.set out for a purpose.

as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what i desire and achieve the purpose for which i sent it.

isaiah 55:10-11

as much as i would love to avoid admitting this, i must be truthful in saying that this past week was not the easiest. my fluffy cloud 9 i was floating on in weeks 1 and 2 slowly deflated (behind my back!) and i unknowingly was down to earth in a matter of a few days. upon reflection of my week, i am glad that my reality check happened, and i know now that this is where the rubber his the road and real growth is going to start. with that, here are my reflections of week 3...

tuesday, june 15, 2010.

prayer summit. prayer meeting. house of prayer.
pastor cymbala (of the brooklyn tabernacle) continually reminds us of the scripture in isaiah 56 that reads, "for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations" (v.7). with that, our tuesday night prayer meetings are the most important service of the week to this church. this tuesday, however, was an extra special one.

prayer summit.

every few months, pastors and leaders from around the metropolitan area gather together for one day to have these prayer summits with the organization, convoy of hope (convoyofhope.org). this was one of those days. and the brooklyn tabernacle was hosting. and i was invited. and it was good. real good. they prayed for 5 hours straight, without ceasing. talk about living out 1 thessalonians 5:17, pray continually. :) i sat in for about 2 hours to pray and seek God with these pastors and leaders. what a powerful experience it was. the way these men pray, is so bold and confident. just being around people that have that passion grows my passion for God too. for a time we were able to open ourselves to pray for whatever God laid on our hearts, which had to have been my favorite part. it's so cool to pray for situations and people without them even having a hint of an idea and then see God work in their life. God's plan is so much more intricate than we can even imagine and He uses us in situations without us even knowing.

prayer meeting.

so in light of the special day we had with the prayer summit, pastor wanted to make this prayer meeting special too. he instructed us the week before that if you were born in a different country, to bring an item (flag, map, picture, etc.) to represent that country to the prayer meeting and set it on the steps leading up to the stage. when i arrived at the church, all four huge steps were covered. there must have been at least 1/4 of the world represented by the people in our church. the prayer meeting was divided up into praying for different areas of the world and those prayers were led by native people. a woman prayed in spanish for the south and central american countries. francis chan prayed for the asian countries (he just happened to be visiting from california!). and my eyes filled with tears of love when half the church declared they were from the pacific islands (haiti, jamaica, cayman islands, etc.). the diversity we have here is just a small glimpse of what heaven will look like with every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the lamb (revelation 7:9).

wednesday, june 16, 2010.

#8. see a live concert in the park.

with the day off of work, i decided to head into the city and cross something off my list! after a small (who am i kidding?) shopping spree (i am in new york after all!) i headed off to madison square park (23rd st./broadway/5th ave.). the cool thing about living in new york over the summer is all of the cool concerts, movies, plays, and other artsy things that take place in the cities many, glorious parks. madison square park is a smaller sized park and is also home to the delightful shake shack which boasts some of the best burgers and fries in new york city...if you feel so compelled to stand in the looooooooong line! maybe next time :) i enjoyed the warm breeze blowing around me as i read my book, ate some creamy tiramisu, and watched as so many people strolled by my park bench. the concert began and many people brought blankets and picnic baskets with cool beverages and snacks to share. the artist was a blues-y/gospel singer and she brought some music and soul to the city that's for sure! i have been consciously trying to use all five senses to take in each moment of my time in the city and this was a moment i could really drink in deep.

thursday, july 17, 2010.

tonight was the big night! ever since i began working at gemini 14 salon, i have heard about the big grand opening party sin dig that was taking place. red carpet, photographers, ho rs devours, champagne, dancing, and a whole lot more. i was nervous to go alone at first, but then after a conversation with a dear friend, i knew there was no reason to let this city or party intimidate me! i knew if i did not enjoy myself, i could just get on the subway and go back home. there was nothing keeping me there, but i knew i had to at least check it out and see for myself! so i slipped on my fancy new, red dress and pointy toed heels, and with every strand of hair curled and pinned just right, i went to the party! i surprisingly had a good time and even got to have some good conversations with people. all in all, there was nothing i needed to stress about...if you tell the world you are fierce, then you're fierce...especially when you wear a red dress ;) check this website out to see some other people that joined us at the party...you may even recognize some! (http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=2&language=en-US&family=editorial&assetType=image&p=Gemini+14+Salon)

friday, june 18, 2010.

God is so faithful when we call out to Him...amen?! i was over the hill with homesickness and even though i knew i would be okay, God placed people in my weekend that would cure any sadness that i may have felt.

i was able to spend the afternoon with my sweet friend, sarah cohen, and her mother, susan cohen, and boyfriend, chris kato. sarah and i have been friends since middle school and grew up going to camp together every summer. we remained friends throughout high school as well as our university life despite that sarah went to western michigan..hehe :) they traveled to nyc from her apartment in new hampshire and made time in their weekend to spend with me. it was such a lovely afternoon as we talked and reminisced and strolled about the south street seaport in lower manhattan. we laughed and talked some more as we all shared a meal tether and it really brought joy to my heart to be together.

to finish out my great night, our young adult and college ministry called, transitions, had their bi-weekly fellowship meeting and it was just wonderful to worship together, hear the word of God, fellowship, and laugh together. i really enjoy my new family at the brooklyn tabernacle and especially this special family at transitions!

saturday, july 19, 2010.
one of the blessings God has given me here in new york is my friend, katie bennett. about a month into planning my big adventure in new york, katie told me that she too was praying about spending 5 weeks in the city...at.the.same.time. wow God is good!! katie worked with a missions organization in the city a couple of summers ago and they hired her back for just a short term staff member this summer. so after much prayer between the both of us, God led us to the same city. together. and this was the day i would finally get to welcome her! katie, her dad, uncle jerry, and i had a fun evening of walking the brooklyn bridge, visiting a park at city hall, venturing around greenwich village and soho, and finishing out the night with cheesecake at the famous junior's (theeeeeeeee best!). i can't wait to see what God is going to do between the two of us the rest of the summer and how He is going to grow us as sisters in Christ and friends.

there have definitely been moments during this past week that i have wondered...what am i even doing here? or i am so lonely, i miss my friends so much...why am i here...can't i just go home? but going back to the scripture i started with...i know that each experience, whether good or bad, will grow me closer to God, if i let it. that i will achieve the purpose for which i was sent and what God desires. so with that, i have a choice to let this city and these experiences influence me or not. before i left, pastor matt told me that i was going to live in the most influential city in the world. wow. my choice is to be influenced. and i know the Holy Spirit with give me discernment on what to keep out because there are a lot of things i would not like to influence me, but i also know there are a lot of things my eyes can be opened up to. and that is what i am learning. there is a song i love, called hosanna, and part of it says,
heal my heart and make it clean
open up my eyes to the things unseen
show me how to love like You have loved me
break my heart for what breaks Yours
everything i am for Your kingdom's cause
i know that i am learning to truly live out the words in this song i love so much. i can't help but worship and sing,

.hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.