Update from Christian

A few months back, I started this process with a ministry called HCJB out of Colorado Springs. I began pursuing working for them in Quito, Ecuador for the summer 2010. During my visit to their office in the springs, I got to meet a guy named Brandon Cole who had been an MK (missionary kid) with HCJB in Ecuador the majority of his life. He was now interning with them. I also found out that Brandon was a student at JBU, the school I currently attend. I was really excited to hear this. 
   Through our conversation, he told me about his brother, also a student at JBU, was currently in Echador working with a few different ministries. Brandon told me that I should meet his brother this fall and maybe talk to them both about HCJB. 
   After my meeting that day, I started the application process but I was taking it slow. As I was praying about everything, I felt the Lord telling me to put the app on hold for a while, just rest with this.
    Fast forward a month or so to me being in Arkansas...I was starting to feel a bit unsure with the whole thing. Was I supposed to stop pursuing? I wanted to wait it out though, atleast until I got to school and saw some of the opportunities JBU offered. During registration, I signed up to join a 'passion group', basically bible study/guys group. The passion groups wouldn't get organized for about a month or so. 
    Fast forward about a week ago now. I was really starting to doubt whether or not I needed to just email HCJB and call it all off, but God told me to be patient. So I prayed about it for the next few days. 
    Last Tuesday, I got an email saying that that night there was gonna be a ' meet your passion group' event. When I got to the thing, I went and looked up what group I was in and theN I went to meet my leader. His name is Brian. Within a couple minutes of talking with him, I realized that I already knew who he was. Brian was Brandon's brother. When I realized this, I asked him if I could share with him a little story...and I told him all a out what God was doing this last summer. 
    I had gone to the passion group thing that night with the intention of telling my leader, after meeting him, that I was to busy to be involved and that I wasn't gonna do it. But from the moment I met Brian, I felt God was speaking to me. This was one of the ways He wants to communicate with me about next summer. I know that Brian being my passion group is not a coincedence. Gid had His hand in the whole thing. 

Learning about peter standing on the raging sea

"Cuz Gods got Hiz hand on ever-thang. To where He'll take care of da problems, is not fo 'you to worry 'bout." - Random hick guy on The Almost's music video to "Southern Weather" (written phonetically) . Spelling...? i dono.

I haven't fully processed or realized what has happened yet, but I got a house. Big news. I have been searching for a month for a place to live, living as an orphan in my uncles house, commuting hours to find a job/house. After school started and things got crazy with that, as I am begging to settle for, "well, maybe it's not a big deal to God, maybe I should settle for this terrible living situation and move on..." I set up an appointment and arrived VERY late due to normal circumstances (got lost and hit traffic). As the lady was leaving the house to lock up, I ran up out of breath and explained. After seeing the house I was fully convinced with 100% confidence I should be there. Its an alcohol free and drug free house of all males, most of which are going to Glendale College. I am in a room with free internet, two awesome room mates, a nice bed with sheets and a comforter, a dresser and all the works! Now I am hopefully waiting for a job to pay for the next months rent! I will be spending my time now continuing looking for jobs in the day and doing college online at night. Kayla and I found a home church to begin plugging into as well. This church is located all thorugh out L.A. (changes buildings and theatres at different services) and is called "Mosaic." We have visited multiple churches since arriving here, and have FINALLY found one that we feel a part of and are ready to give ourselves to serve and be in community. Hopefully that will be picking up soon too.

I don't know why all of this has happened, why it took me a month of hard work while it took my room mate one day (who moved in one hour after me) to find this place. I know that feeding the homeless no longer feels like an "ought to" as a christian. For the past month I have felt hunger more than I ever have, and just an overall lowness of being on the outside of everybody's lives. I was sitting next to a guy in downtown burbank, all dressed up looking for a job- while he was obviously homeless and hungry. It should have been a painting; he was whistling and smiling, while my top buttons were loosened and I was rubbing my forehead in doubt and worry. Sitting on the same park bench. Priceless. I was thinking, "it may not look like it, but you and I are in the SAME position right now man. We have more similar circumstances than it seems! Gods kingdom is made up of men like you."

All I know is it's divine appointment to be living in this house. I know I am supossed to be in these guys' lives, and I couldn't IMAGINE a better living situation for me right now. I feel like this sort of thing makes me fully alive (besides being in the brush of Uganda). I am so thankful, and very bewildered still! I don't really know what to say about all of it except... YESSSS!!!!!!!! THank you for staying posted and checking in on us, hope all is well with you. Thank you for praying, it really does make all the difference in the world!

last post by evan again

Doin life...

quick story: One tuesday night at 7:15 i was bored as ever here in irvine. I thought back to sunday where a guy named johnathon preached at oasis church in L.A. (Kayla's old church). He was from newport church and it was an amazing message. So i looked up newport church and saw they had "lifegroups" (laid back small groups for college kids) at 7:30 on tuesday nights! So, i hopped on the phone and the 405 north to newport (about 8 mins away) and figured i'd give it a shot. So i get a call and long story short I get set up with a bbq life group. i walk in the door to a room full of people ages 20 and above of people I had never seen or talked to. I was a complete stranger to these people. i thought to myself, "what the heck am i doing in CA?" I introduced myself to about 20 ppl and remembered 4. By the end of the night i made a few good friends, two being twin brothers who have a clothing label, run worship at newport church, and one is an architect. They were really good guys to take me in and take an interest in me, since I knew NOBODY and just had to put myself out there. they invited me to the next sunday service at night (this past sunday). Kayla and I went and it was AWESOME! We really enjoyed this church, as we are looking for a church to join now. We went to the dream center and are planning on going to a few more churches coming up. Right now we are really longing to plug into a community and get grounded in a church to serve and be a real part of.

