Attitudes and Blessings

I’m weeks behind on the blog.  Sorry!  Lots to catch up on.  2 weeks ago we went and hiked the Brooklyn Bridge.  It was a beautiful day and the bridge was quite crowded.  But it was fun.  When we got to Brooklyn, we went about a block to Grimaldi’s for Pizza.  Best pizza ever!  I thought it might be a little hyped up but it was better than I expected.  The crust was amazing!  Then we took the subway to Williamsburg because Sister Petersen wanted to show us the Hasidic Jewish neighborhood.  It sounded interesting.  But when we got there the streets were empty.  That’s when we realized it was Saturday—the Jewish Sabbath.  They were all at home.  Fun day anyway.  We love going to new places and there are a lot of new places to see here.

The big news—we started church in our new Chapel last week.  It was packed, everybody wanting to see the new digs.  It has 2 stories and the Primary has its own wing and Marc has a whole hallway to himself and the pick of any classroom for Sunday School.  We are loving it.  The members were sad to leave the old church they had been in for so long and we all had our picture taken out front the week before with all the neighborhood watching as they walked by.

Speaking of Marc, he is a wonderful Sunday School teacher.  He has a difficult class but seems to be able to draw them out.  I can tell when I see him interact with them that they really like him and respect him.

Two observations from today. I realized I am developing a New Yorker attitude, which may or may not be the best thing for a missionary. It may be a defense mechanism.  Some guy yelled at me for blocking the sidewalk as I was perusing the fruit stand looking for tomatoes. 9 months ago it would have bothered me. I just gave him the New York shrug and double-sided sneer that says, "WHAT??!!!" Taught him a lesson he won't soon forget! Then on the other hand, Marc and I were wandering around by the mall tonight going for a bite to eat at McD's. People were everywhere of every possible nationality and ethnic group. Walking, eating, shopping, socializing. I realized I love New York and I really do love people!

One funny incident (and maybe a lesson in judging?):  We were at Dyker Heights (Brooklyn Chinatown) today for Zone Conferences. I was the go-fer. Marc took me to the fruit stand because we were short of tomatoes for lunch, (Hence the sidewalk yeller story). Marc had to do the thing where you drop your wife off then circle the block because there was no parking. He decided to get gas so I had to wait there on the corner. I was thinking how angry some New Yorkers seem to be, like the yeller, when some guy waiting at the light started honking his horn--loud and long. There was a guy in front of him who had left a space so he wouldn't be caught in the intersection. I thought it was pretty rude and ignorant of the second guy to be so impatient. He just kept honking away--as if that would make people move! I gave him my best New Yorker glare, shook my head and looked away in disgust--idiot!! More honking--I looked again. It was Marc, honking to get my attention. I had forgotten he was in a brown mission car instead of our blue car.

And one tender mercy to share.  The week before last was transfers and along with them all the heavy paperwork.  It is our busiest week.  I hadn’t had any time to plan for Activity Day which was Friday.  By Thursday I had it half planned but knew it wouldn’t be enough.  Friday morning I was sitting at the table not knowing what to do.  I said a fervent, tearful prayer for help.  I put my head down in my arms, feeling overwhelmed.  Immediately in my mind I could see the activity exactly the way it should go.  I know the Lord supports His missionaries and I feel so blessed to be a recipient of those blessings.

Forever Changed

Our last week in New York was bittersweet.  Our replacements came and we turned over the reins to them.  

Elder Williams, Jay, Elder Shapiro

On Saturday, we went to dinner with ALL the senior missionaries with the exception of Elder Openshaw who was at home with a lame foot.  President and Sister Reynolds even came.  It was such an enjoyable evening.  The only thing that would have made it better would have been if we could all have sat closer to one another.  There were 20 of us so we were a bit spread out.  We hated to say goodbye to all those wonderful friends.

