To the Sea in Faith

Do not worry about what you will eat or drink.

2008-06-27T14:52:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday concludes my panhandling in front of Vons for a while. It was a little slower, but in the end still a beautiful success; meeting some returning faces from the previous day. In total, split between the two days and that brief hour the day before, I've managed to raise well over $280.

So, I called and scheduled an appointment with a clinic nearby, and come Monday at 2:30, I'll be braving a Yellow Fever shot.

This was my little glass sign that I propped up on my guitar case while playing.

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A friend named Cayla came down from Anaheim to stay with me for the next few days. I'd mentioned to her that I was saving for Uganda, and she decided to bring me groceries - - - pasta a plenty, macaroni 'n cheese, green beans, tuna, cake and frosting, monkey bread (if only you knew how delicious it is), apple juice, and more. It's well over enough to last me until I leave. God is so good, and I am so blessed.

"Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."

Matt 6:25-35

Tomorrow is going to be a crazy day. My former fellow intern/roadie and good friend Emily left me a message about setting up a booth at the street fair in Ocean Beach? She'll be selling jewelry - - - and I may just bring my guitar or sell jewelry too. I still need to talk to her about the details. Some friends and I have made some wicked hemp bracelets that I might try to sell for a dollar or two each.

Last but not least, a friend invited me to go to a roller-skating rodeo (?) at night. Basically, rollarskating with a cowboy hat on. We'll see. I do love skating & cowboy hats.

Thirteen days and counting. There's still so much to be done.

Panhandling Adventure Number Two

2008-06-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I ventured over to the Vons grocery store off of Lake Murray Blvd. for my second panhandling adventure, this time with permission from the store manager. Upon arrival, I set up my guitar case by the entrance, set up my little sign, and started to play whatever felt good on my fingers at that moment.

After only about ten minutes, I noticed that a small girl was at the other entrance passing out flyers and asking for donations. I had competition. Then, after about a half hour, one of the Vons employees came out to the entrance that I was sitting next to, set up a little table with brownies, sandwiches, and Starbucks samples and began asking for donations for prostate cancer. More competition?! This was almost humorous. On this Wednesday afternoon, we as a 'fundraising team' were bombarding the poor customers. I just continued to play, smiling, asking passerbys for their change, and explaining my hopeful Ugandan adventure.

Prostate cancer girl stood with her brownies and didn't look pleased. So I decided to strike up a conversation. After a bit of talking, I discovered that she'd been on a trip to Afghanistan, loved to travel, and supported Invisible Children. She ended up giving me a dollar and wishing me luck.

My only competition now was the mysterious flyer girl at the other entrance. She was fierce, yelling 'GOOD AFTERNOON MA'AM!' from all the way across the parking lot. Luckily, her aggressive tactics were only pushing more people my way. Then, after a while, this rank smell started to waft over from her direction. As it turns out, the sewage line under the street had burst and was omitting a horrible sulfur smell, sour enough to singe your eyebrows. Flyer girl was trying to hold strong, but her side of the store was under line of fire. People holding their noses would run to my entrance, trying to escape the smell.

Finally, flyer girl retreated, leaving me and my guitar to endure the smell in victory.

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In the end, after a little over three hours of panhandling, I'd gotten words of encouragement, met some absolutely lovely people, was bought a Starbucks from inside Vons, and made a little over $115.

Hopefully, if all goes well, I'm off to do it again this afternoon.

Panhandling Adventure Number One

2008-06-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

"Far away, there in the sunshine, are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up to see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow them." - Lousia May Alcott

So, I went on a panhandling adventure to the front of Von's. I set up my case, my little sign reading 'I hope to be the change I wish to see in the world', sat on the ground, and started plucking around on Georgia, my guitar.

After an hour of playing and collecting change from friendly Von's shoppers, the manager came out to inform me that unless I packed up and left, he was going to call the police.

Note to self: I really do need to ask permission before setting up my case to play.

But, here's the best part. After only an hour of playing, I raised over $45.

Entry One.

2008-06-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

This is the beginning of my new blog for many things.

But for now - welcome to the beginning of the start of my Uganda adventure.

If you'd like to donate to helping ship me to Uganda, click here.

If you like the song that's playing on my page - feel free to download it.

The link: Holland - Sufjan Stevens.