reflections. part 4.

The Bowery Mission was definitely the most hard-working mission trip for me. There was always a job to do and not always a break. But when I realized how much it impacted the men in the program, it was absolutely worth it. The employees/other volunteers at the mission expressed so much gratitude for what we did there and it felt so heart-warming.
The main thing I learned working at the Bowery Mission is that you can't make assumptions about people until you get to know them. Going into the building on the first day I thought all the men there were/still on drugs or were people living on the street. Once I started having conversations with the men there I got a better understanding of the variety people that go through the program or just go there for meals. Each one of those people have different stories and backgrounds and its so interesting learning about them. Starting a simple conversation helped me become more comfortable working with others at the Bowery Mission.
    -Lauren

This trip to New York has been my favorite mission trip. Perhaps we say that every year, but this one stands out to me. I enjoyed visiting as a tourist and of course taking hundreds of photos, but the service drew especially. While we didn't build a house or dig a well, we served in a daily ways that made a difference. Each individual who came through a meal line benefited. its easy to discount our impact, but I loved how our work was consistent and sustainable. We were only making food and handing it out, but it was what people needed, as much as a village might need a well. Moreover, as we worked to bless the Bowery Mission, they and New York blessed us. Hearing the men's stories, a woman on the subway who helped us when we wore lost, as especially kind waitress at a restaurant; these gave us hope that this is who we got to meet in a city known for rude strangers. God touched us through them. Even the huge intimidating skyscrapers only brought to mind lyrics we often sing "our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other." We like to say in the PNW that the mountains reflect God and sing his praises- apparently in New York its the skyscrapers that do.
    -Annika

pictures.

Just an little look into our week in NY.

reflections. part 3.

Hello everyone!

Wow, the last week was busy and wonderful in such a way that all the days are blurred together in my memory, especially because each day seemed the length of two, by standards of tiredness. That aside, it was a pleasure to serve at the Bowery Mission and interact with those I’d usually be very wary of and realize that they’re not all that different from us, and as I’m fairly sure you’ve noticed that was definitely a big takeaway from the week. In addition to that, it really touched me how concerned all of the people there with our well being and taking care of us. Rocco of the kitchen staff wanted to make sure we knew the importance of education and not dating before we were 25, Gretchen (also of the kitchen staff) shooed us out of the kitchen and made us take a break, Amy said multiple people came up to her to ask if we were resting enough, and many of the guys going through the program wanted to make sure we were having fun around the city in addition to helping out. It was all very unexpected. I guess that was probably because I anticipated it being more like our experience at Operation Night Watch, where there really isn’t much interaction with the people except to explain what a peanut butter no-bake cookie is, but instead we experienced meaningful interactions and listened to incredible stories and got to know wonderful people. I know it’s a bit cliché, but despite going with the intention to be a blessing, we surely were blessed in return.

Thanks!  Jennifer

Hello everyone!

Melanie here, with some reflections about our recent week spent in NYC. I think this trip will stick with me, perhaps even more than the other mission trips I’ve been on. It was a unique experience in so many ways. The most important distinction for me was worship. Seeing the men at the Bowery during worship services encouraged me to be authentic in my worship. Whether they were singing with us or just sitting and listening, they took the words very seriously. The words we were singing had a very different and very real meaning in their lives. It’s all too easy for me to get distracted during worship or forget what I’m singing. Not so with these people. It was inspiring to see them praise God.

On other mission trips, we serve and worship in separate places. On this trip, everything was in the same building with the same people. We shared our worship time with them, just as we shared our service time. This created a sense of closeness and familiarity with the people we were serving that I hadn’t really experienced on previous trips. We got to really enter into their community rather than pop in and pop out. In this way, it really felt like we got to be the heart and hands of Jesus, entering into life alongside these people (albeit for a short time) rather than simply lending them a hand. That was a cool experience.

Thank you again for all your support! I feel so blessed to have gone on four mission trips in my high school career, and look forward to serving God wherever he may place me in the future.

