Celeste in the Big Apple

Mo'Heights Missions

2006-09-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

Update--One Month Later

2006-08-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to believe that it is exactly one month today since we flew the friendly or as it seems these days the not so friendly skies to NYC. When we began our journey several of the team members had personal prayer requests mostly job related. We sought out friends to intercede on their behalf to help them not be distracted while in NYC. Since then God has blessed Emily with a job. She has moved to Memphis and has begun teaching. Allison is still seeking the Lord while she waits for Him to provide a job for her. I am sure she would greatly appreicate your prayers. It won't be long before the students return and Heidi says that the preparation is getting done. Please pray for the staff and students as they begin a new year. Missy has begun her new job and all seems to be going well. As for me, I jumped right back into life in Mississippi and have lots of projects going. One of the most exciting projects is the Global Impact Celebration, September 28- October 1 at Morrison Heights Baptist Church. It will be a weekend focused totally on missions and understanding ways we can be involved. We have missionaries locally, from Mississippi, throughout the USA and the world coming to share with us what God is doing and how we can be involved. I am hoping we may have a friend from Mosaic Manhattan join us for the event. I spoke with our friends at Mosaic Manhattan recently and they shared with me that the Summer Spectacular camp was wonderful. They are putting together pictures and a video they hope to get to me soon. I will post the pictures when I get them. Finally, today I got "The Inside Track" newsletter from New Hope New York. Andrew Wideman who served as a summer missionary with Mosaic is picture in there. You have already seen him pictured in the slideshow on my blog. Click here to read the newletter. Thank you for reading my blog and your support of missions! Joyfully--Celeste

Message from Jael

2006-07-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

Celeste, Please let your team know how grateful and thankful I am for all your hard work. Your posters were a huge hit at today’s kick-off for the Summer Spectacular. We had so many comments on how amazing they looked. Please carbon copy this email to the team and let them know they are celebrities in New York. Thanks again, Jael Williams P.S. I truly miss your team (I really do)

We're Back!

2006-07-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for praying for us last week. The time flew by and I can't believe it's over. We had such a great time and again on behalf of the whole team we say "Thank you"! The Summer Spectacular camp at Mosaic Manhattan began this morning. Please continue to pray for all those involved. This if their first VBS ever and we know God can and will do great things. I hope to have some pictures up soon of our trip. Also, a Mosaic friend is going to send me pictures from camp to post. Stay in touch.

Meet our New Friends

2006-07-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Check out our friend Dana Villegas, Associate Pastor, at Mosaic Manhattan Church and his precious family.

Gum, God and Grace

2006-07-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

Maridell mentioned in her comment today that she would like to see some pictures. Because of the technical difficulties we have had, I have been unable to post photos. I will post them Saturday so be sure to check out the blog. Yesterday we gave out 1000 packs of gum in about an hour and a half. We stood outside of City Hall Park and offered free gum to everyone who passed by. Once again, several were a little apprehensive, but we saw how God uses us when we are weak. Missy met a lady named Betty who was an Indian Christian. She had two children with her and she is looking for a church home. She gave Missy her name and phone number and asked that someone from the church call her. Another interesting thing about giving out the gum was that people would walk toward me with a scowled face, but when I spoke to them and offered the gum it really seemed to brighten their day. Those random acts of kindness may make a difference for the Kingdom of God. Yesterday Heidi, Allison and I got to have lunch with our friend Cindi from the Brooklyn Tabernacle. It was so great to see her. I hope our time with her brought her encouragement. It was a true blessing for us. We are hoping to see Cindi and JoAnna tomorrow night. This morning we have had to divide and conquer to finish up our tasks since today is our last day of work with Mosaic. Tomorrow we will have a free day in the City and fly home Saturday. Missy, Emily and Allison braved the subway system to travel around the city to get supplies for the camp. Missy was saying how we have this misconspection that people in the City are always in a rush. She said the truth is you can't be in a rush. It took them two hours to go to 3 stores. She said in Mississippi was are spoiled to our one stop shopping a.k.a Wal-Mart. Heidi went with Jael to the school where camp will be held. They had to run errands. I stayed at the office and sent out personalized emails to 50 parents about the camp. For about 30 min. I was the only one in the office and for a brief moment thought I was a New Yorker. I said a BREIF moment! Then I got back out of the street and was once again reminded I missed the peace and quiet of home. They are doing construction outside out building and the noise can be overwhelming at times. One last thing, I think I forgot to mention that the Mosaic office is across the street from the World Trade Center site. We are one block from St. Paul's Church that was used as a relief shelter during the 911 tradgedy. Yesterday during lunch we walked through the church and the cemetary and were just reminded of the tremendous suffering that the people of NYC suffered that day! We will be prayer walking after lunch. Please help us pray for the people of NYC!

