Spring Break: OC '72 PART 2

Our adventure on day one was pretty cool. From the mystery box we drew an envelope that led us to some parks in Santa Ana where we were to feed the homeless. We were given $45 dollars to go shopping for the necessary food items. We went to Ralphs and bought supplies to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We went back to the hotel and made 30 lunch bags with oranges, cookies, and chips, and another bag with extra sandwiches. We drove toward the Public Defenders Office to look for parks nearby where we could give out lunches and eat with the homeless.

After getting lost a few times, we finally made it to a park and began passing out sandwiches. We were immediately bombarded by a group of homeless people eager for food. By the time we knew it, we had passed out all our sandwiches and almost didn't have any left for ourselves. Everyone took bags and went in their own directions so we had the challenge of finding some of them and asking if we could eat with them. We ended up eating with a guy named Tyrone. Tyrone was 51, but surprisingly he looked much younger. We got to talk to Tyrone for a while and ask him his story. At first he was hesitant to be real with us because he was surrounded by a lot of his friends. They were joking around a lot, but their conversations revealed a lot about the reality of their situation. There jokes revolved around prostitution, drugs, and jail sentences. It was a chilling reality of life on the streets.

Eventually, we got to have a personal conversation with Tyrone. He said that he normally doesn't tell people his story, but I let him borrow my phone and he said that he liked us, so he went ahead and told us about his life. Tyrone told us how he used to be a manager of a chain of restaurants and had a pretty successful life. However, he got into a problem with drugs which got him into trouble. He said that unlike many of the people on the streets he had not burned the bridges with his family. He told us that he had family back in Texas that would send him money or a plane ticket the next day, but he didn't want to go back or receive help from them until he got his drug problem under control. It was hard to see the pain that he was going through. He had missed one of the meetings the court had sentenced him to for drug rehab, and he had to call to make another appointment to get into another program. He told us how he had been set up by an undercover cop for assisting with selling drugs. Overall, it was amazing to hear Tyrone's story. He was very intelligent and insightful. He told us that his dream was to one day get off the streets, get an education, and help the homeless community. It was a very eye-opening experience.

On the second day, we went to Balboa Beach to go share. The Beach was pretty empty, but there were some people that were here and there. We walked a pretty good distance until we approached someone, but it was cool because I got to hear about my partner Sara's story. Soon we approached a guy named John. He was here staying with his parents looking to get a job while also working at a gym. We went through a survey with him, and then we got to pray for him.

The next conversation we had was one of the craziest moments I have ever experienced going sharing. Sara and I saw a man sitting by himself on a bench with his dog, so we went up to him. I asked him if I could ask just one question. He said sure. I asked him this question: "If you could ask Jesus any question, what would it be?" He sat there for a second and thought about it, and then he responded, "I would ask him why he let my wife and child die in a car accident."

I didn't know how to respond. This man had just let out all his pain and difficulties in one simple response. I asked him if I could sit down and talk to him about it, but he was hesitant because he was leaving soon. He said that he didn't really want to get into it that day because he was having a good day. So we asked if we could pray for him. He said that his name was Johnny D and that he was a believer, and that he would appreciate the prayer. So we prayed for him. As we prayed, his phone started to ring. He went to silence it, but he was holding a cup of coffee and his dog on a leash, so he ended up spilling coffee all over himself.

Overall, it was a kind of a traumatic experience for both groups. I have no idea what Johnny was thinking after our encounter or what happened after that, but that memory is definitely something that I will never forget. I think it really brought a clearer reality of the pain that people around us experience on a day to day basis. I have come to realize that Jesus truly has a heart for all those people I crossed paths with at the beach that day. He has a heart for all people. I am realizing more and more that there is a lot of pain in peoples lives, and as we go out in share we must begin to be more sensitive and aware to the deep rooted pain of those around us.