Anthony Loyd from Skid Row

I am on a missions trip in Los Angeles with our church youth group for the week.  Today we took the youth down to Skid Row to go out and talk with and pray for some of the people we would encounter in the 6 block area of Skid Row.

Our group of 28 vacated our comfortable, air conditioned bus and walked onto to the streets of Skid Row where there was human waste on the sidewalks and where thousands of men and women were living in cardboard boxes, under tarps, and shopping carts on the sidewalks and the side of the roads.

We split into smaller groups of 9 and I lead one of those groups around the streets from 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM.  We were afraid of what we would be experiencing, no one was sure of what to expect or how the people would receive us.  The first man we met was named Anthony Loyd, a man in his 60's with surprisingly perfect teeth and with a smile so bright you'd have thought we were members of his family.  We stopped and said hello to him and began talking about how his day was going and some other awkward pleasantries.

Anthony then began telling us about Skid Row and what we should expect.  He told us not to worry about anyone who might be angry or belligerent with us, but to just move on and keep doing good.  He kept encouraging us and thanking us for coming down to Skid Row, but honestly he could have said anything and it would have changed me, you could feel the love that Anthony had for us even though he'd never met us before in his life, he had a genuine love and respect and gratitude for each of our team members.

The team and I moved along through the street of Skid Row and were able to talk with a lot of people about everything from religion to God's love for them to praying for their healing.  We saw sights I never would have wished to see in my life, things that astonished me.  I never had any great emotions while walking the street with our team.  When I saw a woman eating raw chicken on the street I didn't feel much of anything.  When I saw another woman walking up and down the street without a shirt or bra on screaming to the wind, I didn't feel much of anything, when I saw men sitting in wheel chairs on the sidewalk missing legs and one missing an eye I didn't feel much of anything.  I believe it's because it was hard for me to grasp, I mean, we aren't conditioned to deal with those images, we don't know how to handle such devastation because that kind of devastation was never meant to exist in the first place.

We were getting towards the end of our time and started walking back towards the bus to load up and go back to our base with the rest of our 30 member team.  I wanted to understand this situation better, I wanted to leave that place with some sort of understanding rather than simply leave Skid Row and Los Angeles numb to the whole experience.

We walked back up the street where we'd first went and came back to Anthony Loyd.  I told the youth in my team to walk up to the corner and wait for me, I wanted to talk with Anthony alone.  He greeted me with a smile and asked how things went but I didn't want to waste any time.

"I need a favor from you."  I said.

"Okay."  He replied with a smile, but concerned look on his face.

"I need you to tell me what I am supposed to take away from this whole thing.  What am I supposed to go back home with after I leave Skid Row?"  I asked.

He locked his eyes on mine and said, "You need to go back and make sure no one ever finds their way down here.  Don't you let these teenagers make the decisions we've made.  Don't you let any of those teenagers find their way down here at any time in their lives."

That was enough, that was a sufficient answer for me.  

"Okay.  Will do me another favor?  Will you pray for me?"

"Sure I will."  He said.

Then he closed his eyes and placed his right hand on my shoulder and prayed.

"Lord, I ask that you make a way for my brother.  I ask that you raise him up and take him to the next level and that you bless him in Jesus name."

He was done praying and we began talking again.

"So where did you say you all are from?"  He asked.

"We're from Texas.  It's our church youth group from there that came out to Los Angeles for the week on a missions trip."

"Oh, that's wonderful.  I'm from Louisiana myself."  Anthony replied.

"So how are all the kids doing?"  He said.

"They are good.  Almost 70% of our church is military because there is a big Army base where we live.  Most of our kids on this trip have lived a hard life already, even though they are so young."  I replied.

"Well wait a minute."  Anthony said and began digging through a shopping cart that was behind him covered with a  battered and worn blue tarp.

While he was rummaging through his shopping cart I noticed that standing right behind him was a man and a woman shooting up and getting high.

"Here it is!"  He said and pulled out a bible.

"I want you to have this.  I am sure you could use this."

I was blown away.  This man who is homeless and who lives on Skid Row was so moved with love and compassion for a group of teenagers that he'd never met before in his life and, that he gave them a bible because he knew it would help them.

I felt God tell me to give him my bible, my Amplified bible with all my notes inside, so I pulled it from my backpack and handed it to him.  

I shook his hand, we gave each other a big hug, I told him I loved him and he said he loved me too and I walked back to the team standing at the corner.

We left Skid Row shortly after that and in a few days we will return to our home towns but I will never forget Anthony Loyd from Skid Row and his love for teenagers he'd never met.