"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content"...Say What?

Recently I've been praying about moving out of my house.  Two months ago I would have told you that I live in a hostile environment that I wouldn't wish on anyone.  These days I would say that I'm learning to be content in my living situation although it's not ideal.

As many of you know, I go to church in Long Beach and I love it.  Honestly, I'd love to live in Long Beach, but I am seeing that my eyes need to be opened to God's kingdom here on earth.  A few weeks ago, my church held a leadership dinner with 30 leaders of our church.  Our lead pastor talked about the necessity that we each be disciples to people in our lives.  Last week, the store manager of my Starbucks was fired, which brought much delight to every employee of the store.  During our time without a manager, I felt not only like a team member, but a vital member of a family.  On Monday I had a conversation with one girl about relationships and with a guy about seeing My Sister's Keeper.  I am excited about the relationships that are developing with my coworkers at Starbucks.

In Philippians 4:11, Paul says that he is not speaking of being in need.  He gave up all the riches and honor that he knew as a Pharisee in exchange for the riches of Christ.  A few weeks ago, a wise friend of mine at the ripe old age of 23 proposed that God may be asking me to live on less.  Hmm...This is a tough one because it requires not that I gain more, but that I cut back.  So, I am praying about ways that I can do that.  Working at Starbucks 25 hours a week, I bring in about $1000 a month after taxes and insurance.  That is hard for anyone to live on, especially one who was accustomed to three times that.  One of the biggest areas I am praying about is rent.  Currenlty I pay $600 a month including utilities but am looking for rent of $400.  That is hard to find in Southern California and requires sharing a room. 

Last week I had a phone interview with a company that I would love to work with.  I think I will have another phone interview soon, but in the meantime I wait.  I continue to ask the Lord what He requires of me and ask Him to provide all my needs for life and godliness. 

To read or not to read. Is there a question?

Recently I've become addicted to reading. I wish I was addicted to Theology books or even engineering books, but unfortunately I am addicted to reading fiction. When I moved to Huntington Beach, I discovered the Friends of the Library at the local library. Books are dirt cheap and arranged by genre. It is a thrift store lover's dream. On my first visit, I picked up four books for $2.25. The Princess Bride (Yes the movie we all fell in love with in the 90s, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die"), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Devil Wears Prada, Jane Eyre, and The Canterbury Tales.

Consequently, I've read a lot of books lately. Of course, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was a little juvenile, but was still fun to read. I was surprised by how different The Devil Wears Prada is from the movie. I forgot to read the synopsis before starting Jane Eyre and boy was I in for a loop. At times I wanted to throw the book against the wall because I was so frustrated with the twists and turns in the plot. I completely forgot about the lunatic wife upstairs and was amazed by the many coincidences.

I bought My Sister's Keeper a while back to resale and ended up loving it. I usually don't like deeply emotional books, but I was instantly captivated by the writing. Each chapter is from the perspective of a differenct character and each character has their own font type. I could sympathise with Anna's independent nature, but I wondered if she'd be complete without her sister. I was surprised by the romance in the book. There's the mom and dad (Sara and Brian), the lawyer and guardian (Campbell and Julia), plus Anna and Kate discovering boys. I literally
could not put it down and read half of the book in one day. I just sold the book on half.com today, so I'm excited to share it with someone else.

Todo, we are not in Kansas anymore, or are we?

It has been almost 6 months since I lost my engineering job, but I can say that the Lord unmistakeably has his hand on my life. Though that hand leads me through sufferings, I know that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. As for endurance, I have moved 5 times in 13 months and the task has become less daunting with every move. As for character, I've been involved and volunteered at a church plant in Long Beach since April. I didn't know if I had a lot to give, but I gave coffee, attended a life group, volunteered at a rescue mission, and helped set up/tear down. As a result the associate pastor (and my friend from life group) told me I was the 'Set up look coordinator.' I think I asked for a job, so he saw a need and assigned it to me. As for hope, well I'm still discovering that. I am reading N.T. Wright's "Surprised by Hope" and I am blown away. I am also visiting an Anglican church that our associate pastor also attends and through that I am seeing how God has woven a thread through many denominations by His Spirit.

So, what is with the title, you might ask. Yesterday I moved to Huntington Beach. I am 10 miles from Long Beach (which I love and hope to move eventually). Huntington Beach is in Orange County and I am amazed by the difference. The neighborhoods are much quieter, the houses have porches (affordable houses I suppose and with yards), and people park their cars in front of their house. That might seem normal, but in LA every neighborhood has traffic, few people live in houses, and parking is first come first park. I am renting month to month from a mom of three kids (two in college) and the house is beautiful.

Why Long Beach? God is doing a work there that I want to be a part of. My friend Seth from Kansas introduced me to his friend Sarah from Iowa (they grew up together). I first visited her small church and met her friends in February. I also attended Rock Harbor and I was sweetly reminded by one of the guys not to judge Rock Harbor by first appearances. About a year ago, a few young people from Rock Harbor started praying about planting a church in Long Beach. They spent more than 6 months gathering people from Long Beach to pray, serve, and worship. Through the soil they tilled, a church has grown that is passionate about worship, service, prayer, the working of the Holy Spirit, and the community of the saints. I am so excited to be a part of this community. My move to Huntington Beach allows me to be more involved and hang out more often. I plan to buy a bike and work towards biking to Long Beach. I am also looking into transferring to a Long Beach or Huntington Beach Starbucks. That would save me immensely on gas and work would feel more like a ministry.

