I was able to go home last weekend for my dear friends', Alan and Amanda Bates, wedding. I love these two so much and was so happy to watch them as they begin this journey called life together! In typical Beth Ann fashion, I ended my night in Birmingham with a trip to the Emergency Room...with a sweet case of Bronchitis. Thanks to a shot and some good meds, I am beginning to feel better, but can tell that my body is in need of some serious rest. Please pray for renewed energy and rest for me and my team as we finish the summer!
I am currently sitting in Mt. Bethel, PA...and it is gorgeous! I always pictured this area to be more city-like (don't make fun if that is completely crazy of me to think...my geography skills are not the best), but it is the most green and lush place I have ever been before. Absolutely beautiful!! After pushing our team to finish load-in quickly, we surprised everyone with a quick trip up to New York City for the night! It was incredible. There were many people on our team, including Graham, who had never been to NYC before, so it was so much fun experiencing this with them for the first time. We started off having dinner in Little Italy at La Mela...this food was incredible! It was a family-style restaraunt with amazingggg food. They bring out different courses...5 courses...and you share it with your table. Our meal included tomato/mozerella cheese, vegetables, pastas (including a wonderful potato pasta for us gluten-sensitive folks :)), meats, and dessert....all cooked Italian-style...all amazing!! We then got on a subway (which was quite an experience for many of us southerners...) and headed to Time Square! We could only spend about 30 minutes here taking pictures and gawking at the lights/billboards/people...but it was worth every second! Here are some pictures:
Office girls...
La Mela...
Waiting on the subway...
Leadership in Time Square...
BT09 girls waiting on the subway...
Incredible...
Little Italy...
I was talking with Graham tonight...and although there are so many contrasting ways to describe what I have seen of the North, the one thing that sticks out to me the most is the fact that it is very unchurched. As we were driving up to Pennsylvania and then through New Jersey on our way to New York, I saw maybe 2 churches. Maybe. As I talk with the Youth Ministers of the churches that are attending camp this week, it is amazing to me the situations that they deal with as ministers in the north. In the South, if someone is sick or if someone loses a family member, what is the first thing that happens? A phone call is made from a local church to see what meal they can bring to their home to help take care of them for a night. One of the first phrases thrown out is, "I will be praying for you." Although those of us from the South know that this is, unfortunately, not always the most sincere or genuine statement because it is what you are supposed to say, it can at least serve as a comfort during trying times. From what I can gather from conversations here, this just isn't the case. For example, we have four students here this week who have never heard of Christianity. They have never been around christians, heard about Christ, never been to a church, never known that a camp existed for people their age to go to during the summer and spend time away from smoking/drinking/abuse/parents. They signed up for this week of camp seeking a refuge, and just two weeks before coming they surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Christ. They are meeting in a home in New Jersey with 9 other students, learning who God is and who they are in Him. They are here, for the first time, experiencing worship. They are loving it. They have never been reached out to before or asked if they can be helped, or told that someone is praying for them. Graham and I were talking with the man whose house they meet at during the week and he was telling us all about these students and their experience this week. Praise God for His sovereign ways of bringing people together and showing Himself in mysterious ways. These students' lives are being changed and they are excited to take this in to their homes and their communities. Praise Him!
It is because of stories like this that I cannot get the thought out of my mind of coming to a place like New Jersey or Philadelphia or New York City and ministering to these people. Reaching out to these people who so desperately need to be loved and need the love of Christ in their lives. Talk about stepping out of my comfort zone... It would be a HUGE transition. But it is definitely something that Graham and I see the need for and pray about. I mean, let's face it, who ever said that I deserve to live within my comfort zone?
One of my best friends growing up, Katie Furr, now lives in NYC teaching and ministering to students through a Teen Center. After spending some time up here, my respect for her has grown tenfold. Not that it wasn't there before...but praise God for people like her who throw out what they know as familiar to them and go where they see a need.
We have a few more days left in PA then we will begin the drive back down to Alabama. Our worship leader this week is Brett Younker...amazing...and our camp pastor is Sam Bhatt. It is great to be back with Sam - he has such a special way of reaching students and encouraging them (and myself) to dive deeper into the Word of God.
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