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| the past week in Philly has been amazing. considerably different from what i had been doing/accustomed to in DC, but not in a particularly "better or worse" kind of different. there definitely were things that i liked better in Philly over DC, but i also have an understanding that i was "called" to DC for a reason as well, even if i'm not sure of what that is/was yet.
in the physical realm, i really thought that Philadelphia was beautiful. i will totally go back sometime given the opportunity to do so. the old buildings, churches, houses are so different and i felt, more purposeful than the kind of homes we have back in la. the food was amazing. i got to try a philly cheesesteak from jim's  as well as tastycakes (somewhat similar to hostess line of snacks like twinkies, but taste SO much better) water ice from rita's ( i dunno how to describe... you just really gotta try it w/ the custard), they philly pretzel (eaten w/ mustard) and got some wa-wa coffee (its is an exceptionallty glorified 7-eleven). the Philly skyline is rather impressive. the city hall building is the largest, (even bigger than the capitol building) and is beautifully ornate and the carvings and statues are astoundingly intricate, with a statue of william penn at the top. we passed by the art museum every other day, but sadly, i did not get the chance to run up the rocky(teh movie) steps  they also have a building with an entire side fitted w/ (RGB) lights, where they can put up huge pictures of whatever they want  . there are also a lot of old abandoned buildings. these buildings are the ones i found most beautiful most of the time. old boarded up churches, houses and the likes. they gave a statistic that there are enough abandoned buildings in philadelphia to house all of the homeless in the city, but that there just isn't enough interest/money/time to restore them to their former glory or to provide affordable housing for it.
the group that i hosted in philadelphia was actually from the philadelphia area, in fact they were all from a college in philadelphia, so i didn't have a hard time with directions really at all, they knew where they were going for the most part (this was well planned for me). This group was AMAZING, i really enjoyed hanging out with them and taking them to the different CSM sites. their eagerness to serve and considerable talent and giftings in multiple areas made for a very strong group dynamic. furthermore, due to their differences in background and varied passions, they pretty much covered everything, and there wasn't really any site that they did not do well in. i felt like this was a pretty great model (on a small scale) of the church. fully open to discussions, soemtimes brutally honest with one another, really humble with each other, very joyful, and compassionate and sensitive with one another as well as those around them. i would not at all be surprised if each and every one of them were to become exceptional leaders in their respective fields and continue to serve the Lord with all their hearts.
more to come in the coming weeks i think. i just ran out of time tonite, need to rest up for next group tomorrow evening!
please continue to pray for me, in working with people, getting over my own fears and worries, and in just learning to trust God MORE.
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| don't get me wrong, I am VERY excited that i'm on the east coast, working with an organization that seems almost perfectly suited for me, i'll get to work with jr. high, high school, as well as college-aged people for short periods of time, anywhere from 4 days to 2 weeks, and in so doing, i will be getting the chance to meet tons of new people and many different kinds of people from different churches, different places, and different points in their walk with God. Furthermore, I am a mere bus-ride away from some of the most important and amazing buildings and leaders in the free-world! This is all exciting and great, and yes i am praising God for bringing me here and showing me new things, but... i don't know... i feel like something's missing?  but i'm not quite sure what yet. My roommate is totally cool, a 19 year old guy from west virginia, who thinks Cali is the most amazing place in the world, two leaders, a 30-something guy, who's the director (who has a really cute little toddler-aged daughter) as well as a girl a year younger than me who's co-directing with him. we've been traveling around with them these last few days just seeing sites we'll be taking our groups to as well as trying the local ethnic foods what we'll have the groups try. we're all getting along quite well and i don't foresee any troubles or problems any of us will have with one another yet, but i mean... who knows? maybe i'm not waiting on God...
the training thus far has been somewhat relaxed, i think/i feel like they're letting us get accustomed to things here, and considering we're going to be here for 3 months, i guess its a good idea to get comfortable with living here with one another and being able to get around and not get too lost or anything. get to the grocery store or clothing store to get the things we need for just basic living. our first group comes in about a week so, best get cracking on the reading and learning the directions and things to talk about while leading.
i think i really need to spend more time in prayer. praying about things more specifically and more seriously, with more fevor? i also need to get more into doing regular quiet times and not just rely on my usual, downtime talks with God. i can totally feel the enemy breathing down my neck sometimes, my prayers have been quickly and easily distracted by the people i'm around, and surprisingly, i haven't been sleeping as well as i usually do, maybe its the different bed, or the heater and its dry heat choking me in the middle of the night haha. either way, if you do read this, please pray for me and the work i'll be doing, and i shall gladly keep in prayer whomever asks for it, whatever they'd like to share with me  . Thanks all! an God Bless!!
so.. my prayer requests for the moment are:
~discernment, hearing God
~against distractions
~learning what i need to in order to lead groups (both spiritually and map-wise...topologically?)
~sleep!
~continued building of relationships w/ those around me
thank you!, i'm not sure yet if this is where i'll continue to post about my trip, but from the people that i know of who still use xanga, i'm comfortable sharing more in depth with you guys here. please, by all means drop a note or comment too when you can, i have access to the computer so i'll be able to check from time to time (aka if not everyday, then every few days)
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