Wonder Voyage 2010 Summer Blog

Emma’s Thoughts

Today was bittersweet as we enjoyed our final day in the amazing city of New York! It began with a nothing other than some Dunkin’ Donuts. Then, we set out to Ground Zero. It was pretty rough to see the site where the tallest buildings in the world used to stand, and were tragically brought to the ground, and to think that so many heroic firemen and police officers that risked and lost their lives trying to save others in the buildings. Today, it looks like just a big construction site as they are building the memorial at the site. After walking around the site, we went to St. Paul’s church which sits right across the street from where the twin towers stood.  There was a lot of memorabilia from the tragedy, like American flags, patches from all of the police and fire stations that helped out, cards written to people’s loved ones, and my personal favorite, crosses formed from what was left of the buildings. At the church, we looked into some verses about sacrificing for God and acknowledged all of the sacrifices that so many brave Americans made on 9-11.

After, we made our way to Central Park. It was beautiful and so peaceful compared to the crazy streets and stores of the city. We enjoyed a delicious NYC hot dog, and at lunch in front of the Bethesda Fountain. Then, we rode the Carousel in the middle of the park which was crazy fun! Then, we split up into two groups: a shopping group and an exploring group, to conquer the final sights of the city. I went on the exploring group. We explored the Museum of Natural History, then the Rockefeller Center, and lastly Grand Central Station. Finally, we met at Stardust Diner to eat some delicious dinner and hear a wide variety of singing sung by soon-to-be Broadway stars! We conquered so much in our last day, and it was hard to say goodbye to this amazing city, but it was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to share it with our Memphis and New Orleans friends!

We have had a fantastic week in NYC.  Here are a collection of thoughts from the NYC pilgrims

Jacobi’s Thoughts

After our breakfast the group started our morning devotional, in which today’s topic was the “fruit of the spirit.” Then it was off to the dirty work. We actually finished all of our work projects today, YAYYYYYY.! The team prepared 750 bags of groceries to feed numerous homeless families, while others were down
stairs cleaning out the basement in full haz‐mat gear! We know what they say, “when you work hard, you play even harder!” So it’s fair to say today was filled with a lot of fun times.

Ariel’s Thoughts

I’m going to fill in some other IMPORTANT and really fun parts of today. After the team bagged750 bags of groceries  we all headed off across the street to a Pizza Shop where we ate lunch! The pizza tasted so good after those long, intense hours of work. As we were eating, everyone unexpectedly surprised me with a birthday cake, and singing “Happy Birthday.” I totally didn’t see it coming! So of course that was a really important. Then, we came back and watched this documentary on 9/11 because we’re going to Ground Zero sometime this week. It was a really heart‐felt, documentary because it was live footage, and the only footage from inside the building! (crazy, I know!)

After the girls cooked everyone dinner, which, let me tell you….was so good…well besides the pasta! But I’m glad we stayed here today, because everyone was just dead. After dinner, the leaders wanted to take us out, in appreciation for serving dinner the past couple nights. They of course, didn’t tell us where we were going, as always, but we ended up and the Staten Island Ferry! We all hopped on a ferry at like 10 o’clock so you could see all the lights of Manhattan, and the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, and more! It was so pretty and peaceful. When you looked back at the city, you could see a huge gap, from where the Twin Towers had been. It was so crazy to look and see, what I had just watched earlier, happened to this city, right there. It was a complete breath‐taking experience for sure!

We have had a fantastic week in NYC.  Here are a collection of thoughts from the NYC pilgrims.

Fourth day in New York. Basically more awesomer than the first three days.

Zach: Woke up at about 8 in the A.M. to a wonderfully delicious breakfast of cheerios and some OJ. After we hit that junk up, we got started on our morning session. In our session this morning, we struggled to stay awake while discussing Galatians 5:17 (It was really exciting btw… I just happened to be super tired). At the session, Shawn did a great job of teaching and challenged us to find out what was keeping us from waking up and taking action.

