Random Pictures

These are just some of the things we have seen this summer. I took these items on my phone, so if the quality is poor, its the camera:)











This picture came from registration day for the summer program on Post Ave. Shortly after this advertisment was placed, a very kind spanish man in a car relayed to Jon and our friend Jason "You guys should be careful. This corner is hot. The cops might pick you two up with the rest of the guys that hang here" Jason said thanks for that advice then had good laugh. Hopefully, the drug buisness on Post lost a few grand over the summer.











This is Jon teaching martial arts to the kids from Post. My favorite little guy was Eduardo. In the middle of instruction he just blurts out,"I love karate!!!!" Everyone laughed. He really liked it. Sensai Jonathan had to remind Eduardo that while they want to have fun, he must raise his hand if he wants to speak during instruction. They had the classes at Manhattan Bible Church to get out of the heat.











This is a great way to cool off! Just pop the fire hydrant. Ha. Everyone does this. On the weekends, it's block party time. People come from thier apts with lawn chairs or crates and just chill out by the building while thier kids play in the street with the water. The kids are so creative. I saw some take a can with both ends cut out and put it over the hydrant so its like a big water gun. The stream is huge! Its cute until they start blocking the crosswalk or spraying cars. Then people get annoyed and call the fire department to close it off again. They also make little boats and put them on the side of the street so the water that is being wasted and screwing up everyone's water pressure, moves the boat down the block:) Just for an aside, the guys with the white shirts are not in a gang. A lot of guys wear white shirts/wife beaters up here just because it's hot. They have like crazy sales on white tees during the summer.











This pic was taken at our favorite Butcher shop. I don't know if you can tell, but everything is in spanish. Thankfully we know just enough spanish to order and the owner knows just enough english to help us out when we want something we don't know how to say... haha. Pointing helps a lot in these situations. These guys are great though. They always wave when we pass thier store "La Ruleta" I don't know what that means. The first time I went to buy meat and Jon wasn't there, the owner asked where Jon was. I knew that we were in then:) No matter what we bought, always came up to 10 dollars!!! No kidding.


This is in Central Park. This guy literally is there everytime I go. He sets up all of these hoolahoops and percussion instruments, then people gather and dance. It's so much fun!




Everybody loves breakdancers. I think we saw these guys near Rockafeller Center.













And I pretty much love this guy. We went to the park one day at the end of our block. It's called FT. Tryon. The coolest thing ever. Way better than Central:) Anyway, I took a nap on a blanket while Jon read. I woke up to a rumble in my belly. Not from bad sushi, but from the A train. I felt the subway underneath this huge hill we were on. I was pretty much amazed.

Well, that's all I have for now.

Tammy

The D train

So, Jon mentioned that I have pre employement stuff going on.... And I do! I'm excited about it too. When I interviewed for Bronx Lebanon, the nurse manager from the Emergency Department "unnoficially" offered me the position. The nursing recruiter that was helping me out was amazed that they told me that. I'm just good I guess. HahA. I was definitely amazed as well as estatic and terrified all at the same time. I prayed about it. and prayed some more about it. and waited for NYP to call about it.... nothing. I am happy with Bx Leb and I always wanted to be in the ER. It was just a shock to me I guess. All of this waiting and the manager from the ER said, "Let me show you how easy it is to get a job in NYC. Welcome to our team" How funny is that?! He shook my hand and two other nurse managers gave me high fives. It was like something out of Dawson's Creek. So easy.

So, for the last two weeks, I have been gearing up for my new job as an ER nurse:) I've had to take a pharmocology exam, which was a breeze and get a physical done. Drop off paper work and the like. Basically, running around while they do my background checks. I still haven't received my "official" offer yet and I won't get that until next week sometime when they have my blood work and background check wrapped up. I should be able to start my orientation on Septemeber 10th though. Praise God. I never thought as a new graduate I would land a job in the ER. I'm loving life. God always provides and it is such an amazing adventure during the process. I'm still floored that Jon and I have lived here for 3 months without a steady income.