With sisters from the branch at
Linger Longer

On Sunday, our last day at church, the Branch had a surprise Linger Longer for us.  The Primary kids had made a poster and everyone signed it.  We felt like celebrities with everyone wanting their picture with us.  We were grateful that Jay made it even though he wasn’t feeling well.  Both he and Marc ended up with the flu (which I came down with later).

On the ferry leaving Long Island one the way out, I jotted down a few things that we have learned from this grand adventure.

I’ve learned from other missionaries that true charity—Christ like love—can be shown in the simplest of ways. I saw it in a Senior Sister who ordered a carton of soup from the restaurant we were leaving to give to the man in the wheel chair on the corner.  I saw it in a sweet Senior Sister who made sure our every need was met during our last week when we were “camping out” in our Jamaica apartment.  I saw it in a young elder who came in the office with no coat on because he had given it to “someone who needed it more”. 

We both learned that some of the people who will come to mean the most to you in this life may be the ones you have not met yet.

We learned that a great ward/branch social doesn’t have to involve topping the last one with better decorations and activities.  It can be just a few Dollar Store plastic flowers, a rousing game of musical chairs and just visiting with people you care about. 

We learned that with the Lord’s help we can stretch far more than we thought possible.

We learned that you don’t have to speak someone’s language to come to love them completely.

And we learned that a person doesn’t have to have the same beliefs as you to be a kind giving person who has an impact on your lives.

We can honestly say that as a result of the last two years in serving the Lord we truly are forever changed.

With Zoee, Maya and Arya

Sister and President Reynolds, Elder and Sister Ho

Elder & Sister Adams and Photobomber

Sister Ho, Elder Conger & Elder Adams

CHANGE IS GOOD

On Tuesday the 16th, we got to attend the Manhattan temple with President and Sister Reynolds and all the missionaries leaving for home on 2/6.  It was wonderful to be with them in the temple!  Then after the session, President Reynolds had arranged for us all to do some sealing work, for people who the sealer (President Fox, I believe, from the temple presidency) said were his ancestors.  It was a choice experience, and one we will remember forever!  Upon returning to the Mission office, we had the traditional meal (catered by ‘Pio Pio Restaurant’) for missionaries returning home. It was fun and nostalgic! (I’ll see if I get any photos in…the lack of internet at home and the fact that I left my phone at home today are impediments.)

Last Wednesday we went to ‘Phantom of the Opera” at the Majestic Theater on Broadway.  It was great!!  We had box seats in the closest box on stage left.  We really enjoyed being able to see the actors’ faces, and I really enjoyed looking down into the orchestra pit and seeing them do their work.  (It was interesting that several would play like crazy for a few minutes, then put their instrument down and read a book until they were up again.) Once again, I was just so impressed at HOW GOOD everyone was!!  The pinnacle of success is Broadway, so they get the best!  What made it even more fun was being able to go with several of our senior missionary friends, Sister Conger and Sister Postma.  (I thought sometimes that I probably looked like a fine Mormon man with his three wives…)

Diane spearheaded a primary activity on Friday night, which turned out to be wonderful!  Pretty much all the kids that are active, plus a few (and a number of parents and other adults) were there.  She had the American Sign Language sisters come and teach the kids more ASL words and phrases, then had some activities that required them to use their new ASL skills.  We have a little deaf girl that was baptized recently, and Diane said she was just glowing!  I’m proud of Diane for going out of her way to teach ASL songs to the kids in Primary over the past year, and I don’t doubt that was one of the main reasons Arianna made the decision to be baptized.  (Diane was even the ASL interpreter in her baptism interview…in the interview there was Arianna (speaks only ASL), Arianna’s mother (speaks only Spanish), Diane (speaks a little ASL and a little Spanish), Brother Lopez (BP1C, speaks English & Spanish) and President Garcia (Branch President, speaks only English and Tagalog))  AMAZING, but so Queens!

