Conference Blessings

We were able to catch Elders Werner, McLean and Rencher before they hurried off to pick up their investigators. Elder Werner and Elder Rencher had three investigators at Conference; William a 26 year old YSA, 42 year old, Ricardo, and Thiago who is 16. It was a wonderful thing to all enjoy watching Conference together, and visiting about it after. It brings to mind how much we have enjoyed General Conference in past years, but how much more of a blessing it is when we can share it with someone else.

These sisters, Hermana Thomas and Hermana Brown are as dear as any you will ever meet. Sister Thomas was asked to share what she'd learned during her study of 3 Nephi at our Zone Conference. She told us she was raised on a farm in Utah. She remembered asking her father, "Dad, how do you keep the rows so straight?" He explained that he always picked a landmark and that you just go from there. That makes it easy. Sister Thomas suggested that we look to 3 Nephi 19:35-36 as a landmark to assist us in our missionary work. She asked us to imagine the Savior saying, "So great faith have I never seen in my servant." Faith is our landmark and it makes the work easy. It was a profound sermon from a young servant. At our street sweep I wish all of you could have heard Sister Brown singing our incredibly, beautiful hymns with her soprano voice. People were stopping to listen to her and I was very inspired by her strength and confidence. Sharing this talent and giving to others is easy for her to do...it makes our work easy.

The Saturday morning session begins here in the east at 12:00 PM. We were spiritually fed by our leaders and their wonderful messages. Then at 2:00 PM sharp the starving Woodside District gathered to enjoy angel hair pasta and meat sauce, french bread, (eight loaves) salad and baby cakes. We had a great time discussing the marvelous messages and what we learned from our leaders. Soon it was time to pick up investigators and the afternoon (4:00 PM) session. We are living in times of great trial and tribulation. The gospel of Jesus Christ prepares and helps us to deal with them. We were uplifted as we learned from our leaders. Our family has been had some difficult trials lately. We know that we will all be alright because of our faith in Jesus Christ. We are thankful for all that we learn from these fine young missionaries we serve with. They teach us each time we're with them. They are so helpful and appreciative of all that we do. We love them. Full and ready to work again are Elder Jemmett, Elder Teerlink, Elder Imlay, Sister Cunliffe and last but certainly not least, my senior companion, Elder West.

An Amazing Street-Sweep and Double the Fun

President Bennion challenged us to: (1) invite our investigators and (2) prepare ourselves for General Conference. Not only did we invite our investigators, we decided to take the opportunity to invite ALL at our street sweep. Friday, October 3rd, was the day before General Conference. We made fliers announcing the 178th General Conference of the Church. We invited all to view Prophets and Apostles and hear the word of God, listed the dates, times, address and train info and a map, so anyone who wanted to could join us. After our District Meeting we traveled to Steinway and Broadway, a busy cross street in Astoria. We shared our message with hundreds of people and passed out all of our fliers. We met wonderful people and planted some seeds hoping we would have a few join us Saturday and Sunday, the 4th and 5th. It proved successful as we did have some investigators join us at the Woodside Building who spoke both English and Spanish. Later that evening we joined our friend, Charles Amador, from the Astoria Ward. Three months ago he met Carol Keddington, from Salt Lake City, online. After considerable correspondence, they decided to meet and enjoy getting to know each other in NYC. Charles had never been on a "double date" and asked us if we'd join them for his first one. We were happy to be included and enjoyed a delicious dinner together at Pio Pio in Jackson Heights, and then came back to our home afterward for herbal tea and dessert. Carol is delightful and she and Charles have so much in common, the gospel, loving the arts and NYC. Carol teaches voice and piano in Salt Lake and tells a great story. They joined us Sunday for General Conference for the Astoria Ward Potluck between sessions, and were having a glorious time together. Carol told us, "Charles is the kindest man I have ever met." They had a full week planned and celebrated Carol's birthday yesterday and Carol flew home today. They will meet again, this time in Salt Lake City for Thanksgiving together. It's been a fun friendship to watch through Charles's eyes, and Carol is all that he said and more!

