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| Sister & my favorite girls |
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| Mom & Sis |
This week has been more difficult than most. I admit I cannot always be as sincere as I would like. I admit I do not have enough love, grace, consideration, and compassion. I lack in skill and capability, and I often cover my inadequacy with exaggerated confidence. I am not a profound person with profound words. I only know that there is someone who is more sincere than the heat of the sun. There is someone who is constant in love and grace. He considers my well being when I wake and sleep. His compassion for me never wanes. His skill and capability is beyond sufficient to sustain my life. He is the God I serve. Because of Him my insufficiency does not consume me. He intercedes with His power so that I can give what I do not have. When I find it difficult to love His love overwhelms me, and in His love I find the strength to love.
Because of His Grace,
Sarah
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| Serve the City- LA |
We are wrapping up our six week of project! This week, I volunteered at Trinity Baptist Church, helping to put together a Vacation Bible School for kids. This opportunity was exhausting, to say the least! (I’m not used to working with kids) I was assigned to work with the story team. Working with the story team allowed for me to have a variety of experiences. The theme of the whole VBS was airplanes. It was all just one huge story about a little airplane; by the name of I-431 (the name of the airplane actually stands for Isaiah 43:1).
“But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you be name, you are mine.’” –Isaiah 43:1
The young I-431 was created by a team by the name of the Great Designer. The team consisted of a designer, engineer, and counselor. They built the plane good, and I-431 thought so too. But the I-431 finds himself dissatisfied with the Great Designer’s work when he starts comparing himself to other planes. Things get worse for the plane when different pilots come along and convince him that he is inadequate, the way he is made. The engineer eventually finds the plane down and out decides that he will trade anything to get the plane working the way it was designed to in the first place.
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| Kenny visited =] |
Working on the VBS project reminded me of the simple truths about scripture. We were created good. We found ourselves dissatisfied. We looked to other things. We were doomed to death. Our engineer trades everything to save us from ourselves. The VBS project also reminded me how God made us fearfully and wonderfully, and how we are to ‘lift up our eyes, look to God, and praise God’ for it. Working on the VBS project has also given me the opportunity to work with believers with a different cultural background than what I am used to. The people that I worked with to put the VBS project together were Korean. The way that prayed was awesome. On one of the days that we spent preparing for it, the VBS team decided to pray together. We all sat together in a big circle and prayed simultaneously after one gal gave us something to pray about.
Being in Santa Monica has allowed me to be around a multitude of people. I am grateful for this
-Mario G
CODY: Hello friends.
Time has flown by since the last blog. I think this has definitely been the fastest week time wise this project. I cant believe that I have less than 2 weeks left! I am sad that I will be leaving the amazing friends I am around every day, yet excited to see what the Lord has for me in the next season of my life. Since I last wrote (Tuesday) we have continued our weekly schedule of lead team meeting Tuesday night, date night with Jesus on Wednesday, and ‘Good News, Good Deeds’ on Thursday. I am continually encouraged by the students hearts on project, especially the 5 other members of the lead team who I spend a lot of time with meeting and discussing different things about project. I will definitely miss the openness we have with each other and the flow of abundant encouragement that has come.
On Thursday I got to go out with a group of students to the Ronald McDonald House as a part of our “Good News, Good Deeds’. We helped by cleaning up the outside of the house, sanding benches, painting parking spaces, raking brush, etc. I think what the Ronald McDonald House does is awesome. For those of you who don’t know, it is a place where families can stay for free if their child is in the hospital. It is especially helpful for families who are visiting from another country. After, we had a time to debrief what happened in all the places the students went, and finish with some great worship.
On Saturday we went out and ‘Served The City’ where the project broke up into about 4 different groups and went out to different places to help out in the community. I got to go with a group of about 20 or so to East Hollywood where there is 1 park for about 80,000 people. The area was made up of about 90% tenants who rented. We went out with rakes, brooms, and trash bags cleaning up the streets and encouraging the local people to help out, as well as telling them why we were out there doing what we were doing. I don’t know how many smiles I saw from people in their yards or driving by. I really wish we all took some time out of our lives to go out and serve your city. After picking up trash, we had a barbeque for the local people and at the same time hosted a 3-on-3 basketball tournament at the park. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed being able to lend a hand and at the same time glorifying God.
Sunday we went to church once again at Trinity Baptist. I cant say enough about the church and the ways they serve us. They open their doors to our project every summer and don’t charge us a cent to use their facilities, and we do a lot there! We got the chance to hear Pastor Trevor speak on trusting God when the storms come in our life and bring chaos. When things are going smoothly it is easy to feel like we have everything under control, yet all it takes is 1 phone call for our lives to be turned to what seems like chaos. He talked about the passage where Jesus walks on water and how the men on the boat were experiencing total chaos when in reality God had everything under control. Trusting God has been a huge thing He has been teaching and challenging me with.
Like I said, I cant believe that I will be coming home next week! I am still hoping for God to do big things during this last leg of the trip, and am excited for what He will continue to teach me. Please pray for strength in our last week and unity of the body.
Sincerely,
Cody
Time has flown by since the last blog. I think this has definitely been the fastest week time wise this project. I cant believe that I have less than 2 weeks left! I am sad that I will be leaving the amazing friends I am around every day, yet excited to see what the Lord has for me in the next season of my life. Since I last wrote (Tuesday) we have continued our weekly schedule of lead team meeting Tuesday night, date night with Jesus on Wednesday, and ‘Good News, Good Deeds’ on Thursday. I am continually encouraged by the students hearts on project, especially the 5 other members of the lead team who I spend a lot of time with meeting and discussing different things about project. I will definitely miss the openness we have with each other and the flow of abundant encouragement that has come.
On Thursday I got to go out with a group of students to the Ronald McDonald House as a part of our “Good News, Good Deeds’. We helped by cleaning up the outside of the house, sanding benches, painting parking spaces, raking brush, etc. I think what the Ronald McDonald House does is awesome. For those of you who don’t know, it is a place where families can stay for free if their child is in the hospital. It is especially helpful for families who are visiting from another country. After, we had a time to debrief what happened in all the places the students went, and finish with some great worship.
On Saturday we went out and ‘Served The City’ where the project broke up into about 4 different groups and went out to different places to help out in the community. I got to go with a group of about 20 or so to East Hollywood where there is 1 park for about 80,000 people. The area was made up of about 90% tenants who rented. We went out with rakes, brooms, and trash bags cleaning up the streets and encouraging the local people to help out, as well as telling them why we were out there doing what we were doing. I don’t know how many smiles I saw from people in their yards or driving by. I really wish we all took some time out of our lives to go out and serve your city. After picking up trash, we had a barbeque for the local people and at the same time hosted a 3-on-3 basketball tournament at the park. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed being able to lend a hand and at the same time glorifying God.
Sunday we went to church once again at Trinity Baptist. I cant say enough about the church and the ways they serve us. They open their doors to our project every summer and don’t charge us a cent to use their facilities, and we do a lot there! We got the chance to hear Pastor Trevor speak on trusting God when the storms come in our life and bring chaos. When things are going smoothly it is easy to feel like we have everything under control, yet all it takes is 1 phone call for our lives to be turned to what seems like chaos. He talked about the passage where Jesus walks on water and how the men on the boat were experiencing total chaos when in reality God had everything under control. Trusting God has been a huge thing He has been teaching and challenging me with.
Like I said, I cant believe that I will be coming home next week! I am still hoping for God to do big things during this last leg of the trip, and am excited for what He will continue to teach me. Please pray for strength in our last week and unity of the body.
Sincerely,
Cody
