East LA Sleep Out

Yesterday morning I was flipping through the LA Times and a title on page A12 in the "California Briefings" section caught my eye. It said "Come sleep with the homeless" and though it was barely a blurb among lots of other news, it was a press release detailing the action Dolores Mission would be taking that night to stand in solidarity with the homeless and those who have lost their homes to foreclosure. The event wasn't news to me - I was at the meeting when we decided to do it - but it was exciting to see it announced to all of LA!

We gathered in the plaza at Dolores Mission around 10 pm and held a short service where the story of Jesus' time of prayer in Gethsemane was read and we heard testimonies of the immigrants who stay at our homeless shelter as well as that of a woman who is currently going through the process of foreclosure.

The event was a huge success and we got a TON of press: 3 different news stations including Fox and Univision; Associate Press; International press and a photographer from a well-known local paper whose name I can't remember right now.

So last night I spent the night sleeping under the stars in the plaza of Dolores Mission. I was well prepared: sweat pants, thick sweatshirt, mummy bag rated to 20 degrees, a camping pad and another sleeping bag to cushion me from the hard brick plaza floor. I was a little concerned about being cold and not being to sleep, but I think it might have been the best night's sleep I've gotten all week (even if it was just a few hours!).

But as I lay next to friends and co-workers in my envelope of warmth and comfort - even on the hard ground - I couldn't ignore the fact that I was still sleeping in luxury compared to the countless people who sleep with dirty, ragged blankets under bridges and overpasses among strangers and in danger. Of course, thinking about those people doesn't do much to help them...

Last night's event was another great example of the emphasis on "walking with" here at Dolores Mission. We intentionally gave up the warmth and safety of our homes and beds to experience - if even in a minute way - what a myriad of people "less fortunate" than us endure on a daily basis. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have done something that contributes to the work of social justice.