Dani, Katy, Jared and I decided to spend our first full free day exploring Manhattan between the streets of 34th and 52nd. So many interesting things to see exist in those 18 blocks (and we did not even explore in a straight line! We walked all over that area!).
The Subway tracks were undergoing construction, so we waited what seemed an eternity for the train we wanted to 34th Street. From what I’ve heard, there was once a miracle there. ;)
Our first stop was the first and oldest Macy’s store ever. It had eight floors, and each floor was HUGE! We stopped to look at a few items, but never kept in one place too long, for the prices were a little high for our liking.
After we left Macy’s, Jared and I grabbed lunch at an Italian place known as Sbarro. From there we walked in the direction of the Rockefeller Center and continually stopped at stores that caught our fancy. When we arrived at the Rockefeller Center, a rapid snapping of photos began as we all tried to capture the beauty of the plaza that was graced by flowers, fountains, and flags. At the Rockefeller Center, Jared and I explored the Lego shop (which was amazing!) and awed at the skill of the people who made the many Lego creations that were displayed. We then discovered the NBC place and found the bronze plaque where the famous Christmas tree is annually placed.
From there Dani, Katy, Jared, and I continued our trek and stopped to take pictures of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Approximately 20 minutes beforehand, we noticed a funeral procession leaving, and as we passed it the second time around, a wedding ceremony was beginning.
Our next choice of site to see was the United Nations Building. On our way, we passed Trump Tower (a building built by Donald Trump…I think...?) and a large sidewalk with strange, non-gender statues both sitting on benches and standing. After taking a few photographs and resting a bit, we continued on toward the UN Building. We thought about going in but decided against it, and began on yet another hunt, this time for the Chrysler Building. We walked through what we decided was the Irish part of New York, for it was littered with many, many Irish Pubs and flags.
However, while on the way, we all decided to stop for a quick restroom break and randomly chose what we thought was some type of shopping mall in hopes of a restroom. Unbeknownst to us, we had just entered Grand Central Station (the train station in the beginning of the DreamWorks movie Madagascar), which actually happened to be another sight on our list of things to see. The station was gorgeous! The high ceilings and the beautiful clock that sat in the middle of the main lobby area were wonderful to see.
As soon as we exited Grand Central Station and obtained our bearings, we noticed we were a very short distance from the Chrysler Building. We quickly headed in that direction and were able to fulfill Katy’s desire to see it. From there, we traveled in the direction of Times Square (42nd Street). Seeing as it was a Saturday, Times Square was overrun by a ton of people (mostly which were probably tourists) who walked slowly, took pictures, and constantly seemed lost. Even though we are still technically tourists, we (especially Jared and I) feel like we live here and have been here for a long time.
For supper, Katy and Dani headed to McDonald’s while Jared and I ate chicken kebobs from a street vendor. The chicken was absolutely delicious! After our quick supper, we hit up a few stores (and quickly left due to the prices) and then traveled back to our housing.
After a long yet successful day of sightseeing, we all looked forward to an evening of rest and relaxation.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Friday May 13, 2011
Friday morning began with our devotional and then another meeting with John and Anna. Shortly after, we all began painting. Around lunch time, Jared and I went to West Side for food and soon returned to finish painting primer on the backside of the bathroom door.
Once we finished painting, our entire group headed out to Chinatown around 1:30 PM (John gave us the afternoon off seeing as it was such a nice day and we had a long day of painting the day before). Chinatown was so incredibly busy and our entire group of 11 could not stay together. Jared, Katy, Dani and I ended up exploring the town together and had a blast! We did run in to a few pushy Chinese vendors and one Middle Eastern fellow who tried to guilt trip us into buying something. We fled those stores as soon as we could and then avoided them like the plague.
After buying a few things here and there (and bargaining for a MUCH cheaper price than what the vendors first gave us), we found ourselves in Little Italy, the Italian part of NYC. It was a neat little part of town with a lot of quaint shops and restaurants. We soon headed back to Chinatown to finish our shopping and look for a place to eat supper. We bought a few more things, ate at a good Chinese restaurant, and headed toward the Brooklyn Bridge.
In Chinatown, Katy accidentally purchased (she thought the vendor said free, when he actually said 3) a Statue to Liberty Crown hat and wore it all over, including across the Brooklyn Bridge and on our way home. She received many compliments on her hat and deemed her purchase successful.
On our way to the bridge, we were distracted by beautiful buildings and random statues and had to take pictures (like normal). We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and took a bajillion pictures (or so it seemed). The view was beautiful and the walk was nice, but long (especially after Chinatown). No matter how long it was or how tired we all were, it was definitely worth the time and energy to walk it!
