Camina, Camina en la luz...

Oi! Hey, it's been 2 days. So, I have a lot to say, but, it's been 2 days, so I hope I haven't forgotten stuff. I'll check my journal for details.
Haha, something funny--reading my journal from Wednesday, some bits are a bit sloppy cause I had the hiccups and they were rather violent, so they kept jostling me. :P

So, let's talk about Wednesday! It started out with us heading to Bowery Mission over in Manhatten. Let me tell you a little history of Bowery Mission, before I go into what we did, and my own personal experience there...
So, Bowery Mission is one of the oldest humanitarian efforts in the city. It was started as, and still is, a rehabilitation center/school for men. They have room there for 80 men, for men ages 18 and up I believe, who basically need a break from life to get back on their fit. They provide help in getting over addictions, they provide classes so that the men can get their GED if they haven't, and also basic training in things like Computer Tech so that the men have a skill that will provide them with jobs. They are non-denominational Christian organization, so the men there also take bible classes, have chapel 3 times a day(they are required to attend 2 of those services), and are taught responsibility and accountability. Those who are students at the Bowery all work there, in the kitchen, clothes/shower rooms, and other parts throughout the facility, to teach good work ethic and responsibility. It is a 6 to 9 month program and just really amazing. It's been around for about 130 years. But on top of that, the Bowery Mission has an incredible outreach and service to the homeless. They give hot meals in the mission house itself, and they also go out into the community and give out food. During the winter, the Bowery Mission opens it's doors to homeless men to find shelter on cold nights...they lay down maps in their fellowship hall and in their chapel, to give men warmth at least for a couple of hours. So that's a big description of what the Bowery Mission is, although it is rather multi-faceted.

Now I'll tell you about my personal experience at the Bowery Mission on Wednesday. We got there, and Pete, the guy who takes care of the volunteers when they come, had forgotten that we were coming :P But he took care of us, and we ended up being a huge blessing that day, because about 6 or 7 things went wrong. So first, we split up and me, Ben, and Bonnie wiped down all the pews in the chapel. By the way, the chapel is GORGEOUS. It'd old, and reminds me of some of the smaller churches and chapels in Europe.
Emily, Mel, and Carey helped in the kitchen, then we all came together to help serve the guys, or students, that live at the Bowery Mission. It was really nice to be able to serve them. Then we ate, meeting some of the guys. Carey and I met a guy name "B.A,"(we didn't know how to say his name, so he told us to call him B.A cause that's what everyone calls him) and we learned just a bit about him which was neat. After that we got ready to serve the homeless and less fortunate that they opened their doors to for a hot lunch. And, because one of their big fridges had crashed the night before, they had a ton of sandwiches to give out, giving as many as wanted to the community. It was so neat to be able to bless people like that, and just see how many different kinds of people are in need.
One of the best things about Bowery Mission are the amazing and awesome people who work there. Trevor, the main chef, is hilarious, with a thick accent and sense of humor. We met Wilmen, who has stories and stories about Bowery Mission, which he imparted to us. Pauline, an older volunteer as well who has been volunteering for many years, having fallen in love with it the first time she was there. She has a neat story, but just one thing about her: She lives in Arkansas, and did a fundraiser there, raising about 40,000 dollars, enabling them to get new kitchen appliances. What an awesome lady! There is Daniel, who we helped sort bread with. He speaks with a thick, thick accent and sometimes gets teased about it, in a loving way :) There is Edmund, a young Puerto Rican who taught us some Spanish and didn't make us girls wash the dishes(poor Ben :p). It's just enriched with really cool people.
What is really awesome is that we were only going to be there this past Wednesday and then next Wednesday, but another service outreach became rather complicated(we were going to have to get police background checks, and with a Canadian on our team, that would be rather difficult, and would take quite a while), so now we get to be at Bowery Mission most Wednesdays :)

So that's that! Today we helped Mr. Jones at Love Kitchen at Manhatten Bible, we basically just put stuff away and organized for him, but we love it there too.
Then we had after school program! I love my pre-schoolers! I got to take some pictures today, which is great. They are such cuties, and they are really warming up to me and Carey now. Alright, I have to get off of here. It's taken me 45 minutes to write this about, and that's my time limit!

Keep me in you prayers, for strength against weariness especially and patience with life :)

Love you!