Did you know that California has the highest amount of homeless people in our nation?
Our state has more homeless people each night than some states have in PEOPLE all together.
(Maybe I am exaggerating) The last thing I read, said that there was 80,000 homeless people A NIGHT in Los Angeles.
How is that even possible?
We were extremely blessed to have three photographers come down to LA and shoot for us all day today. They have been here since 8:30 AM and they are great. I have been telling them about the Dream Center all day...but you know what has been the most amazing thing for them?
I sent them all out on different sites today with Adopt-A-Block. One of the girls came back and she told me, "I had no idea there was this much need here. It is so beautiful and moving what you guys are doing..."
Do you KNOW?
It's so hard to SEE it sometimes, isn't it?
Even for people who are in these neighborhoods everyday...for those of us who live here...we see it everyday.
But do we REALLY?
Do we let ourselves see the need here? Do we let ourselves see the hurt? Or do we become desensitized and distracted?
If you want to volunteer, if you want to come see what's going on here, if you want to come and have your life impacted and REALLY impact other people's lives, PLEASE contact us.
The need is real.
And we really can help.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Nameless
Pain and hurt covered her face.
I first saw her when she was lying on the concrete with a tiny puddle of vomit on the sidewalk next to her. I said hi and told her that the Hope for Homeless outreach from the Dream Center would be handing out free sandwiches and water later if she wanted to stop by. She stared off into space, not acknowledging my existence. I sat with her for just a moment longer and then I smiled at her and walked off. As I walked away I heard a muffled “thanks.”
We continued on, walking down the Venice Beach Boardwalk. We prayed with some people and told them about the free food. As I watched The Hope for Homeless Youth put on a short drama about the love of Christ I saw that same woman in the corner of the group. Her head was down and she was softly muttering to herself. When it was time to hand out the food, I saw her standing in line with her head down ashamedly. I tried to make eye contact with her to smile at her, but she never looked my way. Finally she had made it to the front of the line and a lunch bag was lovingly handed to her. She looked up, said “thank you,” and then quickly put her head back down. She walked over to her own private corner and quietly ate her sandwich. I decided to start talking to her again.
I sat down next to her and said, “Hi! My name is Carrie. What’s your name?” She looked at me with heartache. It looked as if she had been through so many horrific circumstances in her life. She began to shake her head as she scowled and asked me why I even cared. I looked deep into her eyes and told her that I wanted to get to know her. She grunted displeasingly and looked away. I sat with her quietly for a few minutes. I decided to try again. “Is this the first time you’ve talked to people here from the Dream Center?” Without looking my way she said, “Why are you stilly talking to me?” My heart broke for her. There was a vanload of people who came out on the outreach, ready to pour the love of God into the lives of everyone there, including this woman. “Would you like to eat alone?” I quietly asked. “Yes, leave me the f--- alone,” was her response. “Ok! That’s fine. Enjoy your day sweetie,” I said as nicely as I could. As I left her, I turned around to smile at her.
She looked at me like she was ready to erupt in an ocean of tears. I wanted to hug her and let her cry, tell her that its ok, but I knew she wouldn’t let me. Each week as the Hope for Homeless Youth outreach goes there and hands out food and the love of Christ, I believe that her guard will drop. One day she’ll smile and be open to conversation. But it takes persistence. I think it’s important that the outreach goes out there every week. There were some homeless people who walked past us and yelled out, “Hey Dream Center!” Those are people that the ministry has developed relationships with.
The outreach helps show them hope, and the love and grace of our Savior. There were two people who almost came back to stay at the shelter then changed their minds at the last second. They wanted to stay on the streets where they were comfortable. But they know that the outreach will be there faithfully every week if they change their mind and decide to start a new chapter in their lives.
I pray that one day the woman I met will make that choice.
-Carrie
Friday, January 9, 2009
A Bouquet of Flowers
Nearly every week, I watch adults and teens who are in the Discipleship programs here at the Dream Center get up on the stage at church and share how their lives have been positively changed. Many of them are trying to break away from a life of drugs, alcohol and abuse. People look on with hopeful expectation for these individuals who desire to go in the right direction and let God take over their lives.
There was this one man that I met who was in Discipleship not too long ago. He was a smiling, energetic man who greeted people walking into the DC Cafeteria with a "God bless you!" and a large smile on his face. To me, he always seemed to be in a joyful mood and excited to allow God to change his life through the program.
Some time had passed and I hadn't seen him, but I didn't think anything of it because there are so many men in the program that you tend to not really realize who is still there and who isn't.
I went out on an outreach about a month ago to Skid Row and to my shock and terror, there he was, right in the middle of the most impoverished community of Los Angeles, where thousands of people sleep on the streets. The same smiling man who seemed so filled with joy was there, almost disheveled and with a black and blue eye from getting punched in the face by one of the homeless individuals out there. He still sort of had a brightness in his face and kindly greeted me and told me he remembered me, but a light in him had obviously been snuffed out.
I felt remorseful- why did he leave the program, which makes such a great impact in people's lives, just to go back to a defeated life out on the streets? What inner battle could he be facing and what lies has Satan been telling him that would cause him to think for a moment that he can't make a better life for himself?
