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Wind, Heat and Fire |
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| Homeless in the Heart of the Crisis |
October 21, 2007 |
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Greetings!
My phone rang as we began our work in the middle of the line. It was my son John, making sure we were OK and filling me in on fire updates- one near my sister's house, another in our path along the freeway we travel in and out of LA. Listening to his urgency, then looking at the line- wind now dead calm -weather oddly warm for late at night at the end of October, it suddenly felt like we were in the eye of the storm. Everyone in line bowed their heads with me and we prayed for those who'd already lost so much to the fire, those who were fighting it and putting their lives at risk, for a wonderful church who'd lost their home: in our calm, the groups "Amen!" sounded out across the corner as we prepared to begin our work. Please keep those at the front lines of the crisis in your prayers today. This is where and how we live in Southern California, it's fire season.
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Bart- our driver... the guy who took us through it last night |
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It was a really good night NOT to have a trailer. The cross wind on the freeway was intense- I've never seen so much debris blowing through the air -the noise in the van was crazy as little pieces of the community pounded our vehicle. How Bart kept us on the road is beyond me. We watched as dust turned to orange glow and than blaze in the heart of Ontario where farms and hay bales caught on fire on our way in to the city. On our way home Bart had to keep a close eye and even swerve around a massive commercial truck and trailer that had been blown off the road by the wind and tossed onto it's side like a toy. It was just one of a couple of wind induced accidents we drove by last night. Your prayers, not just for our work on the streets but for our safety to and from are always greatly appreciated. This morning, so many of the freeways we're off and on daily are shut down that it's become a good day to avoid the road completely. Last night, a number of guys told me that "those folks who lost their homes in Malibu are always welcome with us..." another said, "I've got room in my place!" In the middle of it all, love and generosity survives. Thanks again Bart for getting behind the wheel and getting us there and back again safely.
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The Gift of Peace |
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More than jackets come our way on a weekly basis. We stuff it all back into our room and then Evelyn, Beatrice, Jodi or one of the other workers sorts and packs it for the night, gives Bart and Phil the word on what's going down and they hand it out. This week we had a large number of big stuffed toys in the midst of it all. I laughed to myself as I heard them talk about handing them out- thinking that maybe someone could use them as a pillow... I'm a pretty practical guy... it's been a while since I had a stuffed toy. As it turns out, they were a huge hit. Guys who received jackets, sweatshirts and wool knit caps still wanted a stuffed toy. This guy was great, took this big pink cat and clutched it to his chest throughout the evening. Didn't even put it down to eat. Comfort, emotional comfort, must be hard to come by on the streets. Sweet when people are willing to embrace something so simple as a stuffed toy just to hold on to a moment of hope. It'd be hard to give them away on a weekly basis but I'm sure glad this guy got his big pink friend last night.
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Perspective |
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It's easy to lose sight of individuals in the crowd. A conversation I had with a friend on the street a week ago has stuck with me. He's Islamic and Jodi was serving a meal with pork in it. I apologized that he wouldn't be able eat... looking at me with wizened eyes, he said: "The Koran says that if a man's hungry, he can eat. So I'll be ok. But thanks for asking." Then after several minutes of silence he came back and said: "You know Eric, I'm back on crack. So I guess if you're smoking crack it doesn't make much difference if you're eating pork. It's the way it is right now." My heart went out to him. His honesty touched me. He realized a deep spiritual truth about faith, work and actions and could see clearly through a ritual that couldn't protect him from his own weaknesses. This week, he didn't want to talk about his issues. His eyes seemed a bit more clear and he asked about the safety of my family in the fires. He's been in my prayers all week long. It's easy to lose sight of the people around us, consumed by the rituals of our faith, we miss out on important relationships. I'm thankful to share Jackets for Jesus with so many incredible people who care so deeply for the hurting, the homeless and dispossessed. Our faith is meaningless until we put it into action. Thanks for your action in love, prayers, financial support and continued encouragement. It's helped with the loss of our trailer as we plan for Christmas. Watching people lose everything in the fire it's put our simple needs into perspective, again. God's good and He's given us someplace to go, someplace to serve, people to love every Sunday night. We're going this Sunday night, you're invited, you're needed, now, more than ever.
for changing lives,
Eric
| Our Favorite Sites |
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Jackets for Jesus | 5623 Arlington Ave | Riverside | CA | 92504 |
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