New York City - A Different Way of Life

I went to New York City with seven people I barely knew from our church. We slept on air mattresses, it was hot, there was no AC in the house, and we drove home in a crowded minivan (cancelled flight). Sounds awful, right? Well it wasn’t. It was a great trip and I want take a few minutes to share what God showed me while in NYC. 


“Love thy neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” ~Mark 12:31

I’ve heard this verse so many times but for the first time, I saw it played out in an Orthodox Jewish community in New York City This trip was not the typical mission trip for me because our purpose was not to share the gospel. We were in a community not open to the gospel and we probably would have been run out of town if we started doing street evangelism. We were just friends from Tennessee who came to visit New York. We were there to support our friends who have been placed there by God as they share what God has given them and use it for His glory. As they would say, “we are just loving our neighbors.”

This was my third mission trip but my first one in United States. This one was a great fit for me because it didn’t involve working with children. I helped clean out a garage (throwing lots of stuff away), organized closets, stuffed envelopes for local charity, used a pressure washer for the first time, and I prayer walked in the community. In my devotion one morning while in NYC, I read about how service to God is the greatest privilege we can receive in life and serving in even the smallest way is an honor far greater than we deserve. This really spoke to me because I realized that I don’t have to work with children, I don’t have to be able to sing, and I don’t have to share the gospel on a mission trip in order to serve God. There are so many things I can’t do but I can organize a closet and God can use it for His glory.

I am thankful for the opportunity God gave me to serve Him in NYC. I am especially thankful that Jesus was born of a virgin, He lived a perfect life, He died for my sins, and because of my relationship with Him, I have the assurance of eternal life. I am thankful for God’s saving grace because I could never be good enough to earn the free gift of salvation. (Eph. 2:8-9). I love studying the Old Testament but our hope comes in the New Testament when we see Jesus as our Savior and King. We also see His victory over death and we see how the story ends. I love a good ending!


“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” ~2 Tim. 3:16-17

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