Or at least that's how I think you spell it. It means Happy New Year in Chinese! That's what I did yesterday. But before we get to that, I'll recap everyting since I last wrote. Thursday evening, I pretty much decided for sure that I'm going to intern at CHC, and I'm really excited about it. I start Tuesday, and I get my own cubicle! :) At class on Friday, we went to th emost positive and optimistic site visit of the semester, which is both good and sad. But our visit was to a part of South LA where Sarah lives. We met with a man named Richard, who happened to be the roommate of the author of one of the books we read, so we heard the stories and saw the places in real life. But Richard talked about he and some friends moved into the neighborhood because the passage about loving your neighbors really struck him. He didn't even know his neighbors when he went to USC. God made very clear to them what they were to do and provided that path. Richard told us the story of how there was this liquor store that caused so much trouble at the end of the street, bringing in prosititutes, drunks, drug dealers, and drive-by shootings. This allowed them to rally the neighborhood together to try to shut the place down. It took them three years, but it finally happened, and it brought so much peace to the neighborhood. We also heard stories of how God used them to bring alienated neighbors together in such a way that it could only have been God designed. He talked about the change that they all experienced as a result of their being open to God's direction. One story involves members of the Blood gang. The street they lived on was the dividing line between the Bloods and the Crypts, and so some Bloods were walking down their street, tagging every tree and some doors. Richard had been talking to some of his friends and they were giving these gang members the "mad dog stare." The gangsters approached them and were like "Do you have a problem?" and Richard's friend responded with "Do YOU have a problem?" No so much the right thing to say to an angry Blood. The gangster then asked where Richard lived, and Richard stuck out his hand and told him exactly where. The Blood member was hesitant, but finally shook his hand and said he lived with his momma down the street. The mood of the conversation changed after that, even though there was still some yelling. Later, they tried to get these guys some jobs and developed relationships with them. I guess one day Richard was going to the market and accidentally stepped into the street while the neighborhood Bloods were having a meeting. He decided to keep walking, and pretend like nothing was wrong, though he was terrified. Then he heard someone yell, "Hey Richard!!" and he looked up to see one of those men that he had gotten to know. "Hey B.K.!" All of us students laughed when we pictured the scene. But it was really cool to hear just how vividly God was working there and using Richard and his friends and family.
Friday night, Lydia wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home while Christy, Alicia, Jesse and I went to Universal City walk. We got a little bit dressed up and wandered the brightly lit area. It must have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep that up, but it was beautiful! We watched a girl paint incredible pictures with only spray paint. That was great. Then we had appetizers and dessert at Hard Rock Cafe. It was fun getting to spend some time with them and get to know them better. Christy and I planned to be home by midnight, but we arrived at the bus stop from the Metro at 11:40 or so. I knew then that we'd have to wait for a while to catch the right bus, but I didn't realize that we'd be waiting for forty minutes! Luckily, it was well lit and not in a sketch part of town. While seated on the planter, we heard rats scurrying beneath us, and the man next to us, with red eyes, asked if we smoked bud. We said no. Then he asked if we smoked hash. Still no, buddy. Finally, the bus came and we arrived at home. We went to bed at 1 AM.
Saturday morning, I awoke to the sound of Lydia throwing up into the trash can so conveniently placed by her bed. I was really glad that I don't have a queasy stomach, what with the sound of her wretching and the spew of the vomit into the can. And the smell. Luckily, she made it mostly into the trash can and that was removed. She felt better after that and we both went back to bed. Then I woke up and we caught Christy up on some Arrested Development and then Christy and I took off to China town to celebrate the year of the Ox! (Which year is that anyways?) We got boba and spongey cake and were showered with confetti. It was the best street party I ever witnessed. It made me really happy. :)My favorite was the huge dragon at the beginning of the parade. After that I was pretty much fulfilled. But we also watched samuri men and little kids dressed in traditional garb and the women in their outfits. Beautiful. All of it. Then Brianna joined us and we ate pho. So good. And before we left the restaurant, we also accumulated a Jesse and an Alicia. We then wandered across the street to the plaza and watched balancing acts and ninjas breaking sticks on their legs.. and between their legs.. Then I came home and attempted to start the reading for class, but got really tired. So I went to sleep. At 8:00 PM. I had nothing else to do, though I could have gone on the GYRAD with people from APU because they were in Los Angeles. However, at the time of invitation, I had no details. Needless to say, I was a little bummed, but took the opportunity to catch up on my sleep!
I awoke this morning at about 8:00 AM, 12 hours after I went to sleep. I'm pretty sure I'd never slept a full twelve hours in my life! Lydia and I opted not to go to church today, she is still recovering and I didn't want to go by myself. Lame? Yes. But I am excited about having my own quiet time and playing my guitar for my own worship. Oh! And Sarah asked if I'd lead our class worship on Friday. I'm super excited to do so, I just need to be in prayer about it.
Thank you for your prayers. I feel them. God is teaching me and challenging me, and I cannot wait to continue in my growth. Pray that I'm able to process these things more quickly and that they become more real to me. Pray for my class and the worship I'm going to be leading, that God will use that time for us all to meditate on Him. And I start my internship on Tuesday, so pray that God bless my time with this organization and that our labor proves to be fruitful. Pray for South LA. I learned a lot about the area this last week, and I have developed a heart to serve that community, which I'll be able to do while I'm with CHC. Pray for my relationship with you, that it will not fade and that when I come back, we can still connect, because sometimes I'm afraid that I'll be so different and no one will recognize that, making it difficult for me to retain this character I'm developing.
Grace and Peace to you,
Tracy
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