Spring Break Mission Trip to NYC

Thank you all so much for your prayers for our Mission Trip to New York City last week.  Eleven of us from the University of Maryland served with the Center for Student Missions (CSM.org): a bridge organization that connects students for service with church based ministries around NYC.  It was good to be exposed to the great needs of the city and to see students and myself grapple with faith and the call of the gospel to minister in both Word and Deed.

Here are a couple of reflections from students who went. I plan on adding a few more reflections as students share them with us:

Ryan (Freshman)

"The mission trip to New York reminded me of the immense need that people in our world face every single day. People need food, they need water, they need someone to care, and they need to feel loved. At the food pantry we went to, the volunteers there did all of those things. The people genuinely cared about each face that came through the door and wanted to help each person and that rubbed off on me as well. I had the opportunity to  talk to a majority of the people that came through the door and help them get food and it made me realize how blessed I am and how amazing all people are. We are all different but each difference is what makes us unique and allows us to love each other. "  

Jason (Senior)

"The trip to New York City was an amazing experience and I am glad that I decided to go. I always knew that New York was filled with many people, and therefore needed a lot of ministering to. To be able to witness these ministries in action, and, even for however briefly, join these ministries was awesome. I could really see God working in the lives of the people we came in contact with. One part that sticks out in my mind is when we helped at Beth-Hark Christian Counseling Center in Harlem. We helped in distributing food to needy families, which tended to be very hectic and overwhelming. An older Chinese lady came in and was not able to speak any English, and thus not able to communicate with the workers.  Luckily we had three members of our team that were fluent in Chinese and could translate for her!  One of our interns, Logan, was able to successfully translate for this woman, and she was able to get food to feed her family in the future. One of my goals for the week was that someone in the group would be able to make some sort of an impact on this huge city, no matter how small the impact might be. Logan translating for this woman made a tremendous impact and helped her provide for her family. It was such a blessing to see that God put us in that position, and that without us there, there was a sizable chance this woman’s family could have gone hungry. This Spring Break trip to New York was a great blessing and encouragement. "    

Our Trip in Pictures
I also plan on adding more photos to this post as those students with pictures give them to me. Enjoy:

Logan and Kristy in Central Park on our 1st day in NYC

Kristy at the MET during our sightseeing day

Enjoying some authentic NYC Pizza - it was SO good!

We stopped to take in a few minutes of the St. Patrick's Day
parade during our prayer tour of the city

Logan and Kristy in Times Square

Each night CSM took us to a different restaurant for dinner
so that we could experience the many cultures that call the city
home. Here is our group at an Indian Restaurant.

Students on the Staten Island Ferry

Unfortunately, Logan and I had to cut our time with the group short. My grandfather passed away while we were in New York, so Logan and I headed off to Michigan to be with our family for the funeral. We were still able to serve with our students and participate in the prayer tour of the city before leaving. I'm thankful that CSM did such a good job hosting us that Logan and I were free to go celebrate my grandfather's life with family. Thank you so much for all the condolences and prayers my family has received.

And thank you also for your prayers for our mission trip. We had a wonderful time, the students grew closer to each other and grew in their understanding of the gospel as they served!

Grace and Peace,