A busy Sunday

This post shall be a short one!

Sunday morning the team was at Inland. This is the gathering in Chino. We got to meet Nathan Neighbor and Scott Burbank. It was great to meet them. There was this immediate connection and relationship that was instantly built. We had a great talk about Mosaic and what is going on within this church. This community is going through a transitional stage and how each of these sites deal with it is interesting to see and experience. They are looking to us interns as fresh eyes and they ask us what we think they should do. It's an amazing feeling to be asked what we think. We are essentially new to this type of ministry and for them to want our opinion is encouraging.

After lunch we went to South Bay... an evening gathering a couple of roads away from the beach. It's inside a Community Centre and to just see the transformation from community center to intimate gathering setting... was remarkable. They part that surprised me was that they set up and tear down that room every week. They were happy about doing it too. They didn't complain once about the fact that they had to do it AGAIN. Goodie is the site pastor of this location and after we all went out for coffee. He told us his story of being born in Compton and becoming a national speaker to living off food stamps and getting welfare to working with Erwin McManus and Mosaic. He brought up the mentality of progression and the story always continues. It just matters if we acknowledge it or not. God gives us many opportunities to understand what he has planned, but sometimes we are so fixated on the one mind stream that we have. If it doesn't focus on that, then God isn't speaking to me, but He speaks in a round-a-bout way. Absolutely inspiring and refreshing!

After that Chad and I went to hang out with Mayan folk and hung out at Spitz. I got home late and slept! It was a great day of learning, experiencing and growing! 4 weeks and 4 days left! YIKES!

The Battle at Skid Row

So here is my delayed installment from my day on Saturday!

I don't know what to say exactly about this war. As I got my stuff ready to leave, the nerves began to hit me. I was a mess. I didn't know what to expect. I've had these feelings before, but it wasn't the same. Would we win? Would the people appreciate what we were doing for them? Would there be screams? Yelling? Would they be nonchalant? Would they attack us? Would they be violent? Or retaliate? Would they try to spite us? Would they think we thought it was a charity outreach? Would they see that we were fighting for them out of love? These were the questions running through my mind. These were my worries about how the people on the streets were going to react.

There were three teams... the squads split up. One went straight, another went right and my squad went left. As we started, we tried to keep a low key profile. We snuck around stealthily picking up the scraps that were lying around everywhere. I found that we were quiet. We didn't want to make a lot of noise and disrupt the environment that we were in. The people began to take notice of us, but we were too fast for their howling and we ignored them blurting out rude comments. Our path made us turn right. We continued.

We looked around the corner and saw the battlefield. The war zone. Every where we looked there were remnants of discarded waste. We opened our bags, put our gloves on and prepared ourselves for what was about to happen. Garbage bags in our left hand and our right was ready for action. Kayla with the "bazooka" (an extended grabber). She was ready to destroy something. We got in the zone... we were ready to take on this area and become victorious. We turned the corner and began are journey. The battle had begun. We dodged people and quickly picked up as much as we could while still going forward. Like a bunch of children on caffeine pills we took to the street and picked up trash like we had never done before. Looking in crevices for the remains, down the gutters slots, or in and around trees and fences. We were being successful. We were enjoying the thrill.

We were stopped. There was garbage all around. We trotted through the trenches on our right. Picking everything we saw with the naked eye. Step by step we were conquering this land and as we looked back they looked clean. My OCD started to kick in... but my squad encouraged me to fight the urge because I was slowing them down. If we stopped this rush we would be caught and be defeated. We moved forward and took over another street.

We were getting tired by this time and we needed some energy, something to keep us going. And then all of a sudden, we were being shot at with words of positivity. The natives to this land were thanking us? Could it be that what we were doing was being well received? Love was shining through? It kept us going. Bit by bit we were heading in the direction to a tiny crowd. They encouraged us for what we were doing. They offered us lemonade and we were on our way. It didn't seem so scary anymore. The residents were nice. They were pleasant. They blessed us. We hit another street and had to decide which way to go.

