Hey all - sorry I am the worst blogger of all blogs ever created.
It is a true statement when someone says that there is always something to do in New York City. So whenever I could have blogged...I did something else. Sorry.
I leave New York City in six days. CRAZY!
This has literally been the fastest summer of my life. And the absolute best.
I don't even know where to begin to explain how this summer has changed my life, made me better, drawn me closer to the Lord, and made me the happiest I have been in a long time.
I have met and had the pleasure of working alongside some of the most wonderful people I have ever met. I have made so many new friends who make me laugh, challenge me, and keep me accountable in my walk with Christ. SO so blessed to know them.
I know I say it a lot, but I didn't know I could love this city anymore than I already did. Every single day, however, something happened or I saw something that made me realize that there is no end in sight for my love of this place.
Now, the biggest reason I love New York is because I have family here. My Gallery family. My intern family. My big, crazy, hilarious, wonderful New York family.
New York is so much more than that city that I fell in love with four years ago. It has faces and personalities and inside jokes and favorite spots.
It has become someplace where I can breathe easily and feel comfortable always.
It is going to be so incredibly hard to leave. I miss my family and my friends, but I feel like this city and these people are my home.
These next few days are going to be rough. There will be tears that come out of nowhere. There will be days that I try to hit the imaginary rewind and pause buttons so that I can try to take as much advantage of the remaining days as I can.
I will never understand why God has blessed me in this way. I have never and will never do anything to deserve the experience He has given me.
Not only have I learned more about NYC, but I have learned about myself.
I have learned that I am really hard on myself. I let past mistakes and failures define me for far too long. I think everything is my fault.
But my sweet Savior has shown me that I am forgiven and redeemed and beautiful and perfect in His sight. He holds my every moment in His hands and His timing is perfect.
He loves me enough to bless me and to plan a future for me far greater than anything I could think up for myself.
The future is a very scary thing. I thought that the future would always be less scary after I started college. But I was wrong. There's always big decisions to make that can very much affect your future and where you go from there.
I have had to learn to put my trust completely in God's brilliant wisdom and love for me. I surrender my life over to Him. All I want to do is live for Him and show others the joy, peace, love, and mercy He has given me.
So even though the future can be scary, I will not worry about it. I will be willing to GO where He leads or STAY where He wants me to stay.
I am so excited to see where God takes me. It will be an adventure, for sure.
Everything that has happened in the past, happened for a reason. It has shaped me and opened my eyes to greater things. It has helped me to cling and to lean fully on Christ.
And for that, I am so thankful. I would be nothing without Him.
So even though the best summer of my life is coming to an end, I know that there is so much more ahead of me. And God will continue to amaze me with His love for me.
Thank you to every person who reads this for praying for me, for loving me, and for supporting me during this chapter of my life.
Once again, I am SO incredibly blessed. Beyond measure.
I will be keeping everyone updated as some decisions are made. But for now, I am preparing to head back to Murfreesboro to people I love and have missed.
God bless you all!
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore, I will hope in Him." The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him."
- Lamentations 3:22-25
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
There's nowhere I could go that You're not already there.
Well hello again.
I'm sorry for the lack of blogging on my end. My days the past two or so weeks have been mostly busy...and when I'm not busy with something, I'm usually asleep.
Since my last update, The Gallery has hosted two City Uprisings! Basically for those who don't know what CU is - we have groups from churches that come to New York for three or four days at a time that participate in service projects around the city, such as trash pickup, block parties, and canvassing (passing out cards about The Gallery Church). We have a worship service every morning at the space.
It really is the most amazing few days. And most exhausting. (My main excuse for not blogging sooner is for the back-to-back City Uprisings that we just had. I was way too tired to function once I walked in my apartment door to do anything else besides sleep.)
The first City Uprising we hosted was, and will be, our biggest. We had an incredible group of churches! They were so excited to be in the greatest city in the world and were always willing to do anything to help. We passed out around 60,000 invite cards!
