The Last Days

Day 46
- church at Mosaic on campus
- lasagna and Caesar salad and garlic bread for lunch…Jennifer put a lasagna on a burner that was on, so it steamed and bubbled like crazy until she moved it (because I noticed the burner was on)
- MOBILIZATION week
– “the tool”
- biblical basis for missions
- Navajo tacos for dinner…totally DELICIOUS
- dating panel: it was Jennifer and Brian (who ran the whole Project) and Jennifer's twin sister Rebecca and her husband Claude. We wrote down any questions we had about dating, relationships, marriage, and the opposite sex. It was a lot of fun to hear their answers to our questions.

Day 47
- for the first time this trip, it RAINED…it rained all night and morning
- practice “the tool” again, after hearing how Claude shares it
- Amy Breeding talked about getting involved with International Students
- Kevin talked about our “World Christian Testimony” (all of us will share our 3 minute testimony over the next two days)
- Claude talked about “Exit Ramps”
- two hour period to debrief…think about what we’ve learned these past six weeks, what we want to do when we get back to the “real world,” think about what we’re going to say in our world Christian testimony
- one-on-one with Jill during and after dinner
- watched Cars with both Jons, Josh B, Kat, and Curtis

Day 48
- Jennifer shared “the tool”
- review of the THUMB
- half of us shared our “world Christian testimony”
- got out early to beat out another group to lunch

Day 49
- wrap up
- wrote and handed out small thank you cards to everyone
- short term missions
- bonfire on the beach. we got to cook hotdogs over the fire, and dessert was s'mores!

Day 50
- left at 6:30am for the airport

- I was on standby for a 10:35am flight, which I got on. However, when the plane took off, the safety latch to the luggage came off, so after 15 minutes in the air, we had to go back to LAX to get it fixed. We landed in Reno an hour later than expected.
- Clint, a co-worker, picked me up from the airport, and drove me to a friend's house, because the house I'm staying wasn't open and no one was there.
- I got to hang out with Jake and Vanna (whose house I stayed at before I left for the Project) and Robert (who took my room after I left), and after dinner I got to talk with Jacob (one of two bible study leaders I'll be apprenticing under this year) for a couple of hours.
- About 11pm, I moved into the Lake Street house.

Religions and Plans

Day 41
- visited Buddhist temple...there was a lot of space, and a LOT of buddhas. there was even a room with over 1,000 Buddhas - it's where they had their main worship. You walk in, and right before you walk in there are two Bodhisattva you offer any of ten things to. They are, with explanation according the pamphlet I received --

INCENSE: Purifies the atmosphere as well as the mind.

FLOWERS: Cleanse and rid our body of what is unpleasant.

CANDLE (LAMP): Dispels darkness, as widsom dispels ignorance.

PERFUME (SOAP): Soothes and softens our skin, and protects us from diseases.

FRUIT: Fullfills our wishes and hastens our path toward Buddhahood.

TEA: Freshens our breath and distances us from worries.

FOOD: Extends our longevity and enhances our articulation skills.

TREASURE: Distances us from poverty.

BEADS: Make our appearance more dignified.

CLOTHES: Protect our body and provide security.

-- (You have the option of leaving the fruit there, and the monks and nuns will eat it or you can take it back with you and eat it with your family as blessed fruit.) Inside, there are the 5 Buddhas you can worship to individually as well as offer any of the ten to.
- talked with my mom for two and a half hours on the phone, which was a big deal, because I haven't really talked with my mom in a REALLY long time.
- small group Tuesday
- walked to rite aide and Connals
- late night run with kaylen and leigh


Day 42
- dressed up super cute for live taping of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. it was fun because our group got into chanting "CO-DY! CO-DY!" (it was his birthday and didn't get picked the first time around). The production crew loved us so much they wanted us back for more episodes, but we weren't available. We were sitting in the section where we're ALWAYS on camera, so come August....my group will be on TV!!
- ate a really big slice of super delicious black forest cake at a Farmer’s Market
- one-on-one with Jill, that made me confront some of my fears, and call my mom about insecurities with a relationship I have with a few of my friends


Day 43
- got up at 8am so I could go repelling. There were 15 of us total that went, and it was really great. We drove for quite awhile, but it was so worth it, to be repelling and climbing on real rocks instead of on a rock wall in a gym.
- saw Transformers, which was a REALLY good movie
- listened to Dave Riner about how to have "the easy life." Pretty much, it's a fight of the American Dream against the Great Commission


Day 44
- tried to get my suitcase fixed in the morning before everything started, but failed because he didn’t have that kind of wheel. And then he directed us to another company, but we couldn't find it.
- learned about Hinduism from Dave Riner (guy from last night)
- saw Hairspray (AMAZING beyond AMAZING movie) with Ellen, Amber, Jill, and Kaylen
- learned about mimestry while refilling water bottles for the refridgerator. Mimestry is a program that you can get a bachelor's in, that takes three years. And with that, you go to churches, teaching people how to use their mind and body to worship God similar to King David. They also act out different stories from the Bible to make the Word come alive for people.



Day 45
- Hindu temple...which was strange, because it was pretty much watching them pour different things over this idol of Vishnu, and then they ate/drank the remaining stuff from the process. It all took about an hour.
- debriefing in Subway, after using the male restroom because no one else was using it, and there was a line for the girls’
- beach…evangelizing with Leigh. We met a girl from Nicaragua, and gave her our emails. hopefully she'll email!
- dinner at Baja Fresh…talked with Mark about plans for this coming year...
>I want to partner UNR's InterVarsity with the International Students organization that's on campus.
>I want to talk to Breanna about a lot of the stuff I learned here.
>I want to ask Peggy to disciple me.
>I want to learn as much as possible with Jacob as one of two leaders for my bible study.
>I want to put my IT Bible and the bridge diagram at my desk at my job.
>I want to get Burt and Peggy to help me have discipleship become a bigger deal in InterVarsity.
>I want to find someone to disciple.
>I want to get people mobilized and mobilizing.
>I want to talk with the evangelizing team about how they're sharing the Gospel.
>I want to change the world.

Knowledge and Death

Day 36
- Kevin Higgins spoke about Muslim beliefs
- found out Mr. Aikens, my AP Government teacher in my senior teacher in high school died Tuesday morning from a stroke. Amy Breeding let me cry in her arms. Mr. Aikens was a BIG impact on my life, and I owe so much to him. Senior year was NOT a good year for me, and he was a large part of why there was any happiness in my life at that time. He will be greatly missed by so many people.
- Pastor Dave spoke about Revelation 2:1-7

Day 37
- attended a Muslim Mosque, and the guy who talked to us was Christian, and saw that he "expanded into Muslim instead of converting." Yeah...he was an interesting guy...
- small group date night turned into the group watching Count of Monte Cristo, for it was the first time I'd ever seen it. and Puppy Chow was served!! (rice chex covered with a peanut butter and chocolate mixture, and coated by powdered sugar)

Day 38-39
- 5:30am, left for San Diego
- listened to Busers leading the Iteri tribe to Christ
- fireworks at 9:30pm because we were by Sea World
- chairs into beds, two guys slept outside on tables
- learned how to surf, but didn't do so well
- crazy bad sunburn because I fell asleep on my stomach on my towel

Day 40
- group picture, everyone wearing school shirts
- learned about Buddhism
- Dodger’s game…won 10-3
- hotdog eating contest, all you can eat section…nachos, popcorn, dodger dogs, peanuts, and drinks

I know you've been waiting for this...

