After being back for a few weeks it's nice to hear things are still going on in the Bronx because of our prayers and work...Lindy Writes:
Rochester College Spring Break Bronx 2006
You just finished a week of work, prayer, and service. How does it feel? Can you believe the week is over already, and you once again have returned to your normal routine? You perhaps arrived a week ago, skeptical of the large amounts of time in prayer. I wanted to give you an overview of ways the Lord used you and continues to use you through the Power of Prayer to the Lord Almighty.
1.As you handed out flyers for our upcoming relationship seminar, many of you were faced with rudeness, getting kicked out of apartments,etc. There is already around 15 people registered for the seminar which is GREAT, and the first one registered was a building you got kicked out of. 2.You held a birthday party for a 16 and 17 year old last minute. Thebirthday party was the FIRST birthday this 17yr old girl had ever had.
3. You took a group of teenager guys out to eat at a cheap sit down Mexican restaurant, and it was the first time they had been to a sit down restaurant and one of the few times they had ever seen the generosity and hospitality extended to them.
4. You hosted a movie discussion that opened up dialogue of the racialtensions in the Bronx that exist, and caused discussion that is continuing after you left.
5.You prayer walked the Morris Park church area. Two days later, a man at that home church made a decision to take the Lord on in baptism.
6. You prayer walked the Valentine Rd. area for more committed people to come to this church body and the following Sunday two visitors arrived that brought much encouragement to this discouraged house church. The prayers offered for this family brought their mother home from the hospital after a 5-day hospital stay.
7. You prayed with a church that is just beginning with new people who are seeking the Lord. The following weekend two ladies came for prayer, and the lady hosting the bible study begin speaking about John 13:34, having NEVER read the verse, but speaking what she only knew to be true in her relationship with the Lord. The Holy Spirit is moving in this house, turning it into a place of prayer.
8. Your interactions with a teenager that had been kicked out of school for a week for punching a teacher, then spent part of his time off school serving at a soup kitchen with you.
9.You had such an impact on a teen that he traveled an hour to spend 45minutes with you, and give you a poem he had written about the impact you had on his life.
10. Your influence caused two teens to get up early and meet you at 5:45 on a Saturday morning to say goodbye as you headed back to Michigan. Teens who would later confess to crying after you left.
11. You sang to people as they were getting on the subway for a longmorning commute. You brought joy to their faces as they not only saw your joy, but also found out about the relationship seminar.
12. You reminded me of the joy I have, but often gets covered up by theharshness of the city and also reminded me that although you are gone and no longer are walking with me, there is still an army that is walking with me through prayer.
Funny stuff:Donna- Christina says hello. Donna and Joshua were missed at Christina’s home church and she offered for you two to share the spare bed she has. :)
Paul- “If they are going to fast, can we have their lunch money?”
Pauls comment as we are praying for Hannah’s breakdown during handing outflyers- “What about me?”
Riley after hearing about Dave’s steak dream- “Dave you are turning into a fat kid”
Me riding the bus after you all left on saturday:A small kid yelled.
“It’s 7:32- we are never going to make it, we’re nevergoing to make it”“Oh no, it’s 7:36, we are never making it now, never.”
“It’s 7:38, we’re never going to make it. Tell the bus driver to go faster,he keeps stopping, make him hurry”
Dave walking out of the Brooklyn subway- “Wow, it doesn’t look as ghetto asI thought it would.”
Riley talking quite loudly to Dave on a crowded subway- “Dave you look likea little happy Asian”
Paul saying he could imagine Courtney left for her devo to get a costume on. Josh, completely lost it, thinking of what outfit she was coming out in!
Running through the subway to catch the train, and then the adjustment that Steph and the guys made once stopping.
I wanted to tell you what a blessing it was to have your group here. You probably thought you were coming to work with the people of the Bronx, but more than anything you encouraged me. It was such a blessing to have people who knew my past, my history, people I could be myself with. It was so nice to not have to worry about where I was, and what time it was because I was with a group instead of by myself. You blessed me richly by your cards, gifts, and money. You were self-sacrificial in so many ways, and there is really no way to quantify the impact you had on me, my teammates, and the people of the Bronx.
