18 Months in the Big Apple

GOING PRIVATE

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:35:00 +0000

The West Family
Sunday, July 19, 2009, Rexburg Idaho.

After 18 Months in the Big Apple,

we are happy to be Back in the West.

We will continue sharing our life with family and friends.
Please leave a comment or e-mail me if you'd like to view our private blog.

Thank you!

Westward Ho!

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 23:30:00 +0000

When I say, "We loaded the car," it was Idaho or bust! We prayed for a safe trip home and we had an absolutely wonderful time crossing the country together. We took our time, traveling eight days between Astoria and Rexburg. Each morning we enjoyed a leisurely walk before we climbed in the car. What a beautiful country America is. One of the highlights of our trip was traveling to see my sister, Robyn, in Virginia. Her husband, Fred was in California caring for his 90 year old father, and her BYU age son was on a tour in France. We had her all to ourselves!

Robyn is just 20 months younger than me, a talented homemaker and mother of five. She and Fred built their lovely home just prior to our mission, so this was our first visit. It was so warm, welcoming, and comfortable. We wished we could have stayed longer than just one night!

Fred and Robyn have traveled the world and lived in Saudi Arabia. They have collected treasures that mean so much to them. They are beautifully displayed through out the house and I loved her robin's-egg blue colored kitchen with large, bright, windows all around their dining room that looks out on their deck and lush green backyard.

Robyn is a avid quilter and her good works are incorporated into every room along with

beautiful birds, nests and eggs, her hallmark. All of her friends and family give her gifts around her theme!

As we enjoyed a delicious, fresh, salad from her garden for dinner we watched majestic deer grazing out just past their backyard. Robyn sprays something that smells bad and helps to discourage their wanting to graze on her grass and nibble her garden. Later the three of us relaxed in the theater room and all fell asleep during a movie! In the morning we walked along a stream and explored her friendly neighborhood before we said our goodbyes. Thanks Rob for a real leisurely stay. After moving it was such a treat, the perfect antidote to lift our spirits.

Neither of us had been to Nauvoo since the temple was rebuilt. We first saw it from across the Mississippi River sitting so magnificently on the hill. We had the opportunity to attend an afternoon session. As we thought of many of our ancestors who received their endowment and were sealed in the original temple we felt very close to them. It was a most beautiful experience for us.

Elder West in front of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple.

Hyrum and Joseph Smith, martyred in Carthage, Illinois are remembered and honored with this

incredible bronze statue with the Mississippi River in the background. Joseph Smith was the prophet of the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joseph translated The Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ. Hyrum was witness to the ancient plates of gold Joseph translated from. He was faithful, devoted to the gospel and Joseph even unto death. Hyrum was also an early leader in the Church.

Amazing flowers were blooming everywhere we looked. The temple grounds were inviting and there was a special reverence we felt as we visited with each other about our families.

We went to the Hotel Nauvoo for a buffet style dinner and it was jam packed with tourists as well as people who think it's the best place to eat in Nauvoo. It was laid back and charming.

The Nauvoo Pageant was beginning July 9th and so we knew we arrived too early. We were pleasantly surprised when we learned that we could attend a dress rehearsal being held the evening we were there. We were amazed at how many families and young people were apart of the cast. They were there donating a large part of their summer days to rehearsing and performing in the pageant. We thought of how much our children would have enjoyed that opportunity involving a lot of singing and dancing. Surely, it is a testimony building experience.

In the end the cast and temple shine, truly "a light on the hill."

Each temple is so beautiful from every side. It was glowing at dusk. This is a day we'd looked forward to during our mission and we felt so rewarded and grateful to be in such a sacred place.

The next morning we hit country roads on our way to Independence, Missouri. Don't you just love these great roadsigns? We really wanted to share the road!

We enjoyed some quiet time at the beautiful Valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman.

It is flanked by The Grand River.

As we looked out over this pristine valley, we remembered what David O. McKay said and we knew we were on holy ground. It too was a sacred experience to be here together.

THE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
SECTION 116
Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, near Wight’s Ferry, at a place called Spring Hill, Daviess County, Missouri, May 19, 1838. HC 3: 35.

1 Spring Hill is named by the Lord Adam-ondi-Ahman, because, said he, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet.

Sunday we visited the Independence Visitors Center and the Independence First Ward. We met wonderful missionaries and members and enjoyed hearing their testimonies.

After crossing Kansas, we arrived in scenic Colorado with the beautiful Rocky Mountains. It started to feel like home. My youngest sister Kim and our brother-in-law, Sam, made us feel so welcome after getting their youngest son off to scout camp early that morning, delivering some of their married children and baby grandson to the airport and finishing some major business obligations. We always enjoy time with them and have been to their gracious home several times. They enjoy entertaining and have welcomed their four children and all of their friends often.

Kim and Sam are the queen and king of do it yourself home projects! Sam is a talented woodworker and Kim has the gift of looking at anything, figuring it out, and recreating it, making it look better than it does in any magazine. Notice the fabulous wall sporting a harlequin paint finish on a curving staircase. To me, this exemplifies patience and endurance I've never had!

We relaxed in their twinkle lit gazebo and dined on Sam's grilled salmon, sauteed fresh veggies, rice pilaf, green salad and then roasted marshmallows over the gas fire pit (Sam built) and laughed and talked while munching s'mores...a bit of heaven in the great outdoors!

As you rest in our nephew's fantasy cabin room and look up on the wall it says, "If You're Lucky Enough to Live in the Woods, You're Lucky Enough." Love, love, that thought.

Kim is not a quilter, but our mom is. This is her version of the same quilt my sister Robyn had in her home. They made them together and it's so perfect in Kim's cozy guestroom. I liked the headboards she made. She's finishing up a couple more things and it will be perfection!

The next morning we all went out for breakfast before we headed in opposite directions.

Thanks Kim and Sam for a delightful stay. To both of you along with Robyn and Fred, it's your turn to come our way!

Caroline, Margie, Renee and Charles

So please indulge me as I share a "one in a million" experience. We spent two days in Salt Lake getting needed things done. We were in Dillard's at Fashion Place when a poised young woman asked us if we were Charles and Renee West. We answered, "Yes," and she introduced herself as Caroline, the twin sister of one of our favorite Astoria Elders. We were so surprised when she told us that she recognized us from our blog. I gave her a huge hug, which is how sisters,(especially missionary sisters) in New York greet one another before I remembered that it's not really something everyone does in the West all of the time. I'm sure she was overwhelmed and I was embarrassed. We visited for a few brief minutes and went our separate ways.