Grace: After wards, for the next couple of hours we finished up painting the floors in the main sanctuary and continue cleaning the basement. The floors in the sanctuary look really spectacular. We were all really proud of ourselves for working hard and getting the job done. After we painted, those of us who weren’t cleaning the basement started cleaning the session room. I mopped and everyone helped clean the grease off of the walls and doors. After a hard day’s work, we all grabbed a sandwich or two and got a much needed nap before we started off for adventures in the city.

Zach: Since it had been raining most of the day, we had to change the plans a little, but headed down to 5^th Ave. at around 4. We had a lovely ride in the subway, and we finally made it to the other side where monstrous buildings towered around us. There were many famous building and a giant hello kitty statue that we got pictures with. Over all it was an incredible part of the day.

Grace: Shawn took us to a church in the city called St. Thomas’ Church. It was a gothic style church that is modeled after Notre Dame. We went inside and were awestruck by the peace and presence of God there. Everyone agreed that it was an amazing part of our day, and I think that everyone was affected by going there in some way.

Zach: Times Square! Definitely one of the most incredible places ever, possibly rivaling Disney World in magicness. There were building with massive TVs and incredibly large posters. We split up and went to go eat at the Hard Rock, and after were surprised to find some friends from IBC. After catching up, we spent a little time exploring the vast wonders under blinding lights. Well, that was pretty much our day.  Keep watching for more updates from New York!

We have had a fantastic week in NYC.  Here are a collection of thoughts from the NYC pilgrims.

Zeb and Sydney’s Thoughts

We woke up this morning and after a brief breakfast we had a devotional. We read Matthew 19, the story about the man who asked Jesus what else he needed to do. It was a good activity and we all saw how we can better our spiritual lives at all times. Then we started the dirty work. We had two main projects: cleaning and repainting the sanctuary and clearing out junk from a spare room in the basement. I (Zeb), worked with the upstairs crew in the sanctuary. You’d think it would be pretty easy just to paint the massive wood floor, but it actually took a lot of work. After moving stuff, taping the walls, cleaning, dusting, and painting, we finally have one fourth of the sanctuary done!! Of course, we all had a blast working on it, especially with all the random bouts of piano playing, laughter, and a spontaneous “STOMP” routine.  Down in the pits in hell, I (Sydney) worked on clearing out a spare room they plan to store food in. It was nasstttttyyyyy. The room was packed with trash and other supplies from previous renovations. Next to the room is an unlit abyss that consists of a hallway (which we are currently filling with trash) and a room filled with a mixture of water and grease that has come from a leak in the ceiling. It looked like a scene from a horror movie. We found multiple creatures in the rubbish, including about one thousand mosquitos swarming in the room. So far we have moved out tons of trash and separated the useful tools. Tomorrow we will finish cleaning and hopefully they will let me mop!

After lunch and some showers for the downstairs kids, we rode the subway to Brooklyn and visited the Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims. The church historian, a little old lady named Lois, told us the church’s inspiring history, which tied in perfectly with our theme, Freedom. Lois explained how the church is famous for its work with the Underground Railroad during the 1800s. The preacher at this time, Henry Ward Beecher, was radical and was incredibly influential in the freeing of slaves. We heard stories of the success of the church that deeply touched our hearts! Next we walked over the East River on the Brooklyn Bridge. On it, we were able to see a breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline, as well as numerous historic sites such as the Statue of Liberty. It was a long walk (two miles!) but we enjoyed every minute. At the end of the bridge, we entered New York’s government district where we encountered the Supreme Court building, City Hall, and numerous skyscrapers. Leaving the formal area, our environment practically reversed as we saw sketchy stores and people. As we approached Chinatown, the girls were ecstatic (Cheap purses and sunglasses. YEAH!)! The boys on the other hand, not so much (oh look another gift shop…I’m hungry). Once we were dismissed, the girls bolted for the stores. After a 45 minute shopping spree, we all joined back up for our journey back to Father’s Heart Ministries. We were all pooped when we got home, but the boys still had to make dinner for everyone! It was an… interesting experience.

What do you think would happen if you gave six crazy teenage boys 70 dollars and told them to prepare a three-course meal for a group of 20 in two hours? Yeah, it worked out exactly as you would expect: chaos. Five cans of chili, four bags of Fritos, three grocery store trips, two “oh-dang-we-just-ruined-the-food!” moments, and one gallon of ice cream later, we completed our meal. Success! Today, God really opened our eyes to even more of this amazing city. We can’t wait for what tomorrow brings!!!

