July 3

Despite what people may say, the New Yorkers we have encountered have been quite friendly. One lady stopped us on the street yesterday to ask if we needed help finding our destination. We must have looked lost. Micah took a cab ride across town (over an hour) to deliver some AC units. The cab driver was from Istanbul. They talked the whole ride. At the end of the ride he would not let Micah tip him. Our first trek to Queens (where we will be meeting every day) was eventful. We had trouble locking the apt. It turns out there is a screw that falls out and needs rescrewing each time we lock the door. The lady behind us as we entered the train station was annoyed we did not know what we were doing. But she helped us and left with a smile saying "You'll get it." Not many smiles on the actual train. We ride two trains to get to Queens. We switch trains at Times Square. Unfortunately we only caught a glimpse of underneath Times Sq. We are looking forward to seeing the rest soon!

First day of meeting was pretty much orienting. We got to know the group a bit and talked about the agenda for the month. Many of our assignments require we engage with people in our neighborhoods. We are in a predominately Spanish speaking neighborhood. Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and El Salvadorians. We have been to several grocery stores and a few restaurants. We are trying to avoid restaurants that say 'Chinese and Tex-Mex'.

From our apt: The post office is a few blocks N. The 34th precinct is a few blocks S. The train station is two blocks N. A couple of really cool parks are in our neighborhood. It is a great location!

Lydia is hanging in there. Yesterday she cried for me more than normal. She is in the adjusting process. We are keeping her loved on and close to us. We spent most of the day yesterday with a couple who have a son 3 days older than Lydia. They were so fun together. They picked at each others facial features, crawled on top of each other, laughed together, cried together. It was fun for all!

Well that's it for now! Please pray for us! Me especially (Blair)!! I am a little emotional. This can be taxing on Micah. Pray that the Lord with give him the grace he needs to endure me.