Elevate Week 1

We’ve been here in La Jolla for one week and two days now. In some ways it feels like we just got here, and in others like we’ve been here for a month already. We’ve pretty much been going non stop since the moment we got here. We were welcomed to San Diego at the airport by staff waiting for us with hugs and signs that said “Welcome Home”. We arrived at our home for the summer, a wonderful residence hotel, and were greeted by more staff and more signs. It was quite the homecoming. We were given room assignments and our luggage was taken care of for us while we were sent to explore the area and get a feel for the town before returning for an orientation that evening.

The next two days were spent as a part of a giant game of sorts. We were sent to different locations around La Jolla where staff were waiting to give us assignments. The assignments were to get a certain number of job applications and business cards. During this game we not only made connections with people on our team who we didn’t know coming into this summer, we also began the process of finding a job, as well as learning the bus system and other modes of transportation we will be using this summer.

On Sunday, our team of 70 was split up into different groups by rooms and sent to different churches in the area to serve. My room was paired with a couple of other rooms and sent to the Seaside branch of New Song church in Oceanside, CA. which is a fairly new church plant, about 7 months old and is meeting in a movie theater. Because of the area they are in and the heart behind the church, they do a lot of outreach to the homeless in the area. We were blessed to be able to arrive early, have a sort of orientation to the church by the lead pastor Wes, and then jump in feet first to get connected and serve. We got to help with setup, hospitality, greeting, ushering, children’s’ ministry, tech, tear down, and anything else that needed to be done. It was so cool to see the community within that church. They welcomed us with open arms and immediately included us in their family, and they were all so grateful that we were there.

Monday began the job hunt in full force again. We are sent out each day at 9am and aren’t allowed to return until 5pm, because until we get a job, finding a job is our full time job. We go in pairs, mainly so we don’t get lost trying to navigate the bus system. Talk to managers, apply for jobs, and follow up with jobs we have applied for.  More people are coming home with jobs each day and it’s so exciting to see our community cheering each other on. Whether someone gets a job, an interview, or just the promise of an interview, everyone whether they have a job already or not is so stoked for that person, and we cheer and clap for them. It can be discouraging sometimes when places tell you they actually aren’t hiring for summer after you spent solid chunks of time working on the application. But it’s so encouraging when you get to hear the stories of others getting jobs and God’s provision for them. And at the end of the day it all comes down to trust. Trusting God that He will provide the right job in His timing and that He will use it for His glory, and that is the best part!

The view just 2 blocks from our summer church