About loving life here, I really do. NYC is amazing. I love the pace and how it's a little dirty around the edges. I love finding the nooks that remind me of home.. the places that are small and have a cozy atmousphere. I like seeing the same group of men sit around and play dominos every afternoon. There are always kids playing on our block... and the teenagers who jam thier music way too loud during the weekdays, but I still love it. There is a different feel in our part of Manhattan. It's definitely not 42nd street times square. Another thing that is amazing... I am not apart of a gym yet, but my cardio is already amazing. Like today for instance, I had to go to Bronx Leb again to get my test read. I had to walk to the end of my block, cross the street then walk two blocks to the platform to the 1 train ( 3 flights of stairs). I took the one train to 168th street and transferred to the C train via an elevator and a flight of stairs. At 145th street, I transferred to the D train which took me into the bronx, but I had to walk 4 more stairs. When I got off the train at 175th street and Grand Concourse, I had to walk 3 blocks to the hospital. And another flight of stairs. New Yorkers who do not have cars have great calves. But I love it. How is that? I like being apart of the race. I think it gives more of an opportunity to really be a blessing to others. So many people are zoned out to whatever is important to them, it gets easy to forget about helping others. Anyway. I will definitely keep you guys posted. Thanks for all of the prayers and support.

lots of love:P
Tammy

"You're on the Jersey side of the island!!"

 

hey, so i've been suspiciously absent from the blogisphere...well i've allowed myself to get busy and not stop to write to all my friends and family out there...so here we are another month gone...another rent check almost due...it's just not right writing out rent checks for this much money...who ever thought of real estate anyway...

well we are fantastic! tammy goes in to start here pre-job tests on monday, i will be up at our camps for the first part of the week for all staff meeting and some planing sessions. we have been busily working on a new financial model and business restructuring of the organization. our biggest challenge is perpetuating income. the organization has been running off private donations and funding with an immediate gratification sort of mentality where the funding came in and was immediately used, then we pray for more and it comes in and is immediately used...and so on and so on. this,i believe, is a side effect of an organization being led by visionaries with extreme faith. and that's a great testimony to the individuals and ministries but at times can lead to some real financial challenges. so in an attempt to maintain the faith living but become better stewards of our resources, we are full force (three of us =) attacking a new plan for the ministries. i again say, i have no business degree or experience but we are pumping out some really good plans. so thank you God for creativity, wisdom, and common sense! so we are busy doing that.

while we continue that path, we are assessing all the current programs for restructuring and modification so they can run smoother and become self perpetuating as well. then i, in my over zealousness, am currently working on a proposal for a new program called NYC Extreme (NYCX) which uses rock climbing, martial arts, white h2o rafting, and mountain biking to build community and mentor youth. i'm pretty stoked about it and it is intended to only be one aspect of the community center we hope to pursue and on the community center note, there is a building called the Dyckman marina that we are prayerfully going to try and pursue as a site for our community center. PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS BUILDING!!!! while i could bore you with all the details about why it'd be great, i'll simply say it is.

i start teaching martial arts again the first tuesday of october, this will be an ongoing class this time, not just for the summer. so there is another area for prayer, my capacity is probably 20-40 students if i can get a high schooler to help me out for the kids classes, and 20-30 with adults. i'm praying that God will bless this endeavor greatly. it's our commitment that as soon as we get out of debt (and we have a pretty solid plan of action on that) then all the profit, minus 10% will go back into funding ministry here and elsewhere. and this is one of our greatest desires to be able to bless others as we have been so greatly blessed by our supporters in prayers, gifts, and finances (thank you again for keeping our lights on! =)

the opportunity to bless others leads me to my next thought which is about a young couple we have staying with us named Daniel and Valerie, and they have a ridiculously funny and cute 6mo old named Vinnie. they received a message from God (through both having the exact same dream no less!) that they were to sell everything and move out here to NYC to do ministry. over the next year they prayed and sought confirmation about the move, and after receiving it they came about 2 weeks ago. we have been able to open our home to them as they look for employment and housing. they were able to put a deposit down on an apartment yesterday here in our building and Daniel is waiting to hear back from some job interviews they had this week. Now i'm sure this sounds ridiculously extreme for people to do, but i am humbled by the tangibility of the kingdom of God when we allow it to exist in our lives. Tammy and i prayed when we first got married and then again when we got this apartment that it would be a place of peace, refuge, and joy. that the doors would be open to people in need, and we have had such a great time struggling through the finer aspects of living in community with others, and it has been a wonderful growing experience. i have learned so much about my selfish perspective and how it constantly arises at the smallest thing. i am reminded almost daily how we can tear each other apart over insignificant matters, and i am reminded of my own failings and lack of compassion constantly. so this challenge has been beautiful, and i hope and pray that i will somehow maintain a heart humility and compassion in a society that screams indifference and selfish consumerism...

