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| Hurricane Sandy-Missionary Team 2012 |
Hurricane Sandy-New York Mission Trip 2012
My New Perspective of An Intersection
Day 1: This trip...unexpected. I am so grateful to be a part of this mission. Thank you Lord Jesus. Wow, what a long bus ride yet what a bus ride it was. After being baptized in anointing oil (accidentally) by Pastor Mike Przbylski we left for the Bronx, New York at approximately three p.m. We had 14 hours of getting to know each other and that we did. I especially got to know Mike and Kim in which are two wonderful people that I hit it off with right away. We became the three amigos. We arrived finally around five a.m. after a few rest stops and a long wait at Walmart waiting for the donations to be rung up. To my recollection there were $2100 worth of bottled water and blankets.
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| Kingsbridge Armory-Bronx N.Y. |
Most of us received no sleep during the 14 hour bus trip. Day 2: Shortly after arriving at the Kingsbridge Armory in Bronx, New York we spent a majority of the day sorting and loading u-haul trucks and the Lifeline Ministries bus with supplies for delivery. This is where we met people from other churches and formed partnerships in order to make deliveries.
I am currently sitting alone in the back of the bus debating on napping before we go into Coney Island N.Y. to serve food and provide medical services if all goes as planned. I just got back from a Bronx McDonald's for lunch with three of the other team members. So much for a nap. It was really fun to be able to walk through the Bronx!
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| Waiting to be deployed to Coney Island N.Y. |
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| Unloading supplies-Coney Island N.Y. |
What an experience! After all day of waiting, changing plans and forcing in a few seconds (that's what it felt like) of sleep we delivered a bus full of supplies to a church in Coney Island N.Y. until midnight. We did not get to deploy until 10 p.m. but it was well worth the wait. Since I could not lift the cases of water I became the photographer which was fine by me due to my interest in being a photo journalist.
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| Hope House-Harlem, N.Y. |
We ended up not having a place to stay so a Pastor we met volunteered a house for the women to stay called the "Hope House." We all slept on the finished basement floor in our sleeping bags. We were all exhausted. I am not sure where the men stayed. Thank you Lord for the hospitality from everyone at Hope House! The bus was having some problems with the brake lines and it ends up it was because the load of the supplies were so heavy. I was a little concerned but I know that God's got this!
Day 3: Obama wins another term. I did not get a chance to vote since I found out last minute that I was coming to New York on the day before voting. Tired and sore I'm waiting for the shower to open. Most of the other women already went down to the corner deli for breakfast. My body apparently chose sleep over food after a night of hearing someone snoring. I'm not sure what is going to happen today but I know that it is going to be good. I'm currently in Harlem, New York. Pretty cool Lord, Harlem.
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| Costco's Glenn & Julio loading supplies |
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| Nor'easter at Hope House |
To add insult to injury the area is now expecting a nor'easter to blow through. The ladies were picked up and we made a trip to get more supplies before the storm hit to take back to the Kingsbridge Armory where the men were waiting for us to unload. Although we were all willing to take the risk to get the supplies delivered Steve decided for the safety of the team we would not go out into the storm to make a delivery, but we did go out as a team to get something to eat. It was a great time for fellowship. We would have to wait for the storm to pass before getting back to work. Today was not as we planned but the storm brought in an amazingly beautiful landscape of snow.
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| Those in need-Coney Island N.Y. |
Day 4: The snow was beautiful yet melting away as quickly as it came. The weather is surprisingly warmer than I anticipated. I went for a walk around Harlem with my new friend Sue to check out the area. I could really get used to living here! I never thought in a million years I would be walking around Harlem. After our jaunt around Harlem we took the bus over to Coney Island, N.Y. on the intersection of Surf and 25th with a load of supplies for our first "block party." Overall it was very chaotic and there were many "takers" as Steve described them. It was a lesson for us all, who are we to decide their needs. After all the loading and unloading of the supplies, this is where we finally had the opportunity to talk to the people that were in need. We were building relationships, even though some very brief, we were encountering the love of Christ. We were able to provide food, water and clothing for all the residents that were able to come to the "block party."
