Living In Excess

The past few days I have been reading about the experiences that the compassion bloggers have been having in India, needless to say, it's rocked my world.

As I read about the poverty and despair the people of Calcutta my heart wants to do something. I live in complete excess.  I have every need met, and so many wants as well.  We are blessed. And we give.  Our family motto is "Live to Love, Live to Give"  We do our best to demonstrate the love of Jesus in our actions, words and deeds, but I want to give more.  I want to go out of the comfort zone.  I want to go to the weak, poor and needy.  I want to offer a cup of cold water, in the name of the Father.  I want to make a difference in my world.  Not by just giving money, but by giving more.

I had the opportunity to serve the Lord on an urban mission trip and I am thinking it might be time to share the experience with some friends.

While at NYSUM I had the opportunity to minister to people right on the streets of New York City.  My team went in the summer and we literally ministered in parks, in the public school day camp program, in the oldest mission in NYC-The Bowery, (Where we got to go out to Alphabet Park with a "ministry truck" which was a small truck stocked with a sound system and the side of the truck literally dropped down to make a stage, where we got to sing right out on the street.  I'll never forget that!)  The most life changing thing we did was go out at 11:00PM and take food and toiletries  to the homeless right into their cardboard homes.  We spent time listening to their stories and praying with them.  It was life changing.

So, how about it bloggy friends?  Here is the information: The New York School of Urban Ministry or NYSUM is a ministry run out of Queens, New York.  It has been in existence for 25 years and they have their fingers on the pulse of NYC.  

I know many of us are SO busy and the thought of leaving our families for an extended period of time is pretty much out of the question, but NYSUM has weekend trips.  We could choose one of their pre-planned weekends or we could have them plan a weekend specifically catered to our areas of interest in urban ministry.  (We could actually go anytime of the week, it doesn't have to be weekend.)  Also, it is very affordable.  Especially for a weekend trip, so raising support might not even be necessary, but if that is something you would need to do, I can help with the particulars of that!

Let me know if you are interested.  It can even be something we put on the calendar for next year.  I am completely open.  There is not another group of women I would want to do this with.  Let me know if you are interested and I can plan it.