NYC Mission Trip: Day 4
Another great day, wet, but hey we’re used to it by now!
Well, we are more than half-way through our trip and it’s really bittersweet. So often when you are on trips just as you get the hang of something it’s time to go home. I think that’s pretty much how we all feel.
So, we started the day off at Café Riggio, a café established in 1927 and located right across the street from the home of Louisa May Alcott, famous author of Little Women. The ten of us squeezed around café tables and got fueled for the day. Oh and let us not forget to let you know, it began to rain by the time breakfast was through. We headed to the Upper West Side to begin our first prayer walk for the day through Central Park, with umbrellas in hand or covered in ponchos. We then headed to our previous corner stations ready to hand out our freebies for the day, granola bars and gum.
We didn’t remain too long on the Upper West Side because we were hitting another part of the city with prayer today, The Financial District on Wall Street. Once we completed our servant evangelism project on the Upper West Side
, we took the subway to Wall Street. We began our prayer walk at Trinity Church, one of the most beautiful churches to see, from the architecture outside to the fine detail inside with stained glass windows, and sculpted doors. We prayed for the financial district, for the people who work there, for the leadership positions in the New York Stock Exchange, for those struggling financially and for our world and its financial state. All the while the rain still stuck around.
We attempted to board the Staten Island Ferry to share our devotional and debriefing time while on the Ferry taking in the City and seeing the Statue of Liberty. However, the visibility of the city remained under a thick fog leaving us to change plans a bit. So, we traveled over to the South Street Seaport for a brief devotional time and evaluation of the week with the interns.
In talking about the week, some of the thoughts shared from the team included:
Sam: In thinking about our highlights of this week, I certainly think that even though we handed out about 3,000 to 4,000 items and cards, the encouragement I found in doing all this was in the four to five people that read the card and felt the need to come back and simply thank us for the gesture. Nobody had to turn around to say thank you, but when they did you knew it truly meant something to them.
Nylsa: Highlights of this trip to me came in all shapes and forms; from meeting Wayne my homeless friend, to meeting the interns and getting to work with them this week, to seeing my teammates get so excited about different aspects of the city. I’ve absolutely enjoyed serving this week, talking to all kinds of people, praying for so many different needs and praising God for the awesome blessing of this opportunity to be here.
Linda: It brought me joy and truly surprised me the number of people that were so surprised by receiving something for free. It was a foreign concept for so many people.
Ryan: I have to admit that through this trip my stereotype of Northerners has completely changed. I think they are all some of the nicest people I’ve met.
Rob: One of my favorite moments of this trip was witnessing a homeless man I was talking to express to me that he needed some socks. And through God’s crafty ways, a homeless man sitting right next to him offered him a clean extra pair of socks he had. It was a great act of kindness from one person in need to another.
Sam: Random acts of kindness are all over the place; like watching a man offer his seat on the subway to an elderly woman, it’s great to see things like that.
How has God stretched and taken you out of your comfort zone this week so far?
Nylsa and Marty: both shared their initial discomfort with having to speak one on one with the homeless, fearful of not knowing what to say, or saying the wrong thing. God allowed both of us to face that fear and step up to the challenge of just walking up and taking time to listen and share quality time with a new friend.
Bloopers for the day:
- You must ask Linda how she almost committed a felony today and has now gotten the nickname Linda the “Outlaw”…
- Nylsa and Jesse will be ready to run a 5K upon our return to GA, after chasing a bus down. We’ve got practice sprinting…
- Ryan was ready to click his heels three times in hopes of getting home today, pass the ruby slippers…there is no place like home, there is no place like home…
Blessings,
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Hi Everyone,
Well I am sure you all have had enough of the rain to last you all summer. But as they say when the going gets tough the tough get going and that’s what you all have done. I think you all should stay for another week, I really enjoy reading your blogs each day and I will miss them. It’s like reading a good short story. I’m sure all your good work make a difference in someone’s life. God bless you all & may the sunshine upon you all eventually. Love Betsy
I too look forward to your daily blogs and am especially happy that you prayed your way through the financial district. So many think that only the poor and homeless need Jesus, but truth is who probably need Him most is the most affluent as they think they can do it all by themselves. God Bless and looking forward to your return, but please bring some of that rain back with you to our 100 degree heat!. Pat
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