In the corner of the park on San Julian and 5th St. on Skid Row in Los Angeles, California, is an angel. As the morning sun shone on the old brick building that was parallel to the street, the ivy shone a deep shade of green, the leaves holding the light like a child holding a precious gift. The westerly wall, a faded cream color, probably ‘Swiss White Mocha’ or another factory option with an equally appealing name to it, created a casual corner for empty benches and dead shrubberies which lined it. By the gate, the proverbial scent of marijuana and grape bubble gum infuses the air. It took me five months to notice this angel, but when I finally did, it changed my life.
Just outside the park, on the bus stop sign a woman hangs and dangles. She is one of many women who often keep themselves up by holding on to this not-so-sturdy post. When I stop to wonder and really think about who these women are and what they might need, I am often baffled at the seemingly impossible means through which they are forced to survive. My heart aches for a moment in the beauty of the day and the sorrow before me; then she stops, and smiles at me, so I smile back, because it is all that I have to give, and I am reminded of the angel in the corner, and remember that angels don’t always show their wings.
Turning the next corner onto San Pedro, walking towards Union Rescue Mission, and the building where our after-school program meets, watching my feet, being sure not to step on the cracks, because, Aaliyah, one of the Kindergarteners in our program says that one should not step on them, I watch as a stray drop of spit from the man yelling obscenities hits my shoe. It could be worse, I think as I continue walking, wondering if I’m late. The man went on and on about the injustices in Los Angeles, the United States, the world. He stopped for a moment when he got to Africa, and then shouted, “But there is hope! There is hope!” I smiled as Pete Seeger sang, “We shall overcome” in my headphones. There he stood, yet another angel on the corner, shouting for justice, and proclaiming hope where it is so desperately needed.
As I walked into the building thinking of all the mess that is this world we live in, I got excited to see Bam Bam, Aaliyah’s older brother who is autistic and has ADHD. Bam Bam is unable to participate daily in our program, but he stops by at the end of every day with his mother to pick up his younger sister. I have known him for about 5 months now. He used to run in, wreaking havoc however he could, slamming doors, turning lights off or on, hitting people, throwing things, etc… Knowing that there was little I personally could do to keep him from doing these things, I decided to try talking to him, asking him silly questions, knowing full well that he might never verbalise his answers to me. That day, walking into our building, it was so exciting to walk into our building and remember Bam Bam playing with his favorite game, “Let’s Go Fishin,” and yelling, “Bishy!” (his version of my name, Misty) when I walked in. The smile on his face sincere and mischievous, I wondered what he might do. Expecting him to run around and throw a fish at someone, or to turn the lights off, I was so pleasantly surprised when he ran up and hugged me, and then returned to his game in the corner by himself. With the hood of his oversized sweatshirt hanging on his crouched back, for a moment, it almost looked as if Bam Bam had a wing, and was preparing to take flight towards the heavens.
These angels remind me each day of the beauty that exists in this world. That, though sometimes a situations may appear dire or intimidating, with patience and a smile, and the willingness to notice and pay attention to what often seems unimportant, we might be reminded that there is in fact hope, a great deal of it in fact.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, March 24, 2008
Mentoring
The nightly process of dropping off the children in our program to the residential hotels is never boring. The lobby is never vacant as it tends to be a “hang out” spot for the residents – perhaps it is the allure of the vending machines. In four years of doing drop offs, I have never ridden in an empty elevator – there is always both someone exiting and someone entering besides our kids. And as we walk to the children’s rooms, doors are ajar and there are many, many people hanging out in the hallways.
As we walk the short distance from the van to the children’s rooms, they are treated like mini-celebrities. Everyone knows their names. Most of those who greet them know where their parents are or aren’t. It is a familiarity strikingly similar to a quaint small town somewhere in the Midwest. However, instead of a scene from “Leave it to Beaver,” the residential hotels are more like a scene from “One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” featuring large doses of crazy and a host of characters unrivaled by any I have ever known.
