A day on the streets of NYC

The day started at 7 am with a shower to wake up before going downstairs to help prepare breakfast for 25 people. Considering how many people we fed, preparation was relatively easy and clean-up was made simple by using paper dishes. After an enjoyable breakfast of good food with great conversation, the group headed upstairs to watch a sermon on prayer by Mr. Symbala, as Tom prefers not to take groups on the street until lunchtime. Then we spent some time in prayer, for prayer is the backbone of the work and we depend on the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of those we talk to.
The group piled in the van and we headed to downtown Brooklyn and set up outside the Brooklyn Tabernacle.
Take a deep breath, smile genuinely, prepare for rejection, and approach someone with a tract. Repeat. Witnessing is hard work! For every one person you share in depth with, 20 pass by and another 5 will reject you. Often the person hearing the gospel listens to you politely and agrees but with their next sentence reveals that they are trusting in their own goodness to attain heaven in spite of everything they just acknowledged.
One of the people who did that very well was Craig. Craig was one of the salesmen who parade on the street corner loudly advertising cellular phones; these salesmen are amazing - they even tried to sell to us as we are walking around evangelizing! We established that he was a sinner in need of a Saviour and that he needed to repent etc. Craig was frustrated and said that he tried to live a good life, and prayed in repentance every day yet still fell into the same sins; he hoped that God would accept him because of his efforts. We went in circles for quite a while discussing all of this, with me having to politely but firmly get the conversation back on the topic several times until Dennis came along and helped out. A man who was sitting nearby came up when we were finished and gave Craig some contact information, stating that he was a Christian and would be happy to talk to him anytime he wanted.
A few rejections later I started good conversations with sidewalk vendors but was interrupted due to customers. An older lady was sitting on the wall around one of the trees, I sat down beside her and engaged her in conversation. She was very friendly and openly said she didn't know where she was going when she died, yet had no desire to talk further with me about it. Instead she seemed more interested in someone willing to listen to her brag about her children's accomplishments and her life in the city.
A while later when I offered a tract to an older guy and struck up a conversation, he showed no interest at all in God but a lot in me. When he would not cease his brazen hitting on me, I simply told him I was there to talk to him about eternal life, not Bf's, and walked back to the group. Mildly annoying, but all types are encountered in this type of evangelism.
At the door to Wendy's a woman with two little girls asked everyone that walked by for a dollar, as one of her daughters tugged on her sleeve wanting ice cream. She was given a tract along with the dollar. Inside, the very friendly young man behind the counter accepted a tract with a smile and nod.
In summation, street evangelism is very draining since you are walking in the hot sun and it is hard work talking of spiritual things with the blind. But if you keep praying and have a genuine concern for the lost, and can be friendly, warm, and caring you will love it.
After several hours on the streets, we headed over to Central Park. The entrance we used was crowded and noisy and the air was thick with cigarette smoke and the smell of horses. The broad sidewalk was filled with young aspiring artists and their modern art, as well as hot dog vendors and the never ending purse displays with bored looking attendants. The Park itself is so very beautiful, with rolling hills, winding paths, stately trees, gentle waterfalls over rock cuts, ponds, and flower gardens. The paths are lined with benches and the occasional enterprising painter displaying their work and calling out as you walk by, or a musician with open hat close at hand. The well-kept lawns are covered with an amazing diversity of the human population; sadly, immorality is prevalent here both in the clothes women wear, and the actions of couples. But you also might see a couple playing with their baby, a group of teens playing Frisbee, a lady studying with pen in hand, a young man lying asleep on the grass, or a hippie reclining against a tree trunk as he observes the people around him.
The park also has a good deal of semi-tame wildlife including squirrels, turtles, fish, geese, sparrows, chipmunks, and pigeons. The squirrels and pigeons especially are so used to the steady stream of people that at times you almost step on them before they scramble out of the way.
After a pleasant stroll through a section of the park, we went back to the van and drove to Ground Zero. Here too, the fallenness of mankind is evident in the sidewalks lined with those attempting to make money off the throngs of tourists coming to remember at the site of a tragedy. The site itself is at present under construction and surrounded with a high fence that hinders views inside. They have rebuilt the WTC subway station, and on that side they have made it possible to view the area; which shows that it is still in the beginning processes of building. Also here is a wall covered with the artwork of children paying tribute to their fathers who as firefighters or policemen, gave their lives in trying to save others. It is so very strange to study the paintings and loving words, being moved almost to tears, while behind you is a constant flow of people in and out of the subway, going about their day to day lives in normality. To visit Ground Zero is not the same as visiting a memorial, but it is sobering enough in its own way and is a good reminder of the fragility and preciousness of life.
A quiet ride back home where we enjoyed putting together a delicious taco supper and after cleaning up, everyone meandered their way to the beach as the sun began its descent. After the clamour of the city it was so peaceful and quiet, with the sound of the tide coming in mixed with the quiet conversation of those fishing from the rocks. We pulled off our sandals and enjoyed the feel of the cool sand on our aching feet, though the bitterly cold water kept us back from the reach of the tide. Some of the crazier ones decided to brave the temperatures, and dared each other in how far into the waves they would wade, to the amusement of those of us who were more 'sane'. The children with their endless energy soon had several of us chasing them around and through the water, squealing and laughing. Denver somehow ended up holding every one's cameras, so he entertained himself by taking random pictures with them all. Eventually it grew too dark to see very well and people started to head toward home, pausing to take in the lovely view of the Manhattan skyline lite up, with a bright moon overhead revealing scattered clouds, and gentle waves just visible against the sand.
Truly New York City is beautiful, yet desperately in need of a Saviour.