The Long Awaited Update

It's been a while sine I last posted, and for that, I am so sorry! My time here is jam packed with work, community, and growing in my faith. Since I last posted, things are only getting better. Thursday after work and dinner, I went with my impact group on a little scavenger hunt which we called the Taste of Santa Monica. Some of the things we had to do include meeting someone form a different country, talking with a  street performer, and getting a picture on the carousal. It was a great night of getting to know my group better and bonding a whole new level.

Fridays are our day off, and I used the time getting to know a girl from my Bible study, Jen. She is going to be a senior at UCLA, so it's great to get advice on life from someone who has a bit more experience than me. 

Because I work 40 hours a week, my weekends are filled with ministry. I get discipled in the morning and go sharing in the afternoon. On Saturday, the 22nd, I shared with an atheist. This was the first time I shared with someone who was putting my beliefs down the whole time I was speaking. Although it was a bit scary at first, I know the Holy Spirit was with me as I defended everything he threw my way and still shared the Gospel with him.

Sunday after church we went sharing again, but this time with something called perspective cards. We stood in a group holding signs talking about human nature and waited for people to come to us. This method was a bit different and difficult at first, but about halfway through our time, a girl approached us and ended up accepting Christ! Her story was amazing, too. She was supposed to get on a plane to New York but something inside of her was telling her to miss her plane and go to the beach. She had been praying to some higher being (God), asking Him to reveal Himself to her and that is EXACTLY what he did. Man, God is awesome.

Week of June 24-30

Now that I've been working for a few weeks, everything is becoming easier. On the other hand, now that I'm getting to know my coworkers and developing relationships with them, my job has become about trying to share my faith with them, befriend them, and learn about their perspectives on life. Working a full time job while on project has been more tiring than I first expected, but I'm finally getting the hang of it. We often have dress up days, which is fun for the kids but difficult for me. So far I have dressed up as a superhero, a ninja, and a peasant (for Renaissance day).

We have been doing daily devotionals on project that have focused on confessing and turning from sins as well as praising God for who he is. Through these, I have grown so much in the past few weeks…more than I could ever imagine.

On Thursday after work, a few of us met and hung out with a guy named Jeffrey, who just moved here from Shanghai, China only three weeks ago. Having the opportunity to be Jeffrey's first group of friends is amazing! I already know he has been impacted by us and I can only hope that he accepts Christ as his savior sometime soon.

Jeffrey and friends at Menchies froyo

This past weekend has been absolutely amazing. Friday night was our day off, and most of us spent it learning how to swing dance at the Getty (a free art museum just 20 min north of Santa Monica). It was a great time of community and fun. Saturday morning after discipleship, I went sharing with a girl in my Bible study, Annie. We talked with 3 people, two of which spoke minimal English. It was a harder day of sharing, but it definitely opened my eyes to the true reality of what sharing is like.

After sharing, the afternoon was set aside for the men's conference and the women's conference. A wonderful family that supports Cru allowed the women to use their house in Malibu for the evening. We got the chance to relax, then heard a wonderful message about how we can grow in our faith. We also did an activity where we wrote down all the lies that we believe about ourselves, nailed them to a cross, then listened to all the truths about ourselves. For me, one of the things I have been struggling with is self-confidence and attempting to find my worth in relationships and affirmation. However, this activity pointed me to a verse that I have now committed to memory.

"No man comprehends its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living." -Job 28:13

The women's conference definitely convicted me of searching for worth where it cannot be found. Learning that my worth is found through Christ alone was the most freeing moment of project! I don't know much about the men's conference, but I do know that they did a lot of exercising…it was pretty much a boot camp.

All the girls at women's conference

Sunday after church, we got the opportunity to spend the afternoon caring for the homeless in this area. We made care packages and walked around trying to get into conversation with people and share God's love. I did this with Tommy and Janee (people from my impact group). Although this was a great opportunity, it broke my heart to hear from homeless people how broken their life is. Both of the people we talked to seemed to have lost their mind, or were on the verge of losing their mind. Regardless of their condition, the Gospel is still for them and we got to live that out by giving them a small care package.

Overall, my time so far in Santa Monica has been a blessing. Please pray for this city as it is continuing to change and seek after things (hopefully God). Pray for the safety of all of us here on project (there have been a few car accidents, a sprained ankle, and a pretty severe eye injury, but everyone is safe as of now). Pray for this community as we learn from each other and figure out what to do once staff leaves next week. Thank you for everything!