That year took me to many heights and blessings. First, I met my new best friend, Huy Do. One sunny, crisp morning at church in Irvine at Mariner's, I introduced myself with a high-five and an exclamation of "China!" to this lucky man. The back story is that a mutual friend of ours had insisted that I must know Huy if I had gone to China on a missions trip. This friend questioned me for months in the spring and summer of 2005, claiming that Huy was "The China Missions Guy". But I never met him, not one China trip meeting or function. But after a flyer was passed around Mariner's with Huy's picture on it, that our mutual friend showed me, I finally could put a face to a name. But I still had not met him. Early March of 2006, I finally met this "China Missions Guy". On the patio during Global Outreach Weekend, I met my new best friend and the best man in my life. I turned to him, with my photographic memory and lack of coherent sentences, shout "China!" and gave him a high-five. Thus our relationship started on that day and has been the biggest blessing of my life. God was clearly telling me, for my obedience to him in the rough year of 2005, He was blessing me with a new and very special person in my life. For clinging to my Father during the hard months of losing my best friend to the City, I gained a new friend that has shown me what true love is. Full of grace and mercy, Huy has shown me that the impossible is possible when you dream big and with your feet planted and your heart open.
Not more than a few weeks later I was asked to join a leadership team at church that transformed me spiritually in my walk with Christ like no other time in my life. My pastor, who ironically was the one who detained me at the patio that day I met Huy, asked me to sign up for a 18 month commitment to help lead in our 20's ministry called Fuel. This ministry, group of friends, has been the one driving force for me to call Orange County home. I moved to the OC in late 2002 after graduating from SFSU and suburbia scared me. Strip malls, parking lots, large brightly lit streets and no noise, I feared Orange County and my decision to move here. It took the Green Room/Fuel community to show me that there is so much for me to enjoy here. That community took me in, I had great friends that loved me for who I was and didn't care if they went bowling on a Friday night instead of heading for the bars. Bryan, Ross, Jeff, Kim, April, Josh, Amy, Tomas, Grace, Brenton and so many more came along side me and gave the gift of a fun friendship without anything in return. They would repeatedly call me, text me, invite me, anything to get me out of my own head and just enjoy life again. Game nights and kayak trips were our "big weekend plans", add in all the times we would laugh till we cried and I was set, I had a group of friends that I could share life with.
So when, Justin asked me to join in leading this community, I said yes. I had no idea what a leader was to do, sound like or look like, but I signed up anyway. I am glad I signed up before I knew. Since April of 2006 I have not stopped seeing the amazing life changes that God has been in the lives of the "Fuel-ers". To be a apart of this, something that is so much bigger than me or Fuel or Mariner's, is the second biggest blessing of 2006. My walk has grown so much deeper, I see God in an entirely new way, God is tangible to me now more than ever. This crowd of Fuel-ers is out to change Orange County, whenever we go anywhere we take the place over, people wonder, "who are all those kids that are having so much fun?"
A dream realized was the first 17 days of September 2006. I finally had the chance to travel to Europe for over 2 weeks with my best friend. That whole trip seemed like a foggy dream. Seeing Paris for the first time, my heart was full. The Eiffel tower under a full moon was too much for me to handle. I had been dreaming of traveling to Europe for as long as I can remember and even to this day it seems like it didn't happen. Kimberly and I had a whirlwind tour of London, Paris, Venice, Florence and Rome in a very short time. The hardest part was that we didn't get any actual rest. We wanted to absorb everything that we had harsh reminders to slow down, that forced us to find anything American just feel familiar. So we ended up at Hard Rock Cafe... twice! That was something we never thought we would do it was too American Touristy of us. But we did have our "when in Rome..." moments, from eating gelato to shopping at Harvey Nichols to lounging in Paris at Jardin des Tulieres for a entire Sunday afternoon. We experienced many walks/runs in the rain, 101 ways to use a inflatable neck pillow while traveling, crazy street performers, aches and pains, even a rash at one point, crowded, smelly, beautiful, indescribable, breath taking, ancient, historically valuable moments on the best trip of 2006.
The last amazing blessing coming out of 2006 was the Ostriches! For the first time, I decided to lead a small group. I had put it off for over 2 years, it was time to jump in. I was nervous to start this group, but seeing who God placed in my living room over the month of October, I knew He hand selected this group and all the girls in it. These girls have encouraged me in ways that I didn't know I needed to be encouraged, they are the most open, loving, inclusive, friendly girls that I have gotten to know in the Fuel community. I look forward to Monday nights just to be with the Ostriches, they make my week.
With so many blessings in 2006, I look forward with anticipation to 2007. Big plans are starting to form already with a missions trip to Uganda in August, a snow trip to Mammoth, Bryan's wedding in Chicago, paintball adventure, retreat in Santa Barbara, houseboat trip to Mojave, camping in Yosemite and my big bro's wedding! I can't wait to see what God is going to show me more about Him in this year and how I can love others.
John 13:34-35
