The Last Day

Today was our last full day in NYC and it was a great day. After our morning routine we headed over to Grace Baptist Church to get to work. We cleaned and finished up our work projects from the week and headed to lunch. Half of our group went back to the Chinese Church and the other half went to Kings to eat pizza. After lunch we all headed over to a nearby park to pass out smoke alarms and interact with people in the community. It was mainly Hispanic and Chinese people so Ryan was used to it. We ineracted with people, played games, and did sidewalk chalk. After that we came back to the church to Italian food for dinner and now we're relaxing waiting for half the group to go to the High School Youth Group at Grace. We leave tomorrow at 8 am, which means we'll be up at 5 am sharp to clean! See you all tomorrow night :)
-Brea and Carla

The Covenant House

On Monday my group went to The Covenant House. Before going we were told not to get hopes to high. Usally there were one 3 or 4 people that showed up. It just so happens that 250 plus people live there. I wasnt exspecting much. When we got there, therewas a circle of chairs with 5 people randomly in some of them. Well we all sat down and got ready. We decided to worship first. Well if you dont know me, I love to dance, so of corse I moved over to where my buddys were so we could dance. As the song went on, I looked over to see Pam Miller trying to get Morgan and I's attention. We walked over and she said, "Your two amazing kids. MAKE FRIENDS!" and pushed us over to where two men and a girl were chillin. We walked over and started dancing like always while the sat and looked at us strangly. lol. After worship, We Listened to Jason, as he shared his story. When he was done, Massey asked if anyone else wanted to share. Nathan, sitting next, Raised his hand to speak. At that point I was surprised. He didnt talk or even look at anyone since we got there. He starts to speak and.. There was just something in his voice. sorrow.. depression. His story was crazy. It was like he had been to hell and back. Then He said. "Sometimes I dont want to be here. I just want to kill myself", and he just falls into my lap and starts crying. I was so scared. I wasnt exspecting that at all! I didnt know what to do, I just kept patting him on the back. Massey looks up at me, and I just started praying. I didnt know what came over me. I just started pray. My whole body was shaking. I dont even remember what I said. It was God. He was speaking through me. Nathan kept saying I just want to be the good guy. I told him he was, in prayer, hes away from all that awful stuff. Hes is that good guy, the good guy whos trying. And after I prayed, everyone was in tears. Other people that lived there came to see what was going on, and before you knew it, there were over 20 people not from our group there. God answered our prayers and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. God tuched us. He touched us all and I thank him so much.
~Brock Slaughter

OH NO!!!

43 of us are sitting in the theater waiting for the show to start

Renee's group at tiffanys on fifth Ave. Sorry we haven't updated blog. We have been so busy. On the way to Broadway!

Greetings from the Big Apple!

For some the day started at 6 am, but for the troopers who don't shower, it started at 7 am. Once we got all of our sleeping stuff packed up and down to the basement (4 floors!) we got to eat breakfast and head over a few blocks to Grace Baptist Church for Sunday School and Service. At first they were overwhelmed by the amount of people in our group (we took up the entire basement of the church!) but they were very welcoming and hospitable towards our group. We split up by our age group and had sunday school, then went up to the chaple for communion and service. After church, we went on a prayer walk throughout downtown Brooklyn. We prayed for people in the community, people we passed, and our upcoming outreach in Sunset Park. Sunset Park overlooked Manhatten, it was gorgeous! We prayed a little bit there for 9/11 victims and their families and then ran back to The Chinese Church in the pouring rain! Now we are about to eat dinner then to attend a Russian church service! The first day was eventfull, eye-opening, and very fun! We are very excited for tomorrow and we are excited to see what God has planned for the rest of the week here in NYC! Keep praying for us and we will keep you all posted :) Check back for pictures in a few days!
-Carla, Brea, Emily, Kathleen and Brooke

The natives are getting restless!

ETA is 6:30 pm to drive through Manhattan. Then on to Brooklyn...

Less than 3 hours before we leave...

I am certain that many of us are still awake right now. Although most nights I can barely hold my eyes open after 10 pm, before a trip they can't seem to stay closed! What I learned last year on a 36 hour bus ride is that this can really work to one's advantage, as driving time can seem so much shorter while asleep on the bus!

After I looked at the email we received Friday from CSTM, I would encourage you to check out their blog in addition to this one. The advantage of using this one is that I know that many students and leaders alike will have a chance to share their thoughts, at least we have been able to in the past. Most likely, CSTM blog will be written by a staff member. So, if you want to gain insight and understanding into the week from all perspectives, check both of them out!

Thanks to my wireless modem, I'll be posting from the bus later "today"......if I'm awake : )