At the block parties, there were many great and deep conversations that occurred with people that lived in the Chelsea neighborhood (a neighborhood four blocks from The Gallery and where the church will be investing and pouring into). I had the pleasure of sharing the Gospel with a guy I met on the second day. He said he had heard of God before (he had grown up Catholic), but hadn't really heard much else and felt like he had been lied to about religion growing up. This was honestly one of the first conversations I have ever had with a complete stranger about Jesus. The Holy Spirit was completely giving me the words to say. I don't even really remember half of what I said. I do remember that I ended up inviting him to church and he said he would come.
And he did. But he left thirty seconds into Freddy T.'s message, saying he "couldn't do it". I'll admit, it hurt that he didn't really give it a chance. It hurt even more that I probably wouldn't ever see him again or that he may never come to love Christ. But I have to remember that I planted that seed. That I may just be one of the chain of Christians throughout his life that will share the Gospel with him...and he may eventually hear it fully. I'm surrendering that over to God.
I know how mighty my God is. I saw that last Sunday. My friend wasn't the only person from the block parties or recipient of a Gallery card that came to church. The Gallery space was PACKED. People from front to back. We ran out of chairs!
Hannah and I were the two that welcomed people by the front door of the building before the service started, and there were several people that came up to us with a Gallery card asking if they were in the right place. God totally worked in people's hearts so they would come. And it was so beautiful and encouraging.
After the service on Sunday, we had a Freddy T. Wyatt/Chris Mills weight loss challenge/race and Brandon Moore's going-away party. In short, Chris won the whole contest and it sucked to see Brandon leave.
Brandon was the one who really took us interns under his wing the first month we were here. I knew his voice before I knew what he looked like. He handled all of my questions and fundraising goodness over the phone the two months I knew I had the internship before I actually left for NYC. Brittni, Morgan, Hannah, and I really became friends with him the last few weeks he was here. We already miss you, Brando! See you at the wedding. ;)
With Brandon being gone and Chris being at YoungLife camp (with six kids from Chelsea, thanks to our AMAZING first City Uprising group), that meant us interns were in charge of mostly everything this past City Uprising. It was terrifying. And even more exhausting.
Hannah and I were fully in charge of making the block party happen. It went so smoothly with the help of our CU participants! It honestly could not have gone better in my mind and I am so thankful! Hannah and I are now expert block party planners, so if you are having one, call us up.
We passed out around 20,000 invite cards this time around since we had less people at this City Uprising. There were a few second-time visitors from the previous Sunday yesterday and some new faces! So exciting! One of my favorite parts of being an intern is actually being here for longer than a week and seeing the effects of the work you do during City Uprising.
So that's basically the gist of my past two weeks. We've done so much more that I didn't even mention, but believe me, God is doing some incredibly big things in this city and I for one cannot wait to see what happens the remainder of my time here and after.
Freddy has given one of my favorite messages the past two weeks to the City Uprising participants. It never fails to stir the fire in my heart for missions and for the city up again.
Basically he talks about how the world has come to New York City. Did you know that over 800 language groups live here? Amazing.
I heard from someone once that New York City is like a pebble dropped in the ocean and it ripples out into the rest of the world. The world looks to New York for everything and follows suit.
If you can share the Gospel with someone who lives here, and they are from Africa, then when they visit or call their family back home...if they are changed by knowing Jesus, they will tell them!
That is why I am passionate about this city. Because I truly believe that anything is possible here. And the changes that are made here will go into the world, and the world will be changed by the knowledge of God's love and saving grace.
I LOVE IT! I love it here. I love everything about this city.
I can't believe that my time here is already halfway over. The thought makes me want to cry. This city has truly become my home and my heart feels right here.
I want to personally thank everyone who reads this blog that contributed to my fundraising to get here. You will never know how much it means to me that you love me and support me and my passion for missions so much that you would help me raise money. This city is incredibly special to me and I just wanted to thank you all again.
Some prayer requests:
I'm sorry for the lack of blogging on my end. My days the past two or so weeks have been mostly busy...and when I'm not busy with something, I'm usually asleep.
