S2C

A few months ago I created a Model Mayhem account for S2C to find work to expand the portfolio. To be honest with you, I thought nothing would really come out of the account till Paget came along. Paget is an upcoming actress and had asked me to do some head shots for her as well as take some photos of her with her sister Genessee. We met at a park off Sunset Hills in Thousand Oak and God blessed us with some magnificent shots that I would love to share with you all! When she becomes famous, I hope she remembers me!

On another note, I am honored to present to you a man God placed in my life in the most unimaginable way! Below is a photo of Bill; he has been homeless for about 3 and 1/2 years and is a fellow brother in Christ. I met Bill on the evening of February 5th, 2010 before Friday fellowship in Glendale. Initially, I wanted to go to the Borders bookstore at the corner of Broadway and Brand to study for a test. As the story goes however, God had other plans for me. Bill was standing outside Old Navy asking for money. A few people in front of me passed him by but I decided to give him a couple of bucks and went on my way. As I was about to enter Borders, I felt a nudge in my heart to just talk to this guy. It was extremely frustrating because I had to get some studying done, but before I knew it, I was on my way back towards Bill and I don’t regret the decision.

I asked Bill what the money was for and he honestly said it was for a bag of Cheeto’s and a pack of cigarettes. Before I showed up, he has saved about $1 in the past 3 hours and prayed to God that He would provide for him in some way; then I showed up to answer his prayer. He was sharing with me how God’s working in his life always surprises him. Bill has been homeless for quite some time due to a drug addiction but has been clean for one year now. He accepted Christ as his savior when he was a teenager but as we all know, bad habits and temptation may get a hold of us. Graciously, he has not been near drugs recently.

I had not eaten dinner at this time, so I invited Bill to come eat with me. We went to Panda Express where he would begin to share his testimony. He began to talk about how staying at homeless shelters is very hard for him because being in that environment is very depressing.  So he has a few abandon areas where he sleeps at night. Bill also shared with me how he has a brother who is very well off and would like nothing to do with him till he would “get his act together”. As Bill continued to share, tears began to show and through the tone of his voice, you can hear him holding back his cry as he began to explain how if the rolls were switched, he could never act in such a way towards his own brother. I wanted to cry with him.

Bill is one of those individuals who hold on to the bible for dear life by memorizing scripture such as Luke 18:27 to help get through the days. In a plastic bag with a few belongings, he carries a pocket New Testament bible where he began to read scripture to me. What shocked me was that not once did Bill ever curse God for putting him in the situation he is in now. In fact, his cup was filled with joy for Christ. His love for God was something he desired to spread and he said that times like the ones we were sharing were the ways he was able to share his testimony. To him, the good news in Christ was that he sends people his way so that he can share the Gospel with them.

As we continued talking with one another, Bill began to point out all the other homeless people around us and the struggles they go through. One individual Bill pointed had a cocaine addiction and he had been praying for him for the past year and had finally been clean for a few months now.

Now if this doesn’t blow your mind, then I do not know what will. In front of me is a homeless man that has the desire to spread the Gospel; A man who we would be consider by our standards to have nothing, praying for other homeless people. My goodness, I am lost for words on this matter. I stayed with Bill for about an hour or two and I could not feel anything but conviction.

I began to question in my life, when was the last time I prayed for someone whole heartedly? Here was a man in a position where I expected curses to be thrown at God, but instead he praised our Father and His Glory. Bill has been the most influential Christians I have ever personally met who models how the church should act towards one another by lifting brothers and sisters up in prayer. It sickens me to know that in the church, I had slandered others. Because of Bill, I really hope to bring about a change in our Youth where they would grow to be a community who can come together as one body and worship our Heavenly Father. Thank you Bill for your living testimony and I do hope your life can impact others.