For those of you who are interested in seeing what Leon went through when he shaved the beard, check out our newest YouTube video, and subscribe to our vlog for more video updates!!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
A glorious homecoming!
The end has come! And we survived. No major scratches, no emotional scars, and hopefully no permanent psychological damage. Leon is home, and in one piece, and with a story or two to share. He has seen things out on the streets that he couldn't have anticipated, I saw some things on the home front that I never anticipated, and the experience we have had this past month was not what we expected it would be in the least. But that is another blog post for another time...
So backing up, Friday, November 30, the 30th day Leon has lived as a homeless man, I woke up a different person. We had completed the mission, and now it was time to go pick Leon up. Yes, since the second week, we have seen each other regularly and have been in more contact than we initially set out to, but at the end of the day, he is still sleeping on the street or in a shelter or in a car if he's lucky. So yesterday, we packed up a picnic lunch and went to meet Leon at his new favorite spot, the deck park downtown (notice the wicked beard!!!)....
We ate lunch, played in the park for a little while, and then by 1:30pm, we were headed back to Southlake, where Leon's first order of business was showering! I would like to say that I let Leon sleep all day to catch up from a month of horrible sleep, but instead, our life went immediately back to its normal pace of errands, to-dos, and running a million miles a minute. Then Friday evening we had a welcome home party where our friends hung out, heard some stories and got a chance to see Leon and his famous beard! Here are some pictures from our welcome party...
We stayed out way too late for a man who had just come in from the streets, and on Sunday, Leon picked right back up where he left off at church, leading worship and getting back to his usual routine. He did shave the beard, and I got some awesome video footage of that, so I will post that video in the next coming days, for all you crazies who want to see it! :) But he really hasn't been able to catch up on sleep since he has been home, so our good friends have decided to use some of their hotel points for us to go downtown tonight to stay in a hotel, while they watch Micah overnight, which will give us some time to rest, go out together, and get ready for our early morning live interview on the Fox 4 morning show at 7:20am tomorrow morning (Tuesday, 12/4/12)! So tune in to hear a post-month interview, and look for more updates, stories from Leon as he continues to unpack his experience, and please subscribe to my blog to continue keeping up with us and hear what our journey looks like from here (once we figure that out!). And again, thank you so much for all the support and encouragement as we went through this experience. It was greatly needed, greatly felt, and we are eternally grateful for all of you!
So backing up, Friday, November 30, the 30th day Leon has lived as a homeless man, I woke up a different person. We had completed the mission, and now it was time to go pick Leon up. Yes, since the second week, we have seen each other regularly and have been in more contact than we initially set out to, but at the end of the day, he is still sleeping on the street or in a shelter or in a car if he's lucky. So yesterday, we packed up a picnic lunch and went to meet Leon at his new favorite spot, the deck park downtown (notice the wicked beard!!!)....
We ate lunch, played in the park for a little while, and then by 1:30pm, we were headed back to Southlake, where Leon's first order of business was showering! I would like to say that I let Leon sleep all day to catch up from a month of horrible sleep, but instead, our life went immediately back to its normal pace of errands, to-dos, and running a million miles a minute. Then Friday evening we had a welcome home party where our friends hung out, heard some stories and got a chance to see Leon and his famous beard! Here are some pictures from our welcome party...
We stayed out way too late for a man who had just come in from the streets, and on Sunday, Leon picked right back up where he left off at church, leading worship and getting back to his usual routine. He did shave the beard, and I got some awesome video footage of that, so I will post that video in the next coming days, for all you crazies who want to see it! :) But he really hasn't been able to catch up on sleep since he has been home, so our good friends have decided to use some of their hotel points for us to go downtown tonight to stay in a hotel, while they watch Micah overnight, which will give us some time to rest, go out together, and get ready for our early morning live interview on the Fox 4 morning show at 7:20am tomorrow morning (Tuesday, 12/4/12)! So tune in to hear a post-month interview, and look for more updates, stories from Leon as he continues to unpack his experience, and please subscribe to my blog to continue keeping up with us and hear what our journey looks like from here (once we figure that out!). And again, thank you so much for all the support and encouragement as we went through this experience. It was greatly needed, greatly felt, and we are eternally grateful for all of you!
Monday, November 26, 2012
An unconventional Thanksgiving.
Right around last Wednesday, I was starting to question whether Leon should finish his journey. In fact, I was almost going to tell him to just quit so that we could spend Thanksgiving like a "normal" family (whatever that means). It was right around that time that the Thomsons packed up to leave for their lake house, and suddenly it actually set in that I would be left alone for the first time in this whole homeless journey.
Sure, I have been without my husband for some weeks now (not that I'm getting used to it in the least), but I have always had Mary there to cheer me up with a joke and a glass of wine. And now they were leaving me to do their family thing (I know, how insensitive of them ;) ...to think of their family first!), and I was going to be left behind. So needless to say, Thanksgiving weekend started off pretty depressing for me.
