_by William A. Myers

Exactly one year ago last Sunday The Myers Family began their Skid Row journey with a gentle nudge from the Lord and a hearty "shove" from our 12 year old daughter Jessica and when Vicky and I went down there that first time with Jessica and Pia I can honestly say that I don't think we ever DREAMED we go more than 1 or 2 more times at the most. God had a different game plan.

On that first day, as I was serving food, a man wearing a NY Giants #56 jersey (Lawrence Taylor for those that don't follow the NFL) came through the line and as I was serving him I made a comment about Lawrence Taylor and the trouble he was in at that time for Statutory rape of a 15 year old back in New Jersey. That man in line wearing the #56 jersey was Lasalle Turner and he promptly, but politely, scolded me for judging a man I didn't even know and reminded me that we ALL are sinners are to be judged by God and God alone!

_Wow was I ever humbled.....As the Lord continued working in the Myers lives down serving on Skid Row we eventually developed a fast growing friendship with Lasalle and he in return was one of our many sets of eyes on 6th and Gladys that kept a close watch on Jessica's location as we served on Sunday's and even would call himself "Uncle Lasalle" whenever he spoke to Jess. On one occasion a fight broke among two of the homeless men on Gladys and Lasalle made sure that the kids and women that were down there with CA were safe and herded them into the Hippie Kitchen to be "safer"!

At one point 6 or 7 months ago Lasalle confided in Vicky,who is blessed with the gift of "listening to people" and will invest whatever time is needed to talk with them and truly HEAR them, that he was VERY cynical towards our Group from Christian Assembly. He thought that we were just down there serving to;"......feel good about ourselves and not really caring about what goes on down on skid row", but after seeing the loving hearts and spirits of the younger children down there such as Jessica (and Alex And Meghan et al) and watching CA come back EVERY Sunday, rain or shine he was convinced that the Lord was TRULY working in our hearts and minds......"Shine on CA"

As the summer progressed Lasalles life began to unravel as well as his health as well. He suffered from diabetes and because he had no Medical insurance nor income he would wait  as long as he possibly could then call 911 and spend a week or so having  fluid drained and his battery recharged at LA county/USC then it was back to the streets in his truck where he would live. Then, several weeks ago after several days of a long cold rain I heard a voice calling my name out on Gladys and when I went over to see it was Lasalle,cold shivering and incoherent laying on the streets under several soaking wet blankets. At first he refused any treatment when John and the guys wanted to call 911 but eventually relented and spent a week or so at County/USC and then was back on the streets shortly after,only this time with no truck or possessions of his own and in the middle of winter.

The harsh reminder is that this is skid row & these friends that we share our love with and most importantly, GOD'S LOVE, could be gone tomorrow and to me that is a very sobering fact of life on skid row.....Lasalle was a saved man so he is no longer suffering but he had his demons he battled here on earth and through the love of a bunch of people from a church in Eagle Rock as well as the childlike love from a young girl wanting do Gods will for those less fortunate living on the streets of LA he experienced the love of Christ .

God Bless you ALL.......rest in perfect peace now Lasalle Eugene Turner!

_by Pia Hugo

I have some very sad news for those of you who know Lesell, our friend who was rushed to the hospital a few weeks back when John, Steve, Neil and George called 911 and helped him get situated there. You might recall, it had been raining for days prior to that and he was soaked from head to toe. His diabetes was also acting up and he was in a lot of pain. Peggy, Corey, Sam (I think) and I had a chance to visit him at the hospital and we were able to witness Lesell, a former minister at the L.A. Mission, turn his life once more completely to the Lord.

After that, the team would see Lesell down at Skid Row--sleeping on a mat right outside the Hippie Kitchen or just slowly walking around with a blanket draped over him--from time to time. This morning, his friends told us that he had quietly passed away Wed. night. The street community put up a memorial for their friend, Gene Lesell, right where he used to sleep on the sidewalk outside the Kitchen. 

