Getting up early in the morning has never been easy for either one of us.  We love sleep!!  On a typical day, we might rise an hour before work-giving us enough time to get ready, eat quickly and head to the office.  Needless to say, that gives us little to no time to start our day with the Lord. 

Recently, we made the decision to change that part of our life.  Realizing how important it is for believers to fellowship with God before all else, we decided to seek Him early in the morning.  I can’t even explain how much this has affected me personally.  When we made the decision to get out of bed early to pray, read the Word, and worship the Lord (leaving the TV off)- He really started to speak into our lives. 

We now have a structured routine, beginning the day with personal prayer time, reading the Word of God and communing with Him, and exercise.  We’re so out of shape it’s ridiculous!  But we’re easing into that with a great work-out plan.  It takes discipline!

2 Timothy 1:7   “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

                                                                                               

So, it’s been quite some time since we last posted.  This is one of the busiest times of the year at NYSUM.  We had several teams come through to do ministry with us in February, and March is Spring Break month for most high schools and colleges.  We have 2 large teams and a couple of smaller teams (about 80 people) coming in Saturday.  Monday, a huge team of 84 people will come, making it over 160 people here ministering with us next week. 

This week makes 8 months for us here in NYC.  Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s been so long.  It’s been a struggle, but the Lord has shown us so much.  He is always teaching us about His ways, and preparing us for a life of ministry.  We still spend most of our days behind the scenes working in the ministry office.  We prefer to be out and about, but our jobs are a crucial part to this ministry.  Nikki is the first person people talk to when inquiring about us, and she maintains those relationships until teams come.  I put together team and staff schedules , take teams out on ministry, and occasionally help out in the maintenance department.  The last couple of months, Nikki and I have worked with some great ministries here in the city.  We served with our church small group at an AIDS hospice facility.  At this place we prepare a Sunday meal for the residents because their kitchen doesn’t feed them on Sundays.  Another place is St. Paul’s House.  This is an early morning Breakfast Kitchen feeding homeless men and women.  Here we help prepare breakfast, play music and share testimony, and then actually serve breakfast.  We will be very busy the next couple of weeks with many teams coming to stay. 

We’ve also taken a couple of short weekend trips recently.  In January we took a fun trip to Cooperstown, NY to see the Baseball Hall of Fame.  It was great…cold, but so fun!  The low temp one night was below zero and the high was only about 15 degrees.  Last weekend we took a bus to Washington, D.C.  It’s such an amazing place, but of course it was freezing cold.  And DC got their highest snowfall total of the winter while we were there.  We actually got snowed in and got to stay an extra day!  Bus travel is quite interesting as well!  I’ve posted a couple of pictures here, but feel free to check out our Picasa website with our many photo albums .                                             http://picasaweb.google.com/stevenpforrest

We are praying about other possible ministry opportunities in the near future.  We will update later with more details on this!!

The ministry experiences have been great and the Lord is touching our hearts. A lot of the ministry focus at NYSUM is on the homeless and poverty-stricken. It is especially touching this time of year because of the severe cold weather. It’s very cold out, and it is hard to imagine not having a place to get warm. Many people are hungry and without shelter in sub-freezing temperatures. A couple of weeks ago, we woke up in the middle of the night freezing! We turned the heater up, but it just seemed to get colder in our room. When we woke up later in the morning and went in to work, we found out the boiler system went down sometime that night. No wonder it was so cold…it was 18 degrees outside and we had no heat. I tell that story to lead to this…Earlier that night we did night-time homeless outreach. We took blankets, food, water, and most importantly, the Gospel to people living on the streets. Most of them had no shelter at all, some of them had a box to sleep in. I can only imagine how much more cold they were than us. We had a warm bed, warm bodies, and even an electric blanket – we were still freezing without a heater! We see many homeless people on the streets everyday asking for money, but one thing we don’t do is give them money. We don’t want to contribute or enable them in addiction or any other bad thing they may be involved in. Who knows why they live on the streets? They may have made (or continue to make) bad choices in life, but it’s not up to us to judge them. It’s our job to love people, to extend the love and compassion of Christ and to make Him known. All of this so He may be glorified in all things. A few nights ago we stepped out of the Subway only to see a young mother with two very young sons asking for someone to feed them. It was heartbreaking to see the sad and confused look on those young boys’ faces. I don’t know where their biological father was, but I do know their Heavenly Father was looking down on them.

