A week in San Francisco.

For the past 3 days I have had the privilege of being in San Francisco (SF) with the DTS students. This is my first official visit to this city. (I did pass through it on a road trip once) I can honestly say that this is on my top 5 favorite cities, or even places I have ever been to. For those of you who have had the chance to visit San Fran, you'll know that this city is filled with incredible sights to see, people to meet, and possesses an honesty and a pulse unlike any other place. Not only have I had the opportunity to visit a great city, but also to visit a great YWAM base that has some incredible ministries running in the inner city of San Francisco. This week our students have joined the SF DTS in their lectures, ministry times, and in worship and intercession. Due to the change of routine I have also been able to join the students during these activities. Though I have only been here a few short days, God has allowed me to meet some of the people living on the streets of this city. I will share with you a few of their stories as well as some of the things I have seen in this beautiful city.
Tuesday afternoon during our free time some of the SF, Pismo students, and I decided to take a walk to China Town and Little Italy. Our goal was to see some of the interesting cultural districts the city had to offer. After walking through both these neighborhoods and arriving in a park two of the students began talking to a Japanese man in the park who had taken a picture for us. Due to the fact that their conversation was rather loud they managed to wake up a homeless man who had been sleeping near to them. Since he'd been awakened, he decided to join the conversation between the students and the Japanese guy. Now the majority of the group had gone to visit a large cathedral adjacent to the park and upon returning we noticed the conversation taking place. Since we had nowhere to be we decided to join it. What followed, I have no doubt, will remain with me for a long time. That afternoon we had the privilege of meeting a man named Paul. Paul has lived on the streets for 20 years. Self-admitted he is an alcoholic and has never had a job he hasn't been fired from, but as we sat down and listened to him speak, he began telling us the story of his life. Paul never knew his father and at the age of 12 his mother drove him and his two younger siblings to their grandmothers house where she hugged them goodbye and told them she has going grocery shopping. As he put it, "27 years later she's still shopping." Him and his siblings then moved in with their abusive aunt and uncle until they ran away. Paul first lived on the streets as a young teenager with his brother and sister. He cried as he told us he hasn't seen his sister in years and how his brother has been in and out of prison all his adult life.
Paul also struggles with long-term depression. Tears streamed from his eyes as he told us about two trips he made on separate occasions to the Golden Gate Bridge in order to end his life. He often wonders to himself what he has left to live for. We asked him what stopped him both times from taking his life and he responded that it was the tourists taking pictures of the bridge and seeing their joy. It gave him hope and he thought to himself maybe someday again I can be happy too. I cried with him as he spoke those words. After spending two hours listening to him and crying with him our group had to leave. We invited Paul to visit us at the YWAM base and to come if he needed any clothing or food. I honestly do not know if I will see Paul again, but I sincerely hope and pray that he will come to true freedom in Christ and will see that joy in his life possibly for the first time.
This evening some Pismo students and I joined the SF staff and students during their weekly time of female prostitution ministry. We started the evening by praying, worshiping God, and learning about the prostitution problem in the city. I was shocked and discouraged to hear that there are virtually no organizations or programs set up to help women come off the streets. Although YWAM does a weekly outreach and sends female staff out, they are still lacking the resources both financial and in personnel to really get this ministry off the ground. This breaks my heart as God has specifically given me a passion to work with women in need, particularly those in prostitution or at risk. Please be praying for this ministry to get off the ground and that the women working the streets of San Francisco would know the true unconditional love that can only come from God.
So armed with hot chocolate and styrofoam cups we began walking up and down the streets of one of the prostitution districts of the city. At first it was quiet with no women around and we each prayed for the area, the pimps, the prostitutes and those who hire them. After about 15 minutes we met a lady name Deanna. We offered her some hot chocolate and asked her how her night was going and as we continued in conversation she told us about her 4 children. One of her kids died, the eldest is 18 with a one year old child and her youngest is 4 months. Her baby is named Daniel after her father who recently passed away. She told us about how she tried to enter a methadone program to help her break free from her heroin addiction and yet because the centre was located in a drug riddled area she was unable to withstand the temptation waiting just outside the door and wound up back on the street. She cried as she told us her youngest child will be up for adoption in 2 months and that her only prayer request was to be able to "get clean so she can get her baby." As she was saying this a man who I assume is her pimp began walking towards us. "That's my baby's daddy" she said "pray for me later." We left so she wouldn't get in trouble for letting us interrupt her business.
These are just two of the stories of the thousands of people living on the streets in San Francisco. This week has left me burdened with the needs of this world. It has stretched me to open my ears and my heart and to love people more. It has pushed me into the arms of Jesus when I have felt overwhelmed by the needs around me. It has caused me to really understand what is on the heart of God. It has haunted me and has left me desiring to give more of myself to those who have less than I. Most importantly it has caused me to take a hard look at myself and re-evaluate my priorities and my heart.