Please pass the fruit salad....again and again...

The guys on the trip (minus Thomas who wanted to sleep in) had decided last night that they were going to bike to Venice Beach this morning. I decided to get my "I am woman hear me roar" attitude and go with them. FAIL #1...Kelsey and I woke up to her ringtone (Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts for all of you country fans out there), took one look at each other and hit the pillows hard - thus sleeping in and unleashing all-male havoc on LA at 6:30am Pacific Standard Time. Only God and those guys know what occurred without the presence of the women. I have learned not to ask. :.D

After receiving the hospitality of the Canales family's shower, I was inducted into the long journey of learning how to cook from Lapita this summer (I already have my first recipe, watch out Appalachian State). I cut up the fruit for the amazing fruit salad that was served this morning...along with pancakes, omelettes, cereal, toast, and of course, the ever-present Salsa! As you can tell, food is going to be a regular discussion at the beginning of this blog. And guess what is coming next? Lunch! Ted, Karrie, and Jonathan introduced several of the local pastors and those involved with the ministry around western LA by taking us to the restaurant closest to the heart of Forrest Gump, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. After being served by the friendliest and bubbliest waitresses this side of the Mississippi, we had some serious discussion about the goals and plans for the summer. Relational ministry seemed to be the topic of choice due to the unfamiliarity of ASU BCM's type of outreach programs in this area.

Interlude of FAIL #2: In attempting to tell Esau that I did indeed enjoy the food but was not very hungry (Si, pero no tengo hambre) it came out as (Si, pero no tengo hombre). Yes, instead of telling him that "I have no hunger" I told him "I have no man." Note to self: work on pronounciation....

After lunch, a local pastor, Jimmy, was nice enough to sit down with the group and give us an amazing Biblical explanation and visual diagram of the religious backgrounds of California and the issues which arise from that. I was shocked to hear that 80% of people in some areas have never heard the story of Jesus. To me that sounds like a scenario one would find in a foreign country, not in America which was founded "under God." I realized how much our approach to discussion and even political correctness would have to change in order to affect change in this area and incite interest in the local population.

Our last goal of the day, to travel back to Venice Beach and get to know the area blossomed into a complete tour by bike, complements of our gracious guide Billy. Little did we know that this trip into Los Angeles' hippie version of Chinatown and travelling the beautiful coast would turn into a 3 hour excursion. I told the guys, who had not been expecting to be back on a bike again today, that I have never been so grateful to be a woman before (The amount of soreness incurred on the trip had the guys calling each other their "butt buddies"). However this is where FAIL #3 comes in for me. The Sparknotes version of the story goes as follows: Storm had not ridden a bike since she was 12. Storm thought that the saying "Once you ride a bike, you never forget how" was true. Storm was wrong. Therefore for a time, Thomas, out of the kindness of his heart, was forced to ride a pink bike complete with a green frog on the handlebars and squeaky breaks while Storm re-learned the skills of steering and pedaling. Okay, end of third person speech and humiliating story.

Our team time was by far the most significant for me yet. I feel as though things are coming together as we learn about our spiritual gifts, which areas of ministry we each struggle in, and how these aspects relate to the work we are choosing for the summer. It is helping me narrow down a field of work from a broad topic such as art to a more defined summer volunteer job. Even though I am worn out, sore, and tired, I feel like the progress we are making and the excitement I am feeling at the end of this day requires me to finish this post with a word that is the opposite of FAIL. I'm thinking maybe ANTI-FAIL, UNFAIL, or maybe even SUCCESS!

God Bless, Storm