Balboa Park

Lunch for Three?

| Laura Lee Bonde

Yesterday, on my walk to meet Lee, I thought about life, about if one person can really make a difference in this world, if reaching one person was enough. Lately, God’s been speaking to me about how it was important to leave the ninety-nine to find the one. Even the other night, when Scott took us out to dinner, he parked in space ninety-nine. I was listening. God is always talking to us, we just need to remember to listen.

As I walked up to where Lee was sitting, a young man from the other direction approached, too. As he grew nearer, he said, “It’s time for our visit.” He had a violin, which totally excited me. His name was Anthony. Lee moved to the ground, I sat in the chair, and Anthony sat on the other side and pulled out his violin. When he found out who I was, he was very excited. He said I was well talked about and said he was hoping to meet me someday. Then, he began to play. Continue reading →

Picnic with Peeps

| Laura Lee Bonde

Yesterday morning, right before I left for work, I packed food for a picnic: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, strawberries, chips, and some sweets. I packed enough for Mike but haven’t seen him the last couple days and knew if he wasn’t there, Lee would end up having dinner to take with him, and it ended up working out that way.

In the afternoon, as I approached Lee, I saw that he was reading his book about Bill Clinton. He wanted to rise to give me his seat but struggled to get up, so I encouraged him to stay in the chair, and I sat on a blanket at his feet. Continue reading →

Good Friday Cries

| Laura Lee Bonde

I am so glad I didn’t wear makeup yesterday. I was crying on and off all day…all of them good. What a happy bottle God has with my tears in them! Listen to how God is working: on Thursday night, I met a man who offered to do the marketing for my flag business for FREE, and yesterday, a woman called to order flags who is a publisher. I believe my devotional book will be available sooner rather than later. Anyway, enough of that. Let’s go to Balboa Park. Continue reading →

Empty Love

| Laura Lee Bonde

Today, in Balboa Park, I spotted Mike sitting on the ground near an empty chair, so I knew Lee wasn’t far. I was glad to see Mike. That meant, if he WAS the person Lee offended, he was over it. I walked up, hugged him, and sat down. Soon enough, Lee joined us.

It’s amazing how they expect me, and I show up. I believe it’s a mutual gladness: I’m glad to see them waiting, and they’re glad to see me coming. We started chatting about politics a little because Lee’s reading a book about Bill Clinton, and Mike’s next in line. In chatting about that stuff, Lee went further back in time. Continue reading →

Easily Offended

| Laura Lee Bonde

Yesterday, I grabbed my chair and headed out to spend time with Lee in the park. On my way there, I thought about all the people I “could’ve” been praying for but wouldn’t be because of the time I spend with Lee, and God told me, “I have you there for Lee right now.” That seems so easy…too easy. I really enjoy my talks with Lee, and yesterday was no different. Continue reading →

Mountain Memories

| Laura Lee Bonde

On Thursday, I had forgotten my folding chairs at work, so yesterday, I thought about taking one with me on my lunch, just in case Lee was somewhere sitting in the shade, I’d be able to join him, so when I clocked out, I grabbed a chair, headed outside, and asked Holy Spirit where to walk and listened.

On the path He took me down, I ran into my friend, Jose, whom I haven’t seen in weeks. We stopped to chat. Continue reading →

Lunch with Lee

| Laura Lee Bonde

In case you don’t know, Lee is a homeless man that I’ve become friends with over the last two weeks (I’ve sat with him three times), and on Friday, I invited him to have lunch with me on Monday, which was yesterday, and what an amazing time it was! It seems like it will be hard to put into words the wonderful lunch we had, but I will do my best to invite your heart to dance with mine.  Continue reading →

A Date Set for Lunch

| Laura Lee Bonde

Aside from there being no clouds, yesterday was a beautiful day in San Diego, so I was looking forward to my time in Balboa Park. As I grabbed my flags, Holy Spirit told me to grab the four dollars out of my purse. I was so excited! I asked, “Do I get to see Lee?” It turned out, His answer was yes.

As I walked up the street, I paused and asked God where to go. He said, “Just walk. I’ll tell you who to go to,” so I walked. Right when I entered the park, I saw two gentlemen but wasn’t sure if they were together. One was juggling, which caught almost all my attention. The other was pacing at some points and circling the juggler at a distance but near. It was unusual, so I headed over. Continue reading →

A Friend from the Past

| Laura Lee Bonde

Yesterday, as I was walking to Balboa Park on my lunch break, I was talking to God and asking the Holy Spirit where to go, where to sit, where to walk, and then, I listened and followed His lead, and wouldn’t you know it…amazing things happened.

The first area I sat in was at a distance from my usual spot. Where I was sitting, no one was walking near, but I could see people walking along the street…so many people. My heart’s desire was to sit down with every single one of them, but there was only one “me” and a whole lot of people. I began to soak in the Son by reading my bible, exploring trees in the Scriptures, praying throughout; when, all of a sudden, I “knew” it was time to move, and where to move was across the way.  Continue reading →