Home for the Holidays

When I went home for the holidays, I got to see family and friends - both old friends and new friends.

One of my friends, Tracy Wells emailed me an invitation to her Christmas Party. Tracy and I have been friends since the 9th grade. Some of our other friends from high school were at the party too. Its scary and fun, because these girls have known me since "back in the day". It was so nice to see them. All of them have careers, are married and have children of their own. Tracy inherited step children when she married 10 years ago and she's a grandma!



From left to right: Tracy Wells, Me, Dawn Roth-Kulpanowski and Julie Sandefur-Bird.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

I'm in Michigan for the holiday season.

I drove from NYC to Detroit. It took me 10 hours. It was a very nice drive across I-80, through New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

I hope you all have a blessed and safe Christmas!

Gløgg Night

Last night I went to my Uncle Nil's place in Brooklyn to have some gløgg and celebrate the holidays (pronounced "glueg"). Gløgg is a Swedish holiday drink that is spicy, warm, fruity and sometimes alcoholic. We also had various foods that are typical of the Swedish festivities.

My Father's side of the family are from Malmo, Sweden (Uncle Nils is my father's younger brother). They came here in the 1950's, first living in Detroit before moving to West Bloomfield, Michigan. My father still has a strong Swedish accent. I love my Swedish heritage and find it fascinating to partake in many of the cultural gatherings forgotten in my typical americanized life. Years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Sweden and loved it. The people, places, culture and the land are so lovely and intriguing. Unfortunately, its also one of the most atheistic countries in the world.

For all you Swedes out there - God Jul!
(God Jul = Merry Christmas in Swedish)

Christmas in NY

I really love Christmas. It's especially great in NYC.

I thought I'd share some of my own Christmas in NY pictures with you.....

Macy's at 34th Street- the land of amazing lights, front windows and shopping overdoses.


Bringing home the Christmas tree....


Santa is watching you....... from my neighbor's house...
so you better watching out! (he's like 12 feet tall!!)


Our Christmas tree at home, once we brought it in and decorated it.


We had a lot of fun getting ready for the Christmas outreach!


Here is where I want you to buy my Christmas present.....
The Broadway Panhandler
... hint hint ...


My neighborhood in the Bronx is called Throgs Neck.
They have great lights for Christmas. Its like being in a small town.


Christmas in NYC wouldn't be complete without the awesome
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in midtown Manhattan.

Its so beautiful!!
I play tourist when walking from the subway train to my bus stop going home.


The lights dancing on the side of Saks Fifth Avenue

Protection from What Lurks Around the Corner

Tonight was a sobering reminder of God's protection.

We live on a main road and I won't park my vehicle on the street in front of my house - even though its perfectly legal to do so at any time.

We have been eyewitness to several accidents from out of control speeding cars in front of our house. Its sometimes very frightening to hear the screeching and banging noises of crashing cars at 3:30am.

We also live on a nearly dead end part of the road we live on. We are one of the only two houses on our block - its very quiet with the exception of the traffic.

ok ....... here's my story ...........

After going to the grocery store, I returned home and parked my car in front of my house temporarily, so I could unload my bags (my roommates are gone for the weekend).

After loading my groceries into the house, I shut the house door behind me and hopped into my car to move it safely to the street around the corner.

I didn't lock my front door, bring my purse or my cell phone with me to park my car. I never do, its only like 100 feet away.

A car pulls up in front of me. When this happens, its usually company for the neighbors or a lost driver talking on their cell phone.

I pull around him and park my car.

I get out of my car and start walking towards my house.

The man in the car gets out.

It looks suspicious. He's in my pathway to my house.

I immediately turn around and walk back into my car, jump in and lock the doors.

The man starts following me and tries to ask me a question.

I cracked the window (which I shouldn't have done) to hear what he was trying to say.

He says "Are you trying to follow me?".

I replied "No, I live right over there".

He says "Oh" and just stood there looking at me.