Day 27
- perspectives…final class!
- pizza party, surprised with a visit by Burt!!
- nap and hw in the lounge
- laundry, preparing for small group weekend
- perspectives reflection, along with slideshow of best pictures from Hollywood photo scavenger hunt
- prayer under the stars with the girls – Kori’s sister Nicole bit by a VERY poisonous snake, Katie broke down, other Katie very transparent with group about issues she’s dealing with
- watch abc.com for a few tv shows

Day 28
- slept in!!
- bbq and redneck Olympics (which included seed spitting, belching, chugging a can of soda, and karaoke)
- KABOOM!! (Monster Truck Rally)

Day 29
- speaker about China and Christianity in China
- Chinatown
- wore Jon’s sunglasses, and thought he asked me out on the way back to campus (he was asking about small group weekend)

Day 30
- PCW (8:45 – 4:15)
- swing dancing in Old Pasadena under the stars…Trevor, Kori, and Lauren knew had to dance…Amber, Kaylen, Sara, Jon and I all learned how to dance…Amber constantly asked, and Kaylen quite a bit

Day 31
- PCW (8:30 – 3:00)
- road trip to San Diego – Small Group Weekend!!

Day 32, 33
- small group weekend!!
- shopping, Russian boys, more shopping

Day 34
- art museum
- small group Tuesday
- heard mark carter’s testimony

Day 35
- Neil Walker spoke on discipleship – love his one-liners

- free movie – Rendition…with Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Meryl Streep (it won't come out in theaters for about a year...it was a showing, to get the public's response to it, so they can make adjustments to make it better)

I just want to say that I know I haven't been on top of things as well as I should be, or could be. My days are so jammed packed, that the only time I get more than ten minutes to do anything is at night. And by then I'm so tired, all I want to do is write a few quick notes before crashing. They really mean INTENSIVE when they call it "intensive training."

I'm keeping track (minus small group weekend) of what we're doing everyday, on a word document. But how often I update might go down. But it may go up, now that Perspectives is over.


Small group weekend was just what I needed, and I'm excited for everything else they have for us. Pictures and whatnot WILL be posted SOON, I promise. I just don't know how soon.

But thanks for reading, and keeping up with my summer.
=)

I love you all!

Taco Salad Lunch and Small Group Monday

Day 25
- slept in until 10:15am
- finished perspectives
- taco salad picnic lunch...Kori's cousins came - Cousin Esther and Cousin Bob. They were so fun! I got to eat lunch with them. All 4 Amy's, Jon, Kori, and her cousins.
- Frisbee with other Jon, even though he stepped on a bee...idk if he got stung or not, but his foot for a bit. And then HORSE with Kaylen. We didn't finish because she had a leaders meeting to go to, but she was winning
- inductive was started and finished so I don't have to worry about it tomorrow.

Day 26
- perspectives (Hogans, the founders of the Christian church in Mongolia)
- coed lounge for homework…joined by BJ and Jon Watson during nap, then Amy Breeding, Tracy, Jessie, Jill, Kaylen, Trevor, Logan
- small group Monday
- Kat went to the hospital for her foot, came back with crutches. Just a few tendons injured

Hare Krishna vs. Megachurch

Day 23
- Hare Krishna temple, woke up at 5:30am...at 5:45am all small groups met in one room, and we prayed until 6am. i don't know if you know anything about Hare Krishna but I didn't, so it was a really interesting experience for me. I've never smelled incense so potent before, and the parallels to Christianity was pretty creepy. After we got back to the campus - around 10am, we had small group discussions about what just happened. then we had free time for the rest of the day.
- after lunch, Kat (my roommate) joined me to get a haircut. She just got a trim, but mine was cut. It was about two and a half inches past my shoulders, and now… it's REALLY short. it's not wat i asked for. and you can't really see the layers, but oh well. more pictures will come eventually
- sat on a spider web, and the sack burst open with a million baby spiders. yeah........while i was waiting for my haircut...
- worked on hw
- during dinner, an ice fight broke out. it was mainly me and Samantha, but Jon Watson joined in. I meant to get the table two tables down, but I missed, and the ice cube bounced off of Mark’s head-which of course was hysterical.
- ultimate Frisbee has been super addicting. i understand why so many people play it now! We got a good game going, and it was a lot of fun. it was about 8 on 8. Jon Watson kept getting in my face anytime I had the frisbee, and it made me so angry, cuz he was always in my way! So I finally got back, ran as fast as possible, and hit the frisbee to the ground before he could catch it. And because there was a lot of frustration in that act, a noise similar to a grunt came out, and Jessie's all "Wow, Amy..you're playing aggressive." But I got my point across to him. lol We switched teams two more times, and the last time it was down to 4 on 4. THAT'S a lot of work, especially for the huge field we're playing. But it was so much fun!

Day 24
- work day…last time we tried to do a work day it didn't work out. But today it worked out, and I helped with windows, kitchen, cleaning up leaves, and the “trash bag game." This was a game invented by Brian to get everyone excited to clean out the garbage cans all over campus How to play? you trade a new garbage bag w/ a full bag
- we had a little over half an hour to get ready for lunch, because work day took longer than planned, but oh well. we did it.
- tour of Crystal Cathedral (humongous with statues and fountains and burial plots)
- evangelized w/ Amy Terry at a mall (half went to a different mall)
- attended Saddleback Church – megachurch, main pastor wrote Purpose-Driven Life...insane guitar player…patriotic music
- ate dinner at same mall, with time to shop…search for McD’s with Tracy, Josh, and Sarah…hit on after exiting a bathroom (yeah, a group of about 4 high school boys hit on me and sara as we were exiting the ladies' room)…bought earrings at claire’s and made quick target run (there was a target in the mall! how weird, huh?)
- listened to a sermon on the car ride back to campus...it was about pre-destination...it was really interesting, but I don't remember much, haha.

a few more days

Day 21
- perspectives (great story-teller)
- heard Brian and Jennifer’s story about getting together...it's soooo cute!
- amber talked about cults (Mormonism, jehovah’s witness, Hare Krishna) to the group. I've never heard of Hare Krishna, and I still don't fully understand it. But we'll be going to one of their worship services this Friday
- prayer and singing with girls on roof under stars...after the lecture on cults, most of the girls at the Project went to the to roof (it's a girl's only roof), and prayed. It was really good, and afterwards we were singing worship songs to God
- In the night, I got to play Frisbee again, but this time w/ Kat, Logan, Trevor, Amy Terry, and Leigh

Day 22
- perspectives (hysterical speaker)
- Pasadena Community College, looking for an international student with Leigh...we were given two hours to find and interview an international student for our paper for the Perspectives class. I think the first hour and a half was spent searching and complaining.
- but we found a woman from China who was really nice
- laundry!
- Hollywood photo scavenger hunt – small group plus Jon the bday boy and Josh...we were given a list of things to do, mainly with a lot of strangers (such as give a piggy-back ride to a stranger walking across a busy street.) It was really interesting the people we got involved, and as soon as I get the photos from it, I'll put them up.
- we took the LONG way to get there, and everyone got sick because of the curvey roads. we were turning around this mountain at crazy angles.

a Revelation and Night with the Boys

Day 19
- perspectives
- nap and trip to rite aid
- talked to amy (another amy, but I met her at UNR) on the phone. I haven't talked to her since I left reno, so it was nice to talk with her. I had a lot on my mind that I felt no one here understood. I came to the realization that this whole time I thought I wanted a relationship with some guy? I don't. I just want to be needed. and the last time I really felt like that, I was in a relationship with some guy. It was huge for me, and it just makes the whole "i'm single" thing make me feel better. I can now better accept that I AM SINGLE. I'm not looking for a relationship, I'm looking to be needed. Which completely opens up new doors. I love talking to her...she lets me talk about my problems and issues and allows me to come to my own realizations. and then we talked about our birthdays. Her birthday is 2 days after mine, and this year mine's on a thursday and her's is on saturday. So we're going to join together, and celebrate both on friday night. I think we're going bowling, since now most people will have a car, making transportation a whole lot easier. And then dinner will be like potluck in her room, since she's got a kitchen and whatnot. Exciting plans!


