Thanksgiving

Hey! I haven't written here for such a long time, that this post will probably be long...bear with me. I went home, on the 7th of November to visit and go to my cousin's wedding. The wedding was gorgeous, and visiting family was fun. I had a great time just "chill'n" with my cousin Chelsea too....that was a highlight. (And also making cream-filled cupcakes with my Grandma!) When I got back to NY, I only had to Nanny one day, and got the other day off.....SWEET! Then, Thanksgiving came, and I had some relatives visiting NY over the weekend. They were staying at a really fancy hotel...it was a lot of fun visiting with them. They know the city really well, so it was fun to hear their perspective on the city. Also, it was just nice to have relatives/friends to visit with. It gives me a nice break to go out. Oh! And Emily's parents and sister came out for Thanksgiving, so it was fun to see them too. On Thanksgiving, all the church staff went to Adam & Becca's apartment for an early dinner. We all brought something to share. There was about 15 of us, so it was a nice sized dinner....then we played mafia! If you've never played the game, you should...15 people is a good number....or 10....for a nice length of a game. On Friday after Thanksgiving, we had another dinner, with leftovers and had about 40 people at the church. Adam had lined the tables with paper, so that we could color and write what we were thankful for right on the table...it was a lot of fun. We played mafia that night too......but there were so many people that it took FOREVER! It was still entertaining though! ...Okay, so I guess this post wasn't that long, but I will write another post soon about the Christmas tree lighting that I went to....well, I'll write about BOTH Christmas tree lightings. So long for now!

Halloween

Ah!!! Trick-or-Treat! On the morning of Halloween, I visited the bakery on our street. The owner asked if his two boys could come over later, and I said sure...around 4 o'clock. When I showed up at the bakery at 4, the dad was like....one minute! He ran in the back, got a Spider-man jacket for his 2-year-old son, and sent me off to go trick-or-treating with him! This picture is Kenny and me getting candy. He doesn't speak English, and was shy while we went to all the shops up and down 8th Ave., so I had to say "Trick-or-treat" at every place. We were out for an hour, and got him a lot of sugar!!! That night, I learned how to make Tandoorie Chicken (a really spicy and bright orange Indian dish). It was a lot of fun. After that, I came back to two of the neighborhood boys outside asking me to take THEM trick-or-treating. (So I did) for 15 min. 'cause all the shops were closing. I really feel more part of the community when I do things like that.
This weekend we did the Saturday school for the first time. We only had 3 kids show up, and one of them didn't speak English! We will be handing out fliers this week so we can get more kids. Overall, it was a trying week, but rewarding too. Tonight a few of us are baking cream-filled cupcakes with gnosh. You can keep praying that I will make solid relationships here, and for the relationship between my "partner in crime" Emily and I. On another note, I'm visiting home soon, so I'm excited about that! Yay....maybe I'll see some of you!

Fall Festival 2006

I'll write about this later....but here's the video!

Make video montages at onetruemedia.com

Sunday School

Today was the first day that Emily and I led Sunday School! I think that it went pretty well...despite us having to ask the kids a few times what usually went next in the program! Whoops. We talked about God is faithful in fulfilling His promises, and we used Abraham as an example. The verse today was Psalm 145:13 "The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made." Yesterday we had the October Pancake breakfast too...

Yum...and I introduced two ladies from the church to peanut butter on pancakes, and they loved it! From now on, I think it will be mandatory to have a bowl of PB on the serving table. Hahaha. Please pray that I continue to learn things here, and that I will connect with more people here who are my age. I am struggling to make good friends here. Also, pray that I will be able to find a flexible part-time job closer to the church, where I can meet and get to know more people from the community.

Go Check the Cookies

Today was so much fun! Monday's are my days off, so I spent it hanging out with Jr. Highers all day. After noon, Kandy came over with her friend Stephanie...I made lunch, and they helped do the last few things...so we ate and talked a lot about issues in the Bible...very cool. Then Stephanie left and Kandy & I made crayon cookies...(Basically way super awesome frosted sugar cookies). After that, we called up some other people...Ian and Gabe, and found James...we all went to the park, and met up with Vincent, Jackie and Willy. After that, we went back to our apartment and played pictionary and X-box. It was so great!(LOL.....this title is an inside joke with my family....I just remembered it.)

Apples & Pumpkins

AHHHH! This day was so much fun. The young adult group from church went to an Apple Orchard, Pumpkin Patch and Dairy Queen in NJ. After so many wrong turns, we made it to our destination, and it was a blast! I had fun hanging out with everyone, some who I hadn't hung out with much, but now we know eachother better. I can't stress how important it is here to make quality relationships with the people all around here. We even had a hay ride! It felt so much like home it was nutz. BTW.....Dairy Queen's Pumpkin Pie Blizzard is AWESOME!

Treasure Seekers away!

