Serving in New York

This week was great. First when we got to Brooklyn I did not know what to do because most of the people here spoke Chinese or other languages. Also the day we arrived we took a tour of Brooklyn with a guy from the church named Josh Gehret. While taking the tour we stopped for some bubble tea. I could not get a bubble tea because outside the store was a homeless man and I did not feel right. The reason I did not feel right was because he had nothing - no food, no home and it was sad so I did not get a drink but I did something different I went into a Chinese store and bought him some food.

So the first day we passed out flyers for VBS all around Brooklyn. While passing out flyers, we had a guy who was unhappy with what we were doing - he laughed at us and crumpled up our flyer. This act made us think about how lost some people are when they do not have Christ. So later that night we had a block party at the church. A lot of kids came!  We had a lot of fun playing games, eating food, singing songs, and a lot more.

Then came the second day. I bonded with the other group that came from NJ and became good friends with them. Also on the second day we did a scavenger hunt along with a homeless poverty simulation. This simulation made me and my group realize how blessed we are. And it is sad because this was a real life situation - there are many homeless people all across the world.  Also on Monday, we started a Five- Day Good News Club that 9/10 kids accepted Christ!  It was a great sight!

We also went to a community garden. We pulled weeds and also fertilized the garden. On Wednesday we went to a place called Immigrant Hope. At this place they explained how they help immigrants get into the USA, help them get places to live along with a job to support themselves and their family. Also on Wednesday, I took the time to step back and I realized how many people do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Now Thursday was different - I got to help with VBS.  I had a great time telling the little children about Jesus. Then after VBS I got time to hang out with the kids from Sparta EFC. I had a great time hanging out with the group.

Then later in the day we did a Five-Day Club and had 2 special girls. One was an 10- year-old girl named Kelsey. When we started Five-Day Club I gave her an evangelical cube.  By Thursday, she was able to tell me the whole story of Jesus Christ. The other special girl was Annie - who was an 11-year-old Chinese girl who wanted to accept Christ but her parents won't let her.  So while you are reading this please pray that Annie will chose to accept Jesus.

During my week at BUMP, I learned a lot about myself and how I feel towards certain things. Then Friday rolled around and everyone was tired but that did not stop us from serving for 4 hours!  We worked at a soup kitchen and after that we worked at the community garden, which donates food to that soup kitchen!

Now I am sad to say today is my last day in New York.  I will miss the whole team from Sparta, New Jersey along with the whole BUMP staff. Ohh wait I'm forgetting the best part -we had the most delicious meals made by our cook and BUMP Coordinator Mrs. Kim & Syerra!  So that about sums up my whole week of BUMP. God Bless You All.

--written by Eric from Pennsylvania, 14 years old

A Week of Service in New York

BUMP is an amazing program that provides a way for youth to serve in different communities and grow closer to God.  Our group stayed in the middle of Chinatown right next to the church.   On Sunday we had the chance to experience a multicultural church service in the middle of Chinatown.  We passed out many fliers for VBS in the Hispanic and Chinese communities.  We hosted a block party that night at the church.  It was amazing to bond with the kids by blowing bubbles and painting their faces.

We did a scavenger hunt on Monday and observed the Chinese, Hispanic, and Jewish communities.  The poverty simulation taught our group to appreciate what we have and to not complain about anything we don't have.    

On Tuesday, we worked in a community garden that donated all their food to the local homeless shelter and soup kitchen. 

On Wednesday my group and I helped serve with Immigrant Hope. It was associated with another church in the area so we learned more about the organization.  The leaders of the program had us pass fliers out to hang in the front windows of different stores to advertise help for people to navigate the immigration process in the U.S.  

Then on Thursday we celebrated two of my friends birthdays by riding bikes in Central Park for our free morning. 

Thursday night was the best night all week because we shared the gospel with all the little kids in our 5 day club. We had been running the 5 day club every night this week, and everyone in our club prayed to accept Christ that night!  My heart jumped for joy at the children's decision.

