Fresh Opportunities
This month has been such an amazing one to see God at work!
In case you didn’t notice, I changed my hair again! I got some bangs and decided to go orange this time. Pictures above obviously.
Over at Midtown YTH, we are re-envisioning what this ministry will look like and in what capacities it will operate in. We had a team/staff retreat for Midtown YTH vision casting, planning, and bonding. Above you can see some pictures of our team down in Long Beach. There are also some pictures of the vision casting notes we made during this time. As for the worship, music, and creative elements that are a part of Midtown YTH services and content videos, we are leaning towards a more music video vibe. It will be very engaging for the YTH, and we will be taking old classics and favorites and putting a fun twist on them each week. Here is a link with a message given by me and my teammate Cheyenne (Cha cha) as well as a fun music video style worship element that was streamed live to our YTH during February.
I would like to share that I am still very much a part of the YTH team at Midtown serving with music and also have had the opportunity to give some messages as well as leading a small group of 5th and 6th grade students. The message and music elements are for kids and teens from 5th grade to 12th grade. Above, you can see a picture of me and my co-lead, Paige, with our Zoom small group. In the picture, we are all wearing our custom YTH beanies made by Modern Abolition (the non-prof run by Gilbert Acevedo, this business partners with Agape International Missions). You can also see a couple pictures of me playing music for our YTH services, which can be found on YouTube on our page: Midtown YTH.
My new job at Modern Abolition as an assistant has been very fun! I’ve gotten to learn how to operate the machinery to help in the process of creating products for our clients and brand. I also have been learning graphic design. During this, I’ve also gotten to help design and plan for our new line of clothing coming out for spring. Though the products have not been released yet on the website, above I have a couple preview pictures of two hoodies that will be sold as a part of this line. Stay tuned for the release date on all our new products by following us on Instagram and Facebook. You can also check out what current products we have on our website by clicking this link.
I decided to cut back on my other job in order to prioritize the work I value doing over at Modern Abolition. I am now only doing a small number of hours as a virtual assistant at Lagom.
As far as finances are concerned, since Modern Abolition is a nonprofit, I am still trying to raise funds for day-to-day financial needs (school, gas, insurance, etc.). I am only able to work a certain number of part time hours due to the nature of the business, but I love to volunteer more time there. The awesome thing about working for a nonprofit is that people can set up financial donations with Modern Abolition (MA) to get tax write offs and know their money is going towards supporting a good cause. Part of the funds are allocated towards employee revenue, so the more of a solid donor base we have, the more hours I am able to get paid for. If this is something that you or anyone you know would be interested in being a part of, please connect with me.
I am also still in the process of working on my album. I have already written five songs! I plan to make this a six song album based off of 2020. No matter what your experiences were in 2020, I think we can all agree that it was a crazy year. For me, it brought lots of hardship and difficulties mentally and emotionally. I was faced with a lot of myself more than I ever have been, and I hope to translate that inner turmoil into a creative piece of cohesive music. More to come on this as well.
As always, thanks for reading!
SHAE'S JOURNEY 