He leads; I follow..♥

So, last week before work - life got to be pretty messy. We ended up at the water side --- to take a moment to pray, enjoy the quietness of God & just to be still. Not even there for five minutes and we hear many footsteps & lots of voices. In the last few years, I spent many times in this place praying & having my moments with God and never have I really ever seen anyone else there, especially students. I looked at Tahiri and I just kinda laughed. As the students entered in, we were greeted with smiles, laughs & one student looked at us and said "the best part of your day as arrived!" The students talked about how beautiful the water was & the trees were so pretty. They even mentioned how they thought they seen a bald eagle. When I got to the water, I thought about how much prettier it was when the trees were in bloom, I only seem a few pigeons and the water was so polluted. Through the children, God reminded me there is always beautiful in a mess. And that sometimes, I need to just take a step back & look at life a little differently. Time flew & we had to get to work, what I thought was going to be a time of prayer (and probably tears) was just taking a quick moment to whisper "Lord, Thank You!" God knew my heart and my prayers before I even got a chance to pray, He knew exactly what I needed -- He is so faithful.

We have kicked off our Special Elective Classes on Fun Fridays & it was a huge success with the kids! We had much fun!! Again, I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has helped support our classes by purchasing items off of our Amazon Wish-List & as well as covering us in prayer! Students were able to sign up for Special Electives such as; Worship & Dance, Cooking, Painting, Jewelry Making, Clay, Games/Sports, etc. (Plus we have more classes to come in the future!) Friends, Followers & Family -- please prayerfully consider supporting MCA Afterschool Program! Attached is our link to our Amazon Wish-List of items that we need. The link for our #amazonwishlist is below! You can purchase the items (or similar items) and have them shipped directly to our school. If you wish to make a monetary donation -- please contact me through a message, text or email. https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3KDGQUJBDSUSH

Week 1, Club #1, Day 1 -- Water Games!

One of the days during Spirit Week was Fandom Tuesday -- the day where you were instructed to dress up as one of your role models. Out of everyone, she choose to dress up as me. My heart is touched - it's overflowing with joy. Oh sweet Cora, I just adore you. 💖💖💖

Manhattan Christian Academy After School Program

How Great Is Our God? A few of my first and third graders leading worship during Fun Friday..🙌❤

Fun Friday ---> God. Its written on a puzzle piece to remind us that He is the "piece" that completes us. Without Him, we are not whole.

& I love you all too!

With being director - there are a lot of "shoes" to fill at times.. but today I had to spend quite a bit of time sitting with the little one because she was missing her mom. We didn't talk much, I didn't have much to offer her but my arm to lean on & a reminder that I am there.

Today as I was walking the Kindergarten class to the cafeteria, the students kept asking "Where is Miss Jacky?" I explained to them that she wasn't feeling well & want able to come in today. The students said "Miss Amber, we should pray for her!" I told them that we should & I was assuming we would when we got to the cafeteria (we start snack with prayer). The students exclaimed - "Miss Amber, we should stop & pray right now, lets not wait.." So we stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and prayed for Miss Jacky. Today, kindergarten reminded me of a valuable lesson. We should never wait to pray (even a few minutes) - pray in the moment. Pray in the here & now. I challenge you friends and family - to be like Kindergarten, to pray in the moment. Don't wait.

I'm not really sure what happened to summer, I blinked & it was gone. For the past two weeks I have been interviewing & hiring staff -- I do believe God put together an awesome team for this year. I have filed more paper work than I wanted too & I cleaned and redid the after school office. However, all of it was worth it because tomorrow is the first day of school/after school. I can't wait to see kids, oh how I have missed them! My friends & family - I ask you for your prayers throughout the next school year. For myself - wisdom and guidance as Director of After School, for my staff and for the kids. I am eager to see what God has in store for us! Year #2, I am ready - bring it on!

June 8, 2012 -- the car was packed & I was on my way to spend my summer in NYC interning for Priority 1 Ministries. I didn't really know what was in-store for me, I just knew God needed me in the Bronx. He leads, I follow. I am amazed looking back over the last four years and what He has done in my life. At the end of that particular summer, I knew where I belonged. I went home for a few short months and then permanently moved to the Bronx. I transitioned from being an intern at P1M to becoming their Children's Ministry Coordinator. After I moved to NYC, I worked at Operation Exodus for a little over a year- teaching the preschool class. What an awesome experience! I then began working with Manhattan Christian Academy After School Program and taught the kindergarten/1st grade class. After a year, I transitioned from being an after school teacher to the Director of the program. God is so good! What a blessing it is to be working/serving at MCA!! While still serving with P1M, I have been blessed to meet so many different individuals, youth/college groups from all over - like North Carolina, PA, California are just a few. I have had many opportunities to serve throughout the city sharing God's love from partnering with World Vision, the Relief Bus, Manna of Life, the Bowery and etc. I am able to spend many hours in the parks in the Bronx - sharing God's love with the neighbor kids/families. Looking back, I am amazed at what God has done for me. I am so thankful for all the memories made, the friendships that have been started here and for the endless prayer/ support I have received - it wouldn't be possible without it. So a special thank you - for all who believed in me & helped me get to where I am today. I am eager to see what God will do in the upcoming year -- He still leads, I'm still following. ❤❤

I'm sitting in my office & a student pops her head in.. "finally, your here!" I asked her what was going on and she replied "I got it, what we have been practicing every evening - I got it! I wanted to tell you that I know it now!" I couldn't help but smile, especially watching her smile & seeing her face full of excitement. It's moments like this that remind me that I have the best job ever. It's moments like this that remind me I am truly blessed to be able to work with such a wonderful group of students. It's these moments that make the late evenings worth it...💜 May 4, 2016

I have always dreamed of going to Africa - I talked about it constantly. I worked hard, I prayed and with the support from many of you -- I made it to Africa in the fall. God is so good, He is faithful. I am so thankful for His guidance. The six & half days that I spent in Africa has changed my life, I'll forever be grateful for the experiences I had & for the relationships that were made. I made memories that's will cherish forever. In Zimbabwe at EBI -- I was constantly asked "Are you winning?" .. & because of this trip I say -- "Yes, yes I am."

oh Africa, how I miss you.. ❤

At the end of my first summer (July 2012) in NYC interning w/ P1M, I was getting ready to head home.. & Pat made a comment about how this wasn't the end for me. When I left that summer, I wasn't sure what God has planned for my life - I didn't know what was in store. I just knew that He was leading me and I was following. January 2013 I was brought back to NYC to intern for the winter/spring session - shortly after being here I made the transition to a position on staff with P1M and I started working part time with Operation Exodus. God keeps leading me & I keep following - so amazed and overwhelmed with all He has done & is doing. I am an official resident of NYC, I still serve as P1M Children Ministry Coordinator and I working with MCA w/ their after school program.. & the most exciting part is right now that I am currently preparing to go serve in Africa this fall! How exciting is that? I have always dreamed of going to Africa & now my dream is coming a reality. God is so good. I am eager to see how God will use those 10 days for His glory. I ask you my friends to be in prayer for me as I prepare for this trip -- that I will physically, mentally, emotionally and financially be prepared. I trust Him & I know everything will come together, He always works it out. One thing I know for sure is that God has definitely made some crazy exciting moves in my life over these last few years - He is doing big things. So, Pat was right - the end of my first summer was just the beginning... He's leading, I'm follow ❤👣