At the beginning of my GenSend journey, my intention was to post a weekly blog as an update on what my team was doing in the city. However, I quickly realized that would not be possible. I spend 2-3 hours on every blog I write and with limited free time, I decided to enjoy the time I had with my teammates and blog at the end of our time in NYC. I have now been back in Alabama for a month and a half and am just now getting around to blogging (oops) due to spending time with family and friends, moving back to Troy, and starting my sophomore year. But I am excited to share a bit about my journey this summer, so here it goes!
Each week looked very similar, but different all at the same time. Monday was our team’s Sabbath day. I used this day to catch up on much needed rest. I would also use this time to have a couple hours of quiet time to sit and reflect on our week and I also worked my way through the book of Matthew during this time, as well as my daily quiet times. Monday evenings were spent with my group in a time of accountability and worship. My accountability group (Shoutout to ya’ll, Aimee and David!!) focused on Biblical community as well as being intentional in our daily conversations and pointing people to the hope we have in Christ. During the week, our group of 16 split into 3 smaller groups to work in the communities of Flatbush, Crown Heights, and Red Hook. My small group of 6 spent our time in Crown Heights working with Mosaic Baptist Church. Mosaic is a family that is composed of many different cultures and backgrounds, but all one in the body of Christ. They have been a church for a couple years now, and are still growing.
On Tuesdays, we would stand on one of the more crowded streets in the community and hand out cold water bottles. The most shocking part to the people passing by was that the water bottles were totally free! No strings attached. With each water bottle we handed to people passing by, we would also give them a card with Mosaic’s information on it. By offering people this free gift, it gave us an opportunity to share the gospel. Many people would ask why we were handing them out for free, in which we could explain that we wanted to give them a free gift, but the greatest gift that is so freely given to us is the gift of salvation through Jesus. And sometimes we got to explain that while this water may satisfy for a little while, we quench our thirst on the living water. Even when people did not ask questions, or wanted nothing to do with what we were saying, they were still given an invitation to church. It is our prayer that their hearts will be stirred and they will visit Mosaic and there they will not only find people who love them, but they will also find the greatest gift they have ever received: Jesus.
Wednesdays were spent in Brower Park. One thing that was brought to my attention was that in New York, people don’t have their own yards, so the public parks act as their front yard and their back yard. This makes the parks a great place to get involved with the community, get to know people, and share the gospel with them. Our park outreach was physically demanding. If I am honest, I dreaded Wednesdays at first. But after a while, I realized how much there is to learn in a garden. Not just knowledge about plants and critters, but spiritual knowledge. While pulling and digging, God taught me what it means to be deeply rooted. He taught me to plant myself on fertile ground, to nurture the seeds I am planting, and to watch for weeds that can quickly take over if I do not handle them properly. Our presence in Brower Park did not go unnoticed. People were always curious what why we were there, which also gave us opportunities to share about Mosaic and invite people to our fellowship. One week our pastor even led someone to Christ in the park. I am so thankful for the way Brower Park humbled me this summer.
Thursdays were spent as “Send Relief” days and were my absolute favorite. For the first 3 weeks, our small groups rotated between 3 ministries. The first place my small group went was to Graffiti 5 Church in Coney Island. While serving with Graffiti 5, we were given the opportunity to enter a public school (Christian groups entering a public school is practically unheard of in New York) and have lunch and recess with the kids. It was amazing to see the diversity these kids are exposed to at such a young age. They don’t see each other as different. They only see each other as friends. When we finished at the school, we went on a prayer walk around the island and handed out flyers for Graffiti’s free summer program. This program allows kids to come 5 days a week and be surrounded by people who will love them as they teach them about Jesus and His word. Oh, and not to mention we got to sneak down to the beach for a little while we when finished for the day.
Our second Thursday relief day was spent with a program called Let My People Go. This ministry is a ministry that works with human trafficking. Their goal is to identify what people groups in the community are most subject to trafficking, and figure out what the local churches can do to help these people and reach out to them. Our team was tasked with going to Harlem and finding people and places in the community that know the people in the area and understand their needs and ask them who is most subject to being trafficked. We went to soup kitchens, police offices, theaters, and asked other people we saw in passing. Each person we talked to had a bit of a different opinion as to who was most vulnerable, but it still helped to give us ideas on how the church can help.
Our third relief ministry site was where we would be permanently for the remaining Thursdays of the summer. (And boy was I happy about that.) My team and I ended up at Graffiti 1. Our first week there, we spent the day decorating for their summer camp. This years’ theme was “God at Work” and we displayed road signs all over the church, and turned the building into a construction zone. The next week was where the real fun began. Each week, the Graffiti kids got to go on a field trip. We went to a waterpark, the Central Park Zoo, and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. Used to, I would hear the words “field trip” and get really excited. But now those words bring a little bit of anxiety. Field trips in New York are very different from field trips in Alabama. There was no hopping on a bus and driving to our destination. Field trip days began with a 15 minute walk (if we were lucky enough to go that fast) to the nearest Subway station. When our train arrived, my partner and I (Whoo Christen, what a champ) along with 2-3 people from the weekly mission team would carefully ensure that ten first and second graders got on the subway safely. That, my friends is no easy task. We would also make sure the kids got safely off the subway, and sometimes we even had to transfer to a second train. Then we would walk another 10 minutes or so to our destination. (I probably counted those kids 50 times in the 20 minutes we were in the Subway station.) After the field trip was over, we would turn around and do it all over again. It was stressful and not an easy job, but anybody who knows me knows I love kids with all my heart so I was definitely right in my element.
