MAZ AND COURTNEY AMELI / AUGUST 22ND, 2013
WE MOVED…
Our move to San Francisco was originally supposed to be a move to anywhere except San Francisco. Maz is from the East Bay originally, so after we got married in LA last year and began talking about the possibility of leaving Southern California, we initially wrote San Francisco off, as it was our assumption to an extent that we’d likely someday end up in SF. Maz works as a Web product designer, though, and finding great job opportunities in cities where we wanted to live that weren’t San Francisco was proving difficult.
Of course, we had been praying fervently about our move during this time, and God gradually began making it clear that we were being called to the city by the bay. In fact, over brunch at Coral Tree Cafe in Brentwood one morning, we had a simultaneous revelation that we wanted to start looking for jobs only in SF. Within one month, Maz had an awesome job offer, and after one afternoon visiting only two apartments, we had a great place secured in beautiful Cole Valley.
SOMETHING WE’VE LEARNED…
Even though God quickly brought us to Redemption Church, we found in the first few months of being in San Francisco that we needed to relearn how to open up to people, pursue new friendships, and allow ourselves to be vulnerable with these new friends in order to let those relationships deepen. This all sounds so obvious, but we have very close friendships with people we love deeply in LA, and it was tremendously hard for us to accept the truth that God would be faithful once again in providing us with the mercy and grace of deep, meaningful, Christian friendships with new, different people. What we’ve really learned is how faithful God is.
WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT COLE VALLEY…
It’s easy to list off lots of the superficial things that make Cole Valley so fun — it’s across from Golden Gate Park, there are lots of great restaurants nearby, it’s close (but not too close) to Haight St., the N Judah is right there — but what we really love about Cole Valley is Cole Hardware. No, seriously though, what’s actually great about Cole Valley is what a tight little community it is, and how our neighbors really look out for each other. Also, Padrecito is amazing.
OUR VISION AND PRAYER…
We have a strong calling to reach out to our neighbors, to connect with Christians from other churches who live in our neighborhood, and to have lots of people over for dinner. We envision our home as a lighthouse on our block, and deeply desire to gather people in our home to minister to them and with them. San Francisco can be an isolating place, so we want to help people feel known, and that they have a place at a dinner table, surrounded by friends who care for them deeply and genuinely.