We headed back to Manhattan after crossing the bridge and went directly to our housing. We were all exhausted and relaxed the rest of the evening. Another successful day ended for us, with many memories made.
Once we finished painting, our entire group headed out to Chinatown around 1:30 PM (John gave us the afternoon off seeing as it was such a nice day and we had a long day of painting the day before). Chinatown was so incredibly busy and our entire group of 11 could not stay together. Jared, Katy, Dani and I ended up exploring the town together and had a blast! We did run in to a few pushy Chinese vendors and one Middle Eastern fellow who tried to guilt trip us into buying something. We fled those stores as soon as we could and then avoided them like the plague.
After buying a few things here and there (and bargaining for a MUCH cheaper price than what the vendors first gave us), we found ourselves in Little Italy, the Italian part of NYC. It was a neat little part of town with a lot of quaint shops and restaurants. We soon headed back to Chinatown to finish our shopping and look for a place to eat supper. We bought a few more things, ate at a good Chinese restaurant, and headed toward the Brooklyn Bridge.
In Chinatown, Katy accidentally purchased (she thought the vendor said free, when he actually said 3) a Statue to Liberty Crown hat and wore it all over, including across the Brooklyn Bridge and on our way home. She received many compliments on her hat and deemed her purchase successful.
On our way to the bridge, we were distracted by beautiful buildings and random statues and had to take pictures (like normal). We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and took a bajillion pictures (or so it seemed). The view was beautiful and the walk was nice, but long (especially after Chinatown). No matter how long it was or how tired we all were, it was definitely worth the time and energy to walk it!
We headed back to Manhattan after crossing the bridge and went directly to our housing. We were all exhausted and relaxed the rest of the evening. Another successful day ended for us, with many memories made.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Thursday May 12, 2011
Our morning began with a short meeting with John and Anna to talk about our progress and what still needed to be accomplished around the building. Katy, Jared, and I worked on folding laundry and sheet/towel sets for visitors while the others worked on painting. Once we finished with the laundry, the three of us headed upstairs to help with the painting. Jared and I mostly tackled the cutting (the painting around the doors and next to the floor and ceiling, etc.).
Somewhere amidst all of the painting, we took a break for lunch (Little Italy’s Pizza) and finally quit painting around 7 PM due to hunger.
After eating a quick bite of left over pizza, Katy, Dani, Jared and I headed out for the Subway toward the Staten Island Ferry that would allow us to see the Statue of Liberty at night. Directly after boarding, we made our way to the upper deck and stood outside (it was freezing!!) so we could watch the lights of lower Manhattan fade away and see the Statue of Liberty’s bright glow against the night sky and dark water. It was beautiful!!
Once arriving on Staten Island, we stepped off of the ferry and looked around the island for a few minutes (even if we did not know what buildings we were looking at because signs were nonexistent, it was still beautiful). Shortly after our little exploring excursion (and Jared almost convincing me that the statue in the courtyard moved), we headed back to the ferry and back toward our housing.
Our evening ended quickly after arriving back in Manhattan and we all went to bed rather happily and feeling very accomplished. :)
Somewhere amidst all of the painting, we took a break for lunch (Little Italy’s Pizza) and finally quit painting around 7 PM due to hunger.
After eating a quick bite of left over pizza, Katy, Dani, Jared and I headed out for the Subway toward the Staten Island Ferry that would allow us to see the Statue of Liberty at night. Directly after boarding, we made our way to the upper deck and stood outside (it was freezing!!) so we could watch the lights of lower Manhattan fade away and see the Statue of Liberty’s bright glow against the night sky and dark water. It was beautiful!!
Once arriving on Staten Island, we stepped off of the ferry and looked around the island for a few minutes (even if we did not know what buildings we were looking at because signs were nonexistent, it was still beautiful). Shortly after our little exploring excursion (and Jared almost convincing me that the statue in the courtyard moved), we headed back to the ferry and back toward our housing.
Our evening ended quickly after arriving back in Manhattan and we all went to bed rather happily and feeling very accomplished. :)
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Wednesday May 11, 2011
Wednesday morning began with a group devotional at 9:45 and by 10, we began our work. Several went up to paint again and the rest of us went to John and Anna’s apartment and began boxing up their knick knacks and breakables into tubs to take up to the 6th floor for storage. After we finished with that, our group headed out for lunch. Several stopped at a restaurant called Big Nick’s, while Katy, Jared and I went on a bit further and bought our food from a street vendor. For $4, you can buy one of the tastiest gyros EVER! I’ve had both lamb and chicken, and they are delicious!
