On our way!

We´re off! The bus is here and we´re about to leave.  Prayers for all of our travelers and for Posoltega!

Numero Uno (our first report)

hey guys. Just wanted to tell you that we alll got here safe and sound. We tried to swim but a downpour, or aguacero, thwarted our attempts. we have an angry lizard in our hotel room. That´s all. More news awaits you.

New Adventures!

In approximately 2 hours, I will be meeting with the rest of the FPC mission team as we begin our journey to Nicaragua.  At this point I'm not sure what I packed (hopefully some clothes, and at least a bar of soap... past that who knows!) and I'm not entirely sure what will happen once we arrive.

As I shoved the last few random objects into my bag-- a paint scraper and a travel alarm clock, I was reminded of Jesus' commission to his disciples:  Take only one coat and rely on the goodness of strangers where you go.  It's humbling to remember that charge. He didn't say, bring everything and the kitchen sink in case you need it, he just told his disciples to get their act together and go.  They were commanded to tell others about the kingdom of God, to cast out demons and to heal the sick. We were commissioned to walk with our sisters and brothers in Posoltega, to work side by side with them and in doing so we just might proclaim the kingdom.

Keep us in your prayers!

Rachel

Catch-Up... is it really thursday?

Hey there!

We've had some hectic few days. So therefore this is our catch up entry. On Tuesday we talked with a member of Metro Baptist, Ronnie, who works with the HIV/AIDS community in Manhattan and Brooklyn. He explained how hard it is to be a Christian, and especially a Baptist, in New York and trying to lend his help to some of the victims of this terrible disease. In the afternoon, we traveled to the Upper East Side and visited the Cloisters museum, a collection of Medieval works arranged in a castle that has been created from remnants of other European edifices. We traveled by bus through the projects to Rachel's old church, near Columbia University. After a lovely dinner of grilled cheese and soup, our valiant group headed off to the bright lights of Broadway to view the Tony Award winning musical, Billy Elliot. The group consensus was that we all loved the performance and I (Anna G.) am willing to say that I bawled my eyes out multiple times. On the way home, we stopped at a local deli/bakery for dessert and it was DELICIOUS! It was a rather late night for us, so as Rachel said, we fell asleep almost as soon as we walked in the door.

Yesterday we went to the Yorkville Common Pantry. It was an experience for us all. We worked bagging and putting together food bags for the hungry. As you can tell in the picture, there were some giant carrots along with other giant produce. They serve roughly 1,800 families a week. They do a lot for the less fortunate every single day. The pantry provides a cooking class so people can learn to cook with the fresh produce the pantry provides them with. They also do a soup kitchen. Breakfast 5 days a week and dinner monday, wednesday, and friday. Another cool thing they provide is showers along with toiletries, haircuts, and laundry for the needy. In the afternoon, we split up into 2 groups. The girls stayed at the church and tutored the first through third graders in Metro Baptist Page Turners Program, while the guys went to the Grand Central Soup Kitchen. The girls also worked on a project with all the kids. Everyone split into teams and worked on making a St. Patrick's Day float out of boxes and other craft supplies for the parade we were having in an imitation for the parade the city was having the day after. The boys helped serve food to the homeless and needy.

The next day, everyone walked around Hell's Kitchen, the neighborhood we are staying in. We learned how the neighborhood is changing and "gentrifying". It was interesting to learn how many family restaurants are having to go out of business because of the changing costs of living. After walking around, we headed to Crown Heights, the sights of the 1991 riots, we went to Greater Restoration Baptist church. The pastor's wife, Betty B, talked to us about the gangs in the area and the different projects they are doing to work with the gangs to help them make the right decisions. Later in the afternoon we did the same thing as the previous night, only switched. The boys and Anna V. and Leigh stayed at the church and helped tutor with the Page Turners program, while  Katie, Audrey, and Anna G went to the soup kitchen to help serve food.

Rachel's Rules:
1. Don't get arrested.
2. Don't go to the hospital.
          a. Don't get shot.
                    i. Especially not in the subway.
3. Don't burn down St. Patrick's Cathedral.
4. Don't get rabies.
5. No more prune juice drinking competitions.
6. Don't eat off the floor...even if you've cleaned it.

7. You MUST wear pants in order to not be taken in to protective police custody.
8. Don't join a gang. (A rule from Robert, our city guide)

Notable Quotables:
"If you could be any animal that lives underwater, what would it be?"-Rachel "A fish!!"-Leigh (Rachel asks us questions in to morning to wake us up)
"Our sumptuous Manhattan digs!"-Dan Watts

Primary author: Katie with help from Anna G, Anna V,

Late last night when you were all in bed...

Our intrepid reporters were waylaid last night!  After seeing Billy Elliot they "had"to stop for dessert, thus making their return a bit later than anticipated. (Don't worry parents, everyone got home safely!)

They will be back this evening with many things to report... but until then, here are some pictures to start your day.

Today is jam packed!  Even though it's a rainy morning in the city and we are about to head off to the Yorkville Common Pantry on the eastside and will be there most of the day.  Once we come back to Metro, some of our folks will be going to the Grand Central Soup Kitchen while the rest of us get ready for a teen program this evening.

Please keep all of us in your prayers... and if you can include the organizations and the clients we will be serving that would be amazing!

Helping at the Metro Food Pantry and Clothes Closet  

Day Two... or is it day three....

