I got into Santa Barbara on the first of the year, and have been getting more settled every week.  It’s been really nice to not be traveling anymore, after several years of being on the road.

 

 

Working with ISI has been good; I’ve been getting more and more involved as each week passes.  I’ve been leading parts of our large group meeting, have spoken at college meetings to recruit people, and have been starting to meet with more international students one-on-one.  I’ve been seeing some good relationships form with several guys, and am going to pursue them.

 

ISI in Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara has also been supporting the Perspectives in the World Christian Movement here, which has been fun.  I’ve spent a bit of time setting up a podcast of the teachings for them (apparently the first time that’s been done), and I may end up assisting the US Center for World Missions in doing more of that, which is unexpected, but really exciting!

 

 

I’ve also been enjoying the other friendships I have here.  Most are from the small group I’m in at church.  It’s been fun to connect with them throughout the week.

 

The funny story of the month is that the temperature plummeted all the way to below freezing, which meant that people here were looking over their shoulders for glaciers.  My home doesn't turn the heat on at night because it wakes them up, and that’s not normally a big deal.  That night I woke up huddled under my blankets with my feet numb, and wondered why the heat wasn't on.

 

It turns out they had turned on their electric blanket and not the heat, figuring that "he's from the North, so he's used to it".  I had to let them know that we turned the heat on in the North, and since then, so have they.   Thank God for heated homes!