We had become friends with this elder's mom through our blog and email and wanted to meet this dear elder's family, but time and circumstances wouldn't allow for it this trip. We finished things up for the day and had just arrived at our hotel when our elder's mother called to ask if it was too late to come and meet us. We were each amazed at what a small world it is and that we'd met Caroline that day. We waited in the hotel lobby greeting Margie, (his mom) and seeing Caroline again. Chas sprang for some delish desserts and we had the best visit and had the hotel restaurant all to ourselves.

As I have thought about this experience, I remember our then stake president, President Moeller setting us apart and promising us that we would make friends we would cherish all of our lives during our mission. We were blessed to meet senior couples in the MTC and New York who are wonderful friends, young elders and sisters who changed our lives and members of the Church all over our mission we love. Our surprise is that we are friends with so many of our missionary's families that we now know. We tried to give our best to NY, but now matter how hard we try, our Heavenly Father always gives back more than we can give when we serve Him.

Lots of blue sky was looking really good to us and we were so excited. For the first time ever we stopped and took a picture of the, "Welcome to Idaho," sign!

The soft rolling mountains and farm lands were so peaceful and we were so thrilled to be back in Idaho...a great state!

This is our exit. Coming up the freeway we saw the temple facing East on the hill below our home. It was emotional for both of us.

We left just before the Open House for the Rexburg Idaho Temple began. The night before we left we had the opportunity to clean the temple and see it. It is indeed a beacon in this town and this is how it looks as you drive up the hill to our home.

Our sweet neighbor, Deby and her grandchildren made a sign, hung balloons, and she planted flowers to welcome us home. We were so surprised. She knew our children would not be here to do it for us so she did. Thanks Deby, you are so thoughtful and we so appreciated it.

A remarkable young man, Nate, who is quiet and responsible, mowed our lawn, shoveled the snow, started our cars and kept our home vacuumed and clean. We heard from our friends, "It looks like you're home!" That brought peace of mind. Nate will be a great missionary in a couple of years. His President will feel very lucky! We couldn't pay him what's he's worth...no amount of money could repay him for his service.

We thank Deby,Scott, Ross and Jean, our neighbors, who assisted Nate, his parents and Bishop Webster who helped, calling us when there was a problem. This Spring the Young Men's organization from our ward came and cleaned up all the leaves too. Thanks guys, there's a sweet treat coming your way when you least expect it!

Our neighbors hugged us and welcomed us home. We had a memorable meeting with our new stake president, President Anderson, who released us from our mission. In the next few days our children, grandchildren and my mom arrived for our homecoming and a week long reunion. We have not stopped! Life has been crazy and so much fun. We are so grateful to our family for all of their support and love.

I was worried along with our grandchildren, about leaving all these little creatures behind. When we walked into our dining room and looked out the window, look who was stretched out taking a nap in our tree. This is for you Lizzy and Shelby....it's wonderful to be back home in the West!

Goodbye New York City

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:16:00 +0000

Maria, our favorite "Mama," was proud to be a strong Italian, Catholic, mother of three, and a full-time grandmother. She loved to yell at everyone in Italian, and kept an eye on all of us! She smiled for me after a torrential downpour flooded our backyards. Soaking wet, she swept her water down a drain and didn't want help from anyone. She was quite a character!

It's fair to say we left a big chunk of our hearts in NYC. It's the craziest place we will probably ever live! We could write a book about all of the people who lived around us during our 18 month stay on Steinway Street. Here's our condensed version.

We started out with Zeina, a Greek girl and her boyfriend downstairs. She had a great set of pipes and would sing at all hours. They also liked to smoke and it smelled awful in our house. We would keep the windows open for "fresh air" and when Jimmy and Eva came one evening they told us it was POT. We were literally tripping for the first six months of our mission. Thank heavens she was accepted to a graduate program at Cornell!

Upstairs we had two Israeli brothers, Eric and Michael, nice students who had to return to Israel late Spring. They sub lent their apartment to two college coeds who invited ten of their friends to join them! After about 5 weeks, our landlord, who lived in New Jersey, got reports from his son-in-law, (who took care of the garbage) that there were loads of beer bottles in the cans each week. When Sal heard how many were living on the third floor, he quickly evicted them! Two nice young men from Turkey moved in. They told us they were here to learn English. We told them about free English classes being taught at our church. We couldn't imagine how they could live in a place, paying $1650.00 a month for rent plus utilities and not have jobs. We soon found out they were working upstairs all night and won't share details, but they were also evicted.

Downstairs a young couple from Albania joined us. Ariola worked in a cosmetic factory and Gentian was a plumber. They left their home and families in Albania to pursue their own mission of obtaining infertility help in New York. We had lots of opportunities to help them as they had very little monetarily and struggled with great language barriers. Amazingly we had no missionaries in our mission who spoke Albanian. (We used our computer to do a lot of translation work with this couple and our students on our mission). We gave them Albanian Book of Mormons along with our testimonies. By the time we left they had learned enough English that we were able to communicate fairly well and the Astoria Elders were planning to teach them the gospel.

Last Fall, Tod from Utah, and Claudia from Mexico moved in. Tod was finishing medical school and Claudia also was working to learn English and obtain papers so she could work. We were able to teach Claudia and she helped with a Zone Conference dinner and enjoyed visiting with so many young elders who spoke Spanish. They were planning to move to Texas just a few weeks after we left.

We will keep in touch with both of these couples and we will miss them. We were so thankful we had the opportunity to share the gospel with these neighbors. Most all who lived around us were not interested. When we asked if we could visit them in their homes we were told we were "overstepping our bounds."

There are just a few more things about NY we never want to forget. Our apartment was spacious we were told and amazingly clean, although the carpet was awful. If we forgot to close the door to our bathroom, our toilet greeted our guests, all for $2,000.00 a month! (This was my final photo on Steinway Street!)

At 4:00 AM on a Sunday morning a drunk ran into a car parked in front of our house. He was not hurt, but he passed out and had to be hauled to jail in this ambulance. A woman was also hit in front of our house. There was always something going on out there! We got used to a continual scream of sirens, firetrucks, ambulances, and police cars on Steinway, a major street in Astoria. No question, it is "the city that never sleeps!"

Non-stop double parking goes on everywhere in the city. These two guys were doing business in the street for about 30 minutes...typical and picture worthy, but don't ever turn right on a red light or block a box. You'll get zapped...oh no, not a little, a lot! Just ask Elder Hess from Malad.

