Someone once said, “If you want to love your neighbor sometimes you have to start with loving your neighborhood.” To love your neighborhood you have to go out and get involved in the things that the neighbors are concerned about. For me, one of the places where I get to know the problems and the peoples of my neighborhood is my monthly police-community meeting.

Sarah knocked on our door and gave us a hammer she found – she thought we would need it as we were going to start renovations for our bathrooms.  I have so many stories similar to this of our friends and neighbors who are in great need but still want to give and express kindness.

One of the things I love most is getting to cut hair for people. I love seeing the confidence people have after they get a good haircut. This does so much more than just help them feel clean; It recognizes their dignity.

I started praying for him under my breath and Juan responded in Spanish as I was praying for him. I understood what he was praying and afterward asked him if he had ever accepted Jesus into his life. He said no, but that he would like to tonight.

I came here expecting to see a change in myself, our friends on the street, and the teams that we would be leading each week. What I didn’t expect, though, was how much this time would contribute to shaping the hearts of the people that I already had in my life.

On a Friday in June, our team took bags of snacks into the Tenderloin in hopes of finding someone who could be blessed by lunch and a good conversation. Near the local laundromat, I met Katie, who when asked if I could eat lunch with her, didn't respond in the way I was expecting. She remained silent and simply pulled out a small plastic crate. It was set out for me right in front of a similar one that she was sitting on.