B is for...

Baby...

Birthday...

and now...

Bedder watch your head.

Last night it snowed in New York

My sister and I made the trek to the grocery store. In the snow. Strangely they still had plenty of bread and milk.

Sherpa Mom, NY

Today I needed to get groceries. Fresh Direct is easy. I love ordering stuff online. I even got a doctor online. (Yes, the rumors are true! Well, the ones about having a Dr. make a house call, at least) The doctor was great. If you live in the area, I definitely recommend him. Sure beats hauling an infant and a sick toddler on public transportation then sitting in a disease-ridden waiting room for who knows how long then going to the pharmacy... Anyway. You see my point, right?

Today I could not justify the price differences for a Fresh Direct order. (My bill was $50.70 at the local grocery and would have been $61.10) This is what I got: (bear with me, there is a point to this)

Apple juice, 1 qt.

Applesauce, 46 oz.

Pasta sauce

1 box linguine

1 box spaghetti

Dried white beans

1 box Jello mix

1 box pudding mix

1 loaf Bread

2 bags frozen veggies

1 box frozen spinach

1 gallon milk

1pk. tortillas

Baby carrots

Celery

4 On-the-vine tomatoes

1 bunch bananas (actually cheaper at FD)

Plastic wrap

1/2 lb. coffee

1/2 lb. lunch meat

1/2 lb. cheese

There were other things I needed, but couldn't figure out how to haul them home. I took Corey's backpack and loaded the milk, juice, applesauce, and a few other things in it. I put Elias in the Bjorn. I put Ezra in the stroller and handed him the breads to hold on his lap. With one bag looped over each hand, I pushed the stroller 10 blocks home. I wish I had a picture.

As I loaded up to head out, the cashier asks, "You're not going to have these delivered?" What?! The dang grocery store delivers for free on orders that are more than $30. Are you kidding me? I was too flustered/proud to unload my burden at this point, so I carried every bit of it home. If I had known they delivered, I definitely would have splurged on the rum raisin ice cream.

Tomorrow I will go back. I will get everything I need. And I will have it delivered. Except for the ice cream. I will eat that while I am waiting for the truck to come.

New York is crazy.

Hanging in There

We (the boys and Leann) got back to NY about a week and a half ago. I have some great pictures to share, but since Corey moved us while I was gone, I am still unable to locate some of my belongings. (One of those belongings being my camera cable) I can't wait to give you the grand tour of our apartment. Corey did a great job getting it ready for us. The only hint that it was arranged by a man is the projector rigged from the underside of our loft bed with a white rope secured by Boy Scout knots.

We can see the Empire State Building from bed. I'm pretty excited about this only because I didn't realize that it's lit in different colors every night until 2AM. It's kind of fun to go and see what color it will be each night.

Corey was sick for about 4 days and then Ezra got sick. It's day 3 for him doesn't have a fever! Elias and I have avoided getting sick. Thank you for all of your prayers. I was sure in our less than 300 square foot apartment we'd all be sick until Spring.

Quick Update

Leann is coming back to me Thursday, with Erin and Sir James Patton in tow. A day before, Nathan and Young William Jack Patton will roll in with a moving truck to move in to our old apartment.

Teaching at a Christian school is very much a beautiful thing. Since this year began, two souls have been added to the kingdom, and much knowledge, understanding and wisdom has been transferred to young New Yorkers and students from all parts.

I just fell in love with a radio show. So shall you. WNYC's Radio Lab

Keep praying for The Gallery. This is a crucial time in the life of our church.

Welcome, Elias!

Elias Gregory Boyd was born October 5th at 11:07 PM. That's 12:07 AM for you NY folks, so I guess we'll have to celebrate his birthday on October 6 in New York. :) Thank you for all of your prayers. We are all doing well.

God has Provided...again.

Since I have been keeping track, every time I have asked for God's physical provision, he has provided, even when I find in hindsight that I didn't really need what I was asking for. What can I say, but that He cares for His children. For a well stated version of our recent events visit nycmission.com . Also, there is one last thing that we need help with. We need to find someone to take over our old apartment. Here is what we posted on Craigslist. Please forward the link to anyone you think may be interested! We need to get someone in there quickly!

BTW: I am so glad that I will be able to stay and teach at ECS! They are fighting the same fight (and winning many battles) as The Gallery Church, which is very enouraging.