And as I pour myself into the lives of these children, championing the need for caring and faithful mentors, I can’t help but wonder about the effect of the mentors they already have? What life skills are they gleaning from their unusual neighbors? Knowing in all communities there is always that oddball who tends to be the butt of jokes but what happens when oddballs, for lack of a better term, are the norm. I don’t mean to sound harsh in describing who our kids live amid but I don’t want to underestimate the impact of their community in shaping their lives.
JH
As we walk the short distance from the van to the children’s rooms, they are treated like mini-celebrities. Everyone knows their names. Most of those who greet them know where their parents are or aren’t. It is a familiarity strikingly similar to a quaint small town somewhere in the Midwest. However, instead of a scene from “Leave it to Beaver,” the residential hotels are more like a scene from “One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” featuring large doses of crazy and a host of characters unrivaled by any I have ever known.
And as I pour myself into the lives of these children, championing the need for caring and faithful mentors, I can’t help but wonder about the effect of the mentors they already have? What life skills are they gleaning from their unusual neighbors? Knowing in all communities there is always that oddball who tends to be the butt of jokes but what happens when oddballs, for lack of a better term, are the norm. I don’t mean to sound harsh in describing who our kids live amid but I don’t want to underestimate the impact of their community in shaping their lives.
JH
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Fighting in the Streets
For the past month or so, our elementary school students have been exploring the community. This has included team building experiences, reviewing our program’s community standards, lessons on the body of Christ, unity and diversity, “about me” inventories where children look at how they are can serve the entire community, etc.
This week we held an amazing activity on “good community versus bad community” that couldn’t have gone better. In a nutshell, a volunteer from Biola University succinctly led the children in a productive look at how their actions can cause good or bad community.
I was excited that perhaps the content of this lesson might yield change in the lives of the children I love so much – children who often come from situations punctuated by dysfunction and brokenness.
The next night I had a sober reminder of what we are up against. About half of the children in our program live in two notorious downtown residential hotels. We return them to these hotels every night. During a normal drop off at one of the hotels where six children live, we arrived to see all but one of their respective parents in an out and out brawl. It was a painful disappointment to need to protect the children from their own parents.
I don’t know the reason for the fight, and could care less about who was right and who was wrong. I do care very much that six children whose lives have intersected with mine in a remarkable way for the past few years, in witnessing this fight, learned a lesson on community that will likely win out as they steer the course of their lives.
My hope for the children I serve is that their formative years and adulthood could be a sharp contrast from their childhoods. And as much as I want these children to bravely stand up against the systems they have inherited, I am beginning to think that will be unlikely when the power of the parents’ lifestyles is so pervasive. No one will have a greater influence in a life of a child than their parents. Sadly this is especially true for parents who fight with their neighbors in front of their children.
JH
This week we held an amazing activity on “good community versus bad community” that couldn’t have gone better. In a nutshell, a volunteer from Biola University succinctly led the children in a productive look at how their actions can cause good or bad community.
I was excited that perhaps the content of this lesson might yield change in the lives of the children I love so much – children who often come from situations punctuated by dysfunction and brokenness.
The next night I had a sober reminder of what we are up against. About half of the children in our program live in two notorious downtown residential hotels. We return them to these hotels every night. During a normal drop off at one of the hotels where six children live, we arrived to see all but one of their respective parents in an out and out brawl. It was a painful disappointment to need to protect the children from their own parents.
I don’t know the reason for the fight, and could care less about who was right and who was wrong. I do care very much that six children whose lives have intersected with mine in a remarkable way for the past few years, in witnessing this fight, learned a lesson on community that will likely win out as they steer the course of their lives.
My hope for the children I serve is that their formative years and adulthood could be a sharp contrast from their childhoods. And as much as I want these children to bravely stand up against the systems they have inherited, I am beginning to think that will be unlikely when the power of the parents’ lifestyles is so pervasive. No one will have a greater influence in a life of a child than their parents. Sadly this is especially true for parents who fight with their neighbors in front of their children.
