NYC Bowery Thanksgiving Outreach 2011
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Preparations for the Bowery Thanksgiving start long before our team departs
for New York City. While the Bowery responds to the needs of “the least of
these” every single day of the year, Thanksgiving is their biggest event.
Curt begins working on the next Thanksgiving before the current one is even
over. This year was no different. From prayer and planning to gathering the
team and raising support, we were very busy.
Our friend Rocco helped get things going before we even landed by getting
the turkey saw and other equipment set up and in working order. Curt and I
arrived on Thursday and worked on other preliminary items, including
meetings with the Bowery kitchen staff. By 4:00 on Saturday, the team –
except for Nick, who was flying in from California-had arrived. On the past
three trips, we started working on Sunday, but this year we realized that we
had better start prepping on Saturday so that we would have something to put
in the oven on Sunday. So after a quick tour, everyone got to work.
We had a great team of willing servants. We had all prayed a lot about team
unity, and we could see that the Lord answered these prayers. Everyone got
along very well, and the shifts seemed to have a rhythm to them. We split
into three groups, and each group worked five-hour shifts twice a day so that
there was someone in the kitchen around the clock. Several people had
multiple roles—Curt and Nick preached at chapel, Aaron led worship during
chapel and during the Thanksgiving meals, Jen and Gina were our nurses,
Kevin encouraged us with his songs and “witty” sayings, Bud fixed things,
Marcia directed volunteers who came in, Wayne was a walking Bible, Sabrina
was always cheerful, and Saul was a prayer warrior. We had several team
members under the age of eighteen—Ben, Skyler, Lee, Christian, Austin,
Clay, and Megan, and we were very pleased with their contribution. Despite
being sleep-deprived, they worked hard, completed tasks cheerfully, were on
time for everything we asked them to do, and had a good time, too!
As always, we were able to see that the real reason we get to go on these trips
is to build relationships and encourage believers. Several Bowery guys told
me that they appreciated Curt’s hard work and firmness-they recognize that
it is a kindness. Clay was pleased to see that the Bowery men who had come
to help us with Irene clean up in North Carolina (and had gone to his football
game) were still doing well. A few of those guys volunteered their time to
help us with our preparations-they wanted to be around our group. One guy
who had butted heads with Curt at a different time was greatly affected by
the organization and work that went into all that was accomplished over the
holiday, and he went out of his way to thank us. I was most touched by the
Bowery student who answered, “Servant,” when asked what his title was.
Since the team was doing so well, and our relationship with the Bowery was
also good, the weak link seemed to be the equipment. One night, the guys
had to take freezing showers (some opted not to shower!!). Some of the team
really suffered when the coffee machine broke. A sewage line on the
dishwashers also broke. Thankfully, there was only one small incident with
the ONE toilet that all nineteen of us shared, and Marcia and Bud quickly
fixed that! Later, half of the ovens went down and we were without this
critical piece of equipment for more than a day. Since the Bowery was also
using the kitchen to prepare the regular meals that go out (about 800 per
day), we were really concerned about staying on track. The ovens were finally
repaired and turkey cooking continued. It did put us a little behind—we had
hoped to finish cooking Wednesday night and let everyone go to bed, but we
all had to work longer. It was no surprise that every person on the team was
more than willing to stay up. We know that it was the prayers of all the
saints and God’s grace that everything was completed on time.
The Lord answered several other prayers in wonderful ways. I know several
people were praying for my back issues. I had considered not going on the
trip, but the Lord told me to trust Him and go. Right up to the day before we
left, I was struggling with pain. I would have to pack for half an hour and
then rest for half an hour. Every time I thought about not going on the trip,
the Lord would remind me to trust Him. Once in New York, I did not have
any notable problems. I was not completely pain free, but I was able to
complete all my shifts, and even go sightseeing with the team. I even slipped
and fell in the kitchen and the Lord protected me. I was truly amazed!
You may recall that two weeks before Thanksgiving, we were told that
donations at the Bowery were down, and that the shelves were empty. We
immediately put this need on prayer chains at CCSRQ and CCJAX. The first
thing that came in was 300 pounds of carrots. Then some turkeys came in.
When all was cooked and served, we prepared about twelve thousand meals
in four days. This included 472 turkeys, 3000 pounds of sweet potatoes, 2500
pounds of white potatoes, 1800 pounds of carrots, and 130 pounds of butter,
among other things. If we divide up the amount of time we worked by the
number of meals produced, it comes to about 125 meals per hour. By the
time the festivities were over, so much food had come in that the Bowery had
to call several other ministries and churches in the city to come and pick up
the excess food! Praise the Lord who gives in great abundance!
Once Thanksgiving was over, there were a few more events for our team.
We loaded up a truck for an outreach in Chelsea Park on Friday, where we
set up tables on a sidewalk and served food outdoors. Everyone was touched
by the two tiny children who waited in line and ate every bite of the meal.
(They liked the pie, too!) Later, we got to do some sightseeing and have a
special team time where we ate pizza and shared about the trip. Finally, the
team went home, Curt started working on next year, and everyone gave
thanks that the Lord allowed us to be part of something so much bigger than
ourselves. Thanks again for all of your prayers and support!
for New York City. While the Bowery responds to the needs of “the least of
these” every single day of the year, Thanksgiving is their biggest event.
