It’s been about a month since I’ve been back from Newark. I apologize for the cliffhanger and not updating you sooner, but I’m pulling the college card, which offers some justification for being tardy.
The trip to Newark was, once again, both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. It was such a joy to see some of the kids and teens I met last year. They were taller, funnier, and crazier than I remembered. But what I loved was seeing how the Holy Spirit had moved in the past year. I saw a change in some of the kids. It is evident that the Holy Spirit is definitely moving, and although Newark is still in a place of darkness, bits of light are shining and it’s only through the power of Christ and the service of His people there.
I thought instead of boring you with countless journal entries documented throughout the week, I would give snippets and highlights to provide a perspective of the city and the people that live there.
Day 1:
Fun car ride up with Bethany, JC, John Tyler, and Tiffany. Full of worship, Disney, and African tribal songs.
Day 2:
Church with the locals.
Spent the rest of the day in New York City. Highlights: lunch at The Grey Dog, Central Park, experienced an arrest in the subway, and walked the Brooklyn Bridge.
Day 3:
SHAC (the after school program) began today. Hectic as usual, but lots of fun running around with the kids. A normal SHAC day consists of walking the kids over to the church from Hawkins Street School, snack time, chapel, and alternating between art class, values class, Bible class, and a physical activity of some sort.
Community Dinner. One of the most humbling experiences of the trip and probably of my life. All the team members were invited into the homes of some of the families involved with SHAC. Matt, Bethany, Liz and I went to dinner at Muriel’s house in the projects. She goes by “Munge.” Munge is the single parent of four children, one of them a newborn and one mentally challenged son named Anthony. Her two other children are Ashley, 10, and Timothy, 8. This was the first time I had ever stepped foot into a home in the projects. We walk into the living room. The kitchen is to the right and one bathroom and two bedrooms are down a shallow hall. It is darkly lit and I can hardly imagine that five people live here. Ashley is playing x-box zumba. I try to play with her, but my dancing skills do not even begin to compete with her rhythmic mind and agile body. While we’re dancing, Munge is making a true southern meal with fried chicken, mac & cheese, macaroni salad, bbq ribs, and corn on the cob. Yes, she went all out for us and it was delicious. The whole time she is in the kitchen, the baby is in the stroller sleeping. Matt tries to play with Anthony, who is running throughout the apartment. Anthony is about six year-old and wears nothing but a diaper. He climbs on the couch, pulls people’s hair, and tries to kick people for the sake of laughter. I gained a lot of respect for Munge that night. To have a full time job, make the best southern food, and raise four children with high demands, I just couldn’t believe it. When we left the apartment after dinner, I was in a state of shock. The dinner had opened me up to the life of just one family in Newark. To think of all the other families in the same position as Munge was almost unbearable. But, the community dinner was also a blessing because it was great to see the community serving us in their homes, on their “stomping ground.” It was a realistic reality.
Day 4:
We took a walk around the projects and had the chance to see the newly established health center. The health center is a wonderful thing happening in Newark. Some nurses have formed a health center right in the projects that offers in-home check-ups and trains the community of vital health issues to be aware of like high blood pressure, hypertension, a healthy eating habits. It was great to see the impact the nurses are making in the community.
Day 5:
Today we went downtown to North Reformed Church. North Reformed has a homeless ministry, and we were able to eat lunch with some of the homeless from the community. The interesting thing about starting a conversation with the people is they either love talking to you and practically talk your ear off, or they have absolutely no interest in discussing anything with you and prefer to eat their stew in silence. I met a man named Larry, and after finding out we both worked at camps in upstate New York, we instantly connected. He began talking about how he was a camp counselor for a boys camp in upstate New York in the 70’s. Sadly, it was not Camp-of-the-Woods, but I’m sure New York has plenty other fantastic camps. He had a lot of stories to tell, and I was grateful to have met such a friendly, talkative old man. He told me how he wants to fly in an airplane and see the Grand Canyon. In that moment, I wanted so badly to take him there so he could experience what so many people have the opportunity to right at their fingertips.
Day 6:
Today I went across the street with some other teammates to eat lunch with the elementary and middle school kids at Hawkins Street School. I got to see some of the kids whose class I volunteered in last year. After lunch, we partook in recess, which involved running frantically around on asphalt playing freeze tag. Personally, not my favorite version of tag, but the kids absolutely love it, so I complied. I have no idea what the home lives of these kids are like, but when I see them smiling, running around, and hugging me, it brings such joy.
Day 7:
Woke up at 4:30 a.m. not feeling too great. By 4:45, I camped out in the bathroom for the rest of the night. At 4:50, Bethany came in and asked if I was sick too. We were sick buddies that night and our bond grew speedily.
By the end of the week 16 out of the 22 teammates got the flu.
Despite getting sick, the trip was an absolutely moving experience. It is so awesome to see how the Lord is moving the lives of people in Newark. Please continue to keep Newark in your prayers and if you’d like to hear more about my trip, just ask me!
