Pause!

The last two weeks since my last update have been all kinds of craziness! We finished up Summer Kids Club at New Life Fellowship and it was a smashing success. Two of the little girls in my 4 and 5 year old class gave their hearts to Jesus! So thankful! Also, many of the parents heard the gospel for the first time at the kid's concert on the last day. Last week was PILAT week. This is where the missionaries learned some linguistic skills that will help them to more quickly learn the languages of the countries they are going to after CCMI. What this meant for the interns was that we took care of the kiddos for each of the sessions, 9-12:30 and 2-4:30. These made for some long, but rewarding days. Being with the infants, sometimes it is hard to see my immediate impact on the children. But, when their moms tell us how much their minds are put at ease because they know their kids are in excellent hands gives me complete confirmation in the importance of diaper changing and nap administering.
I'm also learning a lot about myself. One thing is that I'm much stronger than I thought I was. If you had asked me a year ago about living for a month, away from family and friends, in New York City, I would have told you that there was no way I could do it. I mean NYC is a big scary place and is constantly busy all the time. Miss Sara needs her wide open spaces and quiet time. Instead, Phillipians 4:13 has taken on a very real meaning to me this month. "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." No, seriously. ALL THINGS! Craziness!
A couple of prayer requests. I'm have been recovering from a pretty nasty cold and some of the other interns and missionary families have been dealing with sickness as well. So prayer for health and general well being. Another is that with only a few short days left we'll start saying goodbye to the missionary kids we've cared for and bonded with. Please pray that they would have smooth transitions in their new homes.
Looking forward to seeing you all again soon!
Blessings,
Sara
P.S. I'm trying to upload my picture to Facebook quickly, but I've taken a lot of pictures. :)

Week 1

This past week was so busy it flew by before I knew what happened! We interns all met last Sunday and now it feels like I've known everyone for ages.
We are responsible for caring for the missionaries children every afternoon while we are here. I'm in the infant room with two other interns and we have eight little ones to watch. Some days have felt pretty overwhelming as some of them have never been left by mom and dad in a nursery setting before and all of them have had their routines completely upended. By Friday most of them had adjusted very well.
Tuesday we went to the church I am serving at this month and met the missionaries from the conference I are serving with. New Life Fellowship is a large non-denominational church in Elmhurst, NY (a part of Queens). The majority of the people that live around the church are Chinese and Hispanic. Here we are working in the toddler nursery in Sunday mornings and working with the 4 and 5 year olds at Summer Kids Club. I have also gotten to learn so much about what long term missions looks like. I even got to go out into the community around the church to do some of their cross cultural exercises with them!
I've also gotten to do fun stuff too. On the Fourth of July we spent the afternoon in Washington Square Park and then went to a picnic in Central Park with everyone attending the CCMI conference. Also this week, we took the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 Memorial for the men and women from there who lost their lives that day.
Please keep me in your prayers over the coming weeks. Specifically that I would have lots of energy this week as I help with Summer Kids Club at the church and then work with the babies at the CCMI conference in the afternoons. Also for the neighborhood children that are coming to Summer Kids Club and hearing the Word for the first time.
Here are some pictures that I took today at New Life.
More updates and pictures coming soon!

Update and Prayer Requests

Come this Sunday afternoon, I will be in New York City! I am getting more and more excited each day I get closer to being there. I cannot wait to see how God will use me as an instrument to serve the city and share His grace with the people I encounter.

Please pray for me this week and over the coming weeks! Specifically that I would have safe and smooth travel, get peaceful and restful sleep, and that I would get adjusted easily and connect well with my team there.

I hope to give you an update or two while I am there!

Blessings in Christ,
Sara

Less Than 2 Weeks To Go!

My plane tickets have been purchased and I'm getting more and more details as I get closer to my departure date!
With each day my excitement is growing. I can't wait to get to NYC and get to work!
I will be leaving in just under two weeks on July 1st at 6am. This will get me to the city about noon and give me plenty of time to get settled in my new place, meet the other interns, and adjust myself to a new environment.
I have also gotten a timeline for my first day there and an idea of where in Manhattan we will be. My fellow interns and I will have a small orientation the first night at a couple's apartment and then the next morning we will travel by subway to Queens where the conference will begin. It is looking like we will be living close to or in a neighborhood called Hamilton Heights. This is between Harlem and Washington Heights. Our apartment will be fully furnished so I don't have to worry about bringing linens and such, which will clear up a lot of room in my luggage.
God has been so good over the last couple months and I am very thankful for all of the encouragement from my friends, family, and supporters! I quit my job in May when I thought I was going to Glasgow and my position was already filled when I made the switch to NYC and found out that I would not be leaving until July. God has graciously provided opportunities for me to earn and save money during this time. One of my favorite passages is Psalm 37:25-26, "I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing." The Lord has definitely given me comfort and strength through this verse lately and I pray that through this journey I will become a blessing to the people of NYC.
Please continue to pray for me as I prepare to get my things in order over the next couple of weeks and begin my journey to New York!

I have news... Big news! This July I will be serving as a missions intern in New York City! 

As most of you know, I was initially going to be serving as an intern in Glasgow, Scotland. You might be wondering when and why this change of sites happened. When I began raising support for Scotland I had to have a lot of money in a very short amount of time. About three weeks ago, I was still not close to my goal and my deadline for having 80% of my funding was quickly approaching. I contacted my coach and asked to be moved to another internship in North America that did not require so much support. They gave me several options and this internship stood out to me. After much thought, prayer, and processing with friends and family I pursued it. I do not believe that God has shut the door on serving in the United Kingdom forever, but is rather telling me that now is not the time. I have learned however, what the process for raising support is and how better to go about it in the future.

I am very excited about my new ministry location and the different ways in which my team and I will be serving there. We will be working at Mission to the World's pre-field Cross Cultural Ministry Institute for full-time missionaries and their families. Here we will be running the childcare program and helping the kids prepare for cross cultural missions. We will also participate in a discipleship program together and work along side long term missionaries doing evangelism and community outreach in an ethnic church. This is going to be a jam packed four weeks and I believe that God is going to teach me a lot about myself, my calling, and His Kingdom through it. I still have some support to raise, about $75.

Please pray for me over the next several weeks as God prepares my heart to serve in New York.