Now for the Missions part of the Mission Trip...

I had a great time in NYC this year and it isn't all because of the crazy things that happened. This year I was able to work with a man named Larry. He works with a group called Urban Impact. Urban Impact works in several areas of Queens and Brooklyn to minister to unreached people groups. Larry took us to several neighborhoods to talk to the people living there. We met people from Bangladesh, Bombay, Jamaica, India, and several other places. On Tuesday morning, we were standing in the most diverse county in the United States.
We also did some minor construction work in the African Friendship Center in the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn. Corey and Hogan did an amazing job of installing "tile" in the bathroom; Hollie, Aaron, Janell, and Samanta did some work on the roof of the building....something about trying to repair a leak near a sky light or a vent; Duane got to use a power saw in a project to fix the AFC sign; the Jamisons went to Home Depot and put together a set of shelves for the kitchen in the apartment above the AFC; and me....I got to install a paper towel holder--don't worry, I called my mom to let her know how hard I was working. I also cleaned the kitchen-ish area in the AFC.
We learned a lot about Muslims and Larry took us to see the outside of the largest mosque in NYC. The mosque has a membership of over 5,000. While we were in Brooklyn, we were able to observe some of the men during their prayer time and we talked to many of the store owners in the neighborhood. Learning more about their faith challenged me in my own faith. I believe that I serve the one and only God but sometimes I still struggle in the daily things. Spending time with Larry and the other members of the Urban Impact team showed me that you don't have to do big things and try to "save" everyone. That is not our job. Our job is to live each day for Christ and to show others his love for them.

Things you can do in New York City...

1. Get invited to go home with drunk 57 year old man named Richard. He lives right above the beauty shop and he only has 10 kids.

2. Travel on the A train during rush hour and hold on to the coat of the lady in front of you that you just met so you don't fall over because there is no way you will be able to reach a bar to hold on to.

3. Lose Hollie and the pastor's son on the subway on the way to Queens. Hollie knows what to do if you get separated on the subway, but she will let Hogan talk her in to getting on the next train anyway. This train will happen to be the train that the rest of the group just got off of in order to look for Hollie and Hogan---that is how the rules work and Hollie will not follow the rules.

4. Get bruises from not "standing clear of the closing doors" on the subway because they started closing before anybody had a chance to get on the train. It's fun, you should try it.

5. Buy a $10 duffel bag in Chinatown so you can avoid having to pay another $25 on the way home because your bag weighs 6 pounds over the limit. Both bags combined on the way home will not add up to as much as your one bag weighed on the way there even though you are now carrying 3 more pairs of shoes, 2 extra T-shirts, and a toy bus for one of the kids you babysit.

And this is only a sampling of the things you can do.

Last Day

It's hard to believe that 30 days have come and gone. God's surprises began before those 30 days and I am confident in saying they will continue to come even though the "experiment" is over. I have always been one to look at things and think about how amazing God must be to create things in nature that will point us straight back in his direction. How could I doubt that there is a loving and caring God when I see little miracles all around? I think God took these 30 days to surprise me with myself and the way I react to things that happen around me. I am a work in progress and I can't wait for the many more surprises that wait for me each day.
I leave in 3 days to go to NYC for a mission trip and, even though the experiment is over, I can already hear....Surprise...

Not really sure which day it is....

Wow, it has been a while. I went to the doctor on Wednesday and found out I have the flu or I guess I had the flu. It's Saturday night now and I am mostly over it. I'm still just really tired and the fact that I fell down the stairs in my apartment this morning (or at noon after I woke up) doesn't help matters any. Now, my body isn't sore from the flu. It is just sore from falling.
Having the flu did teach me that I made some good choices in the hiring of interns to work in the after school program. Things went really well at the program on Friday. I did miss the Achieve Girls' Night Out, but that went well too. It was good because I didn't even worry about how things would go, I just knew they would be taken care of. I guess it also helps to have a roommate that also works in the missions office. She really stepped in when I needed her help. She also coached at my Upward cheerleading practice and game this week. Isn't God good? I am totally blessed.