April 10, 2016

Pretty normal week in the mission except for transfers, which my companion already talked about.  It was really touching, seeing all the missionaries hugging and crying as friends they love leave the mission. I was pretty misty-eyed, even though I knew few of those leaving, and Diane was definitely affected. Can’t imagine what it will be like as those we know and love leave! Pretty sweet and sad experience!!

Saturday morning we made a practice temple-run to the Manhattan with the Shapiros, and I sure felt sorry for them!  As we wrote about before, Diane and my first practice run a few weeks ago was a failure, due to getting on the wrong train (I’m sticking with the “My app was incorrect” excuse...) We were successful yesterday in getting to the temple, but it was a drawn-out experience that was worse than it should have been due to weekend construction.  We had to head the opposite direction, then catch a different train and go back past where we started, and then catch another train to get to the ‘Lincoln Center’ stop where the temple is.  Plus, since everyone was in the same situation (and the presidential candidates were all in town at different events), the subway was as packed as I’ve seen it, and we had to stand the whole 90 minutes.  We finally got a seat about two stops before we got off, and dropped very gratefully into them!  By the time we got home four plus hours after we left, we were all ready for a nap (or in my companion’s case, dress shopping).  We did have our first NYC hot dog from a street cart across from the temple, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. (I suspect there are good and bad carts, just like restaurants…)

One of the things that is very different about NYC is what a key role transportation plays in everything we do! For example, last night the adult session of stake conference was in the Little Neck Building about 11 miles east of our apartment.  Not very far, however, there are no subways that go near there, and the buildings nearer the transportation system have very little parking (19 stalls at our church in Flushing).  We are lucky enough to have a car, but many (most?) city folks don’t, and we saw fewer than five people from our branch at the meeting. (Looked like at least a third of the people at the meeting were missionaries.)  Getting to and from is a large part of the battle for any event in NYC—something we totally take for granted out west!  Hardly anything in the city is more than 15 miles away, but it’s at least an hour on trains/subways, and that long to drive, too, depending on time of day. (Then if you drive you have to worry about parking.)  Diane and I ran to a bakery this week to get a cake for the departing senior couple, and it was a ten minute drive—but then I ended up driving around the block multiple times while she went in to look (and not buy, since small cakes were $35), then picking her up on a drive-by and finally heading to Costco. (Pretty much the same as home, except $2 for parking under the building.)

One last thing.  At the adult session of conference last night, opening and closing prayers were in Chinese, choir sang in Spanish, bulk of the program was in English (accented with Spanish, Korean, Chinese and English), and the congregation hymns were all sung simultaneously in everyone's own language!  It’s fun, and the Spirit of The Lord is the same and very strong!  We love it!!  Wish you could all be here with us!!!