Hot and Busy!

This last week was as tiring as any we've had.  By Friday night we were too tired for anything (even seeing 'Dunkirk', which Diane has looked forward to for weeks!), so we relaxed and got our second wind.  (My companion thinks I say that way too much!)  It was above 90 degrees all week, and when you add in a mega-zone conference with meals, lessons, car inspections and driving tests each day, it's about all you can handle at our advanced age!  For the week: Getting caught up from playing with Jay and Stephanie last week, plus lunch for 200, 44 car inspections, 7 driving tests, several car swaps, two new accidents, and body work for 2 other cars.  We are really looking forward to this next week, which looks kind of quiet!!  (Just get loaner cars out to three sets of missionaries, collect theirs for body work, and maybe pick up 12 new cars from a dealer in Manhattan.)

A few thoughts from last week with Jay & Stephanie.  I really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes tour of the Billie Jean King/Arthur Ashe tennis center!  The US Open starts here next month, and the place was a hubbub of activity getting things ready!  Three weeks a year the place is full to overflowing, and the rest of the year 75% of the place shuts down.  You can play on any of the courts the rest of the year, but the prices range from $10,000/hour on the main court, down to only $55/hour on the practice courts. I especially enjoyed the only place where pictures aren't allowed - the players locker rooms.  The winners name is added to the inside entrance wall each year (before they get back to the locker room from the finals match) and they get permanently assigned the same locker as a sign of respect and good luck.  Multiple winners get multiple lockers with their name on them.  I sat on the benches where Venus Williams and Roger Federer will sit starting the 8/28! (It was interesting that Serena William's locker was all scratched under the handle from the long, fancy fingernails she favors.)  Anyway, the tour was great!

Jay & Stephanie at main court

At the Smith cabin near the Sacred Grove, several things struck me.  The first was that the upper bedroom where Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith three times during the night also had five or six other beds with sleeping brothers and sisters in them!  Somehow I had always thought of a private bedroom for some reason. Fascinating that a glorious vision can be seen and heard by one person while others sleep undisturbed mere feet away. (Makes sense, though, and was repeated later several times when the prophet (and sometimes others in the presidency) saw glorious visions, while others who were less prepared and/or didn't hold those keys, saw nothing but the glow on the prophet's face.)

The second thing that struck me again this time was the peace and spirit in the Sacred Grove.  Even though the site was quite crowded (Hill Cumorah Pageant, youth conferences, etc.), it still has the same quiet, peaceful spirit as being in a Celestial room in a temple.  All voices, people and car noise fade quickly to silence when one listens inward to the spirit of the Holy Ghost!!  What a joy it was to be there!!  There is no doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ visited Joseph Smith there and began this last great dispensation of the gospel!  And here we are, a part of it.

I was surprised to enjoy Niagara Falls as much as I did! My other times there have been quick walk-thoughs on a family vacation or business trip, but this time we were there long enough to ride the 'Maid of the Mist' boat up to the falls and feel the power and majesty of the falls from below!  We also walked up the steps (with a million other people) to a viewpoint right next to the edge of the falls. Pretty mind-boggling!!

View from the Staten Island ferry

Staten Island ferry

We did finally go to see 'Dunkirk'. This is my date waiting for the subway

at 4PM Saturday.  3 stops there and 3 stops back, but easier than

parking!

My Turn: Parts 1 & 2

My Turn to Write Part 1 (7/11/17):

Elder Williams says I need to hurry and write this so I don’t end up writing about all his weeks’ stuff.

I’m sitting in the office on transfer day enjoying the calm before the storm. We had 15 new missionaries come in last night and 20 leaving.  That makes for a busy day.  It was sunny and pleasant when we met the new missionaries and we remarked on what a difference it made in the countenance of the missionaries.  They were all peppy and cheerful.  It is often dark and rainy when we meet them and I think it makes things more overwhelming for them.