-Melanie

reflections. part 2

Here's my reflection:

We lead worship a lot during this trip and it was always one of my favorite parts of the day. Whether I was leading or I was in the crowd, it was always fun to see the Holy Spirit move in the chapel. But it was also nice to sit as our youth group and sing together by ourselves, which we did every night after we talked about our day.
On Wednesday night we went up to the roof and sung as a group up there, surround by the beautiful city that never sleeps. The first song we sung was "Better is One Day", which is all about how being with the Lord for one day would be better than spending a thousand days anywhere else. And I couldn't help but think that even though we're surrounded by the pretty lights in the city and there is so much beauty in the world, being in God's presence is greater than all of that.
And we got to experience a little bit of God throughout the whole trip, especially during worship. And if what we all just experienced was only a taste of God's glory, I can't imagine how awesome it will be to one day stand in his presence and praise him forever.

-Janelle

What a crazy and amazing week we had traveling to and serving in New York! The amount of people was astounding. One could hardly walk anywhere without dodging a flood of humans. New York City consisted of an incredible amount of noise, interesting and somewhat unpleasant smells, decadent food, and, as I'm sure you guessed it, people.
I was blessed and honored to serve the wonderful people at the Mission. As I mentioned at the Bowery Mission I loved listening to the stories of those I knew (our group) and those I only just met (the staff, students, and visitors to the Mission). We don't often know how God works in people's lives but I do know that He used our group and the people I encountered in New York to mold and develop my faith. As was mentioned throughout the week, there will be trouble in this world but Christ has overcome the world. What a comfort and hope to be found that this is not how God intended life to be. But because of sin Christ had to come into this world and save us. My troubles are nothing compared to being homeless and dependent on others for basic needs. God has used this trip to "encourage" me to be content with the many blessings I have been gifted with and not to complain when He has said "No" or "Not Yet".
The whole trip was a wonderful experience and I have been blessed by it greatly. Our group meshed well together and I was particularly impressed with the graciousness and the ferocity in which the young woman worked. What role models they are!

Thank you BCRC for supporting us in this journey. May God receive all the glory and honor.  
             -Emily

We did a lot of different things on our trip.  The two things that stand out for me are:

1) Working in the kitchen the Bowery mission serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week.  The prepare and serve around 1000 meals each day. They don't have the staff to do this on their own and rely on volunteers to help make it happen.  We worked with three different chefs, Robin, Gretchen, and Rocco.  From the food donated each day they built a tasty menu for each meal.  Our team help sort and prepare ingredients (they used all the skills they were taught working with Brandon), serve the meals with welcoming smiles, and wash the dishes...with smiles.  It was a lot of work and it began at 6:00AM.

 2) working with and talking to the staff and clients at the Bowery mission.  So many stories, no two alike.
3) Worshiping at the Bowery. Each meal is proceeded by a 45 worship service and those there to eat were required to attend the service.  Engagement ran from full on sleep to enthusiastic involvement with most folks quiet and listening at some level. Singing the words of songs we've so often sang resonated more powerfully in that space with those wonderful people than ever before.  
In that same setting everyone in our group shared what challenges and what encourages us in our lives.  "What can high school kids say that would be relevant to an audience on the edge of society?"  you ask.  You'd be surprised.  We are not so different.  We told our stories, they told their's and we built relationships.
             -Dean

We're Home!! Part one of reflections!

This trip was such an amazing experience and I'm so incredibly thankful that I had the opportunity to participate. At the Bowery Mission, not only were we able to serve God through working in the kitchen, serving meals, leading worship etc., but we also learned so much while we were there, getting to know the people we were serving and creating relationships. Personally, one of the things that stuck with me most was that you can't make assumptions about people and their situations. For example, we were serving people that I assumed were all homeless, but very often, that was not the case. People had different reasons for coming to get meals, and you never know what's going on in a person's life until you actually connect with them on a personal level. On top of meeting new people and hearing their stories and their inspirational journeys with God, I was able to hear amazing testimonies and stories from my fellow BCRC members (both youth and adult) and I got to serve God in a new and beautiful city. Overall, this trip was a lot fun and very educational for me and I'm glad I was given the chance to go. A big thanks to everyone who made it possible!
        -Mariel

"God is good all the time, and all the time God is good."