love to all from the greatest city in the world,
 
jonathan +)
(the reason the smiley face doesn't make sense is because he's a cyclops...figure it out)

Still Shocked

Oh my... what a busy day I've had! After waking up at 10 am with Jon and drinking a cup of coffee to get rid of my sleepy voice, I decided to make some follow up calls with the hospitals. I remembered about the lady from church who is a social worker for NYP and decided to call her contact. Last week I didn't do this because I was so tired of dissapointments from leads from people that never went anywhere and also I already told Walter I would help out the camps. I figured another dissapointment could wait a week...

So, I called the contact at NYP who is a Nursing Recriter named Kathrine. I told Kathrine who I was referred by and a little about myself then she asked if I could come in for an interview!!!!! An interview at NYP this Thursday at 10am!!! I didn't think this was possible anymore, but in one of my blogs I did say if I got on at this hospital it would totally be God. I also prayed for this week to be fruitful....

After I got off the phone with the recruiter I started calling people about how amazing God is. When I was in the process of leaving a message on my friend's phone, I got a beep. I answered it and it was the guy I met from camp! He set up an interview with a recruiter at Bronx Lebanon Hospital on Friday at 10 am. Two interviews in one week while I have been searching all summer for a job. I know that God has heard my need for a job, but he has also heard my want. I want NYP really bad. God listens to our needs and wants because He really loves us, said Valerie Robles earlier in the week. How true. I am always amazed at how God works. Always surprised.

I know that you guys will be praying for me and jon this week. Thanks so much.

lovelove, tammy

a lovely week in upstate NY

So, I am finally back home to my city apt which after a week of being away from it, I realize how much I have missed it. I think it has something to do with my amazing husband being here.. or maybe jeffry..
just kidding.. it's definitely jon. I finally feel comfortable calling this place 'home' and I appreciate that so much. I remember what it was like not having a place and praying and doubting and stressing. This is definitely my Ebenezer. This is my standing monument of God's faithfulness in our lives and shows how much He loves jon and me.

Anywhoo. It was amazing using my talents in nursing this past week. I'm really getting good at my assessment skills... 'yep.. that kid needs to go to the ER.' Seriously, 5 emergency room visits in one week is just rediculous. Walter told me that is the most the camps have ever had and this number happened in one week! My conclusion: basketball is a dangerous sport. I don't know how the nurse who has been there all summer could have made it alone. She is actually recovering from a broken foot and she told me that when it started feeling better, she over-did it and her foot started hurting again. Two weeks ago, she was praying that someone would come and help her. She made another request to Walter and Pastor Tom and that is when Walter asked me again. I was burned out with the whole 'looking for jobs and nothing happening thing' so I jumped at the offer and said yes. I am so glad that I did.

Upstate is so beautiful and the weather is gorgeous. The kids at wild wild west were adorable too. These are kids from the city in ages from 8-12 that come to do archery, canoeing, biking, hiking, swimming, games, and to learn about God. These kids give amazing hugs. Then there are the hoop heaven guys which are at the bottom of the mountain who are between ages 13-18. These guys play ball all day long! I was handing out Ibuprofen like it was candy... I was so encouraged to see them praying for one another when a team mate was injured. There was even tears involved for thier player. These guys give me hope for NYC and our nation.. even our world. At the beginning of the week those guys looked so tough.. like nothing could touch them... and by the end of the week I could tell that most of thier lives had been changed. That they learned about real love and real life: Jesus. I'm going to keep praying for both camps wild west and hoop heaven that the passion experienced will stay in thier hearts and thoughts. I'm stoked about the possibilties for this city.