Now, keep in mind, Leon is walking a fine line between learning as much as he can, and not wanting to take up too many resources from people who really have nothing else on Thanksgiving, so what started out as a goal to do the "homeless thing" on Thanksgiving, had turned into just trying to see what we could do for Thanksgiving for no cost. So that's just what we did.
Even though I was sad that I was missing out on a typical Thanksgiving experience, and even though our friends were gone and my mom's whole family (except for the Reyes 3) were all together celebrating, I could not even convince Leon to "cheat" and just come home early, even to spend just 1 night with us, because he is still committed to his goal of 30 days. So, I picked Leon up early Thanksgiving morning, and we went to a free pancake breakfast at an awesome church in Irving, which I attended for over 6 years before we moved to our current church. We ate free breakfast (as pictured below)
...and played on the playground together as a family. From there, we headed back to Dallas, and then someone was so kind as to bring us 2 plates of leftovers from their own Thanksgiving meal, so we still got our Thanksgiving.
I realized, as we spent the entire day together as a family, which we really haven't done on that level since before Leon left, that sometimes things do not always work out as we plan, but beauty can be found in even the most unlikely of places. And though we do not get our way sometimes, if we have open hearts and open minds, God can show us things that we never dreamed.
This Thanksgiving, though it was very unconventional and abnormal for us, reminded us all the more of all the things we are thankful for. And this year, I am most thankful for the beautiful heart of my husband. It is so easy to take our significant others for granted as we move forward together in life. We forget all the wonderful things about them, we forget why we even got together in the first place, and we forget to let them know every minute just how much we love them. It happens in even the best of marriages. But through a simple day, without frills, without cooking turkey, and without extended family around, Leon, Micah and I simply enjoyed each other's company. We played, we laughed, we talked, and most of all, we appreciated each other. And that was more than I could have asked for on Thanksgiving.
I hope that all of you had as meaningful of a Thanksgiving as we did!
Sure, I have been without my husband for some weeks now (not that I'm getting used to it in the least), but I have always had Mary there to cheer me up with a joke and a glass of wine. And now they were leaving me to do their family thing (I know, how insensitive of them ;) ...to think of their family first!), and I was going to be left behind. So needless to say, Thanksgiving weekend started off pretty depressing for me.
Now, keep in mind, Leon is walking a fine line between learning as much as he can, and not wanting to take up too many resources from people who really have nothing else on Thanksgiving, so what started out as a goal to do the "homeless thing" on Thanksgiving, had turned into just trying to see what we could do for Thanksgiving for no cost. So that's just what we did.
Even though I was sad that I was missing out on a typical Thanksgiving experience, and even though our friends were gone and my mom's whole family (except for the Reyes 3) were all together celebrating, I could not even convince Leon to "cheat" and just come home early, even to spend just 1 night with us, because he is still committed to his goal of 30 days. So, I picked Leon up early Thanksgiving morning, and we went to a free pancake breakfast at an awesome church in Irving, which I attended for over 6 years before we moved to our current church. We ate free breakfast (as pictured below)
...and played on the playground together as a family. From there, we headed back to Dallas, and then someone was so kind as to bring us 2 plates of leftovers from their own Thanksgiving meal, so we still got our Thanksgiving.
I realized, as we spent the entire day together as a family, which we really haven't done on that level since before Leon left, that sometimes things do not always work out as we plan, but beauty can be found in even the most unlikely of places. And though we do not get our way sometimes, if we have open hearts and open minds, God can show us things that we never dreamed.
This Thanksgiving, though it was very unconventional and abnormal for us, reminded us all the more of all the things we are thankful for. And this year, I am most thankful for the beautiful heart of my husband. It is so easy to take our significant others for granted as we move forward together in life. We forget all the wonderful things about them, we forget why we even got together in the first place, and we forget to let them know every minute just how much we love them. It happens in even the best of marriages. But through a simple day, without frills, without cooking turkey, and without extended family around, Leon, Micah and I simply enjoyed each other's company. We played, we laughed, we talked, and most of all, we appreciated each other. And that was more than I could have asked for on Thanksgiving.
I hope that all of you had as meaningful of a Thanksgiving as we did!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Homeless family in a car.
Throughout this whole homeless experience, for me, Sunday nights have really been the hardest nights of the week to be without Leon. Sundays have always been our hangout nights because we are finished with worship, and neither one of us work on Mondays. We would go out to dinner, to wine bars, go see movies, etc., all on Sundays because we knew we could sleep in the next morning.
Well, this month, it has been a little challenging to get used to being home without Leon on Sundays. I have invited myself to some friends' houses, I have stayed in and hung out with the Thomsons, but even with all that activity, I still really miss Leon.