Since my last update, The Gallery has hosted two City Uprisings! Basically for those who don't know what CU is - we have groups from churches that come to New York for three or four days at a time that participate in service projects around the city, such as trash pickup, block parties, and canvassing (passing out cards about The Gallery Church). We have a worship service every morning at the space.
It really is the most amazing few days. And most exhausting. (My main excuse for not blogging sooner is for the back-to-back City Uprisings that we just had. I was way too tired to function once I walked in my apartment door to do anything else besides sleep.)
The first City Uprising we hosted was, and will be, our biggest. We had an incredible group of churches! They were so excited to be in the greatest city in the world and were always willing to do anything to help. We passed out around 60,000 invite cards!
At the block parties, there were many great and deep conversations that occurred with people that lived in the Chelsea neighborhood (a neighborhood four blocks from The Gallery and where the church will be investing and pouring into). I had the pleasure of sharing the Gospel with a guy I met on the second day. He said he had heard of God before (he had grown up Catholic), but hadn't really heard much else and felt like he had been lied to about religion growing up. This was honestly one of the first conversations I have ever had with a complete stranger about Jesus. The Holy Spirit was completely giving me the words to say. I don't even really remember half of what I said. I do remember that I ended up inviting him to church and he said he would come.
And he did. But he left thirty seconds into Freddy T.'s message, saying he "couldn't do it". I'll admit, it hurt that he didn't really give it a chance. It hurt even more that I probably wouldn't ever see him again or that he may never come to love Christ. But I have to remember that I planted that seed. That I may just be one of the chain of Christians throughout his life that will share the Gospel with him...and he may eventually hear it fully. I'm surrendering that over to God.
I know how mighty my God is. I saw that last Sunday. My friend wasn't the only person from the block parties or recipient of a Gallery card that came to church. The Gallery space was PACKED. People from front to back. We ran out of chairs!
Hannah and I were the two that welcomed people by the front door of the building before the service started, and there were several people that came up to us with a Gallery card asking if they were in the right place. God totally worked in people's hearts so they would come. And it was so beautiful and encouraging.
After the service on Sunday, we had a Freddy T. Wyatt/Chris Mills weight loss challenge/race and Brandon Moore's going-away party. In short, Chris won the whole contest and it sucked to see Brandon leave.
Brandon was the one who really took us interns under his wing the first month we were here. I knew his voice before I knew what he looked like. He handled all of my questions and fundraising goodness over the phone the two months I knew I had the internship before I actually left for NYC. Brittni, Morgan, Hannah, and I really became friends with him the last few weeks he was here. We already miss you, Brando! See you at the wedding. ;)
With Brandon being gone and Chris being at YoungLife camp (with six kids from Chelsea, thanks to our AMAZING first City Uprising group), that meant us interns were in charge of mostly everything this past City Uprising. It was terrifying. And even more exhausting.
Hannah and I were fully in charge of making the block party happen. It went so smoothly with the help of our CU participants! It honestly could not have gone better in my mind and I am so thankful! Hannah and I are now expert block party planners, so if you are having one, call us up.
We passed out around 20,000 invite cards this time around since we had less people at this City Uprising. There were a few second-time visitors from the previous Sunday yesterday and some new faces! So exciting! One of my favorite parts of being an intern is actually being here for longer than a week and seeing the effects of the work you do during City Uprising.
So that's basically the gist of my past two weeks. We've done so much more that I didn't even mention, but believe me, God is doing some incredibly big things in this city and I for one cannot wait to see what happens the remainder of my time here and after.
Freddy has given one of my favorite messages the past two weeks to the City Uprising participants. It never fails to stir the fire in my heart for missions and for the city up again.
Basically he talks about how the world has come to New York City. Did you know that over 800 language groups live here? Amazing.
I heard from someone once that New York City is like a pebble dropped in the ocean and it ripples out into the rest of the world. The world looks to New York for everything and follows suit.