Once finished with our food, Jared and I headed toward Fairway, a market that offers anything from packaged Twinkies to organic food. The market was very busy and we only purchased peanut butter (all natural), strawberry jelly, and 2 packages of rice crackers. We then went down to another grocery store called Trader Joes and purchased bread and orange juice.
Shortly after we arrived back at the MNYBA building, we had a meeting with John to decide our evening ministry assignments. Six of us (Matt Lange, Lacey Colborn, Kyle Morrison, Erin Jeffries, Jared, and I) were to go to Harlem/Bronx to help Chris Clayman with English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for West African Muslims from Mali. The other five (Katy Aleshire, Dani Bothe, Brett Jones, James Leezer, and Seth Smith) traveled to Graffiti (a very well known NY church in the Lower East Side of Manhattan) to work with their homeless ministry. However, we later learned that they did not work with the homeless, but instead cleaned out the home of a man who had bedbugs.
The group I was in left our housing around 3:30 and headed to Central Park to walk around and begin our trip a little early. We left for Harlem/Bronx around 4:30 and arrived around 5, which led us on the search for supper. We found a small pizza place, called Obama Pizza, and ate our food outside.
Soon after that we headed to the place where we were to be helping with ESL. We arrived around 5:40 (which was a bit early seeing as Chris didn’t arrive until 6 PM and the class did not begin until 6:30). We sat on the couch and chilled until Chris arrived, and then he began briefing us on what we needed to know. People began arriving shortly after and we were split up. I worked with a lady named Fatka (I am not sure on the spelling). Her English, as far as reading went, was good, but her speaking (and understanding of what I said) was broken and a tad difficult to decipher. But we managed and laughed quite a bit (and if she did not understand at all, she asked Chris who either spoke to her in Bumbra or French).
Fatka and all of the other students left around 8 PM to go to a Muslim prayer time, and our group set out for Manhattan shortly after. That part of NYC was a bit scarier at night, but we made it back just fine, and in time for Jared and I to go to Starbucks again with James Leezer. James was heading for the airport so he could begin his cross-country adventure to attend a friend’s wedding in Spokane, Washington.
Working with the ESL class was amazing. Seeing the dedication of all of the students (25 years old and older) and knowing that many of them had only been in the States for a very short amount of time was such an encouragement. In broken English, Fatka told me that learning our language was very difficult, but I could tell that she was (and is!) determined to learn! She asked if I was coming back next week, and I told her that I would. Our group is going back and I am excited to help Fatka achieve her goal, even if it is only a little bit.
Once finished with our food, Jared and I headed toward Fairway, a market that offers anything from packaged Twinkies to organic food. The market was very busy and we only purchased peanut butter (all natural), strawberry jelly, and 2 packages of rice crackers. We then went down to another grocery store called Trader Joes and purchased bread and orange juice.
Shortly after we arrived back at the MNYBA building, we had a meeting with John to decide our evening ministry assignments. Six of us (Matt Lange, Lacey Colborn, Kyle Morrison, Erin Jeffries, Jared, and I) were to go to Harlem/Bronx to help Chris Clayman with English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for West African Muslims from Mali. The other five (Katy Aleshire, Dani Bothe, Brett Jones, James Leezer, and Seth Smith) traveled to Graffiti (a very well known NY church in the Lower East Side of Manhattan) to work with their homeless ministry. However, we later learned that they did not work with the homeless, but instead cleaned out the home of a man who had bedbugs.
The group I was in left our housing around 3:30 and headed to Central Park to walk around and begin our trip a little early. We left for Harlem/Bronx around 4:30 and arrived around 5, which led us on the search for supper. We found a small pizza place, called Obama Pizza, and ate our food outside.
Soon after that we headed to the place where we were to be helping with ESL. We arrived around 5:40 (which was a bit early seeing as Chris didn’t arrive until 6 PM and the class did not begin until 6:30). We sat on the couch and chilled until Chris arrived, and then he began briefing us on what we needed to know. People began arriving shortly after and we were split up. I worked with a lady named Fatka (I am not sure on the spelling). Her English, as far as reading went, was good, but her speaking (and understanding of what I said) was broken and a tad difficult to decipher. But we managed and laughed quite a bit (and if she did not understand at all, she asked Chris who either spoke to her in Bumbra or French).