I spend my time during the week spending time with my family (Aunt, Uncle and cousins), looking for houses/apartments, and helping out around this house any way that I can. On the weekend I go up to see kayla (couple hours away) and we look at places for me to live, go to the park, watch her dance, just hang out and be together. This has been really amazing, but I am ready to have my own place to live and a job. I am ready to get settled somewhere, get into our own church, and get going on this. This time is somewhat awkward for I am not sure what else I am supposed to be doing! School is coming up August 31st, and I would like to have a job and a place to stay in by that day. It would be my ideal to have a job and house by the time school starts. Also, to have the faith I should to get me there. With my feeble bank account and seemingly impossible circumstances, I am really in a place where I need to have great faith. I want to have this so badly! It is much different reading the bible and hearing in church how faith is so important and putting it into practical life and needing to completely rely on God having faith. Boy it's a new way of life that is for sure!

If you would be willing, please pray that
- Kayla and I would plug into a great community of believers
- I would grow in my faith and find God to be faithful to His word
- I would know how to be obedient to Him in this time and obey Him

Melrose and Stanley

I am sitting here in the star bucks at Melrose and Stanley- Hollywood California. In this crazy mess I become settled... somehow. I don't know how that works because of how ADD i am, especially with coffee. I began to think of where I stood in this crazy land. Of this foriegn place. I mean, when i walk the streets I feel normal. More normal than India at least. But im still not in place. I feel like if i am to run this race that i am surrounded by then I am going to fail miserably. Because there is always someone better, taller, wealthier, nicer car, better looking- you name it! I felt more and more still as I realized that this race was escapable! I was telling Kayla- that when I am at a stop light I never have to fret. This is because we are surrounded by opulent vehicles that would smoke my four-cylinder, two door escort if I had a jet engine on it. But automatically I found the peace that comes with aiming for a different goal. Suddenly i felt like a winner when I opted out of this race. When i gave up my will- and surrendered it with determination. I meditated on Romans Chapter 12 verses 1 and 2 which say,

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is."

This was so inspiring to hear that God has a specific will and identity for each one of us. This changes us when we really believe it and take it in! And He has created us so unique and special, but it's for Gods glory. It is so people will see the vastness of God. And so again it was amazing to step out of the oh so popular "Ray Bans" and skinny jeans race (A popular look here). So sure, I am excited to walk these broken streets of Hollywood with Kayla and seek whatever can be done to pass the love on we have received. But its a different kingdom, a different purpose. It's a totally different experience! I must say that its much more peaceful and fulfilling. What an exciting thing it is to have a way out of this world!

~Evan Stookey 7:52 p.m.

A walk to remember...

This evening I took a walk down Newport Beach. From about a mile south of the peir to a few miles north of the pier. On the way I stopped at the pier and was asking God if He had plans for me in California. As i began my walk down the pier I saw an elderly lady laying down on a bench with EVERYTHING she owned packed into a grocery cart. People stared at her as they walked by. I found MYSELF walking by as well- feeling pity. On my way toward the end of the pier, i realized... "what am i doing? I call myself a follower of Christ but I won't do what He did or wants me to do!!!" So i turned around and asked God to take care of the rest. To take care of the words, of other's reactions, of her reaction- and just had a simple desire for her to feel loved. I sat down next to her prepared to let it all hang out and see what would happen... but she was asleep. Some others passed, woke her up and gave her money. after THEY prayed for her and left, i realized THIS WAS MY CHANCE!!! i scooted in, trying not to freak her out and told her my story. I didn't have much to give because I didn't have much at all, haha :) But we sat there and talked. Angel is her name, and I found how desperate she was for love. Just for someone to listen. For someone to sit next to her and not be freaked out. She spilled the beans of everything she could think of to not lose my attention. we talked for sometime about the reality of Matthew ch. 5- the beatitudes where Jesus teaches many people some basic yet challenging principals for comfortable, affluent Americans.

Later I walked down a jetty just north as the sun was setting and found a man fishing among the crashing waves. Shortly after introducing myself, I found (through his broken english and spanish accent) that he loved to fish. That he was where nobody was to catch the more rare fish- although he hadn't had any luck :) Very quickly we began talking about life with our hands and spanish/english. Very quickly we realized as we discussed together- "Life is so full with Jesus! If you have Him, you have everything! If you don't life is empty!!! Jesus is everthing!" I found that William was extremely passionate about the fact that Jesus is the way, truth and life. How exciting to meet him!? Just before leaving we talked about how pretty the ocean was and what a wonderful place to be. As i departed he reassured me, "Because of Christ, we are very good brothers!!!" I left on that note and returned to my walk down memorable Newport beach, Southern CA.

I don't know what all of this means, but I do know that an adventure lies ahead no matter the location or if its mundane. Gods gotta sweet plan for all of us :)

The last post...

yeah, the last post was posted by me, EVAN STOOKEY!