Memorial Day Weekend

I don't know if anyone still checks this blog, but the Create Common Good staffers came down to SoCal this Memorial Day weekend! Our team got to hang out with them at a barbecue yesterday and it was a great feeling being together with them and their families (doh! so cute!), but also just hanging out with the team (I missed you guys more than you might think...). The food was phenomenal and the conversation even more so, as we were introduced to many Newsong-goers who were in some way connected to CCG, or Thailand, or just missions in general. It's funny that I see a lot of the kids in Noah's Place every week, but now I get to meet their parents and the dots sort of just connect.

We got to see the staff during and after service today at Newsong! I was just sitting as usual, listening as they introduced themselves and their organization to the congregation, but then they showed a clip of the footage Abe Park took during his short stay in Boise the same week we were up there. The live images just brought everything back; in my head I was saying "Hey! I was there at the exact moment this was happening! I saw this in person!" and it made me miss Boise a little more than I already did.

Not gonna lie, I was super duper encouraged and inspired by these amazing people this weekend. It is such a privilege to have been able to work alongside them. Our God is too good.

--Angela

P.S. if you still check this blog, major props, you are a cool person.

Quote of the weekend:

"Ducks can fly??" --Brittany Chew :)

Newsong Newsletter!

There's a little blurb about all three of the BWAM trips here! It's pretty neat to see how even though we all went to different places in the world, there was a common bond of forming new relationships. :)

Make sure to stop by the BWAM Mexico City team to read what they did! Our team even got an honorable mention on their blog. ;)

I'll try to write my thoughts on here sometime soon!

The drive

I am only beginning to understand all the things that have happened in the last week, having the smallest of realizations, little by little. Chatting with my roommate about spring break has left me with one of these little thoughts.

I cannot believe that the 15 hours to Boise and the 15 hours back to Irvine saw absolutely no driving or car troubles at all (to my knowledge at least heh)! Sure we hit a little snow up in the mountains of Nevada, but the car didn't break down, we did not get a flat tire, we never ran out of gas, and we always had fabulous drivers (heehee).

I realized that around 4AM on Sunday morning, the 20th of March, there was a storm that hit Orange, CA. According to the roommate report, it was a pretty bad thunderstorm, enough to wake her; according to my parents, it was raining cats and dogs in San Diego later in the week as the storm moved around SoCAl. At 4AM on that Sunday morning, we were just about loading the van and driving off. There was no rain. Obviously it was dark so maybe we missed the ominous, looming clouds, but I can't help but wonder if it's all by the grace of God that we were able to leave before things got messy.

I remember praying a lot for a safe drive up because of the long hours, which meant a higher probability of something going wrong. But hey, we were able to leave a storm in the dust and that is awesome. Just want to say, yeah God, you are way cool.

So...

I know I utterly failed at blogging during the week. The one time that I did was before we actually left for Idaho, and this blog right now is getting written as BWAM is over. Sorry! Ha. But I just wanted to share some of my thoughts about BWAM because truly, it was such an amazing and special spring break.

1. The refugees
The hardworking, kind, patient refugees that we met bring a smile to my face right at this very moment as I think about them. Like everyone already mentioned, it was a bit of a challenge at first communicating with them with the language barrier. But as the week went on, they had warmed up to us and actually tried to initiate conversations with the very few English they did know (example: hilarious jokester Indra came up to me and simply said, "I'm thirsty"). What stuck out to me the most about the refugees was that most of them had only been in Boise a few months but they had learned SO MUCH in such a short amount of time. They have learned and soaked up everything they could, and I think it's because each one of them is so hard working and try with all their ability and heart that they are able to become more comfortable and successful in Boise. Another thing that stuck out to me was that despite the fact that they have gone through some pretty painful and hard times in their lives in the past, they are still filled with so much joy and gratitude. I loved seeing their smiling faces and hearing bits and pieces of their stories. This wasn't something that I necessarily learned for the first time, but just something that was reminded to me on the trip: when you hear someone's story, you inevitably become connected in an unforgettable way. So to the refugees that we met at the IRC, to the seven refugees that we met at the farm, and to Devi, the head farmer, thank you for letting us be a small part of your stories and for becoming a wonderful part of ours. Oh, side note, Devi pulled me in for a hug as I said goodbye to him, which was just the sweetest thing in the world...but the last words I said to him were, "Devi, we have a soccer ball!" as I threw him the soccer ball that Abe told us to give to them. Ugh, fail. -_- Haha.

