6 Months in Review

So we are half way through Megan’s Life in LA Season 1. I have been living in LA for about 6 months now. I thought I would look back at the episodes of this season and what God has been doing.

Safety. I have been pleasantly surprised with how safe I felt here thus far. I expected to be a lot more fearful about walking to my car and being at home alone. I am surprised at how quickly I have adjusted to being more cautious, not coming home too late, and calling my roommates when I am walking in. Although I have not seen or experienced any violence, that does not mean that this area is void of danger. Just a week ago, a friend from my bible study was mugged while walking home when it was light out. Given the reality of neighborhood, I am thankful that the Lord has protected my roommates and me and not made me overly fearful in living here.

Roommates. My roommates have far exceeded any expectation I had about living in community. Although I have had amazing roommates in the past, this has been a much different experience. Without all the busyness of college and campus ministry, I have been able to live life more with my roommates. Between sharing groceries, eating meals, cooking for each other, and praying for each other it has been quite the bonding experience. It’s also nice to be able to invite people over for dinner which seems to be more common place here than going out to a restaurant. Much cheaper too. I love our cozy little place!

Jobs. Being unemployed or partially employed for 6 months has definitely pressed some buttons in me about where my security comes from. I was forced to understand God as my Provider when my savings account that I built up the last 2 years began to quickly deplete. But I have never been without anything that I needed. By the grace of God I am currently working 2 part time jobs. One is for Star Education, an afterschool program. I have a lot of kindergarteners that are super cute. I have some freedom in the activities that I plan for them. I enjoy coming up with educational activities, art lessons, and of course theatre games. Disciple and authority with them has been a challenge but I am learning about how to love them as Jesus does. My second job is with a company called Street Beat. They are similar to Stomp in that they create music on repurposed instruments like trash cans and buckets. They also combine break dancing and parkour into their show. I am basically the personal assistant for the artistic director of the company. I job involves spearheading different projects that I have no experience with. I’ve been able to learn more about marketing, social media, networking, and arts education though I don’t know what I am doing most of the time. The hours of this job come and go. Although I am grateful for the work that God has given me, I never expected still feel this unstable in my job(s) 6 months after moving here. I think I really underestimated the job market given that after graduating it only took me 3 weeks to find a full time job.

Neighbors. Really being absorbed into this neighborhood is more difficult than I anticipated. Although I know the people in my building I can not say that I have a friendship with them. The cultural, gender, and generation gaps have made it hard for me to know how to best engage with them. As I take walks around the neighborhood, I pray for them, but don’t know how to meet new neighbors. There are opportunities to talk to people while waiting at the laundry mat, but I have been fearful of the language barrier and don’t really know what to say. I often feel defeated and don’t even want to try. I feel disappointed with myself that I have let fear paralyze me. I pray that God will give me more boldness, opportunities, and ways to care for the people in this neighborhood. You can be praying for me in this area.

Church. I have decided to attend Church of the Redeemer, Kevin Blue’s church for you IV and LAUP folk. The church is a multicultural/bilingual community of Christians who are dedicated to be in the community for the community. While I know that I do not have complete ownership over the mission of the church, I want God to grow my heart and actions toward this mission. I started going to a bible study on Mon nights. I am grateful for the people that I have met there. There is a family in the group that I babysit for. I get to watch this adorable little guy who will just sit with me let me sing songs to him for hours. It’s heaven, I tell you, heaven. I still feel like a bit of an outsider with the church at large, but I am grateful for the friendships that I have been able to make thus far.

Well that Season 1 so far. Highlights: My nephew being born, volunteering with Inner City Arts and taking the Creativity in the Classroom series, roommate bonding over a game of Quelf, singing songs to the kiddo I babysit, helping my students in Star engage with art, and enjoying the rainy season.

It’s has been a fairly smooth transition settling in. Now that I am situated, I am starting to think about more long term plans. Where am I going career wise? Where should I invest ministry wise? What skills do I need to develop? What friendships and people should I invest my time into? I anticipate that the next 6 months will feel a bit more jolting, as I consider these plans for the future.

Thank you to those who support and care for me, pray for me, and read my blog.