A New Perspective on Life in New York City

By Kaylee Marshall

Having traveled to NYC on several occasions, I was eager to experience something that I never had before. Visiting such a massive city with double the population of your home state can be quite overwhelming, however from the moment I entered Metro Baptist Church, I felt safe and secure.

The community surrounding Metro could not be more warm and welcoming. I enjoyed the presentation on the mission of Metro Baptist Church and their different nonprofits that they run, you could tell that each person involved is passionate about what they do.

I tend to be skeptical about short-term mission trips, yet this particular mission trip was one that I have not heard of nor experienced. It was important for Metro to provide workshops on how they serve the community and meet the needs that are in high demand within their community. We were able to cover topics such as food insecurity, homelessness, and global justice advocacy, all of which are important to understand when serving the people of New York City.

As a group, we were able to immerse ourselves into their lifestyle and do the work that they do every day of the year. We volunteered at their free after school program, helped with the rooftop farm, and volunteered at their weekly food pantry, all of which ran in the most efficient way possible.

My experience with the Urban Immersion program was incredibly informative and gave me a brand new perspective on life in New York City. I learned so many things about the surrounding community at Metro and the many aspects it takes to run the services that they provide, it is truly a well-oiled machine.

With all of this said, I believe the knowledge that we gained as a group can be brought back to Oklahoma and used to serve our community’s needs. This week lit a fire in me that can be fueled through service and building relationships through serving the community.

– Kaylee is a senior at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Marketing. She plans to pursue a Masters degree in Human Relations after she graduates in the fall.