Day 20
- perspectives
- small group Tuesday – I paid for dinner, because I've been saying I'm going to do that the whole time I was waiting to get my cards. It was sooo good, the food and the conversation. Small group time rules.
- Frisbee w/ Kat, Logan, and Trevor. It's official. I can't throw a frisbee. But Trevor and Logan are good sports about it, and really trying to teach me. I'm getting better.
- hanging out w/ the guys in their suite. it was nice, because I don't socialize with the guys that often. I was in Tracy's room, and just checking out some of his photos, and then we were in Trevor's room, talking with him and Josh. We made a a lot of Jesus jokes (because Josh looks like Jesus in a lot of ways), and then Logan came and dumped a water bottle on Kat and Tracy dumped a water bottle on me. And then Jesse came in for a "guitar lesson" from Trevor. And then I went back to Tracy's room, said something that sounded really stupid, and went back to Trevor's room to hang with him and Jesse. The evening was a lot of fun for me, and I hope to do it more often.

Sorry for the delay

It's so hard to keep up with class, activities, sleep, showering, eating, AND this blog. So I apologize for not keeping up. I have been keeping track with some notes of everything everday, don't worry! It'll just be chunked instead of daily.


Day 14
- perspectives…how to outreach to international students
- got my credit card and debit card in the mail
- remembered California rock slide and evacuation of van on Zuma beach day…[on the way back from Zuma beach, we were driving down this mountain, and traffic had almost stopped, as people were taking turns driving around the pieces of rock in the road, and we were debating inside our van whether or not to go out and pick up the rocks. but this couple in front of us gets out of their car, so Brian was like “EVERYONE OUT NOW!!” and we evacuated that van like a bus on fire. And we were all just running back and forth picking up rocks, and then got back in the van just as fast, pumped up from that. Then the cars were honking in thanks, and we were all glad we were a part of it.]
- lunch with Christine (a girl from my Perspectives class)
- Pablo (paul) and prayer
- after Paul talked about prayer, we got in groups of five (just like the 5 guys praying by a haystack). But my group was slow, so we were in the girl’s lounge until we got kicked out by an asian woman who wanted to watch tv, so we prayed in Jill’s room
- effort to go to bed early

Day 15
- perspectives with Steve Shadrach
- hour and a half one-to-one (hour long prayer walk)
- walk to rite aid – dollar cups (really cute!!)
- start on homework
- penguin stolen for “whose stuff is it” ((see conversation below))
- steve shadrach talks again to IT Project group
- logan came to the girls’ floor with cookies, Kevin with a guitar, and tracey just for fun
- “anywhere, anytime, anything” discussed w/ Katie…Steve discussed praying that God may use us anywhere, at anytime, to do anything. Not only that, but to actually mean it. Every word. It was a good discussion with her, because she and I had a lot of the same worries that hold us back from really meaning it.


Me: ok, so the penguin you got me for xmas was stolen today
Jess: WHAT?
Me: yeah. kat stole it for our game show "Who's Stuff Is This?"
Jess: oh geez
Me: and he's describing it, i'm not listening, and no one knows wat he's talking about
Me: and then he continues describing it, w/ like "he arrived 2 weeks ago, over dressed. he's got a plaid hat, and has occassional bursts of dancing"
Me: and i'm like "did you guys take my penguin??"
Jess: lol
Me: and sure enough, there he is, sitting next to jon (kat's brother) and i've got to sing the Prince of Bel-Air rap to get him back
Jess: lol
Me: however, idk the song, so I was able to get amber to help me out to sing it. a hairbrush was our mic
Jess: very classy

Day 16
- perspectives
- tennis w/ amy terry and curtis (one of three sons of one of the Perspectives speakers)
- not much time for homework before errands
…Best Buy for Sara’s camera (her’s broke on her. But she got a new one for $30 extra dollars, brought down from $70)
…Wells Fargo (to activate my debit card to finally have some cash on hand! Yay!!!!!)
- mini golf…we were going to do it in small groups, but instead we counted off, and I was in group 3. We played the 9-hole course twice. Your score from the first game determined which group you were in the second time around. Kaboom! (4th of July event with monster trucks – there are 8 front-row tickets available we have competitions for) tickets went to Amy Terry and Josh from Illinois.



Day 17
- Jewish sedar gave the Bible an additional viewpoint. We tend to forget Jesus was Jewish, but it’s so essential to understanding how true it is that He is the fulfillment of the prophecies. Plus, how different Jesus was to everything around them is so understated…
…The fishermen who became Jesus’ disciples? They were fishermen because they had “failed” being a disciple for a rabbi. Boys 6 – 10 MEMORIZED the Torah. Then, the child would seek out the rabbi whom they wanted to become a disciple for. The rabbi would constantly testing them about their knowledge, saying a verse from the Torah, and the student would have to respond with the verse before or after it. Then the rabbi chose a small group of boys saying “Come, follow me,” to the students, while the rest were told to go back to their father’s profession. So the fact that Jesus WENT to the disciples was HUGE for the culture and it was an even bigger privilege when he said, “Come, follow me.” The point of having a disciple, was to make a carbon copy of yourself, to have someone be almost identical in your beliefs and habits and abilities. Cool, huh?
[**Jacci - I impressed him with the knowledge of the difference between the two feedings of the crowds --> Jew versus Gentile. =D Go Mark I!!Day 18
- Messianic Jewish church was not as big of an experience as I thought it’d be, but it was cool. Jewish people are fun people to talk to, and I just love them.
- we went to Venice beach this time. It was kind of weird to be on Venice Beach, and see the Pier from Santa Monica because we were there two weeks ago (with the cast and crew of Monk!!)
- evangelism with Amy Terry was good. We were supposed to be with roommates, but my roommate felt uncomfortable still with the whole process and wanted the same partner as last week, so Samantha’s roommate and I joined together. We talked to this one guy who was really knowledgeable in a lot of areas – vegetables, politics, world religions – that it made discussion really good, for me at least. It was a lot for Amy, and most of it just went over her head, but he and I had a good conversation. He’s in agreement with some things, and he was just glad we were sparking conversations like that. And then we talked to two girls, one with a 4 year old daughter, and not even 20 herself. She seemed like she wanted to be back in a relationship with God, but not because of her family, and didn’t know how to do it. She wasn’t seeking after it that much, so I’m praying that she will remember Mosaic church, and get plugged in again to a fellowship.
- I got to eat dinner at a place called Sean’s Café. It was nice, and little, and priced pretty well. Under $10 for dinner, so it made me happy. It had REALLY good hamburgers and fries. And then walking back to the group, we saw this man with one arm, that’s it, on a skateboard. No wheelchair, no friends around him. It was kind of sad, but he was moving around really well. He was moving around the streets, and then was over by the bikes, and we passed him. I was the only one who said, “Hi,” and he straightened himself up, brightened up, smiled and said, “Hi,” back. It was really touching for me to see the difference in him just from a simple act of saying hello with a smile. It really made me feel blessed that I could reflect Jesus in that moment.
- perspectives homework
- only one van (10 people plus Brian and Justin-the Jewish man who talked to us about the Sedar) went out to dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant and a movie afterwards
- half of us saw Evan Almighty, the other half Pirates III. I saw Evan Almighty, and it wasn’t the best movie, but they did a really good job with what they did.
- because our movie was a lot shorter than Pirates, we went to Cold Stone and asked one another a bazillion questions…
- nancy drew fan!! (Katie from across the hall) So I’m totally addicted to Nancy Drew, the books, but ESPECIALLY the computer games. And I have found a fellow nerd! Haha. I was talking about the movie I saw, and how I wanted to see the Nancy Drew movie, and it turns out we are both really addicted to the computer games and really want to see the movie. Yay for bonding!



