Born To Be Free...

4th of July... All US are celebrating the Independence Day. The tradition that even non-Americans are aware of is that you HAVE TO GRILL on Independence Day...

But alas! It's raining...

...determined as I am, I wasn't going to give up on my grilling dream... so here comes Mr. George Foreman himself...

You gotta do what you gotta do, right?

(our beautiful veggie burger creation)

In the evening we went to our friends' house to eat and watch fireworks.

(our lovely hosts: Ramon & Sabrina)

(Bryan gets in touch with with his second personality...for all of you who watched Kung Fu Panda let me know who the panda reminds you of :)

We like to PARTY

Summer is here! Yay!

For these 2 weeks in July we have Teen Mania join us and together we're doing big summer parties (outreaches) in different areas of NYC. For the past 2 days we've gone to Far Rockaway (my Sidewalk Sunday School site).


For the first day (Wednesday) we set up the tents with Face Painting & Nail Painting. Also we had a place where they could get some fruit punch and a cookie. We played water games all day and simply had tons of fun with the kids. And then yesterday (Thursday) we had a Sidewalk Sunday School program for kids & adults. It was wonderful.

(it was fun doing opening with Bryan)



(that's me getting dunked because girls won the game)

Since we had so many people AND didn't have to rush on to the next site it was possible to allow for ministry time at the end. When Craig (our team leader for the event) first had teenagers lined up and announced that people could come and get prayed for, nobody stood up. We knew God was doing something in the hearts of the kids and parents but they wouldn't come up. The seconds felt like hours. Nobody stood... Then finally a little girl (about 6 years old) got off the tarp and came up front. On the boys' side immediately an older boy (11 years old) got up and followed her to the stage. And then "the damb" broke... people flooded to the front to be prayed for.

On Tuesday our team will do the same outreach in the Bronx. Keep praying for us...

MIA

Hey, sorry you haven't heard from me in a while...

the reason for that is that Bryan's computer is officially dead.

feel free to call me & chat

until then i won't post much

poka - bye

Dress Up. Save the World.

Superhero Week in Sidewalk Sunday School.

Princess Ashley waiting to be rescued :)

And here are our noble heroes

Princess Tea Party 4/20/2008

So much fun for the girls! They all got princess dresses provided by Women of Excellence Foundation in CA and they had a nice banquet and they learned that they are princesses in God's Kingdom ...by the way... so are we! our youngest princess

My Reads

At the moment I'm reading "Troubled Sleep" by Jean-Paul Sartre.

The book depicts the fall of France in 1940, and the anguished feelings of a group of Frenchmen, whose prewar apathy gives way to a consciousness of the dignity of individual resistance and solidarity with others who are oppressed.

It is easier to build boys and girls than to repair men and women

What can I say? Preschool Rocks! Done it again. Here are some pics from today.

Amish roots

I visited my friend Deanna in Lancaster, PA last week... And today I saw this hat in our Kids Church storage... I couldn't resist taking a picture :)

Pirate Week

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

We have just finished Week 4 of Sidewalk Sunday School.

We've done the Pirate Week and pretended to turn our Sunday School truck into a pirate ship.

The lesson was on guilt. We were encouraging kids not to carry their guilt but give it to Jesus.

My Very Long Birthday Party

My longest birthday party ever! It lasted SIX DAYS!!!

This year I celebrated my birthday with my Sidewalk Sunday School kids. We did an entire Birthday Week. Every day I baked 96 cupcakes for each site (240 cupcakes on Friday)... and our wonderful an amazing interns ended up having to frost all of them... they didn't complain and still smiled even after having plastic spoons break inside a container of frosting. He-he-he :) Our cupcake grand total for the week was 528 (44 dozen) cupcakes... and a box of Dunkin Donuts munchkins.

The kids who came to Sunday School were encouraged to bring a self-made birthday card. The best card from each site won a prize. The one below is one of my personal favorites (try to read what the text says).

I had a great time. Our attendance this week was 800 people. That's one big birthday bash.

Bye Bye for now...

I said, "YEP"

That's exactly what I said to... Bryan asking me to marry him. It was very beautiful and romantic (which I guess was the effect he was going for :) )

We went to the beach right by my Sidewalk Sunday School site. He told me to close my eyes and gently lead me somewhere. When I opened my eyes, I still couldn't see anything but the... beach? so what was the big deal? Bryan pulled out a bouquet of white & red roses and started telling me how great I was, etc., etc... and then he turned me around and I saw this:


Bryan stood on one knee and pulled out the ring. Here comes the moment! I said, "YEP"...

