Ventura, CA: Before You Judge Too Quickly, What Do You Think About the Homeless?

At the end of our Los Angeles journey, I ended up in the hospital with a terrible migraine.  (You know a migraine is bad when you have to go to the hospital for it!) But after finally leaving the hospital in Los Angeles, we headed to Ventura.  We got there around 8:00 p.m. and checked into The Country Suites.  God provided another wonderful hotel for a really cheap price. It's the little things in life, you know?

Our first day there, we just crashed.  I was still sick from my migraine, and we’d had such a long week in Los Angeles.  In truth, I was still overwhelmed by the thousands and thousands and thousands of homeless people there.  I didn't want to leave.  A friend reminded me that God had given me a mission to go to 52 cities in 52 weeks, so I couldn't just stay in Los Angeles forever.  But Los Angeles definitely took its toll.

We knew when we got to Ventura that it wasn't going to be like any of the cities we’d been to so far.  We’d been calling the mission there for over a week and never got a response.  But, we are obedient so we knew we’d find someone to share the gospel with while we were there.  

We got up on day two, and went downstairs to enjoy our hot, full breakfast (remember I said "it's the little things!")  I asked Chef Maurice, “What are you going to do with all the left overs?”  and he said that he just threw them away.  Of course, all I could think was that food needed to be on the streets for the homeless, so I started to plead my case for the homeless, and he agreed to let me have the food.  He also helped me put them in plates with plastic wrap to keep them clean and together.  We put newspaper around them to keep them warm and off we went. (Yes, I said newspaper! You learn a lot about keeping food hot and/or cold when you are homeless!)

Finding homeless in any city is usually really easy.  Look for the parks or the downtown area of any city and you will find them.  There was a beautiful little park about half a mile from the hotel and guess what?  Some homeless were there.  We stopped, got our bag of food and Bibles and set out to meet the homeless, share His Word and give out Bibles and food.

Dick and Jane at the park.

The very first people we talked to were Dick and Jane (true story!)  We offered them the food and they started eating it right away.  They were so appreciative. And to think, that food was going to be thrown away! I asked if they wanted a Bible. I prayed for Jane and gave her a Bible, but Dick said he’d just left the mission and had already been prayed over.  (Guess he didn't want too much prayer! HA!)

We moved on to several other people and gave them food, but they didn’t want prayer or Bibles.  We went on to two other guys who were very receiving. One of the guys we met had been homeless for 10 years.  He was a Christian, and I prayed with him.  He just wanted a better life. His friend with him had some mental issues, and we didn’t pray with him out loud, but you can bet we prayed for him!  

Of course, we were disappointed not to be received at the mission, but I knew there was a reason we were in Ventura. I feel the following is the reason.

After leaving the park, we didn’t see any other homeless around but we did see a sign for the Ventura Visitors Center. I went inside, hoping to find out where the homeless were, find out a little about the city and get a map.  We went inside and were greeted by a lady named, Michelle; a very classy LOOKING lady.  She proceeded to tell us all about Ventura, the great places to shop and eat and the sites to see.  She was extremely nice, and I listened until she finished.  I was thinking as she was talking that it’d be great to go to these places (but we have no money and that’s not what we’re here for).
After she finished speaking, I asked if she could tell me where the homeless were, what area they hung out during the day.  I will never forget her face as long as I live because her face changed from the sweet classy lady look to the YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME look.  

She said, “Why do you want to know where THEY are?” I said, “Because that’s what I do.  I’m going around the U.S. talking to them about hope and telling them that God loves them.”  I got my card out and handed it to her while I was saying this.  I told her a little bit more about 5252 Ministries and why I was doing this.  She did get a map out and showed me where the homeless stayed but again she said, “You don’t want to go there.”  I said “Don’t you have some homeless around downtown? I just saw some.”  She said “Yes, sometimes they come down here, but I stay away from them because I am a mother and have a daughter, and I have to stay around to raise my daughter.”  

She really just blindsided me because she categorized ALL the homeless as murderers.  I said “Not all the homeless are going to hurt you. They are just like me and you.  They’ve just had some hardships in their life.”  Well let me just tell you that Miss Michelle did not agree with me at all!  She was dressed in a $300.00 suit, had diamonds on her fingers, hair perfect and you could tell she was very educated.  Her demeanor began to look down on me and she said “Why would you do that?  Don’t you know that they do drugs and drink.” To which I responded, “Michelle, people in these million dollar homes do drugs and alcohol.” I am so glad there were no flies in the room cause they would have flown in her mouth.  She did not know what to say to me at that point but she proceeded to give me my 5252 Ministries card back and said “Good luck with that.”

It is so interesting to see how people in America categorize other people, not just homeless but bikers, single parents, divorcees, lower income people, different cultures, different races and/or the less fortunate.  I hope, if nothing else, this mission will open up the eyes of America, one person at a time, to see that we are all equal in God’s eyes.

God didn’t say we had to stay long, but I think we were successful at what He wanted us to do in Ventura.