For Holy Week 2013 I went back to the streets of San Antonio and lived “under the stars” with my good friend Lorenza Andrade Smith. She is an ordained Methodist minister in the Southwest Texas Conference and has been living among the homeless for over 2 years. She carries no money, lives completely outside, and has no health care. (She only carries a bag, sleeping bag, a communion chalice, a phone, and a few food gift cards she receives from givers.)
She has taught me a lot about “living among” and how to care for the poor without harming their pride, esteem, integrity, and humanization. She totally has given up everything to live with the community she is called to live among.
Going to back to spend the nights living on the streets of San Antonio was like a dream in someways. It did not take me long to remember the smells, sounds, and feelings on experiences on the streets.
During the next few posts I will recall my journey back to the streets of San Antonio.
-Gavin
40 Days of Haven 