U-turns in the middle of the street, all in a days work! We would often see a driver pull out from a parking place and block all lanes of traffic, backing up two or three times U-turning. My companion was heroic as he got around the city each day. I can't count the number of accidents he avoided keeping us alive and our Malibu dent free. The Lord blesses His missionaries who serve through out the world, but we experienced it and heard about it over and over from NYNYS missionaries. On our last day while the mission van was parked in our driveway for one last load, someone did a u-turn, (always to nab a parking place) and dented our door. We were almost unscathed...and paid $200.00 a month to park our car off the street.

Birds, flowers, squirrels and the adorable cat that thought he was ours in our cozy backyard that was a haven for us.

It was time! We cleaned and packed and pulled away from 21-52 Steinway Street #2, June 30th, glad to be heading back to our home and family. We also were so sad to leave so many people we loved. We will always cherish the experiences we had and will be grateful that we were able to serve the Lord here. We wouldn't trade it all for the world.

We will always love New York!

Our Final Sunday in Astoria

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:25:00 +0000

We taught Kat for the last time, Sunday, June 28th. We congratulate her on her graduation from Temple Preparation. The last lesson is a follow up after one attends the temple for the first time. She went to The Manhattan Temple with her step-mother and Amelia the day we taught a dance activity in Westchester. We are so happy for her and know she will return to the Lord's house often as she has a testimony of this most Christ-like service. We have three other students who are preparing for this blessing in their lives soon. We so enjoyed this part of our assignment during our mission.

We said sad goodbyes and shed some tears as we hugged our "NY kids." We loved having the Astoria Young Single Adults in our home for Family Home Evenings, Sunday dinners, and on special occasions. We will always consider them our NY family during our mission and will miss them a lot. Their strength and examples of faithfulness through challenging times in their lives strengthened our testimonies. We thank them for their generosity and love. They presented us with a large framed picture so we could always remember our good times together and a card we'll treasure always from "our kids." We love each of you (and are missing several in this picture, although they are pictured through out our entire blog). You will be in our hearts forever.

This photo represents a few of the Queens Stake Young Single Adults and our Institute classes. We will miss all of the CES dinners and firesides together and our weekly classes. Also many Sunday FHEs, and weekend activities that were apart of our work with this group. They have started a wonderful group and are meeting regularly for FHE and YSA activities...way to go. Thanks for making our calling so rewarding for us.

We grew to love the amazing Astoria Ward members too and thank all of the Relief Society sisters for the special thank you notes they wrote to us along with their families. They mean so much to us and all of you always will too. We searched for a family to teach and baptize to strengthen the Astoria Ward. We are hopeful that a family that had attended church meetings for three weeks and Elders Norman and Nielsen were teaching, will follow through with their committment to be baptized this month. We felt the strength of this special ward and they worked together to meet inspired goals.

When we arrived home from our church meetings, this marvelous couple was waiting for us. They look so relaxed and kick-back. The truth is that they were so exhausted and it was their last Sunday in the mission as well. We got a few things ready to send home together and they hurried off to attend several baptisms and President Bennion had to set 3 new missionaries apart. We will miss seeing President and Sister Bennion often and so appreciated all that they did to serve the saints of NYC, all of the missionaries, and for teaching us so many good things. We will always cherish the opportunity we had to serve together with them again.

Our Heros

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 03:23:00 +0000

Not enough good can be said about Elder Roberts and Elder Douglas, the current NYNY South office elders. They were so accommodating, kind and helpful during our move from NYC. We are surprised at what we gathered during our 18 month stay. We sent out 750 pounds to New York, using Busfreighter.com to get all we needed here. We were told we would be using what we had at home to cook for large groups, plus sound equipment and music for activities. We sent twice that home, again using busfreighter. All of our boxes arrived both ways without anything broken or missing. It's a great way to go if you have over two hundred pounds to send.

Our thanks to Elders Duce and Wiggins, the office elders who helped us when we arrived, and Elders Roberts and Douglas on our departure. These elders assist the mission in so many ways. They help with mission cars, mail, driving elders and sisters when they arrive and depart, and move senior missionaries, just to name a few of their extra responsibilities along with regular missionary work. Imagine driving a huge van around New York City...then add a black box! I've done it and it's not easy. They are just the greatest...and they serve in our Queensboro Zone too!

Several people have asked us what we used and needed the most in addition to what missionaries are asked to bring. Our answer is simple; three insulated Sam's Club bags. We hauled prepared food, groceries, teaching aids, etc with these good size bags. They kept everything hot and cold and we were so glad we had them. Surprisingly they are still in good shape and may even someday survive a second mission!

Major Mission Moving

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 02:27:00 +0000

Elders Salazar and Flores found a patch of carpet where they could revive.

Our office elders and Woodside district along with the APs came Thursday, June 25th to move the contents of our apartment. All of the furniture and contents that belonged to the mission were moved to a storage facility in Manhattan. The elders drove it just over the Queensboro Bridge where it will stay until another senior couple move into the mission. Midway through all of our missionaries were tired and hungry. We served a make-shift picnic and they had a brief rest from their service project. We had a lot of food and as always it disappeared fast.

We had sisters and elders hauling boxes and furniture down our traitorous staircase. We could have never done it on our own. We gave away food and wood furniture we had collected from the street to the Young Single Adults. The Astoria Elders inherited our $25.00 tabletop grill and they were absolutely thrilled. It was like Christmas in New York all over again!

Elder Norman came ready to work. He greeted us and slipped a T-shirt over his white shirt and tie. He's always looking for ways to serve.

Creative Elder Sanford used the back of the sofa as a table top! We appreciated his positive attitude the entire time we served together. We will always remember the love and happiness manifested by these incredible missionaries as they found ways to serve all, especially us.

NYNYS Mission "IN 'N OUT"

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:02:00 +0000

New missionaries arrived during our last transfer, Monday, June 22nd. 11 Elders and 1 Sister came to bring new life to the mission. They were quiet, tired, and ready for a nice dinner after eating peanuts on the plane. It's always a pleasure to welcome them and learn where they've come from. All of the Bennions personal belongings that made the Mission Home so warm and inviting were on a moving van heading for Utah, but the new missionaries feel of President and Sister Bennion's spirits and love for them and it's a great thing to be a part of.

Elder Salazar and Elder McLean step it up and do their part of helping the elders and sisters get settled in, take their pictures and collect information that will help the incoming mission president. They do a marvelous job of assisting anyone who needs help. "Assistants" really fits!

Elder Norman will train his new companion, Elder Nielsen. They will serve the Astoria Ward together.