September 28th...a Special Surprise!

"One year older and wiser too...Happy Birthday to you...love Elder West!" I have missed our family and friends a lot, a few comforts of home, (especially our dishwasher and garbage disposal), but what I missed too, is all of our Rexburg birds and squirrels that regularly visit our little garden on the west side of our home. We left enough seed asking Nate to fill our feeder weekly to support our little flock of friends. I was so thrilled to look out our bedroom window here on Steinway Street to see a full feeder with hungry little sparrows, fighting for a little seed. We have also had some very bushy, gray squirrels visit along with doves, red cardinals, and bluebirds so far. Our biggest surprise is that like New Yorkers here, the bird population is huge! We have to fill the feeder every other day and they're really noisy and messy. Hugs to so many who gave and sent lovely remembrances. It was such fun opening pictures and letters from our grandchildren. I appreciated all the cards, notes and feel extra loved and supported. It should keep me going for another year. Thank you one and all!

Always a Treat, Zone Conference

Elder Warner, a fine missionary who served (this past Spring), as our district leader shared his farewell testimony at our Zone Conference, Wednesday, September 24th. We will always remember the great object lessons he would share in our meetings. Along with learning Spanish, he shared a love for the Hispanic people he was able to teach. He will return to Orem, Utah this next week with a continued resolve to serve others. President Bangerter talked about retention in our missionary work, teaching new members, "line upon line, precept upon precept." Prior to the conference we were asked to prepare by studying 3 Nephi from the Book of Mormon. Sister Bennion taught from 3 Nephi 27:27, asking, "What manner of men ought ye to be?" Then answering..."even as I am." We're examples of all we are teaching and in 3 Nephi, chapters 12, 13, and 14 Jesus teaches us how we should live. We had just taught our Institute lesson on Matthew 5, 6,and 7, known as the "Sermon on the Mount," which many Christians consider a series of desirable ethical behaviors. In Third Nephi, the righteous behaviors taught by our Savior to the Nephites is basically the Sermon on the Mount, addressed to baptized members of the Church, and is a series of instructions for continuing after baptism to the point of qualifying for celestial glory. She led a thought provoking discussion and we gained additional insight after our study in Matthew. President Bennion gave us a progress report on the mission, encouraging us to stretch and he reminded us that goals are representative of our faith. He also taught us that 3 Nephi, "Is the centerpiece of the Book of Mormon," everyday is precious, and the people were ready for the Savior to teach them. We need to seek the Spirit in our work. Others feel the Spirit from the missionaries and when we're in tune the Lord will bless us with His Spirit. It was another great day in the NYNYS Mission! Also, I joined with the young Elders and Sisters with September and October birthdays and we were sung to and given a birthday surprise, a new toothbrush and toothpaste It was delightful!

Early Fall at Sagamore Hill

We knew Krista and Will would enjoy Sagamore Hill, the beautiful family farm where Teddy and Edith Roosevelt raised their family, lived and died.

When we visited in the Spring we loved the cherry blossoms, and our first Fall visit, Saturday, September 20th, the leaves were just beginning to turn. We gathered acorns in the parking lot that had fallen from the big oak trees overhead. We also savored my Greek salad, fresh peaches, and roast chicken in the nippy air during our picnic there. There is a wonderful feeling at Sagamore Hill. The picture of Krista and Will (below) reminded us of the poem of growing old together. They are experiencing such an exciting time of life, expecting their first little one, and truly "the best is yet to come!" We loved our special time with them.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

We headed back to Queens with the missionaries and Will and Krista visited The Met for the afternoon. They strolled through the exhibits and loved their afternoon together. Later they found a little Mexican restaurant for some eats and then they fulfilled a dream of seeing "Wicked." They have read the book, know all the music by heart, and were delighted by this show, proclaiming,"It was the best thing they've ever seen..everything was incredible!" We are watching EBay for cheap tickets! We picked them up at the train at Ditmars and 31st about midnight and got to hear about their memorable afternoon and evening. We thought the temple in the morning, art in the afternoon, and "Wicked" in the evening...way to stay well balanced guys!

