Hello from the big apple! We still don't know why it's called that! We just finished up our second day here in NYC. After arrival on our first day we split into two teams and did a six hour long scavenger hunt all around the city. We got to try new foods like squid, durian fruit, and rambutan. One team also knows where to get the best cannolis in town. We also started lots of conversations with strangers, and convinced quite a few of them to do stuff with us. After the scavenger hunt Brian and Michelle took us out to have pizza at the location of the first alliance church. It was really good. We were all very tired by the end of the day.

Our second day began by heading over to central park where we sat together with Brian, Michelle, Jaque, and their two interns Naiomi and Cooper. We spent the morning sharing some of our testimonies. After we grabbed some lunch from the food trucks, we headed over to an African church. The service was held in French. It was really different but really cool to experience how another culture worshipped God. They really welcomed us. After having dinner back at Brian and Michelle's apartment we headed back to the hotel for the night. 

Tomorrow is our team fun day. We are looking forward to it but we are also really looking forward to Tuesday when we get the opportunity to start serving with Brian and Michelle in their ministry. Our team is getting closer everyday. The city is stretching us but we are finding a lot of cool moments too, like being able to use the subway to have conversations with the people around us. Thanks for all your prayers. We will try to write another update tomorrow!

Love,

Your NYC team

BONJOUR, PENNSYLVANIA FOLK!!!!!!! 

Today is our third day in New York! We started with a devotional over breakfast on the hotel patio. We learned about Sabbath and rest since today was our team day or Sabbath. Then, we took the subway and ferry over to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island where we explored some museums. After that, we waited in a loooong line for the ferry back to Battery Park. Our team enjoyed a laughter-filled dinner in Chinatown. Almost everyone tried new foods, and some people learned how to use chopsticks and say thank you in Mandarin too! Then, we walked a few streets over to Little Italy to Ferrara's, the best spot for gelato and other amazing Italian desserts. The sugar rush got us back to the hotel in time to debrief and affirm each other through a bead ceremony.

Today was also a big day of learning, even though we weren't doing direct service. First of all, trying new things is good! Some of the food at dinner looked different than we were used to, but it was good! Also, we learned about the immigration process through Ellis Island and through modern methods too. With so many different cultures coming together in New York, learning about immigration was really impactful because it gave us new eyes to understand and empathy to love people we haven't even met. In reflecting on this, we came to the conclusion that there are a lot of flaws in the immigration system that we can't do much about, but we can help to make sure the immigrants and refugees in our communities feel welcomed and loved by us. 

Lastly, we also learned the importance of rest. By taking a slower day, we are able to be rested and have a good heart posture going into our first official day of service tomorrow! We have been able to have so many cool conversations with strangers on the subway because that is where we are forced to slow down, so we are trying to remember to stay present and intentional in all environments. Now that we have spent some time getting adjusted to the city and learning about the communities here, we are excited to start officially serving tomorrow but would appreciate prayer for making strong connections with new people we are meeting and an increased willingness to go outside of our comfort zones to talk to new people in the first place. Until next time! 

Peace out, friends and family of the best DSM NYC team ever!!!!

Yellow Daybreakers,

Today, we went to Brian and Michelle's to hear their testimonies and meet the three refuges, Hamedou, Harona, and Calidom. We had lunch with them and heard some of why they came to NYC. We then went to day two of the ESL class for the men. We got there early and were there for two hours. After the two hours of ESL class, the team along with Brian, Cooper, and Naiomi went to get food at Shake Shack. Tomorrow we are going back to Brian and Michelle's for the last time then we are all going to go to a mosque. We can't wait for tomorrow, not only for the activities we are doing tomorrow, we are also happy to see families again after not seeing them for a week.

Much love, 

Your DSM NYC Team.