I struggle to even believe all that's happened over the past 5 1/2 months, because it's been so life transforming! And now I'm in New York. New York City. How did this happen, really? Before YWAM, you couldn't have payed me to do an internship in New York City because it seemed like a cold, dark place. Now, my heart has been totally transformed by God and I LOVE NYC. It was a bit of a hectic week getting up here. I found out Monday of last week that I was coming, and tried to make it up by that Wednesday...finding plane tickets and housing was a bit of chaos, but God worked it out perfectly. I made it up by that Friday, the 10th, day 2 of Fashion Week 2012. Here I am a week later, trying desperately to recap on the past week....and my mind is whirling like crazy! So much happened; so much that I wasn't expecting happened. This is what NYC Fashion Week 2012 looked like through my eyes:
GOD'S LOVE BREAKING THROUGH!
In greater detail: Models for Christ (MFC), the ministry I'm interning with, had a room set up with food and refreshments at the American Bible Society. Two YWAM teams from the Kona base joined with us as part of their outreach to NYC. They were so awesome to do ministry with!!! First of all, simply being around YWAMers brought me so much comfort--YWAM just feels like family now, and I can relate to many of their experiences and teachings, so it brought me so much peace to be surrounded by these "familiar" people my first week in the big city! Total blessing from God! Thank you Jesus! So, the YWAM team would split up into groups everyday--some would hand out postcards inviting fashion professionals back to the American Bible Society (ABS) for free food, water, prayer, and basically just lovin (though we didn't word it that way). Other teams would prayer walk, or sit in the atrium of ABS to welcome anyone who came looking for MFC, some would hang out in the courtyard of the Lincoln Center next to the tents and talk to photographers and bloggers, others would stay stationed in the room at ABS to "burn" (spend specific time in praise, worship, and prayer for the fashion industry and specifically for friends of MFC in the industry).
I think most everyone's favorite assignment was "accessing the tents." There were huge "tents" set up behind the Lincoln Center (an amazing performing arts center in Manhattan), where the fashion shows were being held. I say "tents" because you wouldn't know it wasn't a real building if they didn't call them "the tents."
this is the entrance to the "tents"Walking in, there are different displays set up:
a Tresseme hair salon (2 stories) where you could get your hair done for free
Two different Mercedes were on display and people to take your picture with them. These dresses were on display next to one of the cars:
A Diet Pepsi station displayed some outfits designed by up and coming designers (and gave free diet pepsi with a fancy straw!).
There was a Maybelline makeup counter where they would sometimes give away free make up:
Interesting how it looks like she has devil horns in this picture, huh?
An Essie station giving away free nail polish, a Fiber One platform giving away free bars, another platform where you could have your picture taken and printed for free, there was a separate room with really fine jewelry on display ....I mean, this place was crazy...and it was just the lobby to hang out in between shows. There were two or three other rooms inside the tents where the shows were held. There was also a courtyard in the center of it all with fancy couches and fancy heaters. The thing about Fashion Week is that you have to receive an "invite" to be a part of it. Famous models, bloggers, photographers, buyers, sponsors and maybe celebrities would be invited to these shows to see the first glimpses of the new lines for this coming fall. So, to get in the tents to see a show, you had to have "credentials," which was a lanyard that would usually have the name of the show you were going to see. No one was allowed to get into the tents without credentials...except us? Yep, somehow, by the grace of God, we were able to easily get inside the tents...and I don't even mean sneaking. I mean walking right up to the guards, telling them which show we were going to see, and them letting us in. That doesn't happen. More than once, I saw the guards turning people away, but when I walked up, they let me right in. I always prayed before trying to get into the tents, and I never once was turned away! The YWAMers did the same, and I think some of them were turned away once or twice, but in comparison to how much they got IN the tents, that was NOTHING. I just know that it was God's favor. I learned a lot about the power of God's favor through this experience actually. The first day I went to access the tents, I was literally in jeans, a t-shirt, and cardigan. I thought I was going to be staying at ABS all day, so I didn't get dressed up. I looked in NO way like I was about to go to a show. And yet they let me in, no questions asked. with NO credentials.