So this Sunday after church, when a whole group of people were planning on going to Dallas to see Leon, I decided to pack some blankets, pillows, warm clothes, and load up Micah, and prepare to spend the night in the car with Leon, as a family.
Now let me just preface this by saying that I am not a camper, an outdoorsy girl, or in any way shape or form someone who likes to "rough it".....in fact, it is safe to sayto say that I am probably the antithesis of all those things. I am a product of my father, who, when he heard Leon was going to be homeless for November, said, "If Leon is going homeless in November, then I will spend the night in a Super 8 for the whole month to show my support!" And a Super 8 to my dad, would be just like homelessness is to Leon! :) So knowing this fact, and being well-acquainted with my inner princess whom he has come to know and love, Leon was ecstatic when he heard that I was actually going to come down to Dallas to "be homeless" with him. I was a little unsure of the whole experience, but was doing this just to get to spend some time with my husband. Little did I know, I was going to get so much more out of the experience...
We, along with several of our friends, and some new friends we met, spent the afternoon at the deck park, where Leon frequently hangs out. Not only is it a phenomenal new park, but he says that when he is alone on the streets, it can get depressing, so being around families with kids, laughter and happiness, always helps lift his spirits.
After everyone headed back home, instead of saying goodbye like we usually do, Micah and I hung out a little longer downtown with Leon. It was great to get to spend some one-on-one time in Leon's new "home," hear some of the stories he had to tell and see some of the places he frequents.
When we got tired, we all had a restroom break at a public restroom, found a parking spot to camp out for the night, and made our bed on pillows and blankets (lots of pillows and blankets...100% more in fact than what Leon has when he sleeps in a car......I wanted it to be a somewhat comfortable car bed, since I was in this to see my husband, not trying to learn anything from this experience!), and we went to sleep, together, as a family.
I didn't really think much of the experience, aside from being proud of myself for not being overly high-maintenance in our overnight stint in the car (and for not having to use the restroom in the middle of the night!!). But that all changed when I awoke the next morning.
As I tossed and turned, starting at about 5am, my shoulder in pain, even from sleeping in the "comfy" car, I thought about all the families out there who really do have to live out of their cars. I even found out from Leon that his family (of 2 parents and 7 children) had to live out of their car for a time, and they didn't even have an SUV like we do!
And the thing that struck me about this whole experience is that these families live and walk among us, and we don't even realize it! It is one thing to be dirty, disheveled, and walk around with everyone who passes by knowing that you are homeless and need food, money, or quite honestly, alcohol. It is a completely different thing to be going to work, your kids going to school, trying to live, eat, shower, shave, and do laundry, just like everybody else, but having to go home to a parking spot each night. And the surprising thing is that the stereotypical, TV image of a homeless person that we have in our minds make up only 10% of all homeless people in America. The rest are hopping from house to house or shelter to shelter until they can get on their feet, or living out of their cars, just as Leon, Micah and I did for a night. Talk about eye-opening!
Now, I got to go home right after that, take a shower, bathe Micah, do laundry, and have a meal after my one night of homelessness. But even as I type this, there are hundreds of families who live like that day in and day out, night after night, and they somehow have to make due with that reality, while trying to blend in as best they can with the rest of us. And as of Sunday night, I have a new respect for those individuals and families. And surprisingly, as I have learned from some of our friends who have shared their past stories of homelessness with us, many of us have been there for a time in our lives as well.
So I set out to just get a little time with my husband, and I ended up with an eye-opening homeless experience of my own. Here is the only picture we have of our "car bed" with Micah getting cozy before we tucked ourselves in for the night.....
Well, this month, it has been a little challenging to get used to being home without Leon on Sundays. I have invited myself to some friends' houses, I have stayed in and hung out with the Thomsons, but even with all that activity, I still really miss Leon.
So this Sunday after church, when a whole group of people were planning on going to Dallas to see Leon, I decided to pack some blankets, pillows, warm clothes, and load up Micah, and prepare to spend the night in the car with Leon, as a family.
Now let me just preface this by saying that I am not a camper, an outdoorsy girl, or in any way shape or form someone who likes to "rough it".....in fact, it is safe to sayto say that I am probably the antithesis of all those things. I am a product of my father, who, when he heard Leon was going to be homeless for November, said, "If Leon is going homeless in November, then I will spend the night in a Super 8 for the whole month to show my support!" And a Super 8 to my dad, would be just like homelessness is to Leon! :) So knowing this fact, and being well-acquainted with my inner princess whom he has come to know and love, Leon was ecstatic when he heard that I was actually going to come down to Dallas to "be homeless" with him. I was a little unsure of the whole experience, but was doing this just to get to spend some time with my husband. Little did I know, I was going to get so much more out of the experience...