Let the Worshippers Arise

2006-07-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

Last night we worshipped at The Brooklyn Tabernacle. It was a beautiful experience. It was a great time of refreshing and refocusing for me. The chorus we sang over and over was: Let the worshippers arise, Let the sons and the daughters sing, I'm surrendering my all, I surrender to the King. Pastor Cymbala taught from the book of Ezra and reminded us that we should worship God through the whole process and praise Him for the foundation He has built instead of waiting until He finishes the process to worship God . We should praise God all of the time!!! We also had a time of prayer for a young many whose parents are missionaries caught in the fighting in Israel. What a priviledge to pray for this family. The young man is here in the United States doing an internship this summer. God is good!

Signs, Signs everywhere are Signs

2006-07-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

Today we finally got to pass out our gum. Allison, Heidi and I all had opportunity to do this project last year, but it was a first for Missy and Emily. They were a little nervous about being rejected, but we saw God bless. There were no bad encounters. We gave out 500 packs of gum in 30 min. It was crazy. We also gave out a card that told about Mosaic Manhattan with the gum. Later, we came back to the Mosaic office to continue the preparation for the Summer Spectacular camp. Allison, Heidi, Emily and Missy have been making FABULOUS signs for the camp all day. Those ladies have done an amazing job. I think their fingers are cramping from all of the cutting and pasting they have done today. I have spent my afternoon calling all of the parents to thank them for sending their children to camp and giving them an update on pre-camp activities. I have also been helping Jael, the children's minister, with organization of teams and other organizational responsibilities. It has been a great day. Tonight we will worship at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. Some of you know that last year when we went to the Brooklyn Tabernacle God blessed us with a a divine encounter where we met a very special friend Cindi and her friend Joanna. Tonight Joanna will have dinner with us an escort us to church. Please pray for Cindi. She can't go with us because of a night class. She has a very big presentation due and is feeling the pressure. Thank you for your prayers and keeping up with us through this blog. We praise God He has fixed our technical difficulities. God Bless!

Technical Difficulties

2006-07-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

Friends....we have arrived and it has been wonderful. I am sorry we have had technical difficulties and have been unable to post until now. Thankfully, our Mosaic friends have allowed us to use their computers. We had a delayed flight Saturday because of mechanical difficulties. Thank you so much for praying. God blessed us. We worshipped at Mosaic Manhattan yesterday. It was such a unique experience and I was reminded that we may meet in very different locales with different styles of music and setups, but we still worship the same God. The ONE God! Emily and I got to be ushers. Really, we even took up the offering. Heidi and Allison helped give directions and helped with other organizational things and Missy worked in children's church. Today, we have worked at Mosaic Manhattan's offices all day. We were reminded that flexibility is the key. Most of the day was spent preparing for the Summer Spectacular Camp. The camp sounds very exciting and it is amazing that most of the children coming are not from the church, but from the community. They responded to advertising in the local newspaper. Keep praying. I will blog again soon. The TEAM says Hi!!!!

And we're off

2006-07-15T03:04:00.000-07:00

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe." Psalm 18:10 Well friends...it is 5:00 a.m. and we are all up and soon to be off. I am excited about the days ahead and I am trusting the the Lord's name to meet our every need. We sure appreciate Chrystelle T. for her willingness to take 4 of th 5 of us to the airport this morning. I know it is a sacrifice to give up your Saturday morning. I am not much on flying so pray especially for me. I guess my next post will be when we get to NYC. See ya then!

