. I don't know if I'll see her again or not. Perhaps, Victoria knows about where they live and I could check in on them. I felt privileged to pray for them and it was obvious that Elba's husband's death was still fresh on her heart. It was the most special and holy moment of the trip and I just wanted to give out the peace and comfort that only comes from Jesus. I would love to get to know more of the people in the neighborhood and finding out where Elba lives could be a way to get to know other people in the neighborhood. Then again, just hanging out there you end up meeting a lot of folks and those that live there on the sidewalk, like Victoria, seem to know lots of the people that walk by there.
Well, when I finally left there I ended up going to the Jack in the Box on Alameda to wait out the evening traffic for a while. When I was about to get out of the car, a woman who came to the BBQ a couple of weeks was walking out the door with someone. She came up to the car and asked where the BBQ was today! I told her I only do BBQ's a couple of times during the summer months and that I usually just drive around looking for folks in need and told them about some of the stuff that happened on this trip. Eventually, I went inside, but while I was waiting for my order I needed to go get something out of the car. When I went out to the car, John Stokes was walking up. Then while he and I were inside, another guy I know by the name of Kenny walked up. He had a large cup and wanted to get it filled with water. No food, just water (no money). We talked for a while and he told me where he was staying on 14th St. I gave him a couple of dollars to get something to eat with his water and let him look through the clothes in the car. It was amazing how I thought the trip was over and yet there were still opportunities to serve even when I was out of food.
So as I left to go home I kept thinking about Elba and her family. How is she making ends meet? Does she have another child who is handicapped? How can I find her again? How can I remove the sorrow and pain in her life. The verses I opened with came to mind. I was surprised to see a verse in Isaiah mirror so closely with that familiar verse from Revelation. My desire to "love these people as you love them Lord", was answered so powerfully. Be careful what you pray for! --Until next time. John
Here is a photo of Queen Victoria. I asked her to give me a big smile because when she smiles her face just lights up!
Monday, August 18, 2014
BBQ downtown 8/17/14
"You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress: my God, in whom I trust.' For he will deliver you..." Psalm 91:1-3a
Shortly after I started this ministry, I dreamed of putting on a BBQ for my homeless friends. I had envisioned finding a place where I could set-up shop and serve the people coming by. Of course, I had a lot of fears about doing this. What if the authorities saw me with a BBQ fire on a public sidewalk? They'd probably shut me down. So I'd have to find a place sort-of out of the way, but where enough homeless people would see me and come by. You can't exactly call up these folks the night before or even advertise with flyers either. So up until this time I always picked a place where I knew 4-6 people lived and had them tell their friends to come around on the day I had planned. It usually worked out pretty well, but this summer that core of people that I usually met with have all gone their separate ways and there hasn't been 'a group' of folks as a starting point to do one. So I was back trying to just find a good location that would work. My first choice was a parking lot of a business that wasn't open on Sundays, but I never could get approval from them. I ended up using a small street called Channing just east off Alameda and 14th where the I-10 freeway-off ramp to Alameda St is. It was a short block east of Alameda and nearby the Jack in the Box which is the center of the homeless world in that part of downtown. There are two recycling places right by there. That generally insures a steady stream of homeless folks. After much prayer in the preceding days and weeks about this location, I set-up shop at 1:30 pm. Also, for the first time I had help. My wife and daughter and sister-in-law and her daughter were coming too. I loaded up my wife's car full of clothes the night before and with their help let them give out as many clothes as they could. If I got shut down because of the BBQ, at least we could give out clothes! Well, it worked out just fine. No problems with the authorities and we had quite a stream of folks coming by. Some even drove by and stopped (I'll get to those later). Since you always hear my side of the story, I thought I'd let my daughter and wife tell their story first.....
Allison's story:
For those of you who did not know, planning this BBQ was part of my Gold Award for Girl Scouts. I had put on a worship night at my school in June, in which people brought in old clothes and non-perishable foods as their "ticket" to get in. My dad spoke that night about his trips downtown and what God has been doing in his life and the lives of the homeless. I also did some fundraising to help pay for some of the supplies needed for this trip. Even with all the planning and assurance from friends and family, I was still extremely nervous. I kept thinking of everything that could go wrong, and my heart was filled with worry. I was having unusual dreams the nights leading up to it, and I couldn't fall asleep the night before. But Sunday afternoon had arrived, and we were all packed up and on our way.