Sister Phillips was happy to arrive. She told us that to leave the MTC they had to go through a line where their temperatures were taken to avoid taking the swine flu with them. Because of exposure she and her district have been taking Tamiflu and were tested for the swine flu too.

We asked Elder McLean to take our picture with the departing missionaries and when we got home we discovered he'd taken several self portraits. This shot is our favorite! We learned the day we left NYC he was accepted at "the I" and we are so excited that we will see him in Rexburg. President Bennion told us about 25 NYNYS missionaries will be attending BYU-Idaho! Chas was able to help several make application. It's a remarkable university and we are very excited so many of our missionaries will be coming to Rexburg.

Tuesday evening after the transfer meeting all of the departing missionaries and 3 of their families joined together for dinner and a testimony meeting. President and Sister Bennion, three senior couples and 12 young missionaries all told of their love for the gospel and our gratitude for being able to serve in New York. None of us will ever be the same again.

Farewell Astoria and Beloved Dads

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:50:00 +0000

Father's Day, June 21st was a special day as we were able to honor our wonderful fathers and bid farewell to the Astoria Ward.

Elder West talked about his love of the Book of Mormon. As a young man he used to join his father who traveled world-wide sharing his experience of putting the Book of Mormon on trial for his final project in a law school class. His budding testimony grew as he learned from his father about the authenticity of this powerful book. Our children also learned from Grandpa Jack about the witnesses, internal and external evidence, and from his slides of trips to South America.

The Wests, Theresa and Craig in front of the Woodside Building

My older brother, Craig and our sister-in-law, Theresa, visited the Astoria Ward. They were spending time with friends in Manhattan and came to spend Sunday afternoon with us. In thinking of our Dad, while serving his mission in '92-'93, he used to jog by the Boliva School for Watchmakers. He heard that it was being sold and felt it would make a wonderful building for the Church. Much later the Church did purchase the building and Dad was right! It's a wonderful building for the saints to meet in. It's probably the most unique building we've ever attended with nice wide halls and ramps, designed for the disabled. It has been a great blessing to see some of the fruits of Dad and Mom's mission. How thankful we are for our missionary fathers and their examples of faithfulness to us and our family.

We took Craig and Theresa home to Steinway Street for a little Father's Day dinner celebration, Greek style! Craig is the father of six great kids and grandpa to 3, as of last Monday. Our five kiddies and their 13 think Grandpa Chas is the best in the West! Thanks Craig and Theresa for a memorable visit and to our kids. Your phone calls made Dad's Day.

As for the Astoria Ward, we have grown to love and appreciate the faithful members here. Shortly after we arrived our Stake President, David Duffy asked us, "How do like living in the resort ward of the Church?" We weren't sure what he meant. He told us, "People stay for a little while and then they leave!" We have found that he's right. Amazingly, it's sad when someone moves away and joyful as incredible new ones arrive. It's a blessed ward for sure, and we are so grateful President Bennion assigned us to serve there.

For Father's Day the Primary children sang, paid tribute to all their fathers and Bishop Glass, and passed out Hershey Bars to all the guys....what a treat! We will miss all of you so much.

ALOHA!

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:02:00 +0000

An activity was added to our district meeting agenda last Friday we'd never heard of before, "Departing Hot Seat!" We weren't sure what it meant, but we were pretty sure we'd be involved. Elder Norman placed two chairs in front of the group, called us up front, and explained that each elder and sister could ask us a question. They asked us for advice, about mission memories, etc. The last elder, Elder Pickering asked, "Would you be surprised if we planned a party for you?" They opened the room divider and yelled, "Aloha!"

Sisters Heininge and Crandell made a Bon Voyage banner, they'd all hung lights and crepe paper, blown up balloons, leis for all, and had a spread of Hawaiian delights to sample.

They asked me to bring Peach Crunch with ice cream. The sisters made Rice Krispie treats, traditional and peanut butter chocolate, elders brought bananas, cookies and so many goodies to go along with the flowers, noise makers, umbrellas, and festive lights.

Clowning, Elders Pickering, Sanford and Nehmer.

Elder Norris is our district baker. He loves to cook, and made pineapple upside down cakes.

You can see it was a happy good-bye party! Last Tuesday Astoria lost Elder Pickering to East New York in Brooklyn. He is serving with Elder Caramia who is from Italy. He had a great start with wonderful trainers in our ward and we loved working with him. He will be a future leader in this mission. Elder Norris also was transferred to Brooklyn in Midwood. The balance of our district remained the same. A pair of ASL Elders were added, Elder Grow and Elder Wheeler who just arrived from the MTC last Monday night. Elder Nielsen is also brand new from Sandy, Utah, and he is serving with Elder Norman in Astoria. Elder Law who replaced Elder Norris is Elder Flores new companion. We know they will all continue to do great work in Woodside or Brooklyn. Thanks all for a very fun and successful surprise!

Simply Sensational

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:16:00 +0000

Marvelous Manhattan from beneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

We hit the road Monday, June 15th to see two of our favorite former Astoria elders and visit Staten Island. Elder Patton and Elder Rencher have served together three different times, first in Astoria when Elder Patton arrived, in the mission office, and for Elder Rencher's last transfer in Staten Island.

Staten Island is the only borough of New York City we had not visited. When we asked the missionaries who have served there to describe it, they would surprise us by saying, "It's more like Utah!"

Traveling down the Brooklyn-Queens Express way Lady Liberty is off to the right and the Brooklyn skyline is to the left.

We love seeing trains, planes, and automobiles in each direction we look. We will miss the hustle and bustle of the city and yet long for the peace we feel in the West.

We crossed the beautiful Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that connects Brooklyn and Staten Island. It is 13,200 feet long, the fourth largest suspension span bridge in the world.

Our elders were hungry and waiting for us! We gave them a selection of 4 different kinds of restaurants to choose from and they both wanted pasta. Italian it was!

Trattoria Romano was a great place to visit and catch up. They were happy to be serving together again. We laughed about "the third time is the charm!" They are both the oldest sons in their families and want to set a good example for their siblings. It really shows and their parents can be so proud of them.

Elder Rencher and Elder Patton wanted us to see a little of the city, so after a tasty lunch together we headed out. Staten Island did not remind us of Utah, but they are some residential areas with homes that are more spread out like Utah neighborhoods. It is definately the most different part of the city that we have seen.

The Staten Island Ferry is a "free ride" to and from Battery Park on the south end of Manhattan. The elders and sisters often ride it and find people to visit with. It took us about 30 minutes each way and it was a lot of fun.

It was cloudy, windy and even cold, but we enjoyed incredible vistas off the front of the ferry.