The countdown continues

2006-07-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning we will be leaving bright and early...5:45 a.m. to be exact. I hope the excitement of the trip does not hinder our sleep because we will have a busy day. Of course, today is busy enough with last minute details. Please pray that we all will not be overwhelmed with the details and that tonight we will sleep well and be ready to go! Pray also for each of us as we continue to prepare our hearts and minds for the task at hand.

Compassion Knocks on My Door

2006-07-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. " Lamentations 3:21-23 This morning God reminded me of His great faithfulness and of His compassion. Honestly, last night I tossed and turned thinking of all the things I needed to do to get ready for NYC. Now for those of you who really know me the truth is most of what I worried about getting done were the things I had commanded myself to do. These things are not necessary for us to get to NYC and do the work there. I guess you would call it fluff stuff. Anyway, I spent time praying and finally drifted off to sleep. This morning however I was awaken by a call from a dear lady in my church. She had baked me cookies and wanted to bring them by to me before I went to work. She also had a gift for me to use for my trip. Now, when I cried out to the Lord last night I couldn't have imagined how he would answer my prayer, but how great it is that our God is so gracious and kind that He would send a "compassion" to my door this very morning! My visit with this friend was short, but what an encouragement it was and what an attitude adjustment I made. Today I have tossed all worry aside and I am looking forward to what the Lord has in store for me and for the 4 other ladies on this team. God is at work and what a privilege it is that He has invited us to join Him.

Big Apple Here We Come

2006-07-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

The time to go to New York will soon be here. Our trip will be Saturday, July 15-Saturday, July 22. God is at work and we are so blessed that He is allowing us the opportunity to be involved. We will once again work with Mosaic Manhattan Church, but some of our duties will be different from last year. (You can read posts for the 2005 NYC Mission Trip on this site) This year most of our time will be used to help prepare for the summer day camp sponsored by Mosaic. It is their version of Vacation Bible School. Recently in the Morrison Heights Good News newsletter, Mrs. Rita Anderson highlighted that our team is made up of all women. She reminded everyone that God has a plan for this team. Mrs. Rita is right because God does have a plan. Our team is made up of all women, but these women are gifted specifically for the task at hand. We have 2 teachers, an artist, a college administrator who organizes special events/activities and a public relations practitioner. All of these women love the Lord and are excited about using their gifts and talents for this trip. Other things we will be doing will include servant evangelism and prayer walking. The servant evangelism is an opportunity for us to do random acts of kindness in an effort to open doors for an opportunities to share the gospel and encourage people we me on the street. It is also an opportunity for us to spread the word about Mosaic Manhattan Church. This church rents a public school building to meet in and has no signs or ways to publicize on the street. So we do it for them by meeting people face to face. It can be challenging because some people will keep walking when you try to talk to them and others will take the packs of gum we offer and then throw down the Mosaic card. Still, we press on! Last year during our prayer walks we encountered many interesting people. Some of whom let us pray with them. We walked the streets and prayed for the people there that God would open their hearts to receive His truth. Of course we need you all to pray for us. We want to be focused and effective and only God can equip us. The following are prayer requests we have as a team: Pray that we will be effective in assisting Mosaic Manhattan prepare for their week-long summer camp (their version of VBS) Pray for us as we encounter all types of people during our servant evangelism most of whom do not know Jesus Christ. Last year it was during this time we found several believers who needed encouragement. Pray for good health, strength, endurance and safety as we walk lots of miles. Pray that God will be glorified through this team and that we will not be distracted by our personal issues. I will be posting pictures and information on the blog while we are in NYC. Be sure to check us out. We want you to send us messages. It is such an encouragement for us to know you are supporting us. Thank you!

Take me out to the ball game...

2006-05-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

Plans for the NYC Mission trip are rocking along. God has blessed and things are coming together beautifully. God is so GOOD! We recently found out that a friend may be able to get us tickets to go see the Mets our last night in NYC. Wouldn't that be fun!!! I hope it works out. The other girls going on the trip were happy for the opportunity, but weren't nearly as excited about the game as me. I got VERY excited when I found out the Mets were playing the Astros. Andy Pettitte pitches for the Astros and he is an amazing Christian man. If I were to be completely honest...He's really good-looking too. I am VERY sure his lovely wife thinks so too! :) He also has co-written a book titled Strike Zone: Targeting a Life of Integrity and Purity. I really appreciate Doug trying to work this out for us. It will be a fun experience. I also found out from my friend Doug that Chad Bradford, Mets pitcher, is from Jackson. He played college ball at Southern Miss. It would be cool if he was pitching that night too.

