Getting There....

Well, as usual, things have not gone as planned on my journey to California, but I'm getting there!! I have arrived safely in California, and I thank you all for your prayers. However, I'm not quite to my destination. You see, I had my amazing dad drive with me all the way from Nebraska to San Francisco to visit a dear old friend to celebrate my birthday and visit for a few days before traveling the rest of the way to LA by myself. As planned, Thursday I dropped my dad off at the airport and I finally felt for the first time that I was actually on my own in California. Miss Independent that I am, I drove around the city feeling pretty confident. Later that evening, I drove to the other side of town (which is about an hour without any traffic) for church with my supervisor. On my way, something entirely unexpected happened.... I successfully mashed my car into the person's vehicle in front of me. Oops! By the grace of God, the man I hit was incredibly kind and seemed to feel pretty sorry for me as my car was in much worse shape than his. (I have yet to hear if my car is in really bad shape or not, but I'm praying that it isn't totaled). I was supposed to drive down tomorrow morning (Monday) to Los Angeles, but that isn't going to happen as the body shop is closed over the weekends. Anyway, I've been trying not to let the whole car-thing consume me, its just a car! I've been praying that the Lord will continue to prepare me for my time in Southern California. I'm not sure how to prepare, other than just being thankful for the beautiful diversity that surrounds me in cities like this and allowing the Lord to use me in all circumstances. In happier news, I got to spend my birthday exploring San Francisco! :) It was an amazing day, starting with hearing a presentation on the ethnography of Malaysia (I'm such a nerd, I know!), followed by a quick trip to the airport and a lovely afternoon nap. Then I was told to get into some grungy clothing and comfortable walking shoes and I went on an adventure involving the beach, a cliff, a very smashed pumpkin and a floating gourd. From there we hurried back to my friend's dormitory to change into cute clothes and we went out for a night on the town and some delicious lamb schwarma! Overall, it was an extremely memorable birthday spent with some amazingly fun people. (Thanks guys!) I would love if you'd pray that I would be able to make it to LA sooner rather than later and that I would quickly get settled in. I'm so very eager to begin working, probably because I've been waiting so long to start. Pray that I'd be diligent and begin making connections with people and churches quickly and genuinely. Once I get settled in and started on a project or two, I'll be able to write more about the exact nature of my work! :)