August 28, 2013 - Travel/First Few Days

I can say that I made it to Hollywood safely, and boy has it been an eventful first few days. But first I'll tell more of the story on how we all got here...

The commissioning at First Presbyterian Church in Yorktown was incredible. I went along with two other YAVs, Emma CushmanWood (right) who will be serving in Northern Ireland and Kalyn Stevwing (middle-right) who will be serving in New Orleans.

Each of us spoke during the sermon to be followed by a laying on of the hands for our commissioning. It was truly a blessing and I thank all of First Pres of Yorktown Heights for their open arms and kindness.

That night was our last night at YAV orientation. As we all split our ways over the night and into the next morning, I realized how much of a community we have developed. YAVs who weren't leaving until the next evening stayed up throughout the night to see off the 2:30am group, the 3:30am group, etc. There were songs, hugs, and joy abound. These are the people that will also be devoting the next year to service and it was a pleasure to get to know them.

Boom. LAX.

Of course the airplane food was.... Well let's just say that it wasn't this, which I promptly devoured upon landing.

The plan is to ease us into the intentional community during orientation. I figure I'll just give a preface of what life is like here. The property that we live on is owned by the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. The front house is a community house, or is known by the locals as "la casa de la comunidad". This house is open to locals three nights a week for kids to come in and do artwork, play games, get help with homework, etc. The back half of the property is where us Dwellers live. It will be a challenge living with six of us in a four bedroom apartment. The first big decision as our intentional community was picking out bedrooms. What originally seemed challenging, ultimately took less than 20 minutes and we all seem happy. Shout out to Brent, my new roommate. We've already shared our first home-cooked meal together after a challenging, but informative trip to the grocery.

Pictured are Tara (left) and Laura (right), two of my housemates for the year.

We have been learning quite a bit of history from Marvin, one of the site coordinators, about Hollywood and the woes it can bring. We attended a staff meeting at First Pres - Hollywood, where I will be working; but it was brief and didn't result in much interaction between me and my future co-workers. Speaking of which, the church:

Wow. I am so blessed to be working and attending such a magnificent place of worship.

Since we are being eased into this, we got to experience of bit of the glamour of Hollywood. This morning we attended a taping of 'The Soup'. It was nothing less than entertaining and I'm so thankful for the opportunity.

Yes, it's fuzzy but still. First picture with a famous person.

We have orientation until September 10. This is when I will start working with the Lord's Lighthouse at First Pres. I will most likely not post again until then.

Thanks for giving me this opportunity. It truly is a blessing.

God Bless

-John

YAV Orientation VLOG

With all the hustle and bustle of orientation here in NY, I decided to upload a video to save time.

Stony Point Orientation

1 Week Left

In just one week I will be in New York for YAV orientation. This summer has been filled with excitement as I finished up my fourth year on staff at Burnamwood Camp & Conference Center. Being the summer director  was a challenging endeavor, one that I feel has prepared me for the upcoming year. Working with a church camp I get to spend time with some of the greatest people in the world. That sure doesn't mean that it isn't a challenge.
The time spent in LA will be challenge as well. A different challenge of sorts. God has been with me through my experiences in KY and will continue as I go through this experience.

Let's talk a bit about orientation. A week long to-do that looks like it will be similar to staff training at camp. Up at 8am every single day and activities until 8pm every single night. It will be an exhausting experience to say the least. Activities include worship, small groups, bible study, violence prevention, etc. I'm really looking forward to it, but am definitely nervous.

After orientation we will be flying to LA. There we will spend a week acclimating to the culture, living space, and living community. Considering I've never met any of the people I'll be living with before, it will be an exciting experience. If I remember correctly, the following Monday will be my first day at the Lord's Lighthouse (check my previous post for more info).

So I've a got a week to try and fit all my things into my suitcase, say goodbye to all my friends, and say hello to another world. It will be an adventure.

Agency Placement

I'm proud to announce that I have received news as to where I'll be working for the next year. I'll be working with The Lord's Lighthouse through the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. More information can be found here. I leave in just 9 days! So excited for everything to come. Thank you for all your support.

-John