It was ten o'clock pm.
The lights of the subway quaked with every bump upon the corroded track below,
the car empty except for our team; silent, stretched out in empty seats, exhausted, half-asleep
and one girl in the back, the darkness barley cloaking the wheels turning in her head.
She stared out out into the distance, her short hair fixed tightly against her head, legs crossed daintily with big boots fixed at the ends, hands in her lap, piercings reflecting every change of light in the turbulence.
Sona.
She was the unique type you know, the kind that makes me jealous,
the kind that makes we want to turn my home into a commune and play base guitar
the kind that hates 'the system' but in a gentle sort of way
the kind that takes delight in walking to the beat of her own drum- oblivious that other drums are even beating
There was something sweet about her and the Lord would not let me shake her off my mind.
He would not let me go to sleep on that subway.
So I glanced back, searching for some source of conversation,
some gem to breach the silence & get a glimpse into her mind.
I wanted to know what she was staring at. I wanted to know her story. I wanted to know her name.
I scanned and schemed and talked to the Lord, manipulating my way out of doing anything at all.
Then I saw it.
A beautiful tattoo on her wrist.
Bingo.
We love to talk about our tattoos.
And I wanted to hear about hers.
Before my flesh convinced me otherwise, I was up, across the train, and, face to face with the object of my curiosity.
"Your tattoo is beautiful!" I cooed. "Do you mind if I see it?"
It was a cage with an open door
the "I know why a Caged-Bird sings" kind of thing
"Freedom" she said. "It's for freedom."
Two more tattoos and a few laughs later, I was fixated. I knew with certainty that the Lord was going to do something in her- that he wanted me to tell her about Jesus. And so I did.
She wanted to know why we were in New York;
a Brooklyn native now working in the city and trying to untangle her ambitions,
she was curious and inviting.
She wanted to know how Christians felt about her lifestyle.
She wanted to know "why Christians hate gay people."
She wanted to know if I felt restricted- giving my whole life to a ' set of laws.'
She cried when she pondered that a man would die for her
and fumed frustration when she considered the rejection she's felt by the church and Christians.
She skipped her stop and decided to take the long way home so we could keep talking.
She had a story- a deep, intricate story of experiences and hurt and a need for love just like the next subway stranger.
And I told her about Jesus.
and I told her about a fierce love- a love that is selfless and selfish all at the same time
a love that will fight for you if you let it.
I told her how God feels about her lifestyle & her reckless, full-on pursuit sin.
I told her how God feels about gay people,
and all people, for that matter.
I told her that the world is empty and she's been digging herself in a hole....
... not the kinds of things you normally tell a stranger....
And her stop came.
And she got up. And she rushed to the subway door.
And just when I felt like I'd said too much,
she turned at looked at me in desperation
"Please tell me your name. I have to facebook you.
I have to talk to you.
I have to know more about this Jesus.
He doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard before."
Today she added me on facebook and she wants to talk. I about jumped through the roof.
Please pray for Sona.
I have a weird feeling that God is going to use her for really big things.
Houses all across the city are leveled and lots of places are really shaken up. Although I realize news is usually exaggerated during these times, this is what I've heard so far:
And she got up. 
Although we stayed in a hostel in Brooklyn during Spring Break, we also were able to do a TON of fun things throughout all the Burroughs: Carnegie Deli, Broadway Shows, Bryant Park, Union Park, Times Square, Central Park, Tiffany's, Empire State Building, traveled near Coney Island, went to a Knicks games at MSG and shopped in China Town and Little Italy (where I got to be the personal purse shopper for the moms of nearly every guy on the trip- I felt so rich!). The former Bama Crusade directors (Clay and Lynn & their two little girls ) invited us over to a spaghetti dinner in their home on the East Side, too! We attended Tim Keller's church (Redeemer), mastered the subway system, and wore our feet down to the bone. I really, really enjoyed getting to know these students better!
This Spring Break our staff and 8 students met up with Mississippi State, UGA, College of Charleston, & the New York Crusade team for seven days in the Big Apple! For two of the days, we were divided into teams of four and sent onto campuses throughout New York where we began spiritual conversations, took surveys, and shared the Gospel with as many students as possible. One day we packed sack lunches, divided into new groups of 3-5 and ventured throughout Manhattan to share a meal and our faith with the homeless. The conversations we had were incredible and the practice the students received for sharing their faith with their friends was invaluable. 