Day 18
- Messianic Jewish church was not as big of an experience as I thought it’d be, but it was cool. Jewish people are fun people to talk to, and I just love them.
- we went to Venice beach this time. It was kind of weird to be on Venice Beach, and see the Pier from Santa Monica because we were there two weeks ago (with the cast and crew of Monk!!)
- evangelism with Amy Terry was good. We were supposed to be with roommates, but my roommate felt uncomfortable still with the whole process and wanted the same partner as last week, so Samantha’s roommate and I joined together. We talked to this one guy who was really knowledgeable in a lot of areas – vegetables, politics, world religions – that it made discussion really good, for me at least. It was a lot for Amy, and most of it just went over her head, but he and I had a good conversation. He’s in agreement with some things, and he was just glad we were sparking conversations like that. And then we talked to two girls, one with a 4 year old daughter, and not even 20 herself. She seemed like she wanted to be back in a relationship with God, but not because of her family, and didn’t know how to do it. She wasn’t seeking after it that much, so I’m praying that she will remember Mosaic church, and get plugged in again to a fellowship.
- I got to eat dinner at a place called Sean’s Café. It was nice, and little, and priced pretty well. Under $10 for dinner, so it made me happy. It had REALLY good hamburgers and fries. And then walking back to the group, we saw this man with one arm, that’s it, on a skateboard. No wheelchair, no friends around him. It was kind of sad, but he was moving around really well. He was moving around the streets, and then was over by the bikes, and we passed him. I was the only one who said, “Hi,” and he straightened himself up, brightened up, smiled and said, “Hi,” back. It was really touching for me to see the difference in him just from a simple act of saying hello with a smile. It really made me feel blessed that I could reflect Jesus in that moment.

Internet, a clean sink, and a yummy milkshake

The beginning of my weeks aren't that interesting....tonight is "prayer with Paul" which you'll find out about later (because I don't know what it is right now) and tomorrow night is another speaker who's "really good" from what everyone says, and then friday night is miniature golf with one of the guy groups.

***NEWS FLASH***

MY ROOM HAS INTERNET IN IT! After almost two weeks, my room finally has internet in it. Now it'll just be a fight between Kat and me when I get to use it, lol. jk.

Day 12

- perspectives
- homework
- cafeteria and bathroom sink (finally cleaned!)

ok, so this sink has been clogged since like the third day we here. Day 12 it's cleaned and able to use. This picture was taken a couple of days ago, and for the last two or three days, the water has been black. Disgusting, huh?

Day 13

- perspectives
- took a nap for four hours instead of homework
- small group Tuesday
- yummy milkshake and really well seasoned fries and Connals

Prayer requests:

the desire to forgive my dad
the acceptance of being single

To the Beach!

Day 11

Decent hour, that was the plan, right? Well, Kat and I were talking about our lives and about other religions, and before we knew it, it was almost 1am. Vans were rolling out at 8am, and so I had to get up extra early. THAT was difficult, but I did it. I had to dress nicely for the church service. The service was ok. Not my favorite, and I was in a lot of pain for whatever reason, so I wasn’t really focusing on the sermon that well. The bookshop they have is really good, and I was definitely impressed. I would have probably bought so much if I had anything on me. But I didn’t, so I left empty-handed.

Lunch was at a random mall, where we were able to change from our church clothes into our swimsuits and beach clothes. We went Zuma beach, which is right by Malibu Beach. On the way, half the van was playing 20 questions (it was a pillowcase, and we did it in 19) and guess the number between 1 and 100.

The beach had AMAZING waves that were just soo huge! After playing in the ocean quite a bit I calmed down by just sunbathing on my towel. I called my dad to wish him happy father’s day, and it ended up being a short conversation about how I’m supposed to help my sister with the transition from high school to college. It makes me so angry sometimes, like I’m just this tester kid they don’t really care about. And then once I’ve “done it all” THEN they’ll talk to me, so they can help my sister. Like, I’m not worthwhile enough to bother with, and my sister is this incompetent kid. At least my mom tries to care, but sometimes it feels like she’s just humoring me. She can’t relate, and is just amazed I can socialize so well. It’ll be hard going home, and part of me is looking forward to go back, but a large part of me is dreading it. My dad literally has lists going of things I’m supposed to talk to my sister about college, and help her buy whatever she needs, such as a laptop. I feel like I’m complaining a lot, and it doesn’t sound bad, but I don’t know how to get across how little my dad cares about me – I’m treated like a computer…something you turn and off when you please and use to gain information. You don’t give to the computer; you only take its information. That shouldn’t be the kind of relationship you should have with ANYONE, especially between father and son. I talked to my mom a little afterwards, but she’s so clueless about what I’m doing, she doesn’t even try to ask questions a lot. So after so long of awkward silence, I say goodbye and hang up.

Back on topic…the beach wasn’t just to enjoy another day of the beach. We had the same partners from our USC evangelism, and were sent out to evangelize on the beach. Jill talked to this guy Alex who was planning on graduating high school early. He had some really insightful things to say, and I could tell he was definitely stepping towards God, but he wasn’t there yet. But it was good talking to him. I talked to two girls – one didn’t really talk and participate and left like halfway into it, and the other one was Jewish. ANOTHER Jewish girl. She was very opinionated, but I liked it. She was open, and at the end she says, “Ok, so I have one question.” “Ok, go for it.” “So if Jesus died, and then ‘rose up again’ or whatever you believe, that makes Him alive, right?” “Yeah. But he did more than die. He descended down into Hell, and three days later he rose from the dead. He walked among his disciples and other people, and then ascended into Heaven. So He’s not just ‘alive’ walking around, but He’s in Heaven. That’s what makes Christianity so different from other religions – our King is ALIVE.” “Oh, ok…” I could tell she had wheels turning, but wasn’t ready to accept Christ. I gave her my paper, and Jill and I prayed for her.

Later on the beach, I got to see dolphins. DOLPHINS! They were so close to us, and there were like eight of them. It was so amazing to see. And then one of the pairs of girls came and told us that two girls had accepted Christ today, and we gave them one of our Bibles to keep. How cool!

For dinner, we ate In N Out, because almost no one has eaten there. It was fun to see everyone reactions to the fact there are Bible verses on the sandwich wrappers and on the bottom of the cups. And then this guy comes out of nowhere, and walks past us all saying, “Creation does not exist, the Bible is a lie, e=mc^2, the energy…” and we just froze, not sure what to do. He sat by himself for a little bit, and then a small portion of the group talked to him. A lot of us were just listening to the guy, because he wouldn’t shut up about science. In his mind, time and energy is infinity. However, God had to be created. And to create God there has to be a super-God to create him. And then you need a super-super-God to create the super-God, and so therefore religion does not hold up. He knew a lot about history, but you could also tell he wasn’t completely sane.

We left him after awhile, and back at the dorms, I saw how bad the sunburn was. Should’ve put lotion on…and I don’t know why I didn’t. Oh well. Tomorrow, here I come.

Hollywood and

Ok, so I got a little behind...but I was busy! And there's STILL no internet in my room. I deal, I deal.

