One of the highlights of our work this week was a street sweep Elder McLean asked us to plan along with Elder Low and Elder Werner. We generally don't receive these kinds of assignments, but because we are not teaching classes this month we gladly accepted the opportunity to serve with these fantastic young missionaries. We have focused on finding a family to strengthen the Astoria Ward, so our theme was, "Families Can Be Together Forever." We chose a high traffic area, 31st and Ditmars, where the N train ends, and we were blessed with perfect weather. These Elders and Sisters are pros at this work and we were well taught as we watched and then joined in with their "fearlessing." We had some incredible experiences and met many people, gleaning about 33 new contacts to teach and deliver Family Forever DVDs to. We served free, cold lemonade, (yes it was a big hit) and talked about living prophets and gave out copies of TheFamily, A Proclamation to the World. I watched Sister Folsom as she walked quickly beside a woman and then she handed her a folded Proclamation. The woman turned around the corner, and Sister Folsom introduced herself to someone else. A few minutes later, the woman returned to our table and said to me, "I didn't realize this was about the Mormons. My husband is a member of your church and we have been meaning to find a church to attend. Can you give me the address where you meet?" I gladly wrote down the address along with meeting times and assured her we would love to see her again on Sunday with her husband. Also, Elder Low met Iris, who was taught by the missionaries about 15 years ago, and then decided to "strike out on her own in finding a church." She has since decided that what the missionaries taught her was true and she needs to return to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are hoping Iris will also join us at church on Sunday. Elder Low introduced her to me "because she was older!" Iris asked me to call her Saturday night, "just to remind her." Pictured above is our Woodside District, (L to R) Elder McLean, Sister Brown, Elder West, Elder Jemmett, Elder Low, Elder Werner, Sister Shiley, with Elder Bell behind her, and a friend who stayed all afternoon. (Missing are Sisters Folsom and Grover who I'm sure were making friends very near by.) They all stopped long enough to sip a lemonade and smile for me. In the picture below, Sister Folsom, visited with this couple who are getting married this coming Saturday. They were very interested in being sealed for time and all eternity and invited the missionaries to teach them after they return from their honeymoon. We met so many nice people, and hope to have planted many seeds for future work. It was a most rewarding and fruitful day. We can hardly wait for the next one!
“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
New York South Mission Blog
New Astoria Ward Members
WEST'S NEW YORK, NEW YORK SOUTH MISSION
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:-)
After almost 37 years of teaching dance at BYU-Idaho, Charles retired December 31, 2007. All of our children danced with the BYU-I Folk Dancers, so as a family we donned costumes for one last memory together.
Below, all of the West Family, pictured below the glorious, new Rexburg Temple.
(Michael Lewis Photography, Thanksgiving 2007)
Be grateful Be smart Be involved Be clean Be true Be positive Be humble Be still Be prayerful
by President Gordon B. Hinckley
Parley P. Pratt
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.
This beautiful stone building, center, located at 973 5th Avenue, across from Central Park, served as headquarters of the Eastern States Mission in 1963.
New York New York South Mission Home
The current Mission Home is located in a lovely neighborhood in Port Washington, New York.
Live in such a way that those who know you, but don't know Christ will want to know Christ because they know you.
Those who love Christ the most, are the most Christlike.
Welcome Spring
"All through the long winter, I dream of my garden. On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar."
Helen Hayes
Newsroom - LDS Church 3
A Passion for Primroses
"I promise that when you get your release, if you have forgotten yourself these years, all will have come to you, the things that you might have wished for yourself, and you shall have them all, even though you did not anticipate and wait for them. You shall have obtained knowledge and the spirit of the gospel, and your testimony shall have increased. You shall be polished; you shall have a sublime and beautiful life."
President Spencer W. Kimball (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 589)
One of the highlights of our work this week was a street sweep Elder McLean asked us to plan along with Elder Low and Elder Werner. We generally don't receive these kinds of assignments, but because we are not teaching classes this month we gladly accepted the opportunity to serve with these fantastic young missionaries. We have focused on finding a family to strengthen the Astoria Ward, so our theme was, "Families Can Be Together Forever." We chose a high traffic area, 31st and Ditmars, where the N train ends, and we were blessed with perfect weather. These Elders and Sisters are pros at this work and we were well taught as we watched and then joined in with their "fearlessing." We had some incredible experiences and met many people, gleaning about 33 new contacts to teach and deliver Family Forever DVDs to. We served free, cold lemonade, (yes it was a big hit) and talked about living prophets and gave out copies of The Family, A Proclamation to the World. I watched Sister Folsom as she walked quickly beside a woman and then she handed her a folded Proclamation. The woman turned around the corner, and Sister Folsom introduced herself to someone else. A few minutes later, the woman returned to our table and said to me, "I didn't realize this was about the Mormons. My husband is a member of your church and we have been meaning to find a church to attend. Can you give me the address where you meet?" I gladly wrote down the address along with meeting times and assured her we would love to see her again on Sunday with her husband. Also, Elder Low met Iris, who was taught by the missionaries about 15 years ago, and then decided to "strike out on her own in finding a church." She has since decided that what the missionaries taught her was true and she needs to return to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are hoping Iris will also join us at church on Sunday. Elder Low introduced her to me "because she was older!" Iris asked me to call her Saturday night, "just to remind her." Pictured above is our Woodside District, (L to R) Elder McLean, Sister Brown, Elder West, Elder Jemmett, Elder Low, Elder Werner, Sister Shiley, with Elder Bell behind her, and a friend who stayed all afternoon. (Missing are Sisters Folsom and Grover who I'm sure were making friends very near by.) They all stopped long enough to sip a lemonade and smile for me. In the picture below, Sister Folsom, visited with this couple who are getting married this coming Saturday. They were very interested in being sealed for time and all eternity and invited the missionaries to teach them after they return from their honeymoon. We met so many nice people, and hope to have planted many seeds for future work. It was a most rewarding and fruitful day. We can hardly wait for the next one!
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