We had our picture taken by a random man who happened to be walking on the beach. When he saw us he tried to turn the other way as not to disturb our little romantic picnic so Bryan had to chase him down to ask him to take our picture. He said he's been happily married for 45 years (that's encouraging :) )

I'm BACK!!

Hi there...
Quick observation - I survived a month without much internet - and I enjoyed it :)
Spent time with God, my boyfriend and friends, drank coffee and read books. It was great.
I think all www lovers should do that once.

Bye Bye For Now

So...
I will be doing a 30-day online fast. That means you will not hear from me on this blog, myspace, etc. until April. Exceptions: I will still check my email once a week and make online bill payments when necessary. I also will be going online once a week to listen to Pastor Sunday's sermon (www.pastorsunday.com) but that's it... so if you want to know what's going on - call me (he-he) or even better - come visit :)

In Search Of Simplicity - Law 1

Law 1: Reduce.

Author writes: The best way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction.

Problem: My room is cluttered & uninviting; I feel like there's not enough room for mny stuff. I have looked through some of my things - stored in far corners of my room and realized that some of them I have not even seen since I moved here over a year ago.

Solution: Garbage Bags. A-ha!
Unused for years clothing goes in a laundry bag to take later to a rehab center for some of the ladies I've been working with. Other stuff (and how much stuff there really is) is either thrown out or put in bags to be given away.

Note To Self: Be careful to remove only what is unnecessary and has no emotional value attached.

On The Other Hand: I really don't need as much as I think I need. I won't miss some of the things that I think I'd miss.

Result: 2 garbage bags out the door this morning. A lot more stuff to go through over the weekend. Feeling of accomplishment. Cleaner room.

In Search Of Simplicity

Simplicity is the property, condition,

or quality of being simple or un-combined.

It often denotes beauty, purity or clarity.

Simple things are usually easier to explain

and understand than complicated ones.

Simplicity can mean freedom

from hardship, effort or confusion.

It may also refer to a simple living lifestyle.

(Wikipedia)

I love simple. My life is overscheduled, overcrowded... with people, things, pressures...
I found the 10 laws of simplicity online and I am determined to try...

Prayer Requests

The prayer of a person living right with God

is something powerful to be reckoned with.
(James 5:16)

Please Pray:

1) N. 19 yrs old – left rehab program on Wednesday for some guy she met while in the hospital, the day before she was supposed to visit her daughter. Please pray that God will protect her from harm and that she will come back into the program.

2) E. has been denied parental rights of her daughter. According to court she cannot appeal.

3) M family was all very close to God once. Now the family is all falling apart with one child often in psycho ward, one in group home, and others not well taken care of, and the mother so bitter that she is totally oblivious to the destruction in her family. They have all turned away from God.

4) We're starting Sidewalk Sunday School next month. Please pray that God will give us as a team wisdom as to how better reach people this upcoming semester.

5) P. used to come to church faithfully every week. Now she cannot get on the bus because of the problems with her back. Please pray for healing.

6) my green card situation is still unresolved... so if you're not weary yet - please keep praying

Six-month-a-versary :)

What a word... basically to say that Bryan & I have been dating for 6 months.

A friend of Bryan's from Arizona sent him some money with a note "Do something fun with Helen". We decided to take this money and use it to celebrate our six months together.

After some discussion we decided to go to The View - the revolving restaurant in the middle of Times Square. Here're some pics.

brrrrrrr

It's 20 degrees that feels like 9 (because of the wind)... and it's cold out there...

Bryan had to be introduced to "babushka style" when he forgot his hat :)

Other than that - it's all good. Tomorrow we'd have been dating for 6 months (oi).

I will be leaving for my last Connect Group in Palladia rehab today. I'm sad about it because I loved spending time with the ladies and sharing God's love with them and I will miss that. I'm happy because I know that Ali will keep going there. Please pray for the ladies to keep growing in God.


God bless you!

The Happiest Place On Earth

Disneyland is a work of love.

(W.Disney)

How could I say I have visited California without seeing Disneyland... Bryan & I were blessed by his family with passes to Disneyland for the time we were there.

I have very mixed feelings about Disneyland. There're things about the grandeur of it all that bothered me a bit. Yet, I can't help but admit that Disneyland very well could be one of the happiest places on earth. Being there, going on all the rides, seeing characters, shows, even landscaping was a very special treat for the little girl inside of me.


