Some nights guys will ask why we call ourselves Jackets for Jesus? They want to know where the jackets are... and sometimes it can be pretty slim pickings. Not the case last night... with a small crowd, maybe 75-100 guys, and a trailer loaded with beautiful, new jackets, it was a night to remember as everyone walked away wearing better jackets than most of our workers own. That's Mary, one of our regulars in line, who recently received that flashy looking, down filled jacket. She said that during the storms it kept her warmer than she'd ever been... her best jacket ever... she went on and on... listening, it was hard not to get warm inside. God's given us the opportunity to serve, surrounded us with people who care enough to donate and humbled us with a community in poverty that opens their arms in love week in and week out... Jesus is working on the streets and it's pretty wonderful that Mary's got a new jacket she loves. God's too good.

Old friends almost always show up in line as Christmas approaches. Whether they remember the party and are hoping to be with us to get a backpack or they just hope to show up and share part of the season with us... it's always good to see people who haven't been around for awhile. That's Ed, who I've written about a number of times across the years. Our Sunday night friendship has survived some pretty crazy times and it's always good when Ed stops in for a visit. Ed's passionate about life, what he believes and he's great at sharing his stories. In the time we've known him he worked his way into movies when they needed crowds, etc... and would pay guys off the street just to be extra bodies in the background. He went on to join the union, get a SAG card and start going to casting calls hoping for larger parts in movies as an extra. I've seen him in the background of several things and Sunday night he filled me in on what his most recent body of work has been. Only in LA. Home for Ed's a long way from the streets and I imagine that the life he's built here is now home, even at Christmas. So many will fly from one end of the nation to the other to spend time with family. Our Christmas morning's will be filled with the familiar warmth of those we love. Ed and so many like him will spend Christmas morning going through their new backpacks- hoping for something special, trying to imagine who might have been so gracious as to pack a present for a perfect stranger. I hope Ed gets something really good. He's addicted to all night radio... knows the shows by name and loves the conflict and conversation that fills them. Ed's in the upper echelon of the homeless, the lower tiers of the working poor. No way could he make it home for Christmas... hopefully he'll think to make a call and reconnect. Don't know what he'd really want, or what images being "home" for Christmas would conjure up in his mind. But seeing him Sunday night made it feel just a little more like Christmas for me.

That's Hugo. He started hanging out around our line a few weeks ago... he'd just stand there and watch... then try to help... so we gave him a job,,, now he's a regular. Says he lives with his family in downtown. That's what we know about him, besides the fact that he works hard, walks in to meet us each week, never eats a thing and has yet to take a jacket when he shows up in t-shirts to work on COLD nights. I'm certain he'll be a big help when we hand out backpacks and I hope you get to meet him. He doesn't have a clue what to expect as he hears every guy coming through line ask about the party... I can't wait! I had to order 200 more backpacks- the first 700 flew out the door- and we only have 30 or 40 left... that's over 800 backpacks out and being filled, we already have some filled packs turned in and they look amazing! If you took more packs than you were able to use- please get them to me this week or find a generous friend to fill them. All packs are needed back by Sunday, December 23, either at Central Community or if you're meeting us at McDonalds, we'll get them there. The McDonald's is at the 60/605 interchange in S. El Monte at the Peck Rd exit. We meet at 9pm, caravan to the streets, have our party, and head for home around 11:30pm If you're packing extra presents- that's great- we'll hand them out that night (Sunday we also handed out bunches of new blankets packed with gloves and beanies), if you're bringing used jackets you've been collecting- give them to us at McDonald's and we'll hand them out in the weeks to come. Remember, if you're having a creative block and can't figure out what you might like in a backpack if you were on the street, there's a starter list of suggested items on Central Community's web site. If you need a backpack, call quickly, we have a few more left. If you're nervous about joining us for the party- just be like Hugo -show up and you'll figure out what to do. It's going to be a great night and you're invited... in fact, you're needed, now, more than ever.

for changing lives,

Eric M. Denton

email: eric@centralcommunity.com

phone: 1-951-689-5806

web: http://www.centralcommunity.com