Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Well, we finally got home last night around 8:30 p.m. I've never been so happy to see Jackson, Mississippi.

I'm not going to lie, while we were in Detroit, all I wanted was to either be in Mississippi or back in New York. Someone is going to have to convince me somethin' good that Detroit isn't such a bad place now.

Over all though, it was a great week. I didn't go into the trip with any expectations because I didn't want to be disappointed if things didn't really pan out. I went in trusting God that he was going to work out what he wanted to be worked out and work in his own way.

God showed himself faithful all throughout the week, turning bad situations to good and bringing his people closer together to bring glory to His name.

My favorite part of the week was the Bowery Mission as I wrote about here as well as making new friends.

As we were finally on the plane headed back towards the South, I really became enamored with seeing God's creation from a different perspective.

It's really interesting to see Earth from above the clouds. It's kind of peaceful and you think how in the world could some of the things that are happening right now happening. But then I remember how God is in control and seeing His creation from a bird's eye view reaffirms that truth for me. And brings me to an awesome place in my relationship with him.

Stay tuned for some of my favorite pictures from the trip. It's going to be hard to pick just a few. I'm sure I'll make a slideshow with most of them soon.

Detroit City

Well, after a smooth departure from Newark, we are stuck in Detroit. As we were getting closer to getting home, on the peanut they called a plane bound for Jackson-Evers, the captain came on the loudspeaker and delivered some bad news. Basically, the plane was broken and we weren't getting anywhere with a broken plane. Dagnabit.

So we were escorted off the plane, then transferred to a new gate that was at least a half a mile away, then delayed three times and finally told that our flight was cancelled because they couldn't find another crew member for our flight.

So. Long story short. We are spending the night in the Motor City. No fun. So far, Detroit hasn't impressed me enough to want to come back. Except for the cool tunnel that lights up in the middle of the airport (hopefully video coming soon).

We received hotel and food vouchers and were booked on a flight to leave tomorrow at 3:20 p.m. Praise the Lord! We have to change planes in Memphis and we won't get home until after 8 p.m.

We know that He works out all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. And we know that he's in control of it all and there was nothing that we could've done to change the situation. His ways are higher. Much higher. So we trust Him.

So pray that we get home safely and don't get delayed anymore. There were a couple of ladies on our flight today who have been stuck here for two days. I don't want to be one of those ladies tomorrow.

I really want my bed at home and I really don't want to spend my birthday in Detroit. Unless I get a private tour of Ford Field.

It's So Hard To Say Goodbye...

Our last day was pretty jammed packed but pretty laid back as well.

We started out with the tour of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I've been to both before, Liberty twice and Ellis Island once, but never with my dad which is always more fun. Dad definitely appreciates those types of things, especially Ellis Island.

I'm glad I had been up to the crown of Liberty before (pre-9/11) because the line to just get into the pedestal was insanely long.

We rounded the statue and took millions of pictures of ourselves, as well as others. We met this couple from Spain who were on their honeymoon. I mentioned to Mom how funny it was that we go over there for our honeymoons and they come over here. I guess it's just one of those funny things in life.

(Ellis Island)

After Ellis Island, we all met back at Battery Park to get ready for our afternoon of concerts. We sang three times in the park between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. It was actually pretty fun because the line for the Statue of Liberty ferry had grown very long so if people wanted to wait to see Liberty, they had to get past us first.

The first concert, I would say, was subpar. I just don't think we were pumped up yet. It took a while to get us going I guess. The second and third were much, much better and by the end, we had people singing and clapping and dancing along. We did a bunch of patriotic music with a couple of fun praise songs added onto the end of the set.

After we had sweated off a few pounds, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our night out to see Wicked!

My Dad and I took a nap while Mom milled around in the room but we woke up just in time to get all dolled up and meet our new addition to the family, Kumar (our MissionNYC tour guide). Kumar became part of the family on Sunday night when he joined us for dinner and and think he ate dinner with us for the rest of the week, including lunch on Tuesday.

Kumar is such a precious soul that I will never forget. He truly became my buddy on the trip and I think I was the only one that could actually keep up with him. Ha! Mom, Dad and I saw much more of NYC because of him than we would have ever dreamed. He such a sweet person and I can't wait to go back to NYC so he can show us more nor can I wait for him to visit Jackson or Birmingham so we can show him how boring it is down here.