_One is a picture of the memorial  The other one is a picture of a note written to our friend by someone whose life was touched by him. It reads "God bless you Gene. I felt so along! You came along. You bought joy. You didn't stay long. Thank you." Sure there are spelling errors and other mistakes but it's a note that comes straight from the heart of one of his many homeless friends. I found it very touching that several of them wanted to let us know as soon as we got there this morning. They knew we cared about him.

Please keep his family and friends who are hurting over his loss in prayer. Again, we take comfort in knowing that just like Peter Paul, Michael, Annie, and so many others before him--he may no longer be with us physically but we can rest assured that he is in a far, far better place than Skid Row because we were intentional about making sure he was saved. May we continue to feel that sense of urgency to reach as many of our homeless friends for Christ before it is too late.

On a happier note, we counted 56 people who showed up at the prayer circle this morning at church--more than 30 of them being high school students from three different high schools: Crescenta Valley (where I teach), Glendale High and La Canada High. They cheerfully served at the food table and walked around passing out food bags with the adult leaders. Later on, two kids shared with the group how it was their first time but it definitely would not be their last. "I was really touched how everyone we met had a smile on their face when we would pray for them and how it made them so happy and grateful we were there! I've never seen anything like that!" one of them said.

_Helena, who is usually shy and shuns from crowds, spoke up at the debriefing session for the first time. She said, "I just wanted to thank you all for always coming. Every Sunday, we wait in line for 1 1/2 hours...sometimes 2 hours...just to get some warm food, to see your smiling faces and feel God's love through you. We all love you here and we cannot thank you enough for all you've done and will continue to do for us. God is really using your group...you just don't know. Please, don't ever quit coming!" She started to cry and many of us in that circle shed a few tears as well.

At the end of our time, we sang "Happy Birthday" for Pete as he beamed from ear to ear. Then Martin, our deaf friend, came to church with us (after being gone for a long time) and said hi to Pastor Mark. Mark later announced to the CA crowd how Martin came to the Lord through our ministry years ago and how happy he was to see him again (Martin now goes to a deaf church in L.A.). He looked him in the eye and said, "We love you brother!" His words didn't need interpretation. Martin responded with a huge smile.

Lesell, Helena, Pete, Martin, Rodney (who helped us cook again on Sat. and helped today at the food table after also being gone for a long time)...the list goes on and on of all the homeless people whose lives have forever been touched by the CA Skid Row Ministry...not to mention the lives of so many students, as well as, adults. Who would have thought that such a diverse group of people from all walks of life, all races and all church backgrounds would come together in a little corner on 6th and Gladys and find such joy, such love, and such unity? No one but God could have conceived such an amazing plan!

I don't know about you but the year is barely starting and it already looks like it's going to be one awesome God-glorifying year! I can't wait to see what happens next!

If I were Joshua, I probably would have been thinking, "what the heck, God? I want to capture this city, and you're telling me to go walk around its wall. That sounds like a dumb idea."

So, the bible doesn't comment on what was going through Joshua's head, but whatever it was, he walked around that wall. Six days in a row, he and his army walked around that wall, not even making any noise except for seven random priests blowing trumpets.

Knock down a wall by walking quietly around it. That's a dumb idea.

Bet the guards who most likely would have been standing on top of that wall didn't hesitant to remind them of that, either.

Then there's the seventh day. And Joshua walks around the wall seven times, letting the people shout now.

And what do you know. The wall fell down. "Collapsed," according to the NIV. Joshua and his army captured the entire city. People, animals, treasury stores. Everything.

Walking around that wall doesn't seem like such a dumb idea now.