We, along with several of our friends, and some new friends we met, spent the afternoon at the deck park, where Leon frequently hangs out. Not only is it a phenomenal new park, but he says that when he is alone on the streets, it can get depressing, so being around families with kids, laughter and happiness, always helps lift his spirits.
After everyone headed back home, instead of saying goodbye like we usually do, Micah and I hung out a little longer downtown with Leon. It was great to get to spend some one-on-one time in Leon's new "home," hear some of the stories he had to tell and see some of the places he frequents.
When we got tired, we all had a restroom break at a public restroom, found a parking spot to camp out for the night, and made our bed on pillows and blankets (lots of pillows and blankets...100% more in fact than what Leon has when he sleeps in a car......I wanted it to be a somewhat comfortable car bed, since I was in this to see my husband, not trying to learn anything from this experience!), and we went to sleep, together, as a family.
I didn't really think much of the experience, aside from being proud of myself for not being overly high-maintenance in our overnight stint in the car (and for not having to use the restroom in the middle of the night!!). But that all changed when I awoke the next morning.
As I tossed and turned, starting at about 5am, my shoulder in pain, even from sleeping in the "comfy" car, I thought about all the families out there who really do have to live out of their cars. I even found out from Leon that his family (of 2 parents and 7 children) had to live out of their car for a time, and they didn't even have an SUV like we do!
And the thing that struck me about this whole experience is that these families live and walk among us, and we don't even realize it! It is one thing to be dirty, disheveled, and walk around with everyone who passes by knowing that you are homeless and need food, money, or quite honestly, alcohol. It is a completely different thing to be going to work, your kids going to school, trying to live, eat, shower, shave, and do laundry, just like everybody else, but having to go home to a parking spot each night. And the surprising thing is that the stereotypical, TV image of a homeless person that we have in our minds make up only 10% of all homeless people in America. The rest are hopping from house to house or shelter to shelter until they can get on their feet, or living out of their cars, just as Leon, Micah and I did for a night. Talk about eye-opening!
Now, I got to go home right after that, take a shower, bathe Micah, do laundry, and have a meal after my one night of homelessness. But even as I type this, there are hundreds of families who live like that day in and day out, night after night, and they somehow have to make due with that reality, while trying to blend in as best they can with the rest of us. And as of Sunday night, I have a new respect for those individuals and families. And surprisingly, as I have learned from some of our friends who have shared their past stories of homelessness with us, many of us have been there for a time in our lives as well.
So I set out to just get a little time with my husband, and I ended up with an eye-opening homeless experience of my own. Here is the only picture we have of our "car bed" with Micah getting cozy before we tucked ourselves in for the night.....
Monday, November 19, 2012
Stories from the streets: a sheep among wolves.
In Matthew 10:16, it says "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."
That verse has taken on a more personal meaning as Leon goes out into the streets to better understand and better help people of all different backgrounds. As I mentioned in the last post, there are people who are trying to make an example out of Leon and to intimidate him so that they can bully their way through life. Leon, being true to himself, has learned that he doesn't have to bully and intimidate, but that he does have to be on his guard and not shy away from conflict, or else he will be overtaken.
Leon is a very discerning man--meaning he can read people better than any person I have ever personally known. He reads energy, spirits, demeanor, language, and all sorts of characteristics that people exhibit in everyday life and conversation, and he is able to utilize that to help understand how to best relate to them and communicate with them. Chances are, if you come up to Leon with a motive or an agenda, he can sniff it out immediately, and act accordingly. This trait is very useful in everyday life, especially in ministry, but it is proving to be vital to life on the streets.
It is a delicate balance that Leon is walking, and it literally is like being a sheep among wolves. Some of the people out here on the streets know who Leon is...the pastor from Southlake who is being homeless for November. Others only see him as another homeless man on the streets of Dallas. Leon has actually shared with some homeless people what he is doing, and why. And others, he maintains his 'homeless persona' and stays concealed as best he can. Who to tell and who to not tell, comes down to his own personal "read" on people...his shrewdness.
The first week he was out here on the streets, he went to a very well-respected church in Dallas that actually busses homeless people to their services, gives them a shower, shave, new set of clothes, and a whole lot of love! An incredible church, and one I will write more about in a later post. The homeless gather at a downtown location and a bus picks them up, takes them to a special wing of the church, dedicated to their homeless ministry, where they will get to clean up, and have breakfast before going into the service. Now keep in mind, Leon has not told anyone his identity at this point, nor does he want to yet. Individually, Leon can read people quite well, so he can determine whether they can handle the truth or not. But in large groups it is a pretty sure bet that at least one person will take issue with what he is doing for one reason or another. So therefore, in confined spaces such as a shelter, or bus-load of people, it is best for Leon to keep concealed who he is and what he is doing.