Paint the Town Update

2006-05-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine Mrs. Reva Daniel is a trustee with the North American Mission Board. The trustees recently toured NYC and one of the sites they visited was Joseph Wade Middle School where we worked for one day last year during our mission trip. The school is in the Bronx and was in need of repair. Feautured in the article was our friend Blanche. We loved Blanche and she loved all the volunteers. She loved us so much she shared her prize Derek Jeter jersey with us. We all got to cut a tiny piece off so that we could remember her and she could remember us. Check out the article Look closely, Mrs. Reva is standing up front in the photo.

NYC Here We Come

2006-05-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

I have recently gotten back into blogging mode. A friend sarcastically suggested I post some time this year. So here it goes...Well, friends it is back to NYC. As you will see as you peruse my blog last year I lead a team to work with Mosaic Manhattan for a week last summer. It was a great experience. I had not planned on being the team leader this year for all kinds of reason, but apparently the Lord had other plans. So, here I am team leader again. It has been amazing already to see how the Lord is working out all the details. I am not nearly as nervous about leading this year as I was last year. I guess that's what experience does to ya. Our team is a little smaller this year and so far it's all ladies. Gentlemen...You are missing out! LOL Please keep us and Mosaic Manhattan in your prayers. The children's minister at the church has had serious health issues. She is coordinating their summer camp and we will be working with her to prepare for camp because it will take place the week after we are there. There is so much to do to get ready, but it is all coming together. I will keep you updated. I PROMISE!

God Provides

2005-09-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

Our friends at Mosaic Manhattan are celebrating God's provision in that He has made new office space available to them. We have been praying for months that God would provide space for them and He has. Also, they are in the process of sending volunteers from their church to assist a mission church on the MS Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina. Several Mosaic Manhattan staff members are from Mississippi. Keep praying!

It's a Small World After All

2005-08-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

Josh H. from our mission team recently received an email from a friend of his that lives in NYC. She from Mississippi originally and Josh had wanted to contact her while we were up there, but didn't have her contact info with him. She ended up contacting him after we returned and said she had seen his blog and from it had seen mine. She mentioned to Josh that she recognized someone in the photos, but it wasn't anyone from Mississippi. It seems that our friend Michael that we met in Tribeca was someone her husband worked with when they first moved to NYC. She was amazed that in a city of 8 million people that we would meet the one person they knew. God has a way of affirming our efforts and we praise Him! Keep praying for Michael as he walks this journey as a new believer.

Joseph Wade Jr. High School - Bronx, NY

2005-07-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

(Pic #1-the mural was done by a team from TN. If you look in the far left corner you will notice they included a cross. Pic #2 Andi, BSU Summer missionary from Itawamba CC, Celeste & Heidi) We only participated in the Paint the Town project for one day, but several other teams had been working there all week. Our job was to help finish painting doors. As you can see from this mural the other teams made tremendous investments in this school. I know there is still time to be involved in the Paint the Town project. Here's more info: Working in one school in Harlem, two on Long Island and six in the Bronx, volunteers moved furniture, scraped walls, taped windows and trim, and began applying shades of blue, yellow and red to the walls, some of which haven't been painted in decades. (Read the full story.) There's still time for you to be part of Paint the Town, and spaces are open for Summer 2006. For more information, contact Sandra Mallory at 1-800-291-3692 ext. 35 or paintthetown@newhopenewyork.com. Download the Paint the Town video here. Download Windows Media Player if you don't have it. Ready to come? Here are the steps to follow.

Mr. Bull

2005-07-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

Mr. Bull...we never found out his real name. He was a security guard that fell in love with us and I have to admit we loved him too. I think he may have just needed a friend or two that day. He was a great help to us. We found out he had lived in Mississippi for a while and knew exactly where Morrison Heights BC is located. It was nice to find home folks. Pray for Mr. Bull's salvation.

Wow....real tea...well kinda

2005-07-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

Well, it took me a week, but I finally got some "real" tea. It wasn't sweet tea, but that's okay. I was just thankful it was iced!!