As we turned right, people were talking to us from across the road. We decided at that moment that we should not be SO focussed. Get to know the locals to give more of a purpose to be here fighting this war. So we did...

We met a man named Anthony Paul Fleming. We was a man who lives on Skid Row. He graduated in Fashion design. He knows about God and Jesus, but he doesn't understand the relationship that he needs to have. He mentioned many biblical references and understood the context and what they were talking about. It was absolutely intriguing to meet someone in this type of setting. Amongst the debris of the tenants in this area during our battle. He brought up Galatians 5:25-26, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." It is a great verse to put into perspective within the homeless community. They could have been so envious and angry about what everyone else has in their life. They don't dwell on the worldly gains.

As we continued down our path we would ask people how they were doing. Their response was a simple and yet so powerful "I am blessed!" It struck the heart strings of every member in my squad. Blown away that even through these terrible times of war, they were so filled with positivity. As a group we discussed how if it was us in that position we would just complain about it all. Ha... we still do. A woman nicknamed "Baby Girl" came up to two of our soldiers (Cate and Curstin) and said that she was so thankful for what we were doing. She was shocked when she found out that we volunteered to be a part of this war. Uncle Sam didn't have to convince us or even force us into battle. We willingly showed up and wanted to fight for what we thought was a right cause. She told us about her life. She was doing well in life. She had an apartment, a job, and money and then quite quickly everything began to fall apart. The apartment fell through, the job was non-existent, which in turn made the money leave even faster. She now lives out of her car and yet knows that God will bring her out of this. She is so content with life and even though bad things occur she knows that if she depends on God, she'll overcome it all.

We moved on... and man by the name of Chris came to talk to us. He asked if we were scared to be out here fighting this battle. We were originally, but through our interactions with those that came in our path we realized there was more of a purpose. It drove us to be excited for what we have done and what we will do in the future. He asked us if Justin was our leader and we all agreed. Chris saw strength in us. He was also shocked that we were fighting for him and those in his community willingly. We weren't forced or pushed into it. We just cared enough to make the difference or at least attempt. It was an encouraging adventure. The results were better than expected and so we discussed that we would go out again and FIGHT.

This land will be conquered soon, we just need to get our energy back up until the next battle. I've learned a lot and gained so many valuable experiences in my life, but this one changed some perspective. Not because of people being blessed and them blessing us, but that there was a passion amongst our group to see change. There was a desire to start the change. We just couldn't wait... so we acted! And through the fears that we had, God took them all and helped us push passed them and start our victorious journey. A lot of contemplating about life and reasons as to why we do things... And that right there was the Battle at Skid Row. It will go down as one of the most important battles ever because it was all a part of starting the change in this world.

The worst, shocking, most frustrating, and amazing day!

So, yesterday started off brutal, but ended amazingly...

I hardly slept that night/morning because I had a bad migraine. I attempted to sleep in, but that didn't really pan out so well. This was the WORST part of my whole day. After that I went to the office and then we had a painting project so I painted and tried to not increase the what was now a headache any more. From there, we had our intern small group! It was good.

We were talking about water and how it encompasses everything. If you don't have it you die. How it doesn't change density, even if it changes its state. How in order for a seed to grow it needs water. From there we compared that to community within the church. A concept I have thought of in the past, but it was never really solidified in my thinking! It was interesting to think about it. I think the biggest SHOCK of that day though was when the question "Who is your mentor?" came up and I didn't have a response. Self-leadership though was the one thing I could think of.

I force myself to grow in certain ways. I look at situations at a bias, but attempt to see the third party perspective. I, however, instill my time into those around me. Invest into their lives and somehow in turn they invest into mine and help me grow and teach me and say things that I need to hear. Even though, I do not have a designated 'mentor' there are people who invest in my life non-stop. From the littlest of a moment to the biggest, people invest in me. Which then made me start to think... I try to see the positive in things that people don't always see and even nature I think in a weird round about way has also invested in me. It captivates me that I jsut can't get enough of it. Sitting in this office I look out the window and see these mountainous hills in the back drop of palm tree trunks and branches with a splatter of cacti. The view is amazing to me and yet people who live here don't really take a second look at it all!

