First full day!--Compelling messages and Little Italy

Hello loveys!

It's my first full day, and it has been a grand one! I'll start at the beginning...
I woke around 8:15, after having a rather restful sleep, which I am very pleased about. :) I was able to have my morning tea, having brought my tea basket and some loose-leafed tea from Tranquilitea. We headed to church around 9:30, taking bus Bx36 to E Tremont...I think I could do it by myself, which is very good, because going to and from Fellowship Chapel pretty often. We were there a little before Sunday school, so Bonnie introduced us to some of the church members who were there. The church is very, very small, but it's cozy that way. I liked it a lot. We met Pastor Lou and his wife, Sister Michele, and there son LouMike.

Pastor Lou taight Sunday school, and boy was it compelling! Really, I was on the edge of my seat and took several pages of notes. What really struck me was he talked about the "common grace" that God has placed in all people, that God can use whomever he pleases--yes, that includes non-believers! All truth is God's truth, and he can reveal himself through truths realized by non-believers. The key is how to grab hold of the common grace with non-believers and help them see where it comes from. It was one of the best messages I've heard, probably--and it was just sunday school!
He also touched on the subject of Pastor Terry Jones in Florida, and his Qu'ran burning mania. Thank Jesus he didn't do it, and I mean that--thank the Lord. Pastor Lou gave the example of him doing it as someone burning a bridge BEFORE they cross it, instead of after...simply foolishness. I was almost in tears when he brought up the fact of that kind of action maybe not affected those in the U.S, but of our brothers and sisters in countries--especially muslim countries--already hostile to the gospel, and what kind of persecution it could have meant, and maybe still will mean, for them.

After church Sister Dorine took us downstairs and gave us orientation for the Breakfast ministry, which is serving breakfast to homeless people--something I got the privilidge to do when I was in the Bronx this summer on a Priority 1 missions trip.
We came home to DELICIOUS smells from the oven, all credit to Bonnie. We played a couple rounds of Dutch Blitz before eating a scrumpteous lunch. Then we relaxed, I read more of my On Being a Missionary book, which isn't nearly as boring as I have been anticipating, once I get into it.

At around 3:20 the five of us STEPers, Me, Carey, Ben, Melanie, and Emily set out on our first adventure. We headed out to Little Italy in the Bronx, just a short walk from the apartment. Now, there is a Little Italy in Manhatten, but the one in the Bronx is about 50 times better. We got a little lost, but Ben took the initiative and asked for directions and got us there in notime. The reason we had chosen to go today is because there was a festival going on in Little Italy! The street was blocked off, there with booths and loud music playing. We tasted from fresh mozzerella, got free "italian" espresso samples, and checked out a lovely little bakery. We also roamed around an indoor market in a warehouse, were there was lots of butcher shoppe booths and fresh produce. There was a guy there playing live music and singing in Italian--he had a fantastic voice. There were barrels of olives, and we saw lamb brains and every part of a lamb known to be eaten. We bought some Nutella there because Emily has never had it! The ingrediants and such were all in italian. So, despite the rain it was very fun!

I came home and we watched the football game--the Eagles lost, unfortunately. I learned a little more about football because Melanie is canadian and doesn't know football (she's a hockey fan, of course), so Bonnie and Carey, who are football experts, were explaining a lot of the game to her. It's fun having Melanie on the team because she hasn't tried or heard of a lot of the stuff we have, so new experiences are always happening. And of course, she knows and has tried lots of stuff the rest of us haven't, so we are all learning a lot. Next on our list is getting her a soft pretzel, which she has never had.

Alright, this is a hundred years long, but I hope you enjoy. Ben and Carey are teaching everyone how to play Rook, which I've never played, so I think I'll go watch.

Thank you again for all your prayers, and I think this is really going to be a great thing! Until next time,
amor siempre en Cristo!