my amazing team!
Songs in the sanctuary of the church
We brought the kids up to help us do the moves :)
"Surf's up!"
Game Time!
Crafts
sandart was my favorite:)
~New friends~
Her name was Susanne too!
my team taking the subway back to Brooklyn
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
NYC '08: Mission Trip Photos
"A pictures says a thousand words"... so here are some photos from the Vacation Bible School in Spanish Harlem:
"Surf's up!"
Game Time!
Crafts
sandart was my favorite:)
~New friends~
Her name was Susanne too!
my team taking the subway back to Brooklyn
"Surf's up!"
Game Time!
Crafts
sandart was my favorite:)
~New friends~
Her name was Susanne too!
my team taking the subway back to Brooklyn
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
New York City '08: Mission Trip
Basically all of July consisted of planning for trips and then taking them... at the Spread Truth office we were working non-stop for our annual summer trip to New York City. This year, there were 385 people from all over the U.S. that went to participate in sports camps, prayer stations, and vacation bible schools all over the city of New York. We had about 700 inner city kids take part in our basketball and soccer camps, over 500 kids enjoy our Vacation Bible Schools, and prayed with more than 5,000 people all over the city!!!
My role for the week was camp director for a Vacation Bible School at a church in Spanish Harlem. I had 25 volunteers with me from churches in Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. My experience as a team leader in New York was very unique for 2 reasons: first, there were people of all ages (not just college students like I am used to). There were some college students, but there were also families and a few elderly people too. There were even 2 pastors on my team, which was kind of weird since I was supposed to be "in charge." The other crazy thing was that I didn't get to meet any of the people on my team until I got to NYC!
We had our Vacation Bible School at the Primera Iglesia Bautista (First Baptist Church) in Spanish Harlem, a predominately Hispanic neighborhood. I loved being able to speak Spanish with the kids and their families there, and helping translate for my team members. Our theme for the week was "Surf's Up!" so we decorated the church with paper fish, palm trees, etc. We sang songs, did beach-related crafts, water games, and shared Bible stories related to the sea (for example, Jesus walks on water, Moses parts the Red Sea, etc). We had 20 kids on Monday, and grew each day until we had about 60 kids on the last day. It was great to see the kids getting excited about our program and bringing their friends, and also remembering our stories and songs throughout the week. I know God's hand was over the whole week, and I feel blessed to be able to be a part of that ministry in Spanish Harlem.
To be honest, here were a few moments during the when I felt like it was just complete chaos, hahaha, but seriously.... but my team worked really well together and definitely picked up my slack when I was overwhelmed. We also had many helpers from the church come and serve along side us during the week. I really enjoyed working with them because they dont usually have kids' programs at their church, and now I hope they have some ideas about how to run their own Vacation Bible School for their kids throughout the year. Oh, and I had some of the best Mexican food I've ever had in Spanish Harlem that week, always a plus. :)
At night, we had free time to explore the city... Monday night, I took the Staten Island Ferry with some of the people on my team. It goes right past the Statue of Liberty, so it was really beautiful as the sun was setting that evening. Afterwards, we went to a family-style Italian restaurant called Carmine's in Times Square. We got 5 giant plates of food and shared among 10 people, it was so delicious!! Tuesday I met up with a friend from the church in Spanish Harlem at this dessert place in Union Square that served all kinds of chocolate desserts. I got crepes and he got waffles, plus chocolate drinks and banana/chocolate chip bread to go for breakfast in the morning. :) So much chocolate...it was like this restaurant was designed just for me! Wednesday night, I went with some friends from my church in Bloomington to the Empire State building, up to the 86th floor observation deck, it was an amazing view of the city. Thursday night we went to the Brooklyn bridge and had ice cream and took pictures on the bridge.
Lucky for me, after the trip I got to stay in NYC for vacation... more stories from that week and pictures of my trip to come!
My role for the week was camp director for a Vacation Bible School at a church in Spanish Harlem. I had 25 volunteers with me from churches in Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. My experience as a team leader in New York was very unique for 2 reasons: first, there were people of all ages (not just college students like I am used to). There were some college students, but there were also families and a few elderly people too. There were even 2 pastors on my team, which was kind of weird since I was supposed to be "in charge." The other crazy thing was that I didn't get to meet any of the people on my team until I got to NYC!
We had our Vacation Bible School at the Primera Iglesia Bautista (First Baptist Church) in Spanish Harlem, a predominately Hispanic neighborhood. I loved being able to speak Spanish with the kids and their families there, and helping translate for my team members. Our theme for the week was "Surf's Up!" so we decorated the church with paper fish, palm trees, etc. We sang songs, did beach-related crafts, water games, and shared Bible stories related to the sea (for example, Jesus walks on water, Moses parts the Red Sea, etc). We had 20 kids on Monday, and grew each day until we had about 60 kids on the last day. It was great to see the kids getting excited about our program and bringing their friends, and also remembering our stories and songs throughout the week. I know God's hand was over the whole week, and I feel blessed to be able to be a part of that ministry in Spanish Harlem.
To be honest, here were a few moments during the when I felt like it was just complete chaos, hahaha, but seriously.... but my team worked really well together and definitely picked up my slack when I was overwhelmed. We also had many helpers from the church come and serve along side us during the week. I really enjoyed working with them because they dont usually have kids' programs at their church, and now I hope they have some ideas about how to run their own Vacation Bible School for their kids throughout the year. Oh, and I had some of the best Mexican food I've ever had in Spanish Harlem that week, always a plus. :)
At night, we had free time to explore the city... Monday night, I took the Staten Island Ferry with some of the people on my team. It goes right past the Statue of Liberty, so it was really beautiful as the sun was setting that evening. Afterwards, we went to a family-style Italian restaurant called Carmine's in Times Square. We got 5 giant plates of food and shared among 10 people, it was so delicious!! Tuesday I met up with a friend from the church in Spanish Harlem at this dessert place in Union Square that served all kinds of chocolate desserts. I got crepes and he got waffles, plus chocolate drinks and banana/chocolate chip bread to go for breakfast in the morning. :) So much chocolate...it was like this restaurant was designed just for me! Wednesday night, I went with some friends from my church in Bloomington to the Empire State building, up to the 86th floor observation deck, it was an amazing view of the city. Thursday night we went to the Brooklyn bridge and had ice cream and took pictures on the bridge.
Lucky for me, after the trip I got to stay in NYC for vacation... more stories from that week and pictures of my trip to come!
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