I went Homeless in San Francisco
Yes, it is true. Now I have gone out on Wednesday Nights to feed and pray for the homeless and others in Stockton. But last weekend I took it to another extreme and went Homless in San Francisco in the Bay View/ Cow Palace Area. Now if you know anything about the city, you know that Bay View is comparable to the crime in Compton, Inglewood, etc. And it was apparent that this is not a fantasy as we heard multiple guns shots between parties across the street three times during the night.
The reason for leaving my home to live on the streets in a cardboard box, to brace the elements of wind, cold, hunger, and to hear the sounds of gun shots, is I was with a group of people who were passionate about living for one night, how the kids are living in Uganda right now.
The experience was similar to a U.N. refugee camp with food rations, living communalily and hearing stories of the Uganda people. We left our homes for 1 night to live on the streets, but the Uganda people have been living this way for 20 years. Some of the participants said, "That's longer than I've bee alive". People as far as Las Vegas came to this event to stand up and try and put pressure on the U. N. and the United States government to bring peace talks between the Uganda Government and the Lords Resistance Army.
But this one night of becoming a homeless person wasn't just going on in San Francisco, it was going on in 15 cities across the country. 80,000 people came last year and because of that movement, schools were built, peace talks were made, and hope began to circulate that their could be end to this 20 year war.
This all came about because these 4 teenage boys went to Uganda Africa for a senior trip and saw first hand how this rebel group was abducting young kids and turning them into killing machines through a process of brainwashing, drugs, and making them kill. They documented their experience into a film called, "The Invisible Children". This movie has sparked a movement to begin putting a face and a story to the faceless people of Uganda.
This experience was eye opening as we felt a touch of how depressing it feels to be homeless, unwanted, and a reject of society. But it also gave me a sense of what a high calling Jesus had on his life. They called him a homeless rabbi because as he said, he had "no place to lay his head". Could you imagine that what you were called to do was be homless, heal people, become known as the Son of God, and then executed for the sake of the love your father has for you and me.
3 years Jesus did it. 20 years the Ugandan people have done it. I did it for one night.
An interesting experience with an interesting perspective.
-Justin
The reason for leaving my home to live on the streets in a cardboard box, to brace the elements of wind, cold, hunger, and to hear the sounds of gun shots, is I was with a group of people who were passionate about living for one night, how the kids are living in Uganda right now.
The experience was similar to a U.N. refugee camp with food rations, living communalily and hearing stories of the Uganda people. We left our homes for 1 night to live on the streets, but the Uganda people have been living this way for 20 years. Some of the participants said, "That's longer than I've bee alive". People as far as Las Vegas came to this event to stand up and try and put pressure on the U. N. and the United States government to bring peace talks between the Uganda Government and the Lords Resistance Army.
But this one night of becoming a homeless person wasn't just going on in San Francisco, it was going on in 15 cities across the country. 80,000 people came last year and because of that movement, schools were built, peace talks were made, and hope began to circulate that their could be end to this 20 year war.
This all came about because these 4 teenage boys went to Uganda Africa for a senior trip and saw first hand how this rebel group was abducting young kids and turning them into killing machines through a process of brainwashing, drugs, and making them kill. They documented their experience into a film called, "The Invisible Children". This movie has sparked a movement to begin putting a face and a story to the faceless people of Uganda.
This experience was eye opening as we felt a touch of how depressing it feels to be homeless, unwanted, and a reject of society. But it also gave me a sense of what a high calling Jesus had on his life. They called him a homeless rabbi because as he said, he had "no place to lay his head". Could you imagine that what you were called to do was be homless, heal people, become known as the Son of God, and then executed for the sake of the love your father has for you and me.
3 years Jesus did it. 20 years the Ugandan people have done it. I did it for one night.
An interesting experience with an interesting perspective.
-Justin
posted by Justin | 10:12 AM
1 Comments:
Only a day? you can do better than that....
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