Goodbye Beans

OnMonday July 8 we had a Cheers and Tears dinner for the Beans.  Brother Bean has been the second counselor but has been released and won’t be back in November.  I had to take a salad so I took a Strawberry Poppyseed salad.  The Kippen, the couple we followed were there.  It was a lovely night of well wishes and sweet words.

Citizenship

On Friday we went to the Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn to see one of our local temple workers become a citizen. I was so excited to go to a naturalization ceremony but when we got there it was all by closed circuit tv and boring.  We sat for almost three hours doing nothing.  We had to check our phones when we went in and had nothing to entertain ourselves with.  However, it was worth it when she came out and saw us.  Congratulations Margaret May!

Life’s Little Annoyances

I have a growth on my thumb that is making much of what I do very difficult.  It is called a Pyogenic granuloma and is blood capillaries growing outside of the skin.  It started like a blood blister and the I scraped it and it bleed heavily off and on for about two months every time I bumped it and then as it started to heal this thing started to grow.  I went to urgent care and was told it will need to be removed surgically but a week later I am still waiting for them to call me and schedule it.

The Last Week

This week was crazy busy,  Jeff and I have been the baptistery Coordinators for the month of July. It has been an amazing, crazy experience.  Sue to the Millennial Choir and Orchestra we were so busy that we hardly had time to catch our breath.  We had groups from Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California overloading our system but we were able to help all of them have a sweet temple experience.  They were to perform on the week that the power went out so we were busy all week.  I thought last week may be slower because they were all leaving , however, it wasn’t slower because it’s was the last week the temple was to be open.

Tuesday we had a very sweet experience.  Three brothers (DeWitt, Lannon, and Romney) brought their daughters in to be baptized.  Brother Romney and Lennon were witness and Dewitt was baptizing.  While they were at the font a sister and her daughter (Brothersen) came in to be baptized.  They didn’t have a baptized.  As Brother Romney came down he recognized her as a woman he had baptized 22 years ago, he was delighted to dress and baptize her again.  He was here from Phoenix and she was from Northern Utah.  It was wonderful to witness.  Wednesday we were very short handed on Priesthood and had a full schedule.  Only the missionaries were there.  We need help in the. Baptistery and none was available.  Just then three brothers walked in saying they were there to help to do whatever we needed.  Jeff needed them to baptize and to be witnesses.  Very soon after another brother walked in saying he was there to help and he was able to be the recorder.  I have a testimony that this is His house and He is in control.

Lights Out!

Last night just as we were finishing the 5:00 session we had an unusual experience, one worth remembering.  I had been the follower and we had just been in the office with Sister Bean.  We were putting away the language headsets. As we walked down the steps toward the back stairs the power went off.  Jeff and I were in a hurry as we had tickets to hear the Lds group Millennial Choir sing at Carnegie Hall.  When we opened the door to the stairwell it was pitch black and no other way to get down.  The elevators weren’t working due to the power outage.  Sister Bean got her phone and we were able to get down to the 4th floor and find a few flashlights.  the patrons all had to be directed down the backstairs to an emergency exit.  While the brothers were evacuating the patron, I tried to do our cleaning on the 4th floor with the use of the light on my phone.  One of the sisters commented about the fact that there was  no emergency lighting in the bathrooms and they were pitch black, making it very difficult to find the way out.

When we finally got out of the temple we had to take the back stairs up to our apartment on the 6th floor.  I was so winded when we made it upstairs.  We quickly changed still hoping to get to Carnegie Hall.  We walked the few blocks and when we were walking the streets were flooded with people.  We bought a hotdog and water from the vendor in front of the temple, Jeff was annoyed because he had jacked the prices up on his food.  We then rushed to the concert.  When we arrived the streets were becoming packed with people.  There was no power there either.  We waited around for about an hour and then it was canceled.  The choir came out and sang to the NYFD while they were working on the street.  Jeff said they sang “I Believe in Christ” but I couldn’t make it out.  He had tears in his eyes.  After we left to return to our apartment the sang “I Stand All Amazed”.  there is aided of it on Facebook.

We walked back to Columbus Circle bought an ice cream cone and sat on a bench outside of Trump Tower until just after 9 when we returned to our apartment, up the back stairs.  We waited for the power to come on sometime between 10:30 and 11:00.

I was amazed at the friendly nature of the crowds.   And the peaceful environment. I never once felt in danger or threaten and was a little surprised at some of the news coverage.  Definitely a New York Experience.

The Baptistry

Jeff ad I moved to the morning shift in July and were assigned as Baptistry coordinators.  In joy the work butting is exhausting and I am on my feet for 7 hours on marble floors.  My back and legs and feet ache so bad when I am finished.  I get about 9-10 thousands steps a day in the baptistery.

A young man came in on Friday that reminded me of Darin.  He was so sweet and even looked a little bit like him.  It was a very sweet experience.

Our coordinators from Tuesday morning in Arizona are the Riggs.  Their son came in to the baptistery with his son and daughter.  It was fun to meet them.

The Sisterhood in White Dresses

This is the most wonderful group of sisters I have ever worked with.  I don’t believe I have ever felt this much apart of a group.  They are all from the west coast, Nevada, California, Utah, Arizona, and Idaho.  We work so together so closely and so often that it is important that we share such respect an love for each other.  I am not really social and don’t enjoy rage groups but we have had several activities with the whole group and I enjoyed myself in spite of myself.

The Monday after we arrive we did a walking tour along the Hudson River.  I didn’t know anyone but we spent most of the day together walking, talking, and getting acquainted.  I had to leave at lunch time because I had blisters on my feet and was worried about working in the temple the next day.

On Memorial Day we worked a half day in the temple and then came home and crashed.  We were suppose to stay for a lunch with the group but I felt I had to get out and Jeff agreed.  I think perhaps I should have made myself stay but am still glad I escaped.  The next Monday we went with the group to Harmony Pennsylvania and had a wonderful Day.  I was exhausted when we returned late at night. We saw Emma and Joseph’s first home and the grave of their first son. We saw the wooded area where the priesthood was restored and the Susquehanna river where Joseph and Hyrum were baptized.  We saw several other historical homes before returning to New York.

We had a barbecue at Governor’s Island on July 1st.  It was so beautiful and we had a lovely view of the Statue of Liberty from our picnic area.  It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know our group better and the other missionaries in our building.  Some work for CES and some with public affairs (they work with the United Nations).  We returned with the first group coming back because we were working morning in the temple and going to the Mets game the next day.

We went to the Mets game with the Neilson’s.  He was Temple president in the Vegas temple ad a mission president in Poland.  They a two of my favorite people here.  We had a great time at the game but I was so great full to get home and go to bed.  I was so tired.