So, I'm going to start wrapping up here. Just to let you know, I met a couple at the camps who are both in the nursing feild. They are also going to start asking around for me at Bronx Lebanon Hospital and Mount Siani Hospital. They know nursing recruiters and supervisors:)
I'm praying that the reason God hasn't provided a job for me yet was so I could help at the camps last week. Prayerfully, now that I served and am back in the city my job search will be fruitful. I was very stubborn. I wanted a job in the city so badly that I didn't want to help the camps when a nurse was needed earlier in the summer.. I feel like I went against the plan God had. The lesson learned is be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I am not called to be "successful," but I am called to be faithful. I didn't look at being a camp nurse as successful or worthwile monetarily compared to working in the hospitals, but it is paying my bills. Faithful. Faithful. Faithful. I'm trying to drill these words into my brain. If I am faithful to God and willing.. He is always even more faithful.

I am also watching another couple go through thier journey just like jon and i did not even 4 months ago. They are actually staying with us right now while they try and find an apt. They are awesome... but that is for another blog.

Lovelove,
Tammy

"Duh"

So, much has been happening in the last couple of weeks. Jon wrote about how sick Molly was in the last blog. Well, she died this past Wednesday night. She was sick for a week and in the hospital for 4 days. We found out that she had a stomach ulcer that perforated. We are okay, but we miss her. Jeffry misses her a lot too. But, if you ever need a vet that specializes in exotics, we know a guy. He is amazing. He would call us once a day and email us twice a day to let us know how Molly was doing while she was in the hospital. He is incredibly understanding and caring. We owe him two dinners for his kindness:) I hope that i am able to work with human doc's like this.

In other news, I guess it bothers me that i don't have a job yet and knowing that if i did then we wouldn't have to rely on support. Or have to humble myself and let people know about our buisness. It is scary relying on God to provide and we forget all those times when He has done it time and time again even if it was only a couple days ago. We have those 'Duh' moments often.... like of course God hasn't forgotten about us... He got us up here, He's not going to leave us to starve to death...

We don't want to use our credit card anymore so, on Tuesday night we actually scrounged up change to buy a can of beans. How pathetic. We had a wonderfully, yummy dinner.. rice, black beans, tomatoes, ranchero sauce....mmm. Sometimes I think God wants us to get to that point. It would have been so easy to go to a nice resuraunt and use the card and forget about how poor we are because we have credit.. but where is there room for God to do a miracle there? But we were complaining the whole time while we ate our dinner. Jon kept telling me.. 'well, i prayed for our daily bread. Guess i should have prayed for the rest of the week too:)'

Anyway, between Wed and Thurs, we got our miracle. We are seeing the Body of Christ actually work and serve one another and that has been our vision since we were first married. I think that God is teaching us that the Body isn't as far off as we thought it was. We received a check for $200, a card that had $45, and an envelope that had $500. Oh, and $20 randomly from an awesome guy here that we just met. We are astounded everyday. Our bills are covered and we have moolah for groceries:)

We seriously had nothing in the bank before all of this. Living life as a christian is such an adventure. Oh! and yesterday (thurs) I overheard a woman from church talking about,"nurses she works with." I slid my way into the conversation ever so politely and i found out that she is a social worker at New York Presbyterian!! I told her my situation about passing boards and thinking that it was going to be a breeze getting an RN position. Eight hospitals ignoring me, two leads that were dead ends, and an article in the newpaper that read,"Too many RNs and too few positions in the North East" later.... I was discouraged. At least I am not the only one struggling though. I read about this girl online that sent out 36 resumes already and still no job!!

Anyway, she told me that it is not true and hospitals have made it extremely hard for new grads to get positions, but the openings are there in multitude. She gave me her email and told me to send her my resume and that she would take it herself to HR. I am praying that this is the miracle. I have applied to this hospital 3 times.... and had a nursing recruiter try and get me in the back door. If i get a job here it would be totally God.

So, this is what's been happening lately... I also told Walter, the director of Citivision, that i would help out the camp next week since they are going to be short a nurse. I'm going to be chillin with nature and swimming in the pool while jon melts away on the asphault.. heehee If you guys have anything that you want us to pray about just lettuce know. Ha. let us.. lettuce... get it? Wow.. i really need a hobby.

Lots of love to you! Tammy