Girls' night!

Last night we had a girls' night at our apartment. It was a great way to get to know the girls at our church! We played sleepover games like asking weird questions around the group, making jokes, burping and eating chocolate. (What sleepover would be complete without chocolate?) This morning we woke up ....well Emily, me and Christa woke up around 10am,.....and Irene cooked breakfast (that Emily and I weren't priviledged to eat). THANKS IRENE! And now, Emily and I are chill'n with a girl looking at becoming another UTOPIA missionary. We're having a fun time...and this afternoon, Emily and I are painting Sunday School sets for next week. I'm excited to get started with everything like that. This Sunday we're teaching the Chinese Sunday School for the first time. That should be an adventure. I'll make sure to write about it! Please pray for Emily and I to not feel so overwhelmed right now. Our apartment is the public place for the church....so we don't have a lot of personal space. It's hard some days....so pray for us.

Little Italy Street Fair

Emily and I found an Italian street fair one day.....it was fun. There was sausage and peppers....the greatest thing, and Emily got offered free dinner on the house of a fancy-shmancy restaurant...we said we weren't hungry. I don't know what else happened.....but it was fun!!!

a tuesday post...

So we had another staff meeting today, and it was.....interesting to say the least. The group of staff here is so funny and kinda quirky too that any time we're together, I know it'll be interesting, and today was not a let down. We thouht we heard something hit the drumset upstairs, so Pastor Tony and Chris went up to check it out. They were gone for awhile, and all of the sudden we heard yelling and running upstairs. We all immediately jumped up and ran towards the two staircases on either side of the church basement to see what was happening.....I WAS FREAKED OUT. (The church has recently had two instances of people living in the church balcony and stealing stuff.) As we're standing in the stairwell, waiting to apprehend some kind of bum, Chris and Tony come out laughing.......they just ran to make us think something was happening. It wasn't funny.......as I am laughing now, it was pretty funny I guess. We received a book too today, called "The Pursuit of Holiness"...I started to read it already, and it's good...can't wait to finish it. :-) I wish you could be here and hear the kids outside screaming.....the chinese kids only have the streets and sidewalks to play on it seems....so they like to make noise. It's funny. Please keep praying for us. We are in the middle of starting the new Sunday School curriculum on Sundays, and in October will be starting the Saturday programs!!

Moving In

So a lot has happened in the last few days...I started a nanny job (on Thurs. and Fri.) and I wanted to quit right away, but it's bearable for now. But on Saturday Becca and Patty took us to IKEA to get furniture to make our apartment into a liveable space!!! In a small mini-van on the way there, it was Emily, me, Becca, Patty and a friend Zoila. On the way home, it was Emily, me, Becca, Patty, our friend Zoila, two dressers, a bookshelf, a coffee table, another wall bookshelf, 6 med-sized photos, 3 rugs, 2 clocks, one bathroom storage unit, 84 tealights, a blind for the window, and a princess canopy for Emily's bed. It was super tight......'cause there was more, but that was just our stuff. Anyway, when we got home at 1:30pm, some kids from the church came over to help us assemble stuff! It took us almost 7 hours to put everything together, so we ordered pizza for the group, and chilled out with them. It really felt like home that afternoon, because not only did we have things to put our clothes and things in, but the friends that we had, and the time we spent together

building the stuff was really "special". Emily and I talked about how it was so much fun because in MN, if we were working with the youth, most likely we wouldn't invite people over to help us assemble furniture. But HERE the kids just came over because they want somewhere to be, and they want to feel like they belong. We both want them to know that they will ALWAYS belong here. I included some pictures from that day, and what our apartment looked like BEFORE the new stuff....I'll add some new pics soon. (After we clean! ;-))

So I finally arrived in NY. It was a long day yesterday, being in airports from 12noon until around 11:30 pm...but I made it without any real problems. Today, I woke up and was out the door by 8:15am, and I went down to ground zero for the 5th anniversary of 9/11. It was really somber there in some areas, and downright angry in others, very patriotic in yet other areas. I took some pictures, so I'll add those soon. We even went to the church that is accross the street, and saw Robin Robbins, and then Diane Sawyer walked out, and before Emily would admit that I was right about who she was, she bumped into me, and the security guard was like "there goes Diana!" (I was right!) Anyway, i'm not unpacked, but soon.....very soon I hope I will be. All summer I've been in a transition phase it seems, and I am ready to be out of that. I want to stay somewhere longer than 2 months...and I really don't want to live out of a suitcase for more than 2 weeks! Tomorow is our first staff meeting, and I have the responsibility to hold devotions....I'm thinking I'll use some of what I heard preached yesterday at Calvary Baptist in Roseville. The message was "Looking Back, Moving Forward. Where are we going?" It was about the model the church should have, what God is calling the church to do now, and the personal response we should have as people making up the church. It was great. I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow.