yeah, this was that day....omg
Two other times, I totally messed up when talking to the guards. When he asked what show I was going to, I said "the Donna Karen New York show," and he went on to tell me that was about 40 streets away!! BUT, he then let me into the tent anyway!!! makes no sense. The next time, the guard asked me what show I was going to see, and I then realized I hadn't thought to look up what shows were about to happen, so I said, "I'm actually just going to meet up with some friends," and he let me in. I realized that when God wants you to do something, never doubt your capability because NOTHING but your obedience is dependent on yourself. He makes the illogical happen. I can understand why the logically minded have a hard time believing Christianity, because so much of it doesn't make sense. So much of it breaks the rules of the world. But we know not heaven's limits. Or lack thereof.
Once inside the tents, we would talk with people working the different stations, people going to see shows, models, bloggers, photographers, and just love on them. It has really amazed me how much New Yorkers appreciate prayer. When you can just walk up to someone and genuinely care about them and take some of your time to just pay specific attention to them, expecting nothing in return, it means something to them. I feel like in Franklin, "I'll pray for you" is thrown around so easily to a point that it no longer has meaning or power. The phrase doesn't even mean what you're implying. "I'll pray for you" usually means, "Wow, what you're going through is really rough and I feel sorry for you and I'll sympathize with you until it's better." Of course, not everyone means it that way, many are genuine when they commit to prayer, but I'll confess that I haven't been so genuine. I have just begun to be more committed and intentional about taking specific time to pray for people. Prayer is so powerful, and I kinda hate that it's one of those things we won't understand til heaven haha, cause I wanna know how it works. Regardless, it works.
Getting inside the tents doesn't mean you'll get in a show, however we did get into several shows.
This is Rebekah who "somehow" found herself with some credentials, though I believe in no coincidences. She made it into several shows! I got into the Emilio Cavallini show with some of the YWAMers. This is the only picture I feel comfortable posting from that show haha:
Wow, there was spiritual warfare inside that show like nothing I've ever felt. 5 or 6 models, not much older than me, walked out on stage in bra and underwear, and basically made a sexual display of getting dressed. Each one of them either looked like they were about to cry, or they had an angry look of disgust on their face, as if to say "Go ahead and use me; I'm not worth anything." I had a hard time not breaking down in sobs during that show, but it gave me such a better understanding of why I'm here in NYC. I wanted so badly to go to those girls after the show and tell them their true worth, and that they didn't have to pose mostly naked in front of hundreds of men with cameras in order to make something of themselves. I wouldn't even know how to do that at this point, but I have faith that God will guide me to get to love on girls like them at some point.
Thursday night, I got to work at a show! Haha, I didn't have a big important job, wasn't super involved, but it was exciting for me! I got to tell the models when it was their turn to walk down the runway haha. Again, I think what I mostly gained from this was just better understanding of the behind the scenes of the industry.
So, it was so much fun to get to love on such a wide variety of people involved in the fashion industry throughout the past week. I'm so glad I got to make it up here for fashion week because it really lit a new understanding and passion for the kind of ministry I'll be doing here.
Prayer requests: that I would keep a level head in such a self-absorbed culture. I want my heart to be after Jesus only, and not pursuing my own ends. Also, my skin is SOOOO DRYYYY hahaha going from Africa to freezing cold is just shocking my body, and I'm cold almost all the time, so I guess just that I would be able to adjust to this place in body and mind, but in a Christ-like and Christ-centered way. :) Thanks for all your prayers and support already.
Well dressed YWAMers with their new friend, Steven Stiles (Styles? idk haha appropriate).
YWAMers (squinting because of the sun), hanging out with a photographer outside the Lincoln Center.
The whole crew (minus Leah). Loved meeting you all and getting to do ministry with you :))
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