To my Supporters

So, I am sitting here in my room at the Palm Motel after grabbing my breakfast at the B-Nook (Breakfast Nook) reflecting on where I am and where I’m going. I have four roommates that are amazing, we are from different campuses, Davis, Colorado, and of course CP SLO. Nearly every bit of space is covered with our stuff. The walls are decorated with Bible verses on poster paper. The motel provided a complimentary chain of plastic flamingos, which drastically weigh the right side of the room. Outside is an area which we refer to as the “Promised Land” which embodies two carport spaces and serves as our refuge when we have free time. This oasis consists of a table with yellowed lace on it, a hammock that reminds me of a kite, three couches (my favorite one is in zebra print), and numerous beach balls and bean bags. The environment is constantly full of laughter and the excited voices of 72 college students getting to know one another.

To think I have been here 4 weeks is mind boggling. So far it has been a roller coaster, but a divine one at that. The first weekend we were here we went out into the community and talked to people about their spiritual beliefs everyday. That was such a crazy time, constantly having to depend on God to direct the conversations that we were having was a growing experience, but God blessed us in that time and He brought one person to Christ in that first weekend. Since then we go sharing three times a week and three more people have come to Christ. Four souls dedicated to Christ, in two weeks! This far exceeds the amount of people that I thought were going to respond to Christ, which proves, never underestimate God’s power and goodness! We have had over 900 spiritual conversations, along with that we have shared Jesus’ story in about 400 conversations. We know that numbers do not mean anything eternally, but it is so encouraging to see the impact that is being made.

In the third week an epidemic of doubt spread through our movement. There has been some hard core spiritual warfare going on. So many people have gotten sick by totally different things. There have been multiple trips to the ER for random accidents. Multiple people have had family and friends back home pass away, which is emotionally draining. On top of these situations, we as individuals had been consumed by our sin. It was bizarre to see how we all became consumed with self doubt and lack of ability to love one another. That week was a brutal one for me personally. It started out with me getting infections in both ears, which knocked me out physically, making it extremely hard for me to connect spiritually. I then was confronted by my own sin, and feeling overwhelmingly incompetent to share Christ with other people. Thank God, we had a night of confession, and we left all our issues literally, at the foot of the cross. It was a time where I think a lot of people realized the reality of Satan working on their souls, and decided to fight instead of just wander in confusion. This was definitely a turning point in our movement. We immediately became dependent upon each other to keep each other in check that we were looking to God for our satisfaction and worth.

To start this past week off (Thursday is the new Monday) we went out sharing and I was partnered with my friend Richard, who happens to also be a co-worker. We decided to use a new method that was presented to us. We show people a short film and then just ask for feedback. The films do not directly relate to Christ, but it is alluded to within the stories they tell. So we approached 10 groups of people and none of them would listen to us. In general, people will talk to you for at least a minute, but we got turned down time after time. When we only had about five minutes left we approached these two guys, Juan and Manuel, and had an amazing conversation about the gospel and who Jesus is. They expressed some interest and so we went a little deeper and Juan was really interested but had some reservations, but Manuel accepted Christ! I can only imagine the awesome party going on in heaven right now. It is such a blessing to see how God just showed up and did a miracle.

So, now, we are entering our fifth week in Santa Monica and I am so excited. On Thursday our staff team left and gave each of us our roles and responsibilities to fulfill. There is the leadership team, a group of 6 men and women, who delegate all the other committees and people. I was given the privilege of being an action group leader, which now consists of four women including me. One member is actually on leadership team and she will disciple me as I disciple the other women. I am so excited and anxious to see how this all plays out and what God has in store for our time as we embrace our roles and really take ownership of our project. I am excited to start really pursuing the people in this spiritual body that God is creating, and to see the impact he makes.

Thank you for all your support and prayers while I am here serving our God. I ask that you continue to pray for strength, courage and endurance as we continue in our jobs (I am working at Starbucks), outreach in the community and fulfill our roles. Our time is going to be packed full, and I aspire to keep godly attitudes. I desire that we continue in humility and compassion toward each other and toward Santa Monica. I love you all.

God Bless.