cheesecake... yummy!

Well this morning started out like many others with an amazingly awesome breakfast made by the wonderful Lupita. Then it was time for some research so we looked up non-profit organizations that we could get involved it. We also needed to type up some of the demographics we had gathered in the Santa Monica and Venice areas for future reference. After that some of us who do not particularity enjoy research were ready to head into the field.

So Thomas, Bruce, Storm, and I headed out on our bicycles, our form of transportation without our lovely driver here for the next two days. Josh and Luke are back in North Carolina for Puck and Kelly's wedding (Congratulations from the LA Team by the way)! They are missed greatly by the rest of the team especially Thomas and Bruce without their cuddle buddies! Well we decided to stick together today and venture to Santa Monica.

At the Promenade, I felt like God had placed a lady on my heart that we had passed a few times before that had a sign that read "Hungry". Today I finally decided to listen and not let fear be an excuse. Storm and I went up to the lady and introduced ourselves. Her name was Jennifer and she was from Washington state. We asked her if we could get lunch for her. She asked her boyfriend to watch their dog so she could go to Subway with us. As we were walking and talking she began to open up to us a little bit. She told us she had traveled down to LA with her boyfriend in hopes of ending up in Texas. They had found the dog in the bushes and used a lot of their money to care for the dog. Jennifer and her boyfriend have been camping out for two or three months. She told us that she didn't really get along with her father who had raised her to dislike her mother. She was finally able to meet her mom and realize that they had a lot in common. She talked about how she liked to stay away from Venice because she wanted to stay drug free. We felt like this might be a way of life for her. I hope that this is a relationship that can grow.

While we were hanging out with Jennifer, Thomas and Bruce decided to grab lunch at Barney's Beanery. Their waitress, Melissa, evidently wanted Bruce and/or Thomas depending on which one you talk to. God only knows what went on during this guy bonding experience. Storm and I meet up with them and had some team reflection time in Barnes and Noble. Then we began our trek back to the church while our legs screamed at us the whole way. It was time for us to take some showers, rest, nap, and wait for the Knapps.

Ted and Kerrie Knapp picked us up and took us down to Redondo beach to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. This was a new and enjoyable experience for me. We meet their friend, Chris who was from Trinidad and spend some time in Canada. He is an associate pastor in the area. We also found out that he also enjoys snow which is a rare occurrence to share that similarity with anyone in Southern California where it is sunny the majority of the time. We were also able to explain that they didn't have to apologize for the gloomy June weather because it was hot compared to Boone weather. The dinner allowed us to tell the Knapps about what we have been doing, while having a great dinner. Of course you can't go to the cheesecake factory without having some cheesecake, so Thomas and Storm split some Key Lime cheesecake, which was a little crazy for me, and Bruce and I split the 30th Anniversary Chocolate Cake Cheesecake which was yummy! Who know there were so many flavors of cheesecake. I believe it is safe to say that we all thought that we might explode literally after eating tonight and could barely walk to the car. They also drove us to see the association office in Inglewood. At the office we were able to see a map of Los Angeles County and were all amazed at how large LA really is.

We are constantly reminded in LA how much people focus on money and image as we drove around tonight. Keep praying for those who worship money as their god. Also for finding ways into these people's lives that think they have everything they need.

When we got back we had our team meeting and hung out with people from the church. Storm and I are constantly practicing/ learning Spanish with our new friends from the Hispanic church and Lupita. Bruce and Thomas were able to hang out with our friend Steven, who is constantly working around the church to better it and the community. It is encouraging to see these people who are passionate about Christ and who have a heart for this community.

Keep praying for the connections being made and as they begin to grow. Pray for Jennifer and her boyfriend. Pray for new ideas and an opening of hearts in the Santa Monica area. Pray for connections and relationships in Venice. Be praying for the team as we are constantly faced with darkness. Pray for boldness and courage in talking to people.

Kelsey