He has also found that the non-addicts, and mentally-sound homeless (which unfortunately form the minority of all homeless on the streets) are able to hear and accept what he is doing with open hearts and accepting spirits. However, the addicts and the mentally-disabled people on the streets, otherwise known as the "chronic homeless," are not capable of understanding what is going on, and only see him as an impostor. In this one instance in the care of this incredible church, one such "chronic homeless" man spotted Leon immediately, and set out to expose him.
This man, saw Leon for the first time while the two of them were waiting to get showered and ready for church. He began speaking erratically, pacing feverishly back and forth, scratching and clawing at himself, and basically had the demeanor of a demonic spirit. When he saw Leon, he immediately said, "I know who you are!" Leon looked at him and just looked away, trying not to engage him in conversation because he could see this would not go well. The man continued, and said to Leon, "I know who you are! You're a fake. You're a phony. You aren't real. You are an impostor."
With it just being the two of them outside the room, Leon just said nothing, and walked inside to get ready for church, but a little freaked out at the thought that someone would say those words that mean-spiritedly, so he knew he needed to be careful.
After showering and getting ready for service, everyone got back together in one room before heading to service. The man spotted Leon again, and started up his old pattern of behavior...scratching, pacing back and forth, and trying to speak. Leon knew this couldn't be good, when everyone is in one room, and this guy is going to try and expose him and make him out to look like a bad guy.
Then, the man began to speak in a voice that everyone could hear. He pointed to Leon and said, "I know him....... He is a ffffff....ffffff....ffffaaaaa......" and he literally couldn't finish his sentence. He tried again, and the same thing happened, and again, until everyone who was paying attention to him just shrugged their shoulders and went on about their business. Leon, however, knew there was something else going on here.
In Mark chapter 1, there was an instance where Jesus was going into a new town, preaching and teaching. His time had not yet come to be killed and resurrected, and therefore, he just wanted to go in (as sheep among wolves), teach people a new way of living, and move on to the next town. All of a sudden, a man who was possessed by an evil spirit spotted Jesus and said, "I know who you are. You are the Holy one of God."
That verse immediately came into my mind when Leon told me this story, and interestingly enough, the man in Leon's story used the exact same wording that is written in this verse. There are always evil spirits out there, who, when confronted with love and goodness will look for ways to make a mockery out of that. And in this very simple, yet poignant story that Leon told, (along with a Bible verse given to me by a good friend), I am reminded that "The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still," (Exodus 14:14).
So Leon is out there on the streets, trying to stay anonymous, but revealing his identity to a select few who will accept it....must like Jesus did on the streets thousands of years ago. And the Lord is out there, fighting for him too, keeping him safe, just as He is doing for all of us, right now, today. And always.
That verse has taken on a more personal meaning as Leon goes out into the streets to better understand and better help people of all different backgrounds. As I mentioned in the last post, there are people who are trying to make an example out of Leon and to intimidate him so that they can bully their way through life. Leon, being true to himself, has learned that he doesn't have to bully and intimidate, but that he does have to be on his guard and not shy away from conflict, or else he will be overtaken.
Leon is a very discerning man--meaning he can read people better than any person I have ever personally known. He reads energy, spirits, demeanor, language, and all sorts of characteristics that people exhibit in everyday life and conversation, and he is able to utilize that to help understand how to best relate to them and communicate with them. Chances are, if you come up to Leon with a motive or an agenda, he can sniff it out immediately, and act accordingly. This trait is very useful in everyday life, especially in ministry, but it is proving to be vital to life on the streets.
It is a delicate balance that Leon is walking, and it literally is like being a sheep among wolves. Some of the people out here on the streets know who Leon is...the pastor from Southlake who is being homeless for November. Others only see him as another homeless man on the streets of Dallas. Leon has actually shared with some homeless people what he is doing, and why. And others, he maintains his 'homeless persona' and stays concealed as best he can. Who to tell and who to not tell, comes down to his own personal "read" on people...his shrewdness.
The first week he was out here on the streets, he went to a very well-respected church in Dallas that actually busses homeless people to their services, gives them a shower, shave, new set of clothes, and a whole lot of love! An incredible church, and one I will write more about in a later post. The homeless gather at a downtown location and a bus picks them up, takes them to a special wing of the church, dedicated to their homeless ministry, where they will get to clean up, and have breakfast before going into the service. Now keep in mind, Leon has not told anyone his identity at this point, nor does he want to yet. Individually, Leon can read people quite well, so he can determine whether they can handle the truth or not. But in large groups it is a pretty sure bet that at least one person will take issue with what he is doing for one reason or another. So therefore, in confined spaces such as a shelter, or bus-load of people, it is best for Leon to keep concealed who he is and what he is doing.