Papa is in Manhattan...

and Ezra told me, "Bye, momma. I leave you. I taking Mr. 'tatohead's car and drive Manhattan." I told him , "Good luck honey. It's going to be a long trip."

Another quick car story. Humor me. Ezra slept late and we missed church, but I had to take some things by there so we loaded up and arrived as the last service was letting out. Ezra looked around and asked, "Momma...why...all...dese...people....is...getting in...dey...tucks?" He was 20 months old. I was floored. What a neat kid. :)

What?!

Does anyone else understand this?!






It looks like an accident waiting to happen. The images that come to mind are simultaneously hilarious and horrifying. Imagine a room full of hungry Kindergartners hooked up to these things. What would happen if there was a fire drill?

Lest you think I am squandering my free time with foolishness such as cakes and foot pillows, be assured I am actually doing important things these days. I am reading through Isaiah, making a great effort to be deliberate about being a better mother, wife, friend, and daughter, and attempting to order my classroom in such a way as to not be a burden on the teacher who will be covering my maternity leave. Corey and I have been apart for two weeks now and it has been very difficult for both of us to say the least.

Over and over the pictures of destruction in Isaiah have reminded me that God does not see suffering the way we see it. It is difficult to think that the thing I want most may not be best for me and that ultimately the Lord works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Sometimes what He seems to think is best is not the most immediately pleasing to me. I know that some of the destruction described in Isaiah is God's wrath, but there is none of that for me! Correction, sure, but not wrath. Yesterday, we had a brief summer shower and we let Ezra run around and play in the rain. So much good in God's creation. So much I never did anything to deserve. We laughed and laughed. I cannot describe to you how beautiful it was.

Leann

Maundering

This week my 3rd graders are learning to draw cylinders via the art of Wayne Thiebaud. I have never tried this project before, but, as always, it is turning out to be quite complicated. Maybe it's not the project that's complicated. At least, not inherently. Last year one of the 5th grade teachers told me her students thought art was hard. "She, like, actually makes us do work." Indeed.

All this talk of cakes and such has gotten me thinking about Bogie's Delicatessen in Memphis. In New York, it took an hour to get to anything exciting. Suddenly a 3.5 hour drive to Memphis doesn't seem unreasonable. Especially when the reward is a big exciting chunk of hummingbird cake.

Image: Ciara N., Yelp.com

--L

John Smith

In the ressurection, I think it likely God will rename us. He's known to have done that. I wonder if we'll all have a different name to reflect the truth that he cares for each of us. But then I think about my social security number. Each of us have been given a different number, but this does not necessarily mean that the SSA cares for each of us. Then I think of twins and how they are two people. What makes them distinct souls to God?

Maybe I should go for a walk. Perhaps the East River would enjoy my company for a few minutes.

-C

Two Random Thoughts

First, I'm glad to say that I have boldly and happily shared at least elements of the gospel with two people. It's an opportunity and responsibility I haven't taken up faithfully in a while. I'm glad that God has enlivened our hearts to this. I want people to know the truth, but my fear and self-preservation instincts have been hard to overcome. Leann has been doing a good job initiating friendly conversation with people we meet, which itself is very difficult for her. God is working in our hearts. Of this we are both sure.

Second, and totally unrelated, my computer died the other day while I was backing it up. I had just started, so most of my old files were still on my computer; pictures videos, podcasts, and a bunch of documents. Well, to make a long story short. I went to www.bootdisk.com and was able to create a bootable cdrom (for 4$) on Leann's computer, which I then used to boot up my computer. I got back on the old MSDOS bicycle and am right now copying all the files I thought I'd lost to my usb hard drive. If anything like this has ever happened to you, you know how much money I just saved by recovering my files myself instead of paying a techie. The other part is that my computer is still broke, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do, since I need a computer to do almost all of the work I am doing. For now I use Leann's, but she goes home in less than 2 weeks, but don't get me started on that.

My wife says I'm too wordy for the internet...

So here are some pictures. They should be worth around 6,000 words.

