CRAIG HELFRICH

NYGO Recap:

Saturday, June 30:
-Didn't get much sleep on the bus
- Stopped for breakfast at McDonald's in Pennsylvania
-Lunch at Burger King in New Jersey
-Arrived in New York City at 3:30
-Unloaded our stuff
-Supper
-Headed to our opening workshop
-Debriefing session
-Bed

*I was challenged by the message to just be yourself and let God do the work for you. I could already see God at work with this team on the very first night. I realized that I needed to be in prayer for those God has already called us to speak with.
*Matthew 5:13

Sunday, July 1:
-TAWG
-Sunday Service (learned on how we need to have more faith in our lives)
-Lunch at Subway
-Outreach at Washington Park
1. I talked with two from Tokyo, Japan. Good starter conversation. I then spoke with two older gentlemen from New Jersey who were not Christians. I had a nice conversation with them, but not really much about Christ.
-Went to evening service at The Journey in Manhattan. It was an awesome worship experience. It reminded me of NMC's Connection.
-Supper at FATS (cost 25.00 for a hamburger and fries)
-Debriefing

*This day went pretty well for the first day of really doing ministry. I was challenged to get out of my comfort zone and to just let Christ flow through my conversations with others.
*James 4:8

Monday, July 2:
-TAWG
-Worship where we learned about many tough questions that people will ask us on the streets.
-Lunch at Chipotle's (great lunch)
-Ministry at Bryant Park/New York Public Library
1. I had some good conversations with Tom and Aaron.
2. We had a prayer station set up where we would ask people if they needed prayer for anything. This was an awesome experience, but the group met a lot of rejection.
3. This was a day where many students and leaders were challenged with our faith and really realized just a glimpse of what Christ went through as far as rejection.
-Supper
-Concert of Prayer at the church
This was an incredible time of worship and prayer.
-Debriefing
-Students shared of how Christ was working in their lives on this trip. Great time of sharing.
*The big take away from this day: We are going to get rejected many times... God was rejected many times!

Tuesday, July 3:
-TAWG
-Workshop
-Park Ministry at Battery Park
-This was a beautiful park, which was right next to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
-Had some great conversations today.
-My group of guys had some really good conversations today and they were encouraged after a tough day at Bryant Park.
-Supper
-Visited the Wax Museum. It was awesome!
-Went up the Empire State Building (Awesome sight of NYC at night)
-Debriefing (great time of sharing)
*Take away from this day: Don't get so discouraged.. God works on his timing and not ours. We may just be planting a seed in someones life.

Wednesday, July 4:
-TAWG
-Had workshops at the church (some great stuff to chew on)
-Lunch
-Ministry at Central Park
-This was a really tough day for most on the trip. First of all, it was a holiday so many were there with friends and family. I thought it might be a difficult day to approach people. I was really excited and didn't feel like doing a whole lot.

God is so good... I had an incredible day.
I met a young man named Jay who grew up in China who has lived in New York for ten years. I asked him if he attended church and he said he had attended 8 or 9 different ones. He said he is "so messed up and NY is so messed up." I knew right away that God sent me to this person for a reason. I started asking him about his faith and if he believed in God. He said he did, but he believed in several Gods. I then asked him, "Is your God still alive?" He responded with a big NO! I then went on to tell him about the God I serve. How he died and rose again on the 3rd day. It was a very powerful moment. I spoke with Jay for 1 1/2 hours that day. Finally, I could tell he was wanting more. I asked him if he wanted to accept Christ as his personal Savior. He said he did and then he repeated the prayer to accept Christ into his life. Heaven was rejoicing that there was a brand new follower of him! It was the most incredible thing that happened on this trip for me. I just thank the Lord that God used me even though I didn't feel like being used.

*The big picture at the top of my blog is myself talking with Jay in Central Park.
-Downtime at hotel
-Supper
-Fireworks at Brooklyn Bridge
(One of the few times it rained in NY while we were there. The fireworks were good, really smokey and hard to see. There were soooooooooo many people there!)
-Debriefing
*Big take away: God uses us in his timing and for his purpose. Today was amazing!~

Thursday, July 5:
-TAWG
-Meeting at the church (great time of worship and teaching)
-Lunch
-Ministry at Washington Square Park
-Had some great conversations today, saw a lot of interesting people
-Debriefing
-Supper
-Closing Meeting
Lots of good worship and an inspiring message by Tom.
-Debriefing (great time of sharing with one another)
*Big take away: We need to be on our knees DAILY in prayer. If we don't have prayer as a big part of our daily life, then we don't have ANYTHING!

Friday, July 6:
-TAWG
-Left NYC at 9:00
-On the way back to Indiana
-Stopped for lunch and 2 hours of debriefing in Pennsylvania.
-It was so awesome to hear from each student and adult leader their experience of NYGO and what they took from it. Hear were some common themes:
1. Prayer (Wanting to make that a top priority)
2. TAWG (finding a constant time in the morning to do this daily)
3. Compassion for others
4. Love for others
5. Meet some Non-Christian Friends
6. Begin a bible study at their schools and work places.
7. Finding their own "park benches" to share the gospel with lost people

We arrived back at NMC around 12:30 A.M.

Final Thoughts:
This trip was an amazing time of focusing on Christ and having compassion for lost people. It really made me stop and realize what I need to be passionate about. I am really passionate about my job, sports, working out, spending time with others, etc. Through this trip, I realized that I need to fall flat on my face and worship God with a passionate heart. I want to be more like him each and every day. Also, prayer was a big take away for me. I need to stop making excuses and get down on my knees throughout each day in prayer.

I was so encouraged by the students on this trip. They taught me so much. I think of that song, Mighty to Save:
Forever author of Salvation
He rose and he conquered the grave, Jesus conquered the grave!

The God we serve is so powerful and good....Are you passionately seeking after his face today?