Leon shaves the beard

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!!

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! 

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!

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. 

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! 

Our "chosen" family.

We all have family. Some good, some bad, but most families are just plain complicated! Leon's family has been one of those complicated families. I have mentioned it before, but Leon has grown up with childhood abuse, been to foster care on more than one occasion growing up, living with parents who did not necessarily know how, or have the means to take care of a big family. He learned early on that his friends were the only things he had to keep him grounded, because his family was a very high-stress situation. And even with friends, he has had his fair share of heartache and betrayal.

But I think Leon and I can both agree that we are where we are today because of our "chosen" family...that is, those people whom we choose to be around and keep close to us, because they give us strength and help us become better versions of ourselves.

And today, I would like to pay special homage to one person in Leon's life who has been there through thick and thin...faithfully, unrelentingly, supporting Leon in his homeless endeavor, as well as all sorts of struggles, drama, and difficult situations before any of this even happened.....this blog post is for Layne!

Do you ever meet people in life who just seem so nice, that as you get to know them more, you find yourself wondering when their bad side will come out? Well, that's Layne....one of those salt-of-the-earth, would go above and beyond for anyone, genuine friend-kinda guys.

We met Layne about 2 years ago, and immediately hit it off. We found out right away that two of his favorite things are wine and deep conversations, so we knew that we were destined to be friends. Despite the fact that Layne is more than 20 years older than Leon, they have become the best of friends, as a result of late-night outings to Funky's, and evenings that ended at Layne's bachelor pad, drinking wine until 2 and 3am, just so we could finish a conversation.

Layne has shown so much compassion, love, and support for us ever since we first met him. He has stuck his neck out there on multiple occasions, has dealt with gossip, slander, and all kinds of issues (that we all know arise in church!) just to make it clear to everyone that he is in full support of Leon, his heart, and his mission. And now that Leon is out there on the streets of Dallas, Layne has proven himself faithful yet again. He is making himself available to Leon every morning and every evening, if he ever needs someone to talk to. He is faithfully praying for our whole family right now, he comes to check on Micah and me, and has become a rock for our family, and truly one of our very best friends in life.

I say all that, not to embarrass Layne (and I know this blog post will!), but I say all that to say this...we all need those people in our lives who offer us support and comfort and constant encouragement. One of the things that Leon has found from living on the streets is that you cannot create hope on your own. Whatever you are going through, you need someone supporting you and praying for you so you can get through it. You need people to keep you on track, keep you protected, and to have your back. We were not created to live life alone, and I think we can all agree, that friendships...not the shallow ones that don't mean anything, but the real, genuine, deep friendships are what get us through good times and trying times. So be cautious about who you surround yourselves with...are they people who uplift you, or people who bring you down?

So here are 2 mini-challenges for you for this month of thankfulness....1. For those of you who have a "Layne" in your life, tell them you love and appreciate them. Tell them today, and tell them often. We never know how much we will come to rely on those friends, until we go through challenging circumstances in our lives, and will really need their support. Why not let them know what they mean to us.... And, 2. BE a "Layne" to your friends. You never know how you may impact someone's life just by being a faithful, loyal, caring friend to them when they need it. Let's pray for each other, and truly help each other through hard times and good. That is what Jesus modeled for us in the Bible as well, and I can think of no greater example to live by than His.

"My command is this: love one another as I have loved you."
-John 15:12

Leon and Layne, playing poker, right before Leon left for the streets.

Maybe this isn't just about Leon's experience.

Leon's guitar, which was left on stage in its normal place 

as we led worship without him this morning.

This whole experience has been overwhelming on so many different levels. The sheer number of people who are coming together in support of Leon..the perfect strangers, and friends whom I haven’t seen or talked to in years who are praying for him...the controversy and negativity that we are getting as a result of this being a somewhat public journey. And of course the focus on Leon’s safety, survival, and sanity, which has taken over my every thought. 

One thing I seemed to have forgotten in all this is that I might actually have a journey to walk too. This isn’t just about me praying and focusing on my husband throughout these next few weeks. But I realized this morning, as I got ready to lead worship at our church for the first week without Leon, that maybe God has some things for me, specifically, to learn along the way as well. 

As I sat in Leon’s office by myself this morning, freaking out because I have never led worship at this church without him, I started to pray. It sounded a little something like this:

“God....please help me! I am freakin’ scared to death of what I am about to do, and God, if you can somehow sneak me out the back door of the church before worship starts, that would be fantastic. Thanks God!”

Well, as many of you guessed, God didn’t sneak me out the back door of the church. But instead, he sent me a message...in the form of a text from a former student in our youth group who is now at Texas A&M. She knew what I was doing this morning, and happened to read in her devotional for today’s date, something that she just had to share with me....

Daaaaaang! 

I could not think of a more apropos message, and I knew instantly that God had something to show me. At that moment, I realized that in addition to praying for what God will accomplish in Leon this month, I need to also be open to hearing what God may be speaking to me this month, and how He might be challenging me to grow and mature as well. 

Leon and I are kinda-sorta on the same journey in a way, but we will have 2 very different pieces to the puzzle of the bigger picture that God has for us. And, I realized today that I should focus my heart and mind on what God is doing in me this month. What a great message for us all, right?!

