NEWSLETTER FROM CARYS IN NEW YORK

APRIL 2006

So, I went on the official New York City web site the other day and saw that tourists are strongly warned to stay out of Bushwick, Brooklyn where I live. At first I thought that was strange because things here seem normal to me now, but considering these past two weeks I’ve been reminded of the reason why!!! The order of events:-

1. Me and Steffanie (my intern) were on visitation. We came out of a building and saw 15 cop cars covering the whole street. They chased 6 or 7 teenage guys down the street, put them in handcuffs and locked them up in the back of a cop van. Most of the guys were around 15 or 16 years old. I think the youngest was like 12. I found out the next day it was because the night before they had cut a guy up!! Craziness, everyone was outside watching. Big black mamas were shouting because the cops were taking away their babies.

2. The same day someone else was on visitation in the Bronx visiting his kids. In one of the apartments the kids were sobbing their eyes out. They told him that their mother had died. They told him to go into the bedroom. He opened the bedroom door and the mother was on the bed. She’d been stabbed to death and she was 9 months pregnant. The kids had seen it all. What do you say? In a situation like this, what do you say?

It reminds of the urgency of what we do. Not only me here but you right where you are. None of us are promised tomorrow. That dead mother used to come to yogi Bear Sunday School and help out. Cindy had played with her the week before and she made Cindy touch her stomach because she was so excited that she was due.

I used to think we went on visitation just to get our attendance up every week. But it’s about so much more than that. Every flyer, every door we knock is such an important part of what we do. We can be on stage preaching as much as we want, but it’s the PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS that count, that’s where you can really pour into someone and make a difference. One by one!!


Most of the time working with ghetto people is the roughest thing ever. A lot of them just don’t appreciate what you do for them and the time and effort you put in for them but when you go through tough times with them, not only is it worth it but it shows them that THEY are worth it!!!


3. This happened just this Thursday again on visitation! I was visiting my favourite twin boys, Brian & Brandon who live on the first floor. We were just playing in the corridor and I see 5 guys go upstairs with baseball bats. I didn’t think anything of it. Next thing, I hear someone fall down stairs and what sounds like people hitting someone with baseball bats. I hurried Brian and Brandon inside their apartment. Their mum pulled me and Steff in. In this time the guys were taking the other guy – ‘Ace’ outside. Me and Steff left the apartment, we had more visitation to do. As we walked outside, there were like 25 guys on this one guy. They’d taken his shirt off and were just battering him. I guess it was a gang related thing, so I don’t personally feel threatened apart from when there’s a bunch of guys just hanging outside. They take a liking in white girls because there’s so few, so they say stuff and you don’t want to ignore them because then they’d think you’re stuck up. So you have to talk to them. Most of them are cool and are really interest in Yogi Bear Sunday School.

Going through these past 2 weeks have also reminded me that your commitment has to be stronger than your emotions – I said this last time I was home. If you let your emotions take over then you’ll be a basket case, on the other hand, it’s important that you don’t get hardened to it and you don’t get desensitised to it all, then you’ll be useless too.

I love working here despite the hard times and the kids that curse you out and shout racist remarks. I love my kids. I love just going into my projects and the kids come and hug me but along with this comes great pressure. Getting to know the kids like that means that they just suck onto whatever you say and do, so everything I say and do needs to be on point. That’s why when we preach we are not preaching what we think about the topic, but from what God says about the subject. We preach from the Bible. As Christians, I think we do that a lot, we just preach what we think, but that’s not what’s going to change lives. The Bible says, ‘God’s word will not return void’. Now I quote scripture like it’s no-ones business!! My Bible knowledge has grown a lot since being here.

But doing this is sooooo frustrating. When we do sidewalk we do an hour programme. We’re probably there for like 2 hours setting up and putting away, then we’re on visitation and that’s all we get. Just that time to influence them as much as we can. This, compared to what is around them all day every day. Drug dealer brothers, drug addict mothers, cursing, disrespectful people. It’s heartbreaking for real. To see what these kids go through, it’s crazy yet it’s normal! That’s why God’s word is so important, that’s the only thing that will penetrate their heart in the long run.

If you want to make a difference, not only there, you can come here to be a camp counsellor in the summer (if you’re over 18 that is!!) The camps are literally the best times of the kids lives, we get to take them out of the city, out of everything they’ve had to put up with and expose them to God in a real way. The kids are AMAZING!!! And for real, I really encourage you, if you can make it in mid August to be a part of this, just visit www.metroministries.com.

Be encouraged to keep reaching people. All this happens here, but there is no reason why you can’t do the same right where you are. If you want to make a difference – why don’t you?? Everyone has got their own ministry – what’s yours?

Pastor Bill says “If you want something you’ve never had before, you must do what you’ve never done before”.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. Will keep you informed of things.

God bless.

Carys Eleri Pope