Well, I wasn't going to sit there and stare him down, while alone on a half dark street.

I drove away.

Mistake number two and three and four: He knows where I live now, my front door is unlocked and I have no cell phone. I'm screwed if he's one of those psycho killers we read about on www.cnn.com.

I drove off and turned down the wrong way on the one way street directly behind my house, hoping to find an empty spot and run like heck though the backyard to get help.

No empty spot.

I see my neighbor with his wife and kids. This guy is one of those hardcore Italian guys from the Bronx. Nice guy. Never smiles.

I ran over and I told him what was happening.

He said in his Bronx accent "No problem. Where is this guy?? I'll make sure ya get back ok".

(I'm sorry, but he's a rough guy. Who knew God would use him as my guardian angel.)

I got into the house safe. I called the landlord upstairs to give her a heads up.

The strange man drove away.

It was all very frightening.

We must always be on guard. Not to be paranoid, but alert and aware of your surroundings.

Not so comfortable you get caught off guard.

We must do this in every aspect of life, whether it be street smarts for personal safety or to guard our hearts from things that get us way off track from what we ought to be doing.

1 Peter 5:8 NLT
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.



What seemed like a routine to me could have led to a very serious situation.

God's Love and the Dentist

Yesterday, I had an unfortunate thing happen to me. One of my back teeth broke. I wasn't eating anything hard to cause it to happen. It just chipped off while eating my lunch. At first I panicked. 

First of all, I hate going to the dentist. 

Second of all, I don't have dental insurance. 

Third, I don't know any of the dentists in my area. Yikes. 

My first reaction was "oh no!" and then I prayed a quiet, scared prayer for God to help me with this situation. I heard God's still small voice say to my heart "Nothing can separate you from my love - nothing - not even a chipped tooth can separate you from my love". 

Thank God for His voice being heard at the right time and place. 

I scrambled around, calling friends for dentists they might know. 

NOBODY goes to the dentist around here! I called around and finally found a dentist near my house, I found his name from a flier I received in the mail. They were able to see me right away. Still scared, but feeling God's peace and remembering what God told me in my heart.

The next day, I saw my new dentist. He showed me my x-rays, only to show me my situation was worse than expected. He needed to drill out the filling and reconstruct the tooth, along with doing additional work. He showed me the x-rays to prove it. I had to trust him, after all I couldn't read the x-rays and I'm in God's hands. 

I'm panicking and the whole time, I hear a voice saying "trust me, I'm taking care of you". 

I'm more scared of the cost of the work than I am of the  pain itself.

The Dentist did his work and afterwards I sucked it up and paid up. Meanwhile trusting God to provide, because He said He would.

God provided. The pain is gone, my tooth reconstructed and I was paid a little extra when I went to work on Monday.

Romans 8:38-39 says: 

"I am convinced that nothing can separate us from God's love. Neither death, not life, neither angels or demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NLT)

Nothing can separate us from God's love..... freezing rain, a sore throat, rejection of a friend, sudden death of a loved one, unexplained stomach pains, depression, worry, fatigue............ a broken tooth...... NOTHING can separate us from God's love. 

He's got us, whether we feel Him or not.

Will you let Him have you??

Small Moments

One of the girls I tutor in the afterschool program has been doing writing assignments about "small moments". She writes a story about something everyday that happened, sorta like a snapshot of the ordinary details that all of us usually forget. I love the simplicity and perspective of children.

It makes me look at my own life. Am I enjoying it and making the most of everyday? Do I cherish or forget the small moments? Am I taking it for granted, so focused on all the tasks ahead and the busyness of life. I won't be in NYC for my entire life, nor will I be doing the same things and I'll look back. Did I enjoy the walk while I was walking, or was my mind elsewhere on what is coming or what passed?

Everyday, I'm choosing to be content with today and to be there in the small moments, because tomorrow has its own set of moments.

