One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready...

For all you sports fans keeping track at home, today's the day I'm heading out for LAUP. I'm actually going to be driving away in about a half hour, which is just crazy for me, especially considering I finished my last assignment for summer classes about five minutes ago. 

For real though, my team's probably already there.

I definitely feel intimidated right now about this, honestly. I don't feel as though I am prepared for this behemoth of a trip. I don't feel rested enough, like I've prayed enough, like I'm in the right mental state, I'm not ready to give up technology... You name it, I'll feel unprepared about it. 

But if I stop to think about it and look past my compulsive worrying, LAUP turns from this huge cross to bear into a gift from God. There is no question in my mind about whether or not I need to go, given my heart for social justice, the fact that it affected Sam so deeply, AND the fact that as of yesterday, I AM FULLY FUNDED!!! I honestly expected to have to take some of it on myself, but it was a huge blessing to be able to attend with all of the finances already taken care of.

Sidebar: to everyone who has donated and everyone who is praying, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your support means the world to me, and I would not be able to do this without you. God is going to do some incredible things in the next six weeks, and I am so honored that I get to partner with you in this. 

On that note, I have a few specific prayer requests. In no particular order, please pray that:

• I am open to what God has in store to teach me, and that I apply what He teaches me after I return
• My team and I work well together and model Jesus in our words and actions
• God works in the hearts of the people we come into contact with

I'm sure there are others, but these are the biggest I can think of right now, with my sleep-deprived and over-caffeinated brain. 

Well, I'm off. See you all soon, and I will be posting here after I get back on August 3rd.

SDG, 

-Gordon

What to expect when you're going to LAUP

I'm gonna be off to LAUP in five days! This Sunday I'll be shipping off for a month and a half, living right in the inner city and working with Homeboy Industries. If you're not familiar with them, they're essentially a gang-intervention organization, but you can look up their full purpose at their website. (There's also a book, Tattoos on the Heart, written by Homeboy's founder. It's seriously amazing.) In particular, our team will be working in five different departments: (1) curriculum, (2) tattoo removal, (3) catering & gardening, (4) IT, and (5) development. I'm not sure what that last one is, but I'm feeling pretty excited about all of them.

This is definitely going to be a rough couple weeks, and not just because I won't have phone or internet access, but because I've realized that I am afraid of being uncomfortable. It's not like I run screaming from metal folding chairs, but that deep down, I don't want to have to trust God to provide for me. I want to have a house I feel is big enough, a car that's reliable enough, and a bank account stable enough that I can feel safe on my own. I'm not going to get that at LAUP. Until August 3rd, my team and I are going to receive $5 per day to cover all our day-to-day expenses. Food, gas, laundry, unexpected car repair... We're all going to survive, obviously, but I am definitely going to have to learn how to trust God in a much more concrete way than I've ever had to.

Speaking of jarring segues, if you're interested in sending me letters (or receiving them), my mailing address will be this guy:

Gordon Lee
Homeboy Industries
Los Angeles Urban Project
P.O. Box 31190
Los Angeles, CA 90031

They get delivered to us once a week, so don't flip out if you write me and don't hear back for a couple weeks. I'll respond to you as best I can with the time I have, but at the very least I'll write you back at least once.

This is kinda how I picture it. I could be wrong.

I'll post another one on here just before I head out with more specific prayer requests, but the big one I have for right now is that God would keep preparing me, my team, the LAUP participants, and our mission fields for the work that He's going to accomplish. It's going to be hard one way or another, and I figure it's better to have Him there than not.

SDG,

-Gordon Lee

P.S. I forgot to mention: I'M TOTALLY ENGAGED. Holy snap, you guys. I cannot tell you all just how excited I am to get married to the most amazing woman who's ever existed, and turns out she doesn't mind too much either.

WHOOOOOO!!!!

On an unrelated note, did you know weddings take a lot of work? Hoo boy. I feel like I should have seen that coming.