The Train. There’s my pace and then there is New York pace. No better place to learn this lesson than in the subway where the ebb and flow of people look almost artful. And it all happens very quickly. It’s intense. I've had a lot of time to observe. Take a look at my commute...
7:30-10am Brooklyn
12:00-1:45pm back home
2:30-3:30pm Brooklyn (again, but a different part)
5:30-6:30pm Queens
9:00-10pm back home
...enough said!

Train story of the day. Witnessed a lady clipping her fingernails on the train. Her keratin bits were flying all over the train! Gross!

Train Tips. #1 Keep to yourself. Nobody wants to know your business. #2 Find the sweet spot. On every train platform, there are better waiting areas than others. The trick is to catch the best car to help you maximize your efficiency in exiting the train station.

The Meat. Sandwiched between my crazy commute is the best part - time spent with people. Every train stop gives me a different flavor of NYC. I love it!
...Morning. I took part in an ESL class as a conversational partner to several Arab women. Many are studying to pass their citizenship test, but our time mostly feels like a social hour. For over two hours, I found myself engrossed in good conversation with these beautiful women who are genuine and warm. Please pray for a young woman, Sara (code name), who opened up to me about her recent separation from her husband. Her pain was still evident in her tears. Nonetheless, it has driven her to the center (run by Christians) to intensify her English studies.
...Afternoon. There are several African tribal groups living in Brooklyn. Today I met Amadou at the kid's club where children come for tutoring and a bible story. It's run by this feisty, robust old woman who was formerly a missionary in Africa. Helping Amadou (sixth grade) with his homework was a struggle. He could barely read and his math is poor, but the smile on his face as he talked tells stories melted my heart. My two favorite quotes: 1. "Can't we just finish this now so we can listen to the bible story?" and 2. (as another child was having an emotional breakdown, turned to me saying) "I don't like it when people cry. It makes me want to cry to." Bless his heart. I wanted to adopt him right then and there!
...Night. ESL class with South East Asian women. I met a Bangali woman who recently loss her job. Distraught, she asked for help to write her resume. Having just recently finished updating my own resume, it was the perfect challenge. Through this opportunity, we had an opportunity to talk about her life. Please pray for her as she looks for a job to open up. "Bills, bills, bills" was what she complained most about. Having recently acquired a mortgage, I completely understand the pressure she is under.

A Change in Perspective. What's not to love about NYC? Broadway shows. Shopping galore. Foodie Mecca. Sightseeing. Art and Museums. Hot dogs. Central park. Most people come to New York because it is fun. There's so much to do, there's so much to see. What I never saw, however, were the people. Today that all changed.

Life hasn't been easy out here. But I thank God for making it difficult. I thank God for making me feel uncomfortable. I thank God for the feeling of restlessness and worry. I thank God for body aches and fatigue. It all shows me that the things that I most depend upon are unreliable. I don't need these things to fill me because I have already been given grace and grace abundantly. I had lost sight of that and had been let my complaining get the better of me. It was selfish indeed, and I needed to surrender it. I pray that God may make his work in me a blessing to other. I pray that he may cause others to see HIM instead of me.