When I was feeling especially nervous on the way there, I remembered in church that morning, our worship leader was encouraging us to be bold when God is calling us somewhere and to follow Him wherever He leads. Then, she sang one of my favorite songs. The bridge (and basically the main point of the whole song) goes like this:
"Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever you may call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior"
That became my prayer for the day. I was still feeling a little uncomfortable, but God doesn't call us to "comfortable" places. He brings us to places in which we can only let The Spirit, the Comforter in the most uncomfortable places, take hold of us and use us to do His will.
The trip was more than incredible. My cousin and I helped many people by picking out clothes and shoes that they needed. It was amazing to see that we had exactly what they needed, in size and in style. Towards the beginning I got to meet Alexis, who was only a few years younger than me. She told me about her classes at school and her school uniforms. I told her that I had to wear uniforms at school, too. I also got to meet an older woman named Lola towards the end of the trip. She was tall and very thin. We gave her socks, shirts, and a few pairs of pants. We got to sit down and eat with her since she was the only one there for a while. She told us some of her story, and I was extremely blessed by her kind, gentle spirit. Everyone we met was so thankful for the things that I often forget to be thankful about. I was in awe of the miraculous work that the Holy Spirit did on that tiny street under the freeway. A passage that I've been thinking about is Ephesians 3:20, which says, "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." This whole trip would not have been possible without God's faithfulness, His provision, and His Spirit that dwells within us.
Lauren's story:
Any of you who know me well know that I tend to be kind of a worrier. And those of you who know me REALLY well are laughing right now that I said "kind of" a worrier. I am actually a full-fledged, bona fide queen of the worrywarts. So in the days leading up to the BBQ, I worried about everything from getting lice (I worked too many years in the foster care system to not worry about that) to gang activity to being robbed to us getting arrested (see, that's the thing about my worries - they don't have to have any basis in reality to begin to overtake my mind). But I knew God was calling us to follow Him to the streets of downtown Los Angeles.
In addition to the obvious prayers for safety and protection, I was also praying that I would be able to see these homeless people as God sees them, to have His eyes. Before John began his weekly trips downtown, I had a fairly judgmental attitude toward homeless people. I remember thinking "Something is really wrong with them if they have burned all their bridges and have nobody in their lives who will help them." Then when John began telling me stories about the people he was meeting, I became a little bit less judgmental -- but I was still kind of obsessed with the reason they were homeless. I sort of mentally put them in categories of who deserved help (mainly those who were mentally ill) and those who did not deserve help (drug addicts, alcoholics, etc.) I'm kind of ashamed to put that in writing but that's where my mind was.
The first person I met on Sunday was John Stokes, who has gone, in my mind, from being some nameless homeless guy, to John Stokes, some homeless guy who now has a name and who my husband has befriended, to John Stokes, a living, breathing human being who is shaking my hand, who is hungry and smiling and who has a story. Each of the people we met and helped on Sunday were unique and beautiful and had a story. A couple of them were a little bit . . . .um . . . . for lack of a better term, abrasive. I started to categorize them . . . John Stokes is deserving, that woman who just took some food and water and didn't say "thank you" -- undeserving! And then I thought, can you imagine if God put us in those categories -- who is deserving and undeserving of His grace and mercy? Can you guess which group wouldn't have any members? Would I be brazen (and stupid) enough to claim that I had never forgotten to say thank you to God for the many ways He has blessed me?
I am learning that we are all on equal ground at the foot of the cross -- there is no one more deserving than another -- in fact, we are all pitifully and unmistakably undeserving. In that way, I have more in common with John Stokes then I am different from him. And whether you are Lola who lives under an overpass in central Los Angeles, or Lauren who lives in a little, old, comfortable house in a suburb, or Joe Blow who lives in a mansion (I had to use the name Joe Blow because I don't know anyone in real life who lives in a mansion), God sees us all as His precious children who He would do anything to save and for whom He would go to any lengths to rescue. And we all need rescuing.
Finally, you will read in a minute how John had to drive around to find his friends to tell them about the barbecue. He worried the whole time about his one friend, Michael, who he thought was going to be there. Once the initial crowd died down and had eaten, John got in his car to go find Michael. I was initially a little irritated that he was leaving his wife, sister-in-law, daughter, and niece alone under questionable circumstances, but I eventually got over my irritation . . . it helped that he was only gone about 5 minutes or less. He came back and said "I found Michael. He's coming." The look of relief on John's face that he had found his friend and was going to be able to give him lunch was another high point of the day. It wasn't until later that night that I remembered the parable of the wedding feast that Jesus told, where none of the invited guests came and so the party host goes out into the streets and invites the people in the street. Michael didn't say much, he just ate his hamburger and left. But I have to believe he slept a little more soundly last night knowing that his friend John came and sought him out and invited him to come and eat.
