mansion

"we don't want blessings...we want You."

we knocked on the door of the house. nope not a house. a room that had a 10 inch wall between itselt and it's neighbor. an old woman comes out, short and knows no english. but it's okay because carlos can translate. he's really quiet and sweet, but is probably most valuable among all of us. they exchange words and i feel like i've seen this woman before--- not in the fact that i recognize her, but in the fact there are so many woman out there like her. from looks at least. but after they exchange words, carlos and this small woman, underneath her glasses her brown eyes sparkle with hope. it's hard to completley remember what was said, but after they takled for a little bit she invited us in her home. and it might as well been as big as a house because of all the pictures inside it, it felt like it was BIGGER than a regular home; and how she probably treasured all the people posing on her wall-- children, adults, and in between. and right as we walked inside her house was no longer just a small door with people peeking out the thick screen door--- it was a mansion. a mansion of pictures, and of hope for a better future.

we stepped inside the mansion and she continued to talk to us. she gave us a pamphlet of her church-- we had invited her to ours too. and then, the leader in the v-neck, asked if she needed prayer; beinghis job and all. but when he asked this time, it didn't really seem like it was his job and he HAD to ask. there was something different about it. then she looked to carlos, and possibly looked down, and stated a sentence of spanish. carlos repeated, "she said to pray cause her husband drinks alcohol and does drugs." we wrapped our hands around eachothers and said a prayer for the husband. her name was brinda. it was a beautiful prayer. and the great thing was, half of us didn't know the other half at all. but after that prayer, i felt like we had known the other half by more than just the translator and the intern in the v-neck who knew what to say. i knew one thing about all of them, including the lady: the Lord was working in them. they all starved for God. and the truth is, sometimes that's all we need to know. and that day, it was.

we walked out of the mansion, being hugged with deep thanksgiving and kissed on the cheek by the lady who was no longer just like any other lady by looks. she wanted hope. i don't know if she knew it or not but she had it. in her mansion, in her spirit, in eachother's hands when we wrapped them around eachothers, in her big brown eyes behind the glasses. for maybe a minute in that circle we all forgot who we were. not sure if we could tell you our names at the moment, we were all one person just crying out to God for His help. and He will. maybe not in the way we want even, but in the way we need.

and we continued to be one person. of course we exchanged questions like, "where do you want to go from this, v-neck?" and from v-neck to us "where do you guys go to school?" and thanking carlos for his amazing talents. thank God for carlos. he lived in those homes, and got to develop connections and relationships with them and speak in their tongue. a few of them even said "ey carlos."

a lady with no nerve endings asking if she could bring her walker on the bus to the church behind one thick black screen door. a lady with a newborn baby telling us to pray for her stress and just for peace in her home. a girl with stringy hair and some of the most beautiful hazel eyes who i wish i'd have asked if she needed any prayer.

i had more fun knocking on doors talking to strangers in LA then i have had in this entire 2011.

"we don't want blessings...we want You."