With the line working perfectly, even with a mid-sized crowd, it stretches from our food tables, to our starting point, on the corner, where we hand out sandwiches and fruit, all the way back down Main St. an additional 40-50 yards. Little things help keep it all in order- our bags, we just ordered 10,000 more, we go through about 20,000 a year, are handed out when the night begins, then people wait in anticipation of what they might be filled with. One of our main stays for months- was thousands of boxes of hard candy that had been donated -week in and week out everyone received a box of candy hearts with little love messages on them; "BE MINE" etc... They're finally gone- now the bags get the main stays of oranges, grapefruit and sandwiches. As long as the line was, as much food as we served, even still, when it was time to pray, almost everyone had already left. The temperature was fully 25 degrees cooler then last Sunday night, making shelter more critical then social time on the streets.

Bart lost his shirt last night... actually he gave it to a guy who'd complimented him on it and said how he'd like to have a shirt like that someday. I was talking to someone in the middle of the crowd when I looked up to see Bart, in the heart of LA, standing on the corner without a shirt on and this guy, one of our regulars, smiling from ear to ear... had to take a picture, (that's Bart, wearing Carl's black sweatshirt in the background). Jackets for Jesus is about more than jackets, it's about a change of heart, a simple turning of our spirits. The guy who got the shirt has a skid row room, is off the streets for now and is doing his best to become one of what's now classified as the "working poor." The shirt's definitely not going to fend off the cold: it's a Hawaiian shirt. But the gift will never be forgotten. God's good and He continues to do good things in our midst. Sunday night was filled with smiles all around. God can do that, even on skid row... but it never hurts to have some chili dogs to share in His Name.

The heart of our work, in the heart of the city, is to love and serve those living in poverty as if we're serving Jesus. What we discover, week in and week out, is that in serving, we've made friends that have blessed us by allowing us into their hearts and lives. It's hard not to be curious about how someone we've learned to love, someone who seems to show such joy for life, has ended up on the streets. I'm guessing the people waiting in line must watch us as we get out of the van and step into their darkness and wonder what it is that motivates us to leave our homes and families to spend our Sunday nights with them. They must be curious about our individual stories, what prompted us to begin our work on the streets, what powers us to continue. Week in and week out, instead of focusing on where we came from or how we got there, we do our best to focus on our brief time together: to share the moment given us by God. Each week as we leave it feels as if we've shared in a celebration. Those in poverty leave full, warmly embraced, knowing we'll return in just seven days. We leave full, wonderfully embraced by the opportunity to serve. What's happening every Sunday night is a miracle in the middle of dark times of poverty and heart break. Your support is vital to all we do. We're going to the streets this Sunday night. You're invited. You'll be welcomed. In the heart of poverty, you can discover joy. You're needed, now, more than ever.

for changing lives,

Eric

email: eric@centralcommunity.com

phone: 1-951-689-5806

web: http://www.centralcommunity.com