Why I Love Queens

“Concrete Jungle, where dreams are made of.” “If you can make it here you can make it anywhere.”  “The city that never sleeps.”  The city that attracts the most ambitious and curious people.  The city where we all want to go visit; and some are brave enough to stay. It has its own tempo and at times feels like its own time.  The New York minute is my Kentucky Hour.  The energy in the air is palpable. You can feel it as you maneuver through the subways, streets and crowds.  It’s the smell of the subway, the lack of expression on people’s faces, and the sound of consonants and vowels clashing in your ears that makes New York City so intriguing.  It’s the urban vegetable soup.  A grand mixture of urban and suburban, Millennials and Baby Boomers, dreamers and survivors all in the same place. To the average person, this would be intimidating, but to me it’s the only place I want to spend my summer.

So what keeps me coming back?  What draws me to this complicated, hectic way of life?  From the moment I walked into First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, NY, I was in indoctrinated with love, acceptance and affection.  I don’t think I’ve been hugged that much in my life!!  Considering the preconceived notion I had about New Yorkers, I was excited to be in the place where love resided and is shown freely.  Nothing compares to walking into the sanctuary on a Sunday morning to smiling faces that welcome you to join with them in worship or the joy you feel when sitting down to eat a meal with the community on a Wednesday night. It’s pretty difficult not to swing and sway along with the Reggae music that permeates the air every weekday morning from the shops off of Jamaica Avenue.  After having a challenging day, the short walk to Jamaica Flavors to grab a ginger beer or pineapple soda and a beef patty with coco bread and cheese will make anyone’s day.  People watching from the church stoop is an art, and I believe I have mastered it!! Some of the best conversations I’ve had with participants, adult leaders or just random strangers have taken place over a slice from Margaritas, water ice or fresh mangoes with lime and hot sauce.

Yes, it’s New York. Yes, it’s loud. Yes, it’s busy. Yes, it’s intimidating. But this is one place where I have found compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience in the midst of chaos.  Paul in Colossians 3 helps the people to live out this Christian life with love as the center of it all.  For some reason, God saw fit to send me to Queens to find all these things in the middle of New York City and for that I’m forever grateful.

After her church in Louisville hosted YouthWorks in 2011, Traci was intrigued to learn more about missions and other communities. She served as a Site Director in Queens in 2013 and an Area Director in the Eastern Region in 2014. Joining the Recruiting Team in the Fall of 2014, Traci is excited to continue to serve youth and young adults. When she is not studying for her Masters of Divinity Degree, she enjoys listening to great music, eating at new restaurants and empowering others to walk in freedom with Christ.