What the...?

So I think it was 3 days after I wrote the blog about my dog and cat, I was super tired and I was about to fall asleep, nelly was right there. I said, "Hey nelly, can you wake me up in 25 minutes?" I kind of had the thought in my mind that I talk to her so much in hopes that she will be able to understand me more. 

That was 6:05 or something.

6:35, I wake up to nelly barking and licking my foot. 

?...!

On Dogs and Cats

I have a dog and I have a cat. Nelly's the dog and Charity is the cat. I find it so interesting to just sit and look at them, I don't really care that much for other people's pets, but my own I am so interested in. What are they thinking about?

Today I went walking around in the hills with Nelly, as soon as she realizes we're going into the hills, she gets really excited.

I just followed her around tonight, its so weird how expressive she gets when she's in the hay barn. I don't think she ever climbs the hay by herself, but when I'm there she loves it. She jumped up like three bails of hay today in a single jump...

One time Nelly saw a bear and chased it up into a tree. I wasn't there, but my dad said she was running around with her head high in the air and being basically really excited about what she did.

Every night at 6 o'clock Charity will stand in the middle of the kitchen and beg for food til she gets it. I can meow back and forth with her, so weird. What she really likes is sleeping on your lap, she also loves my computer for some reason. Earlier today she spent like 5 minutes rubbing her mouth all over the edge of it. I'm pretty sure she's trying to put her scent on it, but I don't know why.

Its also interesting that I have never shared a word with either Charity or Nelly, but we totally have a relationship. Like, they know me, and I know them. I can even tell when Nelly is sad, and I can usually tell when Charity is about to get angry.

Charity will often sneak into the pantry and eat the dog or cat food she finds. It's so funny cuz if we walk by or open the door or anything, she will totally run out of the pantry. She definitely knows she's not supposed to be in there.

Yesterday I called Nelly out of the house when I was about to leave, she was kind of excited but then I hopped in the car and she just stared at me, I drove part way out of the driveway and she was just standing there, staring at me-she looked so sad! so I pulled back up, told her she was a good dog, pet her a little bit and then told her I had to go. She just skipped right off when I said "seeya later". So weird...

I'm leaving for a road trip on the east coast in a few weeks, i was thinking today I wish I could take Nelly with me, I think she really likes new things (like the excitement of going out in the hills, she also really liked being in the car a few weeks ago and being at the site of my family's future house). It'd be really fun to experience new things with her on the east coast, you know, watch how she reacts and stuff.

Charity does not like new things. she just likes laps and food. Too bad I'm about to go to bed and kick her off my lap....

Mosaic and a Man from El Salvador.

There I was, just pulled up to Mosaic in downtown LA with my friends Merritt and Dave on Sunday night. We got there early 'cause we wanted to try eating at the taco stand outside. 

The tacos we ate were real mexican tacos. Having spent over three months in mexico I know, real mexican tacos are two small corn tortillas per taco, with nothing but some meat and cilantro and onion. These kind of tacos aren't really my favorite, but they're as authentic as it gets. I definitely prefer American Mexican food.

A guy sitting beside the stand caught my attention. He hadn't showered in a while and was asking people for money in broken english. I asked him in spanish if he wanted me to buy him a taco.

He said no.

I could tell he was surprised that I spoke spanish to him. As we were eating he came up to me and began to speak to me. He started out by asking me for money. I found out he was from El Salvador and had fought in a civil war there. He showed me a scar on his stomach and asked me if I had a cell phone charger for his phone. 

I knew we were getting late so I tried to just hand him a couple bucks, but he didn't seem to want it anymore. In the next five minutes he did two things:

1. He showed me his hands and asked me if I knew what those hands had done/been through. He told me to be thankful for the life I had.

2. He asked me about my mom, said he missed his own mother, she had died. But my mom was still alive. He said make sure to love my mom. 

I gave him the money I had in my hand, though he wasn't even looking at the money when I handed it to him, he was looking right into my eyes. I went in to church, to hear another El Salvadorian, Irwin McManus, speak.

I kept thinking about the guy outside (Francis I think...) and what Jesus would have me to do.

The first thing I (and many of us) think is "Jesus would want me to take him home, give him a shower, find him a job, get him working, be his friend, take him to social functions, basically adopt him. That idea scares me. It's such an investment! Its so much time! So much work!

As I sat I realized, God doesn't want me to invest my whole life into this one person. He doesn't want me to be the one solution to all his problems. But He would have me be a part of the solution. 

I began to think, what does that look like then, for real. Something Irwin said made me think in business mode, "Ok, can you take this guy out to lunch and find out where he's at in life and what got him there? Then together brainstorm some creative solutions to the challenges he has in front of him?" I thought through my schedule and realized thursday would be good. 

First of all, don't we all know God has called us to love our mothers like Francis said? They're not the only ones either! If I were to give everything I have for this one guy it would cut into my ability to love my mom and other people. Secondly, were I to invest so much into this one man, I would get the credit. God's goal is not to glorify me, but to glorify Himself.

God is calling me to love that neighbor though. To walk by and not look at him would not be honoring to anyone in the situation. To give Francis some way to invest in himself by taking me up on an offer for lunch might just be the perfect thing for both of us, and just what God would have me to do. 

The announcements concluded and the last song was sung. I got up, resolved to find this guy and see if we could have a lunch meeting, but he was gone.

Am I lame for not getting up out of my seat during church?

Was he an angel helping me to realize this stuff?

Maybe God just wanted me to give him a conversation and a few bucks?

Anyway, the principle is with me. God is calling me to be a part of the solution; not all of the solution. That I am fully capable of doing.