July 30th, 2009

Day 7: Saturday, July 18, 2009
Los Angeles, Skid Row
Please forgive me for totally ripping off Bill Simmons, but I'm exhausted and just ate way too much Mexican food.

6:23 AM
Wake up and shower; which, grime-wise, I totally should've done the night before.

6:43 AM
Slap a glob on peanut butter on two slices of bread for my lunch and wish we would've gone with crunchy Jiff. Seriously, creamy is just an insult to the integrity of any self-respecting sandwich. I vow never to buy creamy again.

6:50 AM
Attack the continental breakfast buffet for my daily blend of Raisin Bran and Cheerios.

6:56 AM
Start drinking my Starbucks.

6:58 AM
Throw away my empty Starbucks cup.

7:30 AM
We all pile into the church van and, without the typical weekday traffic, make it down to Skid Row in like 11 seconds. There is no time for my usual pre-game nap. I fear a sub par performance today.

8:00 AM
Donald arrives. Donald has been our constant companion this week and I don't know that I've yet mentioned him. These are his stats:
Name: Donald Hogue
Age: 36
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 180 lbs
Likes: Coffee, wearing ridiculous layers of ill-fitting clothing at one time, the Lord, bagels and cheese cream
Dislikes: His smoking habit and when he has a hard time getting in his clothes
Favorite quote: "Merry Christmas, I'm a little slow."

Donald has been at Proverbs study every morning since we've arrived and has not yet failed to impress. He is built like Kobe Bryant and acts like Jack Nicholson on Crack. While Donald does have lucid moments, he overwhelmingly exhibits strong Schizophrenic behavior (in my professional medical opinion). Regardless of all these things, Donald is hilarious and has provided much needed comic relief for our crew on this trip.

9:00 AM
We set up the milk table.

9:01 AM
We discover all the milk is hot and half of it has expired.

9:02 AM
We realize the milk table is a TERRIBLE idea.

10:30 AM
It's starting to get a little warm, but I'm loving the sunshine. Music is playing, people are lining up for hamburgers and hot dogs, and children are having their faces painted.

10:45 AM
An adorable little six-year-old boy sits down next to me on the curb and says, "Leave me alone!"

Clearly this kid doesn't know that I'm AMAZING with children, so I forgive this obvious lapse in judgment and ask him his name. He responds by standing up and shouting, "Shut up! I said just shut up!"

The preschool teacher in me tells him that I do not like his words and he very quickly lets me know, "We are NOT friends anymore."

Not going to lie, this was one of the most disturbing encounters of the week.

11:30 AM
I see Aaron getting in line for food and I am so glad. He walks over and hugs me.

12:00 PM
Donald walks over to one of the clothing tables in the third outfit I've seen him in today. He picks up a white scull cap and puts it on over the hood of his pale blue hoodie.

12:30-2:00 PM
I help work the gate to the fair with Gary, one of the men who lives at Set Free Church. Gary shares his story with me and says he has never done drugs, never had a drink, and never been in jail. Bankruptcy brought him to the streets. He has his college degree from Long Beach State and has worked for most of his life as an engineer.

Now, bed bug bites cover his body and he is missing his two front teeth. Gary is working hard to get himself back on his feet and went on a second interview for a hotel engineering position this week. Oh, yes, and Gary got his Ph.D at 18—his Paper High School Diploma. His joke, not mine.

2:30 PM-ish
A man throws up in a puddle.

2:35 PM-ish
A cyclist rides through the puddle and splashes the vomit water all over the back of my bare legs.

3:00 PM
A man, in what appears to be an afro wig that has been combed flat, displays some fantastic dance moves in front of the band tent.

3:10 PM
Another man with a long, stringy, black ponytail silently approaches me and Ryan and puts his finger to his lips to 'Shhhhh' us. He then beckons us to dance with him using only hand motions and an outstreached hand. I very quickly realize he is not looking to dance with me at all, but Ryan. I laugh and enjoy the rest of the awkward interaction immensely.

By this time, I am completely slap happy, sunburned, and not sure if anything I'm saying is making any sense. Today was, more than anything, a really fun day for our team to hang out with the people on Skid Row before we leave tomorrow. ??I don't want to talk about how terrible this goodbye is going to be.

10:21 PM
I pass out whilst typing my blog...

Day 8: Sunday, July 19, 2009
Los Angeles, Skid Row
Technically it was only half of a day, but time's been a relative concept this week. I honestly don't know what to write about today. I want to sum up the week's events in a perceptive and eloquent way, but I just don't have the words.

The last eight days went nothing like I expected. The emotions I experienced cannot fit into any language I know to express myself. What is truly important is not how this week made us feel or changed us, but what we do from this point forward.

The seed for Set Free Nashville has been planted and as James would say: "Don't worry—I'll water it."

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