Camp, Cypress, and Target Parking Lots

Camp Titan:  was amazing :-D  I had a really great time with the kids and staff and was able to take on a new role of supervising the kids and also my rescuers.  It was challenging at times...but I'm glad I got more experience in this type of role.  Some of the things I will miss most are all of the fun songs, the dressing up days, the random cute answers from the kids, running around the mess hall because somebody at my table didn't put a napkin on their lap, and the Camp Titan Beat clap! 

Cypress:  I just started working with the Boys and Girls Club in the city of Cypress.  It is fun so far...although I'm losing my voice pretty quickly.  It is different due to this area being a higher-income level...and I am used to working with families from a lower-income...but I know God has me in this specific place for a reason.

Target Parking Lots:  Just today after work on my way in to Target, I met a homeless man named Mel.  He asked for some change and I said I would get him some water when I came out.  I bought some sunblock (his face was quite red....so sunblock helps!) for him, granola bars, and gatorade.  Then when I came out he was talking with his friend Robert.  It was soo great because Mel asked if I was Christian and when I said yes he told me about how he goes to 2 different churches...and he asked if I would pray with him.  How often do you hear that?  It was great.... I prayed with Robert and Mel, got to talk with them a bit, and then went over to KFC and bought them some dinner.  I didn't do much....it really didn't take much time...but I know God placed me there for a reason and I felt so much of God's presence there and just that HE (GOD) was speaking through Robert with the many empowering words he had.  Mel and Robert have both struggled with heroine, and are also alcoholics.  Please please please be praying for them...that they will continue to go to church and seek Jesus with all their heart....and that they will become free of their addictions....and that they will start on the process to better their lives and get back into working and making things better for themselves (which they both expressed to me that they want).  Also..please pray for Marty (Mel's sister) who has been having difficulty with her vision....and also for Mel's ex-wife who just passed away recently due to an overdose.... and just for his family during this time of mourning and difficulty.  Please pray that God will be revealing Himself to their family and just comforting them through His love and their friends here on Earth.  

Mel said that I would walk away with a story after meeting and talking with him and Robert.  I feel like it's more than that, though...I feel like a piece of them is with me and just really affecting what I've been thinking about these past few hours and how much I really should be more thankful to God of the things I take for granted.  When Robert prayed, "We love you, God, even though we are here on the streets...", I could hear the tears and the sniffles....and the true presence of God in the midst of our prayer circle.  I need to love God a lot more in my times of difficulty, whether they are short or long term...and rely a lot more heavily on God!  Gosh, I was more blessed by them than they were by the little time and food that I provided for them.  Please be keeping them in your prayers!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

-Obviously: Mel and Robert

-My upcoming trip to Seattle to visit my brother...travel safety and kingdom conversations with my brother

-Job search in LA for Servant Partners

-Apartment search in South Central LA for Servant Partners

-My parents...travel safety as they have been and are traveling to many places this summer 

The Past 2 Weeks!

Aaah...the past 2 weeks have been busy and kinda a blur cause there was so much going on, and they have been full of being busy, being joyful :) , and also a bit of burn-out :(.

So last week on Sunday night I went to UCLA for the SPAANK Concert. It was a music event, but mostly to give awareness about astrocities that are going on in North Korea. Please read up about this information: http://spaank.wordpress.com/ , http://www.libertyinnorthkorea.blogspot.com/ , and http://www.linkglobal.org/ . I continually ask God to break my heart for what breaks his....and just learning more about injustices about things like what is going in North Korea and the injustices that exist everywhere...even here in my own backyard in the city of Fullerton where I work....I realize that this world needs so much of a hope and needs to receive love that Jesus brings and wants everybody to receive! Oh, and I also won a free shirt that night which was way awesome, because there were only 12 total of those shirts printed...woo hoo!