We always thrill when we see the Statue of Liberty, and we were able to get some great pix of her welcoming all the world majestically in her harbor.

The stormy skies were amazing that day.

Historic Ellis Island processed over 12 million immigrant steamship passengers between 1892 and 1954. The main building was restored and in 1990 was opened as a museum.

We were freezing but enjoyed every minute!

On our return trip to Staten Island, the smoky Manhattan skyline got smaller and smaller.

Carnival's Triumph, made quite an entrance into the NY harbor, such a spectacular ship. We think maybe we're ready for another cruise! Anyone want to join us?

We said our final farewells to Elder Patton, knowing we would see Elder Rencher the next week. We had such a fantastic time with these two friends and will look forward to seeing them again.

The traffic on the BQE was bumper to bumper towards home. We made it as far as the Brooklyn Bridge, and decided to take a detour. We've had many friends tell us not to go home till we had Grimaldi's Pizza. Pizza is not on our "lifestyle list" but we threw all caution to the wind and stood in line for a chance of a lifetime experience!

We made some new friends while waiting for a table. One outgoing girl was from Astoria. She works at Kaufman Studios with the kids on Sesame Street. She frequents Grimaldi's, "at least three times a month," and told us to order a pepperoni pizza with extra cheese.

We did exactly what we were told and were not disappointed! It was the best pizza we've ever had, thin and crispy, perfect crust, sauce and fresh basil, with pepperoni and lots of cheese. We promised one another we would visit just once a year...we will be back for more!

We walked to the East River and drank in the beauty of our favorite bridge...

and the Manhattan Skyline. We will miss the lights and splendor of this city.

As I write this morning, Elder Rencher is flying home to his family in Las Vegas, Elder Patton is a new District Leader serving on Staten Island, and we are in the middle of packing our place. After working with Elders Rencher and Patton for several months here in New York, our p-day will forever be remembered as one of the best days of our mission. We will miss them and so many others we have had the joy of knowing. Thanks elders...we love you!

Smiles + Merit Badges = Troop 227

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:11:00 +0000

Sunday, June 14th the Astoria Ward Boy Scouts of America had an awesome Court of Honor. We remember when there were 2 scouts in the troop and now there are 6! David invited one of his friends from school, and the leaders found another young man who is less active, but wanted to join. Each week the scouts meet, work on merit badges and have the added fun of monthly camp outs. We congratulate these young men on earning several merit badges each, and we so appreciate their fine leaders, Rob, Kevin and Jose.

David conducted the color guard...he's all business! We were proud of him.

227 Scoutmaster, Rob handed out the awards and Phillip, a Varsity Scout assisted him. Notice how great all of their uniforms look, Natasha, a young mom in the ward sews them all on! With that kind of support, plus some missionary efforts from the scouts, and enthusiastic leaders we can only foresee a bright future for troop 227!

Kevin decorated these blue and gold merit badge cookies...that were way too creative to ever eat...actually they were gone in a flash!

Adventures in the NYNY North Mission

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:24:00 +0000

We have been so excited for our friends, Richard and Jill Smith from Rexburg. Richard served as our Bishop in the Rolling Hills Ward and Jill was our daughter, Krista's, Young Women's President. As we are preparing to leave NYC, they are coming to begin their calling of leading the New York New York North Mission. President Smith will be outstanding, firm and loving, he will have just the right touch. Krista's comment was, "The sisters in their mission are sure lucky!" Jill is easy to love and will reach out to all the missionaries. We have been happy that out of the whole world, they will be here in NYC. We know they will be super busy, and we also know they will be perfect for the job! With the Lord's help, we have seen miracles in our mission under the inspired direction of President and Sister Bennion.

President Bennion gave us permission to teach a dance workshop in Westchester, Saturday, June 13th. A former member of the Astoria Ward, Kristie, invited us to teach dance at a ward activity in her new ward in Westchester, NY. We learned that the building they meet in is next to the North Mission home where the Smiths will be living for the next 3 years

The beautiful NYNY North Mission home is up on a hill and is nestled in, surrounded by lush green foliage.

The back of the mission home looks down on the ward building Richard and Jill will often attend. We could see it is the perfect set up for zone conferences and mission activities. Both the mission home and church building are fairly new in a lovely area of New York. It's very different from the city...much more serene! All of the elders and sisters can take the train from their pads to this area.

Chas had a small but enthusiastic group. He began with a Russian Folk Dance to warm up, taught some steps and before we knew it they were dancing the swing. This activity involved families and it was lots of fun to watch Dads and Moms and their children dancing together.

Rock-step!

They were awesome!

While we enjoyed a light dinner, Alysa, 12 and Peter, 10 provided the floor show, a fast Jitterbug. They are talented!

It was a very nice afternoon and evening. We were so glad to see where President and Sister Smith will be and meet so many of their new ward friends. Thanks Kristie! We wish all of you our best.

"It Aint Over Till it's Over"

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:29:00 +0000

Three of the proud Nephites!

Elders Alverson and Lawrence, along with Sister Heininge celebrate their runs!

Once a transfer we hold a zone activity. We made plans to meet under the Queensboro Bridge at Queensboro Park, Monday, June 8th, to work through some, "baseball fever." Our game was rained-out so our headed to the Woodside gym, soft balls and bats in hand.

Dividing into teams was easy, The Nephites, senior comps, vs. The Lamanites, junior comps!

Hands down the favorite play of the game, Sister Crandell was up to bat, bases were loaded with Lamanites, she slammed the ball and we weren't sure where it went! After all three runners and Sister Crandell made it home and were celebrating their 4 points, the ball fell out of the ceiling in front of the foul line. The Nephites cried, "foul ball," and the humble Lamanites returned to their bases. Once again Sister Crandell gave the ball a whack, a line drive to the corner of the gym and two runners made it home.

Elder Flores searches the ceiling after his hit. It became the great challenge of the game. Elder Norris, was a terrific catcher for his team.

Nephites head out field while the Lamanites head in!

Favorite ballpark fare, four large cheese pies were delivered along with soda, a big hit with all the sluggers!

Elder Godwin demonstrates how to eat a piece of pizza. They fold it in half and open WIDE...

Love, love, love our scorekeeper, Elder Pickering, who can sure slam the ball too!

Elder Pape was awarded, "Most Comical Batter," by the ZL's and shows the kind of big league play and talent that was the heart and soul of this great game.

After 9 innings the game was tied, 16/16. The Lamanites struck out the Nephites in the 10th and were able to score one more winning run, thus this game comprised of two well matched teams was over.

