"Let every man esteem his brother as himself!"

There are several homeless people that I have witnessed on route to the mission office each day. I do not know how they survive  No one seems to worry about them or avoid walking pass their "places".  They are harmless and penniless. They are simply ignored.

 One is a young woman who basically walks the main road that this man lives on.  She has chosen one corner as her own. Her "place" is a shabby blanket that she spreads over herself at night.   One day, I saw her bent over a muddy puddle filling an old used plastic water bottle with the mucky water and pouring it onto her head.  It is the closest thing she has to washing her hair.  I cried when I saw her doing that. I pray for her.

There is another man on a side street that basically is not mentally sound.  He will walk out to the main busy boulevard and walk the wrong way into traffic stretching out his arms and twirling sometimes.  People just tolerate him.  He does not really have "a place".  He roams and then sleeps uncovered on the curb wherever he ends up.  He carries nothing with him.  He owns nothing.  One day when we passed, he was asleep sprawled on the sidewalk with his legs sticking out into the road.  I cried when I passed him that day. I pray for him.

The man in the photos has built "his place" as you see it. He lives in old plastic and wood that he gathers under the tree.  On the top photo, you see a sidewalk in front of his place. Our car was stopped in heavy traffic right next to him.  He lives there on that busy boulevard.  At the time of the top picture, he was trying to break the wood with his strength.  You can see he is covered in plastic and an old gunny bag.  He must have found an old hood from a sweatshirt.  He always is dressed just like this. The bottom photo was taken on another day.  You can see where he climbs into "his place"on the hard ground.  It is rare that it is opened up so far. Every time he sleeps, he gets inside of his pile of stuff and buries himself.  He cannot be seen at all. It looks like a pile of junk on the side of the road.  No one bothers him or helps him.  When it is cold or rainy, he stays in his pile "place" and he doesn't come out until it is warm or dry. I have seen him start a small fire with his wood and heat a small kettle of water. I have never seen him interact with anyone. I cry often when I pass him. I pray for him.

I know my prayers are heard.  They are Father's children, too!  I know He looks after them in ways unknown to me.

  Each time we go to the grocery stores, there are always beggars.  It is truly heart breaking.  There is a young man with legs only to his knees.  He crawls everywhere he goes. We share. He smiles.  There are the elderly and blind, following behind and holding the shoulders of their young grandchildren.  It is good to see them smile. There are malnutritious widows with ill babies tied onto their backs.  They bow.

"If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, "Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled;  notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?"(James 2:15-16)
 We desire to help. We are trying to help as many as we can ultimately to find out who they are, why they are here on this earth and where they are going.  We all need a deeper understand!
Our Savior, Jesus Christ said, "And let every man esteem his brother as himself, and practice virtue and holiness before me. ....I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one, ye are not mine." (D&C 38: 24, 27)