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before moving to texas, wanda and i had been members of four churches…over a span of 39 years.
we met when we were 15 years old in my home church of national city first christian church:
by the time we got married and left for the lights and glitz of LA, national city first christian was running about 125 people (in a building that seated 300) and was about half white and half filipino. pretty interesting mix.
after we got hitched (at age 21) we moved to fullerton california and started working on the campus of pacific christian college as head residents in the women’s dormitory. soon after, we threw ourselves in with the church family at anaheim first christian church. it was the place we were both mentored in youth ministry. it was a really big church (for us)…about 700 people. it looks exactly the same today as it did in 1976.
we left anaheim after four years of training, and i became the youth and family minister of first christian church of huntington beach. we stay there from 1980-1990. it was a big church then. it’s pretty huge now. i’ve always took credit for the growth they’ve had. we leave…they grow. makes sense to me. here’s what the building looks like today. i’m not too sure about the purple color, tho…
in 1990, we raised our missionary support, packed up for our old home town of san diego, and i became the director of mission trips for amor ministries…the same group we partner with when we go to mexico in juarez. that was my “day job”. on the side, there were six families that joined together to plant a church in the inner city of east san diego, where we had all moved. the first place we met was in wilson middle school:
we stayed in san diego for nearly five years, until god said it was time for these so cal homers to move to texas.
amazing. the first church in 39 years that really felt like “home” to me. sheesh.
when it’s home…and it’s family…it really doesn’t matter where it’s located. even if it’s not 72 degrees with a cool, off-shore breeze.
can’t wait to be back.
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