Story 1 - Confirmation:
Sundays can often be very long days for me when I am serving. I do set up before first service. Help out at the info tent during second service. And finally actually attend third service. The break during second and third is longer, and I had some time where I was planning on doing some reading for school. Oh, but that wasn't going to happen. I made a new friend at church while I was sitting at the info tent. His name is Benjamin, and he is from the Congo (cool points: 1). He is studying to go to law school. He came over to where I was sitting and asked what I was doing. When I told him I was doing homework, we got to discussing what I was in school for. After telling him it was in missions/development work among the urban poor, he had SO many stories and words of wisdom. I found out that he has worked for World Vision and the UNHCR (UN program that addresses the needs of refugees) in both Kenya and Mozambique (cool points: 5). His work was primarily as a translator because he knows Swahili, English, Portuguese, and French (cool points: 9). The gist of his stories and wisdom is this: any development work that happens, the ideas must come from the people, they cannot be imposed on them (cool points: 15). It's like he'd already taken all the classes I'm taking! This is one of the huge major points the want us to get through our heads.
Story 2 - Coincidence:
I went to an improve show late Sunday night with some friends from church. It was really funny. But that's beside the point. Shortly after getting to our seats, the girl behind me taps me on my shoulder and asks, "Are you Kimberly Farnham?" Totally freaked out, I did not respond with all the various things going through my head, like, "Are you psychic?" "How in the world do you know my name?" , or " That's weird. Are you a stalker?". Instead I just said yes and asked who she was. Turns out she is one of my sister's friends from elementary/jr.high/high school. Her brother, who also happened to be sitting right next to her, was in my fifth grade class...IN HAWAII! Talk about small world. Crazy the things that happen and the people you run into.
Story 3 - Crazy:
Took the metro into Pasadena on Monday night for community group. It's a normal in my life; I really like the train. Shortly after getting off, a nice guys asks us if we are going to the "thing" on El Malino. (Never got more than that much info from him.) We weren't, so we said no. He asked us if we were sure, and we were. We crossed the street and continued on our way. Later that evening, after getting off the train in Hollywood, we cross paths with this same guy! In Hollywood, on the same night! He totally recognizes us and we stop to chat. We couldn't quite figure this guy out. He said he was representing his buddy (who was on the phone) as a voice over actor and they'd just finished a seminar. So crazy.
These are just a few of things that happen when you live in Hollywood.