How blessed we are to have a God who pursues us because He wants to shower us with His mercy. How can we not share that with others?
John's wrap-up:
So because of my fear of lack of people showing up that I mentioned early on, I had driven around the area where people that I knew hung-out and let them know where I was doing the BBQ. None of the people that I told who were west of Alameda came by. The people east, the side of Alameda where I had set up, started coming by as soon as they started smelling the BBQ fire. John Stokes and his buddy Dave came by first. I had rented some chairs so people could hang-out for a while. I also rented some tables to have room for not only the food, but the clothes as well.
Soon there was a wave of folks that came by. I was busy cooking burgers and brats and the girls got to talk to the people and welcome them, help serve the drinks and help them find clothes. There was one woman named Alondra that came by in a car. Fairly late model car at that. She came by several times, ate, got some clothes and even came by again asking for some napkins to clean her car windshield. I guess her wipers didn't work. Anyway, she came by a fourth time and just asked me to pray for her, that was it. Didn't ask for more food to take with her or more clothes, just came back for me to pray for her. Then she came back one more time a little while later. She kept saying, "God bless you." several times and gave me a $20 dollar bill. I told her, she didn't need to do that, but she insisted and said, "God bless you." to me again. I didn't get to pray with everyone, but several people I did get a chance with. Early on I was doing a lot of cooking. Things finally slowed down a bit so I could take some pictures. You can see the massive freeway support column there in the middle of the picture. Being underneath a massive concrete 10 lane freeway brought to mind the image from the verse I opened with in Psalms of God being a Mighty Fortress. That's why it was easy to claim this turf as His Kingdom Turf!!!! We were under His mighty fortress.
Towards the end a homeless man who apparently was a Vietnam vet showed up across the street. He was talking very loudly to himself and I could sense the girls were very uncomfortable about it. He stayed across the street on the corner, but I couldn't resist the opportunity. I made up a burger and took it over to him and asked if he was hungry. He turned to me and with what appeared to be tears in his eyes said, "Yes I am." I gave him the burger and asked if I could pray for him and he said yes to that too. So I prayed for him a short brief prayer and he thanked me. We looked at each other straight in the eyes and I could see he was fighting back tears again. I thanked him for his service to our country. He then showed me a newspaper article he had in his hand with a picture of an unidentified soldier in battle. It was of a marine in Afghanistan. He had told me his name was Mr Johnston and he started talking about the Marines. It was obvious he was still living his war experience. I asked if he wanted some water too and went back and got him a bottle when he said yes. Eventually, he crossed the street and came over, but stayed on my end of our set-up. A few other homeless folks came by and said hello to him and called him Damion. He stayed near me until we had packed everything up (my wife was nervous about leaving me alone with him). When everything was cleaned up the girls took off and I walked across the street where a man named Willie lived on the sidewalk. He was asleep when I arrived. He woke up and came over and ate, but now he was asleep again. I just wanted to say good-bye, but he was sound asleep. I took a picture of him to show what a very contented person looks like after one of my BBQ's! As I walked back to the car, Mr. Damion Johnston was kind of crouched down on the sidewalk. I had my camera phone and asked him if he would give me a salute before I left. He immediately stood up and turned his back towards me and arranged his clothes so he looked 'proper'. He then did an about-face and in all seriousness, looking left and right to other imaginary soldiers, shouted out like a drill instructor, "Ten hut!" and then snapped off a salute. I took the picture and then saluted back. It was quite a moment.
