The Big Apple

We have now spent over a week in New York, and I must say that I have fallen in love! Last week, our schedules were very busy, consisting of prayer stations and prayer walks, meetings with church members, house churches, playing with local kids during power hour, passing out flyers, and traveling. Whew, the weekend was definitely appreciated!

Doing prayer stations and prayer walks have been a great experience for me. Recently, I think I had forgotten just how important it is to pray throughout my day. We set up a prayer station at a busy intersection in the Upper West Side of the Bronx; we placed a dry-erase board on the table and wrote "Can we pray for you?" Several people stopped and wrote their prayers down, and some even wanted to pray with the interns at the station.

Power Hour is also another weekly ministry that I am very excited about. Every Friday, the interns go to a local park off Pelham Parkway and give a bible lesson, pass out some snacks, and play games with the kids. I am excited about getting to know the kid's families better and building relationships with that community. Danielle and I are hoping to hangout in that area several times each week, trying to 'build some bridges' for Bronx Fellowship.

This weekend was quite an adventure! On Saturday, we took 15 teens to Pennsylvania for a night of camping in the Pokeno Mountains, followed by a full day of paintball at Skirmish. This trip was a great way to meet some of the teens who are already connected to the church. It was really interesting to see city kids experiencing the great outdoor; several said that it was "just too quiet". We were able to spend time in prayer and fellowship; the teens seemed so supportive of each other and asked lots of thought provoking questions. I could tell they enjoyed their time away from their busy lives. Sunday was an exhausting day; we played paintball for 8 hours in high heat and humidity. And in case you were wondering, I have two very large, awful looking bruises on my leg! All in all, the weekend was great and allowed time for growth and renewal.

Mondays are our weekly reflection days. I found a nice, shady bench in my favorite part of Central Park and was able to be quiet and still for a while. I enjoyed people watching, and have realized just how creative God really is. New York is truly a melting pot for all races and cultures. I love it!

And today was mainly spent at the Metropolitan Musuem. We walked the first and second floor exhibits; it was relaxing and very nice to get out of the heat!

--- Apparently there are tornado warnings all across our area, and a tree just fell in the road next to my building! Oh my

Please keep praying for Bronx Fellowship and the people we are coming into contact with. I'll try to post some pictures soon!