Day 1
First day of the Share the Bread tour and my first day riding in the Safari RV. Wow, I can’t believe I’m actually living in an RV. I never thought I would I would take my two bachelor degrees and my new masters and subsequently move into an RV. But I did. God keeps me on my toes by continually putting me outside of my comfort zone where I am better able to grow, learn, and develop (even when I don’t want to be a good sport about it). However, this is definitely a time when I feel my soul anticipating this pending adventure with excitement and joy. I was brought nearly to tears today in fits of laughter on several occasions. One of which was when the first youth minister at Hilltop Church of Christ told us nonchalantly to parallel-park the RV. Maybe this is only funny when you see this beast of a vehicle, but parking a 31-foot vehicle in a normal spot is a feat all on its own.
None of us knew what to expect coming into tonight. This was our first stop and we have no routine solidified, or speech memorized, or any formula to go by--we are simply forging a path as we come to it. As this night comes to an end, I must say that tonight was the best start to the Share the Bread tour. We spoke at a middle school and high school youth group tonight, a small group of about 15-20. We all had a chance to talk, show the video, and have a short discussion session with them before we ate with them and just hung out, taking the time to get to know them. There were snapshot moments from tonight where I was able to pause, sign, and feel the joy and contentment that comes from knowing that I am exactly where I am supposed to be right now. The brief moments of shared smiles across the room from old friends as well as my fellow Lifebread team were my favorite parts of tonight and also brought this tour to life for me. I’ve been planning this trip for so long that I have only seen it as a list of details, not an actually story to be lived out in community. Tonight changed that for me. These pertinent moments arose after returning to my seat following my brief speaking opportunity, during a game of around the world ping-pong, while playing jenga, and at the commencement beanbag toss. I am looking forward to many more days/nights like this as we chase the ever-changing horizon east in search of another town that wants to spend some time with five young adults eager to meet the needs of those around us. All we are looking for is a few open hearts, a little time, and a mix of different people that we would otherwise never cross paths with. This is going to be a summer for the history books…here’s to day one.
Day 2
Well today was a work day through and through. Woke up from my first slumber in the RV to see the Pacific Ocean out of my window. After a brief realization that, “yes, I am actually living in an RV,” the work-day began. First task was to move myself out of my apartment, then scrounge for food, then complete an endless amount of Lifebread tasks. Part of my day was spent on the phone to Brian and Andy. Brian was the tech support guy located in Mexico who was helping me set up my mobile broadband device. After way too much time on the phone I found out that the device itself was in fact broken. Andy is my 60-day free trial communication consultant for a new contact managing program that I am trying out for the tour. I must say that I was in a much better mood talking to Andy then Brian, but its not Brian’s fault the product sucks so I feel bad having taken out a bit of my frustration on him. Sorry Brian, I do appreciate that you are over-nighting a new device to me.
As for the actual tour, we went to a Bible study in Thousand Oaks, CA at the house of the preacher for Conejo Church of Christ. It was definitely different than last night. There were three people at the Bible study: the preacher, his wife, and one other man. Needless to say, we had to adapt our presentation to fit our audience. However, tonight was a vital connection for the future of Lifebread. Conejo is a wonderful church with endless Pepperdine connections so meeting with the preacher and his wife and telling them about Lifebread was very valuable. Yet, coming from an inspiring evening with the Hilltop group last night, I can see how tonight may have seemed like a failure. I hope our interns did not feel like that because I know that it is not about numbers but about who is there. In the end, it is a blessing that anyone wants to hear our message and what we are doing. Tomorrow will once again be filled with last minute tour details that are yet to be finalized. Here’s to thinking of all the things that need to get done…
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