Spring @ UI

Late March I found out I am officially moving to South Asia for two years.  With that wonderful news came a rush of emotions!  I was so relieved to finally know what was ahead for me,  I was excited for the next adventure, I was scared from the unknown, I was saddened to leave my family for such a long period of time!  However, I am very encouraged because I know this is where the Father is leading!

At Urban Impact we finished up with our Spring Break mission teams and in April we settled back down into our normal routine. 

Instead of Spring April brought cold rainy days not something I am used to coming from Florida so I struggled to stay encouraged but with your constant prayers I did make it through. April was pretty quick we all rested from being busy with the teams from March and focused again on build relationships with our students. End of April finally brought decent weather and you could tell spring was finally here.  Every time you looked outside the streets were flooded with people, the parks with beautiful flowers, and the grass so green you wanted to role in it.

The last weekend of May Courtney and Amanda, my two best friends, came to visit and we spent the weekend in Manhattan.  That was just the break I needed!  They were so much fun to have here.  We went all over exploring areas I hadn’t even been to before.  I was sad to see them leave!! 

At Urban Impact May was arriving and we were anticipating the summer teams coming to work in our English classes and starting our summer programs for the children! 

Our English classes are coming to a close for the spring semester. This Thursday we are actually having a graduation celebration for all the students who have completed the semester.  We take a break for a week to register new students for our summer semester and begin new classes on June 6^th. 

This week is the first week of teams for the summer.  They are an adult group, working mostly on construction at the Beach house (where all the teams stay while serving here).  We are so grateful for men who work hard and never complain.  They are completely changing the upstairs kitchen with a ton more cabinet space.  The women are teaching at the center everyday and really seem to love it!

This is my last blog from NYC!  I am moving back home to Florida for 8 weeks, then to training in Virginia for 8 weeks and finally to South Asia for 2 years!!

This experience with Urban Impact has been so wonderful!  I have learned so much about culture, flexibility, living away from family, working with many different types of personalities, understanding how to share the Good News with people from a variety of backgrounds, and being a minority in a heavily populated area.

Requests from our Father:

Our students at Urban Impact

·         They will return for the summer

·         They will continue to be open to the Good News

·         All will except His gift

Our staff at Urban Impact

·         Strength and energy to get through the summer

·         Patience to work with all the personalities we will be encountering in the teams

The teams coming to work with UI

·         They would be flexible

·         They would be hard workers

·         They would be sensitive to the Fathers leading

·         They would be encouraged by their experience here

Me:

·         Cherish the time with my family

·         Work hard for the Father where He places me

·         I would keep my focus on the day He has set before me and not the unknown future