We had a great trip home to Texas for Christmas! It was so great to be home and see our loved ones. Thank you so much for the gifts and continued support. It was nice to get a break and be somewhere with wide-open spaces! We are still adjusting to what we call the “New Yorker Personality.” New Yorkers are bold and can be quite harsh sometimes. Just one example – Today in the store, a customer asked a sales associate how to get upstairs. She simply replied, “use the escalator.”   She didn’t tell her where the escalator was..just that she needed to use it to get upstairs.  We had a group come from Southern Mississippi last month.  It was great to be around other “southerners”, they understood our language!  We made sure to lead them on ministries as much as possible.  Compassion outreach and ministering the Gospel to the people of this city is the main goal of NYSUM, but we know the Lord is using us for much more than that.  We have prime opportunities to disciple and greatly impact the lives of team members coming to serve with us.  Most of the time when teams leave NYC and return home, they email or call and thank us for leading them in God’s Kingdom work.  It’s such an encouragement to us. 

Please pray for the Lord to prepare the hearts of the teams coming and the people they will be ministering to.  Also that we may have discernment from the Holy Spirit, listen to His voice and be obedient.  We’ll be busy from now until the summer, but one day we’ll get another Newsletter out!  Thanks to all..we love you!!  Check out our photos @ http://picasaweb.google.com/stevenpforrest

American food.  Pot roast, gravy, potatoes & carrots, green beans, green bean casserole, rolls..and yes, Pumpkin Pie, that was our Thanksgiving dinner this year.  Wow, it was so good!  It didn’t take much effort to make all of that, but I was impressed.  Nikki made me try the green bean casserole (which I’ve never tried before), and it was probably my favorite thing at the table.  Except for pie of course!  Our kitchen here at NYSUM has been preparing Turkeys since early October for our Thanksgiving outreaches.  You know what that means..yes..we’ve been having turkey everyday for two months!  Turkey and dressing, turkey sandwiches, turkey soup, turkey fettucini..you name it.  So, no more turkey for us..not even for Thanksgiving Day.  We’re not complaining, it’s a blessing having food provided for us.  But come on, we’re from Texas..we need some beef.  Red meat and potatoes! 

We began our lovely day quite early (5:45am).  We made our way to Manhattan via subway, and got a nice spot to watch the parade.  Yes, it was packed..more packed than anything we have ever seen.  We stood for 3 hours in the same spot, stood.  Our legs and back hurt so bad, but Jesus provided great weather and gave us His patience among a crowd of millions.  Afterward, we picked up over 100 coats that had been donated to our ministry by a marching band in the parade.  That was an adventure in itself, but it went surprisingly smooth.  During this time we had the pot roast cooking in the Crock-Pot and all of the other food prepared and ready for the oven.  We were able to share our meal with a great friend of ours, Augusto.  He is from Peru and speaks little English.  What a character Augusto is..he and Steven get along great!  Augusto is a hard worker, working at NYSUM in the day and another job 3 nights a week.  American food is what he called it, “you like American food?”, he asked.  Augusto was alone and didn’t really have anyone to spend the holiday with.  It was a joy for us to spend time, fellowship, and even disciple him.  We missed being away from home for Thanksgiving, but we can’t wait to go home for Christmas.  It’s hard to believe it’s only a few weeks away! 