Paul has some good advise in Philippians 4. I just love the New Living Translation and the way the wording reads without losing the message.

Philippians 4:6-13

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

I took this picture last weekend. Beautiful sunset.
It was the result of a nor'easter in Long Island that never reached us.

I was in the parking lot at my favorite store, Trader Joe's in Scarsdale, NY.

I received a phone call from a long time and dear friend of mine, Melissa Land while sitting there.
We had a very nice conversation, as she shared what's been happening with her life, health and graduate school at Univ. of TN. I've known Melissa for more than 12 years, since she was a teenager in the youth group and I'm always amazed at what the Lord does in her life.

This was a very nice small moment.

The Appliance Diva

My alter-ego at the appliance store is the Appliance Maven - sometimes referred to the Appliance Diva. (I guess being the first saleswoman at the store since 1918 has its merits!)

The Good Morning Lady

I commute by public transportation twice a week from the Bronx to lower Manhattan.

It's typical to have a long commute when anyone is working in Manhattan and my commute is no exception.

It takes me 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to work:
I start on an express bus (the stop is 4 blocks from my house) and it takes me from the Bronx to Manhattan. I get off the bus (at 23rd street) and walk a block to the subway. I ride the train 4 stops and then exit, walk up 4 flights of stairs out of the train station and finally 2 blocks to the store.

I wake up very early and am at the bus stop at 7am (which is early to me). I sometimes sleep or pray on the bus, because its the longest and most comfortable part of my journey.

As I take the final steps of my journey and I come up the last flight of stairs to be above ground, I'm met every time with a smiling older Chinese lady. She has a huge smile and yells out "GOOD MORNING". She is one of the people who hand out a free NY paper. Most of them don't say a word and are grumpy. They hand the paper to you and look away - its their job.

Now the Chinese lady isn't required have to say a word, but her morning cheer is sincere and contagious. I walk away smiling too and encouraged to pass it on. I'm really not the most outgoing person in the morning. A lot of people aren't.

Say Good Morning, whether they say it back or not. Initiate a smile, a word of kindness and go beyond your comfort zone, whether you feel its deserving or not. It goes a longer way than we'll ever realize!

Make someone's day. It could mean the world to them!

Appliance Sales Diva

Sometimes at the Appliance store, they send me to visit clients at their work place. I visit designers who buy their all their kitchen appliances for their clients from us and also have appliances that belong to us displayed in their showrooms. Its alot of fun stepping out into the city, seeing parts of the city I would not normally see and have a glimpse into the world of high end kitchen design. I also have the opportunity to meet people and build relationships. I'm almost always asked why I'm part time and it gives me the opportunity to talk about my ministry in the Bronx at UHM.

When I'm out, I introduce new products from various manufacturers that they might want to consider in their upcoming client designs. I give them the scoop on the latest and coolest appliances that have become available, so they can be up with the trends.

Last Monday, I visited NYKB (New York Kitchen and Bath). There I met my new friend, Ted - who is the marketing director for NYKB. I'll let the rest speak for itself. I'm now part of the NYKB blog and officially an appliance sales diva. Who would've thought I would grow up and become a diva??

Click here: NYKB

My Little Angels

At the Harvest Center, one of the things I do is work in the After School program. This is my 5th year being involved in this program.
The children, who are 1st-4th graders, come to us straight from school for two hours. There we tutor them in their academic subjects, teach them a bible lesson and then break into small groups to do homework.
Yesterday, I was elated because in my small group for homework time (which usually is the most difficult), I had perfect children! Yes, it was amazing..... they didn't complain, paid attention, didn't mind being corrected, completed everything and if they didn't understand, their attempts to understand were met with the ability understand! Wow. I had to brag. This is a big deal!
I gave them tickets (rewards for their behavior).
Then later on after the children went home, one of the tutors took me aside. My group wasn't so well behaved after all. I had to step out of the room for a minute. Yes, just only a minute. When I was away, one of the girls started making fun of the girl across from her. They had to be disciplined. This burst my bubble. We had such a good day, so productive and smooth.
Oh well. I'm still going to remember this day as a perfect day!