This phrase was used in nearly every chapel service I attended. At first I didn't think about it much, but now that I stop to consider it, what an amazing testimony when its spoken by a hundred men and women who have gone through very hard times and now don't have enough money to buy food for themselves or their family! Throughout the week, I was amazed to hear so many stories of people who had a good career and suddenly lost everything due to gambling, fire, or become caught up in various addictions. However, what was even more amazing was to hear so many of those people say "...but I am so thankful to God because He saved me." It was so beautiful to hear people praise God from a situation that I can't even imagine living through.

As this was my last high school missions trip, another big thing that hit me this year is how important friendship is. I have been so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful group of girls and adults. I'm thankful for their mentorship and support. I will definitely miss everyone next year. Throughout our time serving at the Bowery Mission, we were all stretched in many ways. I thought it was amazing how we also made friendships with the men in the Mission Program. Not only did we support each other and have each others backs within the group, but the men were always looking out for us. They urged us to go out to see and enjoy "their beautiful city," but they also cautioned us (on multiple occasions) to be extremely careful and safe in Times Square and other areas. Many people told us to never walk anywhere alone and, while we weren't planning on going anywhere by ourselves, it was neat to realize that these men were just as interested in serving us as we were in serving them. Some of my favorite memories from the trip include talking to Travis about Seattle, joking around with Declan at Outreach and before chapels, and seeing LeRoy pour his all into every song we sang together in chapel. I'm so thankful for the friendships we made while in NY, even if I know its unlikely I'll ever see any of them again.

Another thing that struck me about this trip was how God always provides. The first day that we were at the mission (it was maybe 15 minutes before chapel when we arrived) they weren't sure if their chapel speaker was going to show up. They asked if we could lead worship to fill the beginning of chapel while they waited to see if the speaker would show up. In that case, we were the backup God provided to the Bowery. The fact that the service went pretty well despite the fact we hadn't practices or planned anything was Him providing for us. Another example of His provision is the amount of food that is donated every single day. Every morning there would be more food to unload and sort through. The massive amounts of bread alone each morning was crazy.

Overall, I'm thankful for the memories. Every missions trip I've gone on has been wonderful in different ways. Though this was definitely the most physically exhausting trip I've been on, I also had the opportunity to get to know the people we were serving better than any other trip. I'm grateful to be going home to rainy Washington, but I will continue to pray for the people we served in NY.

         -Rachel

Way back when we only started talking about this trip, I had lots of doubts. I had my heart quite set on returning to Bellflower or doing another Serve, and the fact that this was going to be intergenerational made it even worse! Nothing against the adults in our church, I just considered mission trips strictly for the youth group. I enjoyed meeting throughout the year, but I was still a little wary about the trip itself. I didn't know what to expect. But boy, was i proven wrong! This trip has been amazing, in many ways. The people, the city, the worship, everything. The Bowery Mission is a wonderful operation. God has clearly been working there a long tome. I like that on this mission trip, it was more of just a trip to the Mission. We didn't come to build a school or change their lives. We certainly weren't the first group to be there. We came to give them a hand, to fill in where needed. We accomplished a lot, bit thats all in a day's work. The employees and students work hard all day to keep the mission running, providing foe peoples physical & spiritual needs. They are impressive and inspiring- never complaining, always working hard. Every aspect of the Bowery Mission has been thought out intentionally and is fulfilled as a duty. God works many wonders in that place, and continues to provide. I loved being a part of that, and experiencing his love and power in new ways. 

We made connections this week. We helped alongside with the operation, and even if we didn't make a grand change, I think we made an impact. And the Bowery made a huge impact on us! Inspired and challenged, we will take this back with us and hopefully be different because of it. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. 

