New York City

  So it's Day Four in NYC and I am loving it!!!  We've been staying at the Salvation Army since Friday night. Salvation Army doesn't have programs during the weekend except church on Sunday morning.  And since Martin Luther King Day was on Monday, we've had the whole weekend to explore New York City.  Nobody's complaining!  I've walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, stood in awe of Times Square, ridden the subway, visited the 9/11 memorial, and have visited a few adorable, local coffee shops.  But don't misunderstand me, although all those things are fun, navigating the subway system when nobody knows it, is the biggest team-building activity.  Experiencing these things together for the first time is the greatest bonding things ever.  It was a weekend of fun, bonding, and more getting to know each other.  It's been one week.  One week.  And I feel like I've known my amazing team for at least two months!  I wonder what I'll say in two months....

  Today was our first day of serving with the Salvation Army.  It was challenging, but I absolutely loved it!  The whole group of twenty-six (Caribbean and Africa teams) went to one of three Salvation Army locations. I stayed with six others at the location where we've been living.  Our first task was cleaning and reorganizating their giant refrigerator. This location feeds about 300 people on a daily basis, so their pantry, freezer, fridge, pretty much the kitchen in general is super-sized.  During lunch, we got to serve 200 of those people lunch at the soup kitchen.  It was so much fun interacting with people! I just loved it!  The last part of our day was serving lunch to kids who attend the after-school program.  I also got to go into a classroom with a small group of 3rd graders and help them with their homework and also got to chat with their "tutor" for a bit!

  Prayer requests this week:
• that we would meet our challenging moments head-on and be ready for when the Enemy attacks us with uncomfortable situations
• a few people have gotten colds since arriving in New York. Please pray that would all stay healthy.
• for continued growth as teammates

Thank you all so much!