Hey gang - I wanted to give you some updates that you won't see on the email i send out to everyone. I know the email's long.. but read it anyway!:)1. We had a slightly higher number attend the seminar, but NEVER have we had the overwhelming response of people wanting to find out more about Christianity and the Bronx Fellowship.2. the area you handed out flyers on thursday had the most people come to the seminar than any other area, and the majority of them got them via under their door.3. I had dinner at my house last night for Tuoi, Victor, Anh, and Chris. The relationships you began are being continued by the grace of God. Did you know that Anh met Felix and Evelyn for the first time the week you all came,and b/c of their interactions I have seen all of them (except Felix) almost every other day. Anh spent the day at the seminar, and although he didn’t seem that entertained he later said that there is a peace that he can't find anywhere else than around us. God is moving.4.Nathan's mother was sick which is why we didnt have the fast lastsaturday. That sunday I was told they were sure she was sick b/c she had carried a curse from Africa and it was just now showing itself. I couldn’t help but let some American skepticism seep in. But that sunday we prayed for healing, protection and the curse to leave. When i went to visit her reply to how she was feeling was a smile and with hands raised a joyful "Praise God". She spent 5 days in the hospital and they couldnt find a thing, she got prayed for, and she was being healed.5. REQUEST- Jared needs any picture you may have of the youth for a person that is trying to raise full time support to move to the Bronx and work with youth. So if you could in the next couple DAYS send him 1, 2 pictures at the most of a quality picture that would show the diversity of teens here in the bronx that would be great!!! gracias!! email them tojared@bronxfellowship.orgI received your surveys today and i wanted to thank you for your honestcomments...Just out of curiousity is there any other comments concerning changes that could be made to city search that you didnt mention, we are refining it for a group coming this summer.I wanted to commend you for the fact that many of you requested to not have a full free day. This shows the servant and mission minded attitudes you had. Other groups in the past have come to the Bronx, as a means to see the city, and you came to serve the Bronx. This was a major difference and a major blessing to us. Thank you for being about the Father's work.Many of you also indicated that you would have liked to learn more about the missionaries way of life, know more info about the church itself, etc. We will make sure that in the future this gets more attention, but for your sake please check out our website which answers a lot of questions about home churches and bronx fellowship. (bronxfellowship.org) and also feel free to email any of us about random questions you still have. We are still here,so we can still give perspective to your questions.. :)As far as flyers.. i hated them too and honestly we had 2 other groups come for a day each to hand out flyers and they seriously faced NO opposition,yet few came from those areas where they handed out flyers. I can't help but think that the battle was raging, and the enemy knew that you putting flyers under doors in those harder neighborhoods is where people were needing to find out about this seminar. thank you for being soldiers on the front lines and as you well know, front lines get attacked the hardest.
This is from Jared's email after the seminar."Last year a woman who spent the following few months wrestling with her faith among us said that she brought her checkbook to the seminar because churches always are after your money one way or another. She was literally shocked that we never asked for anything.This year a woman wrote in her evaluation: "I came to see what they were selling, but then I found out that they were just giving." What this woman experienced was a taste of grace. Grace is giving. It is counter-cultural. It doesn't command allegiance, but by its sheer power it demands it.Grace is one of the key factors that seperates Christianity from all other world religions. In reality if we put religions on a shelf in their various sections, Christianity really doesn't belong there. Not really. Until... we remove grace from the equation. We replace it with control, with legalism, with certainty not in what Christ has done but in what we've done through our religion. Then, we put Christianity back on the shelf as just another religion. We rob it of its power. Then, when I have conversations with people in our city, they say Christianity is the same as all the other religions, and as far as the graceless religion they have often encountered,its true.But when we open up the Scriptures and let the Word speak and take down our idols of religiosity, control, and self-justification, then we are free to live in community, participate fully in mission, and give -- give as we have been given to. Nothing kills fervor like religion, and nothing wakes up our hearts & makes us alive like Jesus. "Keep praying. And keep talking with the teens if possible.I love each of you and I continue to see the blessings of your presence here in the Bronx.Have a wonderful day and may your day be filled with the light of Christ coming from you! blessings~Lindy