            -Mara

Such an amazing and God filled and blessed trip we had to New York and the Bowery Mission. We not only served but were served and blessed by the men and women at the mission. Worshiping, cooking, cleaning, sorting, handing out clothes and many other tasks were enjoyed.
What stood out most to me was the positive attitude and desire for some of the men and women to find jobs, get a paycheck, and be able to get back on their feet. One gentleman I spoke with, we had given him a new pair of boots. He had just gotten a job as a dishwasher and needed boots that he could wear while working in the kitchen. He felt so blessed to be getting a paycheck and having the ability to get an apartment where he could have a bed and keep his personal belongings. He knew he would not have many things in his apartment and he would likely still be coming to the mission for meals, but he would be off the street and working towards improving his future. His positive attitude and trust in God showed as we talked and he knew that everything was in God's control.
The other thing that really stood out to me was the attitude and work ethic of every person on the trip. In particular the young ladies. The eagerness and willingness to jump right in and help anywhere they could was awesome to see. They often worked for long periods of time doing hard and thankless tasks. They all stepped up with positive servant hearts and did what was asked and also things they were not asked to do but saw needed done. I never heard any complaint, questioning why, or if we were done. All I heard was sure I can do that and what's next once finished with the task at hand. Truly a remarkable group of young ladies willing and wanting to show God's love by serving others.

           -Derek

When we first left for New York City, I had no idea what I was going to do, where I was going to sleep or who I was going to meet. I was excited (but a little scared) about how God was going to use this experience to mold my faith. Every day I learned something new about myself and my faith. The topic of God's power and his mighty hand came up a lot. I also learned from a very enthusiastic Christian, Leroy Mace, that nothing matters in life except for the love of Jesus Christ. I also had the opportunity to share why I believe in God in front of the group we were serving, a very scary yet needed step in my faith.
My favorite part of this week was when all of us climbed to the roof of our five story building during our evening reflection time and sang a few songs. It was such an amazing and moving experience. Being able to get out of the crowds and all the sounds (and smells) and literally singing on the rooftops was nice and well needed break.
This has been such an amazing experience. To be able to grow in faith, build relationships and ultimately serve and worship with Gods people. I am so thankful for all of these experiences and the people I got to share them with.

         -Allison

Monday

Hello all!
Jennifer speaking (well, typing). We're currently sitting in our bunk room in at the Bowery Mission relaxing after a long day of travel and serving. We woke up this morning after sleeping on the floor at Iglesia el buen pastor (the Spanish CRC in New Jersey), ate breakfast, and proceeded to attempt to figure out public NY transportation. 19 new metro passes and 1 almost-squished-Jerry (he did make it on the subway safely) later, we made it safely to the Mission, where we were given a brief tour and promptly put to work. We led worship, helped in the kitchen (for up to 5 hours!), and/or organized the pantry. I have heard rumors of ice cream tonight, so it seems the rest of our day will live up to the precedent set by the morning and afternoon.

That's all folks!

 El Buen Pastor

 all smiles!

 serving lunch

pizza Sunday evening from Ray's...so good!

new york, new york

alright, we leave soon, like real soon! hope you all are packing your bags, washing your clothes (please come with clean clothes!) and gearing up for a week of fun, fellowship, hard work, not a lot of sleep and loving on people.

I am so pumped! the week before a trip like this i go into turbo mode. i clean my house, prep for the kids gets down, i confirm everything for the trip, i pack, i clean some more, i pray, i repack, i sleep. it's crazy but everything slows comes together and falls into place.

then we all meet at the airport! shivers!

hooray!

i am excited to see you on saturday! hope you are too!

for those of you not joining us on this journey, please follow along here on the blog! we will be updating it throughout the week. and if your on instagram, follow us here! @bcrcyg

also, we would love for you to be praying for safe travels, good health, deep discussions, awesome fellowship, faith stretching and strengthening, for the new people we will meet, the God's will will be done, that we would open up our minds and hearts to manhattan, to it's people and to any situation we come across!

thank you for your support!

spring retreat 2015.

you guys, sorry. i am slow! i didnt take a lot of pictures and almost two months behind in posting these! we missed having anni along to take hundreds of pictures over our two day retreat!

 breakfast!

 lunch

 games

it was a great weekend of fun, sun, food, games, discussion, worship. the time that we get to spend together away from normal life is really special. i love that you all hang out and gather, have deep discussions, play silly games, relax, play jokes...it really is neat. hope that weekend, already so long ago in may, blessed you in the ways it blessed me.

youth sunday 2015

yesterday was youth sunday! it was a wonderful worship service. it was great to see the youth group leading worship, singing, praying, and participating beyond what they normally do.

thank you to everyone for sharing your time and talent! it was great to worship our God with you!