As I drove away I had two cooked burgers left. I hadn't eaten anything yet, but thought I'd stop by where Rocky the pit bull dog I have befriended lives and have one with him. As I drove down the little street to get to the alley where he's penned up, I passed a homeless man sitting on the corner who I've helped a few times before. I drove on into the alley where Rocky was. As I pulled up Rocky is immediately licking his chops and getting all excited. It was the classic sight of a happy and expectant dog. I gave him the burger and he wolfed it down in a couple of seconds. So here I am sitting in the car with one burger left, I haven't eaten and there's a homeless man on the sidewalk on the other side of the block. You know I wouldn't feel right eating it myself. So, yeah, I drove around the block and gave it to Oscar (I think that's his name). I told him as best I could (he doesn't speak much English) that it was the 'ultima' (last) burger I had. I had a small bag of crackers and pieces of candy in a bag and gave him those too. He then asked for some 'calcetines' (socks). I had some new ones within reach so I gave him two pair. Then he asked for some water. I usually give out bottles of water with the food, but since the car had been repacked after the BBQ I wasn't really sure where the water bottles were, but I told him to come around to my side of the car and look in right behind me. So he finds the water bottles and takes one, then asks if he could have the half bag of BBQ chips that were right there too. I said, 'sure go ahead'. I had to smile as I drove away, because one bottle of water wasn't going to be enough for a half a bag of BBQ potato chips, but he was on his own now.
So I had arrived downtown at about 12:45 and started driving around to drum up business. Then I started setting up the BBQ at 1:30pm. We were all packed back up at 4:30 pm. So in 3 hours time we served probably 20-25 homeless people (more than I ever have before) with food and clothes and enjoyed their company most of all. We 'hosted' a banquet for people who can never repay, but whom God finds precious and somehow provides for daily. They got a 'family type' BBQ in the summer like they probably had long ago when they were growing up. I prayed with probably a third of the people and yet all of them knew the reason we were there is because we serve the King of Kings. Our Kingdom of Heaven turf was secure and protected the whole time. We were indeed blessed.
Until next time. --John.
Shortly after I started this ministry, I dreamed of putting on a BBQ for my homeless friends. I had envisioned finding a place where I could set-up shop and serve the people coming by. Of course, I had a lot of fears about doing this. What if the authorities saw me with a BBQ fire on a public sidewalk? They'd probably shut me down. So I'd have to find a place sort-of out of the way, but where enough homeless people would see me and come by. You can't exactly call up these folks the night before or even advertise with flyers either. So up until this time I always picked a place where I knew 4-6 people lived and had them tell their friends to come around on the day I had planned. It usually worked out pretty well, but this summer that core of people that I usually met with have all gone their separate ways and there hasn't been 'a group' of folks as a starting point to do one. So I was back trying to just find a good location that would work. My first choice was a parking lot of a business that wasn't open on Sundays, but I never could get approval from them. I ended up using a small street called Channing just east off Alameda and 14th where the I-10 freeway-off ramp to Alameda St is. It was a short block east of Alameda and nearby the Jack in the Box which is the center of the homeless world in that part of downtown. There are two recycling places right by there. That generally insures a steady stream of homeless folks. After much prayer in the preceding days and weeks about this location, I set-up shop at 1:30 pm. Also, for the first time I had help. My wife and daughter and sister-in-law and her daughter were coming too. I loaded up my wife's car full of clothes the night before and with their help let them give out as many clothes as they could. If I got shut down because of the BBQ, at least we could give out clothes! Well, it worked out just fine. No problems with the authorities and we had quite a stream of folks coming by. Some even drove by and stopped (I'll get to those later). Since you always hear my side of the story, I thought I'd let my daughter and wife tell their story first.....
Allison's story:
For those of you who did not know, planning this BBQ was part of my Gold Award for Girl Scouts. I had put on a worship night at my school in June, in which people brought in old clothes and non-perishable foods as their "ticket" to get in. My dad spoke that night about his trips downtown and what God has been doing in his life and the lives of the homeless. I also did some fundraising to help pay for some of the supplies needed for this trip. Even with all the planning and assurance from friends and family, I was still extremely nervous. I kept thinking of everything that could go wrong, and my heart was filled with worry. I was having unusual dreams the nights leading up to it, and I couldn't fall asleep the night before. But Sunday afternoon had arrived, and we were all packed up and on our way.
When I was feeling especially nervous on the way there, I remembered in church that morning, our worship leader was encouraging us to be bold when God is calling us somewhere and to follow Him wherever He leads. Then, she sang one of my favorite songs. The bridge (and basically the main point of the whole song) goes like this:
"Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever you may call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior"
That became my prayer for the day. I was still feeling a little uncomfortable, but God doesn't call us to "comfortable" places. He brings us to places in which we can only let The Spirit, the Comforter in the most uncomfortable places, take hold of us and use us to do His will.
