Broadway

Before Ashley and I came to New York, we decided that during our time here we were going to work hard and play heard.  What we meant by that was that during our down time from training classes and field ministry, we were going to see and experience as much of New York as we could.

This past weekend we experienced Broadway for the first time.  On Friday we stood outside in the rain to get discount tickets for Memphis.  Memphis takes place in Memphis, TN in the 1950s.  It was the 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Musical.  We really enjoyed the singing and dancing and the story of forbidden love.

On Saturday, we went to see The Lion King.  The Lion King was a very different show, but we enjoyed it as well.  We know the story from the movie so it was the set and the costumes that made this a fun experience.  We had a great time at each of these shows and were so glad we had the opportunity to take in this aspect of New York City!

Here we are just after seeing The Lion King. 

Language

This week in our trainings, we studied language learning.  That may sound odd to say that we studied language learning and not that we studied language.  Well, since there are people in our classes that are going all over the world, we cannot really study each language we will be learning.  The idea of these classes are to help us to know how to learn a language. 

As part of our training, we were put in groups and spent a few hours with a language helper.  My group used a few different methods to learn some Portuguese.  It was so encouraging that we could remember words and even form some sentences.  It has given me confidence that I will be able to learn Spanish well! 

Here I am with Alex, one of the students from our ESL class.  We are practicing a phone conversation. 

I need to remember to get the camera from Ashley because she takes most all of the pictures which means she is not in them. 

Teaching English

We are almost finished with our week of teaching English at Astoria Community Church.  We have hosted a week long intensive English class each weekday this week.  Students from Russia, Korea, Macedonia, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, Columbia, Peru, and Spain have learned new vocabulary, grammar, practiced pronunciation, and had a lot of time to converse in English. 

Our prayer is that the Lord will use this ministry to impact the community of Astoria and each of the students that attends the classes.  We hope we benefit the students by helping them to grasp the English language a little better and to feel the love of Christ through our words and our actions. 

Washington Heights

Ashley and I are living in Washington Heights, Manhattan, NYC, NY for the month of July.  We are here for cross-cultural training.  I can't imagine a better place to study cultures and to prepare for cross-cultural work that NYC.  So far it has been an awesome experience for us. 

We were told that the community of Washington Heights where we are living is 75% Dominican.  To be honest, I didn't believe it until Friday night.  We have been walking all around where we live to go grocery shopping, to catch the subway, to do everything.  We have noticed many people of different nationalities, but it did not stick out as 75% Dominican. 

This was until we crossed Broadway.  (Yes, THAT Broadway.  Although THAT Broadway is really a few miles south.)  What we have come to find out is that Broadway (runs North-South) is the dividing line between Washington Heights and "Dominican" Washington Heights.  It was amazing.  Everything, except the road signs, changed.  Spanish is the language we heard.  The sidewalks were filled with people.  The music was different.  The color of skin of all around us was darker.  I felt as though I could have been in any large city in any Latin American country.

I cannot wait to go to language school and learn Spanish.  I am so excited to be able to speak 2 languages.

Dinner was a fun experience.  We went to La Casa Del Mofongo.  It was supposedly 'the place' to get Dominican food.  We learned that mofongo is plantains and pork mashed together and served with whatever you want.  I got mine with cod fish and Ashley got chicken.  Good food!  Our waitress had to get a helper to communicate with us because we don't speak Spanish and she doesn't speak English.

I know believe that Washington Heights is 75% Dominican.  I so much enjoyed our cross-cultural experience in this almost foreign country. 

English teacher

As of Monday, I will be an English teacher.  This is a little scary seeing as I really don't know how to speak/write this language correctly.  From Mon to Fri next week, Ashley and I (and another couple and a mentor and some interns) will be teaching English to whomever comes to learn.  We may have some people who a close to fluent and we may have some that know only a few words.

We are praying that the Lord will bring 20 people from the community of Astoria (in Queens, NY) each day to take part in our free classes.  He may bring 5 and He may bring 50.  We will teach anyone who wants to learn.  We also pray that these people would be open to hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I will be leading the advanced class.  We expect there will be some students who are mainly there to practice their English.  This will provide time for us to talk and get to know each other. 

Training & Trains

This morning we were able to go to curch at Astoria Community Church in Queens, NY.  This is the church we will be serving during our time here in NYC.  This coming week we will be helping to spread to word about their upcoming ESL intensive class.  Next week, we will be helping them with the actual ESL class.  Fun stuff! 

In addition to serving the church, we are also attending classes to teach us about cultures, language learning, team work, and church planting.  These classes are mostly in the afternoons and are held at another church in Queens. 

Living in NYC is much different than Phoenix (or anywhere else I have lived).  It is a very fast-paced city and we take the subway everywhere.  So far I think we have taken the A, 1, N, and S trains.  I think we will be taking the C train this evening as we head to Central Park for a picnic and some fireworks to celebrate July 4th. 

Here we are at the subway stop under Times Square.

Changes and New York

This past week has yet again brought on some pretty significant changes in our lives. 

For one, we sold the 1 and only car I ever owned.  It was a 2000 Acura 3.2 TL I bought just before Ashley and I got married.  We drove it across the country in the first week of our marriage and have loved it ever since.  We hope Jay enjoys it!

Yesterday, June 30th, was my last day of work (at least for now).  I have worked at Evans Newton for the last 10 months doing a host of different tasks.  I enjoyed the work and the people.  I am hoping to be able to go back there some in the fall. 

In the mean time, we are going to be in New York City!  We are currently awaiting the second leg of our trip to NYC.  We will be staying in Manhattan in a neighborhood called Washington Heights.  We will be in New York for the whole month of July for cross-cultural training with about 10 other families of missionaries.  Keep an eye out for some pictures and most likely some fun stories.