He has also found that the non-addicts, and mentally-sound homeless (which unfortunately form the minority of all homeless on the streets) are able to hear and accept what he is doing with open hearts and accepting spirits. However, the addicts and the mentally-disabled people on the streets, otherwise known as the "chronic homeless," are not capable of understanding what is going on, and only see him as an impostor. In this one instance in the care of this incredible church, one such "chronic homeless" man spotted Leon immediately, and set out to expose him.
This man, saw Leon for the first time while the two of them were waiting to get showered and ready for church. He began speaking erratically, pacing feverishly back and forth, scratching and clawing at himself, and basically had the demeanor of a demonic spirit. When he saw Leon, he immediately said, "I know who you are!" Leon looked at him and just looked away, trying not to engage him in conversation because he could see this would not go well. The man continued, and said to Leon, "I know who you are! You're a fake. You're a phony. You aren't real. You are an impostor."
With it just being the two of them outside the room, Leon just said nothing, and walked inside to get ready for church, but a little freaked out at the thought that someone would say those words that mean-spiritedly, so he knew he needed to be careful.
After showering and getting ready for service, everyone got back together in one room before heading to service. The man spotted Leon again, and started up his old pattern of behavior...scratching, pacing back and forth, and trying to speak. Leon knew this couldn't be good, when everyone is in one room, and this guy is going to try and expose him and make him out to look like a bad guy.
Then, the man began to speak in a voice that everyone could hear. He pointed to Leon and said, "I know him....... He is a ffffff....ffffff....ffffaaaaa......" and he literally couldn't finish his sentence. He tried again, and the same thing happened, and again, until everyone who was paying attention to him just shrugged their shoulders and went on about their business. Leon, however, knew there was something else going on here.
In Mark chapter 1, there was an instance where Jesus was going into a new town, preaching and teaching. His time had not yet come to be killed and resurrected, and therefore, he just wanted to go in (as sheep among wolves), teach people a new way of living, and move on to the next town. All of a sudden, a man who was possessed by an evil spirit spotted Jesus and said, "I know who you are. You are the Holy one of God."
That verse immediately came into my mind when Leon told me this story, and interestingly enough, the man in Leon's story used the exact same wording that is written in this verse. There are always evil spirits out there, who, when confronted with love and goodness will look for ways to make a mockery out of that. And in this very simple, yet poignant story that Leon told, (along with a Bible verse given to me by a good friend), I am reminded that "The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still," (Exodus 14:14).
So Leon is out there on the streets, trying to stay anonymous, but revealing his identity to a select few who will accept it....must like Jesus did on the streets thousands of years ago. And the Lord is out there, fighting for him too, keeping him safe, just as He is doing for all of us, right now, today. And always.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Stories from the streets: shelter defense
I thought I would make these next few blog posts about stories I have heard from Leon or others who heard them from Leon, just to give you a glimpse of what he is doing out there on the streets. This first one is a snapshot of life in a homeless shelter...
One of the most amazing things that Leon has found out while living on the streets is that it is very difficult to get things accomplished when you are working within the confines of shelter schedules. In order to secure a place to sleep for the night, you have to check in as early as 3:30 in the afternoon, and you are not allowed to leave until 5am the next morning, or else you lose your spot. I realized that this gets the homeless off the streets, so the city is happy, but if you are trying to get a job, or get a full days worth of work in, you are basically making a decision to sleep out on the streets, which, according to Leon, is worse than anything!
So anyway, Leon checks into one particular shelter at 3:30pm and basically has to sit until 7pm when they have dinner, and then 10pm when it's lights out. BOR-RING. So he sits. And he remembers some advice a homeless man gave him on Day 1, that people will try to bully you to see if they smell fear, then intimidate the heck out of you, and therefore maintain their "status" on the streets. When you are at a shelter, any weapons are confiscated, and everyone should be unarmed, so dominance is given to the biggest and strongest, or biggest and strongest personality.
Leon, as many of you may know, is not a shy person. He is not a wimp, and he is not someone that gets pushed around, but he is also a really nice guy. But on the streets, he cannot be a nice guy, because people out there will see it as weakness. So for his very survival, he must be a tough guy...not a guy looking for trouble, but someone who keeps to himself, but will hold his own when he needs to.
That is exactly what he had to do one day at a shelter. He had his signature white short-billed hat on, with his hoodie pulled up over it, and sat there, not talking to anyone, just keeping to himself. When it was dinner time, he went and got a plate and sat down at an empty table. Out of nowhere, a somewhat scrawny-ish man with a loud mouth comes up to Leon, and, in a voice that made sure everyone within a 10 foot radius could hear, said "You better move along, you're sitting in my seat."
A hush fills the dining hall. Leon, without adjusting his posture, head position, or hoodie, in a quiet voice says, "I didn't see a name on it, so why don't you just move along."