After the meeting, I went to go play soccer with a bunch of people. It was a great feeling to tie the laces on my cleats and kick a ball into the goal. It's been a while that I've played, and every time I play again, I wonder why it took me so long to play again. The MOST FRUSTRATING part of the day... driving to Beverly Hills in traffic! It should have been a 25 minute trip, however it took 50 minutes going and coming back home it took 35 minutes. I was not a happy camper!

I got home and got ready for the night. Steve (the Australian intern) invited us to go see an Australian artist by the name of Kate Miller-Heidke. She is famous in Australia, but is trying to make it big in North America. We went and saw her gig... it was absolutely incredible! Her album doesn't do her justice. She's so very quirky and her vocal ability is outstanding. Classically trained and with operatic abilities tied in with this quirky poppy indie sound! A mixture of deliciousness... like red velvet cake! All I can say is go see her and/or get her music. She reminds me of Kate Nash, but Kate MH is Australian not English! It was absolutely AMAZING! A great way to end off my day for sure!

$50,000 from the City Council

So, yesterday started off quite slowly, but by 2 o'clock time flew by...

All five of the interns were asked to re-paint all of the bathrooms on the main campus. They were brutal, but we had fun. After "cutting in"/"edging" for 2.5 hours, Chad and I had to go to a meeting for a program called NOW.

The day prior we went to the Council meeting where the budget was had been revised and proposed once again. There was a surplus amount found, through budget cuts in Pasadena, of $50,000. The city council decided that it would go to a local effort for the community. There were two programs fighting for it: NOW and After-school sites! NOW became the victors and was given the grant. Through this process we found that the renovations for the Rose Bowl were going to be set at $41 million. Chad was shocked and perturbed about that amount. I can understand the amount, but we both figured that if they would have just held off the building renovations or maybe lessened the amount there'd be more money to go around for the rest of the city.

The reason I say all of this is because through the council's discussion, we came to realize that the Fire Department lost $100,000 in their budget and in turn had to get rid of one of their fire trucks. Pasadena has two departments: East and West. The Fire Chief made the decision to get rid of the East Department's truck. Now, the biggest concern that goes out is that for this city it is recommended that there are three trucks. The city only has 2 and with this budget cut, the city now has one!

I am appalled by the fact that as a city and as a council they were more concerned about the renovations for a building (yes... it may be a huge attraction for the city), but are not concerned about the safety of the families within this city. What happens in the crisis of an earthquake? or a massive fire? or multiple fires? Will they just pick the more important fire and and then leave the other? It's insanity.

However, as much as I am saddened by that issue... I am happy that this non-profit organization got the money. It is an organization that helps all ages get an education. The younger students have drug abusing families, alcohol abusing families, homeless families. The older students are a part of these families, but they have also been involved in gangs. There is a somewhat 'application' process to get in, but it is indescribable to see what this organization is doing!

So.. Yesterday, after painting we went to this meeting to figure out how we would allocate the money through this ministry and brought up that there needs to be discussion and more discussion to make sure that NOW is running at its best. It's very interesting to learn all about how these non-profits are going about making a difference. Now, if only the whole church body was this passionate people might not hate Christians SO much...

Wind Current is Changing

The weather in LA is quite different in its mannerisms to that of KW. In Kitchener/Waterloo, it tends to be humid for a number of days, clouds ensue and then rain pours for a few days. After the rain, comes beautiful sunny weather and then the cycle begins again. The saying for LA in June is June Gloom. It's cloudy all morning and then by 2pm the sun shines and it is beautiful. It never rains. The temperature is just right. We'll see how July goes though! The other thing I've notice is that the wind feels different. Back home the wind can feel sticky and hot and every once in a while there's that cool breeze. LA... it's a cool breeze at any time. It is a refreshing gust of wind.