Quick Update

All,
I thought it would be encouraging to give a quick update on our progress here. Our family is doing well, as you have seen in previous posts. We are quickly finding ways to be of service to The Gallery Church. I am beginning to invest heavily in to the membership strategy of the church. This will enable the pastors of the church to provide better pastoral care. Also, it will encourage an accountable, involved membership. I am excited about this work. Leann has begun to think about doing art (and possibly music) camps, which, like the Church's Easter egg hunt, will be a great outreach opportunity.
Leann is going home to Clarksville in a couple of weeks to work for 6-8 weeks before Elias is born. Pray for us during this time. We have never been apart for more than a week.
We are in need financially. We have sent out support letters, hoping that our brothers and sisters back home will partner with us in our ministry here. We have begun to receive financial support, but will need much more help if we are to be established here. If you have not considered supporting our ministry financially, please do even if you don't know us personally. Check out this post for more details on how to support us.
I am getting in gear to start teaching guitar lessons, which should be great in several ways. It will be an evangelistic opportunity, a chance for me to use my talents, and a supplement to my income. I don't start teaching at Evangel till September, but I'm already working on that as well. I'm excited about working there, as the job allows me to work and minister at the same time.
That's probably more than you wanted to read, so I'll leave the rest for later. We are greatly encouraged that God is doing a good work in our hearts and in our church and in this city.

A bit of light from the darkness.

I have seen the standard subway performers, from the nondescript to the truly Global, but the guy we saw today took the cake, ate it, and spit it in my face. I had to, in Ripleyan fashion, document this mystical and musical oddity of light and sound. It's not that I've never seen anything so indescribable. It's really just that the only other interesting thing I saw today was a bloody-faced drunk guy trying to light a cigarette and find the door to Whole Foods at the same time. When I went in to check on him he had been apprehended by the nice people at the Whole Foods. Anyway, without further ado. . . Michael Shulman, the Electric Violinist

See Michael here

By the way, if you ever see him, remember, he does not play for tips...He plays for pasta.

Corey

ManHAPPY!

The first New York word he learned to say (in the UHaul on the way through town) was Manhattan. Somehow this morphed into ManHAPPY! He seems pretty happy to me.

Raising Financial Support

Here is our Family Update Letter that we sent out to about 200 people this week:

We arrived in New York on May 29 and have an apartment on Roosevelt Island between Manhattan and Queens. We write to keep you updated on our family situation and ask for your support in a variety of ways as we answer God’s call to New York City as followers of Jesus and as church-planting missionaries. We will begin with a brief family update.

For most of our lives, we have attended First Baptist Church in Clarksville, TN. We are both gifted to be teachers and have taught within the church and without. Our first son, Ezra Franklin was born on November 27^th of 2007. He is 18 months old and is excited about all the busses and trains we get to ride, not to mention the occasional taxi. Ezra is an incredibly smart boy, and we are glad he gets to be with us as we make the boldest moves in our life. We hope that we are an example to him. We have another son on the way due in early October.

In May of 2008 Corey graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University with a Master’s Degree in the Art of Teaching, and has since earned endorsement for teaching middle and high school mathematics. Depending upon God’s plan, he has his heart set upon seminary, with the expectation of teaching and training within the church. By teaching at an Evangelical school here in New York he is already fulfilling his convictions in a large way.

Why would we move to New York City? We are convinced, that by following first the teachings of scripture- which we understand because of His Holy Spirit- God has called us to first, worship Him, second, serve the church, and third, serve others. Jesus said that there is a harvest and that few would labor in it. We have had trouble deciding how to talk about our decision to serve the church in NYC. The easiest way to say it is to say that God has called us, by his Spirit, through His word, and by the asking of his servant, Freddy T. Wyatt.

Corey’s official role at the Gallery Church is Worship/Pastoral Associate. He will be working as a missionary to assist in a wide variety of projects that will serve both the pastors of the Gallery church and the people of New York City. Though the Gallery needs his help, the church cannot support him financially. We will need to supplement our income by asking for the loving financial support of our church family elsewhere.

The thing we need most is for you to pray for us as a family. This move has been stressful for us, though it has come with many joys as well. Pray also that God would increase our joy as we are made to be light in a dark place. We know that many have made much greater sacrifices for the sake of His kingdom. Pray for our finances. We do not make enough to live in the city. The only way that we will be able to plant ourselves here is to raise support from our brothers and sisters. We were hoping to be able to work within the church without burdening the church, but with the high cost of city living, that will not be possible. Pray that our house at 99 Union Street in Clarksville will sell soon. Profit from the sale of our house would help sustain us here and would help the church. Finally, pray for the people of this city. The one who is not worth naming is under the impression that he owns this place. He is wrong.

Included is financial information for your consideration. If you are able and willing to support us financially, please prayerfully consider doing so after reading through this material. Please note that our projected income is based on what we currently know Corey will be making at his teaching job here. It is Leann’s desire to stay at home with our two children as long as possible; however she may too be working to provide additional income. My hope and faith is that any gift would be used by God to produce great return in His kingdom.

