18 Months in the Big Apple: "God Be With You,Till We Meet Again"

Thursday, October 23, 2008

"God Be With You,Till We Meet Again"

President and Sister Bennion, Elder and Sister Conlin and Sister and Elder Hess

The Senior Missionaries met to bid farewell to Elder and Sister Conlin, from Soda Springs, Idaho, who have served so faithfully in the Mission Office for the last 22 months. Elder Conlin has managed the mission finances and Sister Conlin, as the President's Secretary. They have also taught an Institute class and served in the Hempstead Branch. We congratulate them on being valiant in their callings. We will really miss them. Elder Conlin, a CPA, and Sister Conlin, an inspired homemaker and manager, raised 9 children on his family's farm they bought. He told the missionaries he won his wife's heart by having, "daily contact!" We welcome Elder and Sister Hess, from Malad, Idaho, who will take their place. They have raised three children and run a very successful international business together, using pumas made from volcanic ash. I have lay awake at night trying to dream up something that brilliant! We are sure they will do a fine job in their new calling, and look forward to getting to know them well during their stay. They are terrific! (above) Sister Gayle Bangerter made a Brazilian Black Bean Stew, feijoada, that she served over rice. It was very tasty! We had a crisp green salad and an array of delish deserts. It was a delightful evening, and we are so glad we get to see all of our friends each month. What a treat!

1 comment:

Sharon said...: Wasn't it just so much fun? The senior couples really do enjoy getting together with eachother...and that's the way it should be. We really do need one another's support.

Thanks to you two for what you do to encourage and support us:-)

Love ya'!; October 31, 2008 at 7:34 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.