"So you actually raised money and spent money to fly to Los Angeles to work on Skid Row? Why?" Those of us who went on the mission trip met tonight for a debriefing time, and evidently several students have been asked this question. After all, going to Los Angeles as a college student makes sense if you are going to see Hollywood and enjoy the beaches...but Skid Row?
Another common question revolved around pictures. "Where are the pictures of the homeless people? You went on this mission trip and most of the pictures I've seen are students apparently having fun. Where are the homeless?"
I understand this question on one level. We've emphasized from the beginning of this endeavor that this was not a spiritual field trip, or a tourist event, but rather hard work in some pretty tough places and rough conditions. People want to see for themselves what it's like. And, some want to see if the students truly worked.
I've been giving a chronological report, day by day, of what we did in Los Angeles, and now that we are in that part of the story where the homeless are the ministry, there is a natural curiosity. I've had people ask me if Skid Row is in fact a real place or if it's just a term used for people who are down and out.
It is a real place. A real place with real people. Masses of people. The 'disposable ones.'
So where are the pictures?
You won't see any. There are two reasons for this. First and foremost, the agencies we worked with wanted us to see the homeless not as projects, but as people-not as something to objectify, but rather as someone who mattered and deserved to be treated with dignity, not like animals in a zoo.
There are no photos primarily because we understood what the agencies were saying about the dignity of the human soul, and honestly, when you are there on those streets, the last thing you want to do is to break out a camera and start taking pictures of people who have either given up on life or have been told they no longer matter.
The 'pictures' of those we worked with must be relayed through words. There is power in story, and in telling the stories we are able to do far more good than simply showing the despair and brokenness on film.
The second reason there are no pictures is because of the work itself. It was hard work. There was no 'down time' when working on Skid Row. Our students left their cameras in our vehicles and focused on the work at hand. I am proud of them for understanding both the importance of not trivializing these precious lives by running around like tourists taking pictures and for working so hard that they didn't think of bringing their cameras with them because they knew the work required their undivided attention.
Imagine the scene: Students walking down Skid Row. A man, pushing a cart, dressed in rags, limping along because his knees are shot and he's simply exhausted from another day on the streets, and then a student standing from a distance taking pictures. Or, imagine stumbling across a group of homeless, laying on the ground, some seated against a building, wrapped in newspapers, living in squalor, and then a group of students stopping to take their picture.
It would be surreal. In appropriate. Dehumanizing.
At the end of the day, we had a choice-we could take pictures or we could take time to talk and to listen. We could capture the images on film, but in doing so, lose any credibility with those we came to serve.
Our students chose to engage. To talk. To listen. To pray with and pray for those we encountered on Skid Row. I am blessed by their courage and their sensitivity.
You see-most of the people we talked to on Skid Row had 'heard it all and seen it all' before. Groups, driving in from the suburbs, taking pictures, being polite, sometimes condescending to actually talk, but rarely if ever sticking around to listen and converse. I heard variations on this from several Skid Row residents. A degree of cynicism is definitely present. I guess when you are dehumanized or seen as some kind of odd curiosity or side-show...well, after awhile, a certain amount of cynicism would be natural. One man said something to the effect of , "Well, guess you folks come down here to do your good works."
I responded, "No sir, just came down here to see how you are doing." He seemed to appreciate that. Conversation followed. Prayer followed. I guess he just needed to know we weren't there to pat him on the back, tell him we 'understood,' that we would 'remember him in prayer' and then move on.
When you live on Skid Row, after awhile, you learn the drill. Some come to take pictures to show others the 'good work' they were doing. Some blow in like a special forces team, large groups swooping in, preaching the Four Spiritual Laws, pushing for a decision, then hightailing it out. Others come to simply hand out some food and move along. Few stay. Few listen. They are America's 'lepers' of Jesus' day. Best not to get too close. That kind of thing.
But His love compels us to do so much more than take pictures or do our 'religious duties.' As counterintuitive as it sounds, His love compels us to want to stay, to connect.
So our 'pictures' from Skid Row in the stories that will follow are memories of people etched in our minds. Whether it was the sun-weathered, elderly woman barely moving along the side walk in her broken down wheel chair or the dazed young man shuffling around the middle of the street, wandering aimlessly, looking for something that probably made sense only to him, the images stick. Sometimes it just seemed like a sea of broken people. Sensory overload. Too many people and you realize you can't 'fix' it all. Overwhelming.
But there was Light in the darkness, Hope in the midst of despair. We could see glimpses of it here and there. People of faith. People open to the Gospel. People just longing to be touched and reminded that they mattered, that they were people too, that we are all in this together.
And some of that light certainly came from our students. I cannot begin to explain how proud I am of them. They did nothing for show. They fleshed out Christ and Gospel and reached out way beyond most people's comfort zones. They did this because they were following His lead. He cares for these people and they did as well.
I cannot think of any picture or collection of pictures that could possibly do justice to the people of Skid Row. To understand on some meaningful level, one has to be on the streets with the people. There is a distinct texture and flow and feel and smell...it has to be experienced.
As stories of Skid Row are shared in future posts, I thought you should know this. You won't see pictures. We did not take pictures of someone in our group sharing the Gospel with a homeless person, or praying over a homeless person-this is no religious show.
But you will hear stories, stories of people who themselves have countless stories, and people who, like you and me, are made in the Image of God. They matter to Him and they matter to us now. And it is my prayer, that after reading some of their stories, they will matter more to you as well.
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