The victorious Lamanites, overcame adversity deferring to their senior companions who reffed the game and played it too! It was hilarious. We are sad that Sisters Heininge and Crandell had to head out a little early to get ready for an appointment and missed the final team pictures.

Yes, proud and now humbled Nephites played a great game and fell in defeat to their juniors. Is there a modern day scriptural lesson here? Seriously, in every way these are great leaders, and their juniors had a great time teasing them.

Our Zone Leaders, Elder Nehmer and Elder Sanford presented awards:

"Best Curve Ball" Elder Eaton

"Most Hustle" Sister Crandell

"Best Puerto Rican Player" Elder Torres

"Best Phyc-Out Stare" Elder Godwin

"Most Comical Batter" Elder Pape

Year Anniversary Celebration

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 01:41:00 +0000

Last Friday, June 5th, we were given the opportunity to accompany the missionaries for their anniversary trip to the Manhattan Temple. I was so disappointed that I couldn't go with them because of my eye injury, but Elder West was honored to represent us with this unusually small, but wonderful group of elders. Elder Hutchings, Elder Law, Elder Norman and Elder West were all so happy to be together at the best place in all of New York City!

Elder Norman has actually been serving for more than a year, but at his one year anniversary of service he was serving on the Island of Bermuda. Elder Norman is an outstanding missionary, our district leader, and what really sets him apart is that he is an Astoria missionary currently.

Elder Hutchings, who has served in Flushing, and speaks Mandarin Chinese, is completing his mission in New York and was not able to attend the departing temple trip with President and Sister Bennion, lucky for us. Elder Law has served for one year and is currently serving in the East New York area of Brooklyn.

Generally, after attending the temple, we spring for a "NY dawg" out on the street because we have 12 or more missionaries with us. It was a rainy, windy day and so Chas decided to take them to one of our favorite little Italian restaurants on the West Side, Il Violino, for a lovely meal with linens and fresh flowers. They all had a wonderful time and celebrated an anniversary we hope they will always remember.

An Eye for an Eye

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 01:13:00 +0000

I've had lots of email questions about the swine flu and if it's affecting our mission. The answer from Sister Bennion, (who deserves some sort of honorary medical degree after dealing with all the medical problems for almost 500 missionaries for the last 3 years) is, "Definitely yes." We have had swine flu in our mission, but not to the extent that anyone has had to go to the hospital.

Wednesday, June 3rd, Sister Crandell and I arrived for Zone Conference with eye afflictions. With Sister Bennion's help we both saw specialists on Thursday afternoon and were diagnosed and helped. Sister Crandell had an ulcer on her cornea and I had a scratched cornea. She is using drops every 15 minutes, and they actually patched my eye. Both of us had to lay low for a few days. We compared notes today at our district meeting and we are both now treating for scar tissue. Eye problems are very common here and contact lense wearers especially have problems due to the humidity and the environment here in NYC. We are both thankful to be on the mend.

Momentous Mission Memories

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:02:00 +0000

Tuesday, June 2nd and Wednesday, June 3rd we attended our final two Zone Conferences. These meetings every 6 weeks are a "shot in the arm," providing just what missionaries need to fulfill their quest. For President and Sister Bennion it was "close to their 100th conference" as they end their 3 years of service. Each meeting begins as we sing the New York New York Mission Song. We will always think of these great missionaries when we hear it.

Verse 1

From many states and nations,

From cities large and small,

We serve the New York mission here in

answer to our call.

Verse 2

For here we find our calling,

We labor and proclaim,

The message of the Master and bear witness

to His name.

Verse 3

So many here are waiting,

They hunger for the word,

Oh, bless our hearts and voices, that our

message may be heard.

Verse 4

Then guide us on our journey,

And may the road be straight,

That we may bring the message to the

humble souls who wait.

Chorus

With courage, obedience and love,

With faith and humility,

We'll serve Him by sharing the gospel plan.

Conference highlights for us were:

Sister Bennion taught from Luke. Jesus Christ cautions us with the statement, "Remember Lot's wife." She shared many of the things she has learned from 500+ missionaries. She admonished us to learn from the past, don't dwell on past mistakes. Instead, focus on what we've learned, and follow our Savior. She gave each of us a little reminder for our wallets,

"Which way are YOU facing?"

Our inspired President Bennion told the remarkable story of Vincencia Defranchesca, a faithful man from Italy. He was training for the ministry in a Protestant church early in the 1900's. One day he found a Book of Mormon on the ground. The front cover and title page had been removed so it was not possible to identify the title of the book or its church sponsor. With keen interest he read and reread the book. It had a magnetic effect on him. The book changed his life forever. (We'll add here that so many of the young missionaries and saints here have not seen, "How Rare a Possession.") President Bennion urged us to testify of the Book of Mormon in our work, "Indeed, The Book of Mormon is our most powerful source of conversion."

Elder Salazar challenged us to unite our efforts in one great cause. Our efforts as companionships, districts, zones, and as a mission need to focus on planning activities that will remind people of their cause. He spoke of Moroni, a great Book of Mormon prophet, who reminded the people of the cause they were fighting for. Moroni knew that a memory, a constant thought of the righteous cause, would kindle an unquenchable fire of faith within each individual. He likened our zone and district leaders to, "modern day captain Moroni's." We surely must be the stripling warriors that knew their cause and were willing to stake their lives for it. He continued by asking us to understand our priorities and state them, be examples of hard work, Fear not, be an example of faith and press on with faith.

Sister Bennion and I agreed that Elder McLean gave one of the best talks we'd ever heard. He talked about his frustration as an AP, duties include dealing with faulty Internet connections, fax connections, and the complicated process of turning these devices back on. His talk was titled, "Keeping the Switch Turned On." He has been challenged, "a constant battle," during his mission to always stay connected to his purpose. Three things affect how he connects to his purpose and affect the work greatly, his thoughts, actions and attitude. He has found that when he is connected to his purpose he corrects things more often and everything he does is more effective. He taught us to plan our time, plan effectively, and then follow our plans. He gave us a great plan of action, taught from Preach My Gospel, and then this humble, sweet missionary shared a beautiful testimony. He told us the Lord sets many of our goals for us. We know these goals and we can set the Lord's goals and plan to fulfill them, or we can turn the switch off and not participate. We each came away switched on and prepared to better fulfill our purposes here in the New York New York South Mission.

Elder Salazar has served most of his mission in Brooklyn, and we are so thankful for the chance to learn from him during the last three months of our mission. We have served with Elder McLean our entire mission and know and love him. He taught us to be fearless on the streets of NYC! Both are Spanish speaking, powerful servants of the Lord. They have both done so much to serve and further the work of this mission.