The trip was more than incredible. My cousin and I helped many people by picking out clothes and shoes that they needed. It was amazing to see that we had exactly what they needed, in size and in style. Towards the beginning I got to meet Alexis, who was only a few years younger than me. She told me about her classes at school and her school uniforms. I told her that I had to wear uniforms at school, too. I also got to meet an older woman named Lola towards the end of the trip. She was tall and very thin. We gave her socks, shirts, and a few pairs of pants. We got to sit down and eat with her since she was the only one there for a while. She told us some of her story, and I was extremely blessed by her kind, gentle spirit. Everyone we met was so thankful for the things that I often forget to be thankful about. I was in awe of the miraculous work that the Holy Spirit did on that tiny street under the freeway. A passage that I've been thinking about is Ephesians 3:20, which says, "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." This whole trip would not have been possible without God's faithfulness, His provision, and His Spirit that dwells within us.
Lauren's story:
Any of you who know me well know that I tend to be kind of a worrier. And those of you who know me REALLY well are laughing right now that I said "kind of" a worrier. I am actually a full-fledged, bona fide queen of the worrywarts. So in the days leading up to the BBQ, I worried about everything from getting lice (I worked too many years in the foster care system to not worry about that) to gang activity to being robbed to us getting arrested (see, that's the thing about my worries - they don't have to have any basis in reality to begin to overtake my mind). But I knew God was calling us to follow Him to the streets of downtown Los Angeles.
In addition to the obvious prayers for safety and protection, I was also praying that I would be able to see these homeless people as God sees them, to have His eyes. Before John began his weekly trips downtown, I had a fairly judgmental attitude toward homeless people. I remember thinking "Something is really wrong with them if they have burned all their bridges and have nobody in their lives who will help them." Then when John began telling me stories about the people he was meeting, I became a little bit less judgmental -- but I was still kind of obsessed with the reason they were homeless. I sort of mentally put them in categories of who deserved help (mainly those who were mentally ill) and those who did not deserve help (drug addicts, alcoholics, etc.) I'm kind of ashamed to put that in writing but that's where my mind was.
The first person I met on Sunday was John Stokes, who has gone, in my mind, from being some nameless homeless guy, to John Stokes, some homeless guy who now has a name and who my husband has befriended, to John Stokes, a living, breathing human being who is shaking my hand, who is hungry and smiling and who has a story. Each of the people we met and helped on Sunday were unique and beautiful and had a story. A couple of them were a little bit . . . .um . . . . for lack of a better term, abrasive. I started to categorize them . . . John Stokes is deserving, that woman who just took some food and water and didn't say "thank you" -- undeserving! And then I thought, can you imagine if God put us in those categories -- who is deserving and undeserving of His grace and mercy? Can you guess which group wouldn't have any members? Would I be brazen (and stupid) enough to claim that I had never forgotten to say thank you to God for the many ways He has blessed me?
I am learning that we are all on equal ground at the foot of the cross -- there is no one more deserving than another -- in fact, we are all pitifully and unmistakably undeserving. In that way, I have more in common with John Stokes then I am different from him. And whether you are Lola who lives under an overpass in central Los Angeles, or Lauren who lives in a little, old, comfortable house in a suburb, or Joe Blow who lives in a mansion (I had to use the name Joe Blow because I don't know anyone in real life who lives in a mansion), God sees us all as His precious children who He would do anything to save and for whom He would go to any lengths to rescue. And we all need rescuing.
Finally, you will read in a minute how John had to drive around to find his friends to tell them about the barbecue. He worried the whole time about his one friend, Michael, who he thought was going to be there. Once the initial crowd died down and had eaten, John got in his car to go find Michael. I was initially a little irritated that he was leaving his wife, sister-in-law, daughter, and niece alone under questionable circumstances, but I eventually got over my irritation . . . it helped that he was only gone about 5 minutes or less. He came back and said "I found Michael. He's coming." The look of relief on John's face that he had found his friend and was going to be able to give him lunch was another high point of the day. It wasn't until later that night that I remembered the parable of the wedding feast that Jesus told, where none of the invited guests came and so the party host goes out into the streets and invites the people in the street. Michael didn't say much, he just ate his hamburger and left. But I have to believe he slept a little more soundly last night knowing that his friend John came and sought him out and invited him to come and eat.
How blessed we are to have a God who pursues us because He wants to shower us with His mercy. How can we not share that with others?
John's wrap-up:
So because of my fear of lack of people showing up that I mentioned early on, I had driven around the area where people that I knew hung-out and let them know where I was doing the BBQ. None of the people that I told who were west of Alameda came by. The people east, the side of Alameda where I had set up, started coming by as soon as they started smelling the BBQ fire. John Stokes and his buddy Dave came by first. I had rented some chairs so people could hang-out for a while. I also rented some tables to have room for not only the food, but the clothes as well.
