13 June 2016

After cleaning the apartment, we decided to take the subway to Chambers Street, Downtown Manhattan, about a 45 minute ride.  This is the stop for World Trade Center WTC and Ground Zero where the Twin Towers were located prior to the disaster of 9-11.  We didn't spend time at the site, other than to see the Memorial Ponds and the long line going into the Museum as it was getting late in the afternoon.

Sign in Front of Ground Zero WTC where the Twin Towers were located.

 Memorial commerating 9-11

 Park around the WTC

 Between Memorial Ponds and the Museum

 North Memorial Pond closeup

Golden standing next to the North Memorial Pond

Looking toward the Memorial Museum (Long Line!)

27 June 2016

We are finally falling into a pretty good schedule. There are four of us that are missionaires that alternate schedules to cover the hours of the Family History Center and we work there five days a week. We work 21 hours a week at the center and usually serve two days at the temple so we do not have a lot of free time.

Last Monday, Golden and I decided to forgo house cleaning on our "P" day and we took a trip to Downtown Manhattan to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

We went to Battery Park where we picked up our tickets at Castle Clinton, one of the forts on New York Harbor. During the whole time we were in the area, helicopters circled above as part of the harbor security.

After we got our tickets, we boarded the Statue Cruise line for Liberty Island and Ellis Island.

It was quite amazing as we walked around her listening to what she represented. We learned that they have her in a moving forward motion indicating that freedom and democracy will go on to all people. She is facing East and her seven pointed crown represents the seven continents of the world, inviting all to come to freedom. The torch stands for the light of freedom used so that all may see the laws of freedom in the book that she is holding. Her image portrays a person of strength and dignity making a statement that this nation would be seen by all as a nation of strength and dignity that all would desire to come to.

As I stood pondering her significance, I began to reflect on the prophetic nature of this country and the symbols of the Statue of Liberty became even deeper than what was presented. I could see her holding the Light of Christ and drawing people to come. I saw her crown covering all seven periods of the history of creation and offering  the Light of Christ and His Words that have been restored to bring all people, both Jew and Gentile, unto Christ.

Our Savior is moving forward in gathering all his sheep in preparation for His Second Coming where He will rule and reign and bring all people to the freedom that the Gospel offers to all. It was a very spiritual moment for me and one that I will cherish.

Battery Park

We then went over to visit Ellis Island. As we toured, we were given an audio tour where we were able to go as an immigrant.

Ellis Island from the Cruise Ship

Diane in front of Ellis Island Welcome Sign

Golden standing in front of the Baggage Claim area

 I never realized how much it would feel like being in a concentration camp without the violence. No one could speak or understand English and they would have up to a thousand in the Register room at one time.

Registry Hall where all immigrants came thru.

12 June 2016

We had our first Zone conference with Elder Randall K. Bennett from the Quorum of 70's and is the Area President of the North American Northeast area.

Elder Bennett shared several examples of missionary experiences from the time he served as a young boy in France to his service as Mission President in Russia. He shared how there was a time when he hated his mission and wanted to go home. After spending over 8 hours with the Mission President, he went back to serve and was able to completed his mission successfully. Mission Presidents do love their missionaries and what them all the succeed.

Elder Randall K. Bennett of the Seventy

A few of the things that he taught that impressed us was about how we were all taught and trained in the pre-existence for the very mission we are serving right now. The Savior watched us in the pre-existence and knew exactly how we would serve, where are strengths and weaknesses were and what would work best for us while serving.

He shared his experience of being with President Nelsen when he was selecting where missionaries would be sent. He mentioned how President Nelson would go almost nose to nose with the missionary's picture then he would stand up and point to the electronic map and would say this is where this missionary should go.

One of these missionaries happened to have had a virus affecting his heart so when President Nelson chose to send him to Argentina, the staff member mentioned to him that according to his records, with this heart condition there were only three places in the world that could treat it, which he named. Elder Nelson stopped for a moment and then said that a fouth was located in Argentina (which he knew from his keeping up with such events due to his interest in heart surgeries.  The staff member then was asked to add this place to his list, bringing it to four places in the world where such specialized care facilities were located.

Elder Nelson stated that he was just responding to the promptings from the Savior on where he wanted his missionaries sent. He was just the spokesman. Mission callings are very personal and done by revelation. What a testimony he bore!

Elder Bennett went on to say that as we introduce ourselves to those people that we come in contact with, we are to say that "We are representatives of the Jesus Christ and we have a very important message he wants you to hear." If they decline, he said do not write them off. Ask them if it would be all right to contact them later to see if they have changed their mind. Also, if they knew of anyone interested in religious issues, and the get the contact information.  We are friends and care about them. Then follow up on that promise regularly to keep inviting them know how important it is to hear this message.

He bore witness (as Boyd K. Packer testifed) that Preach My Gospel was written beyond the veil and revealed to us. We are a part of the Great Last Dispensation and were chosen because of our strength and the choices we made in the pre-existence.

We have not been called to save everyone he stated. We have been called to gather the "elect" and those that are of the House of Israel. To do this, missionaries are to talk to everyone they meet. In our area, millions of lessons have been taught in even short encounters on the street, and our message may come to then in changed circumstances from the past many years.

