You may have seen the photos, the tweets, the Status Updates, but this... this is the real deal, this is the meat of the story.
I have started this post many times, under many different names, in many different locations, and I have finally concluded that there is no time like the present/this next week I will literally have no time to write til Sunday.
So here she is!
My time in sunny La Jolla has been inspiring, exhausting, challenging, gripping, enthralling, and most of all, absolutely beautiful. When you live within the contexts of God's plan, His overwhelming presence encompasses the deepest recesses of your heart.
For those of you who are just tuning into my little adventure, and have no idea why i'm down here, flooding your Facebook newsfeed with photos with incredibly long descriptions... I will tell you.
I am here with my church Resonate for ten (now six) weeks, experiencing community, learning the power of the gospel, and how they are truly dynamite together. Almost inseparable. Because The Gospel invites us into community.
During the day, and throughout the weekend, myself and the other Elevators have full-time (sometimes two part-time) jobs in which we are meeting people, hearing their stories, and then inviting them into community with us through BBQ's and other creative hangout ideas we have around our living area, the Mariott Residence Inn.
The idea is fairly simple, but has been increasingly difficult to explain to supporters, and people that are living in La Jolla. But the basic notion is that we are learning how to radically love people the way that Jesus intended through delicious food and inviting them into our community where we can not only share the gospel, but SHOW them the gospel.
Every Sunday we have a BBQ at the hotel we're staying at. The Residence Inn is pretty spread out with two or three different areas where we can hangout while we eat... and also the staff loves us, so there's really no resistance from them.
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The first couple weeks, we broke down what exactly the gospel was, and how we incorporate that into conversation. Sounds simple, right? It is! It took us a little bit. Mostly through this whole experience i've really felt like a dusty rug or jacket that's been taken outside, dusted off, or at times, shaken thoroughly. Or like a rusty pot or pan that's been thoroughly washed, in the most beautiful, encouraging, and motivating way possible.
We have reading material, two books, The Life You've Always Wanted and The Fuel and the Flame. We're finishing up the first one now and i think that if you've ever done any sort of leadership with Resonate you know that these books are both basically Resonate's heart on college ministry. If they ever do a 'Resonate 101' class, you're probably safe in investing in both of these books.
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Well, that's the back ground information. Now let's get to the story stuff, my favorite.
The past few weeks, as I have been busy keeping up with our curriculum, finding a job, and finishing up some loose ends with fundraising, I have been incredibly blessed by those of you who have been seeking me out through Facebook messaging, texting, and calling to see how i'm doing. I cannot say how touched I am at all of this. It has been so incredible to not only experience the beauty of community down here with my fellow Elevators, but also feel the love from community from home.
The sheer amount of prayer I have from people is overwhelming, and I am not the only one who feels it. Within hours of me posting on my event page my need for a job for this trip on Facebook, I was blessed with a part-time job at a kids clothing store called Naartjie Kids (pronounced 'Nar-chie') and then four days later, another part time job at Banana Republic in downtown La Jolla. Every bit of that prayer goes into every single day that I am here, there is fruit.
In separate posts I will be writing individual stories that there have been specific prayer answers, as well as stories with people I have met down here!
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If there is anything that I have learned since being here, besides getting an amazing (and I mean AMAZING) tan, and relishing in the perfect San Diego weather, it is the incredible value of every person around me, and tuning/training my heart to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. This last week's lesson and focus was on practicing Spiritual Disciplines, which are almost countless in number.
Spiritual Disciplines can vary anywhere between practicing solitude, where you seek out the presence of the Holy Spirit (harder than it sounds, trust me). Or in specific situations, recalling scripture that you have written on your heart. The basic principle is that you are making a spiritual gym where you are exercising different spiritual muscles to further your relationship with the Risen King. Rest can also be a spiritual discipline as well, which is also harder than it sounds.
The crazy thing about Spiritual Disciplines is that if you are disciplining yourself in one area, it seems to bleed over into the others. Since practicing these disciplines I have also taken up exercising my physical body... for those of you who know me, you should be impressed. Really though. Honestly this has only been the last four days... yeah I can hear you laughing right now.
I can honestly say though that in every facet, spiritually, physically, and mentally I am being stretched and grown in ways that I couldn't have thought of on my own. Much like when you are working out and the next day you're sore in areas you didn't know you could be, such my experience has been spiritually.
The schedule that we have has been rigorous, as we are expected to wake up early, work, return to the hotel, and also keep up with the curriculum. With all of that responsibility, however, our group has been gifted with seemingly supernatural abilities to perform beautifully on lack of sleep. It's amazing what the Bride of Christ can accomplish with prayer support from other parts of the body.
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In Conclusion, my heart is at this point: Christ relentlessly pursues us. It is only logical that the outpouring of the hearts of His people would reflect that relentless pursuit. Though we are imperfect, He gives us His Word that we are filled by. Much like an infant is nourished in the womb of its mother, so are His people nourished in the Word of the Lord. Any believer is hopeless without His written word on their heart. No hope of growth could ever be accomplished without it. Likewise, any believer has no hope for consistent growth without a body of believers, watching their backs and calling out sin so it does not take root and destroy the ground on which The Lord has cultivated, as well as the relationships that The Lord has cultivated in the life of His son or daughter.
I appreciate each and every one of you who not only supported me financially, but in prayer as well. There are still a few of my team members who have not been able to be fully funded yet. Please keep them in your prayers.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
In your prayer life, please specifically be lifting up my places of employment: Banana Republic and Naartjie Kids. Pray that the ground that I am building there would be fruitful and solid enough that if I am not able to do an effective job sharing The Gospel, that a fellow brother or sister in the future would be able to share with ease. Please lift up the hearts of those who I am working with, and relationships that I could be building on the transit system here in San Diego.
Please lift up my heart, and my fellow Elevator's hearts that our goals would be aligned with what the Holy Spirit is doing in the area. Pray that our hearts would be inexplicably in love with The Creator and enthralled at His beauty and perfect plan. Although that area is seemingly quite covered ;)
Again, thank you. I want to consistently post daily, but I do not know what my schedule will be consisting of.
~Alyse :)
All glory and power be to God, the King and Redeemer forever and ever.
In Jesus' precious name,
Amen
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