When we moved down to Orange County a little over a month now, we were stepping out on faith. We arrived in Yorba Linda without a place to stay or jobs, and God provided both for us in short order. Our first day in town we attended one of the Life Groups that meet in the homes of several members of the church. No sooner had we met everyone there that one of our fellow interns, Jim, had offered to let us stay with him at his house! The next day Alishia and I went job hunting, and I applied for a bakery position at a Japanese grocery store up the street from the church. They said that it would take 1 to 2 weeks to process the application, but I got a call back two days later to schedule an interview. At the interview the they said that I would hear within ten days if I got the job or not, this time they called the next day and I started the next Monday. Alishia put in applications at a few places in town and was able to secure work at both a coffee shop and a memory care unit that connected to a retirement home here in town. Please pray for her as she decides which of the two jobs to take, or for strength if she decides to do both.
At our initial trip to the Japanese grocery store, while I was filling out an application, Alishia met a Christian Japanese woman named Hiroko. They hit it off right away and exchanged phone numbers. The next week, Hiroko asked us to drive her up to the mountains north of here to a time share she has. Since I had not started work yet we happily agreed and it was a pleasure to spend the weekend with her and her friends (missionaries from the Philippines, serving in San Diego).
We were given the opportunity to attend a benefit gala for Voice of the Refugees with the other interns and the pastor we serve under and his wife. It was a great night meeting people and learning about this amazing ministry that serves refugees in southern California. They provide ESL classes for children and adults, as well as helping fill out paperwork, provide food or household items to the needy families, and even teach driving lessons. They share the gospel with families who have been displaced with literally nothing left. No home, no job, no possessions, they have even left their families behind. We were very blessed to be able to attend the event and are looking forward to the chance to work with this ministry in the next year.
This past week we were able to find a permanent place to live near Yorba Linda. With help from our Life Group we were able to meet a couple that had a room to rent. They often rent a room to young people in bible school and call themselves a ‘finishing house’, as kids spend a season with them and then head out to the mission field.
Thank you all for your prayers. Please continue to pray for:
- An opportunity to minister to the Japanese population in Yorba Linda
- When to take a scouting trip to Japan, and what ministries to visit on the trip
- And again wisdom for Alishia as she weighs her employment opportunities