New York

We are finishing an amazing month in New York City.  A month that seemingly passed by in the blink of an eye.  What an incredible experience to be able to live in the city for a month, to meet people and make friends and be a few threads in the complex tapestry God has woven in New York.

We were tourists.  We made it to the museums and the big name stores and the sights that you think of when you think of New York.  We were commuters.  We traveled by subway every single day.  We negotiated the labyrinth of mazes underneath the city.  We pushed our way through the crush of people at rush hour, morning and night.  We rode on buses and ferries, too.  And we were residents.  We bought our groceries a couple days at time and carried them down the street and up the stairs to our place.  We read the paper on the subway every morning.  We passed by the same people each evening.

Perhaps I am most surprised by the diversity of New York.  I can't imagine that in this month we haven't seen every shade of skin tone and heard a good many of the tongues of earth.  Living in New York provides an amazing photograph of God's kingdom.  We witnessed the ugliness of racism and heard occasional examples of how vile the untamed tongue can sound.  And yet, we saw acts of kindness and compassion.  We saw the beauty amidst brokenness.

New York is dirty and busy and loud.  We'll never forget the stench of garbage sitting on the curb on a hot day, or the surprise of seeing a rat on the subway tracks.  But New York is a beautiful tapestry of color and sound and life as well.  We tasted the cuisines of the world.  We marveled at the wonder of modern architecture.  And we smiled while watching the delight of children that is universal.

And this month has been a good transition to what lies ahead for my family.  We're leaving the relative predictability of the midwest and heading into a life that looks and sounds and tastes much different than the one we are most familiar with.  In this month, we have seen God's provision, and we rest in His faithfulness to continue to care for us in the new and different places He has yet to bring us to.

A friend and fellow participant created a video of her images of the month for her final project.  I think it's a really neat glimpse of much of what we experienced as well.  (and hey!  I'm in it, for a brief moment you can catch my eyes...)

Good bye New York!  Thanks for a great month of memories and experiences!