4th of July was a fun day for us.  We had our annual 4th Of July BBQ at the Mission Home.  We absolutely love these gatherings where all the senior missionaries gather and chat and EAT—always lots of food!  There is always a warm feeling and President and Sister Reynolds are so good at expressing their appreciation and making us feel important.  I have realized the last couple months what a big part of my life these people have become.  If we hadn’t come on a mission we wouldn’t even know they existed.

We were able to attend the baptism Saturday of a woman (Fran) who Marc had sold a mission car to.  Her friends had all told her the Church would try to cheat her since we handle the title a little differently (it has to come from Salt Lake).   She has been very happy with her car and now one of her friends wants to buy one.  She had been investigating the Church for 5 years.  One of her family members asked her, “Can’t you just be friends with them?”  She replied, “But I want what they have!”  It was a wonderful day.  She told me what a wonderful man Marc is.  I guess you never know the influence you will have even in the smallest of human interactions.  

We took 3 Brooklyn sisters to the baptism with us because one of them had taught Fran.  The baptism was out on Long Island in Bay Shore.  They kept exclaiming things like, “Trees!” “Houses!” “Houses with Driveways!”  Brooklyn is quite different than “the island”.

Last night we got the distressing news that little Kennedy is in the hospital with a fever and high white blood count.  It makes it a little hard to enjoy my day when that worry is in the back of my mind.  I wish I could be there to help.  No mother likes to be far from their children when they are going through trials.  I know the Lord listens to prayers, though, and especially those of His missionaries.  This gives me so much comfort and hope.

This morning we got up at 4:00 to pick up Jay and Stephanie from the airport.  Today they are “on the town” in Manhattan.  I’ll let Marc talk more about their visit so he will have something to write about.  We are so excited to have them here.

We got news that Kennedy is home and doing well!  Prayers are answered.

My Turn to Write Part 2 (7/16/17):

So, the week zipped by so fast and I didn't finish the blog so I get to write this week too.

This has been a wonderful week with Jay and Stephanie here.  We have been able to do quite a few things with them and still fulfill our transfer week duties.  It was fun sharing “our city” with our loved ones and spending time with them. 

I won’t give a list of all we did but here is my journal entry from yesterday:

“Today I am feeling grateful for family and that Jay and Stephanie could come spend time with us.  We travelled upstate to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant and to visit several Church History sites as well as Niagara Falls. 

Hill Cumorah Pageant

“I’m grateful for the many tender mercies of the Lord.  The weather has been pretty good and rain seemed to stop whenever we got out to see the sites and to walk in the Sacred Grove.  During the pageant the rain held out till a little before the end when it sprinkled a bit.  I could just feel that the thousands of people there were silently praying for the rain to stop, which it did after about 3 minutes).  On the way home we stopped to see a young man from Jay and Stephanie’s ward who is serving a mission in upstate New York.  Jay is his bishop and the two of them had become close.  The young missionary started to cry when he saw Jay and I could feel that he had appeared just at the right time when the young man needed to see him.  He said to Jay, as they hugged, ‘the Lord answers prayers.’  I saw in this elder what I see in so many of our missionaries when they are blessed by Heavenly Father in ways that let them know He is aware of them and that He loves them.”

Our trip was so fun and we are grateful to have braved and survived driving through Mid-town Manhattan and the New Jersey Turnpike.  I'm actually pretty impressed at Marc's courage and great driving skills.  

Marc keeps saying that we wish that at least one of us could come up with an original thought.  We are together so much (and love each other so much) that we find ourselves constantly saying, "That's what I was thinking."  I love having such a wonderful soul-mate!

I’ll close by saying, I love my mission!  I am just so, so happy!

Priesthood Restoration Site
Susquehanna, PA

Grave of Joseph & Emma's Child at Cemetery
by Priesthood Restoration Site

Palmyra Temple

Sacred Grove

Niagara Falls

More Mission...