Day 9
Walt Russell was the Perspectives speaker. He used a lot of Matthew and explained a bit about what it meant to be Jewish back in Jesus’ time, which was really cool. He had a stapled handout that made following along with him really easy. So points for him.

Homework took a long while, and I didn’t finish before group date night. Group date night (not its real name, but Jill and I call it that) is where your group and one or two other groups join and you go somewhere for the evening. My group, Bre’s group, and Jon’s group (which was just himself and Josh) went to…HOLLYWOOD!!!

On the way to Hollywood, Bre found this car called “the thing” on the road, which happens to be her dream car. So in bumper to bumper traffic, we’re like stalking this car, to get close enough for her to take a picture. But then we passed it, so she got a really good picture of it through the mirror. But this guy in the car in front of “the thing” thought she was interested in him. And just by his gestures, you could tell he was definitely interested in her. The female population in the car screams, and it was just really funny. And then it was this constant back and forth between the guy, but we finally got far away from him. Taught her to keep her window up…

Parking was hard to find, but we finally found a place and walked to the mall nearby. It was really interesting the way it was set up. There’s an escalator to go up to the second floor, but no down escalator. It’s three stories, and it’s kinda of an outside mall. The second floor is where the food is, but there isn’t much variety. While we were all deciding where to go, this guy comes up and says he’s a comedian. He wasn’t that good, and wouldn’t leave poor Josh alone.

Leigh, Kat, and I ate at Johnny Rockets. The food was expensive, so we got water, three sandwiches, and shared a “half and half” which is just half onion rings and half French fries. Afterwards, we met up as a group again, and went downstairs to the MANN'S CHINA THEATER – the place with the handprints and footprints. I think it’s funny George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon JUST did their’s a little over a week ago. Jill was cute, because she was posing with the people in costume (such as Spiderman, Yoda, Chewbacca) but wouldn’t pay them. It was just funny because the characters were laughing among themselves about it.

Spiderman told us to go down an alley to the back of Jimmy Kimmel Live because we might be able to see Nicole Ricci. So we got the group together after everyone had seen the handprints and footprints they wanted to, and headed towards the alley. It was a little creepy, and didn’t look that safe, but we went anyways. And then the security guard told us we missed her. There was a comedian that none of us had ever heard of and “some weird musician guy” that we could see, but we walked back.

The Daytime Soap Opera Emmys were that day, and we were there during the After Party (I talked to the bamboo guys about it) but we didn’t recognize anyone, because none of us watch the soaps. There was this random band singing on the side of the street for awhile, though, and we watched them for a good long while. They didn’t play original songs, stuff everyone knows like “Sweet Home Alabama.” Half of us got Coldstone, and then we played in the fountain. It was cool during the day, but really pretty at night. Jon went through it, and we spent a good twenty minutes at least just posing with different ways with different groups in front of the fountain. I went in the middle of it, but the picture didn’t turn out well. So I got in front of the fountain and it came out better. (Yeah, my roommate, Kat, French-braided hair…I thought it came out really well.)

After the long evening, a group of five us back at the dorms decided to play a game of Phase 10 instead of going to bed like everyone else. It was me, Josh, Jon, Kat, and Jesse. Jon put in a random movie in the coed lounge, which turned out to not even be in English. It was Chinese with subtitles, and it was an action movie. I had my back to it the whole time, so I didn’t have to watch, thankfully. It wasn’t until 1:30am that we decided to call it quits.

Prayer Requests: everyone at the Project continues to be open with one another
the emptiness is LA would be filled with God’s glory

This is the mall we went to...I LOVE how this picture turned out

Small group: Samantha, Kat (roommate), Jill (group leader), and me

This is one of the hotels, I think. I thought it was funny it said "Nomads Welcome"

This was in the alley.

Day 10

I didn’t get enough sleep which made staying awake during more Inductive training difficult. I took a ten minute power nap between Inductive training and testimony guidance. Mark talked to us about how important it is to have a 90 second testimony, a 5 minute testimony, and a 40 minute testimony, as well as when to use them. Amy Terry was vocal about the same problem I had – we don’t have a distinct moment when God changed us. Plus, I don’t think my testimony is that interesting. I don’t have any super huge moments, I wasn’t addicted to drugs, I didn’t do a lot of “bad” things, I had a hard life with my family but Christ didn’t erase that. He just gave me strength to continue on, especially when I didn’t want to. *shrugs* I have to figure something about by Tuesday to share with my small group leader.

After dinner, it was “Day-O-Fun.” This consisted of most of the girls in the shade talking and playing cards. The guys and the remaining girls played Ultimate Frisbee. I’ve never played before, nor known how to play, so it was a really fun experience for me. It was 10 on 10, and we played to 11. Like halfway through I left to get cold water out of our fridge and change. We were behind 2-4, and I suggested doing a zoning, where we’d have people in specific spots, and then depending where the Frisbee went, we moved as a unit. It worked so well, we crushed the team 11-5. It was really awesome, because my team was really encouraging, high-fiving and congratulating everyone. They called me “the vacuum” because I caught everything tossed to me, and we called our strategy the “Zeller Zone.” It was awesome! I felt like a celebrity! Haha.

After the game, we realized there were two orange trees on the property, and we picked off a lot of the oranges. They were soo good!! We were at first climbing the trees to get them, but then we threw a football at them, and that worked a lot better.

Afterwards, I finished my Perspectives homework and then took a shower. We were on our own for dinner, and everyone grouped up and did a lot of random things. My group went back to Old Pasedena for shopping and dinner. It was fun – we ate Chinese food and some gelato, and shopped at three different stores. It was like three or four hours spent in our group. It was good to bond with Amber – another person in charge of the Project – along with Leigh, Kat, and Bre.

I have to get up early in the morning, so I plan on going to bed at a decent hour.

Chalk art at

a whole new

level.

Joy and Life

So I know I'm slacking, and I haven't even hit the double-digits! I didn't go to bed until after 1am last night. So this is the last one I've written. I need to write about yesterday and today, and upload photos. Hopefully I'll get a chance to get it all done before I go to bed tonight.

Homework is done, so I should be ok. We'll see what happens.



Day 8

I woke up at 7:45am, willingly. I wanted a morning shower, because it’s been a long time since I’ve had one. And then I had my quiet time with God, then off to optional worship (where it was music this time) and Perspectives class. The speaker today was Larry Walker. I REALLY liked him. He didn’t stay on topic very well, but his stories were absolutely amazing. I was hanging off of every word. He talked about his up bringing in the church, and the missions work he’s been a part of, and a little bit about his family.

Some of the interesting tidbits from his talk:
- the kingdom of God is like an ecosystem with its complexities
- the church focuses on a tree, and this class forces you to look at the forest
- all religions are man seeking God, EXCEPT for Christianity, where it’s God seeking man
- Jesus was more of rebel than we give Him credit for – rabbis didn’t just say “I say to you…”
- the role of the church isn’t to fix all the problems in the world; Jesus didn’t
- each of Jesus’ miracles told more about the Kingdom of God: for example, when Jesus turned water into wine – wine was the symbol of joy and life…GOD IS ABOUT JOY AND LIFE

Nothing really exciting about lunch…but afterwards instead of doing homework right away, I went to Rite Aid with a group of girls, then hung out with Jill checking out the antique shops across the street.

I started homework, after a half hour nap, and didn’t finish by dinnertime. The female leaders have a night off, so we had all afternoon and evening to do this homework, so I wasn’t stressed. It didn’t take me long after dinner to be finished with everything. But then no one is finished, and I’m left without anyone to socialize with. I want to help people with their homework, but everyone is determined to do it on their own, and most of the work is just reading, and you can’t really help someone read.

