Summer Update: First day in NYC

I've been told that every summer, more people pass through New York City than passed through Ellis Island in decades that it was open. The world is going to walk past us in these next few weeks, and we have the amazing opportunity to tell each of them about Jesus.

If you had talked to me even a year ago, I wouldn't have imagined that I would be here volunteering in New York City with Jews for Jesus, much less standing out on the street telling people about the Jewish Messiah. Since then, I have learned that God has both a sense of humor and sense of purpose for my life. He knew, and he knows that I would be here. Looking back, I know that he put things along my path to lead me to this time and place.

Training at Moody Bible Institute was long and straining, but overall, it was a stressless experience. I almost always get stressed when I encounter the unknown. Chicago was not an unknown, in fact, I enjoyed showing my fellow campaigners around and sharing my wisdom of the El and geography. Not completely unexpectedly, an unwelcomed feeling of fear welled up inside me as I arrived in New York City this morning. I felt no control, and that scared me. But God is good, and I am remembering that our weaknesses are His strength!

As a part of orientation, we were divided into teams and sent out on a scavenger hunt. This was my first time walking in New York, first time on the subway, first time trying to navigate. But oddly enough, things felt familiar. The spaces did not seem like uncharted territory. When I emerged from the subway station, I knew which way to walk. This may have something to do with my familiarty with living in a big city, but I like to think that God was showing his steadfastness and presense in the footsteps of those who choose to follow Him.
In Isaiah 58:8 it says, "Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard."

We have been called, trained, and given everything we need to dive deep into this campaign. My prayer is that God will mightily use the work of our hands and the words of our mouths to glorify His name in this city.