Back in Chico

I'm back in Chico now. I had a fun time in Pleasanton. On Monday, I went to San Francisco with my dad to meet my mom for lunch. She manages an independent living retirement community.
We went to Chinatown and ate Dim Sum. It was good, but I ate a lot. After taking my mom back to work, my dad went home and I meandered around the city for a few hours. I made it to Pier 27 this time before I decided to head back. I drove her home and we went to the Cheesecake factory for dinner. Okay, so this is pretty boring. Pleasanton isn't the most exciting place. Even in San Francisco, it wasn't that exciting. I did discover a little hidden park by Pier 27.

Today... Tuesday... well... it was... I washed my car for the first time. My brother walked out and said, "You have a green car? I thought it was blue!" I guess it was a little dirty. The water coming off was black in some parts and white in others... and I didn't soap it yet. So now it's clean, although it was so hot I could see the water evaporating in front of me.

My brother and I took out the seats to my parent's van and I packed it full of my stuff. I have a lot of stuff. The drive to Chico wasn't too bad. I stopped at Ikea to look around. I'll probably stop by there when I return the van to buy something. I just wanted to get an idea of what they had so when I arrange my room, I can think of what I need to get when I drive by there next.

Arriving in Chico, I hung out with Pastor Don and went to pick up my new keys. Then I came back and watched Rocky Balboa with his kids Antony and Charlie. Afterwards, they took over my computer playing with photobooth. It's weird looking at people looking so intently at their own faces, making their muscles huge and trying to dominate the screen. I don't like seeing my own picture. Anyway, so I'm using Pastor Don's computer to write this, and I might kick them off when I'm done so I can go to bed. Okay, I'm done.

A visit to Pleasanton

Sunday School this morning was fun. We did Zephaniah. I read it before, but I didn't remember it. It's a small three chapter book. The curriculum I was given didn't make a whole lot of sense. I found out after class that I only got every other page. I figured out a lesson and had a couple of helpers assigned to me. We talked about the divided kingdom and how the north did bad and was captured and the south saw it, and King Josiah decided to do good. I showed them Deuteronomy 30:19 and asked if they would choose good or bad, and they said they would choose good. We played Simon Says and did a wordsearch and played a game where we had to throw hackysacks into rolls of tape. I told them that doing good all the time is as hard as making it in the tape.


Then I drove to my parents. I hit some traffic blotches, but it didn't take too long. My mom made trout and it was good. I replaced the mailbox, searched the loft in the attic for some pictures my dad wanted, and troubleshooted my mom's printer. My dog missed me, and I missed her too. She sits at the bottom of the stairs when I go up and follows me around at whatever I'm doing. I'll bring her back to Chico with me on Tuesday. The Jeep that I am supposed to be borrowing doesn't seem a lot bigger than the car I'm currently driving. We'll see how many boxes I can pack in it on Tuesday. Thanks for the prayers.

I found a home

I found a home with someone at church. He just moved to Chico four months ago. He bought a three bedroom house and two weeks ago, God put it on his heart to get a renter. I met him last night at the Singles Fellowship thing. He had me over for lunch and we had a good talk.
I'm excited. This is going to be a good thing. Thanks for all your prayers. Now I just need to figure out the job thing.

After church, I went Bowling with some friends who went to Israel with me. Bob and his daughter Whitney, and Kevin. We went to Taco Bell first. Whitney ate three tacos, Kevin ate two on top of his meal, and Bob ate eight. All before I finished my one burrito. Go figure. Bowling was fun. My highest score was 140. I switched to a size 10 ball and it made all the difference. Tomorrow I get to teach Sunday School to the K-1st Grade class. We're doing Zephaniah. I hope it will be a good one.

Last day of VBS

Today was a review of all the other days. The kids were a lot more rowdy and the teachers a lot more tired. Everyone was late. I was going to keep myself busy between VBS and dinner, but I got tired and tried to take a nap. It wasn't particularly restful, but it did help. I went to a singles fellowship at church, in which I was planning on bringing someone I met off Craigslist who could use some fellowship. He backed out at the last minute so I was there by myself. I met this guy there who just bought a house in the area and is praying about renting a room to me and my dog. I will meet him for lunch tomorrow. If you read this before then, please pray for me. Thanks. Me tired. Me sleep now.

It was my Birthday

Near the couch I sleep on is a white board. The residents of this
apartment and late night and sometimes overnight guests like to draw
pictures on the whiteboard. It currently displays an underwater mural.
The reason I mention this is because the underwater mural was being
drawn until past 3 in the morning. So I didn't get a lot of sleep
Wednesday night. Then I woke up and got to church by 8:30 for VBS.
They sang Happy Birthday as horribly as they could during the servant
devotions. I got the song again at the VBS Main Group, and once again
from my preschool class. It was sweet. I taught Chapter 4 of the book
of Jonah. It was a sad chapter. I also came up with another skit with
the puppet... half an hour before VBS started. I enjoy using puppets.
I feel more free using them then if it was the real me. I don't know
why. They just have a certain character that comes out of them when I
put them on. I also put a paper bag over my head so the kids can't see
my lips move. They thought it silly the first time I did it, but after
a minute or two, they forgot I was there and talked to the puppet.
After VBS, some of the high school kids made a music video of one of
the VBS songs and I taped it for them. We'll show it tomorrow. It will
be fun.