Not a very exciting day, I know. But tomorrow night will be something REALLY fun. I don’t know what we’re doing…all I know is that my group and one or two other groups are getting together to hang out and socialize somewhere really fun.

Thoughts Flooding My Head

Day 7

I saved a pear from last night to eat for breakfast today. However, a pear isn’t enough for breakfast for me. I couldn’t help but think about how hungry I was up until the snack break (yay for orange slices and cheese). I went to the optional worship because I have found I feel closest to God when I’m singing songs of worship. Brian had a different idea for worship, though. He wants us to be aware of different forms of worship. Today’s was silent worship. SILENT. I did a night and morning of silence at VDC, but worship in silence? We read some of the psalms in our head. It’s definitely not something I think of when I think worship, so I hope God understood it as worship…

And then after optional worship, they had “group time” where we discussed an assigned Bible passage and prayed for the people group “Tribal” and the missionaries that are out there helping them find God. It was a weird setup, and wasn’t orchestrated well, because my group didn’t get to finish reading our passage (and no one got to share what they just read and discovered) and we didn’t finish praying. The speaker – Bruce Koch [pronounced “cook”] – had a late start because of all of this “group work” and didn’t get through everything he wanted to.

Because I wasn’t impressed much by the speaker, the readings that he supported were a chore to me. Yesterday I enjoyed what I was reading, and was excited for what I was learning. But today it was just a pain. I tried to take a twenty minute nap, and was interrupted three times. Oh well, I didn’t really need the sleep, God gave me the strength and the perseverance. Two of the guys joined me for awhile in the coed lounge – Josh and Tracey. But this random dude came in, asked if he could watch a movie – and of course I said yes. I really tried to study with the tv on, but I took after the boys’ exit, and quietly packed up my things and left the man watching Meet the Parents.

I had a little over half an hour before dinner, so instead of going to my room I went to my Jill’s –my small group leader’s room. She was supposed to have three people in her room, but it’s just two. But because of the third person, they’re on the other side of the dorms. She and I just talked about plans for Small Group Weekend (IF ANYONE HAS ANY IDEAS FOR WHAT TO DO IN THE LA AREA, LET ME KNOW!!!) before being joined by her boyfriend. Then the three of us joined Tracey, John, and Kevin for dinner.

I got to sit with Kevin, Tracey, and Brian (who’s in charge of the program), which I haven’t done yet. It was cool to talk and relate to the guys, and Brian.

Tonight was Project Night, where we had another speaker come in, and talk to just us. He’s the head guy for Christian Challenge at USC. He had a lot to say about change, and it was really good. A lot of times, especially with new Christians, we try to change our behavior. But all that does is create a wall that filters good and bad, which is based off of perspective and values, and over time builds up and will eventually break. Behavior isn’t what needs to change – it’s your perspectives and values. It’s important to know where you are. If you’re only a 2, don’t claim to be a 7. There’s growth and experiences you need if you’re a 2 that you will miss out on if you’re claiming to be a 7, instead of admitting to being a 2.

God cares about the change from inside out. And that’s what we need to focus on in ourselves.

Overall, today was alright. My thoughts are out of control, and I’m constantly praying for focus on God. My father figure is my dad. Even though we never really got along, he was there, skewing what I thought it means to be a “man.” In the almost 20 years I’ve been alive, I’ve never once seen him cry. He doesn’t understand emotions – they are “womanly” and if I’m going to succeed in the business world, I need to know how to think like a man. He’s ruthless with words, and doesn’t care about others except himself. He’s lost with his faith, and thinks fully relying on God is an example of human stupidity. How was I supposed to know that not all men are like this? This past year has been a real eye opener to me, about the different kinds of guys there are out there. A man who’s in love with God, who WANTS to pursue me, who thinks I’m not worthless….that’s not too much to ask for! My last VDC weekend was really good for me to see couples of varying ages, both in love with God and serving him individually as well as a couple. I didn’t know such a thing exists! So now to be SURROUNDED by a group of guys that are all about God, admirable character, strong-willed, and my age….Satan is having fun with me. I’m not thinking about marriage, or kissing, or anything like that. It’s more basic, more high school…it’s along the lines of “I wonder what it would be like if I could talk with him about God for an hour?” or “I wonder what HIS testimony is…” It’s harmless, but for me, it’s crossing the line. I came here with a line already drawn. I’m not here to hook up (and there’s even that no dating rule for everyone to follow) and I want to focus on God. But it just blows me away that there are even THIS many number of guys who are doing something with their life for Christ, and makes God a big part of their life.

I’m trying hard to focus on God, and letting him show me that even though the bar is set high, it’s not unattainable by the guy He’s got planned for me. I feel so, I don’t know…conceited? that I KNOW that God’s got someone for me. God has told me over and over that there’s someone for me, and right now it’s about healing from my last relationship and preparing for the new one. It’s scary to think that God loves me sooo much He has a plan of more happiness than I could ever imagine. God’s just so cool, and His majesty is just too great to understand so often…I just wish I wasn’t so focused on me. That’s a problem American Christians have… “How does the scripture apply to MY life?” instead of “How does the scripture show God’s will?”

Prayer Requests: may my thoughts concentrate on God
may God bless and guide each of us here the Project.


P.S. Burt >>> Mark Carter says “HEY!!!!” and that you’re one of the coolest people he’s ever met.

Perspectives

Day 6

I had to get up before 8am for registration for the Perspectives class. I have a nametag that I return at the end of each lesson and pick up at the beginning of each class. There’s one speaker a day, aiding to the reading we have every day. If I took this class at a college, it’d be a once a week class that lasts 15 weeks. Here, it’s a once a day class that lasts 15 days. So it’s a lot of reading and listening, but it’s worth it.

Today’s speaker was Jeff Lewis. It’s easier to discuss this stuff in person, so I’m just going to hit the major points. He discussed Genesis 1-11 as a whole, and then Genesis 12 with God’s promise to Abraham. In Genesis 1-11 the four main stories (creation and the fall of man; Cain and Abel; Noah; the Tower of Babel) all have the same pattern: Man sinned, God’s judgment, hope of redemption.
Other main points…
- intimacy with God should include involvement with the nations
- in God’s blessing, we discover God’s purpose and man’s responsibility
- God will grant you wisdom when you continually seek after it
- developing your major in college glorifies God, and not doing so dishonors Him
- Gentiles DID have hope in the Old Testament
- Christ is calling you to something that will illuminate a part of God’s character
- Are you living your life by your personal biases or by scripture?

From 9am to 12pm is Perspectives, so we all headed over to the cafeteria for lunch. After lunch we had time to do our reading and homework. I had one-on-one time with my group leader. She taught me about it’s not about converting people, it’s about discipling people to make them disciple-makers themselves. I had until dinner to get everything done, which I did. Tuesdays is Small Group time, so we ate as a small group for dinner, then headed over to Connel’s, a fifty’s style restaurant that has decent pricing for really big portions and awesome milkshakes. It was cool to be able to discuss on a person level things going on in one another’s mind and past. After almost three hours of bonding, we worked a little on memorizing scripture. We are supposed to memorize two scriptures a week, and if possible three. We walked while praying on the way back, and afterwards dispersed for the night.

I called my mom back, because I couldn’t talk when she originally called. She had a question about luggage for airplane travel. I updated my blog, and got to talk to my best friend for a bit. I found a place that was indoors that had light, a cool breeze, table and chairs, and a place to hook up my laptop so I don’t have to waste battery. It was sooo nice! That’s my new spot for working on my laptop…homework will be in the coed lounge with the REALLY comfortable couch.

