DAY 1

Monday, August 3rd

We arrived at CSM Housing at around 5 pm, have some briefing from our hosts, and go have a dinner at a Honduras restaurant. I ordered pork chop glazed with special Honduran sauce on top of rice and salad on the side. It's a good meal, the first time I eat a Honduran cuisine.

After the dinner both groups have a prayer tour around south LA and downtown LA:

1. Stop no. 1: We stop on a corner of a street where fast food restaurants surrounds us, where rarely supermarkets are available (it's hard for the people here to prepare a good and healthy meal). A church that has a ministry to serve breakfast to the poor and the homeless is on the other corner. We pray for the church so that they can be a blessing for the community and the peoples around them through their ministry. We pray that there will be improvement for the health status for the community
2. Stop no.2: We arrive in front of a school (I think it's an elementary school). The school area is surrounded by fences, it's kind of weird as I feel that this school is like a prison. Our host points to a three or four stories building across the street from the school. This building is used to be a prostitution house. Just imagine a prostitution house in front of an elementary school filled with children. Our host tells us that the teachers in this school used to go to work earlier to clean up the street from condoms and needles because they don't want the students to see these things. I praise God for these teachers and praying that God will always give them wisdom, endurance, and strength on their occupation. At that moment I just grab the fences and pray that someday these fences will be removed and the children will have a sense of freedom while they are studying
3. Stop no. 3: We drive through Skid Row. It's part of downtown LA where at night it's filled with homeless people. Imagine this, have you ever played "Resident Evil" on your Playstation? It's a game where you are alone in a city and all other inhabitants are zombies. On Skid Row at night, the residents are homeless people and there is rarely a car passing by. It's just crazy to see this
4. Stop no. 4: We drive by buildings that are used for sweat shops. Isn't it amazing that the sweat shop system is exist in the United States of America? in the middle of Los Angeles? I just thought that the sweat shop system is only exist on third world countries and so. The workers from these sweat shops are paid very little. As little as $3 for an hour, and they have to work for 60 hours a week, with no benefits at all. Pray for these sweat shop workers so that they can have strength and justice, pray that the industry owners that implement this system can repent, and pray for anti-sweat-shop organizations in their battles against this issue
   
5. Stop no. 5: We stop at a plaza surrounded by government buildings. We literally lay down (face down or face up) on the ground of a parking lot and pray to God for this city and the peoples on the Skid Row; and also pray that we have humble hearts that are ready to serve...simply serve them...

Go home to the housing site, take a rest, and be ready to serve tomorrow...