Towards the end a homeless man who apparently was a Vietnam vet showed up across the street. He was talking very loudly to himself and I could sense the girls were very uncomfortable about it. He stayed across the street on the corner, but I couldn't resist the opportunity. I made up a burger and took it over to him and asked if he was hungry. He turned to me and with what appeared to be tears in his eyes said, "Yes I am." I gave him the burger and asked if I could pray for him and he said yes to that too. So I prayed for him a short brief prayer and he thanked me. We looked at each other straight in the eyes and I could see he was fighting back tears again. I thanked him for his service to our country. He then showed me a newspaper article he had in his hand with a picture of an unidentified soldier in battle. It was of a marine in Afghanistan. He had told me his name was Mr Johnston and he started talking about the Marines. It was obvious he was still living his war experience. I asked if he wanted some water too and went back and got him a bottle when he said yes. Eventually, he crossed the street and came over, but stayed on my end of our set-up. A few other homeless folks came by and said hello to him and called him Damion. He stayed near me until we had packed everything up (my wife was nervous about leaving me alone with him). When everything was cleaned up the girls took off and I walked across the street where a man named Willie lived on the sidewalk. He was asleep when I arrived. He woke up and came over and ate, but now he was asleep again. I just wanted to say good-bye, but he was sound asleep. I took a picture of him to show what a very contented person looks like after one of my BBQ's! As I walked back to the car, Mr. Damion Johnston was kind of crouched down on the sidewalk. I had my camera phone and asked him if he would give me a salute before I left. He immediately stood up and turned his back towards me and arranged his clothes so he looked 'proper'. He then did an about-face and in all seriousness, looking left and right to other imaginary soldiers, shouted out like a drill instructor, "Ten hut!" and then snapped off a salute. I took the picture and then saluted back. It was quite a moment.
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| Willie sound asleep, but with a full stomach. |
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| Damion Johnston, at attention. |
As I drove away I had two cooked burgers left. I hadn't eaten anything yet, but thought I'd stop by where Rocky the pit bull dog I have befriended lives and have one with him. As I drove down the little street to get to the alley where he's penned up, I passed a homeless man sitting on the corner who I've helped a few times before. I drove on into the alley where Rocky was. As I pulled up Rocky is immediately licking his chops and getting all excited. It was the classic sight of a happy and expectant dog. I gave him the burger and he wolfed it down in a couple of seconds. So here I am sitting in the car with one burger left, I haven't eaten and there's a homeless man on the sidewalk on the other side of the block. You know I wouldn't feel right eating it myself. So, yeah, I drove around the block and gave it to Oscar (I think that's his name). I told him as best I could (he doesn't speak much English) that it was the 'ultima' (last) burger I had. I had a small bag of crackers and pieces of candy in a bag and gave him those too. He then asked for some 'calcetines' (socks). I had some new ones within reach so I gave him two pair. Then he asked for some water. I usually give out bottles of water with the food, but since the car had been repacked after the BBQ I wasn't really sure where the water bottles were, but I told him to come around to my side of the car and look in right behind me. So he finds the water bottles and takes one, then asks if he could have the half bag of BBQ chips that were right there too. I said, 'sure go ahead'. I had to smile as I drove away, because one bottle of water wasn't going to be enough for a half a bag of BBQ potato chips, but he was on his own now.
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| My little car loaded up with the BBQ food and stuff |
So I had arrived downtown at about 12:45 and started driving around to drum up business. Then I started setting up the BBQ at 1:30pm. We were all packed back up at 4:30 pm. So in 3 hours time we served probably 20-25 homeless people (more than I ever have before) with food and clothes and enjoyed their company most of all. We 'hosted' a banquet for people who can never repay, but whom God finds precious and somehow provides for daily. They got a 'family type' BBQ in the summer like they probably had long ago when they were growing up. I prayed with probably a third of the people and yet all of them knew the reason we were there is because we serve the King of Kings. Our Kingdom of Heaven turf was secure and protected the whole time. We were indeed blessed.
Until next time. --John.
