Sunday, November 23, 2014



City Lights and Zebras


This week has been amazing!  We had transfers on Tuesday.  I am
staying in Lynbrook and Sister Russell went to Rego Park.  My new
companion is from Las Vegas, has been out 9 months and this is her
second area.  Her name is Sister Coleman, she is super sweet!  She was
called spanish speaking so we are a zebra. (Missionary term for
multiple languages put together)  it's pretty cool!  I'm not promising
anything but I'm going to try and pick up some Spanish this transfer.

On Wednesday we had zone meeting, service at a soup kitchen, and an
adventure to the temple.  We met the first little girl we baptized and
her father there to do baptisms.  Thanks to a huge map and some really
nice people we figured out the trains and were able to make it to the
temple by ourselves.  It was late, so we got to see all of the city
lights, it was so cool!  We ended up getting there about a half hr
late, but they had waited for us.  So we did confirmations and then
waited our turn for the font.  When it was Tanishas turn, her Dad took
one look at the names, got a big smile on his face and motioned for me
to go look at the names.  I thought he wanted me to check that their
family names were still there.  I went and looked over the nice desk
mans shoulder to see not one, but four people with the last name Beech
from England. But there is a really good chance those are my
ancestors!  So the first girl I helped get baptized then helped four
of my ancestors get baptized!  How amazing is that!  It was an great
night.

On Thursday, we did our weekly planning and decided to go find a
referral.  We made contact with this referral about a month ago, but
she has been sick and out of town so we had never had an appointment.
We went and stopped by and she was there!  She invited us in and took
us into the basement.  The first thing she asked was if we were afraid
of cats... We said no. Haha. When we got downstairs, she introduced us
to Cleo the cat.  She said that Cleo can be kind of feisty and doesn't
like strangers.  But Cleo seemed fine so we went and sat on the couch.
We got to know Amber for a bit, her mom came in and out a bit, and
then I asked why she was interested in the church.  Amber had actually
referred herself online, which not too many people do.  She said that
since the first time we met her she had been reading the Book of
Mormon daily and was somewhere in second Nephi!  What!  We taught her
the Restoration lesson and the spirit was so strong. That was one of
the clearest, most powerful lessons I have ever been a part of and
that is because the spirit was backing us up 100%.  Well the whole
time we were teaching the lesson, Cleo kept coming up and smelling our
shoes, hands and even on the back of the couch by our heads.  At one
point she sat down right next to my head and just watched us.  Amber
was amazed the Cleo was being so well behaved.  She pointed it out to
us about every 3 minutes.  When the lesson was over and Sister Coleman
and I were headed out the door, Sis. C asked if I understood why the
cat was acting like that.  The spirit was so strong that it had
literally tamed the cat, it was our "third witness".  Hahaha how cool
is that!

On Friday we went to the Jeans (it's creole, not pronounced like blue
jeans.) for dinner.  They invited all the missionaries, a couple from
the ward, and a two woman who are not members.  They fed us the most
delicious Creole food, it was so good!  Very different, but tasty.

On Saturday there was a mission wide fireside where Elder Donald
Halstrom, president of the 70 came to speak to us.  He was about 45
min late because of traffic but it was worth the wait!  He basically
just testified of everything in the Gospel and then opened it up to a
question and answer.  One Elder asked about an article in the paper
about Joseph Smith and his "million wives".  That question has added a
lot of controversy out here in both investigators, members, and
missionaries.  But men are not perfect, the Gospel is.  We can not
judge a person based solely on a few decisions verses their life's
work.  I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.  He restored
this Gospel!  How can you condemn a man that has done so much good for
this church and for God.  He saw God the Father and Jesus Christ and
was the vessel for receiving the Priesthood back on the earth.  By
using that priesthood authority he was able to translate the golden
plates to put the Book of Mormon in our lives today.  So no matter
what the world might say, I put my trust in Gods word not the word of
man.

Sunday.  I love Sunday's.  Seeing everyone in the ward is my favorite.
Then after church we go from eating "lunch" at sister Kovalys house to
the Pegueros for dinner.

Cool fact of the week: read Genesis 28 and then pg 100 in the hymnal.
Before my mission, I didn't know those two related to each other!

Love you all!
Sister B.

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