Prayer requests: focus on God in my thoughts
time management

Santa Monica

Day 5

The plan was to meet up with the director of the dorms and clean for four hours, as a thank you for all the really great deals we got while staying here. However, that didn’t happen because of a miscommunication between our head guy and their head guy. So I had time to finish my Inductive that I should have finished tomorrow, take a half hour nap, and begin homework for the Perspectives class I’m taking that begins tomorrow. I chose to be in the air-conditioned coed lounge, and only Katie joined me.

Lunch was nice, and we discussed experiences of people talking in tongue. I haven’t personally experienced any of that, but everyone else seemed to have a story, so it was really interesting. I then had just over an hour of free time, that I took to go online, check email, update my blog, and get ready for the beach.

Our group went to Santa Monica today, as a day of relaxation before all the hard work begins. It was funny when we were trying to find parking. This guy just starts moving the cones to let us in this like restricted area. And Brian pulls up, and he’s like, “where do you want me to go? Why did you do this?” And the guy replies with, “Oh! I thought you guys were extras, because of the van.” The whole van was like, “yeah, we are!” and Brian had to figure out how to get out of the tight spot he’d managed to partway get in. We were all puzzled to what it was, and Jon, my roommate’s brother, said it was for MONK, my FAVORITE show in the world.

The water was freezing, and I enjoyed just laying on my towel in the sand while reading my book Boy Meets Girl. Until someone suggested we go walking along the beach. So we went under the pier, and found where they were filming. I took sooo many photos, practically stalking. But I got within two feet of Tony Shalhoub (the star of the show), and got some good photos of the rest of the cast. We went back excited, telling the others, and I went back with another group of people, hoping to get closer and possibly a handshake. I didn’t, but I got more photos, haha. Most of the group headed back, but the boys wanted to hang back and explore, so I joined them. There wasn’t too much to be seen, but Jesse found a game for his favorite tv show, and I found a hat display. The guys and I had fun trying on different hats, and I got two photos – one of John (different from my roommate’s brother) and one of Josh (who reminded me a lot of Johnny Depp in his hat).

They went back to the beach, but I hung around, and then I guess John decided to as well. I was too boring for him to hang around me (I was still stalking the cast of Monk, hoping just to say hello, because I blew my chance earlier), but there was a group playing volleyball. I finally gave up, and joined. Because I showed up, both John and I were able to join the volleyball game. I got to play almost 3 whole games of beach volleyball. I got in early enough. We lost, but it got REALLY close.

After volleyball was dinner, and we went to a mall, and Jill was gracious enough to pay for me. Eventually, all of us were walking around the outdoor part of the mall. I didn’t have money, or I would have seriously looked at the stuff at the $15 or less store. It really was $15 for EVERYTHING, or less. So I joined Kat (my roommate) and five other guys. Two left the group to go to Starbucks, and the others kept walking, so we did too. We eventually ended at a 3-story Barnes and Noble. 3 STORIES!!! We spent a good time there, and then we headed back so we wouldn’t miss the sunset.

Leigh stopped Kat and me, concerned about another girl Samantha who was supposed to meet her at the Apple store, and Leigh had to go down to a different store. Kat ended up waiting for Samantha (who never showed up) and I walked with Leigh for what ended up being 13 blocks. To where? To a store that turned out to be closed. By then I REALLY had to pee, so we stopped inside at a random electronic store that ended up having what Leigh wanted from the closed store.

Turns out the group got cold, so not long into the sunset they piled into the vans (we have two 12 passenger vans and two cars) and realized they were missing three people. They had to wait about thirty minutes for us, and we missed the sunset. But oh well.

The ride back was nice, bonding more with the guys. I was the first one to shower, and missed singing “Happy Birthday” to a girl sharing the suite with us. Kat, Ellen (the girl across the hall from me) and I talked about everything related to boys so far this week. It was nice to have some girl talk. A lot of this I feel good, and I love the people. And then I see the happy couples, and I get lonely. I hate when I feel lonely…It’s not my time yet, and I know that. But it’s hard battling my boy-crazy mind. I spent most of my freshman year in college battling that, and have made really great progress. As I spend more time with the guys here, I see them more as brothers than prospects for a boyfriend. I love having such a large family in Christ, and it makes me feel secure as a person. We’re all focused on God, and it’s not something I get often, so I cherish the times I’m surrounded with it.

I think right now, I’m struggling most with wanting to fast-forward time, to the part where I’m greatly knowledgeable about the Bible and other countries and cultures and religions and doing
something with my life. It’s going to be an amazing experience, and I’ve just started, so why do I want it to be over already? Pray for impatience for me, please.

Special Pray Requests: my friend Mark
continue my focus on God, and trusting Him in everything

This is my small group!

Day 4 - the Church experiences begins

So I have conciously decided I'm going to keep this going on my Word account, and then when I have free time, I'll copy and paste it on here. It's a plan. *nods*

***Most of the pictures came from Mosaic, but the 2nd one is most of the girls in part of the dorms, and the 3rd is walking back from the restaurant.

Day 4

My alarm was set, just not set to go off. So I woke up five minutes later than intended because my roommate was nice enough to wake me up at 8:20am. Oh well, I didn’t have to be in the Native American room until 9:30am. I planned it so I could have a really good chunk of quiet time. I went to one of the prayer rooms, and I wish I had an additional hour, but along with my alarm telling me it’s time to leave, I had a nagging inside me that I needed to leave. I crossed paths with Sister Yasmine, and she chatted with me for awhile. And of course I didn’t have my things for the meeting at 9:30, and I was late. But I wasn’t that late, and I just kind of placed myself at the end of a table.

John, my roommate’s brother, gave a talk on “Is Jesus the only way to heaven?” I took a lot of notes, and I’m excited to have a wall FULL of Bible verses on my wall. He discussed different religions and philosophies, and what the Bible has to say about them.
Lunch was good, and the segregation between the men and women has really started dissolving. I sat with two other girls, and then four of the guys came over and joined us. We were laughing and socializing like I really wanted.

After a somewhat short rundown of the rules of the head guy of the dorms, and a quick run through of the weight room and where emergency exits are on campus, there was four hours of free time. I went to the closed cafeteria for the wi-fi, and finally had access to email, instant messenger, and facebook – the essentials. I then re-located, due to an almost dead laptop battery, to an air-conditioned lounge. I started reading, but felt a great need to pray. So I began praying on the most COMFORTABLE couch I’ve EVER sat in. I felt really close and connected to God, and when I was done, this man walks in. Taking the opportunity to mingle with the other people here, I began talking with him. I didn’t get to talk long with him because I had to get ready for dinner, but what he did share with me was really interesting. He’s a delivery man of this glass vials, and he’s had quite a few accidents where God was truly watching over him. So it was cool, and I wish I could have stayed longer; he was such an animate talker!

My small group and one of the boy’s small groups had a “dinner date.” It was really cute, because my leader and theirs are dating, so it made sense. I love the guys in that group, and I’m hoping we’ll get to do more with them. Almost everyone from the Project went to this cheap burger place, so it was a lot of fun.

We went to Mosaic church in the center of LA, and I was blown away. The building has all this Mayan architecture, and while we were waiting for the service to begin, they had strobe lights. It’s at a bar, and half of it has these small tables with three or four chairs, and then the main section with metal cushioned seats in rows facing the stage. There was a guy painting on one of the sides. The music was AMAZING. It was the kind of thing where I instantly felt like I belonged, and I haven’t felt that close to God in a long time. I feel closest to him when I’m singing out my heart to Him. I could have stood there another hour just singing and praising Him. They had a really good dance number that blew me away. The sermon, preached by a man named Eric, was exceptional, and afterwards had a really funny skit. They finished with one of the songs they sang earlier, and it was my favorite of the new ones I sang. The painting was completed by the end of the sermon. I was so impressed by it all, I was almost speechless.

