God's Plans Are Bigger

by Abbie Thiebaut, EM Summer Staff in New York City

There is a little apartment complex on the corner of 126th Street and Park Avenue, barely noteworthy from the outside. It has become one of my favorite places that I have visited in East Harlem. Here, I have found, is where joy resides. Here, I have seen how God's planning and timing is much bigger than I could ever really comprehend.

You see, the Dickson Goodman apartment complex is a place designed to welcome individuals with special needs. It is home to the most beautiful, joyful, and loving group of people I have ever met.

We stumbled upon them seemingly accidentally...

Two weeks ago, my team and I were doing our regular routine of going to the park and hosting a Kids Club in the park for anyone around to join. Because of school starting soon, we were disappointed to find there were practically no children to be found in the park. Trying to stay optimistic, we played music and tried to make the best of the situation. We noticed on the edge of the park, a group of special needs individuals and their caretakers watching us, and we quickly, eagerly invited them to join us. The group joined and we all had a blast engaging and interacting with the group. The staff thanked us and we both went our separate ways, mutually satisfied with the interactions that had occurred. The next day as we went to the park, we were pleasantly surprised to have the same situation occur again. This time, I mustered up all of my courage at the end and asked if we could organize something for the following week. The staff eagerly agreed. Planning for craziest, weirdest, and best gathering of the summer began to come together. The residents of the home were so excited to host us that they created countless decorations to line the walls of their community room. The staff, eager to welcome us, planned a talent show and a lunch for us. What was supposed to be an opportunity for us to serve quickly turned into a beautiful mutual exchange of love and kindness between strangers.

There are a million lessons that I could learn from this beautiful little exchange, but I keep coming back to how much bigger God's plan is than mine could ever be. When my plans fall through, God is so much more able to work. The Dickson Goodman residence was never on my radar. I went to the park with a plan. When that plan fell through, I had no choice but to search for God. And that has been how I've spent my summer—watching my own feeble plans fail and God filling in the gaps with more meaningful work.

This instance is just one of the many times when things haven't gone according to plan, but, what I have come to know is that nothing happens by accident here. My plans fall through to make room for God's bigger and better plans. On my own, I could plan a pretty mediocre mission trip for the team, but with God, we have been able to experience, participate in, and cultivate some pretty transformational conversations and situations for team members and individuals in the community.

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.