Junior High Mission Trip

On April 1st San Marino Community Church's junior high group headed to downtown Los Angeles for a mission trip. It was a tiny group--only 4 junior highers and 3 adult chaperons. We partnered with Center for Student Missions (LA). CSM gave us a tour guide who led us around LA to different ministry sites.

Looking back I would have to describe the trip as a learning experience for me. In one sense, there was much to take in as we saw extreme poverty and extreme wealth in the matter of seconds in LA. It was even more of a learning experience for me as I learned how messy ministry can be... Balancing kids, volunteers, and trip logistics is hard! There are lots of decisions to be made, group dynamics to watch, and responsibilities to hold. Praise God for His grace as I do ministry--because I am sure not perfect!

Here are a few pictures of some of the ministry sites we worked at. Wei Wei and Sarah are sorting food at the LA Regional Food Bank.
One morning we had to walk around the financial district of downtown LA and find a homeless person to take to breakfast. My group enjoyed chatting with Robert at McDonalds.
Another stop was serving dinner at the Midnight Mission in Skid Row. It was quite an efficient system as thousands of people were fed that night in a few hours.
Part of our trip was to experience some of the diversity of LA in taste. We went to Thai, Nicaraguan, and Armenian restaurants. This plate of food is Nicaraguan--complete with fried bananas--yum!
And finally, the kids picked up on the word "selah," a word in the Psalm we studied those few days. Selah is the Hebrew word for pause. One morning they wrote it on their palms so they would remember to "selah" and look around the world around them.
It's pretty crazy how much you actually learn when you do "selah"....

You want to come to my house?

April 1-4 I chaperoned a junior high mission trip with my church. The mission trip was only 20 minutes away--to downtown LA. I have lots of pictures and thoughts to write, but for now I wanted to post a poem that was read to us during the trip. The poem was written by a 10 year old girl who lives in Skid Row.

"My favorite sport is handball. You know what it is? You get a ball and hit it on the wall. If it touches down, you're out. You have have to get in line again and wait and wait until it is your turn.

Favorite subject? What is a subject? Oh my favorite subject is about planets because I know where the planets are. And lots of stuff.

Me, I am in my mother's world. I like my mother and father the same. But I like my dad a little more, because he takes me to buy more stuff and because he's nice to me. My mom is nice too but when we don't do well in school and my mom hits us my dad says why do you hit them? If you hit them they'll become more dumb.

You want to come to my house? Tell me before you want to come. I got to clean up.

My favorite color is red, blue, or purple. Tell you one word or you want more? Blue-hat red.

I was writing this poem but something happened. The police came because a man put a gun at my sister. My brother called the police. You didn't tell me. You want to come to my house?"

--Girl, Age 10

Spring Break

Spring Break was amazingly relaxing after quite a stressful quarter. Between 2 jobs, 3 classes, an incomplete class to finish, and life in general I was exhausted and grateful that the quarter was over with. Spring Break started with some St. Patrick's Day celebrating, complete with Bagpipes! And how does one celebrate St. Patrick's Day without green beer? I will next year! Apparently the Irish in me and the green food coloring does not make beer taste any better.

Spring Break was also a time of "official Thai food tasting." Recovery from mono Sophie discovered that Pad See Ew noodles were some of the only things that felt soothing on her throat. Therefore we conducted a survey of a number of the Thai restaurants in Pasadena. Saladang came out on top. An official taste tester is really not a bad job to have...
During the weekend Becca, Sophie, and I traveled to Becca's parents' house in San Pedro. I was absolutely shocked that this was the view out of their living room window. I could seriously get used to that!
While in San Pedro we went to a play called the Pageant of the Lord. The play recreated famous art (paintings and statues) that told the Easter story. It was beautiful to watch painting literally "come alive." Sophie had on tall shoes that day so both her and Becca towered over me...but really--who wouldn't want to be short?

We ended our San Pedro trip in Redondo Beach.
All in all it was a great break...filled with laughs, sleep, good food, shopping, pool time, a road trip, celebrating.... I think we need Spring Break more often!

All Done!!

I love waking up the Saturday after finals week--a day that doesn't start with a clock alarm or have a to-do list assigned to it. I woke at 9:30 and lie in bed thinking of the possibilities of the things I should do...wash my dishes, do laundry, or go for a run, but I kept laying there basking in the goodness of spring break. I think this quarter ended with bit more of a push than usual. I had an incomplete to finish in addition to my 3 classes. But, all ended well and was turned in by 4:05pm Friday.

I haven't given a life update in awhile so here are a few pictures and updates from the quarter...

--I got a new job. I'm working as the part-time assistant for the Student Leadership Project. It's a really cool project run by Chap Clark. It assigns urban minority students with Young Life mentors in high school. The mentors stay with them through college and help them get connected with a church. Finally, if the students chose, the Student Leadership Project will fund a good portion of their seminary tuition at Fuller. Once every 2 years the students and leaders come to Pasadena for 2 weeks for a time of leadership development, learning, and playing in LA. They are coming this June--which is a lot of what I'm working on. The job is only a few hours a week but I'm learning A LOT and getting to know some awesome people in the process. We'll see how it all goes!

--I've booked tickets to go to TX in April to visit Robin and other Cursillo folks. I'm so excited to go!!!

--And, our junior high mission trip is on the go. We leave on April 1st. Definitely be praying for us.

--Rebecca and Josh will be married in exactly one week! They met at Fuller about a year ago and almost instantly became a match. On March 24th in North Carolina they will make it official. Here they are on their co-ed wedding celebration (not bridal shower) at Fuller. This is everyone that came to the party. It was a good group.

--Finally, here's a picture of Pasadena from a window of an office building. The big white building with the rows of windows is a building at Fuller.