Greetings from the Gregory’s! I know, I know, I know – it’s been nine months since I last blogged and should be banned from your email groups! However, I have personally talked with most of you throughout the course of this past year. Can you believe it? We have been in New York City for over a year now (since July 15) and we are still alive and doing well. We’ve had the privilege of working with a great team at MSNY and have made many new life-long friends. The kids did great in school and have matured quite nicely. Jaylen has learned the art of riding the public buses by himself and Camryn has mastered the art of flagging down taxi’s (now she just needs to learn how to finance the taxi rides)!

Our biggest challenged over the last year was – you guessed it – THE LONG COLD WINTER! We thought we were prepared with our new North Face coats and new winter boats, but I have found out that there are a few things you cannot prepare for! It was not the cold part but the length of the cold season. We are use to cold weather from November-ish to February but not OCTOBER TO MID-APRIL!!! I believe we had more than 10 accumulating snow days with one day of closed schools (the first in over ten years where NYC schools were shut down). In fact, it snowed the first day of spring. However, since May 1 we have been enjoying great days of spring and summer in one of the most gorgeous cities in the world.

I have so much to update you on but will only mention a few in this blog. One is an update on God’s provision. We recently moved from our two bedroom room (kids sharing a room) one bathroom apartment totaling a whopping 1,000 sqft to a three bedroom, 2.5 baths, duplex, with two entertaining areas and a private backyard. With much favor from God and the renter’s market due to the economy we were able to get an additional 1,000 sqft of living space for less than we were paying for the other apartment. Our new apartment is comparable to our house in NC! We are excited about God’s provision and thought we would share some pictures of our new apartment. Please enjoy the slide show to the right in order to view the pictures or visit - http://picasaweb.google.com/pastorgg/NewApartment#.

In addition to the new apartment, God has given us favor with our new neighbors and many families throughout the neighborhood. I will go into more details later but are about to start a fifth small group in Harlem and put on an end of summer fellowship for new and old faces in the Harlem community. I must tell you we are amazed at God’s favor and call on our move to NYC.

Thanks for standing with us. We appreciate the cards, calls, emails, text messages, financial gifts, and the many acts of kindness shown by our partners and friends in the ministry. We celebrate you for standing in the gap for the Gregory’s as we look forward to our second year in NYC.
Please pray for:

1. Our NC house to rent. Our last renters moved out Aug 1. Our property management company has yet to find us a quality renter so please pray for the right renter with great credit that will take care of our property.
2. The kids as they go back to school. Pray for their teachers, grades, friends, bus drivers, protection, etc.
3. More favor in our new neighborhood. Specifically for salvations, baptisms and rededications. We are believing for at least 12 new families to be added to what God is doing by the spring.
4. Tondra’s counselor licensing. I will blog more on this later, but she has another state test to prepare for and pass. Pray for her ability to juggle the family yet focus on finishing the race.

Well, I must leave some for later. I am going to try to start blogging once a week. Pray for that too. Cheers.

George

We are STILL ALIVE!

Cheers. We are back. Sorry for the long delay. As you can imagine, we are still in the biggest transition of our lives. You would think that living in NYC for almost five months now (can you believe it?) we would be entirely settled – FORGET IT! Now don’t get me wrong, we are enjoying every minute of getting to know this wonderful city and its many opportunities. Yet, daily we learn that you must live by the 11^th Commandment - Thou shalt be flexible! The word “flexible” has a lot more meaning to the Gregory household. For instance, you relearn “flexibility” when you…

· Wait your turn to get in the bathroom (did I tell you we only have one!);

· Arrive at a subway stop to find there are no trains running in the direction you are going;

· Jump in a taxi at the same time as someone else that is determine not to get out and wait for the next one;

· Arrive two minutes late to move your car to find a $65 ticket nicely tucked under the windshield wiper;

· And the classic – when you come out of the subway to find it is POURING DOWN RAINING (and you did not bring your umbrella)!

And yet, we are excited about being stretched for the things of God. We have met many great people and families throughout New York City – from Harlem, the East and West side, down and up town, Brooklyn , Queens, New Jersey, etc. The harvest is plentiful for the kingdom to come in greater ways.

Thank you for all the phone calls, prayers, letters, emails, text messages, etc. They mean more to us than you know. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Here are a few ways that you can pray:

1. More small groups to be launched in Harlem and throughout the city;

2. Salvations and decisions for the lord;

3. Our outreach to marriages and families;

4. Family times full of laughs and unforgettable memories;

5. Two or three key leaders to catch the vision and run with the plan; and

6. Happy holiday season with family and friends in NC.

The Gregory’s

A Sending of Peace!

