Oh my….
So, about New York.
First, I would like to say thank you so much to the incredible staff who organized this whole trip, plus food, plus lodging, plus…whatever else it takes to get 50+ kids to prisons and back again alive. God bless you for all the hard work you put in!
I would like say that the trip up to NYC was probably the best ride ever. I had the opportunity to ride on the van for the first time, and was lucky to be with some hysterical people. It was also especially meaningful to me, because I am from Manheim and don’t get to see my friends from Shining Light, except for at practice. To be able to spend more time with them was truly a blessing. 
We all stopped for lunch at a park, and then loaded back up to go to Riker’s Island. I was kind of anticipating angry gaurds, dogs, and mean faces…and, instead I met Ollie, a guard there, who sang when he met me. God bless you Ollie. You made my day.
After setting up for the show, we all chilled for a bit and ate some pretty banging food, made for us by the staff at Riker’s. After that, we had microphone checks and prepartion for the show.
I was a bit apprehensive when all the inmates filed in for the show. They all appeared very tough and callused, and I wondered to myself wheter or not they would really listen to what a bunch of white kids from Pennsylvania had to say about Jesus. Scanning the crowd, I noticed that there was not a single caucasion anywhere. Not that I want white people to go to prison, but I was truly sad that society as a whole has not taken more of an effort to help minorites that live in such difficult situations.
We started the show, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect kind of reaction to get from the audience. It was really awesome to see them getting into the songs, like “Imperfection” and “Open Up”. There was definatly talking, some catcalls and such, but on the whole, they were a great audience.
From my point of view, the show at Riker’s Island was the best. Not just because it was a great show, but while we were performing I truly felt the presence of God. It was like I could feel how He felt about all those inmates…I really felt like I loved them, and understood a bit more about how God loves us. Even in the midst of their anger and rejection of Him, He still chooses to love us, even if we don’t return it. And it reminded me of the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18: 12-14, “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.” It’ s crazy that God cares about us so much that would pursue us, even when we walk away. That definatly encourgaed me to do my best in the show to demonstarte God’s love to these boys in a tangible way.
After talking to some the guys during Q & A, we then met the warden of Riker’s. It was awesome to learn that he is a Christian and that God placed a righteous man in charge of the prison. I pray that God can use him to change lives there!
After tear down, we headed to the Salvation Army in Harlem. Our staff provided a wonderful snack of motzerlla sticks, which I love, by the way. We set up our air matresses and went to sleep…eventually.
The next day, we had some free time, which I and several others used to eat some soul food at Sylvia’s. Best. Food. Ever. After some convincing, I ordered the collard greens, and was not disappointed. Free time came and went, and we packed up the bus and headed to Essex Youth Detention Center. The gym was much smaller, so our backstage was quite small, but we made do. Set-up went fine, and we anticipated the coming show.
The show went really well, and although our audience was small, a few of them seemed to respond well. Some of the detainees seemed to try really hard not to let the show affect them, but I pray that our group could reach their hearts in some way. The show the next morning progressed in much the same way, only with a yet smaller audience. I never know what to expect during the question and answer time, and was blown away by our audience members. They were so deep and very genuine. When asked what he was going to do when he left the facitlity, one answered, “Try to stay alive.” These kids lived only a few hours away from us, but it is an entirely diffrent culture.
Probably one of my favorite moments of the trip was when one of the detainees asked us if we had any negativity in our lives and how we dealt with it. Looking at him, I felt like he didn’t expect a bunch of white kids to have problems bigger that what to wear to school in the morning, but I watched as his expression changed as the microphone passed through our group for a good 15 minutes. People shared of deep hurts in their life, and how leaning on God has been instrumental in their healing. It was crazy to hear people share from their heart in the midst of their hurt about how Jesus was what made the diffrence for us when dealing with bad things.
After the show, we packed up and loaded up the bus and headed for home. I was exhuasted on the way back, and pretty much chilled out for the ride.
The weekend in New York was an incredible blessing and impact on my life. God opened my eyes alot to the hurts of people around me and how I should always look for ways to share His love in their lives. Our God is a powerful God who changes lives, and I pray that he uses this ministry for that purpose! Thank to everyone who made this weekend what it was. God bless!