Soggy Socks and Sandwiches

The day had finally arrived.

We were ready, had a strategy.

After more than two months of preparing and waiting, WE FINALLY HAD A TEAM TO HOST.

From Thursday to Sunday, the 9^th to 12^th of October, a team of Messiah College students served with Priority 1. This weekend had a big circle around it on our calendars, because this team was the first that we would help to lead around the city. This team, Lord help them, would also serve as an experiment of sorts: we didn’t know exactly how it would all work out, how the roles would be divided, how Ginny would get to school, etc.

I, Greg, did as much as I could without actually staying in the Priority 1 apartment with the team, while Bonnie (Priority 1’s Director) and Amber (P1’s Children’s Ministries Coordinator) both stayed with them at the apartment. Our own apartment is either a 10-minute ride or a 30-minute walk away, depending on whether buses show up regularly or not. I learned that the buses don’t come nearly as often at 7am on a Saturday as they do during the week, and thus I had a half-hour stroll in the dark morning drizzle. I also learned that my shoes are insufficient as rainwear.

The first two evenings the team helped out at the after-school program run by the school where Ginny attends. They split up among the different classes and helped with homework, singing and dancing, crowd control, and, of course, snacks. The kids were really excited to have some volunteers, especially when they found out they would be there two days in a row!!

Friday morning was spent at the World Vision Storehouse, a facility that collects lots of corporate donations and then distributes them in the South Bronx and beyond, and in particular they help school teachers who don’t have enough supplies. We sorted jeans and polo shirts into bundles, then did the same with boxes full of hats. It’s admittedly tedious work (especially when we discover that we had packed all the bundles wrong and would have to re-sort and re-bag them – an issue that may or may not have been my fault), but it’s a good reminder that building up the Kingdom of God often takes the form of doing manual, unskilled labor for little or no compensation. Those bundles of clothes and hats will go to organizations that work with the homeless, domestic abuse victims, underprivileged kids, and on and on, and someone had to package them up.

Sandwich-making fiends

My personal favorite activity took place on Saturday morning (despite my aforementioned soggy socks). We caravanned to the HQ of Manna of Life Ministries, a group who provides food and love to the homeless. The Messiah group got their gloves and hairnets on, then made a whole bunch of PBJ and tuna sandwiches. We then caravanned to three different sites, spending the longest time at a homeless shelter called The Living Room. I didn’t know exactly what to expect: in the past we had been permitted to go up and talk and pray with the people staying there; other times we were only allowed to hand out the food down on the sidewalk outside the building. This time, after handing out the food, we did indeed go upstairs. After the team sang a song they had (hastily) prepared, Jasmine, a woman who works with Manna of Life and who had herself once been homeless, stood and basically preached a salvation message to the people. She spoke with passion and excitement of our need for Jesus to forgive and transform us. Then the team spread out, with prayer request cards in hand, and had the chance to talk with some of the people there. It was wonderful. Several of the team even had the chance to pray with people there. I am grateful to have been a part of this time.

Two of our stops were at gas stations where day workers gather, waiting for work. These guys stand around hoping that someone will come by and offer them work for the day: sometimes they get work, sometimes they don’t. We came, lined up with sandwiches, stew, fruit, and juice for any and all who wanted some. At the last stop several of the men joined our group as we circled up and prayed.

It's New York, right? Gotta get some pizza.

The last major component of the weekend was a photo scavenger hunt that we call the AmazinGrace. We hand the team a list of landmarks throughout the city to pray at and photograph, then pat them on the head and wish them well. They get a chance to navigate the subways themselves and see how well they can get around on their own.

They all survived. They even all made it back to the P1 apartment in the Bronx!

They were a wonderful team, and we look forward to hosting many, many more.

I slept well after they left.

Scouting Trip

I was stingy with my vacation days in 2012, so I had a full week left that I had to use by the end of January, so Bethany and I took a long weekend (with the support of Bethany’s mom who watched our girls while we were gone – thanks Gayle!) and came up to the Bronx for what we’re calling a scouting trip. We have several basic questions to answer about moving to the Bronx this summer:

• Where will we live?
• Where will our girls go to school?
• Should one (or both) of us get a job of some kind, even if only part-time?

Each one of these questions will take considerable time and energy to answer. We understand that. They will likely not be answered quickly, or with one visit, or with one meeting. We understand all that as well.

Doesn’t mean we like it, just that we understand it.

Foggy fire escape at night

Regardless, you gotta start somewhere. So we made several appointments with several people with the goal of making progress toward answering one or more of our basic questions.

We talked to a friend of ours, Dorine, who works closely with Fellowship Chapel and the breakfast ministry they run, and who works for the public school system. We had lunch with her and she told us some good stuff about how it all works in the city, because it’s rather different from school systems in PA that we’re used to. For example, elementary schools are based on where you live (that’s the same), but for high school, kids can essentially go anywhere they want in the city (that’s not the same). There are private schools and charter schools and Catholic schools and good public schools and less good public schools.

OK, good. Lots of stuff to think about.

From Dorine's balcony

Then she showed us her apartment on the 25^th floor. Quite the view from 25 floors up.

The next morning we had an appointment at Manhattan Christian Academy, a K-8 school that's been around since the 1970's. We knew of the school because Priority 1 has helped out with an after-school program called Operation Exodus that operates there. We got the tour, poked our heads in a couple of classrooms, and got to have a decent talk with the principal, as well as to share with them who we are and what our story is. I told the husband/principal and wife/admin counselor that I really liked the "spirit of the place," that there was a good, peaceful feeling there, and they responded that they've heard people say similar things before. We really liked the school. One possible concern: They said that for next year's 1st grade class, we would essentially have to apply now. Eek.

Then we went straight to the World Vision Storehouse and met with the director, Tim, to talk very generally about what we were doing and if there were any options for partnering with them there. Priority 1 has been bringing groups there for a long time, because they always need help (anybody relate to that?). What with my several years of warehouse experience, we thought there would be potential there. And there still may be, but not right at this moment.

Thanks, Diana and Daryl!

And that’s where a lot of this stands: Possibility exists, but it won’t work out right now, in this moment.

Our questions remain unanswered, but we met some great people, got to walk around this town some more, and got to worship with some great people on Sunday morning (I even got conscripted into playing my guitar and singing backup, which was fun).

We had a couple of smaller tasks before we headed home Tuesday morning, but they mostly involved food we intended to purchase and take back with us. Chambersburg, we love ya, but you can’t match the bagels and Parmigiano-Reggiano we can get here.