"Team, I have a feeling we're not in Boone anymore..."

Wow, today has been a long yet exciting day. We definitely started off on the right foot. I'd like to just say that Lupita (the hispanic minister's wife) is one amazing cook. And the best part is, she LOVES to cook for people. I hope no one takes this the wrong way, but the woman I marry one day will love to cook for me...I'm jussayin.

Even though the eggs, sausage, diced potatoes, homemade salsa, and endless fruit filled my life with sunshine on a gloomy overcast morning, BUT the team also witnessed an endless slap war between Thomas and Josh, a bamboo sword fight, and the voting off and dramatic return of our fearless leader. By the way, I am offically co-cheif. Josh said so.

We were blessed with a visit from our supervisor and new found friend Jonathan Stockstill. Thanks to the o-so-wonderful LA traffic he was about 45 minutes late, so he wasted no time getting to work as soon as he arrived. Jonathan is a really cool guy. He is passionate about what he does and he honestly looks like he should be on television. Maybe not a hit series on a large network, but at least a TNT drama series or an infomercial host.

So the team along with Esau and our neighbor Stephen sat down with Jonathan and answered a few personality/character questions. He wanted to know what our dreams were and what we were passionate about. We also had to describe ourselves with ONE word. Thomas of course stole my word, "approachable", so I had to come up with something really quick and couldn't quite make sense with it. I actually don't even know if I gave him one word, but instead a few babbling sentences which in turn lead to the team and Jonathan (whom I had just met) making jokes at my expense. No worries though, I am used to it.

After about 2 hours of housekeeping discussions and getting to know Jonathan, the team went to lunch at Pancho's Tacos. I got the Loco Burrito...it was crazy! After our delicioso lunch we ventured off to the area of Santa Monica we will be working to scope out the people there. We walked through "The Promenade", an upscale shopping area. There we found many street performers and the team was introduced to a man from Oklahoma who started a "Jesus Booth" ministry back in the 90's. It is exactly what it sounds like. It is a small booth with signs reading "information about Jesus Christ". I was a bit skeptical about it, but it was pretty legit. After the promenade we visited the pier down at beach. Again many street performers which included a disco dancing old man who had limited dance moves...and limited skill, but Jesus loves him just the same.

The people in Santa Monica were a lot different than the type of people I am used to. They didn't really smile, nor did they seem very approachable. It was as if they were on a mission. They had to get somewhere, and get something done...fast. I am used to the more laid back attitude of the south. This came as a concern for the whole team. We fear we will struggle with approaching and maintaining a relationship with the people in that area.

Upon returning to the church, we were feeling even more overwhelmed than we had been, so Josh and I took a bike ride around the area. I hadn't riden a bicycle since I was probably 12 or 13 so it was nice to get back on and see my ability to balance and pedal was still there. The highlight of my night was mine and Josh's personal martial arts lesson by an awesome guy named Sean. He is one of Stephen's friends and I hope to get to know him more. I may even use martial arts as a way to build some good relationships for ministry, who knows.

Some things we will be praying for, and things you can pray for us too are:
1-Continued prayers for the people in the areas we will be working in: Venice, Santa Monica, and West LA. Pray that God will be working in their hearts while we prepare to get out there amongst them and spread the gospel.
2-That as we explore those areas, we discover opportunities that we can use to build solid relationships with. This is probably going to include volunteering our time with some point of interest to each of us. For me, I am going to be looking for an organization helping the homeless. Not only would I be meeting the homeless and sharing God's love with them, but also the people that are already giving up their time to help those in need.
3-That God will give us the wisdom and confidence we need to approach the people of the region. They are a lot different than what we are used to, and this is definitely out of our comfort zone.
4-That we get enough down time to relax and recharge. The last two days have been really overwhelming. There is a lot of information to take in, and we have realized the task at hand. This along with the jet lag has been a draining effect on our day-to-day. I just don't want this to continue as our time here is short and our work is long.

By the way, I am very thankful for the awesome people God has us working with. From Ted Knapp, to Jonathan, to Esau and his family. They are definitely some of the nicest and compassionate people I have ever met. I also wanna thank you all for your continued support and prayers. Until next Tuesday, take care and God Bless!
-Bruce