Getting to Know Skid Row

Skid row. It has made national news, it’s been the subject of movies. Prostitution and drugs gone ramped; Skid Row is the real deal. Coming from a small town in southern Ohio, I was not sure exactly what to expect on my visit. I really don’t think I was scared at all, I tend to become oblivious to that sometimes. Though I don’t want to only attribute naivety for the way I felt, I think my excitement to sit and talk with some of the most hopeless people in LA helped; I wanted to show them real Jesus love!

As we got closer to the streets of Skid Row, you could see a visible decline in the neighborhoods. And even before the van stopped at our destination, I knew we had arrived. Clumps of people lined the streets, mostly sitting or pushing all they owned, in carts. The men started unloading the food from the trucks we drove in. My job was now to socialize. It was my second day interning for the Dream Center and I’m not the most outgoing, so it took a bit of mental preparation to go out and talk with these people one-on-one. But after diving in, I wanted to talk with each and everyone there. The stories were heartbreaking, and when words were short, the look on the faces of these people broke my heart even more. I often asked (as did the other interns) if they would like prayer. Some would reply no, but most jumped to the opportunity.

One lady in particular touched my heart while we prayed. Her name was Don. She was a frail, middle-aged woman. She told me of the life she lived, filled with prostitution, drug use, physical and mental abuse. Her eyes were heavy from lack of sleep and nutrition. Her story was sad, she was lonely and looking for happiness in the abusive men around her and I told her only God can fill that void. I took her dirty hand and we prayed. She wanted God, I could feel her desire to turn from the mess she was in. We both cried as I asked God to deliver her from this life. We ended the prayer and I told her I would continue to pray for her well-being. She thanked me again and again. And that, my friend, is exactly what it’s all about. It’s about showing Christ’s love to the people that society says don’t deserve it, “They’ve done it to themselves.” Sure, maybe they have! But it’s only by God’s Grace that we are not in their exact position. ALL good comes from God. That means any good in our life is not only our doing. So why condemn others for not having “good?” It’s not condemning we are called to do, nor unconcern we should feel, it is the loving. And what greater way to show that than talking one-on-one with the most hopeless people of LA? Granted, we all are in desperate need of Him, but their needs are tangibly life threatening. And as members of the body of Christ, we should be the hands that hold theirs in the prayer that changes their life.

-Courtnay

Grateful Smiles

It was my first day on the job. Arriving in LA only two days before, I was anxious to say the least. A friend and I had heard about the Dream Center six months ago and knew that we had to be apart of the heart that beats here. With the collaboration of its’ volunteers, that heart beats with a pure love for God and for serving the people He created. And that heartbeat was seen in my visit to the streets of South Central yesterday.

The truck packed with food, we drove to the corner of 20th and Oak Street. Immediately, we saw the faces of these people in need. And instantly, I could feel the grateful spirit each one of them had. Living from paycheck to paycheck, (if income was even in the picture) these people counted on the food truck for the health of themselves and their families. And they knew exactly when it came, because they were all waiting and ready.

I’m not usually apart of the food truck crew but was asked to come along to take pictures and experience what it is the Dream Center actually does in its community. I was also able to pass out bags of food to the people in line, in need. Thinking to myself, what about the somewhat sense of embarrassment that they must feel? Aren’t they at all ashamed to admit they need our help? And would this feeling make them not as openly grateful? No. They smiled, thanked and blessed us for our generosity again, again and again. Their incredibly great need for help had blocked any feelings of embarrassment that maybe you or I may have had. This very thing, I think goes to show how blessed we are and how great their need is. Today we are going to Skid Row to do the very same thing. I’m excited to see the grateful smiles again, for it is the direct effect of the outpouring of God’s love, and I am so thankful to be apart of that.

-Courtnay

Night of Dreams

Night of Dreams

I had no idea what to expect for the first week of my internship at the Dream Center. Being from Chicago, I came with nothing other then four suitcases and my husband; ready to serve in whichever capacity we were needed within the ministry.

Having heard very little about the L.A. Dream Center was enough to make me want to see more and experience what the much-praised phenomenon of the Dream Center was all about. Upon arrival, Terrel and I were shown around the vast building and then taken briefly to our respective workspaces.

The week we arrived fell on one of the busiest weeks, the build up before the ‘Night of Dreams’ the largest fundraiser event of the year that the Dream Center puts on. This year the focus was on victims of human trafficking and new outreach called The RE:scue Project. I had been involved working with a friend at a non-profit in Chicago which had really opened up my eyes to this cause and I was excited to be a part of an organization that was actually doing something about it.

At the end of our first day, with tomorrow being a brand new day working in the marketing department, I found myself pondering, “What have I gotten myself into?”

The Next day, I found myself painting words onto one of the walls for the Night of Dreams instillation and cleaning headphones. The day after that I was setting up tables and chairs, hanging from the entranceway threading lights, and twisting, pinning, tying gold and white fabric almost everywhere. And on only my third day of work, the day of event, I felt a sense of comradery between staff, volunteers, interns, men and women from the dream center discipleship program (DCD).

Finishing touches on lights, table centerpieces and napkin designs were being perfected. From the early morning start until when the first of our guests arrived there was constant activity of cleaning, re-arranging and run-throughs for all the discipleship waiting staff and volunteers.

I was exhausted! But to see the transformation of the grounds into the magical place it had become made it well worth it. It was powerful to see what the people who worked at this place could accomplish and I was glad to have been able to witness it first hand.

-Chaka

*****

Night of Dreams is more than just a big event that is put on every year. It is more than fancy decorations and nice food and an auction. It is an opportunity to step out of the comfort zone you have developed and figure out how you can really make an impact that is going to last.

This year’s Night of Dreams focused in on the horrific crime of Human Trafficking and the theme was "Shine".
The RE:scue Project is a new outreach that is making it possible to help rescue these victims, rebuild their lives and return the hope that was stolen from them. This night was an example of how each and every one of us can make a positive difference and really impact this rising crime by fighting to stop it. It was a night designed to show how we can shine our light into this issue and really be a light into the darkness.

For more information on the Dream Center or The RE:scue Project, please visit our websites.

www.dreamcenter.org
www.therescueproject.com