18 Months in the Big Apple: Train Carroling, Joyfully Inviting All to Join Us.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Train Carroling, Joyfully Inviting All to Join Us.

Elder West, Elder Olsen and Elder Goodman sing with might!

Nothing brings the Christmas Spirit quite like beautiful music and we had such success on Thanksgiving weekend, that we decided to give it another whirl! Saturday, December 6th, it was cold and crisp. As we sang Christmas carols, we gave out printed invitations to The First Presidency's Christmas Devotional on Sunday, December 7th. We sang on busy platforms and inside the trains. We would sing two carols, talk to the people for a minute or two and extend our invitations to all, and then hop off at the next stop, into the next car. It was a little like a Chinese fire drill, and we had to really race to all make the next train car. It's everyday fare to see people singing or performing on the trains and then they "pass the hat." We sang and then gave something to them. They seemed to really appreciate and enjoy it, with some even joining in, singing with us.

Sister Thomas, Elder Goodman, Elder Law, and Elder Bahr "hang on" as they barrel down the tracks, singing all the way!

Our plan was to sing in groups of four at different ends of the trains, fa-la, instant stereo! One lady made sure we gave an invitation to each person on the train and when a few new ones got on, she made sure we gave an invitation to them too. It was very rewarding as we received handshakes and smiles. It was a free and easily given gift to all!

Comfort and Joy...serving with the Queensboro Zone!

1 comment:

Sharon said...: WOW!! Everybody is breaking out in song here! I can almost hear it. How fun:-) This is just a perfect activity for these energetic young missionaries and the two of you spunky leaders.

We do know how they adore you both.

Love ya'!; December 15, 2008 at 12:28 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.