the world's greatest city

hello all from new york! the Lord got me here safely and i am only on day three but in love with this city all over again!
day one i arrived at laguardia and met up with another girl from colorado and we shared a cab to the herald towers in midtown manhattan. then we took the subway (which is extremely HOTTTT this time of year!) to our home for the next 5 weeks which is the Markle Evangeline Residence in greenwich village no less. we took a short walk past a movie set (mildred pierce starring kate winslet). we took some pictures with some of the extras dressed in their 1920's garp. then we had dinner at with our entire group (there are 120 staff and students involved with tribeca this summer!)
day two came early. we had some orientation stuff and then went out in a group. our group went to lower manhattan and saw the wtc site. the tower were tower #7 stood is almost done. we looked at a memorial plaque on the side of a firehouse right next to the site for a while and then moved on to the trinity church. the church graveyard is older than our country! there were grave stones dating back to the 1740s. this church is the site where alexander hamilton and john watts are buried. the movie national treasure takes place here! right next to the church is wall street. i'd been there before so it was really no new sight. still a very busy place and lots to look at down there. federal hall is on wall street and this is the place where george washington was inaugurated. then we went to rockefeller center and viewed the entire city from the top of it. central park is absolutely beautiful... lush and green as could be! dinner was a cosi which will probably become a regular for me. it's really awesome sandwiches, soups and salads with a mediterranean taste.
day three was probably my favorite thus far. we ventured with our discipleship groups to some ministry sites in the lower east side. this is a part of the city that was literally abandoned twenty years ago because of the skyrocketing crime rate. the first was graffiti church. they reach out to children and youth in the area. they have a ged course available and many programs for kids and youth to get plugged in and away from the streets. then we went to abounding grace ministries. the founder is doing an awesome thing in that neighborhood. he has brought gang members to Christ, "adopted" several children around the area and raised his own children to love the Lord and have the same heart he does for the neighborhood. the last ministry was called the bowery mission. we had the opportunity to sit and eat with the homeless men apart of the program and heard many of their stories. we even heard some very powerful testimonies and it was just a very encouraging time. it made me think of my brother and i pray that someday he will have an awesome testament to faith as well! then we had dessert in little italy which was AMAZING!! i had a cannoli; oh so delicious, praise the Lord for sweet ricotta cream! we walked around china town a bit and then went to herald square for a bit of shopping. now here i am!
most powerful experiences thus far: praying over the city in the morning from the roof of the markle which has an amazing view of most of manhattan. hearing the testimonies to faith from men that came from nothing and now are co-heirs with Christ. connecting with women (and a couple of men) from all over this country that are so beautiful and unique in their own ways.
ways to pray from us: to be a witness of Christ 24/7. we want to stand against the crowd and be bold for the gospel. but we must depend on the Spirit to give us the strength and grace necessary to do this. also that the Lord is preparing the hearts of our team and those we will interact with over the next five weeks. for the ministries we visited today. for our feet! walking is a common activity here =)
know that i am praying for your summers and i love you all so much!
in Christ,
aly (or as they call me here... son =P)