What Octavio was telling me, it was like a shade was lifted somewhere in my consciousness. I could totally relate. How many times have I been faced with something seemingly as impossible and unconquerable as a giant wall in my life, and in response to God's prompting - expecting, or at least hoping for something more definitive, like an answer being rained down from the sky - have I thought, "well that's a dumb idea." God tells me to do one thing and I don't see how it could possibly do anything to knock down what I'm facing. How many times, instead of being obedient like Joshua, even in the face of a dumb idea, have I tried to do things my way instead, feeling that I've "figured it out," I've found the point of attack on the wall - and instead I just spend a while frustrating myself trying to ram my solution into the wall over and over again while the wall doesn't budge one inch?

That shade that flicked up - I realized (again) that hunh, God really does know best. It's worth it to listen to Him. To go along with what He's telling me to do, even when it seems like a really dumb idea. Because it turns out that when God has them, really dumb ideas turn out to be brilliant.

But overall - it was their Joy in their eyes that was most pronounced - they had Jesus in their hearts.  When we asked if they knew Him, they said oh, yes.  They sometimes went to church on the streets up a ways.  We invited them to visit all of you on 6th & Gladys... so keep your eyes open for them - when they visit, you'll know them by the Joy in their eyes.  

Another man, gave thanks and wanted us to pray and Praise God for the healing that has taken place in his kidneys.  I want to say his name was Richard - Christopher, Brenda or Madelyn please correct me if I'm wrong.  

So awesome serving with all of you this morning - especially our new volunteers - what a great big group of you - so wonderful.  And Brenda and Madelyn, I loved hearing your testimony and meeting the both of you.   Will keep you all in prayer, thanks for allowing me to serve with each of you...

by Miceala Shoklee

What if nobody looked at you?  

Last night, I drove by a woman standing at the exit of the 210, where it meets Lake. She was holding a sign with just one word: Homeless.  

I parked a bit down the street and brought her a granola bar. She nearly jumped when I called out to her. "Why did you come back?" she asked incredulously. "Most people don't even look at me."  

I was shocked. How dehumanizing would that be, day in and day out, standing on the same corner trying to just scrape by, and nobody ever looks at you. You're already on the periphery of life and nobody even acknowledges that you're there.  

But part of my discomfort at the woman's comment comes from knowing that I am guilty, too. I don't always have that granola bar to give. And so I try not to look. Try not to make eye contact. Try not to acknowledge that yes, I see you there, but no, I am not going to help you. 

But would it really hurt to look at the person standing on the sidewalk? To smile at him or chat with her until the light turns green? I don't think our neighbors on the sidewalk stand there expecting people to help them. They just hope people will. And as much as my own guilt complex might get in the way about not having a granola bar, re-humanizing someone seems like a pretty good alternative. 

But there are other ways, too, that the homeless get categorized, neatly compartmentalized and dealt a plug-and-chug solution. Even "the homeless" is a term that defaces people and lumps millions of lives and stories and struggles together.  

Tonight, I bought a homeless woman dinner. She stood in front of the register looking over the menu hanging above when the clerk gave her a glance and asked if she wanted a cup for water.  

Because that's all that the homeless can get at most restaurants.  

But how presumptuous was that? Just because the woman fell into a certain racial background and dressed a certain way, the clerk assumed that she was homeless and couldn't be wanting anything more than a cup of water. My indignation is shouting, "Profiling! Profiling!"  

When did homeless people become someone just categorized at a glance and sent away with a cup of water?  

When did the homeless stop being people?

by Samuel Lee

I fall in the list of those that continue to be involved with this ministry "from a (physical) distance", and my role now is to cover you with prayer.  With good memories I say that one of the phases in my life that I learned the most on how to depend on God, and listen to Him was during the phase that we made the decision to return to Brazil.

Whenever I tell people the circumstances that lead me to Brazil I always start with the ministry at Home Depot (and consequently the whole Skid Row Ministry) as a pre-amble to how God speaks to us. 

As I see that the Home Depot team can no longer use the center, that gave me some sadness for it was an important phase in my life, especially because as a newlywed me and Manfredi would wake up 7:00 am every Sunday in order to be at the prayer circle.