I begged off going to the Primary activity so I could keep cleaning the apartment, getting ready to move out Monday.  It’s amazing how long it takes to pack and clean a 750 sf apartment after you’ve been there 2 years!!  I think the results speak for themselves and it’s something we are proud to turn over to our replacements, the Palmers!  We moved to a newly rented apartment in Jamaica (NY) last night, which we will camp out in until we leave in a week.  The Palmers are driving to NYC today from their home in Lexington, Kentucky, and will be here at 9PM or so tonight.  We remember our hazy memories of doing the same thing 2 years ago.  Everything was just so strange, and you are in a fog the first several days! 

The apartment we are staying in this week was just rented and furnished by the mission for the Zimmermans (records preservation) who will arrive on the 2^nd.  The apartment is larger than ours, and will be great once it’s upgraded by some senior couples.  Our old apartment had had couples in it for 6 or 8 years, so the quality and quantity of provisions was pretty nice.  We old people are used to a standard that is a little higher than the young missionaries, so we tend to replace things as needed.  (We replaced the bathroom light fixtures, the kitchen faucet, the TV, the microwave, and the vertical blinds, along with towels and linen and a few other things.)  It will be an interesting week camping out in a strange apartment, and roughing it with no internet!  The Congers, one of our favorite couples, lives in the same building and dropped by last night, which was fun!  I’m sure the week will fly by!

It’s sad to think of our time here ending, and we will sure miss a whole bunch of people we’ve grown to love!  One of them for me is Jay.  In SS class a couple of weeks ago, I was talking about something Jay said or did, and Nicole (15) said, “Is Jay your best friend?!” And I said, “Certainly one of the top two!”  It’s kind of amazing that in 2 years you can get to know someone and love them so much (which we don’t talk about because we are men…).  It will be sad to leave because I know what kind of long-distance communicator I am, and it’s not good.  I’ll try to tempt Jay to come out west and visit, and hope he will give me a good reason to visit here, too!  The relationships are the thing you miss when you leave somewhere, and luckily we know that they are eternal.

Just Kicking Down the Cobblestones

Elder Williams keeps them captivated

This was our last big busy week before we start winding down.  We had 4 mega-zone conferences. At each conference, President Reynolds gave our “eulogies”.  It was a bit embarrassing but a tradition we had to put up with.  He did say very nice things about us and the missionaries were wonderful to us.  There are many that we have grown close to and some even shed tears, which made us teary but it was nice to know we will be missed.

Brick Street

Last night was probably our last “Jay tour”.  Jay took us in to Manhattan to Greenwich Village.  Jay’s tours are better than the kind you pay for.  He knows so much and is constantly pointing out little things we would have missed.  Sometimes people passing by try to listen and catch part of the “tour”.   This one may have been our most fun tour yet, in spite of the below-freezing windy weather.  I think the weather made it seem even more of an adventure.  The skies were clear and everything seemed so crisp.  We saw lots of historic buildings from the 19^th century and some cobblestone streets.  Afterwards we went to a wonderful Peruvian/Chinese restaurant.  We had a short wait to get in and the entry-way was packed with people, cheek-to-cheek, as it were.  One thing I’ve noticed about New Yorkers is that they don’t seem to mind being packed in like sardines.  There was much chatting and joking with complete strangers and it made the wait that much more enjoyable.  The food was wonderful too!

Popsicle People

Only two more Sundays to go.  I will certainly miss my Primary kids.   They are rowdy but still lovable. I guess we are at that stage where we are torn.  We are excited to be with our family and friends but keep noticing all the things and people we will miss when we leave.

Before coming here, I had built up serving a mission so much in mind that I was a little worried that it would be a let-down.  It has ended up being a far better experience than I ever dreamed.  Who would have thought you could have so much fun, meet so many wonderful people and do such meaningful service in your mid-sixties?  We are truly forever changed.

Sweet Sisters

Handsome Elders

Preparing Mega-Zone lunch with a little help from the
office elders.

Sisters waiting for companions who are on
a temple trip.  Sisters Barney, Borges, Monteiro and Bingham.
Sister Borges' mother is Elder Williams' mother's visiting teacher.

Not all the beautiful art in the city are in
the big museums.

Jefferson Market Library