May God bless you,

Corey and Leann Boyd

Also, If you are reading this blog and did not recieve a support letter, but would like to support our work or the work of the Gallery church for His kingdom, go to www.gallerychurch.com and click “online giving” under the Gallery Info tab. It is simple to set up an account. Our fund is one of the "sub-fund" options. All gifts are tax deductible. We are not eligible for financial support from NAMB, so we are depending on our personal income and the faithful support of individuals.

Ezra montage

Ok, so Ezra likes to cook, just like his papa and grandpa. He also likes his mama's electric toothbrush.

Morning Worship

For a change, it took only 45 minutes to get to church this morning. (The last three times we've tried it's taken and hour and a half) Ezra and I went alone as Corey had left early to set up and practice.

Today was the first day church has felt like home. Our last Sundays at First Baptist Clarksville were bittersweet because I could look around and name a family or individual in each section with whom we had some kind of bond and a deep spiritual connection as fellow members of the body. It was so hard to leave those relationships behind. Today, I was able to begin to put together those kinds of connections at the Gallery. We did communion a little differently this morning. We had time beforehand to prepare our hearts, but then we talked and fellowshipped with one another as we ate and drank. It was beautiful. We were able to come together around the table with members of the body whom we have already come to love dearly. The Lord has been good to provide community for us in addition to providing for our physical needs.

On a lighter note, I wanted to share with you about our laundry situation. The first time I took our clothes downstairs, I discovered it would cost me about $6 to wash and dry a load. We just can't swing it. We have instead invested in the Laundry Alternative's Wonderwash and Mini Spin Dryer as well as an adjustable-height drying rack to go over the shower. Now, those of you who know us well are likely not surprised. It's just the kind of hippie-rig you might expect from us. It's worked amazingly well and is not much different time-wise than a traditional wash and dry. It's kind of fun. For now.

Creative Family Fun

This is the kind of stuff you don't get to do when you're constantly working on a house. I definitely recommend the creative use of cardboard over an expensive trip to the toystore. One is his house and the other is his oven.

Growth in Community

Last night we met with our new growth community group. For you from FBC, this is the same as community groups. We are looking at the book of Philipians. We enjoyed being able to study the scriptures methodically and in depth with others. We even got out the white board. Many thanks to Paul and Meredith for hosting. We are starting to feel more at home, even though we'll have to find a new apartment soon.

little things

We left at 4:30 yesterday. Four hours later we had obtained...get ready...a shower curtain.

On the Road

So the first 18 hours of the drive were mostly fine. Ezra was a trooper. The kitty not so much, but we were able to turn up the radio loud enough to compensate. Actually the roughest part of the drive was the hour it took to cross New York City. That's right. An hour! Manhattan is a little more than two miles wide where we crossed. Have you ever been through Pennsylvania Dutch country?! We considered pulling over and unloading there.

Our building has a little roundabout which made parking the U-Haul super easy and several people showed up to help us move in. We have a tiny little apartment that, oddly enough in some ways feels much bigger than our house in Clarksville because it has cabinets and closets. Roosevelt Island is like a dream. It's clean and quiet. There are trees outside our window! There is also a parking garage outside our window but hey... Yesterday we took a break from our unpacking and walked up the island. Ezra watched some guys play baseball and we shared a snack.

Things are definitely different here, but not in such a bad way. One thing we will have to figure out is transportation. This morning we left an hour early for church (it's about 2 miles away) and we were still late. Our subway was shut down and it took quite some time to figure it out. We should have walked the whole way. :)

--L

Looking over the edge...

...it doesn't seem so scary. We are about to head to NYC to help in the work of the Gallery Church. Our Pastors there, Freddy T. Wyatt and Aaron Coe have asked us (and Erin and Nathan Patton) to transplant ourselves there to love people and serve the church. Our pastor here in Clarksville, Roger Freeman has sent us with his blessings and we are loading up, Beverly Hillbilly style this Thursday Morning.
We will be tied up for a couple of days in our new apartment, but will soon start blogging. Perhaps we will be even more prolific than the Wyatts.
We are very excited about meeting new people, doing God's will as he has revealed it in his word, and being able to get green tea ice cream, Even if the city is a bit too gray for our taste.
I hope all our friends and family will keep track of what we are doing and encourage us as we try our best to bring light to a dark place.