I just recently returned from the city that never sleeps- NYC! It wasn't a sightseeing sort of trip- I was on a GO trip with my church. We have a sister church in Astoria Queens that is very young and so we went to help them out in any way we could for a week. By "we" I mean me and a bunch of other high schoolers along with a few adults. It was so cool!!! We went to different parks in Astoria and set up a coffee and bagel station for the moms who had brought their kids. For the kids we had fruit snacks and juice pouches, as well as some games and a face-painting station, which were manned by all the high schoolers. All of the moms there had come to expect the church's weekly setup and were eager to take a break from watching their kids. It was fun to play with the kids and tell them a little about Jesus by sharing our salvation bracelets. I also talked with some of the moms and got to help represent the church we were working with. The best day in the park was the last, because I got to share my salvation with a lovely Muslim lady. She was very friendly and open to talking about other religions, which I thank the LORD for. Me and my friend Grace also got to share a salvation bracelet with a sweet little girl named Pasha. I gave her my salvation bracelet and I hope and pray one day, some day soon she will accept Jesus. My friend Grace also got to share the gospel with Pasha's mom. Working in the park was a great time and a productive time. Besides that, we also visited a senior center in Woodside. Initially I didn't expect to interact with the seniors there, because I was working in their office and organizing shelves for the manager. But she ran out of jobs for my team and said we could talk to the seniors. I got to know a funny, honest, and talented lady named Miss Beth. I sat next to her because I was intrigued by a beautiful quilt that she was making. The next thing I knew she was handing me a pack of yarn and a knitting needle and teaching me how to make a chain, and the next day I was there she taught me to double and triple-stitch. I was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to learn, even harder than pre-algebra, which in my memory is worse than both algebra and geometry. I'm really thankful for the friendship I made with Miss Beth. One more thing we did with our sister church was "giveaways". The first giveaway was the first day we were there. We stood on street corners with water bottles and handed them out for free with a church card. The other giveaway was lemonade and flowers! I loved giving away the flowers. We didn't go to talk much with people during those times, but it was fun to see the reaction of the New Yorkers. I offered one man a water, telling him it was free, and he pulled out his wallet and said, "how much?" I had to tell him twice it was really free because he didn't believe me the first time. Oh, I almost forgot! In the evenings we got to go and see a few of the biggest features of NYC. Here are some pictures:
Above: fun face-painting at the park!
Some brownstones we walked by everyday coming from the subway.
The subway!!! Be glad I didn't put a picture of the underground subway because it was nasty down there. I saw a rat.
The beautiful quilt the Miss Beth was making
Times Square was a shock for the senses. I'll admit I had Taylor Swift lyrics running through my head when we walked through that busy, insane, claustrophobic, overpriced, AWESOME place.
Random inner-city pictures taken while searching for reasonably priced food
Inside Central Park!!!
We went to a Mets and Dodgers game at Citi Field. I love baseball games. Oooh and I tried Cracker Jack for the first time!!! Yum
I saved the best pictures for last. My favorite thing we went to see was the Empire State Building. It was possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I loved it so much and I will never forget standing up there and feeling like I was one of the luckiest people alive.
So that was New York City, and it was unparalleled.
Acts 13:47 - "This is the command the LORD has given to you: I have placed you here as a light to the Gentiles. You are to go and take the saving power of God to people everywhere on earth."
Romans 10:14- "But how can they call on Him to save them if they do not believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him unless they hear of Him? And how can they hear of Him unless someone tells them?"
I'd love to hear from you guys! If you have questions or comments feel free to say them!