Monday, July 21, 2014
Downtown 7/20/13
"If you insist on clinging to your precious self, God is compelled to keep you in the wilderness longer. You will then experience more wilderness defeats to take you to the end of yourself." --Watchman Nee, The Secrets to Spiritual Power pg. 52
I started this trip by driving to the parking lot of the place I'm looking to have the BBQ next month. I wanted to make sure the back parking lot was empty during this time of the day on Sunday. As expected, it was empty including the front parking lot too. I still haven't heard back as to whether it will be available or not. I'm sure there are liability issues the owners need to consider. I drove around that area and saw John Stokes, Jessie and another guy. John asked for another sandwich, but I declined to give him an extra one. I did give him some other snacks, but I had a feeling resources were going to be limited Sunday.
On Monday, when I made the special trip to inquire about the parking lot's use I saw Maurice and Elaine. I told them I'd be back on Sunday to see them and since I was planning on seeing Antonio and Leticia I only had enough sandwiches for one other person. Something was going to have to give here.
I drove over to the 24th and San Pedro area looking for Dave or Willie (my old BBQ buddies). Well Sunday, Dave was there with a few others who hang-out by the corner there. Now I hadn't seen Dave in several months, but the last time I saw him was around the 14th and Pico Ave area. Back then, he was on his bike, but talking with a woman on the sidewalk there. When I stopped there that day I ended up staying until everything was given out because homeless people kept coming by. Yesterday, was pretty similar. There were three or four others already there when I pulled up. Dave gave me a good introduction to the others and it was like I had known them all for a long time.
So yesterday, probably 8 or 9 people got to go through the clothes and maybe 70% of what I had with me was given out. The top photo is (from left to right) Dave, Victoria, Colandra, Hiram and Sandra. We were about to move Victoria from the chair to her wheelchair. That took three of us men and a lot of effort. During the time I was there, Peter, Becky and two others on bicycles came by. It was an enjoyable time. Hiram needed a pair of shoes, but I've never had any 14's with me. He was a big guy, taller than me. I told him I gave someone a ride a few years back into this area and he wore size 19's. We talked about the possibility of doing a BBQ there in the future. It's doubtful, because there really isn't a place for it. There is a Winchell's across San Pedro and a small Taco stand directly across this little street. Neither would be up to hosting a BBQ of free food in their parking lots. Also, keeping it on a small scale would be difficult too. I gave out the rest of the sandwiches I had to these folks in the picture and the rest of the snacks and stuff to the people coming by. When it was time to pray, I asked everyone their name to make sure I got it right. I had incorrectly remembered Victoria as Elizabeth. She looked very disappointed and asked me what other name of a queen I knew. When I said Victoria, her face lit up. Everyone always wants to be known by their name. I'll remember hers now. We all gathered around and held hands while I prayed. It was special, praying for a group of people I've never met before, yet feeling like a welcome part of their 'family'.
When I left there, I drove over to McArthur Park. There were lots and lots of people there and I did hear a guy preaching on the corner where I have preached before, but there just wasn't any place to park. I drove back into the downtown area and went to the Jack in the Box. My plan was to take a short break, get something to eat (a few tacos) and a soda and then buy some burgers for Maurice and Elaine and stop by to see them before I left. As I drove up to the Jack in the Box, there was a homeless guy going through the trash can by the door. He went inside and directly to the bathrooms. I bought my food and also a soda and a big burger for him. He didn't come out of the bathroom for twenty minutes (by this time I had finished my food). I motioned him to come over and gave him the soda and burger. He was grateful. He complained that his stomach was acting up, but he appeared to have no trouble eating the food. He thanked me on the way out. Finally, I bought some food for my friends, but as I walked out of the Jack in the Box there were two more homeless guys. One going through that same trash can the first guy had gone through and another guy sitting on some grass directly opposite the door (twenty five feet away). So here I am with food, two homeless guys and I have to walk on by them with food and drive away. It was killing me. As I drove out of the neighborhood I saw two or three more guys who needed help too. Then when I got to where my friends live they weren't there! So what do you think I did? I drove back to the Jack in the Box. One of the two guys by the door was still there so he got some food. When I drove out of the neighborhood, I first saw one guy by himself, but then as I got closer there were two other guys. I only had two burgers left. I gave them both away along with the last four little bags of chips that I had. It would have to do. I gave all I had. There was no miracle of food being reproduced (maybe next time). Remember I had that feeling resources were going to be stretched from the very first guy I saw? ---Until next time (which will be in two weeks)---John
PS. I also drove by the parking lot I'm hoping to use for the BBQ on the way home. It was 6:05 pm and there were three cars in the front parking lot and nobody in the back lot. Keep praying for this door to open up for us. Thx John
I started this trip by driving to the parking lot of the place I'm looking to have the BBQ next month. I wanted to make sure the back parking lot was empty during this time of the day on Sunday. As expected, it was empty including the front parking lot too. I still haven't heard back as to whether it will be available or not. I'm sure there are liability issues the owners need to consider. I drove around that area and saw John Stokes, Jessie and another guy. John asked for another sandwich, but I declined to give him an extra one. I did give him some other snacks, but I had a feeling resources were going to be limited Sunday.
