Serving Lemonade at 'Ground Zero'

This year instead of preparing for another school year as I have done for the last 11 years, Fabiola and I are laying the foundation for a new church that is going to be launched in our community early 2010.

We are thankful for our home; living where we live has placed us at ground zero. We are living in a place surrounded by needs. Our park, South Park, is a true ‘multi-use’ park. There are joggers in the mornings, soccer and basketball games almost non-stop, the homeless live there, the gang members have claimed different corners, families’ picnic or barbeque, venders sell candies, snow cones and balloons, and children run around and play. There is something for just about everyone. We host the local ‘dump’, the local day care, the local aerobics class, the local pool and a baseball field used by pee wee football leagues and adult baseball teams. What an exciting place to live!

Our front meeting room (family room) and our large front porch have great views of this park…views that have spurred prayer and action. The other day Fabiola decided to go serve a family with eight children who live in the park during the day and their van at night. This picture shows Fabiola and Rebecca serving this family cookies and lemonade in their ‘family room’. Fabiola has since been able to continue visiting this family in their various ‘camps’ and pray with them.
On that first visit our daughter, Rebecca, asked, “Why are we giving them lemonade?” Fabiola responded, “Because they don’t have a home and are out in the hot sun and probably thirsty; it is what God wants us to do.” Then Rebecca responded, “But why don’t they have a home Mommy?” She wasn’t able to fully respond to our 3-year-old’s question, but in this short time here we are blessed to see how powerful it is for the whole family as we minister together, side-by-side.

Sunday afternoons we participate in two outreaches at the park. The first is providing both spiritual and physical food to the homeless. Mostly men arrive in all different states of need and we are able to be like Christ to them. In the second outreach children are invited to come and be taught about Jesus and the Bible through a VBS-style church service. Every week brings a different group and a different challenge, but one thing Fabiola and I are working at is getting to know not only the children, but really reach out to the parents that are watching from a distance at the edges of our activities. We are keeping our eyes and ears open as we bring the word and deeds of Jesus to our neighborhood as to whom the first disciples of this new church will be. Thanks you for helping us lay a foundation for this new work here in South Central Los Angeles through your prayers, encouragement and financial support.