i've seen too much freedom to live any other way.

 the big question since we got home has been where to live. 

to rent? to buy? to stay with Kev's parents? 

oh my stars! how does anyone make these grown up decisions so easily? waahhhh!!! 

it's a question that at times has 

reduced me to tears, 

made me a stalking freak on zillow.com, 

and has forced me to get on my knees and pray to the only one who knows the perfect house for us! 

and in this whole process of figuring out where to live,

i've realized that the deeper question Kevin and I have really been asking ourselves 

is how we want to live. 

and what we've come up with is that we want to live
with purpose. 

On all accounts it would be easy to just slip right into a cozy little house
and allow the world to revolve around us.
Some people might even pat us on the back and say things like "after living in Nepal, you deserve this peace and quiet".
And we might actually believe that. 

So Kevin and I talk about it.
A lot of late night chats have ensued as we lay in bed.
Conversation that generally follows this pattern:

Katie: babe, where do you want to live? 

Kev: in the "neighborhood"….you?

Katie: ya, me too. 

that neighborhood where we saw God moving,
felt the love of Christ from our neighbors,
and carried each others burdens.

that neighborhood where we saw poverty
but where we experienced people pull together in a communal spirit
like nothing we had never experienced before.

that neighborhood where kids and friend stopped by our house each day,
because community was more important than personal space.

yeah, that's the neighborhood we can't shake...

just last week I got a call from a friend who lives in the neighborhood…

B: can we use your in-laws pool for a baptism?

me: ya…when?

B: um…tonight. Miguel (*not his real name) is recommitting his life to Christ
and wants to get baptized, like now. 

me: yes, absolutely. 

So a group of guys came over that night to Kev's parents house (not to far from the neighborhood). 

Miguel shared why he wanted Christ to be his everything. 

And then they said those words…

"death to sin"

and 

"alive in Christ". 

and I sat there with tears streaming down my face
as I witnessed these boys from this rough place,
embracing Miguel in these manly hugs, tattoo on tattoo.
Speaking words of life over him.
Replacing the lies with truth everlasting,
and I thought why? why would I ever choose to live somewhere else
when I get to witness the living God right here in this place?
Watching one boy, precious in the eyes of God, give his life to the Creator. 

a few days later, another boy from our neighborhood wrote this on his FB status…

When I started high school I was a F student now I'm in the honor roll and with As and Bs getting 100% on my test funny how god helps you. 

 Ummm…can we talk about why this is such an epic statement? 

Welp, because Jesus CHANGES LIVES. 

straight up…from and F to an A. 

And I can choose to position myself in a place where God can use me for his everlasting work,

or I can choose to position myself in a place that goes no where, forever. 

no matter how tempting the most gorgeous areas in Southern California may be, 

God's invitation to love and be loved by our neighbors is in our DNA. 

It's in our DNA because IT IS HIS DNA. 

And if HE lives in us, then we are carriers of this important mission. 

To share the gospel, to live the gospel, to bring the hope of Christ to all around us. 

I've seen too much freedom to live any other way. 

The neighborhood is for us through and through.