Moving to L.A.

I attended a huge world missions conference in St. Louis in December 2009. (Maybe you’ve heard of it… Urbana!) I went to help exhibit at the booth of Engineering Ministries International – the organization I worked for in Costa Rica after graduating college. It was a great experience to be able to talk to people about the great work of EMI and also get to be involved in the events of the conference. At Urbana I went to a seminar put on by an urban ministry called Servant Partners. The seminar was about urbanization and the philosophy of the organization to come alongside poor slum communities and reach out to their physical and spiritual needs – incarnational ministry. A light bulb immediately went off for me and I knew I had to learn more about this organization.

I visited the Servant Partners booth the next day to ask some questions and give them my contact information. I was completely pumped after the conference and was excited to hear from the Servant Partners staff. Well the conference high soon wore off and I almost forgot about the cool organization I had met. Fast forward a few months… I received a call in March from a Servant Partners staff member. The call caught me off guard, but my excitement and interest in the work of this group was soon re-kindled. After a long discussion I became interested in the 2-year internship program that they offer in L.A. for young people that are seeking to learn more about urban ministry and seriously consider a life of international urban poor ministry. Unfortunately, the deadline for applications for the upcoming internship class was the day before our conversation. He told me to think about applying and let him know ASAP whether I would like a 2-week extension on the deadline to submit my application.

Long story short… I decided to apply for the internship, was invited to visit L.A. for interview weekend, traveled to L.A. to interview and learn more about the program, spent a couple weeks in intense prayer and seeking discernment, was offered a position in the internship program, nearly declined the internship, had a vivid dream causing me to question my decision, spent another week in prayer, accepted to internship!

And the rest is history! …or perhaps it’s all just beginning! :) I’ve since been steadily preparing for the move to L.A. in the fall. Orientation begins September 16. I’d be honored if you would journey with me in this next phase of life. I’ll do my best to share my experiences, ups, downs, and reflections throughout the next 2-years in L.A. and beyond. Please feel free to interact in whatever ways you see fit – in prayer, in reading/commenting, in asking questions, and/or in keeping me accountable and grounded. Love you! Please enjoy and engage in this site!