I wonder if there's anything in Disneyland that doesn't come in mickey shape :)

Random Thought: As I read Disneyland's catchphrase "The Happiest Place on Earth" I couldn't help but wonder - why can't the church be the happiest place on earth. I think it should be...

Andrei & Sarah's Wedding

There is nothing more admirable
than two people who see eye-to-eye
keeping house as man and wife,
confounding their enemies,
and delighting their friends.
(Homer, 9th century BC)

I have just returned from a great vacation in California. Bryan & I had to go to a wedding of our dear friends - Andrei & Sarah. We met them at Metro and their relationship helped us develop our friendship.

Andrei & Sarah + Bryan & I

Their wedding was so beautiful & personal. It was so wonderful to see them commit their lives to each other. A new experience for me was being in the wedding party.

I never could have thought how many little details are there to keep track of. Oi...

It's you I like,
It's not the things you wear.
It's not the way you do your hair,
But it's you I like.
The way you are right now
The way down deep inside you
Not the things that hide you
Not your diplomas...
They're just beside you.
But it's you I like,
Every part of you,
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings,
Whether old or new.
I hope that you'll remember
Even when you're feeling blue,
That it's you I like,
It's you yourself, it's you
It's you I like!
(Mr Rogers)

Palladia Valentines Party

Our Connect Group in Palladia Rehab is happening every Thursday.

This week it meant we were having it on Valentines Day. So we decided to throw the ladies (and gentlemen) a Valentines Party... to protect the ladies I have decided not to post any pictures here that could easily reveal their identity...

... instead - here's the picture of cupcakes we made for them :)

They were so happy. Bryan & I made little Valentines for them (with God asking them to be their Valentine), and they were so excited like you wouldn't believe it. Some kept repeating that they wouldn't eat "God candy" and keep it forever :) One said that this was the best gift she's received in a long while... Please continue to pray for these wonderful ladies to grow in the knowledge of Christ.

I want to know what love is...

This year was my very first real Valentines Day (very American thing that is slowly finding its way into countries of the former Soviet Union now but was not common while I lived there). I wasn't quite sure what to expect or what was expected from me. Everyone was giving me ideas as to what a perfect Valentines Day should consist of. My heart was pounding. What was I going to do?

I guess I was so overwhelmed by the pressure to make it perfect that I didn't do much (oops). I did make a decent Valentines Day breakfast... hope that counts...

Bryan seemed to like his heart-shaped pancakes (oi, a little while back I would laugh at anyone who'd do something like that and now look at me...)

Bryan, on the other hand, exceeded all my expectations (or whatever ideas i might have had in my head about what it would be like)... I got it all - card, chocolate, flowers...

... and a lot of undivided attention... and that's only in the morning.

After work, I came over to Bryan's house and he had a candlelight dinner set up for me...

...and we even had homemade chocolate fondue

The craziest thing we've done: we started watching Hitch and there's that scene there that has Sarah and her friend at Rice to Riches. We look at each other and...

It was wonderfully spontaneous. After Rice to Riches we walked down to Battery Park and then took a train to our respective homes.

The sweetest thing: Ephithany (a teenager from the Bronx who insists on calling us Mom & Dad) wrote Bryan a step-by-step Valentines Day instructions. so cute :)

So there's most of my Valentines Day adventures. I will post some news on my Valentine Day Party @ Palladia Rehab in a separate post.

The Battle Cry

Over this weekend I have gotten an opportunity to help out at the Acquire the Fire event for the Greater New York area.


It was quite an experience. When we first came to the Continental arena - it was empty...

... yet just a few hours later it was FILLED with teenagers and youth ministers. Some of our young people from church attended as well...

The event was called The Battle Cry... for the young generation of people who do not know Christ. In the words of Ron Luce, the founder of Teen Mania Ministries and Acquire the Fire, "With the battle for their hearts and minds more fierce than ever before, this generation is at a crossroads moment that will shape the future of our country."

We worked really hard, my feet were burning by the end of the day, and I barely had any time to sleep... but it was totally worth it.

My Reads

I like reading so I thought I'd share with you what I'm reading from time to time...

My friend Deanna gave me this book, and I've been so busy that it's been sitting on my shelf for a while. Then it migrated to my desk (mainly because she was visiting and wanted to read it too). Finally I have started reading it.