Finally on Friday, we served at a soup kitchen. Serving at the soup kitchen was my favorite part of the entire week because it was really fun to help serve 340 homeless people!

The 5 day Good News Club we ran the entire week was fabulous. I loved telling other kids about God and sharing the Evangicube.  My experience at BUMP was fantastic and I will remember it for the rest of my life. I encourage each and every one of you to attend BUMP and grow closer to God. 

--written by Sarah from Pennsylvania, 14 years old

BUMP New York - My Second Year

Hello all! My name is Donna. I am an upcoming senior and this is my experience through BUMP in Brooklyn, New York.

My group had to undergo a lot of changes before coming, since the neighborhood is predominantly Asian. Cultural, religious, and language barriers were our issues. But God, like always, made a way. Chalk, bubbles and silly games draw the kids in quickly and effectively, and with that in their minds they invite friends cousins and siblings, which makes our numbers grow more everyday! It's one of the best feelings holding tight a sleepy child, playing hopscotch or blowing bubbles with them. Our mission was not to convert all the people in this community, but to love. There is no point in trying to get these people to believe in God's love for them if you do not first love them and show them the compassion they need. 

There was a lot of work to be done during the week and my team was well prepared. We hosted a wonderful VBS program at the church, (which so far has been very successful!) helped serve the community with a free pancake feast, and what I'm going to go into detail about today; Five-Day Club. 

Five-Day Club is a group of kids and adults that meet on someone's front porch to teach the gospel through missionary stories, songs, bible lessons and games. But once again, we have our barriers. Most of the children speak a small amount of English, but the parents do not. So trying to tell a mother to let her kinds come with some strangers is quite difficult. But once again, God makes a way. Thanks to their Chinese pastor, fliers were made in Chinese and passed out to huge amounts of parents and children. A lot of the groups that were sent out came back with fabulous news of kids and parents coming out and hearing the gospel, most of them for the first time. 

I was sent to a beautiful neighborhood with at least 6-10 kids per family, so definitely a lot to work with. But no kids came. This is because we went to a Hasidic Jewish community, where the children are not allowed to smile at us and the men and women turn away. They believe that we are pagans and will not go to heaven -only they are allowed in. But still, God does not fail us!! Me, my friend from youth group, Daniel, and a wonderful woman named Eugene, were on the front porch of her father-in-law's house drawing with chalk, when out of the neighbors door comes a little boy and his mother. Being so little he didn't know that smiling at us was a bad thing so he waved and smiled back. 

Thankfully the mother was very kind and allowed Eugene to come sit on the porch and blow bubbles, which led to a twenty-minute conversation between the two, which has never happened before in that community. Last year, one of our team members gave a balloon to a little girl and the church got reprimanded, so this definitely was risky, but God calls us to take risks and leave our comfort zones to get the word out, no matter how scary it can get.

A little later the rest of her children came out and were watching us draw with chalk and just be silly, which made them laugh. We then played this game that we had to jump on one foot from a chalk drawing of the earth, through the cross and into heaven. Honestly, I was nervous at first. I was really scared of getting Eugene and her family in trouble for doing these things, but then I remembered that I can't be in this comfortable bubble while trying to help these people learn of God's love. It just wasn't going to work. So then I took out my silly, ridiculous self and decided to just goof around and make the kids laugh. Well, it worked! 

We didn't have to give an hour-long sermon to get these people to convert and leave their families or anything, all we had to do was plant seeds. I've been saying this all week to encourage my team members, because we're not going to get them all to believe and give their lives fully to Christ. But we planted seeds. We planted a spark inside their adorable little heads that Jesus loves them so much more than they could ever imagine, that their lives do matter, and that there is only one way to get to heaven, a completely free gift, that we don't deserve, yet still receive.

Please pray for the Second Evangelical Free Church in Brooklyn as they continue to do an amazing job of ministering and loving on these children and adults.

Thank you so much!

