Lot's of singing, telling jokes and walking one end of the line to the other as Bart and Jodi got things set to go up front, it was obvious from the moment we stepped out of the van that the vibe was a little different Sunday night... not bad... just different... so much energy! Some nights, a crowd of people who seem to weighed down by the problems of making it through the week awaits us, other nights, everyone's excited and ready for us to pull up, then there are the nights when folks just want to grab a sandwich, a jacket, something to eat and go... and there was last week... I'd just started the line- sending guys forward to eat, ten at a time, phone in my hand, looking back down the line, counting... when suddenly my Blackberry was knocked out of my hand and went skidding down the sidewalk. Shocked- concerned- looking up, I saw this guy, wearing one of our bags on his head. Everyone jumped to my assistance when they saw the phone hit hard, he pulled the bag off his head and said: "Sorry Eric, I was just trying to get your attention! Wanted you to take my picture." He was stoned and laughing... it was hard to be mad at him. When someone returned my phone, thankfully still working, I obliged him and clicked this quick shot. Random acts of kindness mixed in with random acts of chaos... pretty well sums up a lot of our time on the streets together.

I love this picture... for reasons you'd probably never guess. Look closely... everyone... and I mean everyone... has a jacket. The line was unexpectedly large, even still, everyone received a jacket, many got a shirt, hat or pants as well. But the really cool thing is this: most of the people who came to our line had a jacket on when they got there- jackets they've received from us this winter. Walk across skid row, watch any special on tv about the homeless in LA and you'll see our work in action. We've given out more jackets this winter than ever before and the impact is starting to show with people who are noticeably warmer, safer and a lot less likely to numb their senses when the wind cuts through an old t-shirt and a lot more likely to make a good decision, believing that someone cares. God is so good. Before leaving the corner, trying to give away the jacket I was wearing, I called out to men and women to anyone who might still need something to wear. One man ran up to me, reaching out... just one... "I need a jacket! I need it!" Looking at him, I just laughed. Stopping short, he said "What's wrong?" Smiling, I pointed out that he was wearing a great jacket he'd already been given. Looking down at himself, feeling the jacket in his hands, he smiled at me... a HUGE smile and said... "Guess I don't need a jacket anymore!" Can't wait until everyone's got a jacket. Last night, everyone on our corner did... and it felt great! Thanks so much for your continued loving support. "The steadfast love of The Lord never ceases." God is too Good!

Last Sunday night we were fed- think it was the first time in 19 years of work on the streets. The guy with the angelic face and smile is George. Took that picture his first night with us- before I'd ever met him. He's been hanging around the line for the last few months- doesn't take clothes or food -just talks with people in line, encourages folks to smile, tells them life will be better, sometimes, like me, he even sings out loud. He doesn't cause a scene and if you weren't watching the evening closely, he'd be easy to overlook. At the end of the evening, walking around the corner to meet the van, George walked with me. A bit of extra excitement hit the air when we found a taco truck parked in our spot. These aren't small time taco stands- they're big, expensive trailers, set up for event catering and filled with a complete kitchen and staffed with folks who can cook the real deal Mexican food. Realizing it was open, a few of us lit up like kids in a candy store. Surprised, George looked up and said "You guys want some tacos?" Everyone knows there's only one answer to that question... and if you're taking the SAT or GRE... it's NEVER "No." Lining up in front of the big white trailer, reading their menu by the glow of their neon signs, George stepped up to the window and ordered dozens of tacos... plates filled with tacos... protesting loudly, he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said: "After all the people you feed you won't let me feed you guys?" Bart said: "You can feed me! I'll take a taco!" While the tortillas and meat sizzled on the grill and cilantro, lime and onion, filled the night sky with wonder, George opened a wallet so filled with cash... big bills... that I looked away, feeling as if I was prying into his personal life. He hugged each of us, said some really nice things, sent us off to our long drive towards Riverside with a van load of tacos to occupy our drive home into midnight. Music playing on the radio, people chattering in the van, the smell of Heavenly food all around me, I again realized how quickly we judge people. We don't know anything about George, except that meeting with us on Sunday nights seems to fill a void in his life. I'd automatically assumed he was broke, homeless, down on his luck... now we were feasting at his expense, at his generosity. It'll be hard to look at him ever again without thinking of him as our special angel of the tacos... that truck has never been there... in 19 years... hope it's back this Sunday night. I plan on buying the tacos, together, as friends... in gratitude for a lesson learned... again.

You missed it Sunday night. Jodi made Mexican casserole, but we ate tacos that tasted like they came right from The Hand of God. We never know what to expect: chaos, a celebration, or a little bit of both... it might be one of the reasons we go back... can't wait to find out. You're always invited to join us. You're always needed, now, more than ever.

for changing lives,

Eric M. Denton