Fierce Love

by Linnea Hardin, EM Summer Staff in New York City

Sometimes when I think about it, my summer of serving in Harlem just feels like a dream. A really, really, really good dream. The kind that you wake up from and immediately try to fall back asleep so you can pick up right where you left off. It still amazes me that it actually happened, that God allowed me to play even the littlest part in His big story unraveling in New York City.

I remember sitting on that airplane flying into the Big Apple for the summer, trying to fathom how on earth this Nebraska girl with pretty much zero urban ministry experience would fare in the heart of Harlem. I wondered if I would even be able to connect with people in Harlem. Boy, did the Lord have a lot to teach me this summer about His people through the relationships built within the community by mission teams, staff, and myself.

The thing I loved most about the mission work we did this summer was that it was so relational in nature. We got to give and receive Christ's love by developing friendships and striking up conversations with so many people in different areas of the community. To summarize what we experienced this summer in a short blog post is so difficult, and quite frankly impossible. There are so many AMAZING stories of changed lives and of hearts opened to seeing the beauty in all God's people.

I am so thankful for our amazing mission trip teams that stepped out in faith during their time serving with us. Every week, we served 300 hot dogs to the people of Harlem and chatted with them while they ate. We served food in the soup kitchen, and many times were even able to talk about faith or pray with the community members. We sang songs to the elderly in the nursing home, and we sat on the edges of their beds and listened to the stories of their lives. We blasted Christian rap music and got out-danced by 60 of the most energetic and loving kids you could ever imagine. We served water and cookies, while practicing our Spanish, in the neighborhood of Washington Heights. We got to know the kids on a more personal level when we helped out in their classrooms or taught them music lessons. We picked up trash, cleaned bathrooms, and swept floors. We took the time to get to know the staff and volunteers of the Salvation Army and developed many close friendships in the short span of time. Everything we did provided us with an opportunity to learn how to serve with more humility, love with more grace, and act with more trust. We saw teams each week step out of their comfort zones more and more as the week progressed because they trusted in the Lord's purpose in each moment that they spent in Harlem.

One of the big things God taught me in Harlem was that, even with the differences in lifestyle, language, culture, status, and race, we actually are not as different as we think; we all want to be loved, valued, and cared for. We are all broken, sinful beings loved unconditionally by our perfect Creator. We all want community, to belong to something bigger than just ourselves. The amazing thing is that God created us, the body of Christ, to do something about that; to go out and love those people with the fierce love of Jesus! He allows us to spread the hope of the Gospel and play a role in His redemption stories all around the world, and what a privilege that is! I am beyond grateful that God allowed and totally equipped me to serve in Harlem this summer, and it will certainly be one that I will never, ever forget.

You must have a group size of at least 6 members to join this trip. Please view the Small Team trips or call our Servicing Department for more options at 888-475-6414.

View Small Team Trips

For most trips, you must have a group size of at least 6 members. Please view the Small Teams tab on each Community page or call our Servicing Department for more options at 888-475-6414.