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For the Thanksgiving Week of 2001, we went to New York City with a group from Calvary Chapel Murrieta to work for Samaritan's Purse to serve the people of NYC after the Attack. We got to pray; wash dishes; serve up food to construction workers, FDNY, NYPD, and Port Authority; talk with New Yorkers; scrub floors; box CDs; pass out donuts and water to police officers - that is, get fully immersed in the grief - and Hope - of New York City after 9/11. On this and the following pages are a tiny glimpse into our emotionally exhausting week.

Where we started most every day - Harvest on 56th Street
Rick, seated, would dole out the daily assignments wearing a sort of sadistic smile as he did.

The Billy Graham Prayer Center where we spent our first day. It was here that we... well... prayed! We prayed for people via their prayer requests, requests that were numblingly tragic and heart-wrencing. This was no fun day, but it was the best day. Prayer has a way of doing that. Amen?!

Midtown, from Empire State Building

There is nothing more special and comforting than going through a security checkpoint with guards wielding M-16s. Ahem.

Desi, aka Fearless Leader, aka Pastor Prepube, in a photo-op. Kidding! We'd pray ere we'd head out. We don't know if we got strange stares from passers-by, we are supposed to be closing our eyes. How I got this shot while praying is... is a miracle!

The front of NINO'S, that now-famous restaurant which serves officers and FDNY for free for months. They are saving a load of money by accepting cheap labor - like us naive volunteers from hapless California (see right).

CHEAP LABOR Here Mike(r) and I are having the "time of our lives" washing dishes for nearly four hours straight. The time is just after 12 MIDNITE and our shift would continue until 2. That's when DAN came to work (snicker). His shift was from 2-6 (giggle). We scientifically determined that our hands swelled to just under twice their normal size.

A couple of the hundreds of letters and drawings by kids throughout the US that hang virtually everywhere we got to volunteer.

This in Grand Central Station is an example of the multitude of missing people displays. To the right and below are just some of the desperate attmpts to find loved ones or to write them a final note.

We got a chance to talk to a firefighter here on 28th Street, at the Engine 1, Ladder 24 Fire Station

The memorial set up in front. This station lost about 5 firefighters on 9/11.