Laurie Ishii and Daryl Bargy

Okay, first off – PRAISE GOD – we found someone who take the doggie!!! Actually our girlfriend who got the doggie – found this guy in her area who was looking for a little dog…it was great because when the guy came to pick up the dog – his face totally lit up when we came down the stairs with the prancing little guy. His little personality really started coming out today – he is SO SWEET and affectionate…

He will be in a good home. The guy who picked him up said that he was ‘sharing’ a dog with a female friend and he finally just told her that he couldn’t do that anymore – he was getting too attached…he wanted his own dog. (Amen – I know what he means) The doggie looked sad when we handed him over to the guy since he was just starting to get used to us…Daryl and I actually CRIED when they drove away… (I cried seeing Daryl cry) But it was pretty sad – it’s so easy to get attached – that’s why I’m glad that we found a home for him now – it would have been harder and harder to let go of him as each day went by)

I cannot even IMAGINE what I’m going to do when we have to let go of Ziggie…I cry just thinking about it. I hope his owner just hurries up and tels us what he’s going to do already because it’s going to get harder for ALL of us the longer Ziggie stays with us. I know he’s attached to us too.

Well – enough about the dogs. (Sorry)

Last night it was Ty, Julia, Daryl and I. We went to Compton again – and when we got there, we saw the cops were patroling (never a good sign for outreach) so the streets were pretty barren. We saw a patrol car talking to one girl on a street corner and afterwards, she walked away down the street and disappeared.

We grabbed some gift bags and started down the street… and saw two girls. We met up with them – their names were ‘P*****’ and ‘A****’. It was sad, A**** said she’d been prostituting for about 2 years – she has a 10 year old son and that she ran into some ‘bad times’ so she started prostituting.

P***** first asked what church we were from – and then noticed that Julia had a nose piercing and said, “You go to church and you have a piercing?” Julia laughed and said that she had tattoos too – and that I did too…P***** seemed surprised. I wish we would have had more of an opportunity to share the difference between religion and relationship but the girls were in a hurry to leave after one of them got a phone call. But they both thanked us for the stuff (they picked purses with goodies) we gave them.

We walked some more and then saw another girl – ‘D******’. She was hesitant to take anything from us – and then her pimp drove by us and she said, “Oh no – my daddy just drove by – he’s gonna kick my ass.” She said that she had to go – and we let her go – and just prayed after she left – that her pimp wouldn’t harm her.

A bit later, we saw a few more girls as we drove by – Julia noticed Y** – so we pulled over and parked. We went to talk to Y** and another girl but I hardly got a few words out of my mouth before seeing a black SUV with nice rims turn the corner, park and two guys got out.

By the looks of it – I assumed that the guys were pimps – but as they got closer, I could tell that they were hispanic – cholos. Y** and the other girl were visibly concerned at their sight – and said they had to go. The guy driving the SUV was a black guy – so who knows…

Anyway – I got excited – I have such a heart for gangbangers – especially lowriders. I almost jogged across the street – partly because I wanted to talk to these guys, but also because I wanted to intercept (distract) them before they started meeing with the girls.

Julia and I went to ‘greet’ them – and the ‘leader’ between the two (he said his name was Johnny at first – he told us his real name later) was pretty drunk. He said, “Hey man, what are you guys doing here? Are you lost? Are you looking for Chinatown?” (I think he was trying to mock me at first since I’m Asian) And I said that we were out talking to the girls and sharing Jesus…

Then Ty and Daryl walked up and ‘Johnny’ and his friend who said he was Mike started asking them why we were out there – and they told them the same thing – and they obviously didn’t believe us at first because Johnny kept asking, “Are you for real, homie? Are you for real?” Ty asked him if he knew Jesus and he said that he “believed Jesus, God and the virgin Mary” – he kept saying that he prays everyday – and between that kept asking, “Are you guys for real?” It was so funny.

He said that his mom was dead – she died of cirrosis of the liver and that he’s dying too…and that he’s been through a lot and that he believes in God and he prays everyday that God will protect him and He does.

Then he showed us his scars – that he got from getting shot – it was a trip cause he has almost the exact the same scars I have – one across (downward) his abdomen from his breastbone to – well – I’m assuming to his pelvic bone – that’s where mine goes – he didn’t show us that much. Lol…and on his left side – I have mine there too…

It was funny cause Johnny was pretty ‘huggy’ with Daryl and Ty – he didn’t ‘hug’ Julia or me – later Daryl said that he thinks that he was just patting them down – to make sure they weren’t cops or something. Daryl said that he felt the small of Daryl’s back and sides…

He kept saying that he couldn’t believe that we were out there – in Compton. He said that we didn’t know who he was – that he had money, and a home and that he used to run those streets – and that now he just ‘ckecks up’ on things (oh yeah sure) and that he ‘gives money’ to people. I asked, “like who?” Johnny said, “Whoever I feel like…” Daryl laughed and said, “I’d like some money!” (Lol) Johnny said that he’d give Daryl money and started digging in his pockets – Daryl was laughing and said that he was just kidding, and Johnny was saying that he had money…he was pretty drunk…

Ty and I were trying to talk to him about his eternity – and if he’d let us pray for him – but he kept saying that he was okay and that he believed in God.

Then he went to his SUV and came back and said that he wanted to give us something – and handed me a 20 dollar bill. I told him that he didn’t have to do that, and he insisted – he said that he wanted us to buy bibles with it or something. He said, “No man – I want to give you guys this – because – are you guys for real, man? Because I mean, you guys are coming out here, to Compton – risking your lives – nobody does that – you’re coming out here for nothing – I mean, not for nothing – but man – you guys are real, huh?”

He really wanted me to take the twenty – so I did, and thanked him. I wasn’t going to argue with him. Lol.

Then he said that he was so sick of always having to look around (he kept looking everytime a car drove by) because he said that he has gotten shot at so many times and that he’s shot people and that everybody knows him – that they might even see him and shoot at him – that it’s hard being in the mexican mafia (or something like that) and that he’s sick of it.

He finally let me pray for him – I guess I sort of ‘took the initiative’ – and prayed that God would deliver him and heal him…

Afterwards – “You guys are for real, huh – man – I need someone to check on me – to call me and talk to me…” I gave him my number and after many tries, got his number – he was so drunk he couldn’t get his number right – finally Julia grabbed his phone and got the number and then entrered mine into his.

Ty was having a really good conversation with Johnny’s friend while we were talking to Johnny – and then, almost suddenly – after we finished praying – Johhny called Mike and said that they had to leave. So, they thanked us and said goodbye.

God has a plan for those men’s lives. Unfortunately – we were unable to find Y** after that…but oh – I also saw De Andre – it was funny because I ran up to his van and said, “Hi De Andre! How are you? Can I give you a hug?” He smiled and said “I’m good, I’m just watching out for everyone – man – you show up everywhere, huh!” It was funny. He seems like such a nice kid – he looks like he’s only about 18-20 tops. Please pray for him too!

Thanks SO MUCH for your prayers…