This is going to sound crazy but this is might be the 6th time I've written this blog.
Seriously.
I keep writing it and each time for some reason it gets deleted before it makes it live. I've even completed it a couple of times- pictures and everything. So I'm beginning to think that maybe Jesus is wanting me to set aside all the blog "rules" I've learned and the appropriate subject matter just to update you on what is real. So currently, this is real.
I'm sitting in that blue chair in the top floor of an old industrial building in Staten Island New York. Why? Because this is where the Lord told me to go. I am here, well technically I am living two floors below in a warehouse space for the summer leading disaster relief teams for Adventures in Missions. I come up to this spot for a few reasons: the girl's bathroom is up here, it's warmer because it isn't underground, and it has windows (starving for clean air).
New York has been hard. I've been here for almost two weeks now and have already hosted my first team. This is one of the sites that I have been planning for the past several months except this site I did not get to come visit first (abnormal). Everything has been planned through email and phone calls. I came up with two others who were going to co-lead this first trip with me and together we set eyes on our housing and ministry for the first time two days before our participants arrived. All I knew coming in was to expect two lodging sites that each hold ~40 folks. No idea what the sleeping space would look like (other than having cots provided), what if any kitchen we might have access to, or what our team meeting space would be.
So we arrive to the warehouse above (we are in the basement of this building) unable to access our secondary lodging at this point which was fine because we had plenty of work to do to make the warehouse space work. Friday morning I sat outside on the street with my coffee and Jesus and was simply telling the Lord I had no idea how we were going to get this place livable in the amount of time we had. I prayed specifically for strength, peace, and that our efforts would be multiplied. About 20 minutes later my ministry partner and I were walking around the warehouse and he mentioned that a mission team was in the area and available. He asked if I could use them for a few hours. My response… YES!!
I got to facilitate my first group of the summer, which was all women and two or three children. With that many bodies we were able to rearrange, organize and clean the warehouse. We hung tarps to make gender specific "rooms" and built shelving for food and created a makeshift kitchen. It was incredible to see the Lord provide just what we needed in the perfect time.
OFFICIAL TEAM ONE
I really don't think any other groups of the summer will compare to this first team. They were honestly amazing. I've found that I prefer leading adults rather than youth, which I think is due to that fact they are easier to approach with the real heart issues that are exposed. Many of them (including myself) have gotten so bound by fear and control as they've aged and I love challenging that in them. Watching the tension in them as they seek to lay down their plans and agendas to step into the Lord's plan. It's hard. Some serious heart shepherding is needed and I know that the Lord is eager to draw them out into more and more freedom in Him. This team was the epitome of that.
On day one I was up in my upstairs window space with coffee and Jesus and was spending some time asking Him what he wanted to say to us or have us do corporately that morning (normally we start the day with a devotional etc). He kept saying the word "surrender." This invitation to lay down our expectations and plans and submit ourselves to Him and what he might have. So I said ok Lord. We did just that. About twenty minutes later just before leaving for the work sites our lodging area flooded. Since we are in the basement the main drain lines leading to the sewer run right underneath us and have a couple of floor drains right into them. Because of a downpour outside, our lines filled up and out of those grates the water came. Fortunately we were all still there and everyone jumped into action quickly. One advantage about sleeping in a warehouse (esp one that is housing hurricane relief supplies!) is the abundance of "things" you have around you. A quick walk around the corner and we had push brooms, wet-dry vacs, industrial dryers.. you name it. We got the situation handled with joyful hearts that the Lord had literally just prepared and off we went to the work day.
At this lodging I had three teams from different parts of the country. For the first day we had the bulk of them on a new worksite that needed a lot of interior and exterior work. The home was maybe a block or two form the beach and had water from Sandy up into the second story. At this point it had been completely gutting and was a shell ready for us to re-frame and hang drywall. We ended up working on this site for the bulk of the week, which was a HUGE blessing to the homeowner who was in tears literally every time she stopped by. She told one of my guys that this was the first time she had had hope since the storm hit. She, her daughter, and grand-daughter who live in the home have been displaced for eight months now. Her name is Jerry. Please pray that the Lord makes the connection of the work done displaying His great love for her and the hope that she feels.
The other site that we worked on for the week was a Jewish Synagogue over in Brighton Beach. The government won't get involved with helping places of worship and many of the insurance companies are finding any loophole they can to get out of their obligations so many places of worship who already live on tight budgets have been left to fend for themselves. Our ministry partner Pastor Danny with 3rd Day Missions/ Staten Island Relief Efforts really has a heart to see these places of worship rebuilt. And the cool thing is that he isn't just passionate about seeing Christian churches rebuilt. At first I didn't really get the vision of helping other faiths. It felt counter-productive as if we were helping them spread their message, which is contrary to ours. But the more that I've sat in that thought and the more that I've seen that community- which is largely composed of Russian Jewish immigrants, the more I've seen the truth that "they will know we are Christians by our love." At this point people in that community including the Rabbis are beginning to stop and ask, "Why are you Christians helping these Jews?" The temperature of that community and changing and I believe that God is opening some cool doors for Jesus to shine brightly!!
This is maybe the longest blog known to man and I'm sure that several of you didn't make it this far. I would apologize except I feel like if this gets posted successfully it will have been from the Lord:) Please continue in pray for me as I am serving up here all summer. I have new teams of leaders flying in every week and new groups coming in every Sunday. My desire is that the way I shepherd these teams would be a mere reflection of how the Father shepherds us all. Ultimately He is one who has to work in their lives and in mine. His plan is perfect and I am grateful to be walking out in these good works which He prepared in advance for me to do. Pray these things: sweet intimacy with the Father that would overflow into all; rest; peace; wisdom to lead the flock well; and for health (having some trouble breathing due to living in basement/warehouse!).
(pray for more de-humidifiers!)
Love. Peace. Joy.