Then the man, who is standing next to Leon who is sitting, pushes his chest into Leon's head, and starts making fists with his hands, and waving them as if he's gearing up for a fight. Everyone is watching at this point, and Leon calmly but forcefully, pushes the man backwards with one hand, turns his body, takes down his hoodie, and stands up very slowly, getting right in the man's face and whispers something that no one else in the room can hear, but it is enough to cause the loud-mouthed man to step back and take a breath, a little shocked.
From the other side of the room, everyone hears someone else's voice yell, "Awww man! You just HAD to do that to the scariest mother_____ in here, didn't you?" And the silence is then broken and laughter breaks out at the loud-mouth's expense. The man then moves to a different spot without saying another word. And then the same man who just yelled from across the room, makes eye contact with Leon and says "We cool though, right?"
Leon smiles, and calmly says, "As long as you don't pull something stupid like this guy just did, we're cool." And he quietly goes back to eating, while simultaneously watching all the timid, or new guys immediately fill up Leon's table to sit with him so they won't be messed with.
That's a funny story to illustrate just how Leon is having to adapt his personality and demeanor to survive out on the streets. He cannot be his smiley, outgoing self out there, because he does not want to draw attention to himself. But at the same time, he cannot shy away from confrontation because he will get eaten up by those who are surprisingly weaker and smaller than he is. They make empty threats to maintain status and gain dominance. But I assure you, Leon is not afraid to put his money where his mouth is, and if attacked, I have faith that he could defend himself quite well.
So he has made a name for himself at the shelters. And as a result, the new guys want to be around him for protection, and the loud-mouths are now too scared to confront him. Once I heard that story, I knew that if anyone could safely survive something like this, it would be Leon. His life experience, personality, and calling has prepared him for such a time as this, and he will emerge victoriously...and no doubt with a story or two!
One of the most amazing things that Leon has found out while living on the streets is that it is very difficult to get things accomplished when you are working within the confines of shelter schedules. In order to secure a place to sleep for the night, you have to check in as early as 3:30 in the afternoon, and you are not allowed to leave until 5am the next morning, or else you lose your spot. I realized that this gets the homeless off the streets, so the city is happy, but if you are trying to get a job, or get a full days worth of work in, you are basically making a decision to sleep out on the streets, which, according to Leon, is worse than anything!
So anyway, Leon checks into one particular shelter at 3:30pm and basically has to sit until 7pm when they have dinner, and then 10pm when it's lights out. BOR-RING. So he sits. And he remembers some advice a homeless man gave him on Day 1, that people will try to bully you to see if they smell fear, then intimidate the heck out of you, and therefore maintain their "status" on the streets. When you are at a shelter, any weapons are confiscated, and everyone should be unarmed, so dominance is given to the biggest and strongest, or biggest and strongest personality.
Leon, as many of you may know, is not a shy person. He is not a wimp, and he is not someone that gets pushed around, but he is also a really nice guy. But on the streets, he cannot be a nice guy, because people out there will see it as weakness. So for his very survival, he must be a tough guy...not a guy looking for trouble, but someone who keeps to himself, but will hold his own when he needs to.
That is exactly what he had to do one day at a shelter. He had his signature white short-billed hat on, with his hoodie pulled up over it, and sat there, not talking to anyone, just keeping to himself. When it was dinner time, he went and got a plate and sat down at an empty table. Out of nowhere, a somewhat scrawny-ish man with a loud mouth comes up to Leon, and, in a voice that made sure everyone within a 10 foot radius could hear, said "You better move along, you're sitting in my seat."
A hush fills the dining hall. Leon, without adjusting his posture, head position, or hoodie, in a quiet voice says, "I didn't see a name on it, so why don't you just move along."
Then the man, who is standing next to Leon who is sitting, pushes his chest into Leon's head, and starts making fists with his hands, and waving them as if he's gearing up for a fight. Everyone is watching at this point, and Leon calmly but forcefully, pushes the man backwards with one hand, turns his body, takes down his hoodie, and stands up very slowly, getting right in the man's face and whispers something that no one else in the room can hear, but it is enough to cause the loud-mouthed man to step back and take a breath, a little shocked.
From the other side of the room, everyone hears someone else's voice yell, "Awww man! You just HAD to do that to the scariest mother_____ in here, didn't you?" And the silence is then broken and laughter breaks out at the loud-mouth's expense. The man then moves to a different spot without saying another word. And then the same man who just yelled from across the room, makes eye contact with Leon and says "We cool though, right?"
Leon smiles, and calmly says, "As long as you don't pull something stupid like this guy just did, we're cool." And he quietly goes back to eating, while simultaneously watching all the timid, or new guys immediately fill up Leon's table to sit with him so they won't be messed with.