Anyone Need a Friend

2005-07-23T04:53:00.000-07:00

(Pictures top to bottom #1 Mark with our friend Michael who is a new believer, #2 Celeste with our friend Antonio a.k.a Flava Flave who is a construction worker, & #3 Heidi with our friend Cindi from The Brooklyn Tabernacle.)Friends our theme for this week was "Open the Eyes of My Heart". God has truly opened my eyes and that of our team to the need to take time and really "see what you're looking at". You know there are so many people in NYC and Clinton, MS for that matter that we need to see. We need to see!! We need to smile at them, help them, share with them or do what ever the Holy Spirit leads us to do for them all in the name of Jesus Christ! We have been so blessed by the relationships we have built this week even in a city of 10 million people. On Sunday we met one of the Mosaic Manhattan members seving in the children's ministry. His name is Dano and he and his wife have 6 children. They commute from Brooklyn to attend church at Mosaic Manhattan. He was such a kind and servant-hearted man. Remember that was Sunday, but yesterday (Fri.) we ran into him in front of Macy's. He was on his way to a business meeting. We were able to thank him for Sunday and encourage him in his ministry. Also, a precious young woman we met on Tuesday at The Brooklyn Tabernacle named Cindi met us for lunch yesterday. She spent the day with us and was a cource of encouragement to us for us. I hope we were an encouragement to her as well. It amazing how God cares about all of life's details and how He orchestrates them all to bring glory to Himself! We are leaving for the airport as soon as I finish this blog. Our flight is at 11:00 Eastern time. We will be home soon and can't wait to share more of God's great work with you! THANKS!

Liberty

2005-07-22T23:05:00.000-07:00

This is Josh.....Today one of our stops was to Lady Liberty. While on the island, we ran into tons of people. I thought it was really neat to see the diversity of people that were there to see our main symbol of freedom in the USA. Heidi had mentioned that while at the Empire State Building she heard many different languages and english was not the main one. I noticed this on Liberty Island as well.

We Painted the Town

2005-07-21T22:44:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day!!! We went up to the Bronx and helped in an effort through the North American Mission Board and New Hope New York called "Paint the Town". This project is where Baptist volunteers come to NYC and give their time to help paint and improve public school facilities. We were at PS 117 (public school). The principal is a believer, but her associate Blanche is not. Blanche shared with us today about how she has been so moved by the work done and that she admired us for our faith. She then said that she didn't have that same faith. Blanche was hilarious. She is a HUGE New York Yankees fan and even has season tickets. Right after 911 she bought an authentic Derek Jetter jersey for $400. She said, "Next to the cat and the man I live with this is my most prized possession." Because she has been so touched by the efforts of Southern Baptists in her school she brought the jersey and asked everyone to sign it and snip off a little piece to take home to remember them by. Please pray for for Blanche's salvation. Also pray for the 1000 children that will flood this school in just a few weeks. I met some of them on the playground today and it just broke my heart. One little girl named Sondra and I had time to visit. She admited to me that she didn't know who Jesus was and that she had never been to church. She was one of 9 children and they all live with their parents in a tiny apartment. Pray for this family as well that they will come to know Christ and that they will have their physical needs met as well.

Be very careful what you ask for...

2005-07-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

Well, friends I have always heard that you never order sweet tea outside of the South. So therefore at lunch I ordered an unsweet tea. This is what I got! It was only 1000 degrees outside. This wasn't the refreshment I was looking forward to. We all got a big laugh. I hope you do too!

The Walls Came Tumbling Down!!!!

2005-07-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

Hey this is Josh....Blogger extrordinaire.....NOT! Well today was a day about walls being torn down. I had built up some personal walls of my own which were torn down by the magnificent power of the Holy Spirit that we experienced at the Brooklyn Tabernacle on Tuesday night. Throughout the whole day on Wednesday we all came in contact with numerous people that we had met the previous day that had put up walls against us. One guy named Patrick that Mark had talked to was kind of stand-offish yesterday but when we went back today to hand them all(construction guys) a goody bag Patrick's demeanor was totally different. He was all excited about us making a special effort to come see them and show them that we cared. We had prayed the night before that God would break down the barriers with the people we came in contact with, which would allow for relationship building which definitely happened today. Thanks for the prayers and support, the devotional today really hit home with what happened. It just goes to show us how truly awesome and in control God really is. Thank you Bill Jones' Sunday school class for the uplifting devotions that are being worked out daily in NYC.