So, I was walking to church last night with a few friends, and there was the smiley guy, with a bouquet of flowers, nearly dying in his hand. Smoking a cigarette and looking a lot emptier than when I had seen him in Skid Row, he walked up to me and extended the flowers to me. I motioned to him that I couldn't afford to buy a bouquet of flowers, but he insisted that I take them. He proceeded to thank me and told me that he hopes to go back into discipleship.
I just felt bad. I took the flowers and felt kind of strange about it, but sad about his situation, as he seems to gradually get worse.
Pray for John.
-Shimmy
There was this one man that I met who was in Discipleship not too long ago. He was a smiling, energetic man who greeted people walking into the DC Cafeteria with a "God bless you!" and a large smile on his face. To me, he always seemed to be in a joyful mood and excited to allow God to change his life through the program.
Some time had passed and I hadn't seen him, but I didn't think anything of it because there are so many men in the program that you tend to not really realize who is still there and who isn't.
I went out on an outreach about a month ago to Skid Row and to my shock and terror, there he was, right in the middle of the most impoverished community of Los Angeles, where thousands of people sleep on the streets. The same smiling man who seemed so filled with joy was there, almost disheveled and with a black and blue eye from getting punched in the face by one of the homeless individuals out there. He still sort of had a brightness in his face and kindly greeted me and told me he remembered me, but a light in him had obviously been snuffed out.
I felt remorseful- why did he leave the program, which makes such a great impact in people's lives, just to go back to a defeated life out on the streets? What inner battle could he be facing and what lies has Satan been telling him that would cause him to think for a moment that he can't make a better life for himself?
So, I was walking to church last night with a few friends, and there was the smiley guy, with a bouquet of flowers, nearly dying in his hand. Smoking a cigarette and looking a lot emptier than when I had seen him in Skid Row, he walked up to me and extended the flowers to me. I motioned to him that I couldn't afford to buy a bouquet of flowers, but he insisted that I take them. He proceeded to thank me and told me that he hopes to go back into discipleship.
I just felt bad. I took the flowers and felt kind of strange about it, but sad about his situation, as he seems to gradually get worse.
Pray for John.
-Shimmy
Thursday, January 8, 2009
A little= A lot
One man stopped to tie his shoes on the sidewalk on the way to work.
One woman turned around to turn her coffee maker off before heading to work.
One man pulled over to take a phone call from his mother that morning on the way to work.
One woman took the long way to drop off her children at school because it was September and the leaves were starting to change color…
These people are some of the few who changed their routine just a LITTLE and it changed A LOT in their life. Each of these people didn’t make it to work on time on September 11th because of something they changed just a little. Certainly made a difference in their life, didn’t it?
Sometimes we look at people’s situations and we think we don’t have enough to make a difference in their lives. But guess what?
YOU CAN.
It doesn’t matter what you give, it matters how you give it.
You may not believe me but sometimes that one dollar is the difference between feeding your children at night or having to hear their little tummy’s growl.
Sometimes that dollar buys that extra little bit of gas to get you home and off the streets of downtown LA.
Our society sometimes makes us feel like if we can do it all, we can’t do anything. But that’s not true.
You can do something.
Giving just a little can help to change a whole community.
How amazing will it feel to look back on Los Angeles when the streets are safe…when people have homes to feel safe in…when God’s presence is so overwhelming it’s hard to breathe and know that YOU had a part in that. Even a small part, is really a huge success.
Everything brings us step closer to reaching that next person who needs to know that they can start over.
Sometimes we don’t realize how the little things can impact us…but like the people in 9/11 who did something different and ended up having their life saved, if you give, even just a little, you can help save someone’s life.
Just a little encouragement to know that small things make a difference.
And you can change a life today.
Right now.
***
If you want to donate to the Dream Center, visit our donate page.
http://www.dreamcenter.org/donate/index.html
One woman turned around to turn her coffee maker off before heading to work.
One man pulled over to take a phone call from his mother that morning on the way to work.
One woman took the long way to drop off her children at school because it was September and the leaves were starting to change color…
These people are some of the few who changed their routine just a LITTLE and it changed A LOT in their life. Each of these people didn’t make it to work on time on September 11th because of something they changed just a little. Certainly made a difference in their life, didn’t it?
Sometimes we look at people’s situations and we think we don’t have enough to make a difference in their lives. But guess what?
YOU CAN.
It doesn’t matter what you give, it matters how you give it.
You may not believe me but sometimes that one dollar is the difference between feeding your children at night or having to hear their little tummy’s growl.
Sometimes that dollar buys that extra little bit of gas to get you home and off the streets of downtown LA.
Our society sometimes makes us feel like if we can do it all, we can’t do anything. But that’s not true.
You can do something.
Giving just a little can help to change a whole community.
How amazing will it feel to look back on Los Angeles when the streets are safe…when people have homes to feel safe in…when God’s presence is so overwhelming it’s hard to breathe and know that YOU had a part in that. Even a small part, is really a huge success.
Everything brings us step closer to reaching that next person who needs to know that they can start over.
Sometimes we don’t realize how the little things can impact us…but like the people in 9/11 who did something different and ended up having their life saved, if you give, even just a little, you can help save someone’s life.
Just a little encouragement to know that small things make a difference.
And you can change a life today.
Right now.
***
If you want to donate to the Dream Center, visit our donate page.
http://www.dreamcenter.org/donate/index.html
Thursday, January 1, 2009
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