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A New York City Garden
May, 2026
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Gardening and New York City do not often mix very well. Few people have any soil of their own to plant a garden in. Our family and our church are rare exceptions. This past week, our family planted the flower garden, which is the “front yard†of the VFW building, which we rent from. Just one block off the corner of a busy thoroughfare, our church garden is filled with the color and beauty of God’s creation, which welcomes home those who live in our neighborhood of tall apartment buildings. Though our church plants and cares for the garden, it is greatly appreciated by our neighbors, and we are often thanked for providing it for their viewing pleasure. It has more than once opened a conversation for a gospel witness or an invitation to church. Though it is only roughly 8 feet by 20 feet, it also boasts an apple tree, which provides good fruit that we share with the neighborhood in the month of October.
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Vashti is a new Sunday School teacher
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Baby dedication for the Abreu and Navas families
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Our home garden is much smaller. On the front porch/garage roof, Andrea maintains a potted flower garden. It is among these blooms that she often spends her time in the Word of God and in prayer before the children are active and the homeschool day begins. I love growing vegetables, and Liberty (my second daughter) loves cultivating herbs. We have been especially blessed with a 15-by-15 patch of soil behind our house. Most of that is occupied by a very large trampoline to expend energy for my five boys and the sanity of their parents. All around the trampoline belongs to Liberty and me, who have planted a variety of vegetables and herbs. My favorite is tomato plants! In my opinion, nothing beats a fresh tomato sandwich when the tomato is still warm from being picked off a sun-bathed vine. Sometimes, I really wonder why God has called me to NYC and not to the farmlands or some distant place where I could “live off the land!â€
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Our church on our 8th Anniversary – Easter Sunday, 2026
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That being said, I still work on a farm. My Lord is the husbandman, and I am his servant. I spend much time planting, weeding, and watering. Those are all done in the hope of a great harvest. Sometimes, though, I lose perspective with my face upon all the soil in front of me and the daily tasks and needs that demand attention, that I forget about the harvest or think to myself that it is still months away. Sometimes it feels like it may be years away! My Lord, however, has reminded me not to place the harvest in the distant future but to realize that it is picking time. Others have already planted and watered before my arrival, and that means that there are those who are ready to believe and be reaped for Jesus. Our theme for this year is the “Harvest.†It is a hopeful theme, but it is also a theme built upon direction from God. When I do lift up my eyes, the sight can be overwhelming. It is not hard to find a place in the Bronx to stand and look over a skyline that represents millions of souls. A vast majority of those souls are lost, but according to what I understand from the Gospels, many of those souls are ready to be picked. Please pray that not only would we see a great harvest this year, but that our Lord would send more laborers into it!
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Ben is teaching the Exchange evangelism program on Sunday
afternoons. The teens are all attending and learning how to share the Gospel. Here Nehemiah and Josh are role playing turning the conversation to the Theme of Themes.
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Jiaqi is memorizing the book of Philippians this year (in English!) and he quoted chapter 1 for our church!
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PRAYER REQUESTS:
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June 15-19 We are running our own VBS program this this year without the help of a mission team. Pray for fruit from this ministry, and that people in our church would be blessed as they get involved!
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Opportunities to talk to people in our neighborhood as we care for the flower garden
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More involvement in church evangelism
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For our church to be self-supporting in the next couple of years
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Family Photos!
Here are a few photos of family activities from the last few months.
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Nehemiah joined his siblings in the local Civil Air Patrol squadron
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Belated 16th birthday present for Elaine – ski lessons! Ben and Andrea enjoyed hitting the slopes for the first time in 18 years!
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Left: We finished another homeschool year! Left Center: Andrea made a quick visit to see her Grams in Colorado; Right Center: Ben preached at Ambassador Baptist College and Elaine got to come as a prospective student; Right: Finley is in t-ball this year. Ben is coaching his team, which always allows us to meet new families from the community!
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