However I wasn’t. I got a good dialogue going with Jesse and Kat. I said some not-so-intelligent things, and I’m beginning to sound like the group’s dumb blond. I love feeling included with the people here, and I hope it doesn’t get very cliquey.

God is just so cool. I’ve been praying for connections with people outside of my small group, as well as outside the IT Project, and He’s truly provided. I love how friendly people are, and although not everyone here is a conversationalist, a lot of them are. Or I just have enough to say to cover any awkward silences, haha.

The Beginning...

So it took me awhile to get internet access, and I don't know how much time I'll get everyday, but I'll definitely try to make the effort.

I've been typing it in word the past couple of days, so it's just a copy and paste of what's been on there.


Day 1

I woke up to Jake knocking on my door asking, “Are you up yet?”
“I’m working on it…” My alarm had like 10 minutes left, so I tried to get those 10 minutes, but failed. So I got up like 8 minutes before planned. I finished packing, dressed, gave Jake a final hug goodbye, and loaded up the truck. Vanna drove me to the airport, and she and I hugged about three final times.

The security line was the longest I’d ever seen it in Reno, but it didn’t take me long to get through. I had 20 minutes left before my flight was scheduled to leave, so I bought Quizno’s for $10, and scarfed it down on the plane. I had the second to last seat in the SMALLEST plane I’ve been in. There was my seat, then an aisle, then two more seats. I appreciate Southwest a lot more now.

I get off the plane, follow the traffic of people, and am greeted by two IT Project people – Jill and BJ. Another girl – Kat – joins us, then as a group we go to baggage claim. I wait about an hour, and all I got was my sleeping bag. Reno went off the list, even. So BJ and Jill help me look for my bags. It took awhile, and the lady tells me they’re at Alaska Airlines. Who knows why… The three of us walk down that way, pick up the ONE (of two) bags there, and head back. We stop for food; I get Chinese and use the rest of my money, leaving me with only about twenty cents in pennies plus a fifty cent coin. We head back to the place where I filled out paperwork for Delta, and pick up my other suitcase.

The lady gets it from the back room, informs me “you are missing a wheel, and we’re not liable for wheels. Here you are.” Gee…thanks…Now I’m REALLY appreciative and grateful for Southwest. Fortunately, I don’t have Delta on the way back. I hope Alaska’s better.
The car ride was nice, where Jasmine and Anne and I bond through TV, movies, and books. Saw the “Hollywood” sign from a distance, and can’t wait to get closer to it. I unpack somewhat, but am interrupted with an offer to grab food with the girls who haven’t eaten since 7am. I join, to get to know better the girls I’ll be spending the next two months with. We return to the dorms, and I finish packing just in time for dinner.

After dinner, we were introduced to Brian (who drove me to the dorms from the airport) and the game of Frisbee Golf. It was a lot of fun. My group, because we were missing people in two groups, was Jill, Amy M., Kori, and myself. We averaged 65, and I personally got 62. The last one, where a lot of people didn’t do well, I got 5. I was SUPER proud of myself. I had a few really amazing tosses.

The day was finished after results were announced, and tomorrow morning will be at 9am, and we’ll get our orientation then.

Not too much, besides the luggage craziness, occurred today. I’m excited I’m here, and I can’t wait to begin this journey!


Day 2

I learned the rules of the IT Project, and most of them are going to be ok. No dating is a good rule, and it’ll be hard for me, because my mind is already there…

Went to USC, and evangelized to two girls – one Jewish, one had her own religion. My partner was Jill, and I’m really glad I got to get to know her better.

Met with Sister Yasmine, and she called me “perfect” in another culture, which was a really big boost to my self-esteem. We had a piano concert after dinner, and that lasted until the 8pm orientation game. We played mafia, to get to know one another’s name.

My roommate – Kat – finally arrived, so I’m no longer alone! I was afraid I’d never talk with her anything, but she and I have been getting along really well so far. Her brother’s here too, and his name is John. I got to talk to him on the car ride back from USC, and he seems to be a really cool guy. I just have to keep telling myself he’s not my type. Off limits creates a temptation, but “not my type” makes me back off. Ugh…why am I struggling with this so much? I have to be TOUGH.

Ok, I REALLY need sleep, so that’s why it’s short.

Day 3

Breakfast with my roommate, followed by more orientation. A quick tour of Aylward followed by a BBQ of hotdogs and BOCA burgers.

It’s so interesting, because it’s still pretty segregated between guys and girls. Girls and guys will mingle when necessary, but given the option, they choose to stay separate. Of course there is the few minor exceptions (those who are dating) but it’s a general rule. I wonder if it’ll stay pretty segregated, or it’ll blend a lot better in like two weeks.

I’m learning how to do “inductive,” which is similar to manuscripting, but it’s still very different. I don’t like writing in complete sentences. I struggled a lot with that in English classes, especially in AP classes where I wasn’t allowed to “interpret.” Blah. Did that for over an hour, then had some group bonding, and got ready for the evening plans.

We went out for dinner in Old Pasadena, and then to a two story Target. The whole group of us divided up quickly, and I followed a girl from my small group – Samantha – who was willing to pay for my dinner. I ordered a taco and a drink. Honestly, it wasn’t enough, but I didn’t feel comfortable ordering anything more, then or after. Fortunately, the girl next to me didn’t finish her giant burrito, and I got to eat like a quarter of it, which was PLENTY for me. God provided. Again. Got to love God!

The larger group at the Mexican Restaurant divided again, based on when who was done, and my small group went to a store that sold designer stuff for bargain prices.
The two-story Target was amazing! I LOVED it, and wish I had money! But then I probably would have bought WAY too much…I was riding really comfortable in one of the vans that seat 12 people. But because we added a car, there were only nine of us. I had some really good conversations.

This guy John, who’s my roommates older brother, and I were making jokes most of the ride. I can bond alright with some of the guys, but only in the vans. Ugh…I want to speed up time to where everybody’s friends with everyone. Right now, it feels like cliques are being created, and I’m somehow left out. It could be a good thing, though; to be part of it, but not the center of it. God and I need to get reconnected, and too much IT drama will distract me. I’ve been proud of myself for my prayers, and then God has been leading me to verses in the Bible about idols. It’s kind of freaking me out, because when I really REALLY look at my life, it’s true: I have idols. I put friendships and money as idols in my life. I’m not obsessed with money, but I’ve felt very independent because of the money I have. Losing my wallet has really forced me to COMPLETELY rely on him, and set aside my pride. And not knowing anyone forces me to focus on God even more, and not get wrapped up in always hanging out with a person. Even not having internet, I have nothing better than write this on Word instead of on a blog.
I honestly have to stay away from those guys, though. Not like 10 feet away kind of thing, but in my head I have to remember that I’m not here to meet someone, and that God’s got someone in mind. I’m not to chase, but to be chased. I’m to draw close to God, not one of his creations. I am to be complete with God, and complimentary with the opposite sex. I found out tonight that most of the guys here aren’t single, and one’s even engaged. It makes me feel lonely, and I wish it didn’t. If for every ten single women, there’s one single male, then what are my chances that one would end up with me? Ugh, depressing thought. Stop it. I need to get this off my mind, but it’s like, that’s all I can think about. I get excited if I can go like six hours without thinking like it. The more I pray for peace with being single, the more I’m convicted in my heart that God is preparing me for someone. I’m not ready! I know that, and I wish I can reach the point of being content and happy with my single life, surrounded by gal pals. *sighs* It’ll happen. One day…