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| Far Rockaway, New York |
Day 5: We departed to go to another area of Coney Island to hand out supplies. We did not stay long at this location. We did stay long enough for our team member Mike to be able to go to the beach and go into the Atlantic Ocean for the very first time. That was pretty cool.We decided to go to a place that was very hard hit by hurricane Sandy call Far Rockaway. We all had a hard time remembering the name of the town so we called it Fraggle Rock until the name finally set in. It gave us something to chuckle about amongst the sadness of the devastation around us.
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The lifeline bus set up camp on the intersection of Thursby Ave. and 63 St. Some of the team dispersed to let the citizens know that there were supplies there and some of the team unloaded and set up the tables. I was on a two-man-team with Mike to go knock on doors to find any residents in need. It was an amazing experience. I believe it may have been, amongst many, one of the high points of the mission for me. People were very happy to hear from us.
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| Setting up in Far Rockaway NY |
Later I found out that it was actually a very dangerous neighborhood. I did not feel unsafe for a moment. The Lord lead us through. The people started to filter in. This is the first opportunity we had to set up the medical clinic. I had the responsibility to be Nurse Kim's assistant which went very well. Kim's heart, filled with mercy and compassion, was exposed during these hours of seeing patients. You are an amazing nurse "Doc Kim."
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| Medical clinic |
At the end of day five I reflect on my trip so far and think abut our time spent on the corner of Thursby and 63 rd. It changed my perspective. I never imaged I would be here, helping others and meeting amazing people. What a glorious intersection. Day 6: Rested and ready to go, we decided to stay another day and go back for one last delivery with the items we had left on the bus. Like the fish and the bread when Jesus was feeding the masses, there was once again more than enough to go around. Praise God. We ended up going back to the same spot that we went to on day four, Surf and 25th in Coney Island. We saw a few of the same faces. We were able to open up the medical clinic again and provide blood pressure checks and hand out some of the 11 cases of cough medicine a church donated to us.
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| Mike's ocean water baptism |
When everything was starting to wind down, Mike decided he wanted me to baptize him in the Atlantic since I am a volunteer Chaplain. Mike, Kim and I went down to the ocean and I did my first baptism. What an honor and a privilege it was to do the ceremony. The beach was closed for cleanup so Mike filled a water bottle with ocean water and he was baptized on the boardwalk.
We then proceeded to walk to another "block Party" down the street on the corner of Mermaid and 29th where we once again handed out supplies and provided medical care.
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| Renee, Jonna, Mark, Nurse Kim |
We met a married couple that survived the hurricane. I ministered to Mark and he accepted Christ as his Savior. Our time together with our new church family and all the residents of the area was coming to an end. It was very bittersweet. We were all full of energy yet very tired. What an amazing last day. It was where all the loading, unloading, delivering, and ministering to the people came together. Yet another beautiful intersection of people and places.
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| Our new church family |
Mission Accomplished.
Pamela Renee Schneider
After telling my dad my plans to stay at the Sparrows Nest
he told me that if I wanted to I could live in his 3 unit house on the east
side of Toledo. He informed me that the upper 2 bedroom unit was vacant. I went
over to check it out and saw all the work it needed. I decided to pray over it
and start to get it cleaned up because regardless if I stayed there or not it
needed to be done to get a new tenant in.
It
was amazing to me how the Lord has orchestrated my entire existence. When I was
younger I was so lost. I have recently been reflecting on my life and have been
attempting to figure out exactly what happened to me in my past that set me in
a path of drugs, alcohol, physical abuse, sexual promiscuity, one bad
relationship after another, financial ruin, and homelessness. Something had to
have happened to warp my mind to believe a life with all of this chaos was
normal. 
After years of confusion, numbness, and hopelessness, the Lord is revealing to
me how everything I have been through is about to come together for the good.
This week with God, Dan Rodgers, Steve North, and Sharon McQueary, I am going
to go through spiritual surgery to locate the wound and treat the infection
that for so long has needed healing.
So I prayed...
Beautiful, Caring, Smart, Giving, Thoughtful, Good Mom, Child of God, Worldly Poor Rich In Spirit, Rescued, Saved, Strong, Courageous, Sacrifice, Loyal, Trustworthy, Bold, Confident, Noble Warrior of Christ, Renewed, Redeemed, Happy, Abundant Joy, New Life. 
It has broken me.