Well it's our second full day here in the Big Apple and today we visited a few VERY different churches,  took some great photos, had some deep discussion, and maybe did a little touristing...just a little bit. You can see our pictures here... the theme "holy." We traveled to Alphabet City to visit Metro Baptist's sister church, Graffitti. We spoke with the youth director there, and we learned about how the church is helping kids from the area through the after school program. For those of you who love NYC, we walked through Tompkin's Square.  The park has changed quite a bit in the past few years. We jetted across town to see the ornate churches on 5th Avenue, 5th Avenue Presbyterian and Saint Patrick's Cathedral. They're much larger than our church, the 5th Avenue Church was nearly vacant, except for one man seeking respite from the day, but there were dozens and dozens of people in the Cathedral. Three fourths of the people were like us, tourists taking in the spectacle of the place. The other fourth was made up of homeless folks sleeping, and pilgrims praying to the various saints that resided inside. Afterwards, some of us were lucky enough to play on the big piano at F.A.O. Schwartz and we attempted to get a look at the iPad 2, no surprise the place was packed. Now, we're sure that some people are wondering where the "mission" is in this mission trip. Don't fret. This evening we partook in a lovely little project of cleaning the...less than spotless hallway and lounge of our current residence. Our focus tonight was space, which in Manhattan is nearly impossible to come by. We thought it was appropriate to thank our staff by cleaning their space and then decorating it with thank you notes for the work they do. We're learning a lot through this "Urban Immersion" and all of us are extremely excited for tomorrow. We're off to Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and the bright lights of Broadway! BILLY ELLIOT, HERE WE COME!

Question of the Day:  What makes something Holy?

You can see our answers in the pictures.... what's yours? 

If you have questions about our pictures, leave them in the comments and we'll answer them in our next post. 

Rachel's Rules:

1. Don't get arrested.
2. Don't go to the hospital.
3. Don't burn down St. Patrick's Cathedral.
4. Don't get rabies.
5. NO MORE PRUNE JUICE DRINKING COMPETITIONS!
6. Don't eat off the floor...even if you've cleaned it.

Notable Quotables:

"Oh my gosh! It's Justin Bieber!" ~Elmo to Peter

"2, 4, 6, 7...Daniel!" ~Rachel (counting us)

"When I grow up, I want to be a cartoon voice!" ~Rachel

'' So...Mom, I got a tattoo and a body piercing, but I did get vaccinated for the flu" ~Anna V. & Katie (in the hipster sketchy part of town)

"Come to the Comedy Central Club, we have racist jokes!" ~Man selling tickets in Times Square

"Come to the Comedy Central Club, kids too, it's family friendly!" ~Man selling tickets in Times Square

Man of the Week: Lennox

Long live Dirty Dan and the Boys.


Primary Author (day 2/3) Anna G. (with help from the peanut gallery)

We're Here!

 So we made it to New York after a long journey and it is just lovely! This morning we had a great healthy breakfast of poptarts and assorted cereals, then we got to participate in a devotional with Tiffany (the pastor of Metro Baptist) and Ruth (one of the members of Metro Baptist). During the service Anna, Anna, and Audrey read Matthew 4:1-11 and we got to meet and greet many of the members and also witness an immersion baptism! We traveled underground on an adventurous subway ride. We got to visit the Lower East Side and have delicious cupcakes at Sugar Sweet Sunshine, also (to Anna G.'s delight) we saw Lady Gaga's old apartment! We saw a typical one bedroom apartment and relized how small it really was. After eating at an Italian place we saw the amazing Time Square (as you can see our bright shining faces in the picture) it was a bit chilly but we got to discover the wonders of downtown New York! Many sights were seen and many memories were made in the first full day of our trip!
Quotes: "Why are you pointing at me?!"-Katie H "I'm practicing being Jesus!!"-Anna V

Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah

Numbers 27

It bothered me for the longest time that this story is called “the Daughters of Zelophehad,” I think it bothered me, in part because there are so many stories where the female character has no name except for her relationship to another person (the Daughter of Japheth) or a place (the woman at the well), it’s frustrating that when the characters actually have names, we don’t use them.

This story is about Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah; five amazing women.  Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah come before the congregation and demand equality.  No matter how many times I read this story, I’m always surprised by their brazenness.  Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah are part of a generation that saw God utterly destroy those who failed to follow, they saw what happened when individuals questioned God’s appointed leader.  They had seen their community wiped out with plagues, and swallowed up by the earth.  They knew the risk that they took when the stood before the congregation and demanded their rightful inheritance, and there they stood. Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah stood asking that they, daughters of the covenant, could protect and preserve their family’s inheritance.

I wonder what they were thinking, if they were nervous or if they were sure.  I know I would be terrified.  But Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah stand up and speak. They demand justice, more than demanding justice; they demand to be counted as inheritors to the promise.

Not only do they speak up, but God agrees with them.  This isn’t a decision that Moses utters, the response is God’s.  God, in all of God’s Glory, declares the sisters right in their argument.  God outlines inheritance laws that assure women have the opportunity to inherit.  Now, let’s not mistake these particular laws with a fair and equitable society, but it was a step in the right direction.

Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah stood up and God listened.  God listened to them because their cause was just.  Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah stood up and the system changed. The system changed because the one in power—God—was willing to listen, and was willing speak out in support. Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah took a risk to claim their place in the story of Israel. Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah took a risk to claim their place in the story of the people of God, and in doing so they changed the very structure that community. In doing so, they helped teach the people of God something about God.

I wonder what parts of my inheritance I am reticent to claim?

What about you?

Getting started

I promised someone, that if my church- First Presbyterian in Bloomington IN would try a "year of the bible" I would try Blogging.  I had hoped that that promise would be quickly forgotten once everyone began the exciting task of reading scripture in community. Hahahaha. 

So, this blog is a promise kept.  I never said I would be exceptionally insightful or even particularly interesting; but I am going to try nonetheless.

What are you reading? What verses have surprised you?

I am currently reading Deuteronomy chapters 12-14 and reading psalms 105-110. 

Happy reading!