God is Good All the Time & All the Time God is Good!

2005-07-19T21:44:00.000-07:00

Well, we have hit the halfway mark and God has been so good. Today, we hauled and I do mean HAULED a ton of supplies on our backs to be used in servant evangelism. We looked like pack mules with the our backs loaded and headed to the Subway station. We all may need a chiropractor appointment next week. :) We had a very successful day handing out our granola bars, doorman bags and gum. Most everyone has been very appreciative of the gifts and those who didn't want what we had to offer were polite about it. During our prayer walk Mark met a Brazilian young man who isn't a believer. He is in America for the first time and is traveling alone for 3 weeks. His name is Hafeal and he has recently graduated from college. Also, tonight we went to the weekly prayer service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. They open the doors at 5 and service starts at 7. People were arriving during the time from 5-7 just to pray and get ready for the service at 7. It was so moving. God's hand was on that place and He used the service to encourage and strengthen all of us. We all have some many stories to tell about the Brooklyn Tabernacle, but it would take me all night to write them. Make sure to take the time to ask each team member when you see them about their experience. One thing I did want to share with you about our experience was about two ladies, Cindi and JoAnna. As we made our way to the Brooklyn Tabernacle, I was somewhat concerned about us getting back to Manhattan safely, but I kept that worried thought to myself. When we got to the Brooklyn Tabernacle this sweet lady found us. She came up to me and told me that she wasn't a greeter, but felt compelled to come over and say welcome. She stood and talked for a while and then introduced us to her friend. They invited us into the worship center and gave us a seat up close and personal. NO back row Baptist's tonight! After the service I asked JoAnna what Subway train we should take to get back. She tried to tell me, but then she volunteered to take us to the station. Cindi graciously road the train with us to our stop in Manhattan. Remember at this point we still needed to find our way to the WTC station so that we can get back to NJ. When we get off the train and came up to the street we look across thinking we were going to have to walk several blocks only to find the WTC station across the street. These ladies are precious and need us to pray for them as they try to be lights in a very dark world. One works for stockbrokers and one works with at NYU. I better get some sleep. I will up date you asap. Thanks again you prayers have truly been felts and are appreciated more than I can express through this blog. You are loved!

Sore Feet but Happy Hearts

2005-07-19T05:28:00.000-07:00

We have walked and walked and walked some more and boy do our feet hurt, but praise God that He has filled our hearts with love and joy and for the people of NYC. We had opportunities to share the gospel with several people and even pray with them on the street. They welcomed us. Today we will distribute some of the doorman bags. Pray for our health and staminia. It is hot hot hot hear! I will post pictures and details about specific prayer requests tonight. Thanks for praying!

"It's all under control" Love, God!

2005-07-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

Diane and Mark finally made it to NYC today. They encountered thunderstorms just like we did yesterday. Their tax driver got lost getting them to the hotel and it took 2 hrs to go 20 miles, but God showed us He knows exactly what to do. At the train station they met a believer named John (pictured left with Diane). He volunteered to tour them around NYC. Diane was afraid he was a mugger at first, but he was such a blessing! :) Heidi and Ashley had the opportunity to share with Marvin. He is a traditional Jew and was familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures. He isn't a believer in Jesus Christ was but he was very open to hearing Heidi share what she believed. He told Heidi she was a good teacher because she would answer his questions. He also said he knows a Jew for Jesus, but he thought she was lying to him. Others to pray for that we met along the way: "The Bull" a security guard at the US Customs Building. He used to live in Mississippi. He isn't a believer. "Paris" a young French girl with a lay over in NYC before going to Peru. "Coffee Lady" that Josh and Ashley met at Starbucks. She wasn't a believer, but open to their random act of kindness. They offered to buy her coffee. One last thing.....we begin our prayerwalking and servant evangelism tomorrow (Monday). Today has been very HOT and taxing. Our feet and backs hurt and we have sweat buckets, but our joy cup is overflowing. God's grace is so sufficient.!!!!