We have had a fantastic week in NYC.  Here are a collection of thoughts from the NYC pilgrims.

Wren’s Thoughts

I am one of the 12 high school students that were hand-selected to be a part of this journey to NYC. I remember thinking to myself back in February, “Lord, somehow someway take me to NY.” A week later I received a phone call from my youth minister and he told me that we were going to the Big Apple.  One thing that I realized about NYC is that it is a lot busier than anything I have ever seen. As we drove into the city we almost hit 4 people walking on crosswalks, our driver literally pulled next to a stopped car in the middle of the road (scariest thing ever), and apparently no one uses lanes in the city. As we look out of our windows we see people selling everything you can imagine on the side of the street. And of course, all of us had our cameras out and were acting like tourists. We reached where we are staying, unloaded quickly because we were parked in the middle of the street and we came inside and immediately ate some of the best lasagna ever. Sorry mom. We then all talked for a bit, set up our rooms, and had some ice cream from the shop next door.  We are staying at a place called “The Father’s Heart “, which is a church that has been through so much I can’t write it all. The guys are on one floor and the girls the next ( no worries parents ).  When I prayed tonight, I prayed for us to not get lost in the location. That we would not be consumed that we are in the coolest city on earth, and that we would go out and do God’s work effectively, and shine a positive light on Dallas, Texas. My request is that you would pray the same. It’s going to be a long week, so trust us. We need the prayers.  Everyday a student will be blogging about what happened.

Emma and Pierce’s Thoughts

Today we got our first real look at city life in New York.  After an intense discussion on “New York safety”, we walked down the street to Tompkins Square Park where the flea market was being held. We interacted with true New Yorkers for the first time, and what an interesting experience it was. Some of us got to try some homemade, freshly-baked cupcakes that were quite yummy! The people here seem more openly expressive than back home, especially in their attire.  Around 11ish, we went back to the church to participate in the Sunday morning service and we can definitely say for all of us that it was like nothing we’ve ever experienced before. Although the congregation was very small compared to IBC (there were 35 people in the sanctuary, including our group), the Holy Spirit was definitely present and strong in our gathering. I (Emma) had such a joyful and happy experience throughout the service. I couldn’t stop smiling throughout it all, and it was a different kind of happy, a Godly happy! Each person who attended the service wanted to make the most of every minute they had in church, and it made me realize how much I take for granted. Praise and worship is so important to the people as well, and I learned a lot from their humble spirits. During the service something amazing stuck out to me (Pierce). During a brief pause in the service whilst transitioning back into the worship, Pastor Chuck started speaking a word from God, only it wasn’t him speaking.  It was God speaking directly through him, and as soon as it happened, this presence, unlike anything I’ve ever felt, filled the room, and chills went down my spine. It literally felt as if I was on fire, and I was filled with the fear of God. But it wasn’t fear in the bad sense, it’s more of an extreme feeling of respect and awe of God, and was the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt in my life.

After church, Pastor Chuck took us a block away to the ministry offices and he and his wife told us their testimonies and all of the amazing things they have done for God and His kingdom in their lifetime. Together, they have done so much for the community here in the city, and more importantly in the name of Christ our Savior. They have opened their hearts to the Lord and truly aspired listen and act upon what God wants for them, even if it sounds crazy to the world and to themselves. They challenged us to keep up the spirit of reaching out to those in need with the love of Christ that we will learn more about this week in our service work when we return home, and trust in God enough to find what he wants for us and how he wants to use us to help others.

We set out again on the streets on our way to the Bastille Street Festival towards Midtown.  We took the subway for the first time,  met the REAL ELMO, and consumed some tasty crapes. Then, we took the Subway to the heart of the Village and experienced the more artsy side of the city. We got to try some pretty large slices of true New York pizza, or pie they call them here! We ended our fantastic day with a live showing of STOMP, where talented people made music with items that we would see as garbage. It was such a fun experience, and we had a great intro to this amazing city! Overall, we’re having a great time in the Big Apple!