We have been living in Los Angeles for about four months now, and just thought it was about time we share with you all a few of the things we have been up to.

This is our room at the Dream Center

This is our bathroom - the toilet seat has cracks in it

This is our cardboarded-up window

Holly started working in a ministry that helps to rescue women from human trafficking, and is now also working in the Transitions department helping people who are wanting to move out of the Dream Center to find jobs and apartments.

Ewan helps out in the Teen Boys Home with boys from age 13-17. Some of the boys are juvenile criminals and come to the program instead of going to prison. Often when they come in they need to come off drugs, alcohol and other addictions. They go to school on campus and undergo counselling and discipleship and are shown the love of Jesus. 

Our eyes have really been opened up to the need in the United States for people to help each other. Because of the nature of this country it gives room for the spirit of man to be shown for what it really is. We are just entering into this fight to help to bring some light and healing to some of the victims; the broken, the homeless, the abused and the poor.

The exciting thing about LA is all the amazing churches and ministries, and the deep heritage of revival in this city.

This is the church we attend - the Angelus Temple that was started by Aimee Semple MacPherson, and her house is next door - they are just up the road from where we live

Aimee Semple MacPherson’s house that is open as a museum and documents her life and ministry – there is a room with crutches and wheelchairs from where people were healed and left them behind

Aimee's grave in a really beautiful cemetery in Glendale. Kathryn Kuhlman's grave as is in the same cemetery

Bonnie Brae house where the Azusa Street revival started

Azusa Street revival site

Grave of Reverend Seymour who started the Azusa Street revival 

We have managed to see a bit of the city and some beaches and nearby towns. There are a lot of beautiful beaches (of course, it is California), but they are quite different from New Zealand beaches – a lot bigger, more people, huge parking lots, and less trees. But beautiful golden sand, and the ocean is quiet often warm, and a little while ago Holly was swimming and three dolphins came along to join her. So that was pretty exciting. Every day is a good day for the beach because it is ALWAYS sunny – it only rained once in the first four months since. 

Canals at Balboa Island, Newport Beach

Newport Beach

Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach

Seals at Laguna Beach

Oil drilling near the coast of Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach Pier

Friendly pelican at Redondo Beach Pier

Holly does really miss the rain though, and is longing for a good storm. August and September are the hottest months in LA, but for the rest of the country summer is already over. We have had some really hot days – up to 39 degrees Celsius! There are also a lot of earthquakes here. Most weeks there will be one that you can feel and things shake just slightly. We are living on the 7th floor too, so we feel them a bit.

For Ewan’s birthday in Spetember we visited a town called Big Bear, about two hours away. We really loved it. It is in the mountains so it’s not as hot as the city, and there is a beautiful lake. It is a quaint little village. We had a lovely dinner out (way nicer than the Dream Center diner where we eat most nights with 500 others). 

Our cabin at Big Bear

We had lunch at a real cute tea house at Big Bear

Boulder Bay at Big Bear Lake

Big Bear

We are going to go back at Christmas time because it usually snows there and they turn the village into a Christmas wonderland with a big tree and lights and everything. So we are hoping to enjoy our first ever white Christmas.  

Other places we have visited in LA:

Chinatown

A church at Olvera Street - Spanish District

Mammoth at La Brea Tar Pits

La Brea Tar Pits

Other places we have visited outside of LA:

Danish Village called Solvang

Solvang - has the best fudge ever

Joshua Tree in Joshua Tree National Park

Aimee Semple MacPherson's Arabian Castle at Lake Elsinore

Rainforest Cafe - Costa Mesa

Rainforest Cafe

Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove

The other day we took the day off church (we have to use one of our 8 annual leave days to get out of a Sunday service) and went to see the worship leader Rick Pino at a church in Malibu. We both had wanted to see him for some time, so it was very cool to be able to and the Holy Spirit was there so we had a cool time hanging out. Then later that day we went to see the LA Galaxy play soccer and saw David Beckham. 

Beckham with the corner kick

We had great seats

Another really cool thing we did was go to the largest Civil War reenactment west of the Mississippi in Moorpark. About an hour from LA.

Canon at Civil War reenactment - it was unbelievably loud

The Confederates shooting the Union Army

Confederates and their marching band

Dead soldiers after the battle