Internet is a mess...

Well, I've had good intentions to update this each day but our internet connection here is sporadic at best. So, let me try to update you quickly on how things are going.

On Sunday morning, we started out with a opening orientation with the YWAM Staff. We then headed over to the Brooklyn Tabernacle for an awesome worship service. After church, we enjoyed a quick lunch and then started our trek across the Brooklyn Bridge. Once we arrived back in Manhattan, we had an opportunity to do a Prayer Walk through the Financial District, Battery Park, World Trade Center and more. It was a great opportunity to get to know the area better and to get a better understanding of the people who live and work in those areas. One great parts of the walk was the opportunity we had to pray in front of the building near the World Trade Center that Muslim groups are trying to buy for a new mosque. As you probably know, there is a lot of division surrounding this possible purchase and it was a privilege to pray for God's hand to be upon all that will happen regarding this.

Monday morning we kicked off the day by having a discussion on the nature and character of God. We then headed to Harlem for our 1st Prayer Station of the week. I was so very proud of our team because they jumped right into this challenging activity with both feet. It was such a joy for me to witness our team praying for countless numbers of people on all four corners of the block we were on. From there, we headed over to Central Park for an activity called Sidewalk Evangelism. We broke up into teams of three and spread out through the park and evangelized by drawing pictures and writing scriptures on rocks and the sidewalk. It was an amazing way to spread the Gospel through art. One of the coolest parts of this activity was standing back and watching people take pictures of what we had drawn on the ground. After our time of Sidewalk Evangelism, we had some NY Pizza in the park and then headed back to the church.

Please keep praying for God to work in and through us and for His protection and strength.
Michael

BTW, we made it...

Well, our NYC Mission Trip team made it Saturday night (a bit late since our train was late and we had some delays on the track). Once we got to the First Ukrainian Assembly of God, we unloaded all of our stuff in our rooms and ate dinner. After dinner, we had an opportunity to walk around the East Village area of Manhattan to get a better idea of where we are staying and of the people of live in the area.

We had a quick debrief time and then went to bed. Praise God for that!

YWAM NYC Mission Trip

Trip Itinerary

June 26:

Arrive Penn Station – 5.45PM; 135 Regional

YWAM Staff will meet the team at Penn Station (Amtrak) for transport to housing location.

6.30pm – 7.30pm Dinner [Italian, take-out in East Village]

June 27:

8.30am – 9.30am

Welcome Breakfast [New York Bagels] (& Pack Bagged Lunch)

10.30am – 2.30pm

Brooklyn Tabernacle Church [12.00pm service]

2.45pm – 4.00pm

Lunch & Walk Across Brooklyn Bridge

4.00pm – 6.00pm

Prayer Walk: City Hall, Wall St, Ground Zero

6.00pm – 7.30pm

Dinner [Latin American, take-out in East Village]

June 28:

8.00am – 8.45am

Breakfast (& Pack Bagged Lunch)

8.45am – 9.30am

Prayer Station Training

9.30am – 2.30pm

Prayer Stations (Harlem; 125th & Lexington Ave)

3.00pm – 7.30pm

Sidewalk Chalk Evangelism & Dinner in the Park (Central Park)

June 29:

9.00am

Breakfast (& Pack Bagged Lunch)

10.00am – 12.00pm

Guys: Street Clean-Up (Alphabet City)

10.00am – 12.00pm

Girls: Workshop (Housing Location)

2.00pm – 4.00pm

All: Park Outreach (Alphabet City)

5.00pm – 6.30pm

Johnny Rockets (East Village/8th St)

June 30:

8.00am – 8.45am

Breakfast (& Pack Bagged Lunch)

9.30am – 2.30pm

Prayer Stations (The Hub; Bronx)

2.00pm – 3.30pm

Fun in the Park (The Hub; Bronx)

5.00pm – 6.30pm

Dinner (Spice Thai; East Village)

July 1:

8.30am – 9.00am

Breakfast (& Pack Bagged Lunch)

9.00am – 11.00am

Staten Island Ferry

11.00am – 3.30pm

Free Time Until...

3.30pm – 5.15pm

$5 Challenge (Times Square)

5.15pm – 6.30pm

Dinner (Dallas BBQ 42nd St/Times Sq)

7.00pm – 8.30pm

Top of the Rock Observation Deck

July 2:

7.30am

Breakfast & Final Packing (May pack bagged lunch for train)

8.30am – 11.30am

Devotional & Debriefing

11.30am

Depart for Rhode Island; [86 Regional Service, departing 12.30pm]

Real Life

Join us for Real Life on June 13th. We'll be continuing our "What Do You Want" series by talking about how God can use tough situations to help us get our priorities in the right place. The message is called "JoeNineEleven". As usual, we'll do all the other fun Real Life stuff -- eat, play, worship, hang out and more. Real Life -- 5:30 to 7:30 pm