Fridays were probably the most difficult days for me. The task was simple. We were to head to Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights which was a more gentrified area to meet people and form relationships. (If you are unfamiliar with gentrification, you can read a little bit about that in my GenSend week 2 blog.) Our team was sent into coffee shops and local restaurants to be intentional with our time and our conversations. Our desire was to form connections and thus be able to invite people to Mosaic and share the gospel with them. This quickly proved to be more difficult than it sounded. New York is a very fast paced city and many people leave the shops just as quickly as they came in. Finding people who were willing to sit and have a conversation with you was extremely difficult and I left the first Friday feeling defeated. The next Friday, my prayer was simple. “Lord, it’s not about quantity. Just lead me to one person.” And wow, did He. Two of my teammates and I were walking in the different shops on Franklin Ave. when we stumbled upon a dress shop. When we entered, we were greeted by a beautiful, friendly, and welcoming face. Ms. Francine. I truly believe that people in New York and just lonely people who crave for someone to listen. We were in Ms. Francine’s shop for an hour and never had any trouble with the direction of our conversation. We opened up to her and told her about the mission we were in New York for and she gave us such sweet advice and let us know many times how proud of us she was. Each week, we would look forward to going back to her shop to discuss our week with her. She never failed to make us smile. She eventually told us that she was a Christian and was faithfully involved with a church which brought me so much joy. She shared a couple prayer requests with us and we promised to come back to see her the next week. I remember leaving that day so frustrated with myself. I had been feeling the whole time that I should pray for her, but neglected to. The whole week, I prayed that God would allow us to see her one more time and I promised that I would be obedient to the Spirit’s urging. Thankfully, the next Friday we walked in to see Ms. Francine in the same chair she had been in the weeks before. My heart was happy. After a bit of time passing, Ms. Francine informed us that she was taking a trip to see her granddaughter and that would be our last Friday together. After some tears, laughs, and hugs, my teammates surrounded Ms. Francine as I had the wonderful opportunity to finally pray for her. It was one of my favorite moments of the whole summer.
Saturdays were our days off. My teammates and I used this time to sleep in and explore the city. We went to Little Italy, China Town, the 9/11 Memorial, the beach, and more. It was a great time to catch up with the other small groups within our team and hear about their ministry projects for the week.
The cool thing about Mosaic was that their Sunday services didn’t start until 4. How cool is that? The first couple weeks I spent my Sunday mornings in worship at Hillsong Church and Brooklyn Tabernacle. It was awesome and encouraging to worship alongside other believers in a place where Christians are in the minority. Towards the middle of the summer, I started using Sunday mornings as more time to rest after exhausting weeks. At Mosaic, my teammates and I worked in children’s church. We got to love on so many kids from the community and introduce them to scripture they had never heard. I also got to hold some sweet sleepy babies which again, if you know me, that was perfect.
One thing that our pastor was so faithful to ask us each week was, “what is God teaching you?” God taught me so much this summer and stretched me, molded me, and grew me in so many ways. However, looking back I can see a theme in each thing I learned. This summer I just learned how to live. GenSend was not a mission trip. It was about my life on a mission. Each day comes with opportunities. Every conversation can be traced to the gospel if we listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and humbly obey Him. This summer consistently gave me practical ways to share the gospel and be a missionary in my everyday life. The very last day of my trip I wrote a response card to what I learned this summer and how it would impact me going forward. Here is what it said:
“As I am stepping away from GenSend, God has simply shown me how to live. For so long now, I have much awaited the day where I am called away for the gospel. In my waiting I have neglected the mission field I am currently on: my school, my church, and my community. However, now I truly see not only the need but the desire to be an everyday missionary and be intentional where I am. Other callings will come at other times, but for now I want to be deeply rooted and bloom where I am. Until everyone sees. Until everyone hears. Until everyone knows. I want to make earth look more like heaven.”
Leaving my teammates was incredibly difficult. In a matter of 7 weeks they became my family and it hurt to leave them not knowing when I would see them again. At the same time, I was so excited because I knew how much of an impact they were all going to make. They are world changers. If I don’t get to see them again on this earth, I know without a doubt I will hear of all the great Kingdom work they are doing and I will see them again in Heaven when He calls us home. I am so thankful for the promises of an eternity with my sweet Jesus.
There is so much more I could write about this summer and how it radically changed me. However, my fingers are about to fall off and if anyone has even read this far I am shocked. But, if you want to know more about the GenSend program or about my experiences this summer, I can (and will) talk your ear off for hours.
Thank you so much to everyone who faithfully prayed for me and my teammates while I was gone this summer. I am so looking forward to seeing God work in me and through me my sophomore year and I cannot wait to see where He sends me next.
Until everyone sees.
Until everyone hears.
Until everyone knows.
Send me.
-Amy
