Skid Row in our backyard

During the summer of 2006 a youth pastor friend from Chino was hosting a group of 45 high school kids from the midwest for a week long mission trip. He had heard that Kingdom Causes did work with the homeless and asked if I would be willing to figure out some activity that would help the teens to learn about homelessness.

I decided an urban hike through skid row would introduce them to the harsh realities of homelessness. It was incredible. Even though I had lots of experience with homeless folks, I was taken aback at how many people lined the streets between Pershing Square and San Julian. Tents and boxes all over the sidewalk housed veterans, drug addicts, mentally ill moms, and even kids. Needless to say we all walked away at the end of the day with a new understanding of the realities of homelessness in LA.

Last fall things began to change in Skid Row. The city officials put pressure on the local law enforcement to put more pressure on the residents of Skid Row through the Safer City Initiative. The hope was that with more pressure from police the homeless population would not be as concentrated, and the properties in the area (mostly empty factory buildings now converting to trendy loft apartments) would increase in value and popularity with hip young couples.

Almost a year later, it seems that the initiative was successful. While 10 homeless shelters remain in the area, the "permanent" residents have moved out to the surrounding cities including Bellflower.

On Good Friday, the director of the Savlation Army Harbor Light Center was the speaker at the Kiwanis prayer breakfast. He shared about his ministry and as he closed he told us about the fact that Skid Row is coming to our backyard and he challenged the church and community to be prepared to help.

I have seen God at work in the church of Bellflower over the last few years preparing us to care for these our these our vulnerable neighbors. He's using the Christians involved with the Homeless Task Force to create support structures and to build relational bridges that help people who are on the streets.

God and Ordinary People

I have been reading through the Old Testament this year and my reading for this morning was really profound. Exodus, the story of God delivering his people from slavery in Egypt, starts with a couple of ordinary women honoring God with their obedience.

Shiphirah and Puah were the midwives for the people of Israel. Pharaoh, in an attempt to control the growing Israelite slave population, commanded the women to kill any boy babies that were born. In courageous civil disobedience, and radical obedience to God, these ordinary women defied the orders of an extraordinary world ruler and let the boys live, telling the pharaoh that Hebrew women gave birth to quickly for them to follow his orders.

The obedience of these ordinary women resulted in the birth and survival of Aaron and Moses, two boy babies who God eventually used to free his people from Egypt. As Eugene Peterson notes, "World leaders are minor players in the biblical way of writing and participating in history. People like Shiprah and Puah played decisive roles."

Everyday working with Kingdom Causes, I get to witness this. I get to work with ordinary people of God, like Sam (pictured below) one of our volunteers who helps make breakfast for our homeless neighbors. Ordinary people playing decisive roles in transforming lives and neighborhoods in Bellflower. God is using ordinary people working together to proclaim freedom to our neighbors who are enslaved to the "Egypts" of homelessness, poverty, hopelessness, and isolation.

We Appreciate You!

We love our volunteers! Please come to our Volunteer Appreciation Barbecue at 4pm on Saturday, March 29th at the VerWys' house. Call Chrissy to RSVP at 562-804-2189 or on my cell.

Eucalyptus Garden - Second Try

If any of you visited my home last summer, you learned that I am not a good gardener. I try very hard to be, but I can't seem to keep things alive and looking healthy. Last year I planted 15 tomato plants in a space where only 2 should've been planted. The garden turned into an unmanageable mess and I was scared of what could be living inside of it!

So this year I got some help. Over the last few weeks a team of helpers (made up of neighbors and friends) have been weeding, digging out old dead plants and watering to prepare the soil for the new garden. Some of the kids that helped with last year's garden (wilderness, is more like it) have been stopping by after school to water and dig. Alicia, a mom that lives in the neighborhood, came by a few days last week to help me plant the flowers. Alicia's kids along with some of my other neighbor kids helped too. Here are some pictures from the day: