A day of really hard work, and a day of needed rest

Tuesday was the transfer from heck.  It was one of the largest transfers of the year (22 missionaries coming in), so we knew it would be busy, but it turned out worse than busy!  At about 8:30 AM, I noticed that a backhoe was tearing up the sidewalk in front of the church parking lot and the small lot next door. As I talked to the foreman, I found that both lots would be blocked all day—not what you want to hear when you are expecting 40+ cars and 150 missionaries within the next hour or two (and most already on the way)!!

The foreman felt bad and was willing to do everything he could to work with us, laying plywood over the wet concrete, etc, but our cars were going to be in and out all day, so in consultation with President Reynolds we decided to move the entire transfer to another building a couple of miles away. Luckily (as the less spiritually inclined would say), the fact that our mission is running a church trial where all the missionaries have smart phones made it possible to get the word out quickly, and most found out before getting off the subway and hauling their suitcases ¼ mile up the hill to the church!

Meanwhile, I had four needed vehicles trapped in the church parking lot with a trench out front, including all the incoming missionaries’ luggage in the rental van, plus some luggage that had shown up at the church the night before (missionaries are creative!) and all the mail, packages, eating supplies, etc.   So, as missionaries showed up who hadn’t gotten the word early enough, I pressed them into service moving and temporarily parking vehicles (mostly illegally, since there was no parking slots on the street available). The construction crew stacked lumber and debris in the trench so we could drive out.  (Did I mention that it was 87 degrees with 90% humidity at 9AM (“real feel” temp of 100+)!?)  We did find drivers and get all the cars and supplies to the Woodside building almost on time, only to find that the parking lot was locked and no one there had a key!  So, more scrambling and calling and parking illegally, and hauling suitcases in a side door (like I said, missionaries are creative!). And a key did come 20 minutes later.

Also, Diane had ordered 12 extra large pizzas to be delivered at the original location and we couldn’t get in touch with the pizza guy, so we made a trip to the pizza shop and changed the delivery location, and then I made another run with the rental van to get all the packages from the office, and later in the day our friend Jay made a trip in his car to get the luggage scale from the office.  All in all it was a hot, sweaty, stressful day where everything ultimately worked out, but we still don’t want to do it that way again!!  That’s the ‘cliff’s notes’ version of a transfer day we mostly want to forget…

Yesterday we had a much nicer and more peaceful day!  My companion’s Dr. asked her to stay off her feet as much as possible for a few days (result of soreness in her bionic knee from being on her feet too much in past two weeks…), so we decided to drive to the two tips of Long Island.  It was a spectacular day!  75 degrees and 30% humidity (about as low as it gets)! We started by driving to Orient Point at the very end of the north tip of the island and had lunch there in a nice seaside restaurant, then drove back in a few miles and took a ferry across to Shelter Island, and another ferry across to North Haven and Sag Harbor. 

The north side scenery was different and beautiful, with many wineries, orchards and fruit stands.  Seemed peaceful compared to what we’ve become used to!  Everywhere on both forks was beautiful green scenery and many spectacular homes (mixed with the less spectacular homes of the long-time residents).  From there we drove east on the south fork through Hampton Bays all the way out to Montauk Point and lighthouse.  Along the way we stopped to visit Paul McCartney and Robert Duval, although neither seemed to be out working in their driveways (which was about all we could see…). It was a fun trip in spite of the fact that many others seemed to have had the same idea.  Traffic and people are all right if you’re not in a hurry…  It was fun to be with Diane, and we laughed a lot even though we’ve heard all of each other’s stories!

View from Orient Point

Lunch (I'll probably get some grief for the wind-blown look)

Passing another small ferry

Shelter Island Dock

Shelter Island

Montauk Lighthouse

View towards Connecticut from Montauk

Today in my Sunday School class several students returned who had been gone with their family to Ecuador all summer. (It’s surprising how many families in our branch go ‘home’ to Central and South America each summer!) Anyway, Nicole, who is 15 asked me if I’d heard of ‘EFR’ and said she got to go this summer, and LOVED it.  It is the Spanish version of Especially For Youth, and this was by far the best conversation I’ve ever had with her, as she told me how wonderful it was to be with 200 youth with the same values and desires as her!  These programs have a wonderful effect on YM and YW, and we are so thankful that our daughters got to attend several times!!  (If I remember correctly, I always squawked about the money in my mind, but I’m so thankful I always sucked it up and went along!!) There are lots of things in this life that are difficult in the short term, but absolutely invaluable in the long term, and luckily one of us (not me) recognized that at the time!  I love the Lord, and I love this work we are doing!

Sister Marie Petersen (now Marie) and Elder and Sister Shapiro

(Aunt Debbie)

Pretending (except one) to view the eclipse. Elder Roberts' mom

sent him the glasses, and he said everyone made fun of him 

until that day, when everyone wanted to borrow them!

Do I Need a Bandaid?

One of Marc’s hearing aids is “in the shop” so he has been going without one.  Here’s a taste of the conversation we had as we headed out to the Island the other day:  (Diane) “It’s not a bad day today.”  (Marc) “Do I need a bandaid? What?”  We do a lot of laughing here in the mission field.

With Sister Peterson right before she left.

This week was sort of sad for us.  Our dear friend, Sister Marie Petersen, completed her mission and headed home.  She invited us to dinner on Monday night to thank Marc for helping her with her car (she had a fender-bender last week and he helped her take it back and forth to Hallelujah Praise the Lord Automotive) and just to say goodbye.  Marie left on Tuesday and many tears were shed and promises made to see her again in January.  We feel bad that we have not taken many pictures lately.  I take it as a good sign that we are too busy and having too much fun to think of pictures.

Sister Shapiro, who makes arrangements for incoming and outgoing missionaries, said we were on her list of departing missionaries to work on for December (the transfer before we leave in January).  That made things just seem too real.  I often feel like there is not enough time to accomplish all the things we need to, especially in the Branch.  We have come to love the Branch members so much.  When I think of leaving them I get a little teary.  When we first came here, Sundays were difficult for me.  Now they are the best part of the week.  As I teach the children in Primary, I think, “What more can I do to strengthen them for the future ahead of them?”  When I began teaching them I used to think they were possibly the wildest group of children I had ever encountered.  Now I think they may be the sweetest group of children on earth (with the exception of my grandchildren, of course). 

The week and a half or so before transfers is our slowest.  On Thursday, I had no work to do all day.  It was so boring!  I found myself thinking of going home a little too much.  We have both learned that when we feel this way it is time to do more!  I bought a bunch of paper and notebooks to make LOTS of flipcharts for singing time.  So on Friday I had plenty to do and I felt like I was giving service--the best remedy for boredom and discouragement.  Plus I had the sweet strains of the Primary songs running through my head all day.

On Friday night we went to our third Bible Study class with Jay (who doesn’t like us to mention him) and the two English speaking elders.  It is so wonderful to have a gospel discussion with adults.  The person whose name we shall not mention has a great memory and a love for the scriptures.  He sometimes puts us to shame with his memorized quotes of scriptures and talks.

Yesterday Marc and Jay and I went out to the Island (shorthand for “out on Long Island”) to deliver a car to some missionaries.  It was our P-day but sometimes giving service is as much fun as sight-seeing.

I came across this quote by President Lorenzo Snow while studying Preach My Gospel:  “There is no mortal man that is so much interested in the success of an elder [or sister missionary] when he is preaching the gospel as the Lord that sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord’s children.”  I feel this so often as I see His protecting hand over us and over the young missionaries.  I feel it as I have to redo my whole Primary lesson at the last minute because only one student is there and am somehow able to prepare it in under 10 minutes.  I feel it when I have to learn and teach the Primary songs in English and Spanish and ASL and I’ve never led music in my life.  I feel it when I am helping the sisters teach a discussion or in Bible Study Class and the Spirit comes so readily. I feel it when I am working on the paperwork for a baptism and the computer won’t let me submit the information and I realize I forgot to add a child, and I feel it when my feet hurt and I am called upon to walk with the Sisters for 2 hours on pavement and I don’t think I can take another step but somehow the strength and ability comes. 

I fear that when we go home and people ask us how our mission was, they will think I am exaggerating when I try to describe the happiness and joy involved in serving the Lord and the people of New York.

The Air Conditioning was out in all of the building except
the mission office.  These missionaries chose to spend their P-day
with us.

No Clever Title...

This past week was another very usual week for this set of senior missionaries, with a couple of fun exceptions, so I’ll just start writing and see what comes out!  The 10 days just before transfers (8/22 is the next) are often days without big events, which gives us a chance to get caught up on the details that tend to take a back seat when you are swamped.  (i.e., driving tests, updating information in our systems, paying car repair invoices, giving driving tests, swapping cars so body work can get done, talking with missionaries about their mission driving record, etc.) 

We did have a couple of sisters who learned that sad lesson of not leaving valuable things visible in the car. Their car was parked in the church parking lot by several other mission cars, but their window was broken out and a purse was taken.  Several days of hassle for them, getting cards canceled and the window repaired.  I speak of this 3 or 4 times a year in zone meetings, but some lessons seem to have to be learned personally.  I’m just glad that GPS units are not that hot an item for thieves now, or we’d have more break-ins!  It’s hard to get the missionaries to take the units out of the window when they park for the night (and I understand why). 

Friday night we went to the scripture study class for the second time, and it was rewarding again.  We read and discussed Matthew 26 (Passover, sacrament, Gethsemane, betrayal, Peter denying Christ) and several things struck me anew. The first was the reality of Christ suffering for all the sins and pain of 70 billion people (estimate since world began).  I know that although it is incomprehensible to me how He did it, He did!!  I’m not generally a great ponderer, but when I try to think what that whole day and night must have really been like, it fills my heart and soul with wonder and gratitude!!  I have no doubt Jesus Christ and His father love me!

The second is that we must actually experience mortality to fully understand joy and pain.  I believe that even with our expanded understanding and intellect in pre-earth life, we really had no idea what we were getting into--- 80 to 100 years in mortality must have seemed pretty easy for beings that had a consciousness of thousands (millions?) of years of life before that.  Even Christ, perfect and unrivaled in capability, had to actually experience mortal suffering and weakness to be able to succor His brothers and sisters fully!  I believe that’s why He groaned in the garden and asked His father if there was any other way to accomplish the atonement of mankind.  Experiencing things as a mortal being is surely a unique and necessary experience for immortality and eternal life!

Yesterday (8/12) we got to participate in a unique event called a “Faith In Christ Project” with the Lynbrook NY Stake.  It started at 9AM with members of the stake assembling 6000 packets to distribute to the surrounding area.  Each packet included a 5 x 7 picture of Jesus Christ and a 5 x 7 card that said, “For your family from our family of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints”.  In between those two covers were placed four other cards with information in different languages about our belief in the Savior, and each packet was put into clear plastic door hanger bags.  Of course, being an ex-industrial engineer, I got excited to develop a small moving line assembly process to assemble the packets.  I tried to recruit Diane, but she would have none of the nonsense, so I had to go it on my own.  I recruited four missionaries and the stake president, President De Rosa, and we had a great time working to balance the line for maximum efficiency.  We kept tweaking and adapting the process until it ultimately ran like a well-oiled machine, except when President had to leave to be interviewed, or one of the workers wandered off to take pictures. One thing about moving lines—they don’t function unless fully staffed!  (I did wonder now and then, though, why other groups were having so much fun, laughing and carrying on like enjoying each other’s company was the goal…!?)  Maybe their definition of fun is twisted? 

There were several photographers and videographers shooting everything, including one camera on a drone (which all the elders and I thought was cool!). The assembly process went quicker than planned (probably mostly due to my group), so we had pizza an hour early at 11AM, then all put on our matching t-shirts and took some pictures and video, then spread through Flushing to distribute the packets.  I had an appointment, so I left Diane to work with a couple of sisters, thereby avoiding most of the actual work!  (I did hang packets on the 40 units in our building, so I didn’t feel totally useless…)  Diane said she got a feeling for how the sisters work, including how they get into apartment buildings with security doors (just like on TV, push a bunch of buttons until someone opens the door…why in the world does that work?!).  She was glad to see that she wasn’t the only one that got hot and sweaty and tired tramping up and down stairs in apartments!  Talking to the person in charge of the event, this is the first of many such events in many parts of the northeast.  My impression was that the church executive missionary committee is loosely sponsoring the events, waiting to see results before deciding on broader implementation.  It was a fun and rewarding Saturday morning!

My high-powered assembly line (without me)

Diane and I often comment on how fast the time is passing!  It seems like when you are young the time seems to slow when you watch it, but when you are our age, it goes fast no matter how close you watch it!!  Sister Petersen goes home this week, and another 20 or so missionaries we love go home the 22^nd.  We will especially miss Sister Petersen!  She lives close, loves to cook (she says), and gets so many people together in her home (much larger room than our tiny apartment), and loves everyone and is loved by everyone!!  She is sad/excited to finish, and she tears up whenever reminded how much she is loved.  What a joy it is to serve with people like this!!!!!!!  (and Go Seahawks!!)

Diane doesn't like this picture because her mouth is full, but 

I do because she looks happy! At Metropolitan Grill in Medford.

Hot Town, Summer in the City

Chrysler Building--my favorite!

What a wonderful time we are having on our mission!  We may be having too much fun.  Last weekend Jay, who we sometimes now refer to as “Jay 2” to differentiate from our Son-in-law, Jay aka “Jay 1” (only because we knew him first), took us along with Sister Petersen on a afternoon to nighttime tour of Manhattan.  Actually, it was only part of Manhattan but seemed like we walked all of it.  It is great to have a local guide who knows all the little out of the way places and secret treasures of the city.  One place he took us was to the Chrysler Building, which is now my very favorite building in all of New York.  It is so beautiful.  We learned how, when it was built there were 2 buildings under constructions that were competing to be the tallest.  The Chrysler people had constructed and hidden the spire inside the top of the building and they didn’t raise it until the very last minute, winning the race as the tallest. 

We also went to Chinatown for dumpling soup (the soup is inside the dumplings).  Everyone goes to Joe’s Shanghai but the line was very long and it was noisy and crowded inside.  About half a block down the street was Joe’s Ginger which is owned by the same guy and has the same menu.  It was just as good but without the line or the crowd.  The food was good and the company better. 

Then we took the ferry back to Queens and enjoyed the skyline at night.  It was spectacular!  On the Queens side, Jay took us to see the giant Pepsi sign which is left over from the bottling plant, and treated us to some more history of the area.  We got in rather late for missionaries but it was a night to remember.

Bryant Park Hotel.  Also a beautiful building. 

Jay always has lots of pictures to show us of what the
city looked like in decades past--fascinating!

Hampton Bays.  I seem to gravitate toward greens and blues.

A combination of mega-zone conferences and the heat/humidity took a lot out of me so when Marc took me with him on Wednesday to deliver a car to Hampton Bays it was a welcome relief and served to revive my spirits.  We ended up taking the elders to lunch.  These two elders, Elder Rogers and Elder Johnson were true gentlemen and wouldn’t order drinks or dessert and only ordered what Elder Williams was having.  They even opened the car door for me!  It was a beautiful day and I found that when I got back I had a lot of pictures on my phone of just trees on the side of the road.  I love the green, and the water and beaches were beautiful, and we had fun gawking at the mansions of the rich and famous.

This past week I helped out with the Mission Leadership Council meeting lunch.  Sister Reynolds had it catered by Chic-fil-a so I didn’t have to do much but got thanked anyway.  The missionaries thought they were in heaven!  I always feel so much better when I am giving service (even when Chic-fil-a is doing the actual work).

Friday we went (uninvited) to the New Testament class that the Elders in our ward have for whoever is interested.  It was wonderful to discuss the Gospel with adults after being in Primary all the time.  (Although I love the kids a lot and don’t know what I’ll do when I have to leave them.)

Elder Williams and I have realized lately how much we think alike.  We find ourselves, several times a day, saying:  “That’s what I was going to say”.  Now we just say, “Guess what I was thinking”.  I feel like we are more and more truly one. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be “one” with.

The UN

The city from the ferry

Giant Pepsi Sign