Getting used to city life

We have commented lately how much this seems like this is our real life now.  We don't feel quite so temporary.  I have grown braver and braver when it comes to driving.  There are still a few places I won't drive but I no longer will only drive early on a Saturday morning. The couple of weeks after transfers are generally slow once we get all our transfer work done.  For Marc that involves getting drivers for various cars worked out and testing new drivers.  For me it mainly involves working out the new mailing addresses and getting letters sent out to missionaries, parents, bishops and stake presidents regarding new callings as zone leaders, trainers, etc.

As I mentioned before, one of my jobs is to forward referrals to the right missionaries or to other missions according to addresses.  I was laboring over a particular difficult one that was to be sent to Guatemala (it was written in Spanish), Two elders walked in.  I asked them what language they spoke.  They were Spanish speaking elders.  Yay!  I don't believe it was a coincidence.  I am grateful for the many small tender mercies that we experience here.  I try not to take them for granted because they happen so often.

On Wednesday we met with a girl who had been in our Young Adult Ward when Marc was Bishop.  She was here for business (seems everyone comes here for business at some time or other).  We went into Manhattan to meet her for dinner at the "Burger Joint."  It is located in the lobby of a fancy hotel near Central Park.  When you walk in the lobby there is a big curtain over in the corner and the restaurant is behind the curtain.  It is very small and quaint with cardboard handwritten menus but the hamburgers are wonderful (and the prices reflect Manhattan)!  While there, a man and his wife came up to talk to us.  They were church members from Harlem.  Interesting how often people come up to us when they see our name tags.
After dinner we went to Central Park and walked around.  We were both tired after but are determined to still do things even when we get tired.

Summer has come to New York and we can see it will be hot here!  Marc mentioned that he keeps getting excited about the 3 day weekend but then remembers that we still work.  Apparently we work in the office on all the Holidays (maybe not Christmas--not sure yet.)  Church was interesting today.  I guess they don't do patriotic songs and talks in the Spanish Branch.  It was like every other Sunday except that the kids were pretty wild, probably because they are excited about no school tomorrow.  The branch does have a picnic planned for tomorrow and Marc challenged a couple of his Sunday School kids to a ping pong match.  We'll see--he may be sorry.  One of them is quite good.

I've decided that missionary work is often quite hard--my feet hurt from wearing dress shoes all the time and from all the walking we do, but the work is always rewarding and we love the multi-cultural experiences and interactions we have here.  We really do love it even if our recurring motto seems to be "We can do hard things."

With friend, Jamie, in Central Park