The Untold Stories of New York

THROWBACK SERIES, PART 2

Back in May, my church and I took a trip to Queens, New York to do outreach and work with long term missionaries who live there. Even though the trip was just 8 days long, it has had a tremendous amount of impact going into the World Race. With the rapid progression of the summer and launching out overseas, I only had the chance to blog about this trip once. It’s time to change that! This blog dives deeper into the trip through the perspective of five stories of key developments that happened while out in one of the biggest cities of the world.

Story #1- The Sikh Gurdwara

New York is one of the most diverse places on the planet, and there is a very large Sikh community here. One one of the days on this trip, three of us met up with a friend and visited a group of Sikhs. At first, we visited one of their businesses, where they gave us tasty Chai tea. Now, I have never been a tea drinker- but this gesture began to reverse my anti-tea habit that I had built up for years. That Chai tea was so good- I could just sit there and guzzle it all day. They were very friendly to us, and they took us into their temple (the Gurdwara). The spiritual atmosphere was intense. People stand inside and worship, and their sacred scriptures are in the center of the sanctuary. Later in the morning, we eat lunch in the basement of the building. We end up meeting more Sikh friends, who tell us about their religion, their gurus, and the history of Sikhism. The day ultimately built crucial bridges towards the community, and I really enjoyed getting to know their culture.

Story #2- Planting Albanian Seeds

When in New York, I did not know that I would end up in Albania just a few short months later. But the Lord did. Albania was of interest for me to visit for a long time, and He reignited this seed while in New York. While walking the streets of Queens, I happened to stumble upon a brochure to a restaurant. After picking up the flyer, I saw the Albanian emblem staring at me! Later on in the trip, a group of us got to connect with a long term missionary who served there. Isn’t that amazing! As we ate dinner, I loved getting to hear his stories about Albania, and what it was like to be there. It seems like it was a crazy but super fruitful experience! He also recommended a very handy resource, EthNYcity, by Chris Clayman and Meredith Lee. This will especially be helpful if I go back to NYC someday.

Story #3- The Legacy of a COVID Epicenter

Back in April 2020, NYC made headlines as the epicenter of the Covid pandemic early on. Hospitals were stretched to the brink as health authorities tried to contain the fast spreading virus. The state of New York greatly encouraged the vaccine, and I was able to be fully vaccinated just two days before this trip started. When we got here, we learned about why Covid spread so fast. Much of it has to do with many families living in one to two room apartments stacked on top of each other (with little space to isolate infected patients). We spent a lot of time walking around Queens, and there were many sites set up to administer J&J vaccines to anyone who wanted it. On our way back from one of the parks, we drove by one of the main hospitals in Queens that cares for Covid patients. It was a humbling sight for me.

Story #4- A blessing of corporate abiding before the LORD

Abiding with God is a crucial process to be able to do effective ministry and missionary work. However, Western society is very individualistic; and as a result- our walks with God can become very individualistic as a result. This “personal journey with God thing” is ok- but one can easily miss out on doing this journey as a community pressed together. One of my favorite times on this trip was getting together as a group and abiding intentionally for an hour or more at a time. We all did it together in the morning at one place with everyone there. We did it before going out of the apartment and made sure to start out the day with the Lord. We read our Bibles, prayed, and then came together for prayer and worship in the end. We were there for each other- ready and willing to step in as people were challenged. This is one of the reasons why I emphasize community- and desire for us to choose each other as we press into the Lord together. Christian community also benefits from the hard stuff being shared and things being brought to the surface- together.

Story #5- The Other Side of New York

If someone asked me: “What should I do in New York City?”, I would answer: “Don’t just visit Manhattan”. I would never have expected to answer that question this way- especially after seeing Manhattan during my first two visits to NYC. But seeing a different side of New York blew me away. Much of my time was spent in Jackson Heights- which is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the world. Many of these neighborhoods in Queens are populated by immigrant communities who run stores and restaurants as part of their livelihood. Where else can you eat at a Thai restaurant, walk in “Little India”, visit Muslim shops celebrating the end of Ramadan, buy tee shirts in the Latino area, and walk by a large Korean church- all in a matter of city blocks? This is where America’s melting pot shines, and neighborhoods scattered throughout Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx have similar vibes. Getting to be part of where so many cultures collide is awesome, and I highly recommend it to anyone who chooses to see the Big Apple.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for my last Throwback Post about the crazy adventures before the World Race!