NYC day 1

 Earlier this year our pastor let us know of an upcoming mission trip to NYC our church was planning on taking. I was overly excited! NYC is on my bucket list and the chance to go and do the Lord's work at the same time seemed almost magical to me! This was back in February or March and my dad got really sick and later passed away and David's adoption was finalized, it was just a busy time for us and the trip was the last thing on my mind until James totally surprised me!
He got the kids in on the secret and one evening I was in the bedroom and he sent them in one at a time. One had a flower, the next a bracelet that said Guarded in Christ Jesus with an angel wing on it, and the next kiddo bought in an envelope with the money for my trip in full!!! My husband is amazing. He knew this was exactly what I needed to end this year of ups and downs. Plus, I couldn't not put myself first if he paid it in full, there was no room for excuses on why I couldn't go. He knows me so well.  A few weeks later we got to talking about the possibility of Makayla going with me and she was on board so it turned out to be the mother/daughter trip of a lifetime.
  We left super early the day after James Henry's birthday. We had to be at our church at 3:15am to board the church bus for the airport in Lubbock. We had a layover in Dallas.

 This was the first plane ride Makayla will remember. We haven't flown with her since she was a toddler. She was a great student and did school work on the flight there.

 We arrived around lunch time at The New York School of Urban Ministry, it would be our home for the next 4 nights.

 After getting settled in we set out to see some sights. Our first stop was the 9/11 memorial.
It was breathtaking, there are not enough words to describe what I felt standing there. I just remember  realizing that I was standing on sacred ground and I stopped right there, closed my eyes and prayed over all that happened that day and the people whose lives are still recovering.

 We left the memorial sight and walked to Wall Street.

 This was our first encounter with a street vendor!

 At the corner of Wall Street and Broadway.

 This beautiful church sits right there on Wall Street.

 The New York Stock Exchange..

 and the Wall Street Christmas tree...

 The famous Wall Street bull...

 Right across from the bull is The New York Film Academy.

 We walked to the Staten Island Ferry and took it across.

 I have never seen a skyline like this..... amazing!!

 Halfway across, there she was in all her glory the Statue of Liberty.

 Our purpose for taking the ferry round trip was to just take it all in and pray over the city, the people in it and the work we would do in the coming days in Jesus' name. It was a beautiful time.

 I love this picture of Makayla looking out the window with Lady Liberty in the background.

 On the way back to NYSUM we drove past the Empire State Building, every night it was a different color.