So yeah...that was powerful and neat. Then on Tuesday night I went with Johnny and Jayson to Brendan James perform live! http://www.myspace.com/brendanjames He is amazing, and even more amazing in person singing! So that was cool and I got to meet with him and talk to him afterwards. One of my favorite songs from him is "Hero" which gives some incite about the war that is going on...kinda from a soldier's perspective. I feel that it relates to me somewhat because 1 of my brother is in the air force and he's been to Iraq to serve 2 terms before...is currently in South Korea....and just, hearing that song makes me think of him. So yes.

Brendan and me at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles :)

Umm...Friday night was Skid Row....I was blessed to be there because it had been about a month since the last time I was there. I know that some people receive God the most through prayer or worship or other means...but for me...the street corners of Winston and Wall Streets in downtown Los Angeles is where God becomes soo real to me and I just feel His power and presence. That corner is truly Hold Ground!

Saturday was the BIG day. I helped my friend Johnny Lee with the film festival for Talent One Media (TOM). http://www.talent1media.blogspot.com/ The film festival is not competitive and is to display and showcases short films from local producers/directors, and the movies relate to biblical themes. I helped work on 1 of the movies "Coffee and Pie", and so they showed that one which was pretty neat! Doug Jones (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0427964/) was 1 of the leader actors in this film, and so he came to the film fest and signed comic books and took fun pictures. Yeah. Doug is such a great humble guy, so I was really blessed to be in his presence. So along with the films, a huge part of TOM is to promote issues of social justice, and this year the focus was mostly to bring awareness to human trafficking issues (modern-day slavery). So there were a few different organizations there which was cool! :-D I'm glad that I was a part of the film fest and that we were able to have such a good turnout. Oh, and also Hope http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=22887675 performed that night along with Slum Peasants http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=358469192 which was amazing.

Doug Jones and me with a comic book of Abe Sapien from HellBoy

Picture of the AMAZING volunteer staff crew at the TOM Film Fest :-D

Yeah....that's mostly what's been going on....this past week I got to hang out with a few friends here and there...Karina (my old supervisor with an after school program that I worked at), Luini (from small group and CSUF), Bonnie (who just came back from Thailand working with Nightlight http://www.nightlightbangkok.com/) at Lollicup, the JAC crew on Monday night for our meeting, and the IV kids at Summer IV for our ice cream gathering and DODGEBALL on the top of the parking structure late at night...that was way fun...and the Newsong/Skid Row crew for small group and Skid Row on Friday night.

Yesterday was kinda a bleh day though. I really felt all of the stuff that's been going on as just being overwhelmed and just felt burnt-out....and so today I didn't feel very motivated for anything that I was doing. So sorry if I encountered you yesterday (Saturday) and I was just not with it.... I eventually finished everything that I needed to get done and was able to go bike riding with Johnny and Jayson later, which was good and fun!

I also feel that recently I've more of "doing" things for Jesus as opposed to really just sitting with Him and praying and listening to Him and being in His world daily. I definitely have been lacking in that area and feel like I need to focus on that more now. Even though I am busy...that really is no excuse. So...I need to focus on being more of Mary than Martha. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+10:38-42 :) This was moreso reemphasized today at the church message with Darryl...just talking about really hearing God and what He has to tell us...but that Satan is against us and does not want us to hear, or wants us to hear but not understand or do anything in response to what God wants for us....so I really need to be hearing God more and what He has for my life...and responding to that!

So...fundraising update...I am at $2600...which is exciting! I have met my 1st deadline of $1500 that is due June 15th...so that is good to know. I still have about ~$1500 more to fundraise, and I know that a few other people have said that they will be partnering with me. Thanks to everybody who has partnered with me so far!!! :-D

Prayer Requests:

-Alone time with God and focus on my daily devotions.

-Camp Titan...I am leaving next Saturday to spend time with some amazing kids, but they also have come from some dificult backgrounds...so really just patience and love for the kids!

-Friends in my life that are groing through difficult times

-My new job during the Summer as a Day Camp counselor for the Boys and Girls Club :-D