This week went by very quickly. On Friday morning group one went to a really neat food pantry, called Yorkville Common Pantry. YCP is the largest community run food pantry in NYC. They offer a wide range of services, providing food, hot meals, helping people find jobs and housing. Their operation was pretty high tech and very efficient. Some of our group talked to people and took their orders electronically. Those orders were sent upstairs to the packing room where bags were assembled so that when people got upstairs their unique order was ready to go. We worked really hard for several hours. It has been neat to see the different ways that people address the issues of poverty and hunger.
Group two delivered meals with an organization calle God's Love We Deliver. GLWD delivers meals to people with HIV/AIDS or other terminal illnesses who cannot leave home to shop for their own food. The meals are tailored to each persons dietary needs. All week long we served people who had to go somewhere to get the food they needed, it was nice to take the food to someone instead.
Friday afternoon and evening we had some free time to see the city and reflect on our week. One thing we did during this time was visit the 9-11 Memorial. It was good to go and reflect on that event.
We had a great debrief time in Central Park. It was exciting to hear the team share things we have learned this week about God, the world, and ourselves. We have all grown in our understanding of God's love for the world and ways we can share that hope with others. Thanks for your faithful prayers and support!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Thursday
Today was another excellent day! Group two got to serve lunch from a very unique location: a school bus! We served with a ministry called New York City Relief, that provides hot meals in several neighborhoods in the city. They have converted a school bus into a food truck and they serve a hot lunch from the bus. They also work to connect people with job and housing opportunities as well as churches. It was a lot of hard work in the heat, but we really enjoyed the time we spent with the people who came to get lunch.
Group One served at a soup kitchen an food pantry in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. We bagged veggies for the food pantry and helped to prep lunch. This pantry was much more fast paced than the others and we were moving the whole time. We were struck by the compassion of the staff towards those they serve. It is evident that they really care for the men and women they are helping. We were convicted by the compassion they display.
This afternoon we did an activity called "neighborhood immersion." This activity is designed to help us better understand homelessness. We split into 3 groups and were given $2 a piece for dinner. We were sent Ito the neighborhood to learn about the neighborhood, where would we go for a meal, shelter, or other assistance. We were also assigned the task of talking to neighborhood residents and shop owners about how the area has changed over time and what it costs to live there. Our final task was that in addition to feeding the 6 people in our group with only $12 we needed to feed someone else too. This really pushed us out of our comfort zones and stretched us. It's not easy to find a filling meal for only $2. As we debriefed the day one thing that was consistently shared was how our compassion for the homeless has increased and our stereotypes have been shattered. God gave each group very unique experiences that highlighted his creativity in designing people and increased our burden for those with needs.
It's hard to believe that tomorrow is our last day of ministry. We are looking forward to opportunities to share about our trip in person soon.
Group One served at a soup kitchen an food pantry in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. We bagged veggies for the food pantry and helped to prep lunch. This pantry was much more fast paced than the others and we were moving the whole time. We were struck by the compassion of the staff towards those they serve. It is evident that they really care for the men and women they are helping. We were convicted by the compassion they display.
This afternoon we did an activity called "neighborhood immersion." This activity is designed to help us better understand homelessness. We split into 3 groups and were given $2 a piece for dinner. We were sent Ito the neighborhood to learn about the neighborhood, where would we go for a meal, shelter, or other assistance. We were also assigned the task of talking to neighborhood residents and shop owners about how the area has changed over time and what it costs to live there. Our final task was that in addition to feeding the 6 people in our group with only $12 we needed to feed someone else too. This really pushed us out of our comfort zones and stretched us. It's not easy to find a filling meal for only $2. As we debriefed the day one thing that was consistently shared was how our compassion for the homeless has increased and our stereotypes have been shattered. God gave each group very unique experiences that highlighted his creativity in designing people and increased our burden for those with needs.
It's hard to believe that tomorrow is our last day of ministry. We are looking forward to opportunities to share about our trip in person soon.
Wednesday
We were super tired when we got back last night so we didn't get to blog, but we had a great day of celebrating America and serving the people of New York.
Group one (Tommy, TJ, Emmy, Kimberly, Natalie, Audrey, Courtney, Catalina, and Kara) went to the Bronx to serve at a community organization called Part of the Solution (POTS). We helped with their soup kitchen, they serve lunch everyday from 12:30 to 3:30. We served plates, washed dishes, waited and bussed tables. One cool thing about this soup kitchen was that the clients are waited on, kind of like they are at a restaurant. We really liked this added element of service an dignity. We had a lot of fun with the staff there too, Kimberly got a new nickname and Tommy learned some martial arts. After that we headed to Harlem and had intentionally looked for people to talk to, hoping to use our budget of $10 to meet a specific need. This was a challenging exercise that pushed us out of our comfort zone and helped us to think about life from a different perspective. After dinner we found a spot on the Hudson River to watch the fireworks.
Group Two (Emily, Rebecca, Megan, Katie, Phillip, Caleb, Justin, Bryan, and Laurissa) spent time in Harlem looking for an opportunity to meet a need in the morning. In the evening we worked at a men's shelter. We made and served dinner, as well as helped get the beds ready for the night. The lady running the shelter shared a lot about homelessness in New York City, we really enjoyed learning from her. The shelter only had about half of their regular residents there as many of them go to see family for holidays. Those who were there didn't have family and were especially thankful for people to spend time with on the holiday.
Group one (Tommy, TJ, Emmy, Kimberly, Natalie, Audrey, Courtney, Catalina, and Kara) went to the Bronx to serve at a community organization called Part of the Solution (POTS). We helped with their soup kitchen, they serve lunch everyday from 12:30 to 3:30. We served plates, washed dishes, waited and bussed tables. One cool thing about this soup kitchen was that the clients are waited on, kind of like they are at a restaurant. We really liked this added element of service an dignity. We had a lot of fun with the staff there too, Kimberly got a new nickname and Tommy learned some martial arts. After that we headed to Harlem and had intentionally looked for people to talk to, hoping to use our budget of $10 to meet a specific need. This was a challenging exercise that pushed us out of our comfort zone and helped us to think about life from a different perspective. After dinner we found a spot on the Hudson River to watch the fireworks.
Group Two (Emily, Rebecca, Megan, Katie, Phillip, Caleb, Justin, Bryan, and Laurissa) spent time in Harlem looking for an opportunity to meet a need in the morning. In the evening we worked at a men's shelter. We made and served dinner, as well as helped get the beds ready for the night. The lady running the shelter shared a lot about homelessness in New York City, we really enjoyed learning from her. The shelter only had about half of their regular residents there as many of them go to see family for holidays. Those who were there didn't have family and were especially thankful for people to spend time with on the holiday.
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