We headed downtown to Times Square and Broadway and decided to eat at Bubba Gump's for our "last supper" as a family of four. And it was gooooood. Kumar asked us while we were there what we would take him to if he came to visit. The only thing we could think of was the BassPro Shop. Ha. Of course, there would be more to see in Birmingham but still not that much more.

After dinner, Kumar walked with us to the theater and we said our goodbyes. I'm not going to lie and tell you it was easy. It took all I had to not ugly cry right there in front of Broadway. But we all promised to keep in touch, the Waldens promised to continue to pray for Kumar's first self-led mission trip to Scotland in November, and I told him that if he was ever having withdrawls from hearing a Southern accent that I was always a phone call away and we could talk all about "swayt tay" and "bein' hongry".

Wicked was incredible. I didn't think that anything could top Titanic: A Broadway Musical after I saw it when I was 14. Then I didn't think anything could top The Lion King, even after I saw it the second time. Well, Lion King. Consider yourself topped. This was the most amazing show I've ever seen. Including Phantom of the Opera. Yes, Anna. You just read that correctly.

The leads could not have been more perfect and the girl who played Elphaba was amazing in her Broadway debut. I didn't think anyone would be as good as Idina Menzel, but this girl was as close as you can get without being better than the original. So good.

That is what we saw as we left the theatre. Ha. Good stuff.

We headed back to the hotel, but not before buying a couple of I Heart NY t-shirts and taking pictures with Elmo.

Who knew what the day ahead would bring!

Serious New York Overload

Ok, so I didn't blog yesterday. But I have a good excuse. I'm on serious New York overload. We have been NONSTOP since Sunday.

Yesterday was a good day. God worked some good things out for us and then let some things fall threw just because he can do that.

We started off yesterday, well a small group started off yesterday, with an early ministry at St. Paul's mission for the homeless. A couple of people sang and my Dad spoke/delivered the Word and then they served breakfast and cleaned up the place.

At around 9:30, those who didn't go to St. Paul's met them in Chinatown to walk around and sight-see. It was very interesting. Kumar (our tour guide) warned us of all the shady business that goes on there so we could really be on our toes. He told us that many of the people that are selling purses on the street with just a sheet of paper usually take people up in an abandoned building to sell the purses to you and you know, no good can come from an abandoned building.

From there, around 11:30, we headed over to the Bowery Mission which was probably the highlight of my day. We walked all the way through Chinatown to the mission. As soon as we got to the mission we rehearsed a few songs and then prayed over the pews that were in the little chapel where the service would be held.

I'm telling you right now, God was madly apparent in that place. The choir rocked the place Sister Act-style, coming of the street after hearing the music from outside. Then my sweet Daddy brought it with the scripture and there's no doubt in my eyes that some lives were touched.

Next, we booked it to Union Square for our next concert. We arrived a little early so most of us went to Whole Foods to get something to eat. This was a huge Whole Foods with so many options you could ever think of.

Things kind of fell through after we stood around Union Square for two hours waiting for things to get set up. The power wasn't working really well and there were so many complications, we ended up canceling the concert and going back to the hotel. Several people approached us and asked if we were going to perform and we had to tell them that we had to cancel. However, we told them we'd be performing in Battery Park on Wednesday and they said that they would definitely try to make it. So that was encouraging.

For dinner, we went to Ellen's Stardust Diner for the birthday of a lady in the group. It's 50's-style diner staffed by aspiring Broadway talent and the sing and dance while serving. It's amazing. They also do a special song for your birthday (besides Happy Birthday), and so we just knew this was the place to go. So nine of us ladies headed, with Kumar guiding the way. The food was delish and the entertainment even better.

After we were done there, we walked a bit downtown to Rockefeller Center. We passed Radio City, David Letterman, NBC Studios, FoxNews and the Today Show. We ended up at a great restaurant for dessert: Junior's Cheesecake. It's like a New York version of Cheesecake Factory.

Today (Tuesday) was planned like this:

9:30 - 11:00 a.m. -- Ground Zero

11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. -- Fire Department Outreach

2 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. -- Free Time

6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. -- Concert at Harlem Bandshell

9 p.m. - 11 p.m. -- Tour of Empire State Building

Well, it didn't happen that way.