However, God has a sovereign eyes, overlooking his whole plan, and we have trust that He is in control.  The center might have closed, but I will not forget Jose, Bartolo, David, Don Jesus; whenever I remember them I continue to pray for them.

Something about us:
Me, Manfredi, and Jonathan are doing well here in São Carlos.  We are part of a church that has truly embraced us.  Within the short time that we are here, besides my regular work I teach High School level Biology as part of a ministry that the church has; Manfredi -- besides being a Mom -- is playing keyboard on a Tuesday afternoon service that we have.

Jonathan is growing strong; in 10 days he´ll be 6-month and is already weighs more than 19 lbs !!!

All of this shows that God continues to be faithful, and he does take care of his children.

In June/ July my parents spent 4 weeks in Brazil. To see my parents spend the precious time with Jonathan was priceless !!!  especially considering that my father spent 30 days in ICU at the end of last year...  One day he walked close to 1.5 miles just to see a property that he was interested in !!!

Please send my greetings to the whole team.

The Skid Row ministry is collecting handmade hats, scarves, and mitts for distribution in November.

If you knit or and crochet and can contribute one or more of these items that you've made, please contact Kiyoko Tatsui at ktatsui@yahoo.com. Kiyoko enjoys knitting for charity and this year she set a goal to knit 50 hats for the Skid Row ministry.

If you knit or crochet for charity, she would love to get together with you.

Here's the new video that Austin Willard created for last weekend's Kingdom focus on our Skid Row ministry. So far we've had over 40 people volunteer to serve as a result of the video and talk by Tom.

They blessed him and prayed for work opportunities that week and he left satisfied.  I did  feel bad though that I wasn't there to personally pray for Carlos but also very grateful that in this ministry, we are a team and we often cover for one another like what Peggy and Jerri did for me. Three days later, on Wednesday, I was sitting at a "Jack in the Box" in Hollywood with my two sons.  We were on our way to watch "Shrek" at the Pantages Theater.  Since my back was turned towards the counter, I didn't see the man who came up at that moment to put his order.  Both my boys, who volunteer with me at Skid Row from time to time, started saying, "Look it's him...it's Carl!"  I turned around and saw the poster of Jack.  You know, the round-faced guy with the pointy hat who runs "Jack in the Box"? I told them, "Huh?  That's Jack...that's not Carl...we're not at Carl's Jr."  They both laughed and said, "No, Mom!  It's Carl from Skid Row!" 

I looked beyond the poster and saw who they were pointing at.  I said, "That's not Carl...that's Carlos!" I jumped up and immediately invited Carlos to join us.  He was very surprised to see me.  I offered to pay for his dinner and he said, "No...this is not for me.  I am on an errand for a family who hired me this week.  I am buying their dinner."  I then asked if he had time to talk and pray while waiting for his order to be filled and he smiled broadly and said, "Of course!"  

And so the gracious and wonderful God, who knew Carlos and I both wanted to have some time to talk and pray with each other last Sunday, allowed us this "divine appointment" in the middle of Hollywood, in the middle of the week. Let me tell you, "Shrek" was great that night and we thoroughly enjoyed it...but nothing beats being used by God and being at the right time and at the right place to bless one of His precious children.

This weekend is the monthly Kingdom Weekend at CA and our Skid Row Ministry will be highlighted. It gives us a chance to tell the 2,200 people or so who gather for worship about what we do and how we do it and to ask them to join us. Two years ago the ministry was highlighted in this way and 65 people volunteered as a result.

This year Austin Willard, created a 5 minute video featuring a number of our ministry team members and a couple of our Skid Row friends. We want it to premier at the services this weekend but we will put it up on YouTube for the world to see next Monday. Come back then for a link to the video.

To prepare for this weekend we've updated all of our volunteer position descriptions. If you want to learn more about how you can serve visit our Volunteer Opportunities page.