You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
So I have a little less than 2 hours left in New York City now. I'm sitting in our church's library waiting for the car to come and pick me up and take me to the airport. I can't believe it's almost officially done and I'll be saying goodbye to the good friends I've made here and to a city that has so much brokenness, but so much potential and so much room for God to do amazing things.
I spent yesterday morning serving at my last ministry site of the summer, but at one of my favorites. We went to an organization called God's Love We Deliver. At no cost the organization delivers nutritious meals terminally ill patients in their homes. It is available to anyone, rich or poor, with any life threatening illness from AIDS to cancer to MS to scleroderma ( I just learned about that one yesterday). And so that brings me to Irene who I met on my group's delivery route yesterday. She was the last apartment on the route and normally I let my group go up to the apartment to drop off the food, but for some reason I asked if I could go up with the guy going this time. So we rode the elevator to the 12th floor and found her patiently waiting in the hallway for us. She was the most fragile lady I had ever seen. The scleroderma affects your skin as well as your organs like your kidneys, esophagus, heart and lungs.
All of Irene's food has to be pureed and she has a tube in her throat because the food will harden as it goes down her esophagus and she won't be able to eat...So we round the corner and there is this tiny woman, skin and bones, waiting for us. Her eyes light up when she sees us and she gives us the biggest smile. She thanked us profusely and gave each of us a hug, telling us what a blessing the organization was and what a blessing we were for being willing to deliver this food. Irene asked us our names and where we were from and what school I went to and what I was studying.
When she heard I was studying theatre she was so excited and that was her passion and she had been part of the Yiddish theatre (she was wearing her head scarf) as well as doing summer stock theatre in Conneticut, but she had also been a registered nurse. She was so interested to know about us and I wish that I had been able to talk to her longer and hear all about her life. But she thanked us once again and said she hope our that God blessed our lives and we said our goodbyes and headed back to the lobby.
We don't always get to see the effect of what it is we are doing, but yesterday I got to see it. I am so glad I asked to deliver this meal and that I got to meet this sweet, precious lady who had such a positive outlook on life. I got to see one last time how God is working here in New York City. He knew just how to perfectly end my summer.
I don't know if I'll ever be back hereto New York in this capacity, but I feel blessed to have had the chance to be here the last couple months. I don't know where it is God will send me and that's a little scary, but I can't wait to find out.
It's hard to believe that in 2 days I'll be leaving New York and in 4 days I'll be home...summer has gone by incredibly fast. I feel like I just got here! It'll be weird to be home and to adjust back to a normal schedule. I just wanted to share, though, some more on the things I've experienced this summer...
First...subway performances...
1 hip hop dance crew
2 Michael Jackson cover artists
4 Mariachi Bands
3 R&B groups
3 barbershop quartets
2 3-person bongo playing groups (they brought their drums and small chairs onto the car with them)
1 free styling poet
and 1 man who started out singing a precious love song about two people in love and then proceeded to transition into "if you think I'm sexy and you want my body...come on baby let me know..." (I had to turn away I was laughing so much at this transition)
This is not to mention all the performers who perform out on the platform, from tap dancers, to singers, to musicians with their instruments...even someone playing a saw....
On a more serious note I have actually learned some things...not so much about what it is I'm supposed to be doing with my life, but more about myself. I learned I don't have as much patience as I thought I did and its something I need to definitely work on. I learned sometimes I have trouble delegating because I'd rather just do a job to my satisfaction and have it done my way, and I can't always do that. I need help sometimes. I know my faith has grown and that God gave me the groups I had on purpose to teach me those things and to keep me focused on Him. I got to see God working in my friend Jody's life and I'm so blessed to be able to live with this year as we both adjust to normalcy. I can't wait to see what other plans He has, but as usual He is constantly reminding me of His timing.
I was humbled this summer as I came in contact with so many people from so many different walks of life, some who from looking at their situation you would assume them to have far less faith but seem to have much more than me. It is easy to praise God when things are good, but it is difficult in the storm. I had no control in what family and situation I would end up in. How did I end up so blessed? Most New Yorkers spend more than half their income on rent, leaving little money left for food and other necessities. It takes a great deal to put one's pride aside and get in line at a soup kitchen for a meal. Who am I to judge why they're here? 76% of people living in the New York shelter system are families, many with jobs, but not able to make ends meet because the cost of living is so high. I feel like there's something wrong with that. I want to help all of them. I want all the of the kids to get to go to good schools and get good educations and see that there are so many opportunities outside of their neighborhoods. Where do I fit in? I don't know yet, so I have to wait and see where God takes me next.
Yesterday my group and I went to a ministry site called Salt and Sea Mission in Coney Island. Salt and Sea ministers to the homeless of Coney Island and was started by a woman who was once herself homeless and living underneath the beach's boardwalk.
One of the boys in our group brought his guitar with him because we had been asked to lead worship for a short church service the mission has each day. And he and the girl that sang did a good job of it. Everyone enjoyed the songs and sang along, as well as played tambourines that had been passed out before the service. It was wonderful to watch as hands were raised, and hallelujahs were called out, and tambourines were played (sometimes not on beat, but it didn't matter). It was a joyful sound to the Lord.
Then after the service we were asked to help with the food pantry and do some cleaning around the building. Danny, the guy who led worship though, was requested for something else. Apparently just a couple days before a little boy, whose name was also Danny, had been saying he wanted to learn to play the guitar and so he and the pastor had prayed that God would send someone to help him get started. Well, suddenly here was big Danny with his guitar willing to do just that and so they sat together and big Danny showed little Danny where to put his fingers and how to hold the guitar. And together they plucked out a few notes and some chords.
After we left big Danny approached me and asked if there was anyway he could possible purchase a beginner's guitar book and have the group going to Salt and Sea take with them to give to little Danny on Thursday. So today since I had the day off I ventured into Manhattan in search of a beginner's guitar book. When I got off the train at the Rockefeller Plaza stop I was greeted by a torrential downpour (funny how you can get on the train with the sun shining and then 45 minutes later make your way above ground to find the weather is not how you left it). I tried waiting at the bottom of the stairs to the sidewalk, hoping that maybe it would slow but no such luck. So I bounded up the stairs and was instantly soaked through, dodging big puddles, practically wiping out a couple times because Old Navy flip flops have zero traction to begin with but are perilous in the rain. But big and little Danny were counting on me and I was on a mission. I finally made it to the music store, cold and thoroughly wet, but determined to find a good guitar book for little Danny. I'm not sure how long I stood there trying to figure out what book would be the best, but I finally picked one out that even my-not-so-musically-inclined self could understand.
So, Lord, please bless little Danny the budding musician. Thank you for big Danny and his love for little Danny and that he will be able to take what he will learn and use it for Your glory. Amen.
So three times now I have seen the same mother and daughter and they always seem so happy and the little girl is talking away to her mom and her mom just sits there listening intently (try as I may to listen intently it usually unsuccessful as they're speaking Chinese...oh well) and then they laugh and talk some more and smile and I think about how much I miss my own mom (and the rest of my family of course) and how I'm itching to get back home in a week and a half : )
This weekend turned out to be a pretty good and relaxing one...I spent the first part of Saturday taking some much needed time to just relax, not doing anything, and only leaving my room to first run to the drugstore for more toothpaste and then to make lunch...then that evening I went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway with one of my fellow staff members, one of her groups had given her two tickets as a gift a while back and so I went with her. And it was so cute! They did such a good job! A couple of things from the movie and there were a few new songs, but other than that it was "practically perfect in every way..." : )
