Making Friends Across Cultures in New York City

The last time I went to New York City was well over 10 years ago when the Twin Towers were still standing. Having lived in North Carolina and the South my whole life I wasn’t sure what to expect from this fast moving city full of hundreds of different people groups. Before going to New York I would have said that I never wanted to live in a big city, after a week there I can honestly say that while I will always probably enjoy the country more, I came to care for the people of the city and to appreciate the diversity that it offered.

My team and I flew into LaGuardia on Sunday and spent the day getting moved in to the area of Queens which we were staying in. We then walked around Time Square and Central Park. The City was overwhelming in ways as billboards and signs bombard the people there with things they should do and buy and ways in which you should look. My prayer for the people of New York from the first day is that they would look higher than even the buildings there and begin to see God who is above it all.

On Monday we spent our first day on the streets of New York meeting people and sharing the gospel. This task was daunting from the start, but seemed even more impossible after a few hours on the streets of Jamaica in Queens. Not knowing the area or the native languages of most of the people there, it felt like a foreign country. However, upon wondering into a shop to get a Henna tattoo God quickly changed my outlook. Here, I was able to meet a man named Rehmani and several other members of his family. We talked for the next almost 3 hours as he shared his beliefs with me and I shared the gospel with him. I ask that all who are reading this please pray that Rehmani and his family come to realize what Jesus did for us all on the cross. And if you or your family are reading this Rehmani, I am glad to call you all my friends.

On Tuesday we continued to explore and meet people in the Jamaica area. Rehmani drove us to a restaurant that he likes and helped us order Pakistani food. The next day we took a break during the afternoon and did night evangelism. During this time we met a girl named Julia and her muslim mother, they too were from Pakistan. Julia walked us around the Jamaica area and took us to a park where I was able to join in with some local kids to hit in a game of cricket. 

On Thursday morning I went with Rehmani and his family to what was voted to be the best street vendor for Halal food in all of New York. During this time I was able to meet Rehmani’s nephew Ali who had just moved to the country 2 weeks ago as well.

On Friday our team went to Time Square to eat lunch, then road the Staten Island ferry by the Statue of Liberty. Afterwards we went to see ground zero. That night we walked the Brooklyn bridge. One of the highlights of the day for me however was running into a group of street performers. Check out the video below to see why:

Some of our team members took to the streets themselves and danced for the locals as well:

This week my team and I will begin our seminary class, our internships, and will be helping out with Kids Week at the Summit. Pray that we will have the strength and rest we need throughout this week.

Moving in and Discovering Durham

All my money is now raised and I am officially moved into Durham for the summer. I want to thank everyone who has supported me, whether it be financially or through your prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for my team and I as we reach out to those around us this summer.

I am living in an apartment with four other guys from the City Project during the part of the summer I am in Durham. God has blessed me with a great group of people to serve Him with this summer. It has been awesome getting to know everyone on my team so far, they all seem to have hearts that desire to serve God and it is encouraging to be surrounded by all of them. The first day here we were able to help some people we met at the apartment boost off their car and introduce ourselves to some of the people living around us. I am still getting to know the area but we are very close to Duke’s campus and I am excited to go out and meet people who live here.

On Wednesday we spent the morning in Duke Gardens studying and reflecting on John 15: 1-17. Afterwards we went on a four hour scavenger hunt that took us all over downtown Durham. It was neat getting to see that area and getting to know everyone on my team better. In the process we went to the local homeless shelter and got a small taste of what many people in that area are experiencing every day. Later that night we had a cookout at one of the host family’s houses.

Our next day in Durham we went to a building called the “Exchange” in Durham that hosts several nonprofit organizations such as Bless Durham and Urban Hope. I found out that I will be interning with Jason Gaston, the student pastor for the Summit. Later that day the lead pastor of the Summit, J.D. Greear, came and talked to us about his book, “Breaking the Islam Code” and about ministering to the Muslim community. That night I was able to explore the Walltown area with some of the other guys from my team and ate at a local Mexican restaurant. I continue to find Durham to be a very interesting city and look forward to sharing the gospel with this community.

On Friday we went down to the Exchange again and I learned that I will have the opportunity to help establish a Christian sports camp in the Durham area. I am excited to apply what business knowledge I have and my experience working with basketball camps to this area, while at the same time serving others. We also participated in fasting that day in order to prepare ourselves spiritually for the upcoming trip to New York. We will be leaving early Sunday morning for New York and will be there until Saturday. I will be writing about the New York trip once I get back so check in in about a week to read all about my team's experience there!