So I went in there, still shaking and nervous, led worship and the band sounded fantastic. I didn’t have to do anything but sing, and escaped reality for just a few minutes as I sang the words of the songs to God, and He came alive for me. Our band was there to back me up and everyone was so encouraging that I don’t even know why I was so nervous in the first place. Our worship band even wore their Leon tee shirts in support of him (pictured below), and I know he was there in spirit, giving me his signature pep talk, “you’ve got this, baby!” It’s amazing how a few little words from God can change everything. Maybe I should take more time, more often, and read a few more of His words. Maybe it could just change everything!

Encouragement from a haircut.

Today, Leon left to get a haircut (and don’t ask me why the man who is growing out his beard for a month to go on the streets, is getting a haircut!) while Micah and I caught a nap. I woke up...3 hours later...only to find Leon still missing. I wasn’t too worried because I thought he was just running some other errands, but that was not the case. He came back with a slightly shorter haircut than he originally wanted, and a long (but worth-reading) story to tell...

One quick note about Leon’s personality: he is an artist...he can sculpt, paint, weld, draw, and do anything artistic you can think of...including razor cut hair! He can do it all. So of course, when it comes to his own haircut (which is never straightforward, but is a faux-hawk or something that requires some major texturing), he is quite particular. He has been known to tell hair dressers to put down the scissors and pick up the razor, and how to razor his hair, or how far to fade it, etc. Basically, a hairdresser’s worst nightmare client! But for some unknown reason, the man refuses to go anywhere besides sportsclips, or somewhere that costs about $4.95 for a haircut. I cannot figure this out about him, but it is one of his many inconsistencies that makes him Leon. 

So much to my surprise, instead of going to a cheapie place like he usually does, he went to one of those places where hair dressers rent out their own little spaces inside a gallery of salons-type place. He spoke to several people up front, explained his haircut, what he wanted, and that he was very particular (not unusual for Leon to do when he goes into a new salon). One girl jumped up and said “I know how to cut hair like that!” So he followed her to the chair, and began the 20 minute explanation of how he wanted it to look, how he wanted her to cut it, what utensils he wanted her to use, etc. She, in all confidence, told him she could do it, so he then began to play Tiger Woods Golf on his iPhone. About 5 minutes later, he looked into the mirror to see that she has shaved the sides of his hair on a 1 all the way up to the top.....think army buzz cut-looking, and needless to say, not at all what Leon was wanting. 

He gasped when he saw it and in his, shall we say, direct way of speaking his mind, asked her “what are you doing?!!!!” Her face flushed and she got very embarrassed, and tried to explain herself. He cut her off, asking, “how exactly do you plan on fading that in with the length of my hair on top?”...she grabbed the scissors and started to cut, but then admitted she didn’t know how she would fade it. 

I think a few more words were exchanged, something to the effect of, 
Leon:     Why did you tell me you could cut my hair, when you clearly couldn’t?!
Girl:       I’m not sure, I thought I could.
Leon:     What part of my explanation made you think you should use a 1 all the way to the top?
Girl:       I don’t know, sometimes people just come in and they really don’t know what they want. 

And after that, Leon just got up. Took the smock off, hair all over his neck and shirt, put his hat on, and walked straight out. On his way out the door, a few more people said they could fix it, but he had his mind made up to leave...so he left!

[Ok so I overstate a little...he actually wasn’t rude to her, but actually did walk out mid-cut.]

He remembered an Aveda salon in Southlake Town Square that I have been to get my hair done, and immediately drove there to see if they could help on such short notice. They unfortunately did not have anyone working at that time, but mentioned a spa upstairs that they thought might cut hair...Leon almost went home, thinking it was hopeless, and that a spa would never have hair dressers there. But he was so desperate that he just decided to try it out. He walked up the stairs to Spa on the Square, hat still on his head, and asked if anyone cut hair. 

As he asked that, he was already turning to walk out, but they said, “yes, we cut hair!” He reluctantly took his hat off, and all the stylists standing around gasped when they saw what was under the hat! It was completely shaved on the sides, but the length of the top was untouched, and his thick hair mushroomed out like a crazy fro, just with shaved sides. They immediately called their star stylist out of the back to come take a look and see if he could do anything with the ‘do they saw before them. He said he could, and he began to tell Leon how he would do it, and as it turns out, he speaks Leon’s language when it comes to hair. So Leon felt comfortable with the guy, and sat down in his chair. 

The stylist cut and razored and textured as best he could, until he got the final product, which, given the circumstances, was pretty darn good. And as Leon was leaving, he happened to start speaking to the owner of the Spa. He told her about what he is doing in November, shared his heart with her, why he was doing it, and that he wasn’t going to see his family during this time. Her eyes widened, she listened intently, and started speaking to him in spiritual terms herself, and said she was moved by what he was doing. So much so in fact, that she immediately pulled out a business card to give to him, and on it, she wrote “free haircut” for when he gets back from the streets. On top of that, she also wrote down for Leon and me to come in when he gets back for a couple’s massage, with the only stipulation that he bathe before he comes in! :)

So thank you, Spa on the Square, for the amazing outpouring of encouragement, the haircut fix, and of course for the generous gift for us for when Leon complete’s his mission! We are overwhelmed! 

Oh, and here is the haircut that was crap, and turned nice again (from the man who never takes a serious picture)....