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!

a little over a week to go...

In 10 days I will be officially starting my internship at Mosaic. The pressure is on to get all I need done. Only a few more days before I leave and I still have to pack and exchange money. Print off papers and make sure I'm ready to go.

This past Thursday was my last shift at American Eagle Outfitters. Crazy to think that 3 years have flown by so quickly. I left my work family and some really great friends. I miss them so much as we speak... odd because it has been only a few days.

Friday, I got to spend the day with my younger brother Trevor. and then got to have Ben Thanh with some friends (Amanda, Evan, and Rachel) and then we went to go see Trevor's play, Hamlet. Saturday I moved out completely and today I went to my parents' church and then spent the afternoon with Mark and Meg and then went to din dins with them.

I need to do laundry and pack right now... I'll talk to you later!

Good night all

3 Weeks to go...

So, today I got my whole car checked out. Actually, it still is being checked out completely for this drive of mine down to LA. Friends have booked the hotels we are staying at and money is being saved up enough that I am feeling comfortable and know I won't be stressed.

With 19 days to go I have a lot still left to do. My main issue is moving my stuff out of my place into my parents home. It's been about 6 years since any of my things were at this house, but alas the time has come for this 24 year old to move back into his parents' home.

List of things to do:

- exchange money

- move my stuff out and then in again

- read the Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus

- send email after email to people after people

- visit everyone I see on a semi regular basis before I go.

My brain is scattered hopefully my writing will be a little bit more exciting and my mental flow will be less ADD.

see you soon

The Beginning

As of April 1, 2010 I found out I got into an Experience that could change my life. I'm moving to LA for 2 months working under the Mosaic church organization and under Erwin McManus, his teachings and their way of living.

So, here is the start of the journalling process...

I have 17 days left before work at AE comes to an end forever and my life from there goes forward taking me to the great city of Los Angeles. My life is on this blog from now until the end! Read and Enjoy!