Within the same mentality of the weather, I think of my life right now. The winds are changing within my life. KW was the hot stagnant lifestyle. Nothing really happening and no adventure to be found. It was unbearable like the humidity the air and clouds bring. Here in Los Angeles, I have this new profound view of my life. Something has changed, something has refreshed me and given me energy once again.

So a quick recap of my past 2 weeks.

June 8 - arrived and got lost in East LA

June 9 - Santa Monica and Intern Dinner

June 10 - Lost in LA trying to drive friends to Amtrak, late for meeting, and went to the Grove with Lauren and Taleen (random girls)

June 11 - FIFA

June 12 - FIFA and shopping with the boys

June 13 - Happy Ending Bar for the Australia/Germany game, and experienced the Mayan

June 14 - Netherlands at 4:30am and shopping

June 15 - Went into the office, Meeting with Adrian and Ben, and MLX meeting

June 16 - Office and ServeLA meeting

June 17 - Intern Meeting, Office, Lakers Finals, Coffee with Jason

June 18 - Helped set up Baptistery and Mini putt putt with people

June 19 - Netherlands at 4:30am, YELO and Lemonade in Venice

June 20 - set-up at Whittier, lunch with Tavo and Mayan

Today, I am heading to the office in attempts to do SHTUFFF!

Thoughts:

As I have been working with and conversing with the leaders and volunteer staff at Mosaic I've begun to realize things about church. In general, church is on a downward spiral into total nothingness. Now, I know that it will never become nothing, BUT the fact of the matter is at the beginning of the church body it thriving and people knew the Christians were great people of love and honesty and dependence. However, these days there is an overcast of people who call themselves Christians, but don't know the relationship with Christ. Through this I have noticed that CHANGE has to occur. This is so the church, in essence, can stay relevant to society.

Here at Mosaic, I am an intern. Therefore, I am getting involved in many different aspects and projects the church has. One of the main opportunities Mosaic has is ServeLA. ServeLA is a social justice initiative, where they help non-profit, non-faith organizations in the city. This way they can build relationships with anyone they come in contact with, especially non-believers. This ministry has brought to light that we as Christians can NOT just throw one event for an outreach and say "Okay we did our part". We need to be outgoing to create and build relationships. There is this need for a continuous progress of relationships with our efforts. Making things a regular habit because YOU WANT TO! It's almost a mentality of networking between everyone.

We are soon going to be cleaning up Skid Row in Downtown LA. Seven thousand to eight thousand homeless people live here. It is SO dirty that the city has even stopped cleaning it up. As an initiative to help them and create some hopeful relationships we are going to clean up as much as we can and make it a regular gathering. Through that we are hoping to show and teach the people on these streets that there are others who are concerned about them. Maybe even figure out their needs and see what we can do for them. It's a great way to get involved and step outside what would be your comfort zone.

Looking at Artisans (the worship arts ministry) I see passion for change! A passion for something new and relevant to its community. The body of the church ranges from young to old, but the passion and love is there within everyone who attends. They know that God can be present and can do His will through many different acts of worship. They have dance, spoken word, dramas, solos, concerts, parties and other things that are not just revolved around singing. It's about a new mind set! I new way to get our cities to be creative and to expand our mind. For me, this just gets me riled up!

The Mayan is a night club that is turned into a Sunday night gathering. It's primarily for young adults, but we have a wide range of ages that show. It is where the Urban side of worship is displayed. It is where Church goes out to make themselves MORE accessible to non-faith people. This "show," if you will, remarkably does not feel like one. The sincerity of the people shines through! The love of the people shines through! The passion to reach out shines through! It is captivating for people to see and it has drawn people in. There are lights and cameras and a rock band and a stage and a DJ and artists and anything you can think that traditional church strives to be away from. But when the passion to see people come to Christ is so high, and continually elevates, one has to try everything he/she can to reach a hand out and hope people are listening and growing! This is how the "show" of church should be done... with love and passion!

That's all I have for now... I'll write soon!