Thursday night I drove to the airport. I left late in the evening and didn't hit the Parkway until after 10. It didn't matter, traffic was still crazy! But I didn't see any deer on 422 and I made all my lane changes on the Parkway without any issues - praise God! [For those of you who don't live in Western, PA, the Parkway is an intersection of two major interstate highways. There is the Parkway East, the Parkway West and the Parkway North. You follow the Parkway West to get to the airport. It's not a huge deal, as long as you drive fast and make all of the right merges, but I've never heard anyone say they enjoy it! Friends of mine who drove on the Parkway daily have gotten used to it, but everyone seems to have some level of disdain. You have to drive with purpose, and if you ever hesitate you'll be in an accident. I always breath a sigh of relief once I've made it to the tunnels!]
So my drive was just about as easy as it could be and I made it to the airport in good time. It was freezing this particular weekend! It was about 7 degrees when I parked my car and I walked very quickly to the moving walkway! My flight was schedule for the early morning, so I reserved a room at the airport hotel. I got settled and ready for bed, which was a struggle because I was so excited! My excitement was quickly tempered because I got an email that my flight was canceled due to airplane maintenance. While I was grateful that I wouldn't be flying in an unsafe plane, I did wonder if and when I would make it to New York. I had a book that I'm reading in a ladies Bible study, so I reread that weeks chapter while on hold with the airline. Thankfully I was re-booked on the next flight to LaGuardia and would arrive about 2 hours later than originally scheduled.
Before you see Franco Harris and George Washington,
you have to greet the T-Rex. As it should be.
The flight was easy. It was a smaller plane that probably held 40-50 people, but I've gotten used to flying in planes of any size. I also had a seat to myself, which is always nice! Once I made it to LaGuardia, Sara and Suzette came to pick me up and we were on our way to Queens. I had never been to New York before. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting. I took in the traffic and the appearance of everything. New York was exactly what I should have expected it to be, and it surprised me at the same time. There's something about it that is intangible.
We made it to Sara's house in Queens. It's a place that can simultaneously block out the hustle and bustle of the world beyond its doors while being an unmistakable product of such a great city. I'm not sure this is an adequate description of what I'm trying to say, but know that I mean that in the best way!
The dining room had become our office for the duration of our stay. When I arrived, I was greeted by George and Brooke who had stayed to take care of a few things. Once I got settled, there was a Skype call George, Suzette and Brooke needed to make. Working in an multi-national organization, Skype is a regular presence in our lives. I helped by distracting Sara's adorable dog!
After the call, we took a break to eat lunch and just catch up. It's so rare to see each other face to face! We had some time before Laura, another Hands volunteer from the Footprint days, arrived from Boston. (She was born in Canada, but moved to Boston in October with her husband, who is completing fellowships in pediatric anesthesia and pediatric critical care at Harvard Medical School.) Soon we ventured outside in to the cold to see a bit of the city. First stop: the Empire State Building!
From the observation deck on the 86th floor:
It was so cold outside, my camera froze after taking just a few photos!
We tried taking group-selfies all weekend, but the Selfie King was in India
and all we got were pictures that looked like this:
After we left the Empire State Building, we walked to a restaurant called Burger & Lobster that serves, you guessed it, burgers and lobster. That's it. You get a burger with a side of salad and fries or you get a lobster with a side of salad and fries. Or a lobster roll, that also comes with a side of salad and fries. Brilliant! We ('we' being the people on my side of the table) thought this was an excellent idea. Less choices = easier decisions. Just pick one and get on with it, eh?
We found the restaurant thanks to Hannah, another volunteer from the Footprint days. She's originally from California, but moved to New York a few years ago. She met us at the restaurant, as did Danny, yet another Footprints volunteer from England who has been living in New York. He lives pretty close to Burger & Lobster, which we didn't even know when we picked it! Laura, Hannah and Danny all briefly overlapped in their time in Africa. They all lived in Mozambique; it was so fun to hear their stories! We also caught up with Myra, who is from California but moved to NYC in January to study Nursing at NYU. I told her she was crazy for moving from San Diego to New York in January! (Always let yourself acclimate: this is very important!) Myra has been to Zambia as part of a team trip. She loves Africa: she even got her Zambian name tattooed on (I think) her forearm! (Disclaimer: I have a Zambian name, but I do not have a tattoo.)
After that we took the train to the Sara's church where George would be speaking at the evening service. We dropped of our nicer clothes prior to going to the Empire State Building. The church was much like Sara's house. Many doors, much history, and easily identified as a product of Queens. The congregation was small that night, but they had musicians! Sara played the flute, there were a few boys playing string instruments and a pianist. Being a French horn player, I loved hearing the instruments! Sara's father is the Pastor. It's always a privilege to meet people where they come from. It helps you put together the pieces and know their story a little bit better. And the congregation in attendance was small, but the world is smaller! Believe it or not, I traveled to a church in Queens, NY and a former member of that church know lives in Indiana, PA! I haven't tracked her down yet. I actually missed one chance just last week, but I'm not giving up.
Sara has been to Africa multiple times herself, and also led a group from her church. She's taking another group later this year. George spoke with passion and purpose, as always. It's important to convey that it is the Church's responsibility to care for these orphans and widows, but it's also important to nurture the relationships with our partners. This work is not something we do lightly. The team from Sara's church this year is college students. Still young in so many ways. The fact that a tight-knit church community from Queens is trusting Hands with their youth is such an awesome responsibility. We were able to mingle after the service and get to know people in the congregation. We caught up with people who went on the last trip and witnessed the excitement of the people going on the next trip.
Then we went back to Sara's house. Laura and I went to her grandmother's house next door for the night. Between restless sleep the night before and a long day of New York in the bitter cold, I don't think I have ever been so excited to sleep in a warm bed! It was a very restful sleep too.
The next morning, we had brunch at Sara's house with Hands supporters. Different people brought different things to what turned into an amazing breakfast spread. PJ and Ellie, Jed's cousins who live in New York, came, adding another puzzle piece to Jed's family. It was so nice to talk together, building relationship and of course eating together.
We took some time to worship and pray together. Brooke spoke about Hands, and about the work Sara does. It's hard to understand what we do, regardless of what we do. I'm planning to tackle what this means for my life in another post.
After brunch, it was time to wrap it up and head off to the airport. But not before getting a picture with Sara's parents in Queens.
We dropped off everyone else off at JFK, and then I got dropped off at LaGuardia. It was another quick flight and easy drive. It was such a whirlwind trip! But buckle your seat-belts because the whirlwind continues: two months until Mwaiseni!
