Elfstone's LA report: My daughter Elfstone finally got around to publishing a report on her Spring break trip to LA. This was a group ministries trip through her school, Cornerstone University. Here are a few excerpts. For the full report click the link above. ~ The Billy Goat ~

"On Sunday morning we went down to Skid Row in downtown LA. There are people everywhere there, on the streets, tent, tarps, boxes, and people lying and sitting everywhere. Sometimes you could not tell the difference between a bag of garbage or a homeless person. Many of them were pushing shopping carts down the street with all their earthly belongings in it. Others carried bags of stuff on their backs...

After that we went to Central City Church of the Nazarene. It was an amazingly new experience for me as the church consisted mainly of African-Americans with an African-American preacher. Though it was quite different from I was used too, I enjoyed it immensely, and found my heart lifted up in praise to God. The sad thing about it is that this church which is right in Skid Row is the only church available to the people there...

... we went on this prayer tour which was rather an amazing experience. We went all over the city, and stopped at different places to pray. The one thing that stands the most in my mind about that night was the shocking difference between the poverty and the wealth of LA. Right there in downtown, you have the tall skyscrapers of wealthy businesses and only a few miles away is Skid Row. It’s really quite thought-provoking that you can have two extremes of social status in one place...

...we went to a retirement home, which was one of the saddest places I have ever seen. The people there are not very well taken care of, and they are allowed to smoke as well. We played Bingo with some of them, and handed out prizes which they loved. There was a guy there named Charles, who was very intelligent and had a beautiful smile for all who came in. He sat in a chair with his little radio on a table by the window. Charles is the kind of person who could make you laugh, even when you’re feeling down. Another guy that captured my heart was Jamie. I was sitting next to him as he played Bingo, and though we didn’t talk too much, there was something so sad, and so appealing about him. He was like a helpless child, trapped in a wheel chair. And he was so thin, and small. He was rather quiet spoken too. I kept want to put my arms around him and love him with all my heart.

...Tonight while most of the team went back to Central City Church for their weekly karaoke night, four of us helped a family from the church move into a new home. The family consisted of a single mom and her son and little girl. They lived in this beat up old hotel place right near Skid Row. It was a place where all kinds of street people, prostitutes etc. resided. They lived in this tiny two-room place. It was unbelievable to be a part of this experience. The difference between where they lived and where they moved was like night and day. And the joy the little girl had was the thing that stuck with me the most. That she will be able to grow up in a safe, spacious place with room to grow without fear. It was a humbling thing to be able to see that."