Thank you!

Hey friends! Thanks for checking out my blog! Once again, I've just started this, so when I get to NY I'll keep you more up to date on prayer requests and really awesome things that will probably happen! I'm glad you came to check this out!

Online Letter

Hi everyone, I thought with my graduation, some of you would want to know what is coming next for me. Maybe some of you didn’t know that I graduated, so this may have been surprise in itself…well read on there’s more!

I started with ministry programs when I first joined the Continental Singers at 13. The thrill of meeting all new people and being able to sing and dance the gospel was amazing and made me want to keep going. I went back on Continentals again two years later which just confirmed the thrill of sharing about God. About a year later I went on a mission trip to downtown Brooklyn, NY where I spent two weeks doing service projects, kids clubs and coffee houses for urban youth. I felt a strong connection with the church and ministry there and have been going back almost every year since 2001. Two years ago I even spent the summer with them, helping with a new Chinese ministry where a summer school and VBS is combined for five days a week, all summer long. In just the past year, I have led to mission trips to Romania working with indigenous organizations that minister to orphans, Gypsies and unwed mothers. Because of the heart I have had for Romania since I was a child, I have made strong efforts to bond relationships and secure connections for continuing work. (During our trip, we published a blog where we posted what was happening. You can still access that blog at: www.romanian-orphans.blogspot.com)

In May of 2006, I graduated from Northwestern College with a B.A. in Communications-Public Relations. Along with the joys of graduating, there are also questions of the future. I, along with my family, have been praying about what I would do after I am finished with college. I struggled because my passions were for ministry, but I was equipped with skills of PR. My question was how to combine the two. One morning, after spending a considerable amount of time in prayer over this matter, I received a call from Pastor David in NY. He asked if I would consider dedicating the next year or more of my life to the ministry they have established in the Brooklyn community. Because of my past connection with their church, I had always considered that option, but did not know if full-time ministry was right for the moment because of my pending college bills. I trusted that God would provide though, and when Dave told me the details I knew it was God's answer to my prayers. I accepted the invitation a week later and the ball was off and rolling. I will be primarily working with the children's ministry on Sunday mornings and then also with the youth groups during the week. I will be living in an apartment located right next to the church; therefore even if I am at home, I will always be available for ministry.

Part of my commitment to Brooklyn, requires raising support. I am taking this step of faith because I believe that God will use this to his glory, and I believe that this is where I am supposed to be. I believe that He has already provided the support that I need to see me through this adventure. $700 a month is what I need to raise for the year. If 28 people would commit to giving me $25 a month, I would be set. Before I leave in September, I need to have 6 months raised, so my need is immediate. I would hope you would pray about whether you will help me or not. I also want to remind you that by giving to me in this way, you would indirectly be a part of the ministry in Brooklyn. I will also need your continuing prayers, encouragement and humor to strengthen me during the time that I have committed to serving Brooklyn. Again I have published a blog where you can see even now where I am at in this process and once I am in the city, you will be able to keep track of what is happening. You can find the blog at: http://www.brooklyn852.blogspot.com

I will be leaving the second week in September. Please pray for my travel as well as for my family as this is the first time that I will be far away for more than three months. I am excited to know what I am supposed to be doing, and I hope that I will be able to take your encouragement along with me. Please stay in touch as you are all very dear to me. I will do my best to update my blog and respond to any questions or comments as you post them! My prayers are also with you for blessings and joy to come to your home. Thanks for being a part of this ministry!

---Alissa ;-)

Fish markets!

My future home.

This is looking north on my avenue. Hello Brooklyn!

En-thus-iasm!

This past weekend I attended a Short Term Missions Leaders' Conference in Bloomington, MN. It was put on by Stem Intl. and had workshops on how to maximize different aspects of your STM teams. I learned so much, and it made me en-thus-ed for New York in a whole new way! I learned that enthusiam is really a huge spiritual thing! 'En' is translated 'in' and the 'thus' represents Christ, therefore the translation of enthusiasm is 'In Christ' or 'Christ in me!' The people in Brooklyn will teach me so much, and I am excited to work with them and learn from them. Only 140 days.....or about 12096000 seconds. Please pray for me as I am now beginning to find financial support for the coming year. Also, pray that God will continue to show me new things and prepare my heart for what's coming next! God bless!

Fun graphic!

I made this graphic....I think it's sweet! This is where I'll be at everyone, I'm getting excited....it's hitting me just how long I could be gone.....just a year? I think not, but we'll see...whatever God leads me to, right?

This is my first post on this blog, but it shall not be my last. Here you'll come with me through my journey to Brooklyn, NY! I am undertaking a year of urban ministry....I'll need lots of prayer, and that is why I have this thing! Please write to me as I will need encouragement and prayers and humor all the way through! Many blessings!