October 9, 2013 - The Face of God in the City

The Face of God in the City

When you decide to come to Hollywood you normally think about all the exciting parts: movies, TV, famous people, the Hollywood sign, the stars on the ground, Hollywood Blvd, and that famous Chinese theater (whatever it's called the week you decide to go there). Once you get here, you do get to see those things. But then there's more: the poverty, the smell, the lack of rain, the heat, the public transit (God save us all), the weird glares you get if you look someone in the eye as you pass them on the street, and those annoying people asking if you want to take a bus tour every single block. It doesn't stop. Seeing the face of God in a place like this is tough.

When you think about Hollywood, "the industry" is what comes up, regardless. So many people have connections to it in some manner. They are or know someone famous. They've been an extra in some movie from some random year like 1982 that only they have seen. They are in production, and no one has ever heard of them. They perform at one of the smaller theaters here. Everyone seems to have some connection. Thinking about "the industry", you'd think that these people don't have much God in their life. It's a place that  on the outside seems 'stuck up'. So far I can tell you that this is most definitely not the case. And when you least expect it the Lord will show his face to you.

A few weeks back, a few of my housemates and I were enjoying an afternoon snack at Big Wangs. Classy huh? Laura, insert really awesome description of Laura here, started talking with a man at the bar. Now I know what you're thinking. No. She was not getting hit on, nor was she trying to impress. It was simply small talk. This man is probably in his late 50's. Laura introduces him to the rest of the gang and we becomes friends of sorts. Next thing I know he let's me take a photo in his Indianapolis 500 Pace Car.

At first this guy just seemed like another wealthy man just out having a good time, stuck in his own world. But, once he finds out who we are and what we do, he says that he loves that kind of stuff. Yeah yeah, everyone loves that kind of stuff. However, this man genuinely loves our line of work. He said that he wanted to donate to us. Yeah yeah, everyone wants to donate to organizations. But after some scheduling, we ended up meeting with up again and he has committed to donating $1000 to our program.

Walking into Big Wangs, the last thing on my mind was getting a donation. You never know where you're going to see the face of God. Whether you're at the gate of a church or in a Big Wangs, the Lord is always with you. You just have to look.

-John