For the last two days my heart and my mind have been in Santa Barbara and it’s been hard to focus on anything else. My thoughts and prayers have been wrapped up in the little town of Isla Vista, where I lived for five years while attending UCSB. The streets I walked and biked down daily feeling safe and feeling at home turned into multiple crime scenes after a drive-by shooting killed six people, injured 13 more, and left a whole community in silence and panic.
A tiny college town; 0.6 square miles and 13,000 inhabitants, most of them college students. US$2,000 a month for a two-bedroom apartment on the cheap end. Dilapidated buildings, nonexistent parking, potholes, beer cans, cyclists with a death wish, and parties wherever you turn. A place that most people like to nickname Sin City II or Hell. A place that when overcast can get referred to as “the place that God is trying to blur out.”
This is where I spent the better part of my five years in college. This is where I learned to love community and to love people of all walks and types. This is where I found Jesus and fell in love with God. This is where my heart broke and where it was filled. I went on countless walks, watched sunsets and sunrises, dipped my feet in the ocean waves, had meaningful late-night drives and conversations, ate at the local eateries, lived in seven different places, and even bought my faithful green bike in Isla Vista. I have infinite memories from this town. Thousands of people have similar memories on those streets; six of them lost their lives on May 23rd.
My heart is breaking for the community of Isla Vista today. My heart mourns the six UCSB students that were lost last Friday night. My heart stands in solidarity with the friends and family of the injured and deceased. My heart is heavy for my friends who are grieving the loss of someone they loved.
Nothing I can do or say can change what happened or bring those six people back to life. But I can pray for peace. I can pray for God’s peace to dwell in Isla Vista and wash over the UCSB community. I can pray for consolation in the families of the victims. I can pray for strength. We all need it.
Today I honor six people I never met, but who walked the same streets and campus that I walked through for so long. I may only know how they died, but I rejoice for the people who know how they lived. May their memory live on forever.
Love,
Raquel
