STC 2011.

stop stressing, ehnie.
just stop.

today was Serve the City 2011. it was in one word: AMAZEBALLS.

rewind to two days ago: Prayer & Worship Night. i didn't want to go. i was too exhausted from work. why did i have to drive all the way down to the westside from work to go pick up tshirts for my volunteers? why do i have to go pray for my city and for the volunteers and for the unity of los angeles and for the 11-12 churches banding together for STC and for lives to be saved and hearts to be changed and hope to be given...when i have a million things on my to-do list?

but i went. kicking and screaming i went.

...and once again, God rocked me to my core. an hour set aside to cry out to God to change and rejuvenate los angeles was refreshing, eye-opening, heart-opening. once again, i was reminded that STC is not about you, self-centered ehnie. my heavenly Father, in his faithfulness, reaches out to me...first. always. i had given myself a sense of self-importance because this was another year that i was leading a project. because i had given an announcement at church. once again, i was reminded to be flexible and to be open to whatever happens on july 30th, 2011. once again, i was reminded that i will not be loved more or less in His eyes whether STC fails or succeeds.

fast forward to today: i still have a splitting headache and physical exhaustion to the core, but i cannot stop smiling. my heart swells with joy at the wonderfulness of our project this year. i didn't think through all the details, but i was reminded to be flexible...the volunteers even said everything was running so smoothly (really?!). the residents and Events Coordinator at the shelter kept saying how fun this day was for them. my volunteers stepped up to the plate to serve by just asking them a request once. once. and the only One i can attribute it to is Him. my volunteers and my co-leader were amazing, and i am beyond thankful for them. but it is He who is doing a great work and He will carry it to completion...

to be entirely honest, i had been putting off the planning of STC til the last minute. i was overly stressed from work and home that i couldn't "fit" it into my schedule. i realized just HOW much work was stressing me out, and i needed today to wake me up to smell the frickin' roses. life ain't bad - first world problems. to see the residents' smiling faces at the shelter today was God's gentle nudge at my heart.

stop stressing, ehnie. He's got this. so blessed to be able to serve the city <3