The Beginnings of a Dream

I’m sitting on my back porch….The grass is green, there is a small wooded area between my house and the rest of the neighborhood.  It is quiet out, other than the birds chirping and the sounds of insects.  This is the complete opposite of what I have lived this past week.

Los Angeles, California…..very little grass, no wooded areas, and too many sounds to even process at times.  Even though there are almost zero similarities between there and here, there is one very important thing that remains the same.  I AM.

God is everywhere.  God is here, God was definitely there.  Over the next few days hopefully I can convey how our mighty God is always working towards restoration and redemption of a fallen humanity; no matter where in the world, no matter the conditions, no matter the parties involved.

I think today I will start with a little history about the LA Dreamcenter and finish with a list of very important players that I met there throughout the week.

I’m not even going to try to summarize what the Dreamcenter does, so I took this right off of their website Dreamcenter.org.

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“WE GET TO SERVE”
The Dream Center is a faith-based charitable organization that finds and fills the needs of struggling people from all over the United States. Since 1995, thousands of individuals and families have found hope and healing through the programs that only the Dream Center offers. The Dream Center aims to not only meet the immediate needs of communities like providing food and clothing, but also focuses on the full successful transformation of people’s lives, all free of charge.

Our mission is to connect broken people to a community of support by offering free resources and services that address immediate and long-term needs in the areas of poverty, addiction, and abuse. The Dream Center serves as a resource center focused on finding solutions to homelessness, hunger, and the lack of education through residential and community outreach programs.”

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The Dreamcenter was started back in the 90’s by Matthew Barnett. One day he set up shop in Echo Park, one of the roughest, gang-infested areas of Los Angeles.  Echo Park was a body dump for gangland murder victims.  However, this did not deter Matthew’s dream. One day he sat down on a street corner….with a table and chair that he brought with him….and began to build and establish relationships.  All of these years later, the Dreamcenter’s buildings cover an entire city block and Angelus Temple is a gorgeous facility used for worship services on Thursday and Sundays; right across the street from a beautiful, transformed Echo Park.

Matthew Barnett’s vision has inspired those around the world to try to duplicate his Dreamcenter culture.  We have a Dreamcenter here in the Lowcountry; thus our involvement and mission trip to the original.  Yes, we spent days serving the community of Los Angeles, but we also soaked in all of their knowledge and experience to bring back to our own Dreamcenter to better serve the needs of our community.  Find a need and fill it!!!!

That place is a powerful place.  God helped me find myself.  I watched God work in the lives of my teammates; watching them do things they never thought they could do.  The growth for all of us is almost immeasurable. The Dreamcenter truly changes lives.  I’ll end this day by listing some of those people I met and will never forget.

Evalyn – Food Truck Extrordinaire – She was our leader for the Food Truck Ministry. She has a passion to serve like no other.  A successful graduate of the program and now full-time staff.

Craig, Willie, Eddie, Michael – Veterans Program – These were my boys, for obvious reasons. They protected us on Skid Row, they shared the story and vision of the Dreamcenter as we picked up trash around Echo Park.  Eddie, a young kid from Texas, only in the program 9 days, was born at the same hospital as myself.

Victor – Food Truck Ministry/Skid Row – Victor is special.  Although living through tragedy on almost a daily basis it seems, always has a positive outlook on life and has an unwavering faith.

Lucy – Adopt a Block – Young girl from England in the Leadership Program.  Her love for the community and relationships she has with everyone she ran into is amazing.

Paul – Skid Row Outreach – Arrived as a member of a Short Term Missions team.  Never left.  That was 3 years ago.

All of their stories are so powerful.  What’s more powerful is how you can see God in everything that they do; everything that they say.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.  Then the righteous will answer Him, Lord when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?  And when did we see you a Stranger, and invite you in, or naked, and clothe You?  When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’  The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'”  Matthew 25:34-40

Oh, how can we forget May…

May – Food Truck Ministry Volunteer – Elderly Asian lady.  Site helper.  Firecracker.  She always puts Jesus first.  “Jesus number 1, May number 5.”