New York- Day Three!

Hello friends and family!!!! For the past two days our youth group and parents have been actively involved in God's community here in NYC. Today was, just like yesterday, a day that exceeded expectations and goal-breaking standards. Our 62 missionaries all heavily contributed to the work that God has put before us and on our hearts. Here is a brief overview of all that was accomplished today.

Red/Purple- Today was the last day that the girls were at the Sinai Church. Today they got almost all of the Sanctuary done, started to paint the trim in the staircase, painted the window sills in the classroom which is basically finished, and finished painting the first set of stairs. The pastor was there today and gave the girls a little devotional before they started.

Green- We visited Furnish a Future warehouse today and had an amazing time. Once on our arrival in Queens, we organized and separated thousands of hats and gloves. We moved furniture for the organizers and helped locals pick out furniture for their new homes.

Blue- St. Stephen's Outreach Ministry was our stop for today. We peeled hundreds of potatoes for the local people who are in need of food. Along with the potatoes, we passed out box lunches to the hungry and separated clothes from large boxes. A long day of great work for the Lord!

After our missionary work in the suburbs, we all headed to the same park that we worked at yesterday in Manhattan. 25 sack lunches were given out to numerous homeless people around the park with all teams contributing to the effort. Like yesterday, one of the most spiritual moments came from the park today. Hayley Collinsworth said this about the event:

"There were a few girls walking around with me when we all looked over and saw a woman leaning over on one of the benches like she was in pain. We weren't sure if we should have walked over there with such a small group so luckily we caught up with a larger group. Once we told Daniel Tribble about the woman he and the rest of his group walked over along with us to minister to her. Daniel asked her what her name was and she quietly replied with "Diane". We offered to give her food and water but she wouldn't take it. After rejecting the food we all gathered tightly around and prayed for her. Although there were other people who were around saying " She's fine, leave her alone, you are wasting your time" we just continued. It was a very heart felt moment."

We never said that this trip would come without persecution.

After the park, we all visited Chinatown and were invited to the Eastern side of life. With full stomachs and rested legs, we set off for Central Park. More group pictures followed a long walk to the entrance to the park. Mrs. Dana sure is getting a lot of pictures these days! The park itself was a magnificent display of the Lord's power. In the middle of a hustling, bustling city, a calm and peaceful public park provides an oasis for New Yorkers and other people to exercise, enjoy the beautiful day, and relax. We walked around and had an amazing group devotional in the park.

The man who prayed for us yesterday in front of Macy's sent us an e-mail telling us how much of a blessing we are to this city and how we have set a great example for people all across the city. Just like he prayed for us, be praying for us tomorrow as our teams set out again doing the work of the Lord!