Both Tuesday and Wednesday we served pulled-pork sandwiches on Perisi Bakery buns! We have given the two Perisi brothers and their Astoria bakery much business during the last 18 months and they have done an outstanding job.

Our elders from Flushing, (where one feels they are in China) speak Mandarin, Korean, and Chinese. One of our favorite things about Zone Conferences is hearing all of the elders and sisters share, MY PURPOSE, in their languages. At our conference, it is given in six languages!

Thanks for the smiles, elders!

It's a treat to relax and visit together.

President Bangerter had just returned from China. Welcome home!

We appreciate all the help that is offered from all of the elders and sisters who are so appreciative. We will miss this opportunity every 6 weeks...we know we will!

Mostly we will miss all of these incredible missionaries we have grown to love so much.

NY FLOWER POWER

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:50:00 +0000

We never want to forget how magnificent the Spring and Summer flowers are in NYC. I took all of these pictures last week in our backyard on Steinway Street. Notice the raindrops on the roses...it takes a lot of water to keep everything growing and green. It has been a cool Spring and we are so grateful. It has been glorious too!

Astoria Has It All

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:28:00 +0000

Last Friday night after meetings and a workshop out on Long Island, we tried a new classic Parisian Bistro at 47-16 30th Avenue in Astoria. We have enjoyed all of the ethnic diversity surrounding us here. There are loads of pizza, Italian, Greek, Brazilian grills, Chinese, and Mexican take out restaurants in our neighborhood, but Bistro Les Minots is the first French Bistro we've found in our neck of the woods. It is cozy and charming and it was jam packed full of New Yorkers.

Bistro Les Minots is just three months old, a joint venture of Parisian Yann Henriet, who works the front of the house, and Chef Henri Devegeux who hails from Marseilles. It reminded us of so many places we have visited in Paris and the South of France while touring with dancers.

"Minots" is slang from the South of France for kiddos. The first party they had at Bistro Les Minots was a baby shower for Yann's sister-in-law. This charming board is a lasting reminder for all to admire.

Amazingly, this efficient kitchen is only about the size of the one in our apartment. We wondered how they could have 3 men working out of it and what the outcome would be.

We were delighted by the Les Paupiettes de Poulet Farcies, chicken rolls stuffed with seasonal vegetables & Gruyere in a rosemary jus, served with the creamiest Parmesan mashed potatoes.

Le Saumon Grille, grilled Atlantic salmon with asparagus, baby leeks, green zucchini and a whole grain mustard sauce, was cooked perfectly, a little bit of heaven on earth for this fancier of fish.

We shared a few bites of the crepes assortment....delish and lovely, strawberry, mango, and mixed berry. Everyone around us seemed to be enjoying a variety of mussels, French fries, and duck! We will return we hope for one more go. It's enjoyable and entertaining all rolled into one great little place.

"A Mighty Change of Heart"

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:53:00 +0000

Wednesday, May 27th, we taught from Alma, chapter 5 in the Book of Mormon, at the Queens Stake Institute Forum. We began with a heart shaped dry sponge and talked about hard, scratchy, unyielding hearts. Next we dipped our heart sponge in a bowl of water and watched the, "mighty change" of our heart. Instantly it was enlarged, soft, and pliable. We could work with it! It was just a little sharing time moment to introduce our topic.

Elder West compared an individual who's life was saved by a heart transplant, and the importance of being spiritually saved after we experience a mighty change of our hearts. As we read the scriptures in Alma 5, he pointed out Alma's 28 indicators he gave to his people through out the chapter as to whether or not they have spiritually been born of God. Alma also wrote this for our day. Alma's question to us also, are we being celestialized?

Our students were organized into four activity groups. They studied and reported to the class different principles Alma focused on. Each group did a great job. We were so pleased with their insight and the outcome of their interaction together.

This group was asked to describe the judgement day, when we will all come before God to be judged. The searched Alma 5 16-25 and compared the feelings of the unrepentant and the repentant.

These students focused on Alma's testimony that he shared in 5:37-52. They shared five important words or phrases in his testimony and explained why they selected them.

Alma knew that the Church members in his time faced difficult challenges. This group searched Alma 5:26-35, and 52-62. They were asked to list two challenges Alma mentioned that are also challenges in our day and what we can do to overcome them.

These class members were asked to imagine a friend who does not take religion and the gospel very seriously. They had a lively discussion about how they would help their friend understand what it means to "be saved." They reported to our class about what we can do to have a mighty change of heart and how important it is to continually work to change and progress in this life.

We finished the lesson with some examples of how pride and selfishness can get in the way of what Alma teaches each of us about having soft hearts. President Ezra T. Benson said, "Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right." When we humble ourselves the Spirit will always tell us what is right.

This evening was the culmination of our formal teaching, CES assignment. We will treasure this part of our mission experience. We have loved the students we have worked with, the opportunity to immerse ourselves in scripture study and lesson preparation, and the opportunity to teach together. It has been a rich part of our mission and we will miss it. Thank you to all our beloved students who have willing attended and shared with us each week. We love you and you have forever changed our hearts!

Memorable Memorial Day BBQ

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Amber and Doug

Paige and Leah

The Astoria Ward will really miss this darling family who are packing to move on. They are leaving Astoria about 10 days before we do. Doug is attending medical school, practicing podiatry, and has a busy round of rotations ahead. They have lived in a home with a good size front and backyard. They threw a farewell BBQ for friends in the ward. It was perfect weather, sunny with the temperature, just right.

Scott and Cardon downing dogs!

Gavin was crazy for chips!

Lydia and Austin, a perfect pair....

Quality time for all the kiddies with Popsicles.

A leisure afternoon into the evening with lots of visiting and delicious food.

We will miss all of these fun friends.

Kristie and Leah...

Marybeth, Helen, and Kelly...

and a blooming rose... We are thankful for those that sacrificed so much for us and for all who have given us such beautiful memories.

Treats + Friends= Jamaica FHE

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:53:00 +0000

Friends, Peyi from Flushing and Kevin who lives in Richmond Hill meet to enjoy one another's company as the Jamaica 1st Ward hosted Queens Stake Singles at Sunday's FHE. We have so enjoyed our assignment working with the singles in the stake and attending their activities. As we have seen friendships grow and flourish we have been reminded of this special time in our lives. Peyi is a returned missionary who served a Temple Square, Salt Lake City Mission, (with Ann and Gary Gardner former neighbors from Rexburg). She has one more year left of school at Queens College. From the time we met her, (she offered to help me in the Woodside kitchen), we knew she was extra special. Kevin, from Colorado is a RM who served in Brazil. Soon he begins his medical residency in the Bronx. He is planning to specialize in Oncology, and serves as the Elder's Quorum President in the Richmond Hill Branch. Kevin is especially outgoing and kind to all he comes in contact with. He and Peyi are "birds of a feather," always looking for ways to serve and reach out to make others happy.

