Parting advice to the missionaries and a visit from Katie and Ashley

I was blessed to attend four mega-zone conferences this week which gave me a chance to see every missionary in the mission over the four days.  The area medical advisor and his wife also came to attend the conferences.

Monday I drove to Bethpage which is about 20 miles out on Long Island to lunch with Sisters Taylor and Madsen  after which I drove back to Rego Park to shop at Costco to purchase food for the Tuesday zone conference.  As I've mentioned before, the senior missionaries help with lunch preparation at each conference.  We usually do hoagie sandwiches, chips, fruit, and dessert.  This time we took the easy road and had Costco cookies.

Sisters Madsen and Taylor

"Elder" Honey

Monday afternoon I had a surprise visit from Elder Honey, who went home a few months ago, and his family.  It is always fun to see the missionaries and to meet their parents and siblings.

The first zone conference on Tuesday was held in Flushing.  I had the opportunity to talk to the missionaries at the conclusion of their lunch time.  I reviewed with them the important things that I hoped they had learned through the time I've been here.   I reminded them that they were entering adulthood and that the mission would prepare them in many ways for their future:  career, church service/leadership, social relationships, family, etc.

Along with adulthood responsibilities come the responsibility of self-reliance.  I advised them to begin to use their brains and to think for themselves; to use the health information I have given them to take care of themselves. I outlined nutrition and menu planning/shopping, exercise benefits, and mental health issues we have discussed in previous zone conferences. 

I shed a few tears along the way.  Well....maybe I should confess, I cried buckets of tears as I bore my "departing" testimony.  I love these missionaries dearly.  I will be leaving a large chunk of my heart in NYC.

Wednesday morning, I went early into Manhattan with Elder and Sister Keyes, the area medical advisor.  (Their mission places them in Boston with charge of watching over 8 north eastern missions.)  Elder Keyes wanted to meet with Michelle Workman, director of LDS Family Services counseling in this area.  She sees/counsels missionaries in mental health issues in the state of New York and maybe some in New Jersey.  Not positive about that.

We then made it back to Woodside late morning so that I could do my lunch time presentation.

That evening I was able to pick up Katie and Ashley, Kristin's daughter, at La Guardia.  We went straight to Mizumi Japanese/Asian Buffet and had dinner with Elder and Sister Keyes.

Then we went to The French Artisan Bakery Workshop for our duke and an apple pie which was Ashley's choice.

Ashley eats anything and EVERYTHING! 

Ashley especially loves sushi.  This 20 foot long sushi bar is her "Heaven"

Thursday my conference was in Plainview, which is about 25 miles out on Long Island. Katie and Ashley went sightseeing: Statue of Liberty, Charging bull, Trinity Church and the 9-11 Memorial Museum.   I met them in Chinatown where we ate at Joe's Shanghai which is famous for their soup dumplings.  Soup dumplings are not easy to eat.  Read this article about eating soup dumplings properly but only if you want a giggle.

Chinatown

Soup Dumpling-SO GOOD!!

Red bean shortcake for dessert. 

Waiting for the train

Then we went to the Empire State Building to see the city by night.

Looking through the telescope

The lighted tower looking up from the Observation Deck

Looking down-Lit up like Christmas!!

Friday my conference was in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.  I rode with Elder and Sister Williams.  After my lunch presentation, I took the train to midtown Manhattan where I met a former missionary, Katie Fitt, and her parents.  Katie and Ashley met us and we had a very nice Korean early dinner.

I only captured a couple of pictures at some of the conferences. 
Friday I got a picture with Sister Barney.

Sister Monteiro

"Sister" Katie Fitt. 
I met Katie and her parents at a Korean tofu restaurant.  Wonderful people!

Ashley eating a fish head at the Korean restaurant. 
(She was a bit reluctant to try this one.)

Times Square in the day time

Times Square in the night time.

Friday night we had tickets to see Wicked.  Great show!!

We had seats in the front mezzanine. Looking at the theater/stage below

The large dragon (lightened so you can see it) "flew" at various times during the show

Saturday, we drove out to Sayville and took the ferry to Fire Island to see the sunken forest.  Then back to the mainland and over the bridges to the west end of Fire Island for an hour or so at the beach.

Riding the ferry to Sailor's Haven, Fire Island to the Sunken Forest

The Sunken Forest is one of only two places in the world where you will find a forest like this. 
The forest is protected by two large dunes from salt spray which kills all vegetation such as
these holly trees which are at least 250-300 years old.

The Sunken Forest has three varieties of trees:  holly, sassafras, and swamp oak. 
There are other tree-like shrubs and bushes.  This is a sassafras tree.  
The bark is deeply grooved and the leaves are in three shapes on the same tree.

In this picture you can see oval, round and three "fingered" leaves

Ashley is holding the lighthouse down.  Her zip-lock bag holds her bounty of shells for the day

Sunday after church we went to Manhattan to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.  We arrived back to my apartment in time to see and catch/hold fireflies/lightning bugs.

Firefly on Katie's hand.  It only took 30 pictures to get this.  The fir.efly didn't cooperate

Ashley has only one more thing on her bucket list of things to do in NYC: the turtle pond in Central Park.  That is on our schedule for Monday morning before they leave to go home.

It has been an emotionally charged week for me.  So wonderful to have Katie and Ashley here and wonderful and sad to say my good-byes to the missionaries at zone conferences.  I will still see some of them and of course talk to some of them but essentially, I won't be seeing many of them again before I leave.

My life is full of blessings and gifts from my Father in Heaven and my Savior.  

I love you my family and friends.

After my shower one evening, I found this love note on my fleece blanket on my bed.

Susan Kruger, this is a close-up of the violet colored flower that is so  prolific every where here. 
I don't think it looks like the picture of the blue flax.  Any other ideas.  I really think it is beautiful.

And to end on a good note...
(Actually in my book, a balanced diet would be a chocolate cone in each hand)