Best of New York

Good News!
The store that I work for was just rated "Best of New York" by New York Magazine.
Wow!!

Click: New York Magazine

Trusting God for My Healing

I haven't been feeling well the last few weeks and have been pretty sick. I have always trusted God with my health, especially being in a position where I have no health insurance. The pain got so bad last week, I went to the doctor. On my way to the doctor, God spoke to me to go ahead to Pastor Pablo and Wendy's during our normal class hours (I was going to cancel it and go straight to the doctor). Pastor Pablo has a healing annointing and has prayed alot for sick people who were made well. We prayed together and then I went ahead to the doctor. The doctor found a cyst on my right ovary. While these can be common, they can be quite painful and sometimes cause further problems. I was in pain for the next couple of days but it started to gradually go away. Today - three days later I can say I am pain free! Thank You Jesus!!
I don't have health insurance but I have health ASSURANCE!

Psalm 103: 1-3 says:
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.

Taken at my sales job in Manhattan.
I'm laying out an acknowedgement sign to go on the appliances outside our showroom.
Being multi-talented makes your boss very happy!!!

Life

Its a month later and this is only my second blog. Often at times I find that I am so busy that its as if I have no life. But yet I look back and realize what makes my life busy.... teaching English, lesson plans, tutoring children, making a cake for the teenagers banquet, driving someone home, running to BJ's to get paper towels, visiting soup kitchens to coordinate volunteers .... then going to manhattan to work a sales job, putting together proposals for a designer, training to learn about the latest washing machine from Germany ....... the list goes on and on and on.
When I speak with my friends and supporters that live outside NYC, who know what I do, my life seems exciting to them. Funny, my life seems so busy that to me, I have no life. Then I stopped to think about it. They see me as having a great life and yet I see it as having no life. Then the Lord reminded of my purpose here and why I do what I do. I am serving Him here on the frontlines. Although it fills my everydays, sometimes with the mundane, its still for Him. Then I thought of the scripture in Matthew 10:39
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
I really have no life because I have lost it and for His sake, I really have found it!!
So next time I tell myself "I have no life", I remember all the little things that add up and make an eternal difference.

Welcome!

Hello
This is my first time "blogging", so here it goes. I am from Michigan and Tennessee and currently live in the North East Bronx.
Life in NY can be interesting day by day. It is literally a melting pot of different backgrounds, cultures and points of view. What we have in common is that Christ is creator of us all and He loves us all. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that we might live the life He purposed us for and find our eternal destiny.
I work with a ministry in the South Bronx. It is a place that is known for poverty, drugs and crime. Things have cleaned up over the years, but the aftermath and residue still exist. They now call it "SoBro". The neighborhood is 99.9% hispanic and black. I am usually the only caucasian person around, even within a block's radius or more. I don't really notice, but sometimes others notice (I also stand out because I am of Swedish heritage, having blonde hair, blue eyes and European features). I love rice and beans and tostones (did I mention I LOVE tostones?). I have assimilated into the community and even though I'm different, I'm the same as everyone else. I teach English as a second language (ESL), Adult Literacy (working on development of a faith based curriculum) and tutor children in the community (I also do other administrative duties but I won't bore you with the details!).
To assist with my income, I work at a kitchen appliance store in the East Village. I sell refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers etc. The place is very established, having been around since 1918. I am their first female salesperson in the history of the company! The environment is quite a contrast from the ministry in the Bronx. I work with architects, designers and contractors, they refer clients and we work together with their specifications. It can be facinating, interesting, frustrating and challenging like a puzzle. New York kitchens are highly visible to the rest of the world!!
There you have it in a nutshell. A brief overview of my life in NYC.
Let the blogging begin ....