Bishop Urbanowski taught our FHE lesson on the importance of family history and temple work. He has involved his family and they have been able to do some remarkable family search work together. We were all inspired by his personal work, how he started and well he's progressed. He challenged all of us to get busy! Grace directed a fun Book of Mormon, game where we worked in rhythm as teams in "Ping, Bang, Boom!" They played this game at the last FHE we missed and wanted to play it again. It was easy enough that we even had a fair shot at winning. Amazingly, our team came in 2nd place! Thanks all for a great night together.

Astoria Missionary Moments

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:19:00 +0000

We could not have been more impressed or proud of our beloved and genuine friend, Lydia, who gave her first talk in the Astoria sacrament meeting last Sunday. She told about a co-worker who introduced her to the gospel through example and unconditional love. Lydia was raised in a Christian home and felt that kind of love from her parents. After they both passed away, Lydia was searching for that in her life. She was baptized December 14, 2008. It's been a choice experience to watch her grow in the gospel, reach out to the ward, and work to improve herself. She thanked the missionaries who found her, our bishopric and the ward members who love her, and she bore a beautiful testimony about the truths of the gospel. We are so happy for her and so glad we've had the chance to teach her in our temple preparation class. Elder Pickering and Elder Norman spoke too, encouraging all of us to be missionaries working to make a difference. What a gift if we could all find more of the Lydias of this world!

Queen's Amazing Sites...R.I.P.?

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:19:00 +0000

Driving all around Queens County filling our assignments, we are in awe of the huge graveyards in this part of the city. Memorial Day seemed the perfect time to take a few pictures and reflect on all the masses buried in our borough of Queens. It's fair to say cemeteries absolutely go on and on for what seems like forever! We have been curious about why there are so many and learned that the Manhattan Graveyard Situation effects Queens County. In 1823 it forbade all burials in a grave or vault south of Canal, Sullivan and Grand Streets. In 1851 the situation forbade interments south of 86th Street and prohibited the creation of new cemeteries.

Also, the Rural Cemetery Act contributed greatly to how many individuals are buried in Queens. By mid-century the natural growth of population, increasing immigration from Ireland and Central Europe, and a shortage of open land in Manhattan and Brooklyn forced consideration of a change. The new legislation commercialized death for the first time by authorizing corporations to buy land, open cemeteries and sell plots for money to private individuals. Within the next five years cemetery corporations began to buy up farms in Queens County and lay out large cemeteries: Calvary (1846), Evergreens (1848), Cypress Hills (1852), Mount Olivet (1852), St. Michael's (1852) and Lutheran (1852).

One of the oldest graveyards in Queens, is Prospect Cemetary in Jamaica. This headstone reads, "Here lyes interr'd the body of Anne Carle, who departed thislifeJuly 21st, 1751, aetatis suage (aged) 21."

There are many different kinds of cemeteries in the New York area. They include the church yard cemetery, where members of a church are buried on the church grounds. There are also church owned cemeteries. They are located in another section of the community, but they are owned and operated by the church. Government owned cemeteries include pauper and military cemeteries. There are many privately owned cemeteries that are owned by corporations and are operated as a business. There are many family owned cemeteries, usually a small area of family owned land where a section is set apart for burial of family members.

We have not had time for family history work here, but we have surely had lots of interest in how many millions of people are living her and "resting in peace." We have honestly not felt too much peace during our time here, and will someday take the time to really explore and learn more about the history that is above and below this awesome city.

"School of Rock"...Solid Teaching!

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Mon, 25 May 2009 18:06:00 +0000

Friday our Zone Leaders, Elder Nehmer and Elder Sanford, pulled out all their creative notes at our CDM=Combined District Meeting, actually a Zone 4 meeting. When we walked in they'd written on the board, "Welcome to the School of Rock...Solid Teaching." They encouraged us to practice together to achieve the harmony we need to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. They used drums to signify the scriptures, our testimonies a guitar, and quality questions were represented by the keyboard. When the three were combined we had some beautiful music!

They talked about the harmony that existed in the "old 80's" video, Called to Serve. (We were laughing as we thought of watching this video when our 3 sons entered the MTC, and it doesn't seem that long ago!) Some of these elders and sisters had never seen it before and we heard lots of sniffling near the end. It's one of those movies that will never be too old to tug at our heartstrings. After Called to Serve, Elder Christensen who will be leaving the end of this transfer and Sister Crandell, the newest sister in our zone were invited to share their testimonies.

How lucky we are to have the APs in our Zone. They always add to the beautiful spirit that is there.

We love all of these wonderful missionaries. It's so much fun to meet with them and learn twice a transfer and at zone conference once each transfer. The Queensboro Zone totally rocks!

Summer Institute Forum

reneerwest@gmail.com (gnee) — Sat, 23 May 2009 02:26:00 +0000

Vanessa, Brother Del Santos, JoAnn and Sharkie, all Queens Stake members

Our CES Coordinater, Cory Bangerter had a great idea! Three missionary couples, the dePaulas, the Smiths and us have all been teaching Institute classes through out the mission. All three are completing our missions by the end of June. Elder and Sister dePaula drove westward May 6th and have been home in Utah for two weeks. How we miss them! On May 6th the Queens Stake started having a weekly Institute Forum, at the Woodside Stake Center. There is a different speaker each week, followed by a "munch and mingle."

We were unable to be to the first one where President Olsen, leader of the Lynwood District spoke, however, we heard it was "very well done." The second week President David Duffy, the Queens Stake President and a medical doctor, spoke on, "Health and the Gospel." We studied the Doctrine and Covenants, section 89 together and then he encouraged us to find the hidden treasures mentioned through personal revelation. This last Wednesday Brother Dos Santos, a Queen Stake High Councilor and licensed NY Therapist and Abuse Counselor directed us in a most interesting discussion about addiction. We explored the biological, psychological and social areas and how they affect addiction. Brother Del Santos encouraged us to be a force for good in our families and with friends. It was a very enlightening evening and we each came away thankful for the gospel and the tools that help us deal with our personal struggles and challenge.

We are the scheduled speakers this coming Wednesday night. You're all invited to join with us!