When we
first discovered the lot where the Compton Community Garden now resides, it was
neighborhood blight. It had been trashed and scarred by years of neglect and
misuse. As we began to excavate the lot with plans for a new landscape and a
new purpose, we had no idea that God was doing a similar work in a life around
the corner.
DJ was a 36 year-old man who had grown up in the
neighborhood. He’d had a tough childhood, a series of unhealthy and broken
relationships, used coping mechanisms of drugs and alcohol. But like most
people here, there were many gifts and talents hidden beneath that story. DJ
was born bold and ambitious. Gifted with a quick mind and an even quicker
tongue, he was able to overcome a lot of his challenges and build a successful
career as a mortgage broker. He became a family man with a wife and children.
However, when life hit him, as it does all of
us, he was thrown back into old patterns of self-destruction. A
combination of the mortgage industry and his marriage both taking a dive
devastated him. In the process, he also lost his relationship with his
kids. He found himself frequenting the liquor store on a daily basis, which meant
that everyday on his way, he walked right past the Compton Community Garden!
For two weeks he would walk past the garden and
watch us work. He assumed (naturally) that those of us who were white had to be
in law enforcement (why else would we be there?), so in the beginning he
intended to stay clear. Eventually, though, his curiosity (and the Holy Spirit)
got the best of him, and he walked through the gates.
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| DJ sharing his story at a Garden Day event. |
“What’s going on here?”
“Why are you people even here?” he wanted to
know.
We told him about the mission to provide healthy
food, nutrition classes, and gardening plots for the community. We shared with
him the vision to create jobs in order to address our community’s desperate
need for more employment opportunities. And then we explained that the real
reason behind all of it is to honor God and demonstrate His love here in our
city.
DJ began
to come around regularly. He hung out and was paid for a few small jobs here
and there, still checking everything out. And then, suddenly -- he was all in.
He started attending a weekly Bible study, rededicated his life to Christ, gave
up some of his normal escapes, and started working with us every chance he
could get. Slowly, DJ began to heal.
That was several months ago. Yesterday (March 30th)
DJ participated in week three of our current cycle of Leadership Development
Academy classes. He had lunch with the other interns and three mentors
(including me, Mike). He and I have been working on 2 business plans -- he has
amazing entrepreneurial dreams, and we have turned those into goals. There is a
restaurant across the street from the garden that is now up for sale -- he
plans to purchase it with another local mentor, Ralph. (Ralph is a retired
businessman and chairman of the Garden Community Board.) DJ has become a leader
among our other interns. He has been stepping out and taking initiative in
ministry -- he’s been given some significant responsibilities and now is an
associate member of our staff team!
What's made all of this possible? DJ is
following Jesus!
Each day
is a journey for DJ, as he strives to maintain his new commitments. He has
replaced his old, unhealthy coping mechanisms with new, life-giving ones. He is
praying, encouraging others and growing in Bible study. He is building
community around him, and receiving support from others each step of the way.
God has transformed DJ in a powerful way. And He
will continue to transform him, as He does with all of us.
This is what discipleship looks like here. It’s
a process, an ebb and flow. Every day, and practically everything on the
agenda -- even something as simple as a Home Depot run -- is an opportunity to build
into someone and care for them. Not everyone moves along as quickly as DJ
has. Some folks take years to make the kind of changes DJ is making. But God
is faithful and powerful and trustworthy!
