July 2020

Hello to all, 

I hope everyone is doing well during these days of living through a pandemic. We are both healthy and the summer is moving by quickly. We are grateful for the opportunities to live out our mission statement with ever-changing guidelines, restrictions, and limited travel due to COVID-19.

Since our last update, we continued partnering with NYSUM and reaching out to the homeless community in NYC. The city is slowly continuing to reopen. The protests due to the murder of George Floyd seemed to help bring the city out of lockdown.

Much of my time investing in people takes place in Union Square Park. This was where many of the protests took place. I witnessed peaceful protests for many days and it was only at night that they turned violent and destructive. During this time of pandemic and protest, it was a great opportunity to set up the Prayer Station. Due to the lockdown I had not set up a Prayer Station for a few months. Now we were positioned in between police barricades, large crowds of protesters and NYPD in riot gear. We found favor with the NYPD who encouraged us to, “set up right here next to this barricade,” and a positive response from protesters. One of them brought us an extra bottle of hand sanitizer. People continually stopped for prayer and some of them specifically acknowledged the peace they experienced in spite of conditions surrounding us. We were only set up in this context twice, but have continued to build relationships with and disciple three people that we met there.

For part of the month of June, we traveled back to our home in PA. We had some things to take care of which included having a garage sale as we continue to downsize. From there we traveled on to Cincinnati. Naomi and I first met in Cincinnati and we both have family living in that area, so it was good to be back. While there we took a day to visit our friends in Louisville.

We meet Mathew and Esther in a way that only God could orchestrate. On an ordinary Sunday in January of 2019, they were visiting Brooklyn Tabernacle and God connected us. Since that day we have had a desire to visit the work God is doing in Louisville. When people were interested in Mother Theresa’s work in Kolkata she would say, “come and see.” Finally after one and a half years we were able to “come and see” what God was doing in Louisville. 

Matt and Esther have been restoring/rebuilding a neighborhood that has been plagued by poverty for years. What we saw was a level of poverty with some people living in homes without running water, along with drug addiction, prostitution, etc. Their work has been going on for about five years. What began with the purchase of a bar transformed into a coffee shop, now impacts parts of three city blocks. The coffee shop provides employment, free meals, and a place of much needed refuge. That was so encouraging, and seeing how God provides brought tears to my eyes. Matt and Esther’s work continues to grow as God shows up in miraculous ways from espresso machines, to favor with city officials and more.

After a walking tour of how the transformation was impacting three city blocks, we got to sit down for a meal with people whose lives have been transformed by the power of the gospel. Isaiah 58 has been the foundation for Naomi and me on our journey. What we saw lived out in Louisville reminds me of these words from that chapter. “You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.” We are so grateful we were able to “come and see” what Jesus and coffee can do. 

I mentioned how good of a response we had setting up a prayer station surrounded by protesters and police. The only hostility we received was from a woman carrying a bag of Chick tracts. Apparently she was out sharing the good news, but her actions did not in any way show it. She was not showing the love and kindness that Jesus tells us to share with our neighbors. We are all living through these days of a pandemic, high unemployment, political division, racial injustice, and a world of hate. This is not the time to crawl in a hole nor is it the time to be a part of the increasing divide, it is a time for those who call themselves a Christian to love their neighbor. Not just people who agree with them. Jesus taught that followers of Him are to even love their enemies. Naomi and I recently saw this sign in a churchyard in our Queens neighborhood. It said, “Love your neighbor who doesn’t: Look like you. Think like you. Love like you. Speak like you. Pray like you. Vote like you. Love your neighbor no exceptions.”

To actually love our neighbors who are different from us, we may have to put aside prejudice. It may require us to give of our time or maybe even reach into our pocket. If you are one of our financial supporters and your neighbor is in need I encourage you to help them instead of us if you can’t afford to do both. I have hesitated to share this because I know I am not the example. Personally I have been reading 1 Corinthians 13 every morning since April 12 and I confess that the more I read this chapter the more I see how lacking I am in love. However, I do share this because Jesus said love would be our identity and it is our only hope for our communities, our countries, and our world.

At the end of June, we were back in NYC and began where we left off. Then Naomi’s Grandma Miller passed away on July 3rd so we traveled to North Carolina for the funeral. While we are out of the city we will be returning to Louisville to help with some of the needs there. Then back to PA and on to NYC.

We have been in 10 states in the past 3 weeks and we appreciate your prayers for strength and continued health as we seek to follow the steps God has for us.

Blessings!
Paul and Naomi

Read more newsletters about our work with NYSUM here.