Anniversary Temple Trip

We were especially blessed to be given the assignment to accompany the Elders and Sisters from our mission who had completed their first and second year of faithful service to the Manhattan Temple on Friday, September 19th. Making it especially memorable, Krista was with us. We are so thankful every time we are able to attend this sacred place and enjoy a break from the madness that is NY. Congratulations to all the elders and sisters who were able to join us. Pictured with us are Elders Bae, Engebretsen, Jones, Palanite, Wiggins, Nehmer, Kaveinga, Miller, Scott, and DiGiovanni and Sisters Gao and Richey. We have a special love for these dedicated servants of the Lord. After hot dogs and Jamba Juice we headed back on the train and back to work. We were able to give out many pass along cards on the trains. Special thanks to our photographers, Krista and Will.

Fabulous Family, Todd and Blake Arrive in NY

Thursday, September 18th, we were joined by our nephew Blake Rossell from Gilbert, AZ. My youngest brother, Todd was "in town" for Macmillan meetings too. We always have a great time with Blake. He's just so easy and wanted to come to NY and do some missionary work. What he experienced was that people see missionaries with name tags and ask for help. As we were entering a subway a young mother asked for our help. Her baby had fallen asleep and she needed help carrying her stroller up the stairs. Blake jumped right in happy to get the job done! Also, we met Nate and Cari, friends of Krista's who live in Manhattan. They have made several trips to Utah and know a little about our church. Blake will be 18 in October and when Nate asked him what his plans are, Blake was quick to answer that he was looking forward to serving a mission for the church in another year. In need of sustenance, we made our way to The Shake Shack again where Chas and Blake had some "NY dogs and concrete." That afternoon we explored the American Museum of Natural History, and were fascinated by the dinosaurs, and artifacts of ancient people and cultures. After 4 floors, Blake had us start at the top and work our way down, we were ready for a break. We took the train to Harlem and met Todd and Will at Sylvia's for soul food. Mom and Dad used to frequent Sylvia's in '92-'93 and took me there. The food was not what I remembered...only so so, but the company was fantastic! We had a wonderful visit and train ride together at they headed down to South Park Hotel and we made our way back to Steinway Street. What a special day for us to be with Todd, Blake, Krista and Will. We are excited for Blake as he is attending seminary and preparing to serve. Who we are really happy for is the man who will be able to serve as his mission president. He's going to be a great missionary!

Broadway Daddy-Daughter Date

Tuesday we prepared our institute lesson that consisted of Matthew, chapters 3-10. It was a huge amount of material that we had to teach in 90 minutes. Krista agreed to take a portion along with us. I also made the treats and we worked on handouts for our student's notebooks. We taught our class in Jamaica that evening and then got home about 10 PM. Wednesday morning with our lesson for that evening ready to go Krista wanted to go to a matinee musical. Chas and Krista decided they wanted to see A Tale of Two Cities. I had other things that needed to be done and opted out of the activity. They had a great time together and had lots of good things to say about the show, and especially enjoyed the story. It opened officially on Friday, starring James Barbour, a celebrated actor, with an amazing voice. I'm so glad they could have a Broadway date together while Krista was here. That is what memories are made of!

Queensboro Zone Activity

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY" Sister Thomas and Elder Jemmett

Monday, September 15th our zone met at Queensbridge Park for a barbecue and birthday celebration. Elder West grilled lots of burgers served with all the trimmings, watermelon, chips, and carrot cake. Picturesque on the East River and nestled under the Queensboro Bridge, we enjoyed the shady trees and it was practically empty! We played Frisbee and football, had time to write in journals, and visit together. Krista enjoyed getting to know all the missionaries at our Friday district meeting and then Monday afternoon in a more informal setting at our activity.