Here are a few pictures from our church in Long Beach, the Garden:
http://www.thegardenlb.org/


























We spent the weekend of August 6-8 at the Long Beach Rescue Mission in which we served at
the mission, ate at the mission, and served in the community. We learned so much about homelessness through our interactions at the Mission and on the streets of Long Beach.

























The Garden met weekly in the basement of a historic church from February until September. Mid September, we started meeting at a night club in downtown Long Beach. It was a night and day change! We doubled in size overnight, but most of all, everyone is excited to be a part of the Garden. We have 5 or more life groups and we are growing more.

I got a free mug out of it

Many of you know that I was laid off two weeks ago, but for those who didn't know, I was laid off two weeks ago. It came as quite a surprise, though I feel the Holy Spirit was preparing me. In January, we had a team meeting and learned that our biggest job was put on hold. We worked on the job for another two weeks, then everyone in the office scrambled for work. I would have loved some direction from my bosses, but without it, I studied for an exam for two days. Two days seems like a small amount of time, but two days not making money for the company is huge.

I'll spare you the grueling details of how my day unfolded: February 26, 2009. I have to say that this was the best February in a few years. This year no March 1st deadlines (scholarships, FAFSA, leases etc.) creeped up on me. At 10:30am I was called into a meeting with my boss and the HR director, and the rest was history. We had no warning or rumors of a possible layoff. I didn't say goodbye to anyone because I felt embarrassed and was on the verge of tears. I simply packed up my things and left the office.

I spent the rest of that day texting friends, grieving and reading the word. Since then I've been looking for a new job and truly enjoying my time off.

What does the future hold, you may ask. I am asking God whether he wants me to stay in Los Angeles or move to secure an engineering job. As of right now, I am planning to stay in Los Angeles, though God will have to provide a job. I started attending a Vineyard church in August and I have experienced so much growth and healing through the body. I am in a class on relational healing that ends in June, so I am committed to finish the program. There are not very many engineering opportunities locally, so I am looking to admin jobs at universities. Since there are so many universities in Los Angeles, so I hope to put my admin experience to good use.

If you desire to pray for me, here are a few prayer requests.

• Faithfullness to the Lord though I can't see around the bend
• My needs would be met through the body until I secure a job: free/cheap housing
• I would obtain either part time or temporary work very soon (within a month)
• I would not be swayed by the voice of others, except as the Lord is using them
• The perfect engineering job in God's timing (I don't know if I'm ready)
  

I love this economy!

I just booked a flight from Los Angeles, CA to Kansas City, MO roundtrip for $169. Wow! Have flights ever been that cheap??

I'll see many of you April 17-19 for Dawn's wedding!

Settled???

Its hard to believe that I've lived in LA for almost 6 months now! Wow, time does fly. God has blessed me these past months with a good roommate, a great car, an amazing church, and wonderful friends. I can truly say that I feel at home, and I don't plan to make any life changes for some time! I want to give you a glimpse of my life here through some photographs.


My home













I live in South Central LA. Well maybe; that depends on who you ask. I live less than 10 miles from downtown, from Santa Monica, from work, and from LAX. No, they are not all in the same direction, I just happen to be in a very central location. The neighborhood is called Leimert Park and from what I understand is well known for its Jazz. If you watch "Collateral" they visit a Jazz club in Leimert park, although I couldn't tell you if they are really in Leimert Park.


Labor Day '08 (aka my birthday)













My birthday this year wasn't too fancy since I didn't know very many people yet. I started attending a young adults service at Westside Vineyard mid August. The service is led by young adults and the pastors are in their 30s/40s. For Labor Day I joined some new friends from church to go rock climbing. It was a lot of fun and I discovered can be a great exercise. We hiked in Malibu at Malibu Creek State Park.

Korea Town













The thing I like best about Los Angeles is the amazing food and the diverse ethnicity. Driving through Korea Town, it feels like you're in a different country because all of the signs are in Korean. Good luck finding that amazing Korean restuarant you're looking for! The food in LA is so amazing, ranging from Vietnamese, El Salvadorian, Chinese, and so many others I haven't tried yet.

Home Walk LA













This Fall I joined some friends in a 5K walk to raise awareness and support for homelessness in LA. Hundreds of people gathered near downtown to complete the walk. A few people from my church had created a team and encouraged one another in raising funds. It was really cool to get to know my new friends better and learn more about homelessness in LA.

New Year's Eve '08













I spent New Year's Eve this year in Hollywood at Universal Studios City Walk. It kind of feels like a mini Times Square, but much smaller and without streets. There were a few concerts going on. Beforehand we went out to eat at a really hip Thai food restaurant.

Around New Years I began to really feel like LA is home. I am really enjoying the new friends I've met and the community I've developed at church.
















Echo Park












My friend Seth (from Lawrence) had a show in town a few weeks ago at a really cool art/music venue called Echo Curio. Echo Park is a really cool neighborhood that has a growing art scene, but yet still has a strong neighborhood feel. I live only 8 miles from Echo Park, so I look forward to exploring more of it. It was so much fun to go to his shows and hang out with a friend from "back home." His band will be playing in Lawrence at the end of February, so check out their myspace page: www.myspace.com/rooftopvigilantes.