When I left church, I went looking for free internet. I found it in a
laundry room next to Kinkos. It was not air conditioned and I sat on a
wooden bench. I did not do any laundry. After a few minutes, I
realized I was too tired to be on the computer and came back to the
apartment, hoping to find it empty and quiet. No such luck. I dozed in
the kitchen to sounds of "The Patriot" and some people I don't know
looking at pictures on facebook. Then I went down to the theater to
see "The Dark Knight" eating dinner along the way. I won't spoil the
movie, but it really shows that being good isn't cheap. I had a talk
with God about the cost of being a disciple. I suppose if I were to
give an answer, it would be yes. Not enthusiastic, but sure.

In brighter news, the Russia team should be back in the country by the
weekend and the Africa trip will be off. I am praying for both. Please
pray for them too.

Close call

So I was just working on the grass outside the apartments I am staying
in because the wireless signal outside is stronger than inside. Also,
there were two couples in here watching a movie and I didn't want to
intrude. I finished what I was doing, and was putting around on
monster.com when I heard the sprinklers come on. I picked up my
computer and the case and got off the grass just in time. I would have
been very unhappy if I had been a little later. Other than that, I had
a great day. I spent the morning and early afternoon at church for
vbs, then I stayed at church until the service at 7. I hung out with
the high school kids, played soccer, and just had fun. I'm tired now.
But it was fun. I really just wanted to tell you about the sprinklers.

I've been busy

I didn't have internet connection on Monday so I couldn't update my
blog. I got to teach the first two chapters of Jonah to preschoolers.
It's a lot of fun. Sometimes they are a little rowdy, but mostly, they
are just sweet. Tomorrow, Jonah gets spit out of the whale. Outside of
church, I now have a local address at the UPS store, a bank account at
WaMu, and I found a place to live starting August 5th. I'll be rooming
with a couple of college guys, but I'm not exactly a home body so I
figured it didn't matter much. I met this guy named John who is
looking for a roommate, but he doesn't have a place yet. I'm hoping
we'll be friends anyway. He is a nice guy who wants to be all out for
Jesus like he sees in me. I like that desire. I want to be all out for
Jesus too. Please pray for him. Thank you for all your prayers up to
this point. All I need now is a job.

1st Full day in Chico

Today has been pretty busy, but I guess Sundays always are. I went to Second Service at Calvary Chapel Chico and Pastor Will taught because Pastor Sam was out of town. He taught on Ephesians 4 about how we are all one. It was a good message. I spent third service with Pastor Don narrowing a computer problem to iDVD and watching a video that he made of the High School Summer retreat. It looked like a lot of fun.

After church, they have the YES team which stands for Youth Excited to Serve. I think this is the best idea ever. Once a month, the youth of the church (6-11) get together to serve. There is a children's choir that practices and a drama team and junior ushers who pick up trash and clean the church and an art team that makes birthday cards for all the kids who have birthdays in the next month. I got briefed on VBS. They have assigned me to teach the 4-5 year olds the Bible Story. I am so blessed to be able to serve at VBS in such a huge way. I expected to be put on dishes or something, which is just as important, but I love teaching and I love kids so this is amazing. I came up with a list of things I needed this week and found most of them at church. I was sent to WalMart for the rest (and a couple other things) and then I worked a little and typed up my Resume. After VBS, I'll go get a PO Box and then I'll have an address to put on it. I can then print it up and start looking for jobs. I talked to someone about possible house sitting next week while they are on vacation and feeding their animals. I have a house sitting lined up for the week after that already. I'm looking at a room for rent tomorrow for $400 a month and have a couple other possibilities. Please pray for me. Job and place to live are the big things. I want to work to pay for my living, but I want the majority of my time to go to ministry, not work.

Then I went to the College Ministry called Worship Generation and we studied Acts 12, where Peter was busted out of Jail by the Angel. The speaker related it to God's plans for us and we don't even know. Peter thought it was a vision and not really happening. I can't wait to see what God wants to do in me. I've given up on trying to sneak wireless from another apartment and plugged into their hardline. I was offered another place to sleep and I might try that, since I'm not the only one sleeping on couches here. you have to sleep early to get the big one. I am not getting the big one tonight.

It's okay, I got in

Scott called me back so I made it inside the apartment. I found something with his name on it so I know it's his. Thanks for the prayers.

My first night in Chico

Well... I made it.I got up and left Atascadero a little after nine. We got into Pleasanton a little after noon, ate lunch and unpacked the van, and I left at about 3pm to Chico. I arrived at 6, ate dinner at Wendy's and went to see "Honk". It's a musical some of my friends are in. It was nice visiting with them for a short short time until they ran off to a cast party. (It was closing night.) The play was great. It was an adaptation of "The Ugly Duckling." My friends played the parts of Ugly, The Fowl Reporter, and a Goose. It was a moving musical that would have brought tears to my eyes if I had any... eyes, that is...

But then comes the fun part. I finally get ahold of Scott, who I'm staying with tonight, and he's at a friend's house. He tells me that he will call me back in an hour. So I find a shopping plaza and wander around for a while. Then he calls and says that I should just go over to his place. His roommate will be there, but probably asleep and he'll leave the door unlocked. He won't be back until 10 or 11. He told me the number, but I remembered it wrong and ended up knocking on the wrong door. Three wrong doors. I think I found it... I guess it's possible that I'm not in the right apartment complex... I think I am..., but I'm not sure. I tried to call him, but he didn't answer so I left a message. I am typing this while sitting on the grass near the parking lot waiting for him to call back/come home. It's only a little past 10. I'll try calling him again in a little bit. I found an internet connection so maybe I'll try and get some work done. I'll try and write again tomorrow.