Basketball on the concrete

The favorite sight of my week so far was leaving work yesterday and seeing all of the men staying in our shelter outside playing a pickup basketball game with each other. The thunk of the ball on the concrete and against the backboard, the shouts of the men as they jostled for the ball--if I closed my eyes it could have been in a squatter community in Manila, Philippines or at a park in my own neighborhood in Pasadena.

I also had the privilege today of bringing some of my own clothes that are nice but that I don't wear very often to help out one of our clients who was homeless previously and is now living in transitional housing with her son. She put in a lot of work to become trained as a hairstylist and now with the economy the way that it is, she can't find work. I've dropped off old clothes at a Goodwill before, but that's so different that digging out your nice but rarely used clothes to give to someone that you've met. It gets a wee bit closer to satisfying the conviction of my heart when I read John's words in Luke: If you have two jackets, give one to your neighbor who doesn't have one. Now I still have way more than two jackets, but knowing that some of the clothes that were previously hanging lonely in my closet will now be used by someone who really needs it--it feels like an absolute privilege to be able to give to her.

Job Searching as a Homeless Person

I'm going to steal this link from my friend Mark on the difficulties of finding a job when homeless. It's hard enough for housed folks to find a job right now, but finding one when you are homeless has always been hard.

Road Rage

Before moving to L.A., I always had a vague idea that the only people who had road rage were those with extreme anger management issues. But road rage is a strange phenomenon in L.A.. People always seem to be angry when they are driving. I myself get angry much more easily then I ever did before. I actually almost flipped someone off the other day, which is not like me! The only reason I didn't was for fear of what they might do back. As a friend said the other day about his own road rage encounter, "I was just glad I didn't get shot."
Anger and speed seem to be part of driving culture in this city. People are always in their cars, always on the way to somewhere, and always want to get there as fast as possible. On the freeway on my commute to work, most cars are going between 70-80 miles per hour. The cars going "only" 60 make you crazy because they slow up all the traffic, with people weaving around them. So in a city that's always in a hurry, anything that slows people down even for a few seconds annoys them (I confess I have become guilty as well of this phenomenon).
If you live in LA, what do you think about road rage in the city? If you've visited, did you notice it when you were here?

Trust in the midst of Doubt

"Trusting God does not mean that we will never have questions, doubts, or fears. We cannot simply turn off the natural thoughts and feelings that arise when we face difficult circumstances. Trusting God means that in spite of our questions, doubts, and fears we draw on his grace and continue to believe that he is loving, that he is in control, and that he is always working for our good. Such trust helps us to continue doing what is good and right, even in difficult circumstances."

Taken from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict
by Ken Sande, Updated Edition (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 2003) p. 65

I love this quote because my natural response when I am afraid or have doubts is to beat myself up for lack of faith and to feel shame in approching God because of my perceived lack of faith. But to be afraid, to still have doubts, and to plunge forward on the path that is right, staking my life on the trust that God will come through on his promises, is another kind of response entirely.

A Different Beat

One of my fellow interns in Servant Partners was featured in a promotional video for the Urbana conference!

Living among the Stars

The benefit (?) of living in LA--you run into entertainment stars in the course of every day life. I met Danny Roebuck, shook his hand, and chatted with him for a few minutes one day while working at my job. He was very nice, and he said at the end of our conversation that he sees his daughter growing up to be like me. (!) Of course, being me, I didn't even know he was famous! :P

HPV required?

Today I learned that the HPV vaccine has been made mandatory for immigrant women and girls between 11-26 applying for a visa to enter the USA. This disturbs me. The medical community thinks that this vaccine is safe, but really it hasn't been around long enough to know its long-term effects. It's not mandatory for American women to receive the vaccine, although from all my recent doctor's visits I can tell you that they are sure pushing it. Basically, to me the HPV vaccine seems different than the other infectious disease vaccines that immigrants are required to get, and it doesn't seem like it should be one of the required vaccines. What if France decided that US female citizens couldn't apply to come to France unless they'd been vaccinated for HPV?
If you follow this link, you can learn more about the objections to this newly created requirement and sign the petition if you so desire.
Here's what Angry Asian Man's blog says about it: "Many groups, including NAPAWF [National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum], believe the HPV vaccine should not be required of immigrants because it isn't currently required of U.S. citizens in any jurisdiction, and it's one of the most expensive vaccines on the market, basically making the already huge financial burden that much harder for immigrant women and their families. Shouldn't immigrant women, like all women, have the right to weigh the risks and benefits involved with making a medical decision, such as the HPV vaccine, and make an informed decision for themselves?"
Your thoughts?