If you can share the Gospel with someone who lives here, and they are from Africa, then when they visit or call their family back home...if they are changed by knowing Jesus, they will tell them!
That is why I am passionate about this city. Because I truly believe that anything is possible here. And the changes that are made here will go into the world, and the world will be changed by the knowledge of God's love and saving grace.
I LOVE IT! I love it here. I love everything about this city.
I can't believe that my time here is already halfway over. The thought makes me want to cry. This city has truly become my home and my heart feels right here.
I want to personally thank everyone who reads this blog that contributed to my fundraising to get here. You will never know how much it means to me that you love me and support me and my passion for missions so much that you would help me raise money. This city is incredibly special to me and I just wanted to thank you all again.
Some prayer requests:
- Strength and energy. Freddy (the best boss EVER) gave us until Thursday off of work to re-energize after two back-to-back City Uprisings, but we have another one starting up soon! Just that I will continue to work my hardest and be able to lead the groups coming to the city as well as I possibly can.
- Guidance. I know that I am supposed to be in this city again sometime in my life, but I don't know when that will be. If you could please pray that the direction I need to take my life will become more clear.
- My spiritual growth. PLEASE pray for me that I will continue to make time to dig into God's Word, meditate on it, and apply it to my life. That I will not love sleep more than Jesus and I will get up early to have my quiet times before the rush of the day begins. Overall, that I will hunger and thirst for more Jesus and less of me.
There was a long blog post to make up for being terrible at telling you guys what is up with my life! If you ever have any questions about anything or want to see pictures (if you're not on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram), just email me at elk603@comcast.net!
I'll leave you with a verse that was recently laid on my heart!
LOVE you all!
Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.- Ephesians 6:19-20
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
I'll go where You will lead.
Have you ever had that moment in your life where you look around at the people you're with, the place you live, the college you're attending, etc. and know that it is where God has led you?
That is 100%, without a doubt, how I feel about New York City.
All I want to do is praise God for His sweet faithfulness. For seeing my heart and providing.
Psalm 37: 4-5 says,
I walk around this city and I see the brokenness. Everyone is always rushing somewhere and I want to yell at them and ask, "What is so important? What are you living for?". It breaks my heart that such a tiny percentage of a city this size even know who God is. I suddenly feel very small and useless. But then I realize that I am here because of the hurt I feel when I look into the eyes of the people I pass. God wants me to see them the way He sees them.
Brandon Heath's lyrics to his song, "Give Me Your Eyes" are something I have been clinging to since I arrived in the city and began preparing my heart for this summer.
I need to humble myself and realize that God could bring every single person in New York City to Him without any of my help, but He CHOSE to use me for His Kingdomwork. He CHOSE me.
That blows my mind! That God loves me enough to bless me with an entire summer of something that is my passion and where I feel called!
I honestly am not homesick at all. I asked Hannah if it was wrong to feel that way. She said that it just shows that I am certain that this is where God wants me at this time in my life. I agree with her wholeheartedly. I miss my family and friends, but just the thought of having to leave in August makes me incredibly sad. I could live here forever.
Knowing this, it has brought some questions into my mind that I will need to pray about and ask God to just bring me clarity over these next few weeks.
I love it here. So much. I walk outside of my apartment in the mornings and I instantly feel invigorated. The people I work with and for are wonderful. I could not be more blessed by my co-workers and boss/pastor for the summer.
I also feel so at home here! I am thankful to have families like the Wyatt's and the Love's who have completely welcomed us interns so warmly. I thank God every night for every single aspect of the summer thus far. It is better than I could have ever imagined it and I have had four years to mull all of these things over and over in my mind. :) It's THAT good.
We are starting to get really busy over here at The Gallery! City Uprising is quickly approaching and we have 125 attendants the first week! SO pumped! CU is where it all started for me, so I am anxiously awaiting the chance to help make it all happen for these young adults we will be working with.
I am so looking forward to how God is going to grow me over the course of these next few weeks. Also, with what He is going to show me. Even though we have just started, I can already tell that this summer is going to be the absolute best of my life. All because of God's faithfulness! I will never forget that.