The characteristics found in an "elect" person or one of the House of Israel are:

1. They will hear and listen.
2. They are soft and open.
3. They have a true desire to believe.

After the zone conference, we were visiting with the other missionary couple who serves in the FHC, Elder Tom and Sister Liz Hanson since only one person was there doing indexing.  We learned that Sister Hanson is the sister of Aaron's mission president from Roseville California Mission, President John Hoyberg.  What a small world we live in!

My sister, Colleen, texted the other day and stated that she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. She has had it for about two years but has been given good odds for a full recovery. She will be in surgery on Tuesday and doing six weeks, 5 days a week, of radiation. Please keep her in your prayers along with Jenna who is having jaw surgery on Monday.

The patrons that have been coming in the last couple of days to the Manhattan Family History at Lincoln Square where we serve, have been fun to work with. They are open to learn and very excited to find family.  Diane worked with a couple of Jewish patrons and they opened up FamilySearch accounts and were looking for their family from Hungary.  She started to work with Benji Perez who was a 36 year-old single patron whose family roots were from Puerto Rico.  She handed him off to Elder Adams and for the next two or three hours while he was waiting for his friends to go into the baptistry of the temple, trying to get family information from what little he knew and finally finding his great-grandparents in the 1940 Puerto Rico Census was a real joy!

 Manhattan FHC - East side

 Manhattan FHC - West side

It was great to confirm to him what the missionaries had told him regarding the Spirit of Elijah and the protections of doing family history.  He was so excited!  He really didn't think we would find anything about his family and went away nothing short of amazed!  Since his grandmother lives in Brooklyn and has pituitary cancer, we challenged him to not wait but to get as many memories from her as he could and give him the "My Family" booklet in Spanish for her to record and preserve the memories.

Sister Pratt, a member who was a ballerina, has come into the Center to print family ordinance cards, Elder Adams saw her in the temple while serving as an ordinance worker on Thursday, and she (like many others) sure are set in their minds as to what they want to find and how they want to find it.  But while she was doing her thing, going to the next computer and looking at other family members were they key to finding her grandfather's name and his family.  She left with the remark that we really did know how to do this work.

This week we were able to prepare four baptisms with patrons (for their family members), Diane has had six baptism on her family with four pending.  In addition, the ordinances for some 20-30 other family members have been completed, since we are able to provide 10 cards each per week for the temple to help us complete ordinances for our family members.  How many missionaries can top that in the first month of their mission?

We commute from our apartment to the FHC at 125 Columbus and 65th Street Downtown each day.  The subways transport MANY people back and forth!  Here's just a sampling:

 #1 Subway on a light day

June 5, 2016

I think that I finally figured out how to do this blog so forgive me for not writing anything for a couple of weeks as I could not remember how to get into it. I guess I really am a senior.

These first two weeks in New York have been very enlightening and educational. I am beginning to be able to walk around and not get lost. I am starting to learn a few phrases in Spanish so that I can say something to those around me as we are in a non-English speaking area.

Most of the people are from the Dominican Republic and have had no need to learn English. Even going grocery shopping or asking for directions has been challenging.

On Monday, May 30th President and Sister Smith invited us to come to the mission home in Scarsdale to meet them along with the new missionaries joining us in our mission. We started our journey by bus until we got into Harlem and then we caught the train into Scarsdale where they pick us up.

New York New York North Mission Home in Scarsdale

Front Yard and entrance to the Mission Home

Diane and Golden on NY City North Train to Scarsdale

This was a very comfortable train unlike those in the New York subway. It was very quiet and had nice seats.

Golden just getting off the train in Scarsdale

 Diane and Golden in front of the mission home

President and Sister Smith with new missionaries at airport

We attended a testimony meeting and get-together at the mission home where we met our mission president, President David Smith and his family for the first time. We learned that Golden and Sister Smith's father, Duane Cardall, served as missionaries at the same time in the Netherlands Mission between 1964 and 1965, 51 years ago.

President and Sister Smith along with their office staff and Elder and Sister Gardner who were just ending their mission.

Mondays are our "P" day when we can do shopping, house cleaning, laundry, and site seeing activities which we have not done much of yet.

Diane in front of the stores in Inwood

Since most people walk all over, grocery shopping is done with personal carts.

Golden returning from grocery shopping

Currently, we have been assigned to work 20 hours a week rotating shifts with Elder (Tom) and Sister  (Liz) Hanson in the Family History Center. Here are pictures of the temple and the family history center in Manhattan. We were recently set apart as Manhattan Temple Ordinance Workers and serve there on Thursday mornings. The tower is where they house all of the temple and family history missionary couples. They are still struggling with contractual agreements on getting us approved for an apartment.

Travelling from our apartment in Innwood (in Upper Manhattan) to Manhattan Church Buildings is quite an adventure on the subway. It takes about 30 minutes each way. Our apartment is only 1/2 a block away from the subway station on Dyckman Street.

Dyckman Street Metro Station

For the most part, it is not too bad going Downtown to the family history center at corner of Columbus and 65th Street. Going back to our apartment is what I call bonding time with strangers, I would think very similar to a cattle car full of cows, and very hot.

The mission is interesting, educational, challenging, and full of surprises. The Family History Center is almost always busy with people from all over the world with unique situations keeping us on our toes. The other missionaries and temple workers have been great to work with and we are enjoying our time here so far. We miss you all so very much but look forward to a great reunion in a couple of years.