day 7 for shannon/summer project day 2

yo yo yo!!!!!!

today was our first full day but i already feel as comfortable as if i've been here for a couple weeks! this morning i went for a run along the beach with grant, then i showered and got ready and went to morning worship with my roomies. nichole, janelle, and ashley are my roommates. they're a lot of fun and janelle [my snuggle buddy/the pete to my jeremy] talks exactly like my minnesota friends (specifically chelsea rosemann!! ahem!) so that's a lot of fun. nichole and i take a ton of videos on her sweet camera, and she has such a sweetheart way of being sarcastic. i can't even think of a better way to describe it! haha and ashley is more quiet....i haven't really been able to get to know her yet, but i do know that she likes art and that she's pretty easygoing.

after our morning meeting we went to a church and met some people and then they sent us off on a prayer walk through a predominantly hispanic neighborhood. we went on a prayer walk, which means we basically talk to people about their needs and ideas and then we pray with them/for them if they want us to. it was such a neat experience! so sad though....one guy told us about all of the gang violence and how unsafe it is for children to be around the neighborhood alone, another told us how hard it was for people to find work, etc. we noticed a lot of people selling their belongings because they had no other source of income. :( also, we saw a ton of single mothers. it was eye-opening and sad. i walked around with abe [a really friendly, chill, hippie guy who is just so out there and excited about life] and with tiffany. tiffany has cerebral palsy [a mild form of it - she can walk with crutch-things and she can talk just fine] and it's really cool to see how well she handles it. she's really a beautiful person on the inside. she isn't afraid to try new things or get involved or anything like that and i admire how open she is about her condition. she's more than willing to answer questions and she even pokes fun at herself sometimes! Christ is really alive in her and in abe as well. really, most of these people just radiate their faith and it's a sweet thing to see =]

after prayer walking, we went to another neighborhood - a place where homeless people literally line the streets - and we handed out blankets and just acted friendly to these people. they were truly grateful for our prayers and the blankets and even our smiles. most people look at them with disgust and they really enjoy a friendly face when they see one. :]

after that we went back to the church for lunch and shared our experiences from the streets. there were some really sad stories shared, anything from rape to gangs to high school dropouts...just a bunch of tough realities that most of us don't see or interact with every day.

after that we had most of the afternoon to hang out/do whatever. i took a wittle nap and was rudely awakened by kelsey so we could go longboard shopping. haha the window above all of our beds opens out to the walkway between rooms, so it's super easy to creep through open shades or to wake ppl up. so anywhoo, me and kelsey went and bought me a new longboard! it's gorgeous =] and it rides soooo smoooooothly!

then kelsey and i longboarded for a bit/chatted about life until dinner, when we met up w/the other 2 girls in our small group for burritos at la playa. after we ate, we had what's called soul to soul. basically, we just share our life stories w/ each other. we talked at la playa til it closed, then sat on the beach for a couple hours, then moved to a starbucks for another hour or so, and finally walked back to the hotel around 11. i had so much fun chatting with these girls. kelsey and i showed them (btw, their names are lindsey and leah) how to longboard. lindsey picked it up pretty fast and i think she's gonna get a board tomorrow! leah needs a little more practice i think ;] haha

kelsey and i get along really well and i'm excited to hang out with her more throughout the rest of the trip. angela is still sooooo COOL and i like to pick on her/bug her about everything. haha she's so fun to joke with cause she takes it so well! and she's also a longboarder, so i'm hoping to get her to board with kelsey and i soon!

there's a girl named kali (pronounced kaylee) who is very loud and talkative. we can both tell fake stories with a serious look on our face, so we like to mess with people and pretend things happen when they don't. people have the same general reaction of "idk if you guys are being serious or not!" when they say that, kali and i know we've done our job. :P

......that's really all i can think of at the moment and i have to get up early tomorrow to run with kelsey soooooo..

nighty night hood rats!!!!! 8]

-shannon