This past weekend I (George) got an opportunity to visit the great state of North Carolina – home of hot now Krispy Kream Doughnuts, cow pastures and most of all - my dear family. I had great moments with a few friends but the moments that I had to spend with my mother, father, sister and my two nephews was exactly what the doctor ordered. Although I did not get to spend much time with them, it was well worth the flight and effort to get there.

As most of you know, Tondra and I have a big heart for marriage and family ministry. Well, check out where I got my start. My father and mother have modeled an excellent marriage and have laid the foundation for a family that loves God and desires to impact his kingdom. They have been married for 40 years and still have plenty to go. Praise God that in an age where marriages end quicker than they begin, there is still hope for a healthy model to follow.

As I was leaving I thought I would take a photo to show the NYC Gregory’s (Tondra, Jaylen, and Camryn). As I was taking the photo everyone said goodbye with a “peace sign”. When I got home and thought about that moment, it made me realize that my family was sending me back to NYC with the “peace of God”. The peace of God (Shalom) means – completeness, soundness, welfare, and safety. As we continue this season of our lives in this new land we need God’s peace and blessings. In 1 Sam 1:17 Eli sent Hannah away by saying, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."

As we have been given God’s peace as a sign of his love for our lives, please stand with us as we ask God to:

1. Grant us good health. As the fall cool down beings pray against colds, viruses and any sicknesses.


2. Grant us a great location to have our services. Location is everything and we need “THE” place to inspire, motivate and teach God’s peace.


3. Grant us His provision with partnership from other churches and individuals that have a heart and understand missions and church planting in NYC.


4. Grant us connections and favor with 2-3 key business men and women that will get behind this church plant in major ways.

Prayer: My God grant us his peace and grant us the things that we ask of him according to his will. Amen.

Camryn's First Day of School

This morning Tondra and I walked (and rode the subways) both of our kids to school in New York City! Can you believe it? It seems like yesterday that we were contemplating moving - but here we are.

Today, Camryn started school at an excellent Christian school in Manhattan. Her acceptance into this school is truly a testament that God answers prayer and gives gifts of favor to his children. As soon as she walked through the door (as she held back the tears) her new teacher (from the south) asked her to be the class leader for today and she gladly accepted with a dry face. She talked all afternoon about her new friends and how cool it was to have lunch in Central Park! What an amazing day!

It's a joy to see our kids flourish and step out in faith. This move is about much more than Tondra and I relocating to plant a church. This is a family move in faith. Each of us has given up many things to make this move and we have all stepped out in faith into many new and wonderful things.

Please continue to pray for us...

• God's hand of protection, provision, peace, power and presence on each of us as we go throughout the day;


• Favor with everyone we come into contact with;


• To be lights in darkness;


• To decrease that God might increase. Amen.

Jaylen's first day of SCHOOL!!

He did it. Jaylen attended his first day of school today. His report - "It was all good". Thank you for your faithful prayers and support of Jaylen. He has met new friends, new teachers and will get his very own metro (subway) card tomorrow. He is really a funny guy. He actually thinks we are going to let him ride the subway by himself to school!!

Please keep Jaylen in your prayers as he will be challenged academically and socially this year. He is up for the challenge, but would like for you to lift him up in his new challenge.

Hello Kitty!

Near Toys-R-Us in Times Square there is a Hello Kitty store. I really like this store because Hello Kitty is my favorite kitty in the whole world. This is one of the reasons I wanted to move to New York! When I walked into the store I was shocked (that means surprised)! They had Hello Kitty everything – suitcases, backpacks, clothes, hats, pens, purses, jewelry, and much more! I enjoy shopping and I look forward to my next trip because there are a lot of things I have my eye on.

Please pray that:
1. I get more friends that live on my block or close by.
2. I will be able to come back to North Carolina and visit soon.

What’s Missing in this Picture?

You guessed it – MY TWO FRONT TEETH! At first I was afraid of my teeth falling out because I thought I would not look cute, but people tell me I look cute still (as you can see)!!

I have been waiting for a while for my teeth to fall out. All my other friends have already lost their front teeth. I also wanted some money under my pillow - how else do you think I could buy something at the Hello Kitty store? I was a brave girl because Jaylen (my brother) pulled my teeth out.