Day Three-Down On Skid Row

Well, today was intense to say the least.  I awoke on the floor of the gym, my air mattress deflated...  Soon, we went to breakfast, and were up and running with our missions activity for the day.  Today, we went down to skid row.  This was a pretty rough place for anyone to be.  We went down there with a guy named Matt who works at the Dream Center.  We went down to the roughest part of LA that I have ever seen.  A place populated by drug addicts, prostitutes, and the homeless.  Our mission?  To get them to a lunch that we had at the VOA Drop Point, and hopefully get them to come to church at Angeles Temple tomorrow (or possibly hook them up with different ministries at the Dream Center).

When we arrived at skid row, it was such a culture shock.  This was a place where the streets are littered with trash, and desolate people line the street, longing for someone to share their stories with.  We met a lot of people today.  Some were more fortunate than others, each at different points of life.  It was heart wrenching to see people who had no place to go.  People longing for a bite of food, or a place to find shelter for the night.  It was in seeing these people that illustrated so vividly to our team how fortunate they truly are.  

I remember walking down the street, and encountering this homeless man who was playing guitar.  We talked to him, and it turns out that he used to be in a band, and even played with Jimmi Hendrix in the '60's.  It was so amazing to hear this story.  It really helped our team see that people, regardless of their dingy looks, or outward appearance, are still people.  They all still have a story of their own, and a lot of the time, it is much easier to judge someone based on appearance rather than getting to know the person inside.  So much of the time, we see someone on the street, and immediately pass them off as someone who doesn't try, when in reality, they do.  I think we do this because it is easier for ourselves.  It is easier to make an excuse for someone else, because then we don't have to feel the conviction which makes us do anything about it.  We all have to keep in mind that everyone that we see on the street is a human as well, and how we would feel if we had fallen on hard times and we were in their shoes.

Anyways, I have five minutes until our team meeting, so I must wrap this post up.  I miss you all, and will be praying for you, as I'm sure you will be for us.

My love and prayers until next time,

-Davy Butler