NYC 2008

Definitely in the final stretch of Kaleo here. In so many ways it feels like I just got here, nervous and excited all at once. Looking back and trying to verbalize all I have learned, the ways I have grown is a daunting task. The past 12 days I have been in New York City seeing a part of the world I have never seen, being exposed to a way of life that was truly foreign to me. While down there I was reading Philippians and it turned out to be so fitting. I was struck by the verse "to live is Christ and to die is gain". I thought about that a lot, trying to really understand what i means, and watching the Metro staff was an amazing example of what this means. I also was challenged with the verse that says to put the needs of others ahead of your own. I have always found it hard not to be selfish when it comes to serving but watching our team there, as well as the metro staff I was truly challenged to put the needs of others ahead of my own. I got to talk with a little girl whose brother had been stabbed the night before, or have a little girl ask me how my mom beat me. It brought up a lot of questions, why was I so blessed with an amazing family? Seeing where and how they live in the ghetto of New York made me feel truly blessed and so thankful for all God has given me. Seeing the Metro staff live lives of complete surrender and dedication to God's call also has challenged me to fully serve God with every aspect of my life. One of the staff we met Jason wakes up at 6 every morning to pray until 8, serves all day and then comes home and prays at 9:30 at night. I also learned a lot about the body of Christ, meeting the Christian in New York we had an immediate connection. It was really cool also to see how our team came together, although a lot of us came from different groups of friends here at Kaleo we really bonded. It was amazing to see members of our team step out of their comfort zone time and again to serve.