That's a funny story to illustrate just how Leon is having to adapt his personality and demeanor to survive out on the streets. He cannot be his smiley, outgoing self out there, because he does not want to draw attention to himself. But at the same time, he cannot shy away from confrontation because he will get eaten up by those who are surprisingly weaker and smaller than he is. They make empty threats to maintain status and gain dominance. But I assure you, Leon is not afraid to put his money where his mouth is, and if attacked, I have faith that he could defend himself quite well.
So he has made a name for himself at the shelters. And as a result, the new guys want to be around him for protection, and the loud-mouths are now too scared to confront him. Once I heard that story, I knew that if anyone could safely survive something like this, it would be Leon. His life experience, personality, and calling has prepared him for such a time as this, and he will emerge victoriously...and no doubt with a story or two!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The halfway point...and a message about our so-called "rules"
"In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and become convinced of."
-2 Timothy 3:12-14
As the midway marker of Leon's journey, I want to tell you a story. A story of a boy, who knew he was destined for something great. Not great in the way of fame or fortune, but a great calling was placed on his life. He knew that he loved God and wanted to serve God and help others to see just how amazing God is and how much He loves them. And he lived his life with the thought that if God was writing a modern-day Bible, and if he loved and served God and people above himself, then maybe there would be a story in that book about him.
Fasting forward a few years, this boy grows up, goes to Bible School, works in ministry for several years, helps teens in rough lifestyles, as well as college students, and even adults, come to know God for themselves, and he equips them to pray, read their Bible, get through challenging life situations, helps them find faith of their own, and share with others just how amazing God is. And though he grows tired from years of service in a church, where everything he does is under constant scrutiny and criticism, and in a community where his every action and motive gets questioned and attacked, he does not waiver from his original calling, which is to help others love God more, however God may lead him to do that.
This boy, growing tired, goes on a journey. A journey to find hope in the face of adversity. A journey to see what he can learn about another way of life, and a group of people whom few attempt to understand. So he sets out, amid the same adversity he has faced for some time, and he embarks on his mission.
Along the way, as promised, God shows up. He opens this boy's mind and heart to a new way of thinking (which God has a track-record of doing). He brings understanding of all different people, mindsets, and backgrounds to this boy. He brings people along his path who have amazing stories to tell, and who touch this boy's life, even after one conversation. And as time goes on, God morphs the situation, stretches it, changes it, and broadens the horizons of what this boy thought he originally set out to do. The boy starts getting refreshed, renewed, and continues falling more in love with the God he knew from childhood.
As you may have guessed, that boy is Leon, and that journey is homelessness.
Though we may never understand the depth of what God is doing in and through Leon right now, and though we could not fathom what God has in store for Leon after he completes it, we have been placed in his life, and heard about this story for a reason. The great news is, God gave this vision to him to accomplish, and not any of us, and I believe that everyone who hears his story is here for a purpose...there is something that God wants to teach us too. Maybe we need to learn how to be more generous with our lives. Maybe we need to take more time to better understand what those around us may be going through. Or be a better friend or spouse or parent. Or to ask God to help us through a challenging situation.
Is Leon's journey any less-legit because he now has a cell phone?
Has he "cheated" because he broke his own rule and allowed his family to see him?
Is he not living up to a certain man-made standard because people are bringing him coffee or buying him meals (at the request of his wife)?
I would argue that no, his journey is not any less-legit than when it started. And I happen to know that even though the mission has changed and adapted over time, that Leon's heart and passion for understanding people unlike him is still the same. Leon knows what he is doing. He is not out to prove anything to anyone, he is there to learn. And this is how he is choosing to do it. Whether he uses the same method day after day after day on the streets, or whether he changes up his tactics and game plans all the time, this is his journey to accomplish something that he and God are doing together.
So as we enter the last half of this journey, I would encourage anyone who has something negative to say, to just remember that Leon never claimed he could do "fake homelessness" better than anyone else. If you see something wrong with what he is doing, maybe take that opportunity to do it better than he did. Leon does not presume to think he can solve the world's homeless problem, nor does he try to. He is simply trying to gain understanding and insight into this way of life so he can better help people through it. If you disagree with what Leon is doing or how he is doing it, please, the take this as your chance to do better. Be the change you wish to see in the world. And if you are not willing to do that, believe me when I say, we don't have time for your negativity. The world has enough problems...let's not seek them out by targeting Leon in his journey, when you don't even know him or his heart.
And now, more importantly, for the vast majority of you out there, who are not negative, and who do not have anything bad to say: thank you. Thank you to those I know and to those I don't know. Thank you for your prayers, your support, your encouragement, and your unrelenting positivity. Aside from God's role in this journey, it is you who have gotten me through these first 15 days, and I predict it will be you who will get me through these next 15. Knowing that we have support and prayers from so many, most of whom we do not know, means more than I can ever, ever express. So thank you for being the change. May God bless all of you exponentially more than you have blessed us.
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