Flexibility is the Name of the Game!!

2005-07-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

Things got off to a great start this morning. We actually were ahead of schedule. For those of you who know me best, know what a miracle that was. We stopped in Kentwood, LA on our way to the airport in New Orleans and my parents met us there to pray for us. My dad also offered up some suggestions since he has been on a NYC mission trip before. My sister laughed and said, "Celeste, you asked him to pray not preach, right?" What can I say, the Cade's are long winded. Unfortunately in New Orleans we suffered two flight delays. We were suppose to be in NYC by six, but didn't get here until about 8 p.m. Apparently, the weather was a factor. We were disappointed that we missed the prayer service at Mosaic. We did however have a very adventurous cab ride to Jersey City. Please pray for our cabbie. When he asked why were here Heidi told him we were here to help Mosaic share about Jesus Christ. He then asked us then if we were born again. He did say he was born again, but did say his religion teaches about Jesus Christ born by the virgin Mary. Tomorrow morning we will assist with the children's ministry at Mosiac. We appreciate your prayers and support. Don't forget to send us your words of encouragement! We hope to hear from you soon. Thanks!!!!!!!

My Vision Journey-Part 2

2005-07-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

I have had several people ask me these last few days how I came to desire to go on mission to NYC. Here's the short version. Well, short for me! In August 2004, I was at FBC Panama City Beach, FL with some friends and picked up a Christian Singles Magazine. The girl on the cover had graduated from Mississippi College, my alma mater, and had become an "accidental" missionary to NYC. She works at Mosaic Manhattan. I just couldn't get NYC off my mind after reading that article. Then, in October 2004 our church had a Global Impact Celebration. The missionary that was assigned to our class by "accident" I might add, had so much information to share about the Southern Baptist Convention/North American Mission Board initiative New Hope New York. Only a few weeks later I "accidentally" got invited to participate on the Vision Journey to NYC. So many amazing things have happened along the way to get us to this point. I praise the Lord for what He has done! Now, it is July 15, 2005 and tomorrow we will leave to work for a week with Mosaic Manhattan. Of course, none of this was an accident. Remember, God is in control. He has a plan and purpose. Jeremiah 29:11. It's just one of those things you know in your heart God is leading you to do. Do you have any situations similar to mine that you wouldn't mind sharing? It is always encouraging for me to hear testimony how God is working in and through His people.

My Vision Journey- Part 1

2005-07-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

In November 2004, I visited NYC on a Vision Journey through NAMB. Even though the desire to go on mission to NYC had been in my heart months before, this is where this journey truly began. The photo featured in this post was taken during a prayerwalk around the WTC site during the Vision Journey. You may recognize this landmark. It was two beams that stood up through the destruction of the WTC on September 11. I am not so sure what New Yorkers think of this cross, but for us believers it should be a reminder of the salvation, freedom and hope was have in Jesus Christ. Our host church next week, Mosaic Manhattan, is only blocks from the WTC site and serves the people of the downtown/financial district of NYC. The church began after the tradgey of 9/11. Pray for the Mosaic Manhattan staff as they minister and that God would call out others just like us to go and help them in this great task.

Celeste in the Big Apple

2005-07-13T23:35:00.000-07:00

Celeste in the Big Apple Well friends, just two more days until we leave to work with Mosaic Manhattan Church. It has been an incredible journey. I am so looking forward to what God has in store for us next week. Please keep us in your prayers. A few immediate requests: Travel logistics- Our team will be traveling in two groups. One group will fly out of New Orleans Saturday, July 16th and the other group will fly out of Jackson on Sunday, July 17th. Also, the traveling from the airport into Manhattan can be crazy. We also want to you pray for our host church Mosaic Manhattan. They are looking to relocate, but are needing a miracle from the Lord to accomplish all they believe He wants them to do. Also, they are beginning a weekly Saturday night prayer service beginning the Saturday night we arrive. We want so much to participate, but it will depend on if our flight arrives in time. Well, it is very late on Wed evening or to be more accurate very early on Thursday morning and I need to sleep. I will use this blog to keep you all updated from now through the trip. Feel free to email me and post your comments. I hope to add pictures throughout the week as well. Thanks for your support.

2005-07-13T23:21:00.000-07:00

New York City