Even though the struggles described by the author may not be as intense in your life, the principle, however, is true. We (men and women) are very much influenced by the society and the standards it introduces. Oftentimes we refuse to step out and be the best we can be for God because we're insecure in ourselves.

Here's a quick random quote from the book: "A gentle and quiet spirit is exhibited as you place your complete trust in God. When a woman stops struggling to be what everyone else thinks she should be, and instead lets herself enjoy what God wants her to be, she portrays a gentle and quiet spirit."

ChurchSHIFT

The new book by Pastor Sunday Adelaja, CHURCHSHIFT and its corresponding CHURCHSHIFT GUIDE are available starting TODAY (!), February 8, 2008.


I have copied the information below from their book launch web-site (http://www.churchshift.org/). Also my blog has a link to pastor Sunday's church web-site (God Embassy) - check it out!

The fabric of American culture is in decay – evident to people from outside the US even more than those of us inside the nation. We CAN stop the moral slide by helping to reform 1000 churches of all denominations.

When you help the revolution by purchasing CHURCHSHIFT during February 8-22, we will give you a FREE 12-month membership to http://www.pastorsunday.com/, so you may access online the resources of Pastor Sunday's world-changing video and audio messages.

HOW TO DO IT
February 8-22 – especially February 8-10!!!
1) click the links below, or in the sidebar to the left.
Order the CHURCHSHIFT BOOK
Order the CHURCHSHIFT GUIDE
2) Forward your Amazon.com receipt to shifted@churchshift.org
3) You will receive an email from us with your login information to access ALL of Pastor Sunday’s online English messages!

That's it! Three easy steps to help change the nation by helping to change the way we "do church"!

Ten Benefits of CHURCHSHIFT!
CHURCHSHIFT will help transform nations by introducing a new way to do church.
CHURCHSHIFT reveals how to “pastor without tears.”
CHURCHSHIFT helps avoid splits and division.
CHURCHSHIFT changes our view of our ministry.
CHURCHSHIFT inspires us to believe for supernatural outcomes.
CHURCHSHIFT equips church members to impact the seven spheres of society.
CHURCHSHIFT teaches Kingdom values for societal transformation.
CHURCHSHIFT activates the potential of the local church.
CHURCHSHIFT helps change nations by emerging from four walls of a church building.
CHURCHSHIFT provides the keys for NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION!

Palladia Update

So Ali & myself went to Palladia again yesterday, and we're back to our regular time in the afternoon. But what's even more amazing is that all the ladies who signed a request to come to church on Sunday got approved. So if you prayed - THANK YOU. And if you didn't you should because obviously prayer works.

Sidenote for all of you who is unfamiliar with our ministry. Every year Metro Ministries hosts what is called a Night of 100 Stars. We invite approximately 100 ladies from different rehabilitation centers in NYC. The ladies are recovering from drug & alcohol addictions, life of prostitution and abuse. For a day we pamper them (do their hair, nails, make up, take their portraits) and then in the evening do a banquet in their honor. In years past most ladies were responsive to the gospel but because of the lack of follow up they have fallen back into their old ways. This year Ali was able to establish good connections and we've been able to come weekly to talk to them and bring them to church. It's amazing for me to see how excited these ladies are to go to church.

Yesterday Ali asked them if they'd still keep going to our church if we stopped feeding the and do other things. 90% of the ladies raised their hands. Praise God!

Please pray for my friend Earnestine from the rehab. Yesterday she found out that her sister was severely beating Earnestine's 8-year old daughter. Earnestine had a meeting yesterday where she was told that she can't get her daughter back after the rehab. Final decision. No appeal allowed. Earnestine was devastated. When I talked to her, she said, "That's too much of a price to pay for smoking crack"... do pray for her as the only dream that kept her motivated to stay in the program - a chance to reunite with her daughter and start a new normal life - seems to have been crushed.

Prayer Requests

Please Pray:
1) for the ladies and gentlemen in Palladia Rehab Center - we've recently seen a lot of opposition there... they've moved our connect group and just yesterday they've cancelled our church pick up... it's so important to be able to keep coming back to them every week and nurture them in God's love... a lot of these people have such hunger for God because they see that He alone could help them
2) for my green card - it's taking a bit too long and i need a definite answer soon to be able to stay and continue my ministry in US

Quick January Update

I'm not much of a blogger and I don't have regular access to a computer - but I will do my best to keep up with it...

So here's a quick scoop on what happened in my life this past month:

Part 1: Arizona

Yes - that's right. My year started in the warm state of Arizona. I was able to go there to meet Bryan's family and see the Grand Canyon.

