The goals for today included learning to use the NYC metro system, receive input from Joel Yoder at the Mission Training Center, complete a ministry scavenger hunt and learning about Spanish/Catholic culture.
After breakfast we staged outside of the Kulp residence to prepare for our first major foray into the city via the metro. Throughout the day we attempted to become more skilled at avoiding the cardinal sin of “blobbing” (clustering as a group in a way that impedes pedestrian or traffic flow).
Our goal was to travel from Brooklyn over to the Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens (about 6 miles as the crow flies). After learning a few things about navigating rail construction detours, how to use the Citymapper app, lots of walking, learning to distrust addresses given on websites and about 2.25 hours of travel, we completed our journey to the Mission Training Center.
Joel Yoder from MTC gave an introduction to the neighborhood and sent us out in small groups on a multi-hour scavenger hunt. This neighborhood includes about 100,000 residents in an area of approximately 700 acres. Approximately 70% of the residents are 1st generation immigrants. While crime is present, Joel told us that the actual crime rate is higher in Holmes County, OH than in Elmhurst. Instructions for the scavenger hunt included…
-Finding a foreign language sign and asking someone to interpret it for us
-Counting residential units on a given block and estimating the number of residents
-Handing out 5 tracts
-Counting the number of passers by on a busy avenue in a 5 minute period
-Etc, etc.
Elmhurst quickly swallowed our 4 little teams with its incredible diversity of people and shops.
The scavenger hunt got Ben into quite a fishy situation.
It also started an interesting conversation about “eating meat offered to idols” after several students watched a worshipper presenting bananas to one of the gods in a Hindu temple and then the priest of said temple offered a student the gift of a banana. We concluded this portion of time with a second session led by Joel Yoder–this time outdoors at the Veterans Grove Playground.
Our next destination was the 5:00 mass at St. Bartholomews Catholic Church. There was plenty of food for thought from this 50 minute service.
Our return to the Highland Park neighborhood of Brooklyn by foot, rail and bus took about 1.75 hours. Our 8:00 supper was followed by lively discussions and then the dividing up into groups to attend 4 churches tomorrow morning.
Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to lift the group up to the Lord with requests for us to have encounters and experiences that will broaden our understanding of God’s heart for sharing the Good News.
We will now attempt to get some sleep amid the throbbing music that encompasses the neighborhood punctuated by the occasional car horn or siren. Farewell.
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