Fatka and all of the other students left around 8 PM to go to a Muslim prayer time, and our group set out for Manhattan shortly after. That part of NYC was a bit scarier at night, but we made it back just fine, and in time for Jared and I to go to Starbucks again with James Leezer. James was heading for the airport so he could begin his cross-country adventure to attend a friend’s wedding in Spokane, Washington.
Working with the ESL class was amazing. Seeing the dedication of all of the students (25 years old and older) and knowing that many of them had only been in the States for a very short amount of time was such an encouragement. In broken English, Fatka told me that learning our language was very difficult, but I could tell that she was (and is!) determined to learn! She asked if I was coming back next week, and I told her that I would. Our group is going back and I am excited to help Fatka achieve her goal, even if it is only a little bit.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
May 10, 2011
Our Tuesday morning began around 10 AM with a short meeting with John and Anna about the work we would be doing at the MNYBA building. We split ourselves into two groups, with four or five people painting the penthouse apartment on the 6th floor (where John and Anna are to move soon from the 4th floor) and the others moving office rooms and like items from the 6th to the 3rd floor and house items into storage from the 4th floor, and readying rooms on the 6th floor for visitors.
I was in the moving and organizing group, and our first task at hand was to box up two different offices sets, both in a room roughly the size of a small cell (maybe an 8x12ft room). No matter the dimensions, the room was tiny, let alone to hold the offices of two people. We boxed up some things, used carts to carry others, and hauled it all to the 3rd floor with the assistance of Anna on the elevator. The elevator old (and awesome!) and is manually operated and requires a key (and someone who knows how to use it). With that being the case, we always tried to pack as much as we could into one load.
We then began working on the storage closet, taking some of the items to the 4th floor and others in the visitor rooms on the 6th floor (including desks, chairs, dressers, etc). We removed all of the laundry (linens, towels, pillows, etc.) for guests from one room and put it in the storage closet until we could fold it at a later date.
That evening, the MNYBA was hosting a Get Connected gathering for the Metropolitan New York churches and pastors that included a supper of deli style sandwiches, a tour of the building, training with the evangelism tool known as Soularium, and an informative session about what the MNYBA can offer the churches (such as student missionaries like us!). At the end of the meeting, John invited everyone who wished to pray, to do so, and in their native tongue. Several attendees did so, and approximately 10 languages were heard, including Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, Haitian Creole, English and more! It was amazing to listen to their prayers, knowing that the God we serve hears ALL!
After the end of the meeting, Jared, Katy, James Leezer, and I headed out for coffee at Starbucks. The trip consisted of many funny and random events, lots of laughter, and great memories made. We even saw Trinity Church that was used in the movie National Treasure!
We wrapped up our night and headed back to our home for the month, ready to rest and prepare ourselves for another day’s work.
I was in the moving and organizing group, and our first task at hand was to box up two different offices sets, both in a room roughly the size of a small cell (maybe an 8x12ft room). No matter the dimensions, the room was tiny, let alone to hold the offices of two people. We boxed up some things, used carts to carry others, and hauled it all to the 3rd floor with the assistance of Anna on the elevator. The elevator old (and awesome!) and is manually operated and requires a key (and someone who knows how to use it). With that being the case, we always tried to pack as much as we could into one load.
We then began working on the storage closet, taking some of the items to the 4th floor and others in the visitor rooms on the 6th floor (including desks, chairs, dressers, etc). We removed all of the laundry (linens, towels, pillows, etc.) for guests from one room and put it in the storage closet until we could fold it at a later date.
That evening, the MNYBA was hosting a Get Connected gathering for the Metropolitan New York churches and pastors that included a supper of deli style sandwiches, a tour of the building, training with the evangelism tool known as Soularium, and an informative session about what the MNYBA can offer the churches (such as student missionaries like us!). At the end of the meeting, John invited everyone who wished to pray, to do so, and in their native tongue. Several attendees did so, and approximately 10 languages were heard, including Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, Haitian Creole, English and more! It was amazing to listen to their prayers, knowing that the God we serve hears ALL!
After the end of the meeting, Jared, Katy, James Leezer, and I headed out for coffee at Starbucks. The trip consisted of many funny and random events, lots of laughter, and great memories made. We even saw Trinity Church that was used in the movie National Treasure!
We wrapped up our night and headed back to our home for the month, ready to rest and prepare ourselves for another day’s work.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
New York City: Monday May 9, 2011
For many of us, our journey to New York actually began Sunday night. Six members from our group (Lacey Colborn, Matt Lange, James Leezer, Erin Jeffries, Jared Doyle, and I) stayed in St. Louis at the home of Kyle Morrison, another member of our group. We arose Monday morning and headed out the door at 4:30 AM, just a few short hours after going to bed, and arrived at Lambert Airport around 5 AM.
