This week has been full of spending time in Brooklyn, but before I get to explaining that…let me finish telling you all about my first weekend here! On Saturday, we had orientation in the afternoon during this time we heard a couple of testimonies and watched a 90 minute video. It was part of this Compassion by Command video and bible study we will do throughout project. The video centered on a single mother and her young daughter and their life within a couple months time span. Many unfortunate things happened within a small amount of time: her apartment was getting bull-dozed and she could not find an affordable apartment, no one allowed her to stay with them while she searched, and so her daughter and she quickly became homeless. She had to find shelters to sleep in, but soon after lost her job. Eventually, she was able to get help getting housing, but being homeless had tired her so much and there were rodents in her new housing. There were many complications and at the end of the movie, she had made the decision to give up her daughter so that she would have a better life. I feel like when people are in situations such I have described, we are quick to judge. We often think, if only she had done this or that, but I don’t think it is that simple. She would have likely not been homeless if the friends she had asked for help---to stay with---would have said yes. Yet, she would still need more help. We are here to help one another—it is sad to consider reality and realize how infrequently we do help one another. We look at our own situation and say, I can’t, I won’t, etc., because it is easier. This video really set the tone for the weeks to come.
The day after, Sunday, we attended a church near Broadway. It was quite contemporary, but it was fun and a great reminder. The main message was to have FAITH. To have faith that God will do great things that He keeps His promises; to have faith in Him. After attending church, a small group from my track went to S’Mac, a restaurant solely focused on serving delicious, various types of mac and cheese. Then we did a little browsing in that area and later on I went to a grocery store…Trader Joe’s. It was the busiest grocery store I had ever seen; there were lines back around the store, but I got my groceries. That night, we were put into our ministry teams. Most teams consist of five people, but ours is six. The staff chose our roles and discussed with us what those roles would mean. I was surprised by my role, not because I thought I could not fulfill it (although, sometimes I am self-conscious), but because recently I have been recognizing my shy and quiet tendencies. I was made team leader of my ministry team. This means that I introduce the group at the site and focus on our team serving as well as we can. I think this role will allow me to grow a lot, but also give me opportunities to be an encourager to others.
The next day we were at our site for the first time! It is called Beulah Church/ Agape Ministries and it is located in Brooklyn. We left early the first day to make sure we made it on time and were about twenty minutes early. We were greeted by some of the warmest personalities I have ever met. The first day we were given a tour of parts of Brooklyn both by foot and by car. We were also told information about Agape and some of the men’s testimonies/life stories. It was really great just to hear and see what God had done in their lives as well as with the ministry. As a group, we went to several different parts of the burrow. One of the most memorable parts of the tour was seeing an area where the projects and a small church were. The church is called New Breed Church and the pastor and his wife were wonderful. We may even attend church there some Sunday.
The next few days were filled with cleaning, packing food to give away, lots of prepping, and also organizing. I even shucked corn. The main three men we worked with were very sweet. They had such a kindness in their demeanor. It was really neat to share joy with them and spread love to those in the neighborhood. Our ministry team had some fun moments—at one moment a few of us were singing gospel songs. When we took breaks, we would sit and talk or play games. Sometimes it was tiring, sometimes peaceful, but most of all it reminded me to serve others with love. Today was our last day at Beulah, although it was bittersweet, it was a gift to my soul to learn from those men and to serve Brooklyn. It will be exciting to see what is in store for us next week, and I pray that God prepares our hearts to give again.
Some side notes of exciting things that happened this week. On Wednesday, we attended Mary Poppins on Broadway and ate out for Amy’s birthday (one of the fellow sp girls). The play was enjoyable, fun, and full of life lessons. It was nice to spend some quality time with the other girls on my track. Tonight, we had a meeting in Queens about reconciliation and although it was hard, it was really good to talk and be honest with one another (although, to be honest-ha-I didn’t speak much at the meeting). We spoke of racism and how much it still exists today. What should be done about it? What do we feel about it? It can be very difficult for people to come out and say what they really think. I appreciated hearing what others had to say and reflecting on my own thoughts. I have been trying to think about it and have realized that God is the ultimate reconciler. It is my hope that He will work through me to love those I encounter so that prejudices and expectations can be worked through. The world needs a lot of adjustments. God knows what those are and I am praying I can be a part of them.
May God continue to change me and show me how to love more deeply and give more fully. Until next time…love.
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