On Monday, when I made the special trip to inquire about the parking lot's use I saw Maurice and Elaine. I told them I'd be back on Sunday to see them and since I was planning on seeing Antonio and Leticia I only had enough sandwiches for one other person. Something was going to have to give here.
I drove over to the 24th and San Pedro area looking for Dave or Willie (my old BBQ buddies). Well Sunday, Dave was there with a few others who hang-out by the corner there. Now I hadn't seen Dave in several months, but the last time I saw him was around the 14th and Pico Ave area. Back then, he was on his bike, but talking with a woman on the sidewalk there. When I stopped there that day I ended up staying until everything was given out because homeless people kept coming by. Yesterday, was pretty similar. There were three or four others already there when I pulled up. Dave gave me a good introduction to the others and it was like I had known them all for a long time.
So yesterday, probably 8 or 9 people got to go through the clothes and maybe 70% of what I had with me was given out. The top photo is (from left to right) Dave, Victoria, Colandra, Hiram and Sandra. We were about to move Victoria from the chair to her wheelchair. That took three of us men and a lot of effort. During the time I was there, Peter, Becky and two others on bicycles came by. It was an enjoyable time. Hiram needed a pair of shoes, but I've never had any 14's with me. He was a big guy, taller than me. I told him I gave someone a ride a few years back into this area and he wore size 19's. We talked about the possibility of doing a BBQ there in the future. It's doubtful, because there really isn't a place for it. There is a Winchell's across San Pedro and a small Taco stand directly across this little street. Neither would be up to hosting a BBQ of free food in their parking lots. Also, keeping it on a small scale would be difficult too. I gave out the rest of the sandwiches I had to these folks in the picture and the rest of the snacks and stuff to the people coming by. When it was time to pray, I asked everyone their name to make sure I got it right. I had incorrectly remembered Victoria as Elizabeth. She looked very disappointed and asked me what other name of a queen I knew. When I said Victoria, her face lit up. Everyone always wants to be known by their name. I'll remember hers now. We all gathered around and held hands while I prayed. It was special, praying for a group of people I've never met before, yet feeling like a welcome part of their 'family'.
When I left there, I drove over to McArthur Park. There were lots and lots of people there and I did hear a guy preaching on the corner where I have preached before, but there just wasn't any place to park. I drove back into the downtown area and went to the Jack in the Box. My plan was to take a short break, get something to eat (a few tacos) and a soda and then buy some burgers for Maurice and Elaine and stop by to see them before I left. As I drove up to the Jack in the Box, there was a homeless guy going through the trash can by the door. He went inside and directly to the bathrooms. I bought my food and also a soda and a big burger for him. He didn't come out of the bathroom for twenty minutes (by this time I had finished my food). I motioned him to come over and gave him the soda and burger. He was grateful. He complained that his stomach was acting up, but he appeared to have no trouble eating the food. He thanked me on the way out. Finally, I bought some food for my friends, but as I walked out of the Jack in the Box there were two more homeless guys. One going through that same trash can the first guy had gone through and another guy sitting on some grass directly opposite the door (twenty five feet away). So here I am with food, two homeless guys and I have to walk on by them with food and drive away. It was killing me. As I drove out of the neighborhood I saw two or three more guys who needed help too. Then when I got to where my friends live they weren't there! So what do you think I did? I drove back to the Jack in the Box. One of the two guys by the door was still there so he got some food. When I drove out of the neighborhood, I first saw one guy by himself, but then as I got closer there were two other guys. I only had two burgers left. I gave them both away along with the last four little bags of chips that I had. It would have to do. I gave all I had. There was no miracle of food being reproduced (maybe next time). Remember I had that feeling resources were going to be stretched from the very first guy I saw? ---Until next time (which will be in two weeks)---John
PS. I also drove by the parking lot I'm hoping to use for the BBQ on the way home. It was 6:05 pm and there were three cars in the front parking lot and nobody in the back lot. Keep praying for this door to open up for us. Thx John
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