story time

Life has gotten pretty busy around the Hills, so, like I anticipated, I've been pretty bad about updating this. Luckily, my Mom reminded me that I have not updated recently, so I figured I should share some stories from the last week.

Fun in Santa Monica:
Last Saturday, I ventured to Santa Monica beach to hang out in the sun and surf. All was going well (although parking is MISERABLE--and that's not just limited to the beach) and I was enjoying my day when all of a sudden, my tire that has had a nail in it for weeks began to deflate. Now, some of this might be my fault since I drove from NC to Chicago to Cali without dealing with the nail, but some of it is also because the tire was from 2001 and had pretty much worn out completely. The whole situation ended up being a major God-moment because of the events that followed. I went into a 7-11 asking about a car repair shop. The man there suggested an intersection, but didn't sound too confident. I followed his directions and, lo and behold, there was a Toyota dealership (and I drive a Toyota). There, I pointed out my tire, but they didn't have the right tire in stock. They sent me to a tire store a block away, and my friend Don hooked me up with a new tire in less than 30 minutes. Good stuff. Overall, it was a great morning--although a little bit unexpected.

Korean Weddings:
Later that same afternoon, I went to church to work with Jean (the church's wedding director--yessss I'm serious) on a HUGE Korean wedding. As part of my internship, I get to get a taste of all parts of the church--weddings included. In the process of learning how to "produce" a wedding, I also learned a lot about Korean traditions. For example, they don't RSVP. Which is why 600 people showed up when they only expected 450. And, oh yeah, the church only holds 500. But not to worry, they don't mind missing the actual ceremony, because the reception is important part. And to make things more complicated, the church had an electrical problem and half of the lights in the sanctuary wouldn't turn on. Despite these setbacks, the wedding was beautiful and I got to eat a plate full of DELICIOUS Korean food :) And as a plus, Jean says I could run a wedding myself now. I'm hoping I don't have to, but it's nice to know I could!

Sunday Mornings:
Singing at 9:45 worship, prayer at 11:00, mission meeting, youth sunday rehearsal. Oh, the life of an intern :)

Longggg Days:
On Tuesday, I drove Dave and Nancy to the airport bright and early, then stopped at the beach on the way home (THIS is why I love California). I spent the day working with Marie on the homeless lunch and let me just say, what an awesome experience. Over a hundred people came to enjoy a delicious meal that Marie prepared. It's hard to get to talk to people, but I was so intrigued by the few people I met. One man, James, is so intelligent and articulate and it makes me wonder how these folks end up with nothing. I'm learning more and more my passion for mission and social justice, and also learning that not everyone shares these interests. I'm going to teach an AM/PM Bible study on mission and I'm super pumped about it. That night, I went to hang out with Mercy and Zane and just about died laughing when Zane dressed up as Eeyore. It was hysterical. They are so fun and so adorable and the perfect way to spend an evening.

Back to High School:
Youth Sunday is coming and we are planning to do the Lifehouse Everything skit and it looks SOOO GOOOD. More on this when it happens...

Sermon Writing:
...is happening. Again, more on this later.

Pretty much, I am loving every day here in LA. My life, as you can tell, is crazy busy, but it's fun and exciting. I laugh when busses and vans full of tourists drive by my window every day in search of celebrities. Traffic is miserable. I spend my lunch breaks walking down Rodeo Drive. I saw Mary from So You Think You Could Dance (which, btw, is my new OBSESSION) at the mall. You know, just normal life... :)

Well, I figure that's enough info to occupy you all for now...please keep me updated on your lives. Miss you all!!