JH
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
An Intern Remembers
Recently we asked an intern to sum up their experiences at CCCO and she responded with many great thoughts. Highlights below...
I really enjoyed working with the Little Angels. I got a chance to do one on ones with the kids and I really got to know who they were as individuals. I felt like at the end of my time I got to know the Little Angels on a deeper, more personal level than I had originally thought I would. Being with them was a delight. For example, I loved working with "T" and encouraging him in his homework and seeing what a smart 5 year old he is! Also, one day I sat with "Z" and we had "Princess time" together. She bought a princess dress with her Say YES money and I helped her try it on and then we sat and put eye shadow and lip gloss on each other. It was pure joy for me to do something with her that I knew she loved.
Yes, there were challenges. Two of the biggest challenges were patience and emotional issues. Many of the days I would go home and be frustrated at myself because I know I had lost my patience with the kids, or because I felt like all I did all day was tell they kids what to do/and put them in time out. It was hard for me to find the balance of having fun and allowing
them to have their freedom, along with keeping structure and doing what needed to be done that day. I either felt like things were out of control, or I felt like I was too strict and no fun for them. So, it was finding the balance that was hard for me.
Another struggle for me was the emotional side of things, on my part and on the kids part. These kids have so many
different struggles and internal issues that are so different from the middle class, suburban kids that I am used to being around. Especially the Little Angels who are so young and have a hard time understanding their feelings or knowing how to express them. So some days I would find one of them in the corner crying for no apparent reason, or I would say something
to them that I didn't feel was harsh, but they would break down crying or get upset. So I had to learn positive ways of dealing with that and learn to be sensitive towards it.
Although there were those challenges and at times it was tough, the highlights and the lessons I learned from it made it all worth it. I don't feel like anyone grows as much without challenges. The love that I was able to give and the love that
I received from the kids and the staff made it all worth it.
I would definitely recommend this placement to others. I think Say YES is a great program. God is truly impacting and changing children's lives through this program. I am so thankful and blessed to have been a part of it.
LB
I really enjoyed working with the Little Angels. I got a chance to do one on ones with the kids and I really got to know who they were as individuals. I felt like at the end of my time I got to know the Little Angels on a deeper, more personal level than I had originally thought I would. Being with them was a delight. For example, I loved working with "T" and encouraging him in his homework and seeing what a smart 5 year old he is! Also, one day I sat with "Z" and we had "Princess time" together. She bought a princess dress with her Say YES money and I helped her try it on and then we sat and put eye shadow and lip gloss on each other. It was pure joy for me to do something with her that I knew she loved.
Yes, there were challenges. Two of the biggest challenges were patience and emotional issues. Many of the days I would go home and be frustrated at myself because I know I had lost my patience with the kids, or because I felt like all I did all day was tell they kids what to do/and put them in time out. It was hard for me to find the balance of having fun and allowing
them to have their freedom, along with keeping structure and doing what needed to be done that day. I either felt like things were out of control, or I felt like I was too strict and no fun for them. So, it was finding the balance that was hard for me.
Another struggle for me was the emotional side of things, on my part and on the kids part. These kids have so many
different struggles and internal issues that are so different from the middle class, suburban kids that I am used to being around. Especially the Little Angels who are so young and have a hard time understanding their feelings or knowing how to express them. So some days I would find one of them in the corner crying for no apparent reason, or I would say something
to them that I didn't feel was harsh, but they would break down crying or get upset. So I had to learn positive ways of dealing with that and learn to be sensitive towards it.
Although there were those challenges and at times it was tough, the highlights and the lessons I learned from it made it all worth it. I don't feel like anyone grows as much without challenges. The love that I was able to give and the love that
I received from the kids and the staff made it all worth it.
I would definitely recommend this placement to others. I think Say YES is a great program. God is truly impacting and changing children's lives through this program. I am so thankful and blessed to have been a part of it.