If you have any questions for me about The Gallery, City Uprising, or any other part of my life here in the wonderfully perfect New York City, you can email me at elk603@comcast.net!
Thank you for your continued prayer and support!
Love you all!
That is 100%, without a doubt, how I feel about New York City.
All I want to do is praise God for His sweet faithfulness. For seeing my heart and providing.
Psalm 37: 4-5 says,
Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do this.Thank you Lord for this promise!
I walk around this city and I see the brokenness. Everyone is always rushing somewhere and I want to yell at them and ask, "What is so important? What are you living for?". It breaks my heart that such a tiny percentage of a city this size even know who God is. I suddenly feel very small and useless. But then I realize that I am here because of the hurt I feel when I look into the eyes of the people I pass. God wants me to see them the way He sees them.
Brandon Heath's lyrics to his song, "Give Me Your Eyes" are something I have been clinging to since I arrived in the city and began preparing my heart for this summer.
Give me Your eyes for just one second.Even though it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the city - the size, the fast-pace, the amount of lost people, etc. - and to feel like what you're doing isn't making an impact, I have to keep reminding myself that the Lord will keep His Word. I just need to step out and plant that seed. He will do the rest.
Give me Your eyes so I can see,
Everything that I keep missing.
Give me Your love for humanity.
Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted,
The ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten.
Give me Your eyes so I can see.
I need to humble myself and realize that God could bring every single person in New York City to Him without any of my help, but He CHOSE to use me for His Kingdomwork. He CHOSE me.
That blows my mind! That God loves me enough to bless me with an entire summer of something that is my passion and where I feel called!
I honestly am not homesick at all. I asked Hannah if it was wrong to feel that way. She said that it just shows that I am certain that this is where God wants me at this time in my life. I agree with her wholeheartedly. I miss my family and friends, but just the thought of having to leave in August makes me incredibly sad. I could live here forever.
Knowing this, it has brought some questions into my mind that I will need to pray about and ask God to just bring me clarity over these next few weeks.
I love it here. So much. I walk outside of my apartment in the mornings and I instantly feel invigorated. The people I work with and for are wonderful. I could not be more blessed by my co-workers and boss/pastor for the summer.
I also feel so at home here! I am thankful to have families like the Wyatt's and the Love's who have completely welcomed us interns so warmly. I thank God every night for every single aspect of the summer thus far. It is better than I could have ever imagined it and I have had four years to mull all of these things over and over in my mind. :) It's THAT good.
We are starting to get really busy over here at The Gallery! City Uprising is quickly approaching and we have 125 attendants the first week! SO pumped! CU is where it all started for me, so I am anxiously awaiting the chance to help make it all happen for these young adults we will be working with.
I am so looking forward to how God is going to grow me over the course of these next few weeks. Also, with what He is going to show me. Even though we have just started, I can already tell that this summer is going to be the absolute best of my life. All because of God's faithfulness! I will never forget that.
If you have any questions for me about The Gallery, City Uprising, or any other part of my life here in the wonderfully perfect New York City, you can email me at elk603@comcast.net!
Thank you for your continued prayer and support!
Love you all!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Four years in the making.
Hello from the wonderful New York City!
I am finally living in this beautiful city and have kick-started this summer! If you read my first blog post, you probably have noticed that it's no longer on my blog page. That's because I'm a technology genius and I accidentally deleted it. Super. I'm way too lazy to re-write my backstory on my love of New York, but if you are new to the blog, believe me, I LOVE IT.
These past three and a half days have honestly made me love this city even more. (I know I say that a lot, but I'm not lyin'!)
Hannah and I have settled into our cozy Washington Heights apartment, along with our two other roommates (cats), Boris and Rocky. They're pretty cute but they're also nasty. We're managing.
This place is starting to feel more like home after we put up some pictures, bought some groceries, unpacked, and cleaned the mess (literally) out of this apartment. Today I actually called it home for the first time and looked forward to getting back to it because I was exhausted.
