This past Saturday marked the fourth week of my new life here in Oly. It really hasn’t been an easy transition for me, but the good news is that things are looking up. Despite the fact that I remain jobless, I’m meeting more people and getting more acclimated to the area every day. The feeling of knowing where I am going without a GPS is comforting. I really do like this area even though it has been an odd adjustment.
I’m still running around trying to find a job. I’m still applying through careerbuilder, indeed and the state government website, but I haven’t heard anything from anyone. Regardless I’m going to keep at it, even if I have to work at QFC, a grocery store down the street from my house.
As far as building relationships within the community goes, it is a slow process, especially when you don’t have a job and you’re not in school. However, I went downtown to sing karaoke last week and happened to meet some girls who remind me so much of my bff’s back home, Sara and Kristina. They were really cool and we sang some Brittany Spears together, danced and acted like goofs. It was so fun. I’m meeting up with one of the girls, Carrie on Thursday, and I’m so excited! She’s 22, from Seattle and she goes to Evergreen, it’s her last semester. We have a lot in common and I’m so thankful that I have someone my age to hang out with.
I’ve also been spending a lot of time with Lehua and Bobby Ball, a young couple from Sunbreak. They’re totally awesome. It’s been such a blessing getting to hang out with Lehua and process my life out loud with her. She moved to the Northwest from Orange County California a few years back, so she knows a thing or two about how it is adjusting to this area. She told me a few days ago that she was worried about me my first few weeks, like I would give up and go home. After I reassured her that I am here for the long haul she was relieved and proceeded to tell me more about preparing for the rainy season and seasonal depression. Yay.
The rain has started falling more consistently within the past week and people are telling me I won’t be seeing the sun until February! I’m going to have to plan a trip to San Fransisco to see my cousin after Christmas. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stand five months without seeing the sun. Lehua told me that the weather is one reason why so many people here commit suicide in Oly, it’s cloudy and raining as we speak.
I’ve got to be honest, last Friday it started to rain and I put on my pajamas, watched neflix and slept all day. When it’s raining you basically have to force yourself out of the house. Some people in Oly buy lamps to put in their house and when the sun hasn’t been out for months they turn them on and sit under them to get vitamin d, that’s how bad it is.
I’ve gotten to do a lot of fun things in Oly and Seattle though thus far. I attended Bumbershoot my first full weekend. I got to see bands like Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, David Bazan, Jamie Lidell, Ra Ra Riot and HEALTH. This past weekend Lehua and I went on 5th Ave in Seattle and looked around in the stores, which was cool. The northwest is a totally different world when compared to the east coast, it’s unbelievable.
As far as ministry with Sound City goes, it’s rather slow, but we have our first launch team meeting this week which is really exciting! We’re going to have a cookout at Russ’s house and he’s going to talk about our next moves as a group and what is coming up. This meeting has been long anticipated for me. I can’t wait to hang out with everyone.
Until our church gets off the ground, which will take about a year I’m assuming, I’ve been invited to hang with the young adults at Sunbreak. Mark Pruitt, the youth pastor, sent me an awesome facebook message this week saying he wanted me to get involved and do some worship leading, which is cool. I went out to his small group last week for a deep fry party. I guess all that work I did at the gym that week went down the drain when I went there! But it was really fun and a great to spend time with people who are passionate and desperately wanting to see God work and move in the lives of people in the Northwest, plus the deep fried pickles were bangin’.
It has been a crazy journey so far in Washington, and I’m learning a lot about myself and about God. I have found in my walk with Him that every day I am waking up and completely surrendering my life His ministry in the Northwest. I don’t want to waste one minute not doing whatever it is He is calling me to. I’ve never felt more surrendered in my life. It’s a great place to be in but when you are the type or person who likes to have somewhat control over where your life is heading, it can be kind of scary. I feel a lot like Paul did when he wrote his letter to the Philipians
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith- that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”