Brooklyn BUMP Round 2

     Hi everyone! My name is Rachel and I am super excited to share my experience at BUMP. As a part of BUMP, my team and I ran a VBS for kids of the Sunset Park neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. This is my second time being a "BUMPER," and it's been a joy to serve this neighborhood again and see familiar faces that I connected with last year. 

   The community surrounding Second E Free Church, where we are serving, is predominantly Oriental. This inevitably creates a language barrier all too often. However, it always amazes me how a little bit of chalk, some bubbles and balloons can make the said barrier virtually unnoticeable. I think this is evidence of God's presence as my team and I work to bring His love and patience to this community. 

     Concerning the VBS, a highlight for me is the worship time at the beginning and end of the day. This includes fun songs with simple hand motions to get the kids moving and praising God. As someone who loves to dance, this is close my heart. And, it makes me so happy to see the little girls and boys, with huge smiles on their faces, jumping around and worshiping.

     Not only does BUMP provide me the opportunity to witness to children, it also has given me the chance to grow and fellowship with my youth group one more time before I go off to college in the fall. Throughout the week, I've watched my team members break out of their comfort zones for the sake of sharing the Gospel. They helped me grow in my walk with Christ and I am so thankful to have shared this wonderful opportunity with them.

     BUMP has been an unforgettable experience and the memories my team and I have created, both last summer and this summer, will most definitely last a lifetime.
   

30 Days to BUMP New York!

BUMP New York begins in just 30 days! Our teams and sites benefit from your prayers for kingdom work and kingdom partnerships. May God move in and through our 2015 BUMP teams!

Day 5: Last Day

Our time in New York is coming to a close and it has been a great week.  The team got to participate in VBS, help out with 5 day clubs, get to make new connections with the youth of the 2nd Free Church.

As the week came to a close with VBS the kids get to find out what the great treasure the pirates were looking for. As it turns out the greatest treasure that was in that chest, was the Bible.  So to go along with that theme the kids got to decorate their very own treasure chest to bring home and put their treasures in, knowing that the best treasure of all was Jesus Christ dying for our sins.

After VBS was over the team said goodbyes to the kids that came all week.  We even had one kid come back afterwards and ask when the next VBS will be because he had so much fun.  It was really hard to say goodbye for both the kids and the team.

The team also got the opportunity to attend youth group at the church.  We had fun playing games and getting to know the other youth. And to end the night we all got to go to Coney Island to see the fireworks and had a great adventure on the way back when an accent coach called out a few of team members for their attempt at accents, but gave a few tips to them on how to improve the ones they were attempting.

Closing thoughts from the Sparta team:

"Through this week I really learned how to 100% trust the Lord in all situations and that has been a real struggle for me to just let go."

"I leaened that I alone cannot do it all. I need the Lord in every aspect of my life and that really helps me grow in Him."

"God's timing in things isn't always, well almost never, suitable to what we want. We don't always need to know what He is doing."

Day 4: Smiles and Laughter

Hey everyone! Today is day 4 of our Bump missions trip. Whether it was walking the Brooklyn Bridge, doing the 5 day club, the V.B.S. worshiping or hanging out as a group, every moment has been one awesome adventure after another. Yesterday we got to have day 4 of VBS and we had the most kids by far! It was a blast and some of them are getting to hear the gospel for the first time ever. After that some of us went out to experience different cultural food. Who knew that so close to home we could have such a unique experience?

Overall as group we have bonded not just on an emotional level but on a spiritual level as well. Those of us who started out as acquaintances became the best of friends, and family. Little did we know that through a couple of intense rounds of Uno and Egyptian ratscrew could make us so close. One of the greatest forms of bonding was through our "prayer chain." We each get a carabiner each morning with another team members name on it. Through out the day we pray for that specific person, and at the end of the day we say something encouraging that we have noticed about that specific pers

on. Another way that our group has gotten closer is through flat out prayer and fun. Every day we get to witness each other and grow and change for the better, through God. I think everyone can agree that we are all blessed to be in this group together, and we are so thankful that God has provided us with such a great group of people. You can truly see Gods grace in every waking moment we are here.
-Hannah