We woke up to rain so we ended up heading on over to Ground Zero but the FDNY outreach was out of the question because when it rains they have to close all the doors to the station and there is absolutely no access to the stations when that happens. Harlem was out too because there were no alternative indoor spots to sing. So we ended up having the whole afternoon to ourselves.

This was a wall on the way to Ground Zero that was made from images that had appeared in magazines and newspapers.

We also got to go to St. Paul's which is where the Ground Zero workers would come and sleep during clean up. It was really neat to see.

The cross in the picture was actually found in the rubble of the Twin Towers. Just like that. The piece of metal on it was found with it.

So after Ground Zero and St. Paul's, my parents, Kumar and I went down to Grand Central and ate lunch and then we decided to go to Central Park and to the Museum of Natural History (like, the one from Night at the Museum. Yeah, that one.). Well, when we actually got into the museum, we found out it would be an hour before we could actually walk around. So we decided to just go to Central Park and walk around.

Here's a little slideshow of our own little "Sunday In The Park With George". Except it was a Tuesday. And we were in the park with Kumar. Not George.

Central Park from Katie on Vimeo.

I think we spent about two or two and a half hours just walking around the park and taking pictures. And it was so much fun to just hang out with Kumar. He's just a great guy and has so much information. It's been really great getting to know that kid. Well, I say kid, he's 33.

Anyway, so we caught the bus back to the hotel and now we are resting up for the Empire State Building. The time has been moved up to 8 p.m. so I hopefully the rain will be gone by then.

Tomorrow is the last day of busyness. We go to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tomorrow morning and then we sing at Battery Park from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The afternoon we have off until 7 p.m and then we get to see Wicked!

A Good First Day

After an early rise this morning (and spilling hot tea all over my left hand pretty much rendering it useless for about half an hour), we made it to Brooklyn with about 30 minutes to spare before worshipping at The Brooklyn Tabernacle.

One friend told me that worshipping at BT would be as close to what it would be like in heaven until we actually get there. And I have to say, she was exactly right.

People of all backgrounds, races and creed came together this morning in an old theater-turned-church and poured out their hearts to the Almighty God. I think I properly prepared myself for the circumstance but I was still moved by the humility in that room.

I love how there was no order. We sang the songs however long we wanted to sing, there were impromptu prayers and people literally calling out to God all over the room. People opening their mouths and declaring the glory of the Lord, praising Him for who He is and what He has done in their lives.

And of course, the choir was incredible.

Jim Cymbala brought it, as I'm sure he does all the time. Simplistic message founded on the Word of God and delivered with true conviction and a humble heart.

I'll never forget that experience and I hope I'll have a chance to go back soon.

Next, we headed over to the U.S.S. Intrepid to do a couple of concerts on the deck there. The first concert, I think left much to be desired in the category of crowd numbers but we didn't need to forget that, in reality, there was only one Audience that we were singing to.

The next concert was incredible. There was a group of about 100 bikers (motorcycles) who were actually Vietnam veterans. They were all getting together to celebrate their anniversary and we just happened to be opening with several patriotic numbers. As we started singing the Salute to the Armed forces, the crowd grew and the excitement escalated. We asked them to salute or wave at us when we sang their branch's song and by the time we reached the Marines, we had old guys jumping up and down waving at us. They were SO excited. And it was so fun to watch.

After the Salute, we had a guy play Taps on the trumpet to honor the memory of the fallen soldiers. Cue waterworks. It was an emotional time for those men and an emotional time for people in the choir who have lost loved ones, or even just teared up at the sight of these massive guys in black leather vests weeping for their fallen friends, humbly putting their hearts on their sleeves. At the very end, we ended up taking a picture with a few of the guys and an impromptu singing of "God Bless America."

And then, y'all, I had to step to the side and have myself a little ugly cry. It was just too much.

By the time we finished, it was about 4 p.m. and most of us were all dog-tired. After much deliberation, Mom and Dad and I decided to make the eight block (35 minute) trek back to the hotel while everyone else took taxis and tried to catch the bus.