Dream come true... Here's a picture of the two of us @ the Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon was very beautiful... and very cold...

Part 2: Back in NY

After I came back from my vacation, I set into 2 weeks of intense lesson writing. We've been working on a set of lessons for Sidewalk Sunday School for the year 2008. I am able to visit my Sunday School kids again (that's exciting). There're a lot of things happening in church. The main ministry news for January is that God has opened a door for me to be able to help in a Connect Group in Palladia Rehab Center in the Bronx. Most of the ladies from there came to our Night of 100 Stars in December, and it's been a true blessing to be able to keep coming to them and ministering to them. We're planning a Valentine's Party for them in February - hopefully I'll have some pictures.

Been A While

So I guess its been a while since I posted anything so here's an update on the life of Bryan.

I have a new position at Metro Ministries. I am now a Sidewalk Sunday School Divisional leader. This means that I am responsible for one of our 17 Sidewalk Sunday School teams. This includes lesson planning, supervision of staff and interns, and supervision of Sidewalk Sunday School sites. It has been a big step for me but I know if I keep God in first place everything will be all right. SO I am still in Division 16 which is our China Town/ Lower east side Division. But we have a lot of new faces this semester. Our divisional Leader from last semester is now on the leadership team and is only with us one day a week. I also have another part time staff member with us from Taiwan who also works in our Won By One department and one full time staff member who is new to our team. To help out our staff we also have 3 interns 2 from Germany and one from Washington State. SO we are looking forward to a great semester. And in case you were wondering I didn't perish in the snow storm we had in NYC a couple months ago but I did have a close encounter of the tree kind when I was sledding in Central Park. I hope to post some snow pics soon.

Until next time
Serving enthusiastically
Bryan

I Thought This Was Supposed To Be Break Time

Well it’s been an exciting week for me here in NYC. For the first part of the week I was sorting office supplies that were donated to the ministry. We had over 700 boxes to sort and catalogue. Although it sounds tedious it was fun because you never knew what might be in the next box. We got everything you could find in an office supply store: pens, pencils, hi-lighters, notebooks, staplers, glue, finger paint, notepads, picture paper, even paper shredders. So we will be able to use it for our book bag project in the summer and also save some money on office supplies.

Thursday and Friday we had divisional leader training. They are training us to lead the Sidewalk Sunday School teams, which we call divisions. But instead of going through a leadership book we are learning to be leaders by studying the way Christ led. We have to bring a concordance to class and we often look up scriptures that explain how Christ led. An example of this would be when Jesus calmed the storm. The disciples were freaking out and Jesus was sleeping. When they woke up he basically said chill out its just a storm we can deal with it. As a leader it's our job is to be calm and cool and under control even when something isn’t going right and our team is flipping out. The classes have been very good so far.

Thursday night I went to see Stomp. Stomp is an unusual stage show. It's somewhere between a musical a tap dance recital and a percussion concert. You come into the theater and there are metal objects and barrels all over the walls of the stage. The show begins with one guy coming on stage sweeping. He then begins to tap his broom to a rhythm. He is the joined by seven other performers and they continue making rhythmic noises for an hour and forty-five minutes using their hands feet and various objects including lighters, buckets sand garbage cans, barrels and even kitchen sinks. One sequence included rubber tubes that were different lengths so they made different pitched sounds, much like a bell choir. It was a really cool intense show, if you ever get a chance to see it would be worth the money especially if you are into percussion.

Saturday we took an outing to a very large mall an hour outside the city. I was told that it is the fourth largest mall in the USA. It was fun and relaxing to get to every town USA for a while. I found a store that where everything was $7.98. I bought a coat there. I also went and saw Glory Road while we were there. I highly recommend it. It was a great film.

Monday I was able to take out the child I sponsor through our Won-By-One program. We went to Times Square and saw Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and then went to Red Lobster. It was a lot of fun. Most of the kids we minister to rarely if ever get a chance to see a movie in the theater or eat at a sit down restaurant.

Well it’s been a full week.

This week shouldn’t be as action packed I am still hoping it will be fun and educational.

Serving enthusiastically,
Bryan

I Got A Computer!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right! I am Making this entry from my very own laptop computer from my very own bedroom in New York City. Hopefully this means more updates and more frequent pictures.

Well, that's it for now. I just wanted everyone to know that I am Wired.

Hallelujah.
Bryan