Taken from: Sandra Berry Young Ministries

Newsletter from Ground Zero




by Sandra Berry Young



Serving JESUS in New York!

The day before I left New York was October 16th. It was the tenth anniversary of my daughter's death. For some reason, I was emotionally up and down. Perhaps it was what has happened in New York. Grief on every side of you everywhere you go, throughout the city. I just could not fly out of New York on that day for some reason. I decided to go with Pastor Arlene Del Rio to the fire station of two firemen and take gospel books on grief to them, as well as other items, such as prayer cards, Psalm 91 prayers, etc.

There I had some opportunities to share how God brought me through the death of my daughter. Have you read her story on my web site at: http://www.SondraBerryYoung.org One thing that really pulled at my heart strings was the fact that after I shared with the fireman, he said "now, what can we do for you? Would you like to come and have a cup of coffee?"

I had to say "no" this time, because I was flying out and Arlene was double parked. My heart ached. I felt like I was letting the Lord down when they needed to talk. That is why I am committed to going back and making quality time and myself available to sit and talk and minister to and with them. As you have seen in previous e-mails God has opened the door to minister to firefighters and police in New York so wonderfully.

On the way back to the church, I went by a New York school called the Generation X-cell Project with Pastor Arlene and took a teddy bear that Tonya Poole had sent me to a young girl who had parents that were drug addicts. The church is dealing with her family. While I was there, I saw an elderly lady sitting on a park bench, looking very tired and bewildered. I walked over to her and gave her one of our memorial booklets for prayer with different Psalms. I began to share with her and talk to her. It turned out she lost her son four years ago and felt God did not care about her. I was able to reassure her of God's great love for her and pray with her and give her a big hug from God. It's great when it is God leading you every step of the way because of friends like you who pray. Thank You!

Pastor Rick spoke to policemen in uniform who were present at the Thirty-day Memorial Anniversary Service of the Twin Towers. He said that he wants to help restore respect to the New York City Police Department. They took a hard hit from the public last year and their morale was pretty low. What has happened here at Ground Zero has not only put them all on the map publicly, but God has used this time to vindicate them by His very own hand. Indeed, taking zeros (according to the city) and making them His heroes!

I have just taken a class at the Red Cross in New York with Pastor Arlene, and the police Chaplin has asked us to make a no less then two-month commitment to New York. I have decide to make that commitment and go back to New York on Saturday October 27th through December 27th. This is not an easy decision. It is hard physically and spiritually. I have asked people to oversee my projects in South Africa until January 2002 when I will return. I have communicated to my immediate pastor here in the USA and also with the leadership of FCF International where I am ordained as well as with the Pastor of Missions International for FCF.

Lonnie Hilton, the Vice President of FCF International said that Douglas MacArthur once said during World War II, "Send me your missionaries and I will give your Japan." We did not take that opportunity or we would have had Japan as a Christian nation. What about New York? Missionaries are needed here if only for a short term right now! Pastor Rick Del Rio says that there is "seed of revival in the middle of the rubble" at Ground Zero here in New York.

Every time I see policemen in a New York resturant I never let them pay for their food. I immediately go up and tell the cashier I will pay for it. They are always so surprised, but I tell the officers that I insist because I don't think that those who are serving us and protecting us should ever have to pay for their own food nor should they have to stand at the back of the line. I feel we should really honor them, I could be wrong but I don't think so. I actually think I am going to start a city, state, country and International campaign about taking care of those who serve us publicly. Really! I am praying about it.

I had a slight problem coming home. When I got on the airplane in New York I went to use the restroom and shut the door. Much to my surprise, I suddenly broke down and wept and wept and wept. I just could not stop crying. After the plane landed in Detroit, I called a friend for prayer. As I was walking through the airport, I could hear the cries of children, babies, and parents crying out for help. It was as though I could hear the whole city of New York lamenting and mourning. I just lost it in the airport! I guess I did not realize the Great Grace that was on me to care and work and minister while I was there. But even more so, I realized it was a call to go back and continue to help the people of New York in "such a time as this".

I read a newpaper article today that said they are expecting November and December to be two of the hardest months for New York residents. The Holidays are coming and many will not have their parents. 15,000 children have lost one or both parents. Others have lost a husband or a wife, a son or a daughter, a coworker, a neighbor, a relative, and the losses go on and on and it has effected so many people. Over 17,000 people needing counseling called the crisis mental health line the first few days after the Twin Towers attack. They say, many will want to commit suicide, others will sink deep in depression. How well I know my own grief after losing my daughter! So off I go, back to New York.

