Week of homelessness on Atlanta streets gives pastor new insight

Last May, Pastor Mayo Sowell of LIIV Atlanta church left his home, phone, and wallet behind to live for a week on the streets of Atlanta. He carried only a GoPro camera, a Bible, a journal, the clothes on his back, and a determination to better understand life for the city’s unhoused residents.

The father of three said he, his wife Kai, and his team agreed there would be no contact during his solo journey.

He was dropped off on Luckie Street, he said, and the goal was to have a personal experience and see how his church could better advocate for those without shelter.

“We got as close as we could to what they were experiencing,” Sowell said. “[There were] fearful nights, lonely nights.”

His journey is now a documentary titled “The Least of These.”

One of the most searing encounters, he said, came on the third or fourth night while he was sleeping in a park off Boulevard around 3 a.m. He noticed movement in some bushes and realized it wasn’t a dream. A young woman was holding infant twins in her arms, with an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old standing behind her.

Before seeing her, Sowell had planned to move into a sheltered breezeway. But he realized if he did, the woman would stay in the bushes with her children. He stayed outside so the family could use the space instead.

“In the breezeway, she nursed her baby twins. They were about seven or eight months old,” he said. The 8-year-old slept in her lap with the 10-year-old beside them.

The next morning, he introduced himself and asked about her situation. Her response humbled him, he said.

“She said, ‘Sir, most places I go to won’t help me unless I lie and say I’m on drugs. But if I do, they’ll take my kids and I might never see them again.'”

Sowell, 40, said it forced him to consider the impossible choices some people face.

“I don’t know what I would do if I were in that situation,” he said.

During the week, he met people whose homelessness stemmed from sudden misfortune. One man, a former head chef at Benihana’s and a military veteran, became homeless after a seizure led to medical bills his insurance wouldn’t cover. Unable to work, he stayed with his sister until she asked him to leave. He lost his identification and couldn’t afford to replace it, which can be a common barrier to finding work or housing.

Sowell heard recurring frustrations about shelters: too few beds, too little staff, unhelpful administration, and even perceived favoritism based on race.

The week was also a test of faith. On his first two nights, the fear was overwhelming, he said.

“I didn’t know who was out there. My assumptions created so much fear in my mind,” he said. “That’s when I became closer in my faith with God. I said, ‘God, ultimately, I’m out here to help people. Please protect me from my fear.'”

One tense moment came when he saw someone on a bicycle and nodded in greeting, as he would’ve done in his normal day-to-day life.

“He pulled his shirt up at me and showed me his gun. We were in an enclosed setting,” Sowell said. “He was probably 14 or 15 years old. I said this kid could kill me… [The kid] eventually turned away and left.”

Not all moments were tense. At Chick-fil-A in Vine City, Sowell told the owner — a member of his church — what he was doing. A new employee at the restaurant, who had been homeless and was living in a nearby transitional house, felt compassion and gave him $5, which Sowell used to buy a sandwich and a MARTA card, he said.

Sowell developed a deep respect for MARTA bus drivers, who often serve as quiet guardians for unhoused riders seeking warmth and safety when it rains.

“They are unsung heroes,” he said.

He also observed food distribution efforts by churches and nonprofits, and met James, a homeless man who became his guide and helped others accept him. When the week ended, Sowell invited James to leave with him. The church has since helped James find temporary shelter, medical care, and job support.

Sowell said that although there were scary incidents during his week of living on the streets of Atlanta, the homeless community is not what he had feared. One thing he learned was that individuals endure long days. Sowell said he realized that in daily life, we unconsciously look forward to small inconsequential events like a phone call, going home after a long day, or greeting the family.

“They have zero throughout the day,” he said. “And it makes the day go slow. It makes that time linger.”

“The Least of These” will be screened during services at LIIV Atlanta church on Aug. 17, and later on the church’s website and YouTube.

Each sermon this month is devoted to understanding and recognizing the needs of the unhoused community. The church also plans to assemble care packages and donate monetary offerings to trusted organizations that support the homeless.

The church is located at the Riverwood International Charter School campus in Sandy Springs and plans to open a second location in Brookhaven in September.