Bryant Park Skating

Last time in the city I went for a stroll down the High Line before meeting a friend for lunch.  I then walked past Bryant Park and decided to photograph the going on's at the rink. Here are the photos.

A cool mural

Lots of tourist checking out the High Line

One violent advertisement 

The skating rink at Bryant Park

Some of the skaters were religious

Others wore the same pants

Others had a hard time skating on both feet

Others had some help skating on both feet

Others enjoyed carrying their kid around the rink

Others thought there were better things to be doing

Others were dragged by their dad

Others gladly offered help to beginners

Others enjoyed their time whether they were good or not

Others showed some PDA

One last shot of the park

Bonding Time

I wanted to share with you all just a few pictures of my super cute nieces.  They are adorable and over Christmas Break we bonded over tennis balls, watching tv, frisbees, walks, and treats.  Enjoy these few!

 

Meet Belle, she's only one dog, but cute enough to exist three times in one picture. 

 

Meet Gracie, she's got quite a mane, but don't worry, she's a sweet southern girl.

Sisters, who are very hard to get to sit still for a picture.

Meet Salem, he's a little crazy.

Thanksgiving In The City

The giant snowflakes of The Shops at Columbus Circle

Santa bringing in the Christmas Season at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

A taxi cab going by in Astor Place

Fun little nooks in the city at NYU

The train whizzing by as it pulls up to the station 

I think the guy on the left saw my camera and didn't want his picture taken.  

Glimpse of the Manhattan Bridge from the streets below

Taken from the park underneath the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges

A new look skyline as World Trade Center 1 aka. The Freedom Tower, stands tall above all the rest.

Not much room to catch any rays on this beach

The Manhattan Bridge on the edge of the sunset

New York City at Sunset

The Skyline

Lady Liberty all lit up

The remains of a pier with Brooklyn peering up behind

A New Season Is Here

 Discpleship Training School

     DTS is under way again and its very evident by my lack of free time.  It's been a great three weeks as the students have been learning from the speakers and as God moves in their hearts.  I have enjoyed getting to know the guys who have come.  They have come with many questions and the willingness to learn what God would have to show them in this time.  It's so easy to see why God has brought them here at this time.  DTS consists of a time of prayer and worship in the morning for an hour continued by 3 hours of lecture.  After that they have work duties, outreach meetings and cultural studies depending on what track they have joined (Compassion/Adventure).  Each student has a one on one that they meet with the talk about the week and small groups once a week.

Prayer Station 

     We had a great but difficult time this past Sunday as we did our prayer station ministry in Brooklyn.  There were thousands and thousands of people walking the mile and half of the block party. We set up 4 prayers stations about 5 blocks apart with 5-6 people at each one praying for everyone that was willing.  We simply would ask people if there is anything they needed prayer for.  The vision of the ministry is to bless the people and to develop a short relationship with the person that could lead to getting them hooked up with a church and/or sharing the gospel with them.  We partnered with a local church in the area and did our thing for a few hours.
      I spoke with staff who had done this before in other places and they all agreed that this was a particular tough time of prayer station ministry.  Because of the circumstances many people just wanted to walk up and down the street without being bothered.  We did our best to love on the people and to pray for anyone willing, but most of us found that not many were willing.  For example, I asked someone if he would like prayer for anything and he responded with, "yeah, that you would walk away".  Others didn't respond to me at all, some laughed, some had other rude remarks.  But praise God for those who received prayer and who wanted to be connected with the local church.  I was able to pray for a few men myself.  Some who looked so grateful for the chance to share their needs to be prayed for.

Ministry

      This last Saturday we brought some students out to an area with many immigrants.  We went to a local grocery store full of products from Thailand, India, and the Middle East.  We enjoyed finding some interesting ethnic foods as we tried to reach out to the immigrants browsing the aisles.  We struck up conversations with many different people and offered some Jesus Films to them.  Some didn't want it but some gladly took it for themselves and friends!  My friend Jordan met a guy from Nepal, a place Jordan has been a couple of times.  Jordan found out that this man had been working 12 hour days 6 days a week so that he could afford to bring his wife with him to the States.  He had been away from her longer than they had been married.  He missed her a ton and was very homesick.  He asked Jordan to come back and visit with him at the store since he was there so often. 

How You Can Be Involved?

The next 4-5 months are going to be a little crazy over here.  There is a lot going on here and I need your help for some of that.  This is what is coming up:

1. Northeast Staff Conference in Pennsylvania
2. Finish the Task Conference in Florida
3. City Roundtable Gathering in Tennesee 
4. 1 Month TESOL training.  (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages)
5. Outreach to North Africa
6. "GO UP" Missions Trip to Nepal

     As you can see there's a lot going and and each of these 6 things costs money.  These are all things I am doing along with other staff and students here.  I am in need of over $2000 for all of these things.  Each will be extremely beneficial in my future ministry and in my current ministry.  The last two are missions trips to reach those who have never heard the gospel before.  We will be climbing the Atlas mountains as we go to unreached villages and in Nepal our team will also be going to unreached villages.  If you are willing and able to give you can do so by:

1. The PayPal Donate button located on this blog
2. Checks written to YWAM Metro NY with a note inside with my name (Do not put my name on the check). Send checks to YWAM Metro NY, 70 New York Ave, NY 11787.

I thank all of you who have given, prayed and supported me.  Continue to pray for:

1. Strength and energy to give all that I have to the students and to those in the community we will be ministering too.  
2. People's hearts to be open to the message of the gospel
3. The man at the grocery store who is lonely and homesick.  Pray that he would watch the film and come to know Jesus and Lord and Savior.
4. All the staff as we serve this base and school.
5. The students as God is shaping and molding them like never before through lectures and one on one discipleship.

We had a great time together as we got to know one another through games, a BBQ and a fire.

Jesse showing how the Canadians do it back home.

Everyone enjoyed the warmth and smores made on the fire.

The Metro NY DTS 2013 both staff and students.

Prayer Stations are a ministry started here at the base and have gone all over the world. 

Here Jesse is asking this man if he'd like prayer for anything going on in his life. 

We are very grateful to the NYPD as they help protect the prayer station ministry throughout the city. 

Prayer Stations started after 9/11.  People from the Metro NY set up prayer stations near ground zero everyday for a year to offer prayer, comfort, and to lead those devastated by loss to the greatest hope and comfort of all.

Here is just one of many concessions and shops along the mile and a half of road blocked off for this event.

Our Prayer Stations were located in Bay Ridge Brooklyn at a giant street fair.
Here you can see the masses of people who were out for the event.

The smoke rises as the stand to the left cooks up a meal.

Another shot of the street fair.

These next photos were hip shots.  I left my camera at my hip and tried to
capture more natural expressions of the street fair.

Bay Ridge is extremely diverse in culture, ethnicity, and personality.

In the last 30 years Bay Ridge has become more and more Muslim as immigrants
 have made there way to this beautiful part of Brooklyn.

What's a fair without ice cream?

Cops had roadblocks set up for the mile and a half of the street fair.

Bay Ridge has got young, old, black, white, and everything in between.

Smoke break on the side walk.

Last weekend I took some students to visit the Bronx and Harlem.  We met up with a great long time friend Randall while having an amazing NYC pizza.