Lost in The City that Never Sleeps

The day I got on a plane and flew to New York City was a day spent without expectation. You see, I had been so swamped with homework in the weeks prior that I had no time to dream about what it might be like. I'm now thankful for that flood of a mess because rather than experiencing the hustle and bustle of the famous city with assumption, I went with an open heart and mind to simply follow Jesus. 

My prayer for the week was requesting that The Lord would take Roswell Street's five loaves of bread and two fish and multiply them in the type of abundance that blessed Jesus' 5,000 listeners. 

The first eye-opening experience I had was on the plane the way there. I had never been on one before and so I looked out the window the entire time. It was extremely obvious when we began flying over New York because there were so many buildings and everything was packed in very tightly. Everything was so tiny and looking down on the microscopic cars I understood how small I am. My problems are so microscopic and it's so easy to allow myself to be consumed by my issues that I forget the needs of others. It humbled me and allowed me to step outside of myself and focus on the needs of other people. 

It's incredible how even though we are so tiny that God would give up His son to live amongst us and then die by our hand. He cares for us no matter our size. How awesome is it that He would even spend time teaching me of this immense blessing through the simplicity of the window seat of an airplane? 

I've asked several other people who went on the trip to describe one of the moments that struck their hearts the most. There were so many different perspectives and I'm so glad I get to share them with you:

Lizzie B, age 15: "Last year I went to DC with my school and went to the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon. It was an amazing time and spoke to my heart. Our teachers asked us to pick a person and to pray for their families when we could and I picked Patrick J. Murphy. When we went to the 9/11 museum in NYC there was an exhibit where you could search people's names and have background information and pictures of them. I did not expect anything to actually come up. His name was there and when it popped up I could feel God moving in my heart because I had been praying for this faceless person's family, who I now had a story for. It was truly a God-given moment for me and I feel greatly impacted by it."

Elias A, age 13: "People were not what I thought New Yorkers to be like. I asked people if they had time to take a survey and they openly said yes. Also, they were open and honest about not only the neighborhood but their personal beliefs."

Lexie L, age 15: "When we were in the security check for the 9/11 museum they told me I had to take out all my snacks. I had a lot so I started getting everything out and my Bible was in the same pocket on top of everything so I took that out first and the lady who was standing there looked at it and asked, "Is that a Bible?", and I said yes and I continued to try to take all of my snacks out. She then says, " You know what, it's fine just keep them in there and throw this away (pointing at my drink), but don't tell anyone." and she smiled at me and I really think that that was cool because she saw my Bible."

​Stacy A, age 18: "Well the trip had its ups and downs but my favorite part was the time we went to Starbucks and engaged in a conversation with an elderly lady who used to be a dancer. She was so loving and you could tell that she loved that we took the time to engage her and listen to her tell a piece of her story. It's just something about listening and hearing people talk to you and the stories they carry along with them and bring to you. That was my favorite part."

Chris W, High School Minister & Jeremiah V, age 19: "We met a man sitting on a park bench in the Flatiron District, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan. We were hesitant to approach him, he looked busy. We found the courage and the conversation began to unfold. At first it was small talk asking about the neighborhood, his favorite restaurants, local businesses, and such. He immediately began talking about several different restaurants that we should try. We actually took time to eat at one of them during lunch that day. The Shake Shack burgers are really good! As we continued our conversation we were able to share our view on God: that we believe in the Bible and that Jesus is the son of God. He disagreed but respectfully carried on the conversation. After a 40 minute conversation we asked if he had any prayer requests that we could pray with him about. At that point tears begin falling from his eyes. He described that his daughter had been distancing herself from him and that they were once close; she had all but walked out of his life. We discovered that he was sitting on the park bench after trying to reach out to his daughter at NYU just down the street and had been rejected. We were able to pray for him, for his daughter, and for the restoration of their relationship! After our prayer he gave us a big hug, looked us in the eyes, and thanked us. As we walked away we realized that everyone has a story no matter how busy they may look or how well they seem to have it together. People are searching for answers and looking for hope."

Monette L, age 16: "My favorite thing about going on the mission trip to New York was getting to know the people of my church. I went with around 30 other kids and by the end of the trip I'd gotten to know each and every one just a little bit more. It's an amazing feeling to know that you got one step closer to friendship with someone you previously believed didn't like you. And that alone made the journey more than worth it, and yet God still gave me so many more amazing experiences to go along with it. He still put me in situations and places that drew me even closer than I was after discovering that feeling, and I guess that's what impacted me the most."

One of the most common phrases people come home with post-mission trip goes along the lines of, "I left my heart in [insert city/country]." I never understood the concept of that statement until I realized the true intent of it. 

No, I did not leave my heart in New York City. However, when I was there I handed it away to whomever I came in contact with. You might say that that's a bad thing, giving one's heart away is painful. I don't mean it in the girl-gives-heart-to-boy context. 

I had the opportunity to introduce people who resented the name of God to Jesus. Through boldly stepping up and speaking even when unwanted, my church family and I got to share the gift of eternal life with many broken-hearted wanderers.

We vulnerably gave the experiences we've had with Jesus to anyone who was willing to take them. 

We shared that no, Jesus does not expect anything of them regarding rules and regulations.

Jesus wants to consume every fiber of their being, He wants to peruse their hearts, He wants them to share themselves with Him, He wants to walk life with them, and He wants to spend eternity with them.

We got the opportunity to open doors that had never even been unlocked. There were people who let us peek over the edges of the walls they had built up surrounding their hearts their entire lives.

They were introduced to Jesus, and now my family and I pray that God would provide more opportunities for them to come in contact with Him and that eventually the lost in New York will one day be found.  

"I have one desire now - to live a life full of reckless abandon for The Lord, putting all my strength and energy into it." - Elisabeth Elliot 

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