Forever Christian

This post is somewhat long, but I think if you read it all the way through, you will greatly benefit. The story I am telling I wish everyone could hear.

On Thursday (day 6 of mission trip), my group visited “Hippie Hill” in Venice Beach, California. It was my favorite part

Homeless man on Venice Beach

of the trip by far. We took fried chicken, a bunch of chips, and a lot of cokes so we could eat with the people that lived there.

Zach (one of my best friends) and I walked up to man sittin apart from the main pack. His name was David. He talked about how he had traveled the world playing bass for a group in like the 60’s. He quit that so he could raise his daughter and get her through college, so he became a computer programmer to start saving up. His daughter got through college, and his company was bought out by IBM. So he is homeless now on “Hippie Hill”. He kept telling us to not waste our lives, and to get out and do something for God. Wise man.

He needed to leave, so we went back to the main group. We were eating some pretzels, just kinda standing there, and a man walked up. He was tall and had a medium-length hair style. He also wore this orange sunglasses that made him look sharp.

He told me his name was Zappy, because he looked like someone from the 70’s. Well I complimented his sunglasses, and he let me try them on. I tried to give them back to him, but he just pulled out another pair from his backpack and said, “Nah”. That was cool. I never thought I would be getting something from a homeless man.

He started to tell us how if we believe God will take care of us, then He will! He told us stories of his 20 years on the streets, and how God had provided for him so well. He had been shot at, shanked, and had recently been hit by a car, but God provided for him every time. He even told us how he had once had a gun pointed at his head, but he wasn’t scared, because he knew God would let him live, or let him see Jesus face to face. The Crypt member pulled the trigger, and nothing happend. Zappy had been though many things like that, where God had shown grace to him.

Lastly, there was a man named Gregory. The previous day, another one of our small groups had gone to Hippie Hill and done the same thing we had. A girl named Caghan had given Gregory a book called 7 Minutes with God. When we visited, we were able to meet Gregory. He talked how he had read it, and how he had asked God to forgive him, and told us he was saved. All because of a book that had been given to him. He told us he didn’t think he had long to live because of a health condition he had recently discovered, so about 8 of us prayed with him. When we were finished, three words really spoke to me. He said, “Bless you angels”.

Hippie Hill has changed the way I will look at life.