LB
Thursday, May 17, 2007
How to Define Success
Every single child in this program is also in school. We offer tutoring, learning how to work together and live life together. I’m interested in the picture as a whole.
So where these kids are at when they graduate? I don’t know exactly.
I know there was a point when I was giving a tour of the sanctuary, and there was a woman who came in with her kid. And she was listening to what I was saying about the place and what was happening, and I didn’t even know this woman. She was about twenty-three, twenty-four years old, had a kid. And she raises her hand and says, “ I don’t even know who this guy is, and he’s a part of Central City, and I’ve messed up with my life and had a kid when I didn’t want to, but this is the best place a child can come.”
Now if you want to define success by getting a college degree and all that, we have kids who will have that, we have kids who’ve gone to college. But these kids are living lives. It’s a place that works because they will become who they need to be. And that's very different from where they started.
CV
So where these kids are at when they graduate? I don’t know exactly.
I know there was a point when I was giving a tour of the sanctuary, and there was a woman who came in with her kid. And she was listening to what I was saying about the place and what was happening, and I didn’t even know this woman. She was about twenty-three, twenty-four years old, had a kid. And she raises her hand and says, “ I don’t even know who this guy is, and he’s a part of Central City, and I’ve messed up with my life and had a kid when I didn’t want to, but this is the best place a child can come.”
Now if you want to define success by getting a college degree and all that, we have kids who will have that, we have kids who’ve gone to college. But these kids are living lives. It’s a place that works because they will become who they need to be. And that's very different from where they started.
CV
Monday, May 14, 2007
Under Construction
This past week I worked with some guys who live on the streets. One was a construction worker and the other two were painters. We had an awesome time together. They did work that most professionals would be proud of. And these are guys who have been in the military and prison.
So why are they living on the street? Well, mostly because they have "things" at this time. Filling out forms and papers for this and that is all well, but then you have to wait for them to be processed, so there you are, still on the street.
Too many people sleeping on the street have talents that go unnoticed. There are so many testimonies that are never heard. WHY?
AJG
So why are they living on the street? Well, mostly because they have "things" at this time. Filling out forms and papers for this and that is all well, but then you have to wait for them to be processed, so there you are, still on the street.
Too many people sleeping on the street have talents that go unnoticed. There are so many testimonies that are never heard. WHY?
AJG
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Untouchables
So I visited Central City Community Church last week. It's a building right in the heart of Skid Row. Most of its members are former drug addicts, prostitutes, homeless and other "untouchables" of society. Some still are.
In the middle of a hymn, a man with no shirt on who was obviously high on something walks in. One of the church members proceeds to try and stop him, telling him to go back out. Not too unusual - if that happened at any other church, the ushers would do the same thing. It happened with a homeless guy at my church. Heaven forbid we should disrupt the service or distract any of the members.
However, the pastor, who was playing percussion with the worship band, leaves the stage, walks to the man, takes his hand and leads him to a seat in the congregation.
That single act said more about that church than a thousand sermons or doctrinal statements could. It was a message that the love of God knows no boundaries, and that no one is beyond His grace.
It was a church made up of and made for the broken, the poor, the outcasts, the sinners. A light in one of the darkest and poorest communities in the nation, it was one of the richest churches I've ever seen.
SM
In the middle of a hymn, a man with no shirt on who was obviously high on something walks in. One of the church members proceeds to try and stop him, telling him to go back out. Not too unusual - if that happened at any other church, the ushers would do the same thing. It happened with a homeless guy at my church. Heaven forbid we should disrupt the service or distract any of the members.
However, the pastor, who was playing percussion with the worship band, leaves the stage, walks to the man, takes his hand and leads him to a seat in the congregation.
That single act said more about that church than a thousand sermons or doctrinal statements could. It was a message that the love of God knows no boundaries, and that no one is beyond His grace.
It was a church made up of and made for the broken, the poor, the outcasts, the sinners. A light in one of the darkest and poorest communities in the nation, it was one of the richest churches I've ever seen.
SM
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