When it was announced to nearly twenty students they would be taking a trip to New York City, it never occurred to them they would end up in Newark, New Jersey. Most pictured bright lights, busy streets, and greasy food; however what they experienced over a 3 day mission trip was anything but that. Instead they spent their nights sleeping on the floor, talking to people unlike themselves and eating home cooked meals from a man named Lawrence.
The students arrived in Newark around 9 am after over 6 hours of travel. Waking up at 3 am to drive to Charlotte, NC for a 6 am flight took nearly all the energy the students had, but the day was young, and the list of work to do was growing.
The group of students spent the day Saturday taking a walking tour around the city learning the people, the streets, and the extreme need for God's love. Rev Randy amazed the students with stories of lives transformed by God's plan on all corners of Newark. After returning to the church and helping create a make shift room for one of the homeless men who lives in the church the students met the church kitchen staff and began to learn about North Reform Church and their mission in Newark.
"Newark taught me that you can't just judge people by what you see. One guy went to jail for attempted murder, and now by being transformed by God he's working for the church, using his heart and spirit to minister to the city that once took everything from him. Jesus doesn't discriminate of who he loves, or who he gives his time to. Why should we? -Julia Weeks (8th Grader)
"I found it was much easier to talk to the homeless than I expected. I was nervous and taken back by what I was about to do by sitting down and talking to these people. These people have personalities, and a sense of humor, and experiences similar to the ones I have. We all spend time pouting and complaining about our lives and then pass them by like they aren't real people. Everyone we see has a story and I enjoyed getting to know their stories."- Brandi Patterson (12th Grader)
Sunday came sooner than most expected, where the students joined North Reform's small yet passionate congregation in Sunday school and Worship Service from 9-11:30am. Singing hymns accompanied by piano and saxophone, it was a nice change from the typical guitar, rock contemporary style they experienced back in SC.
After church the group spent the morning in prayer in Westchester, NY right above the Bronx. Meeting Mt. Vernon Church and Pastor Orlando, the crew teamed up with AIM student college leaders and took a few hour long prayer walk around the surrounding streets. Meeting the people on the streets, asking to pray for and with them, and digging deep for the courage to be brave enough to do so shook the worlds of most of the pretty reserved students.
"The prayer walk we took was my favorite. I was brought up to think it's not ok to talk to strangers, but now it's an enjoyable experience that I learned a lot from. Seeing people we stopped on the streets was so emotional and appreciative of our faith and our willingness to pray for them made me realize what a blessing we are meant to be through Jesus Christ." – Katie Watkins (6th Grader)
"The prayer walk the most life changing. Getting to know some of the homeless people are just like any ordinary person. You have to get up close and personal. I enjoyed talking to them. After getting over the initial shock of the differences of those people, they became more than homeless people I was trying to help, they became my friends." -James (6th Grader)
Waking up Monday to a room full of the homeless waiting for breakfast encouraged the students to jump in the kitchen and make pancakes for the hungry. Hanging out with the city and serving breakfast and lunch, they grew to love the city of Newark even more.
They spent till 10 that night helping reorganize the church's 3 room food pantry and clothing storage units that help the community.
"This trip was extremely eye opening. A couple years ago I was approached by a homeless person in Atlanta, GA and I freaked out. After this experience I wouldn't ever feel the way I did in GA that day. The stereotypes of how I saw cities and people like this have all gone out the window. It's brought me down a level too. I was always really jealous of what people had that I didn't, and now these people just do the best with what they can have. All they want is to stay living and have someone to talk to who believes they're worth something." -Courtney Phipps (10th Grader)
"I've seen how we appreciate so little compared to these people. I feel like I've tried to be more open to people, not even just homeless people, but anyone who isn't like me." -Erika Weeks (10th Grader)
"My experience spiritually was the impact of what I was seeing. There's more than just SC in this world. The world is so much bigger and we need to realize there are so many needs out there. I also realized how important family is. We take for granted our brothers, sisters, and parents a lot of times when these people are fighting day and night just to be able to spend time with their family." -Peyton Matteson (9th Grader)
"This experience was nothing like I had ever had before. At first I was scared to come on this trip. I'm not very outgoing and I have a fear of the homeless but as the week progressed I learned that they are more like us than we think. Ostracizing them because they're not "the norm" isn't how we should act as the body of Christ. They're made in the image of Christ too, and we should love on them the same way we do our friends in our churches back home." -Lindsey Bost (12th Grader)
"I'd always think of homeless people on TV as some guy with a scraggly beard asking for money and a place to stay, but the people we've met this weekend aren't a different species of people, they are people with a sweet heart who just need a little bit of help from people like us." -Lauren (6th Grader)
“I thought about how they have so little and we have so much. We’re all so greedy. Even when we went into NYC, and met the “rich and famous”, I realized how rude the people who had a lot were compared to the ones less fortunate. The ones living on the streets showed love and kindness back to us.” –Mary Beth Grimes (8th Grade)
“I experienced that I take things way too much for granted and we need to be grateful for the small stuff. A bathroom, a shower, a place to sleep, all of these things we have day to day without thinking twice about it, but these people spend their entire day thinking about how to get by without these things. The stereotypes I had about these kinds of people have changed completely and I’m thankful for the change of how I see the world now.” –Dustin Hill (11th Grader)
Although the group of 20 didn't get the experience they pictured before the trip began, it wasn't a trip they'd regret or forget. They learned to love the world with compassion, just as the Lord loved us.