2. Create Common Good
This organization and the people who are a part of it blow me away. I cannot believe the passion, determination, talent, and optimism that flows through the heart of CCG. I know Tara, Tyler, and a bunch of the CCG staff kept telling us throughout the week how incredible it was that each one of the seven of us seemed to be "handpicked" for this first Boise, Idaho team. But honestly, I think each one of the CCG staff was handpicked to be in the position that they currently are in. Tara, who is the head of the company, is one of the most dynamic and patient people I have ever met, and it was so wonderful just watching her shift back and forth from this professional, eloquent, determined business woman to this mom who would kiss her daughter Lucy on the head and tell her, "I'm so glad you liked your lollipop." Tyler, who was our awesome tour guide and teacher, was also meant for his position. Huge thanks to Tyler for...everything. Seriously, I can't even explain how grateful we are for him for spending the whole week with us. Create Common Good will definitely stay in my mind and prayers. I feel that just from a week of getting to know this organization and staff, I fell in love with what they do and what they stand for. More importantly, it's also how they do what they do, because I think the amount of love and faith that goes with their work is the reason they have become so successful so quickly and is the reason I admire them so ridiculously much.

3. Our host family, the Pollard's
A huge, huge thank you to Brian, Michaelle, Jessica, and Megan Pollard. THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the delicious food, your hospitality and generosity, and your great conversation. It was such a treat watching "American Idol" with Brian and Michaelle, talking to Jessica about her going to college next year, and playing Mario Kart with Megan. Oh and of course thanks to their adorable dog, Bailey, for never failing to be so hyper seeing us and for jumping on us and licking us. On top of the amazing refugees and CCG staff, we also got the pleasure of getting to know this family, and for that, we were even more blessed and spoiled from this trip.

4. The team
I don't think there are enough words to describe how incredibly fun and wonderful this team is. Each one of them is so talented, hilarious, and encouraging. I learned from each of them so much, both by watching them shine with their projects and in various situations and by listening to their testimonies and what they had to say during debriefing every night. And I really think that the 16 hour drive both ways and all the time spent in that huge, white van was really a great way for all of us to bond. There were just so many laughs and memories from singing along to all types of songs (ranging from Josh Groban to Hilary Duff, I kid you not), making videos, taking pictures, making fun of each other, eating, napping, sharing stories, everything. And it was so much fun having all of our random, little adventures wherever we stopped somewhere, such as Sunnyside rest stop (without the sun), Twin Falls canyon (where we only actually saw one waterfall), Stateside Diner (with all the bloody hunting pictures), and Vegas (don't worry, we didn't stay out till 4!). Not only did God bless us with the people we met in Boise, He blessed us by giving us each other and by giving us the opportunity to get to know each other so much better. Thank you, guys, for being so awesome. And thank you for listening to my whole testimony and for always lifting each other up. I love team Boise so, so, so much!!!

OK, sorry this post is so long! There is so much more I could say about this trip, so if any of you want to hear, hit me up! Thanks to all of you for reading and for all the family and friends who have prayed for and supported us. And I guess I just want to end this by saying...

GOD IS SO AMAZING, PROVIDING, AND GOOD!!! AHHHHH, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, GOD!

Ok, that's all folks. :)

-Megan

Thinking back...

