Today was our last full day of service and it started with a bang!
The purple team, Daniel, and a few adults led a chapel service at St. Paul's home, which hosts a soup kitchen immediately after. We played some music, had a Scripture reading, and a short sermon. The group of about 25 mostly just listened, until our last song... Amazing Grace. The room filled with the sound of our teens leading this large group of homelsee in a song about grace. It was a truly touching moment.
The boys finished off work at Sinai church today and the pastor/congregation there could not be more pleased. We did more than what was asked, or even hoped for, out of us this week. They wish to send their thanks to our congregation, family, and frineds for making our service there this week possible.
The purple girls enjoyed a nap and some down time when they got home from helping at the soup kitchen
Our red girls went to Yorkville Food Pantry, an impressive soup kitchen and food pantry that serves upwards of 1800 a week!! It is the largest of its kind in NYC. The girls assembled to-go grocery bags, operated elevators, sorted toilitries and organized produce. It was a hectic, but wonderful day of work.
We had some bad news make its way through our ranks early this afternoon. Candy Dodson is not feeling well and is going to go home a day early. Please be in prayer for her as she plans to leave early tomorrow. It is not an emergency, just a precaution bringing her home. Obviously, we hate to see her go.
We spent another afternoon in Washington Square park, handing out lunches for the last time.
After a quick dinner in the NYU area, we headed downtown and took the Staten Island Ferry by the Statue of Liberty. We timed things out well enough to catch a glimpse of the sunset and I'm sure there were some great pictures taken.
Pray for our last full day tomorrow. Pray for Candy. Pray for another morning at St. Paul's to go well. Pray for the worship and fellowship of our day. Pray that we'll remeber that ministry is a 24/7 experience.
Thank you for your encoraging words. We read some of them to the team tonight and they very much enjoyed hearing from you!! And, brace yourself, I had a few of them tell me today that they missed their parents!!!! Quite a confession. Know that you are on our hearts and keep us on yours.
Thanks and God bless,
Joey
I continue to believe that God prepares us all "for such a time as this." My prayer is that these young people will realize when they come home that there are empty people all around them and even if the act of kindness is as simple as tolerance that this trip will have prepared them in a radical way to offer that. May God continue to bless your trip and bring you home safe and enlightened!
ReplyDeleteYour kindness had a huge impact on people. Sometimes we see it, but most times it is not so obvious. It reminds me of two things.
ReplyDelete"No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted." ~ Aesop
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2
I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. LOVE You!