I guess on the airplane, I just broke too. All of the sudden the reality of so many hurting people, especially seeing the faces of some many thousands still to date missing: on fences, on walls, on telephone booths, on store windows, everywhere throughout the City, people who were looking and hoping and praying that their loved ones would come home; so many broken hearts, broken lives and broken dreams. I know: I wanted my daughter to live more then myself to live. It was hard to adjust to her being gone, perhaps now I can help others from what I have walked through and learned. In fact I know I can, with the help of the Lord! I fell to my knees at that airport next to the pay telephone and my dear sister prayed with me over the phone; so many hurting people, so many broken lives. May God help them. I feel so insignificant, so helpless to help them, but I want to do what I can to help, if only a whisper of a prayer, if only handing them a Bible, or tract, or giving a hug. Will you help me return? Can I be your hands? Do you want to go and cannot go? I can be your feet and hands!

Thursday night when I arrived back in California, it was so wonderful to sleep in a bed on flannel sheets and have a bubble bath at the home of Jennifer and Brad. When I walked in they had a spaghetti dinner hot and ready. It was wonderful! I slept like a little princess so warm and cozy all night.

Staying down town in Manhatten in the East Village on the floor of the church for the last month was okay. God covered me, a fireman gave me a blanket to sleep with when I first arrived, then the second week someone gave me a mattress to sleep on, and later I was able to buy a sleeping bag. But it was those constant sirens all night long. I can honestly say I did not have one full night of sleep or even a full few hours of sleep in the thirty days I was there. Yet, I am ready to go back. I was thinking of going back on Tuesday, but perhaps I need to wait till Saturday, I thought. At least then I will have a week for a little rest. I will go back armed with more things to give away, and hopefully a rested body with greater spiritual strength.

My friend Jennifer handed me a bumper sticker which reads, "Humble thyself, pray and seek His Face, then He will heal the land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)." It had a big flag under it. Truly that is the answer: if we will humble ourselves, pray and seek His Face he will indeed Heal the land and its people; even in New York!

It is good to know that God's people are the first and quickest to respond in an hour of crisis in order to make a difference in a broken and hurting world. I am sure that God is pleased with those of you who are praying for us while we are on the front lines. It gives us the strength to carry on and be your hands and feet, and because of this each one of you is able to make a difference in New York too!

Here is what I need to do now. I will not be able to stay in the church for health reasons. I must stay in a hotel. I have prayed and had counsel on this, and this is what I must do if I am to stay strong spiritually and physically. I will need to be able to pray and sleep each day.

Staying in a hotel will cost money. I have called around and as you know New York is one of the most expensive places in the world to stay, if you can even find housing. I have in fact found a hotel. It is St.Marks Hotel, which is right around the corner from Pastor Rick's church. I have made a reservation there for the next two months. I can walk to the church in the rain, sleet or snow, which they say in the winter months will most certainly occur.

Now here is my question: can and will you help me? Perhaps you will want to reach out to New York and help? Before I even sent out this e-mail I talked to a couple of friends and they said they would sponsor one day/night of outreach and hotel. Each day will cost me $100 to stay at the hotel. It is a sacrifice but it is the only way physically at this time that I can do it.

Will you please pray about sponsoring one night or more at the hotel so that I can have and effective time in ministry for the next two months? I will spend November and December in New York ministering to firefighters, police, and to various segments of society. I will be going from door to door in some of the projects, and reachinng out to many hurting and wounded peaople who are our sisters and brothers in Christ.

I now have three people, - one church member and two other individuals who said they want to help. Are there fifty-seven other friends or family members of our ministry who have been touched by our emails, and outreaches over what has happened in New York, who want to see me reach out in New York for two more months. Please click here and e-mail me your pledge at: mailto:Go4God@hotmail.com ASAP if you do! Send money quickly!

Thank you for listening one more time to me about New York and the love and pain I have in my heart for those who are hurting from what has happened. Will you be one of fifty-seven sponsors needed? Will you be one of my sending team family and send me back to New York to stay there for two months to minister to the hurting people of New York City? Does anyone have it in their heart to sponsor the return round trip ticket? God Bless You All in Jesus' Name!

Your Sis, Serving Jesus in New York for "such a time as this".

Please forward a copy of this web page to Friends or Family or Church if you think they can help (or ask them to visit: http://www.sondraberryyoung.org/GroundZero/index.html)

MUCH LOVE
Sondra Berry Young