Curt begins working on the next Thanksgiving before the current one is even
over. This year was no different. From prayer and planning to gathering the
team and raising support, we were very busy.
Our friend Rocco helped get things going before we even landed by getting
the turkey saw and other equipment set up and in working order. Curt and I
arrived on Thursday and worked on other preliminary items, including
meetings with the Bowery kitchen staff. By 4:00 on Saturday, the team –
except for Nick, who was flying in from California-had arrived. On the past
three trips, we started working on Sunday, but this year we realized that we
had better start prepping on Saturday so that we would have something to put
in the oven on Sunday. So after a quick tour, everyone got to work.
We had a great team of willing servants. We had all prayed a lot about team
unity, and we could see that the Lord answered these prayers. Everyone got
along very well, and the shifts seemed to have a rhythm to them. We split
into three groups, and each group worked five-hour shifts twice a day so that
there was someone in the kitchen around the clock. Several people had
multiple roles—Curt and Nick preached at chapel, Aaron led worship during
chapel and during the Thanksgiving meals, Jen and Gina were our nurses,
Kevin encouraged us with his songs and “witty” sayings, Bud fixed things,
Marcia directed volunteers who came in, Wayne was a walking Bible, Sabrina
was always cheerful, and Saul was a prayer warrior. We had several team
members under the age of eighteen—Ben, Skyler, Lee, Christian, Austin,
Clay, and Megan, and we were very pleased with their contribution. Despite
being sleep-deprived, they worked hard, completed tasks cheerfully, were on
time for everything we asked them to do, and had a good time, too!
As always, we were able to see that the real reason we get to go on these trips
is to build relationships and encourage believers. Several Bowery guys told
me that they appreciated Curt’s hard work and firmness-they recognize that
it is a kindness. Clay was pleased to see that the Bowery men who had come
to help us with Irene clean up in North Carolina (and had gone to his football
game) were still doing well. A few of those guys volunteered their time to
help us with our preparations-they wanted to be around our group. One guy
who had butted heads with Curt at a different time was greatly affected by
the organization and work that went into all that was accomplished over the
holiday, and he went out of his way to thank us. I was most touched by the
Bowery student who answered, “Servant,” when asked what his title was.
Since the team was doing so well, and our relationship with the Bowery was
also good, the weak link seemed to be the equipment. One night, the guys
had to take freezing showers (some opted not to shower!!). Some of the team
really suffered when the coffee machine broke. A sewage line on the
dishwashers also broke. Thankfully, there was only one small incident with
the ONE toilet that all nineteen of us shared, and Marcia and Bud quickly
fixed that! Later, half of the ovens went down and we were without this
critical piece of equipment for more than a day. Since the Bowery was also
using the kitchen to prepare the regular meals that go out (about 800 per
day), we were really concerned about staying on track. The ovens were finally
repaired and turkey cooking continued. It did put us a little behind—we had
hoped to finish cooking Wednesday night and let everyone go to bed, but we
all had to work longer. It was no surprise that every person on the team was
more than willing to stay up. We know that it was the prayers of all the
saints and God’s grace that everything was completed on time.
The Lord answered several other prayers in wonderful ways. I know several
people were praying for my back issues. I had considered not going on the
trip, but the Lord told me to trust Him and go. Right up to the day before we
left, I was struggling with pain. I would have to pack for half an hour and
then rest for half an hour. Every time I thought about not going on the trip,
the Lord would remind me to trust Him. Once in New York, I did not have
any notable problems. I was not completely pain free, but I was able to
complete all my shifts, and even go sightseeing with the team. I even slipped
and fell in the kitchen and the Lord protected me. I was truly amazed!
You may recall that two weeks before Thanksgiving, we were told that
donations at the Bowery were down, and that the shelves were empty. We
immediately put this need on prayer chains at CCSRQ and CCJAX. The first
thing that came in was 300 pounds of carrots. Then some turkeys came in.
When all was cooked and served, we prepared about twelve thousand meals
in four days. This included 472 turkeys, 3000 pounds of sweet potatoes, 2500
pounds of white potatoes, 1800 pounds of carrots, and 130 pounds of butter,
among other things. If we divide up the amount of time we worked by the
number of meals produced, it comes to about 125 meals per hour. By the
time the festivities were over, so much food had come in that the Bowery had
to call several other ministries and churches in the city to come and pick up
the excess food! Praise the Lord who gives in great abundance!
Once Thanksgiving was over, there were a few more events for our team.
We loaded up a truck for an outreach in Chelsea Park on Friday, where we
set up tables on a sidewalk and served food outdoors. Everyone was touched
by the two tiny children who waited in line and ate every bite of the meal.
(They liked the pie, too!) Later, we got to do some sightseeing and have a
special team time where we ate pizza and shared about the trip. Finally, the
team went home, Curt started working on next year, and everyone gave
thanks that the Lord allowed us to be part of something so much bigger than
ourselves. Thanks again for all of your prayers and support!
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the
darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. Isaiah 58:10
darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. Isaiah 58:10