Today, I want you to meet a great friend of ours at NYSUM.  When we interviewed here in June, he was one of the first people we met.  It was obvious right away that this guy was someone we would have a strong bond with.  He is a giving person and a hard worker, and he always thinks of others before himself.  Meet Daniel.  Daniel is on our maintenance staff here until atleast April, when the Lord will most likely take him on the next journey of his life.  He has medical training and would love to utilize that on the foreign mission field. 

Where were you born?/How did you end up in NYC?  I was born in Chennai, India.  I came to America a few years ago to attend Bible college at Elim Bible Institute in upstate NY.  My Pastor in India graduated from Elim as well.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could have only two things, what would they be?  I’m boring, I just want to survive.  Food and fresh water! 

What is your #1 goal in life?  To always have a smile on my face, always happy.  Also, to be an achiever of anything I set my mind on. 

Who has been the most influential person in your life?  Without a doubt, my Mom, Sarojini.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving?  I’m going to Pittsburgh with a couple of friends from NYSUM.  And then, according to Luke 12:19, “eat, drink, and be merry.”

What is your favorite childhood memory?  In America, Field Hockey is not popular, but in my country it is a favorite.  In grade school I was selected to compete at State level competition.  This is one step away from highest honor which is Nationals.  That was my most exciting time. 

What is the most important thing in your life?  The most important thing I’m focusing on now is establishing a strong foundation for my future. 

What does your future hold after your time at NYSUM?  I see three things that could take place. #1 – Go back to school, Masters maybe. #2 – Mission work in my home country India, or Brasil.  #3 – Go back to Chennai and help my Pastor again.

Each week I plan to post a new Blog article called “The Melting Pot”.  In this Blog, I will interview one person from our ministry here or someone from the streets of New York.  I hope you enjoy getting to know them and reading their stories!

Meet Lois.  Lois is quite a beautiful soul (our dear receptionist) and my favorite person here at NYSUM (other than my wife of course).  The most humble of servants, Lois desires nothing more than to live in real relationship with her Heavenly Father and give Him the glory and honor in her life.  Whether it’s Monday, Friday or any other day, Lois is a joy to be around.  Her shining countenance reflects the love of our Most Beautiful Savior.  Please enjoy getting to know her! 

Where were you born?  In the home where I grew up – in Marathon, NY, a small town in upstate New York.  As I grew older and left that town, I started saying “I grew up in the Garden of Eden” – for I (thankfully) led a sheltered life!

How did you end up in NYC?  After college I came to Long Island to teach.  I had a love for New York City from “day one.”  My husband however, did not.  After he “moved to Heaven” my love for NYC intensified.  All I could say was – #1: I love Jesus, #2: I love New Yorkers, #3: I love telling New Yorkers about Jesus.  Soon, God opened the door for me to move here, working in ministry.

What is your favorite thing about NYC?  The PEOPLE!  Every nation in the world is represented here – so I have the opportunity to share Jesus without much travel or expense!

What was your favorite childhood activity?  Music!  I always loved to sing – then in 5th grade I started taking trombone lessons.  My love for music intensified, and upon High School graduation I went on to become a school music teacher.  After becoming a Christian, I realized the MANY ways the Lord uses music to draw people to Him and help them grow in Him.

Who would you consider to be your hero?  Of course it would be (and is) Jesus.  He’s provided everything I need to live a joyful, healthy, and giving life.  After Him, my hero would be my husband – who loved me even in times (B.C.) when I was UN-lovable. 

What do you value most in life?  The opportunity given to me to be a part of drawing people to Jesus – AND to help them grow UP in Him.

What has been the best moment of your life so far?  I have LOTS of best moments!  First would be when I was born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit.  Next would be when I said “yes” to Red’s proposal of marriage.  Next, when our two children were born and then our grandchildren.  And finally, I’m thankful to be experiencing ”best moments” daily!  