The past few days have been pretty busy. The first day we got here, Hannah and I rode in a taxi from the airport to our apartment. And we got lost. The taxi driver dropped us off on the wrong Riverside Drive. But thankfully the Riverside Drive we were looking for was only a street over. Brandon, our awesome leader/fellow intern until July, rescued us and gave us a tour around our apartment building.
Saturday was our day off to do whatever we wanted. Hannah and I decided to spend the day cleaning the apartment from top to bottom to make it feel cozier and then go grocery shopping. Did you know that there is a Target in The Bronx? We didn't either. But it was BEAUTIFUL. Grocery shopping? Check.
Sunday has been my favorite day thus far. Not only because it was my birthday. :) The interns showed up to The Gallery at 8:00 am to set up for the service, which included setting up chairs, setting up Gallery Kid, and folding bulletins. Then we greeted Gallery members! I was the awkward one in the elevator who greeted plus pressed the number 4. But getting to say, "I'm a summer intern for The Gallery" really never got old.
My favorite moment was when Freddy T. (the pastor of The Gallery) had the congregation sing Happy Birthday to me. I already feel so comfortable and at home here. And I really just love this church and the people that attend it so much.
Today was crazy. Hannah and I had a scavenger hunt that The Gallery provided for us interns all over the city. Some of the items on the list were:
I am finally living in this beautiful city and have kick-started this summer! If you read my first blog post, you probably have noticed that it's no longer on my blog page. That's because I'm a technology genius and I accidentally deleted it. Super. I'm way too lazy to re-write my backstory on my love of New York, but if you are new to the blog, believe me, I LOVE IT.
These past three and a half days have honestly made me love this city even more. (I know I say that a lot, but I'm not lyin'!)
Hannah and I have settled into our cozy Washington Heights apartment, along with our two other roommates (cats), Boris and Rocky. They're pretty cute but they're also nasty. We're managing.
This place is starting to feel more like home after we put up some pictures, bought some groceries, unpacked, and cleaned the mess (literally) out of this apartment. Today I actually called it home for the first time and looked forward to getting back to it because I was exhausted.
The past few days have been pretty busy. The first day we got here, Hannah and I rode in a taxi from the airport to our apartment. And we got lost. The taxi driver dropped us off on the wrong Riverside Drive. But thankfully the Riverside Drive we were looking for was only a street over. Brandon, our awesome leader/fellow intern until July, rescued us and gave us a tour around our apartment building.
Saturday was our day off to do whatever we wanted. Hannah and I decided to spend the day cleaning the apartment from top to bottom to make it feel cozier and then go grocery shopping. Did you know that there is a Target in The Bronx? We didn't either. But it was BEAUTIFUL. Grocery shopping? Check.
Sunday has been my favorite day thus far. Not only because it was my birthday. :) The interns showed up to The Gallery at 8:00 am to set up for the service, which included setting up chairs, setting up Gallery Kid, and folding bulletins. Then we greeted Gallery members! I was the awkward one in the elevator who greeted plus pressed the number 4. But getting to say, "I'm a summer intern for The Gallery" really never got old.
My favorite moment was when Freddy T. (the pastor of The Gallery) had the congregation sing Happy Birthday to me. I already feel so comfortable and at home here. And I really just love this church and the people that attend it so much.
Today was crazy. Hannah and I had a scavenger hunt that The Gallery provided for us interns all over the city. Some of the items on the list were:
- Take a picture in front of the Flatiron Building
- Take a picture with a NYPD police officer
- Take a picture in front of 30 Rock
- Take a picture from Belvedere Castle in Central Park
- etc, etc.
It was SO much fun. But exhausting. We walked so much all over this city, but I enjoyed getting to see a ton of the city that I have never seen before. Even though my feet look like potatoes. But my calves look awesome.
I am just really loving it here. Almost to the point where two and a half months doesn't seem long enough!
I'll keep posting on here pretty regularly or when something cool happens (and I'll try not to delete it this time)!
Love yall!
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