October 28, 2013 - A Week in the Life

Let's go through a typical week in the life of John right now.

Monday - Community Day
While living in an intentional community, we spend one day a week together intentionally to build community with one another. Last Monday we spent the day at LACMA. You know. That place with all those lampposts together.

Community days are normally led by one or two of us. We go all sorts of places and do all sorts of things, exploring the city. Yay for fun days!


Tuesday - Work at FPCH/Community Hours
We start our program on Wednesday at 10:30am. This means that it would be rather difficult to whip together a hot meal for the guests at the church without starting around 7. So... Most of the time we cook the food on Tuesday morning, refrigerate it, and put it in the oven around 8am on Wednesday. This way we are much more relaxed, ensure the food is cooked, and can cook more extravagantly (ie. layered lasagna).

In the evening, from 6:30 - 8:30, we open the community house. This means that children from the neighborhood can come and hang out for a couple of hours. We help with homework, play games, run around and scream, all sorts of things. Fun. Exhausting.

Wednesday - Work at FPCH
At 10:30am we already have guests inside our doors eating a breakfast of some sort. Shortly after we serve the hot meal we prepared. During this time we also have tables set up where people can seek services, a nurse is available all day, and some other agencies typically stop by (PATH, Step up on Second, [google those]). People stick around until around 2 or so.  I will stay and man the door until around 4 or so, giving assistance if possible to anyone who stops by.


Thursday - Work at FPCH/Gettlove (sometimes)/Community Hours
On Thursdays my schedule is much more relaxed. Since there is no program the following day, I am often doing clerical work of sorts. However, I will sometimes help Gettlove (again, google it). This could be many things, but so far I have helped a newly-housed woman move furniture in. This past week I sorted through our clothing room. I didn't take an after picture, but here is a before one.

In the evening, we open the community house again. This past week we threw a fall festival with apple bobbing, pumpkin painting, face painting, a photo booth, and donuts on a string. I didn't take too many photos, but this one cracks me up.

Friday - DAY OFF
Because I work on Sundays, Friday is the start of my weekend, but it's rather awkward as all of my housemates work on Fridays. This is when I often go places that don't cost any money. Brent didn't work last Friday so here are some photos of CityWalk in Universal City.

Saturday - Work?
A couple of Saturdays a month I go in to the kitchen to help prepare food for the program on Sunday.

Sunday - FPCH/Community Hours
In the past I have spent the mornings attending the traditional service at FPCH. But recently have decided to start helping with the youth during that time. (9:30 - 10:30). Then it's up to the upper terrace for our program. We seem to serve more people on Sundays than on Wednesdays. There's a bible study that begins at noon, and we start serving food at 1.
After all the hustle and bustle of church life, I head back to the house for community hours. On Sundays we open the house from 3:00 - 6:00.

Life here is busy to say the least. It's hard to stop and take a breath sometimes. But when I do, I remember how lucky I am and how spectacular this place is.

-John