If you could change one thing about your life (past or present), what would it be?  I’m sorry I waited until I was 28 years old before I gave my life to the Lord.  I had opportunities to do it sooner but I didn’t.  I also regret times in my marriage when I was self-centered.  My husand was sooooo great to me!!   

   14 For that is what God is like.
      He is our God forever and ever,
      and he will guide us until we die.

Psalm 48:14 (New Living Translation)

Thursday was the longest day of my life!  I could go on for a long time about how this situation came about, but I’ll try to give the short version.  This lady, named Cindy Jacobs, who claims to be a “modern day prophet”  – decided a few weeks ago to call her fans or followers maybe to an emergency prayer conference in NYC.  Cindy and her husband Mike have a prophetic ministry called “Generals International”, they also have a nationally televised show called God Knows, and they live in Dallas, Tx.  I had never heard of her or her ministry until a couple of weeks ago when they contacted our minstry.  I’ll keep most of my thoughts on Generals International and Cindy Jacobs to myself, but I will say that I’m not a fan of anyone who believes they have a higher status with God.  While I do believe that some Christians have closer relationships with the Lord than others, I do not believe that God has established “levels” of Christianity.  It’s up to us how close our relationship to the Lord is, and through Christ we are all reconciled with the Father.  Anyway, back to the long day of driving.  The leadership at our ministry decided to bless Generals by shuttling them to and from different places in the city.  Yesterday, I was scheduled to be a driver, and ended up spending 14 hours with these people!  14 hours of driving in this city…I don’t even like driving here.  When it’s absolutely necessary for us to use our car..Nikki drives, and she’s great!  We used three of our ministry vans to take 40 people around Manhattan from 7:00am to 9:00pm.  In the morning we dropped them off at Battery Park, then had to find parking for four hours.  Then, we picked them up and took them to the UN, had to find parking again for a few more hours.  From the UN, we took them to Rockefeller Center.  There was no parking, so we had to drive around and wait during the beginning of rush hour.  By the time we picked them back up an hour later, rush hour was in full progress!  It’s not easy keeping three big vans together in the city, nor is it easy loading and unloading 40 passengers. After Rockefeller, it took an hour to go less than a mile to the Queensborough Bridge.  We took them to a restaurant for dinner, and eventually back to their hotel.  Finally, I was back at home at 9pm!  A full day of navigating the less-than-friendly streets of NY and even more unfriendly traffic is not pleasant, but I’m glad now that I was able to do it.  The Lord showed me a lot about humility and being a true servant.  There is a difference between “serving because we are supposed to” and “having a real servant’s heart”.  Having a real servant’s heart for God and His Kingdom doesn’t always mean serving in the capacity that we want! 

We love to get out and do new things in our free time!  One of the great things about this city is all of the free things to do.  Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge has been on our list of things to do for a while now, so yesterday we decided to do it.  It was so cool!  The walkway is right in the middle of the bridge but above all of the traffic.(Making it impossible for someone to jump off the bridge.)  You get an amazing view of the city and an up-close look at the beautiful architecture of the bridge.  We would love to go again soon, but this time at night.  It’s getting much colder so that should be fun!!

I don’t know much about Judaism.  I look forward to learning more about the Jewish faith and culture, not because I want to be Jewish(that wouldn’t be possible anyway), but because I want to be able to minister  more effectively to Jewish people.  Yesterday, I took a team to partner with a large Messianic Jewish ministry.  Their leader took us to Columbia University to minister to Jewish students around the campus.  This seems to be a good ministry, Jewish people reaching out to their people.  All was going well until one of the leaders of the ministry told me to take the cross off of my neck.  Since first giving my life to God I’ve always worn a small leather band necklace with a silver cross hanging in front.  You see, the Jewish are offended by the cross and it was presumed that I might be shunned immediately for wearing one.  I respectfully refused to take it off, and explained what the cross means to me.  It’s a symbol of rememberance of the ultimate sacrifice of our Savior for our sins.  What would you have done?