I am eating cucumbers, dipping chips in guacamole, drinking egg nog, and my relationship with God have gotten closer after the last 4 months in LA. In the previous blogs, I have mentioned how I am so thankful that God gave me opportunity to serve him and be a witness to others and he is teaching me new stuff that I never thought of. I never though in this mission (YAV) program that I will do mission work and design work together and I have been told it was very unlikely to find that dream in this program. I never lost faith in God but I allowed to listen to negative information from people. God proved us all wrong. I am doing the dream. God listens and God already knows what best for you in HIS own time and HIS way, not our own time or our own way. I have listened to people's stories and God opened the gates for me to understand what they are saying. For some reason, I still have a hard time understanding my roommates, but have no problems understanding the people outside the apartment from homeless people to the people I just met randomly. God opened my ears. God knows blueprint of my life, I don't. My faith have grown stronger from the lessons I have learned from God for the last 4 months. Nobody and I will never will understand the entire mystery of God but we can gain stronger relationship with him through our daily lives. My friends back home have asked me "Am I scared, homesick, bored in LA?" The answer is No. Of course I miss my family and friends back home. But I have been welcomed since I have arrived in LA. God had this plan and he gave me a trail to meet and form friendships with people. I have a LA family, church friends, and friends from work or sport games. They have offered help if I needed it. I am so happy here. I have always been independent back home and here that have tested my boundaries in a foreign land that I never been before. God gave me directions and a mouth to speak clear to ask people for advice if I got stuck. I am truly comfortable in this environment. God gave me opportunities to enjoy and have fun while I am here in LA. I never thought I would talk to Robert Dowery Jr or shook hands with Denzel Washington 2 months ago. But the real celebrities are the people who have prayed for me, supported for me, and leaned a hand. My director, his family, my family, my LA family, my prayer partner, my church from home and in LA, my friends in LA and back home. The number one celebrity is God of all times. He listened and still listens. In the first sentence, of this paragraph, I mentioned cucumbers, dipping chips in guacamole and drinking egg nog, I hate those things but since I been in LA, my taste buds have changed. I love guacamole, egg nog, and cucumbers now. So 2 things changed for me, a closer relationship with God and taste buds.
On Thursday, I worked with outreach team. Me and Reggie went to a church where they were giving away food to the homeless. There was a 83 year old homeless man sitting on a bench surrounding by church staff. The staff have been trying to find out information of where he stayed the night before so he could be home before it rained. Reggie asked mix of questions to the man to get any information to help him. The homeless man's named was Webber. He had on a cap that said Marines. He was a marine in World War 2. He was stationed in Honduras and was expert in some kind of gun that shot enemies's planes. He have a son that is a pilot in GA. He haven't talk to his granddaughters in awhile. He was telling me those stories while I kept him company while Reggie went to talk to staff in private. I noticed that he could have Azheimer's. He tend to forget the same questions that me and Reggie kept asking him to get good information. He said he did't have any IDs to Reggie. 10 mins later, after he got done telling me the story of his son in GA, he mentioned that he have a picture with him. Then I said can I see it? I was hoping he will have a wallet and maybe find some form of a ID while he get his picture. He did had a wallet and I found a insurance card but no ID. I gave that to Reggie and Reggie started to make some phone calls to get information and maybe find his relatives. 2 people and Reggie called different agencies to find information on him. Finally our outreach boss Rudy came in and talked to Webber. Same questions asked. Webber couldn't give us address to where he stay the night before but he said he have a home he brought a long time ago. Me, Reggie and Rudy was puzzled cause with Webber being in the marines, he should have some benefits. So Rudy decide to take Webber to our office and keep him company as we wait for information to come in. So I got his clothes on the bench as he finished up his leftover of lunch. Me and Reggie took Webber to the police station first to see if the housing department will take him and maybe file a missing person on Webber. We had to wait to find out information from police so we left and went to the Path office and the rest of the outreach team kept Webber company while me and Reggie get a quick lunch break. Reggie end up finding out that Webber have benefits and he get plenty of money a month. So why was he out in the street? That what we were trying to figure out. So he wasn't homeless. I did a search for former marines online hoping to gather some information of him. Robert found some names that Webber mentioned to Reggie about his family. We left messages but no answers. So Rudy decided to keep Webber at the Path shelter for the night while we wait for answers from the agencies. Webber kept thanking us and wanted to pay each of us for helping him. I said, no money, we are your buddies and we want to help you out. Then Webber said well then, if you help me out, then I will help you out too. This morning, I found out from Rudy that an agency found his daughter and asked her about Webber. She said she didn't know him. Again the agency asked her again to make sure and then she said I have nothing to do with him! So it seem she did know him and didn't want help him out. That the expression the agency got from it. The agency gave outreach team some information on his address. So Reggie have gone out to a house where Webber suppose to live and talk to people around the area to find out more information about Webber. If things don't work out, we are hoping the agency that is helping us get information, will take him to a place to take good care of him.
God is Good.
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