It has been almost a month since Spring Break and I am still reveling at how blessed I was to go on this trip! I was privileged to help lead a mission trip to New York City with FOCUS Missions. Myself and four other missionaries took six young women to work with three different religious orders in one incredible city.
I was blessed to travel with an incredible young women from Wayne named Jaicee! I was so blessed to be able to share this trip with her!
Jaicee and I at the airport at 6AM ready to head to the East Coast.
Once we got to New York, Jaicee and I braved the public transportation system. We jumped on a bus and then the subway. We ended up getting on the correct train going the wrong direction and we knew that this trip was going to be an adventure. Eventually we made our way to the Sheen Center, named for Archbishop Fulton Sheen who was a bishop of New York and is on his way to becoming a Saint! The center was beautiful as it was designed as a center for creating Catholic culture specifically in the arts. Because of this there was an art gallery and a concert hall in the building.
This is the view from the roof of the Sheen Center. It was truly beautiful.
The first full day we were there we stumbled upon a beautiful church with a soup kitchen in need of help! Though it was not planned we ended up helping out and meeting lots of wonderful people!
Above is our entire group with a couple of men we met at the soup kitchen.
We ended up helping out at this church several times through out the week as the theme of the week quickly became doing things completely unplanned. The Holy Spirit was 100% guiding this trip and we quickly learned that we should just do what He asks!
Through out the week we were able to visit many incredible churches. None was more incredible than the perpetual adoration church we found not too far from Central Park. It was a wonderful place to stop in and pray after a hard day's work. Possibly the most beautiful part was the relics that were there. My favorite was that of St. Anne.
This beautiful statue of St. Anne and the child Mary were near St. Anne's relic. It was my favorite place in the church.
As well as seeing churches we got to do a little bit of site-seeing. We were able to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (from land), all 5 boroughs, and my personal favorite Central Park. Go figure the farm girl in me would love the one place in the city that is all about nature! We had the chance to take a long walk in the park, and even though there was still snow on the ground I loved every second of it!
The lovely ladies I was with while exploring the park.
(The very first picture in the entry is also from Central Park. It is the big lake that is at the center of the park.)
The trip however was much more then churches and site-seeing. It was a lot of work as well. We worked with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Missionaries of Charity, and the Little Sisters of the Poor. It was very different work at each order, but it gave us a well rounded experience of service. We worked with everyone from the homeless, to AIDS victims, to the elderly, and everyone in between! It was so beautiful to see the joy and the love that these people had for life! It was truly inspiring.
Me and some of the girls helping decorate the nursing home we worked at for two days!
Getting ready for St. Patty's day was fun, and it was a whole new experience decorating in a surgical mask!
Though the trip is over, the lessons that we learned and the friendships that we made are not. I know that someday I will go back to the city. Until then I will be praying with everything that happened while I was there, and praying for all of the people I met!
Until next time,
Carpe Diem
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