18 Months in the Big Apple: Posing Together Before a Final Farewell

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Posing Together Before a Final Farewell

Elder Jacob Cosojay and Elder Tyler Low gave beautiful departing testimonies at our Zone Conference yesterday. Elder Cosojay "feels like a loving parent must about the wonderful people he has been able to teach and serve" during his two years in New York. Elder Low is so thankful for all he has learned and for his opportunity to serve. He realizes this experience will bless him for the rest of his life. He's had a goal to baptize a family and that has not been achieved. We assured him that we have three more weeks before he leaves Astoria, and we have all been praying to find a family here. We are preparing for a street sweep for our district together next Tuesday at noon. Please unite your faith and prayers with ours that we will find a family to strengthen the Astoria Ward. Sister Bennion assures me that she loves to see these incredible missionaries come and hates to see them go. They love her as she serves so valiantly as their mission mother. President Bennion is the best of the best and these elders know they are lucky to have served under his divinely inspired direction.

1 comment:

Sharon said...: We love Elder Low! He was "one of ours" out here on "The Island" for some time. You get attached to these fine young men (and sisters) don't you?

You do such a wonderful job helping them and including them in everything.

Great job!; August 14, 2008 at 6:19 PM

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“Service is the virtue that has distinguished the great of all times and which they will be remembered by. It places a mark of nobility upon its disciples. It is the dividing line which separates the two great groups of the world–those who lift and those who lean, those who contribute and those who only consume. How much better it is to give than to receive. Service in any form is comely and beautiful. To give encouragement, to impart sympathy, to show interest, to banish fear, to build self-confidence and awaken hope in the heart of others, in short–to love them and to show it –is to render the most precious service.”

Bryant S. Hinckley

January 10, 2008 we arrived in Queens, New York. We are currently serving as full-time missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We were called to serve in the New York, New York South Mission. It is a special and unique assignment. Serving here is like teaching all nations, with missionaries who teach in English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Russian and American Sign Language. Nearly 10 million people live within our mission, representing 112 nationalities. We are blessed to be serving along side the most incredible missionaries in the world! We love President and Sister Bennion who have been cherished friends since he was the president of Ricks College. We are happy to be serving the Lord and living on Steinway Street in Astoria.
Thank you for visiting our blog! Please feel free to leave comments or questions. It makes our day:-)

History of the New York, New York South Mission

Long before our mission was organized, Elder Parley P. Pratt was the first missionary in this dispensation to preach the Gospel in New York City and Long Island.
This mission has significant historic roots. It is the heart of the former Eastern States Mission which was established in 1839.
That mission, headquartered in Brooklyn, enjoys the distinction of being the second oldest mission of the Church, behind the British Mission.
The Eastern States Mission consisted of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and West Virginia in 1948. Since that time, many changes have been made in the boundries of the mission.
The name of the mission was changed from the Eastern States Mission to the New York New York Mission in 1974. At that time the mission included the following areas: New York State as far as Poughkeepsie, the entire state of Connecticut, a small part of Massachusetts, as well as part of New Jersey and the island of Bermuda. The mission boundaries were once again changed in 1976 excluding Massachusetts and all of the state of Connecticut, with the exception of Fairfield County.
In 1987, after another boundary change was made, the New York New York Mission consisted of the five boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island), Long Island, New York State north to Poughkeepsie, a portion of Connecticut and the island of Bermuda.
The mission was divided once again in 1993. The New York New York South Mission encompasses the New York City boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island, as well as the New York counties of Nassau and Suffolk on Long Island. It also includes the small British Island of Bermuda in the Atlantic.