Our group of 11 was divided between two different flights, one leaving at 7 AM and the other at 8 AM. My flight was a little late in taking off, so we actually arrived at NY-LaGuardia Airport around 10:30 AM (Easter Time) with the other group arriving shortly after. We met up with Richard Medina and his uncle, Carl, who set us on our way. Richard is a native New Yorker that now lives in Hannibal and works for Hannibal-LaGrange University.
Richard and Carl drove three people from our group to the Metropolitan New York Baptist Association (MNYBA) building on 72nd and Broadway while the rest of us traveled in a 12 passenger van and experienced our first time in the CRAZY New York transportation. I think we almost died several times. It was truly frightening.
After unloading on 72nd Street, we were quickly met by John and Anna Ramirez, our hosts at the MNYBA. They led us up to the 5th floor where we are staying, and shortly after, we went to eat lunch at a nice little place called West Side run by East Indian men. It was cheap and delicious!
The three (Kyle, Erin, and Lacey) who rode with Richard and Carl arrived around 2:30 PM and we quickly began our orientation with John and Anna. After an hour or so of that, we traveled to the Subway station down the street and bought our month long Metro Passes that would allow us unlimited access to practically the entire city!
Shortly after our Metro Pass excursion, John and Anna took us to a small bakery that specialized in making gigantic cookies originally made to give marathon runners an extra boost of energy. Jared and I bought and ate a walnut/chocolate chip cookie and have every intention of making our way back to that bakery to try their other cookies!
We were then taken to Ray’s Pizza for a bit of supper and then headed to the Subway to make our way to the all famous Times Square! The constant flurry of activity, of people passing and cars zooming past, the bright lights and advertisements were all enough to put a person (me!! haha) into sensory overload. It was amazing to see it and I know we will be back to experience more of what Times Square has to offer.
The long day really began to take its toll as the night quickly progressed. By the time 9:30 rolled around, Katy Aleshire, Dani Bothe, Jared and I were back at our housing and ready to call it quits. The day was long and our next day was to be busy as well.
Bright lights. Crazy drivers. And many, many people. Seems like any big city. But it isn’t. This is New York City. The Big Apple. A placed loved by God, and therefore, loved by me.
Our group of 11 was divided between two different flights, one leaving at 7 AM and the other at 8 AM. My flight was a little late in taking off, so we actually arrived at NY-LaGuardia Airport around 10:30 AM (Easter Time) with the other group arriving shortly after. We met up with Richard Medina and his uncle, Carl, who set us on our way. Richard is a native New Yorker that now lives in Hannibal and works for Hannibal-LaGrange University.
Richard and Carl drove three people from our group to the Metropolitan New York Baptist Association (MNYBA) building on 72nd and Broadway while the rest of us traveled in a 12 passenger van and experienced our first time in the CRAZY New York transportation. I think we almost died several times. It was truly frightening.
After unloading on 72nd Street, we were quickly met by John and Anna Ramirez, our hosts at the MNYBA. They led us up to the 5th floor where we are staying, and shortly after, we went to eat lunch at a nice little place called West Side run by East Indian men. It was cheap and delicious!
The three (Kyle, Erin, and Lacey) who rode with Richard and Carl arrived around 2:30 PM and we quickly began our orientation with John and Anna. After an hour or so of that, we traveled to the Subway station down the street and bought our month long Metro Passes that would allow us unlimited access to practically the entire city!
Shortly after our Metro Pass excursion, John and Anna took us to a small bakery that specialized in making gigantic cookies originally made to give marathon runners an extra boost of energy. Jared and I bought and ate a walnut/chocolate chip cookie and have every intention of making our way back to that bakery to try their other cookies!
We were then taken to Ray’s Pizza for a bit of supper and then headed to the Subway to make our way to the all famous Times Square! The constant flurry of activity, of people passing and cars zooming past, the bright lights and advertisements were all enough to put a person (me!! haha) into sensory overload. It was amazing to see it and I know we will be back to experience more of what Times Square has to offer.
The long day really began to take its toll as the night quickly progressed. By the time 9:30 rolled around, Katy Aleshire, Dani Bothe, Jared and I were back at our housing and ready to call it quits. The day was long and our next day was to be busy as well.
Bright lights. Crazy drivers. And many, many people. Seems like any big city. But it isn’t. This is New York City. The Big Apple. A placed loved by God, and therefore, loved by me.
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