God truly just blew me away this week. Everything that I saw and experienced in this much too short week in Boise has encouraged me and reminded me of just how great the God that we serve is. I feel like everything that happened this week definitely can't be summed up in one blog post so I'll just talk about some of the MANY highlights.
- Working with Tyler, our incredibly patient, fun loving, awesome host and tour guide.
- Interacting with the refugees who, even though they had very limited English speaking skills, still made me laugh and smile and were just wonderful people to be around despite their tough past.
- "Making the bed" and "planting the seed" out on the farm and just sharing in the work with the refugees as well as being in God's absolutely beautiful creation.
- Car rides. Whether they were 15 hours or 15 minutes I feel like we were blessed to spend time together as a team in our comfy van and bond over singing awesome songs, playing Angela's homemade mad-libs or seeing certain people seriously knocked out as they slept their life away in the far back seat :)
- Cooking meals with the refugees. Not only did we get spoiled by getting to eat some ridiculously good food, but we also had a chance to break bread and learn from the Cg farm staff and experience many different cultures.
- Encouragement time. I was amazed at just how unique God made this team to be and how we each fulfilled a very different but much needed part. God is truly amazing in the way He orchestrates things to be absolutely perfect even if it seems unclear to us prior what our individual purposes might be.

Thank you so much for all of your support, prayers, and love for our team throughout this entire week. We have so many more stories to share so please feel free to ask us about it when you see us. And we'll probably be periodically updating the blog in these upcoming days/ weeks as we process through everything we've experienced. Okay. Tis all! Thanks! Bye!

Hello!

We have arrived safely in Irvine. Woot!

People of Idaho

Throughout this Missions trip to Idaho, I was constantly reminded of how important it is to meet new people. I found myself in very unique circumstances multiple times, working with refugees (from Bhutan, Congo, Eritrea, and Burma), our host family, and the youth group (Middle School and High School).

Refugees

Upon arriving in Boise, I originally thought that we would be introduced to a huge farm with many refugee workers, but to my surprise, the farm was just a small area next to and behind the church building. When we met the refugees, it was very awkward. We didn't really know what to do or what to say. We soon realized our previous knowledge of the English language basically went out the door. Thankfully our trusty guide and fearless leader, Tyler, led by example and always knew when to step in to assist us. Without him, we would have been lost and less likely to step up and talk to the workers. As the week progressed, our conversations and interactions expanded beyond simple questions and branched out to more jokes and laughter. Devi, one of the head farmers, was someone I wanted to talk to every day upon arriving at the farm. I was fascinated by his wisdom and willingness to share his knowledge. I miss him already!

Our Host Family - The Lincks

The Lincks family housed us (guys) for this past week and they were UNBELIEVABLY HOSPITABLE. Right when we walked in, we were greeted with smiles, conversation and food. Their house was cozy and beautiful. It made the trip that much better, knowing that after a hard day of work, we could come back to a HOME and sleep in a comfortable bed. Their two boys, Evan (9th grade) and Brian (6th grade), were very fun to hang out with as well! :D They are both very fun and playful. I'm so thankful that we got the opportunity to hang out with them. I really enjoyed talking to Brian...I was reminded of my want for a younger brother! Funny side note: we thought that the daughter, Kat, didn't like us because she failed to responded after I said hi to her in passing. The next night when the girls came over, she talked to us for a good 2 hours...

Youth Group

We were given the opportunity to lead the youth group at the church. Some of the kids were very interesting...while playing the ice breaker, I could tell they were all at different stages of life including "Too cool for school"...anyways...I led worship with David and I was SO THANKFUL that they sang along. AND they were pretty loud too. They were responsive to the worship, much more than I expected. Then we broke up into small groups and talked to them about why we were there. Throughout the whole night I felt like a different person and once again I was reminded of how much I love talking to younger people and investing in them. I like being an older brother and I love how I'm getting an opportunity to live that out. These kids were hyper, but it was incredible to work with them and rediscovering this side of me.

Overall, the main point is that the walls started to break down and thus began the friendships that would lead to a difficult goodbye. Over a span of 5 days, I've had the opportunity to meet many different people, some I saw daily and others only once, but nonetheless, my heart has grown attached to Idaho and the people there.

Thank you God for doing so much work in my heart in such a short time. Not only did you reveal to us the work that you're doing, you also allowed us to be a part of it, whether it was through prayer or physical work. Thank you so much for providing us with everything we needed and more. You made your presence known and we are forever grateful.