We were joined by our precious guide (with MissionNYC) Kumar, who lead us back. (I had to fight the urge to ask him where the White Castle was.) Kumar is a native New Yorker who grew up in the city. Because the walk was so long and Mom and Dad were dragging, we ended up being able to talk about a lot of things, including what it was like to grow up in the city, how he got into working with MissionNYC and what his future plans are. He's been doing this thing for about six years and is so excited that he gets to lead his own mission trip in November (I think) to Scotland for the first time. However, he really has a heart for youth and that's in fact where I think he wants to head with his ministry, into youth ministry.

We also ended up going to dinner together (as a little family of four, ha!) and we learned a little more about him, as he learned a LOT more about the Walden crew, including the fact the like to laught, A LOT.

We are about to hit the hay because well, today was pretty draining and Dad has an early morning ahead of him. He's speaking (preaching) and the homeless breakfast at 6:30 (probably more close to 7 a.m.) and I ask you all to pray that the Lord will speak through him in a mighty way.

And that we all won't look so touristy tomorrow.

Because you know it's a little telling with all the Southern accents and wide eyes and well...at least we are wearing shoes this week.

In A New York State Of Mind

Well, we made it to the Big Apple safe and sound, but not without a few bumps in the road. But God showed himself faithful and powerful through them and I couldn't have been more delighted to see it.

One example was when we got to our lay over in Atlanta (no Real Housewives spotted this time either), we had about an hour to get some food, gate to our gate and relax before boarding. Well, a little while after we got to our gate (Gate B25), we figured out that the flight they were boarding wasn't our flight. So I went up to the desk and asked a nice young lady if she knew what the deal was. She dialed it up on the computer and said that the flight had to moved to Gate 4B. And it was at the gate but she didn't know if it was boarding or not.

Y'all, that's a whole 21 gates down. That's like eight miles in airport talk.

So we booked it on down to Gate 4B (and I'm praying the whole way) and lo and behold, God pulled through and our flight had been delayed from Newark. So we weren't departing until 2:30 p.m. now. We had a whole 'nother hour and a half to spare.

We got to Newark about 4:30 this afternoon and a sweet little Middle Eastern man came and picked us up and took us to our hotel. We even went through the Lincoln Tunnel. We had to restrain Dad from rolling down the window and "hollering" a la the way we do it in Mobile on family vacations.

We finally got to the hotel, the Grand Central Hyatt, right next to Grand Central Station and a few buildings down from the Chrysler Building. Great view.

We headed out to see The Lion King down on Broadway (which is where I believe God looked down and said "Let there be singing of show tunes and choreographed dancing." And then he said it was good.) It's right smack-dab in the middle of Times Square. Times Square is a lot different than the last time I saw it which was about nine or ten years ago. They have blocked off Broadway at 57th (I think) to create a pedestrian mall. It's pretty sweet.

Of course, Dad and I were acting like pure tourists with the point-and-shoots out capturing every step of the way.

The Lion King was as fantastic as it was the first time I saw it and Dad very much appreciated it as his first-ever Broadway show. I'm tellin' you folks. That there is a good starter for Broadway rookies.

Anyway, I must go because we've got an early call tomorrow morning. First up is The Brooklyn Tabernacle, something I'm so excited about. Then on to the U.S.S. Intrepid for a couple of concerts.

(P.S. I took lots of pictures but I just don't have time to load them right now. Hopefully, I get some on here tomorrow.)

Keep praying! God's already working!

Start Spreadin' The News!

In less than 12 hours, we'll be off to to New York City for the mission trip choir/tour with FBC Jackson.

I'm so excited about it.

Here are some things you can be praying for:

- Traveling mercies (safety to and from airports, in the air and on the ground, no lost luggage and smooth journeys)

- Safety throughout the duration of the stay. It's New York, y'all. Although I've been there twice before, it's still New York, y'all.

- Good health. I'm nursing a head cold acquired from the beach and I have to sing a solo in one of the concerts. I'm significantly better than I was a few days ago but the voice is still a little rough.

- No distractions. This trip is different than say going to Honduras or Africa. There's a lot in NYC that can distract me from what I'm really there for. Pray that my eyes are focused on what God is doing rather then the "pretty lights and neon signs."

- Pray for the people that we will be working with as well as anyone who may hear us sing. Let everything we do be a reflection of God's glory and may the Lord prepare the hearts that he wants touched.