On Monday evening when Diane was gone, I got a call from the housing senior couple that a couple of elders had locked themselves out of their apartment in Brooklyn.  Since the Hopkins live on the opposite end of the mission from Brooklyn, they asked if I could take some keys to the missionaries and I agreed.  I left at about 6:30 PM for the 15 mile trip, and ended up getting home at about 9:30!  Rainy night, bad traffic, and an adventure!  As I’ve said many times, everything here revolves around transportation and parking!!  (The housing couple gets 3-4 calls a month from locked-out missionaries, even though each individual missionary is supposed to carry a set of keys.  They always remind the missionaries about keys at zone conferences, but it still happens…what a pain!  The things that happen on a mission that you never thought about…!)

 

Heading through Brooklyn on Flatbush Ave towards the Manhattan
 Bridge, after letting elders into their apartment.

I had occasion last week to see two more churches here.  I took a car to Staten Island and went to the “Spanish Building” on the north side of the island, then last week we took a car to another building in Brooklyn.  The Brooklyn building location was unique, right along (almost under) the D train.  It’s fun to see how the church builds buildings that work in the various surroundings!

 

Staten Island "Spanish Building"

View out the front door of the Bensonhurst

Building in Brooklyn. Note the train going by.

Bensonhurst Building

Saturday we went on a little trip with Sister Petersen to Fire Island.  This specific island is 32 miles long and about 500-700 yards wide located along the south side of Long Island with beaches along most of the ocean side of the island.  Cars are allowed only on the western 5 miles or so, and the entire island is a national park. We took about a 20 minute ferry ride over with many families who were obviously going over for a day at the beach, walked to the far side to see the beaches, then went on a park ranger tour of the Sunken Forest, ate lunch and then rode the ferry back.  The Sunken Forest isn’t sunken that we could see, but is called that because it’s tucked in behind large dunes that protect the ecosystem from the wind and salt spray from the ocean side. Ranger David said there are only two forests like this in the US.  It’s famous for its 300 year old holly trees and other unique trees and plants.  We enjoyed the tour other than hearing about all the damage global warming may do to the forest.  As always, it’s really fun to get out and see things that are unique to this area!!  On the way back we took a little side trip to go to a chocolate/caramel apple shop in the town of Babylon (yes, that’s really the name.  For good reason, with the cost of the gourmet chocolates!)  Sister Petersen seems to know the location of all the good chocolate shops in the area.  She’s the nurse, so it must be good for you…  Diane and I seem to keep going back to the basics—chocolate chips!

Sunken Forest

We still like it here on a mission!!  It’s good to have been here long enough to know what’s going on and not get surprised too much.  Jay and Stephanie will be here the week after next, and we are looking forward to that!  Tomorrow is the fourth of July, but nothing too big is planned.  We have to take a newly-repaired car to Staten Island (early to avoid as much traffic as possible) and pick up the loaner, so we can take it to the other end of the mission on Wednesday, and bring another car in for body work.  7 accidents in the last 10 days! Just evening things out after almost 6 weeks without an accident before that!  Anyway, plenty to do and we love it!!  Also very nice to have Diane back—I’ve become quite attached to her!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bumper Bumping

One of the joys of NYC driving is parallel parking. And since the cars are often really close, most drivers seem to use the ‘touch method’, leaving your bumper to look like this! (Click on the photos to see them larger.)

They literally park this close!

This has led to a whole industry I never knew existed to protect bumpers! The protection runs from cute little stick-on rubber pads and hanging rubber pads all the way up to steel guards that attach to the vehicle frame. It was unique in my experience, so I took a lot of pictures this week. Diane says no one will be the least bit interested, but I think at least Dale Smith will be… However, since the interest level is so low (in my companion’s opinion anyway), I won’t count this as my blog entry. Just a fascinating bit of NYC!  (Luckily, we have a protected parking spot, but I'm thinking of getting some just to look cool!!)