February 17, 2013
Dear Family—
Typing
on my new computer. This will be
the final one since I can’t return this.
It’s an HP with Blu-ray.
Also, Lynn installed a new Word software that is more compatible to
receiving some kind of documents (like the kind my mission president sends me)
that the other version didn’t have.
So, I’ve been frustrated at all the changes that I can’t stand. I want the old style back. Sigh. Will just have to get used to it. We haven’t returned the other HP to COSTCO yet so now we are
a three computer family with two people.
: )
The
biggest news is that we are moving to a different apartment on the same
floor. So we’re moving to 5A and
5H (our current place) will be given to the younger missionaries. 5A has another bedroom, the
kitchen is about twice as big, there’s another bathroom and there is a small
balcony—all big pluses. The
downside is that the floors are a medium brown and old (5H has new light bamboo
floors). The apartment does
face Ocean Parkway and we discovered that there is traffic noise. The 5A was left a filthy, dirty, greasy,
moldy mess in the kitchen and bathrooms and we have spent 3 days cleaning and cleaning. Every square inch of the kitchen
cabinets were rubbed hard with Comet and other cleansers. They are laminate, so they could take
the scrubbing. All the appliances
needed serious attention but with hard work, they look like new. The 5A kitchen really isn’t that old,
it just was never cleaned. I
have thought long and hard about making the move, but just the thought of
having the extra room so we could have family come visit was too tempting.
So, now
that we have the room, we’d love to have you come and visit us in New York!
The
missionaries are going to help us move in tomorrow.
Tuesday
the temple reopened and Lynn and I went back to our responsibilities
there. Unfortunately the lady who
is my trainer injured herself and was not able to be there. They were shy 3 workers and so I was
left to my own to figure out what to do.
It became a problem at one point when I couldn’t understand what my
schedule was telling me to do, no else could figure it out, they guessed, and
when I tried to find someone that could help me, there was no one to be found. I finally got to where I was supposed
to be (initiatory) and from then on, everything went ok. I did get two hours to do memorizing
while sitting in the elegant hall off the Celestial room and had a quiet chat
with a lady with a heavy Spanish accent who was a worker there. So many faithful people work at that
temple at great sacrifice to themselves.
One lady comes in three days a week but lives 100 miles away and takes a
bus to get to the temple!!! Which
means she also takes the bus home……..
Starting
this week we will have a lot of changes with the young missionaries. It will be very hard to let some
of them go, they become a part of you.
We had the Spanish missionaries to our place for breakfast this past
Wednesday. Had the same menu as I
did the week before but this time everything went a lot better because I had
already practiced. The Spanish
speaking missionaries are very impressive. Two of the elders are the zone leaders, the other two, the
district leaders and then there are two sisters. The difference in deportment and talk was much more
mature—these missionaries insisted on cleaning up and discussed mission issues
like adults. Not all missionaries
are created equal.
Lynn and
I went to the Midwood 2 ward (Spanish speaking) Saturday night for that ward’s
Valentines “party”. They
were trying to raise money for their scouting program so they had a small yard
sale inside the church. They had a
professional type photographer taking pictures. And they had a nice dinner and small program. Everything cost money. But, that was the idea. I think they did pretty well
financially. Lynn and I did our
share to help the cause.
Lynn also
went to Flushing Meadows area via the train in the morning. There was a Chinese New Year parade
happening there (it’s the year of the snake) and he wanted to be part of that
experience. I had way too much to
do and felt like I couldn’t make it.
It was nice to stay home.
Two of the missionaries came by and helped move a few things that we
could live without. (We would have
moved into our apartment on Friday but we didn’t get the electricity on when we
had hoped—finally got it turned on yesterday.) Then more missionaries, first the sisters, then some elders,
came by just to chat, hang-out, express some frustrations and they needed a
kind, sympathetic, listening ear.
One of the sisters wasn’t feeling well so I got her some medicine which
did the trick. We may be the
member support missionaries, but much more than that we are the parents to our
“kids.” One thing they did say,
and I’m not surprised, is that the two Midwood wards are THE most difficult
areas in the entire mission. It’s
super hard to get baptisms here and after people get baptized, they go inactive
within a month. Our job is to help
those newly baptized people but since we’ve been here there have been no
baptisms. A few people are
starting to come back and that’s the good news.
But,
those that do come, that are active, are so wonderful. They are lacking experience in the
church and there are, as I mentioned before, way too many single adults. There
is exactly one family that has a father, mother and children of either Primary
or YM/YW age. There are a number
of married couples with grown children and two married couples with one baby each. And yet, the members come, and they are devoted and they are
sweet to get to know.
Lynn gave
the lesson in Sunday School lesson today, on the 4th article of
faith and he did his usual magnificent job of teaching. Being a teacher for a profession
prepared him well for today’s class.
: )
On
Valentine’s Day, I got a beautiful card and bouquet of flowers from Lynn. I told him I wanted to try a real good
Jewish deli for dinner, so we went to one street noted for just that, found a
very nice place and found out that the prices matched the nice place. We bought the most expensive sandwiches
we’ve ever bought; however, the pastrami was excellent. We got two pickles with that, the
completely sour, and the half sour.
Both were the best pickles ever!
The young men behind the deli counter all wore their little caps and had
their Brooklyn accents.
The
gospel is true and I am grateful for that knowledge. Grateful to Jesus Christ and his atonement. Grateful for the Book of Mormon—I love
reading and studying it every day.
And I’m grateful for uncounted blessings from God. After Lynn and I went to visit his home
teaching companion in his little hovel of a place, he is a dear man with health
problems, we came away really realizing how unbelievably blessed we are. It’s wonderful to serve the people here
and get to know a whole different culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment