Meals with Missionaries

When I tell you how often I have eaten out this week, you will think I have done nothing but play.  (You might be right!)  Tuesday was temple day for some of the missionaries so I had the pleasure of being with two of their companions.  We went to a Thai restaurant close to where I live.  Good food.  Fun company.  We topped it off with a pedicure.  

Sisters Krause and Fitt

Pedicure

Fried Nutella ice cream and Mochi

Wednesday I took our two departing assistants to the president to lunch.  They chose Olive Garden.

Elders Sirrine and Ko

Thursday I went to Flushing to check on a missionary with an injured foot.  While there I grabbed the Korean sister missionaries thinking we could get a bowl of Korean chicken noodle soup.  They asked if we could try a Korean pizza place they had heard was good.  So pizza it was and it was tasty.  Had sweet potato in the crust.  Was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

Crusts have string cheese in them. One front left, has cream cheese and string cheese.
Sweet potato purée in the center of the pie.

Sisters Kim, Hilliard, Yu

Friday I drove out to Patchogue [pach-awg, -og], about an hour out on Long Island, to see a missionary there.  I invited a few of the sisters there to dinner since one of them was celebrating a birthday.  She chose a Mexican food restaurant.

Sisters Allen, Felsted, Nash, Fitt

Saturday I went to Park Slope, Brooklyn, for lunch and sushi.  I had not been in Park Slope before so while I was there I drove around a bit.  There is a park in the area, not as large as Central Park.  It has a reputation as a fun place to go and better than Central Park as it is less crowded.  I only did a quick drive by but I think that when the weather warms I will return for a more in depth visit.  The park has a lake, a zoo, a botanical gardens, and Prospect Park West is known as The Gold Coast because of the large mansions.  It was getting late so I saved the mansions for a later date.  Click to learn more about Park Slope, Prospect Park, and the Soldier’s and Sailor’s Arch Monument.  

Sisters Fields and Lee

Silliness

Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch

Interesting building

Brownstones /Park Slope street

Saturday evening was our ward Christmas party.  Ruma and her husband and boys were there.  Her husband seems to be softening toward the church.  He told Ruma that when our church time changes to 1:00 at the first of the year, he will come to Sacrament Meeting with her.  We are making great strides there.  Prayers are answered I can tell you.

Tonight was Sister Mejia’s last Sunday with us.  Transfer day is Tuesday and she will go home on Wednesday.

 

Sunday dinner

After dinner Snow play on way to do missionary work

We still have many missionaries with colds/viruses but on the whole the mission is healthy.  As you know I have weekly reports.  I started numbering them with the first.  I just submitted my 62^nd report Friday night.  I can’t believe that!!

The office elders have been cleaning up the storage in the basement of the building where I live.  The mission stores supplies, furniture, and everything it takes to furnish apartments for the missionaries.  There appeared an elliptical machine down there a month or so ago.  They said someone left it in an apartment and they were going to get rid of it because they needed the space.  So Friday I cleaned and rearranged my bedroom and ask them to bring it up from the basement.  I have a desire and need to work out but I am going to have to put a little effort into making it happen and not just have a desire.  I did stand on it and run it through a revolution but ….

With the Thai, Italian, Korean, Mexican, and sushi I’ve eaten this week, I should be in there working out instead of writing this blog.  My excuse, and it is a valid one, is that it is Sunday.  What excuse will I find tomorrow??  I must!  I must!!!!

This week I had occasion to talk to a person about how people can be offended or easily hurt by words or actions.  In Mosiah 20 the wicked priests of King Noah carried away twenty-four daughters of the Lamanites.  In retaliation the Lamanites attacked the people of Limhi and were defeated.  In the battle, the King of the Lamanites was wounded.  The people of Limhi wanted to slay the Lamanite king.

Beginning in chapter 14 you can read:

14 But Limhi said unto them: Ye shall not slay him, but bring him hither that I may see him. And they brought him. And Limhi said unto him: What cause have ye to come up to war against my people? Behold, my people have not broken the oath that I made unto you; therefore, why should ye break the oath which ye made unto my people?

 15 And now the king said: I have broken the oath because thy people did carry away the daughters of my people; therefore, in my anger I did cause my people to come up to war against thy people.

 16 And now Limhi had heard nothing concerning this matter; therefore he said: I will search among my people and whosoever has done this thing shall perish. Therefore he caused a search to be made among his people.

 17 Now when Gideon had heard these things, he being the king’s captain, he went forth and said unto the king: I pray thee forbear, and do not search this people, and lay not this thing to their charge.

 18 For do ye not remember the priests of thy father, whom this people sought to destroy? And are they not in the wilderness? And are not they the ones who have stolen the daughters of the Lamanites?

 19 And now, behold, and tell the king of these things, that he may tell his people that they may be pacified towards us; for behold they are already preparing to come against us; and behold also there are but few of us.

 20 And behold, they come with their numerous hosts; and except the king doth pacify them towards us we must perish.

 21 For are not the words of Abinadi fulfilled, which he prophesied against us—and all this because we would not hearken unto the words of the Lord, and turn from our iniquities?

 22 And now let us pacify the king, and we fulfil the oath which we have made unto him; for it is better that we should be in bondage than that we should lose our lives; therefore, let us put a stop to the shedding of so much blood.

 23 And now Limhi told the king all the things concerning his father, and the priests that had fled into the wilderness, and attributed the carrying away of their daughters to them.

 24 And it came to pass that the king was pacified towards his people; and he said unto them: Let us go forth to meet my people, without arms; and I swear unto you with an oath that my people shall not slay thy people.

 25 And it came to pass that they followed the king, and went forth without arms to meet the Lamanites. And it came to pass that they did meet the Lamanites; and the king of the Lamanites did bow himself down before them, and did plead in behalf of the people of Limhi.

 26 And when the Lamanites saw the people of Limhi, that they were without arms, they had compassion on them and were pacified towards them, and returned with their king in peace to their own land.

As I studied the study guide that goes along with this chapter, it asks: What should we do to help overcome the often serious results of misunderstandings?

This came to my mind as I discussed with my friend how people can become offended or hurt and often it is because of misunderstandings.  Friendships, families, countries can be torn apart and wedges driven in when things of this nature occur. 

The error of the Lamanites nearly led to the annihilation of Limhi’s people. The destruction caused by misunderstanding can happen in many areas of life.  “There are…times when one of the greatest acts of service we can perform is to stop something.  The emotional chain of reaction and overreaction can come at us like electric voltage;  it is very tempting to simply pass along.  But we must say, ‘Let it stop with me.’…At times we…should be stern, sweet sentries willing to expose ourselves to misunderstanding and pain in order to keep undesirable things from spreading any farther.”  (Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book)

I really like this thought and as I studied this chapter in Mosiah, it reinforced the idea that I and everyone, has the power to end a misunderstanding.  It can also be a part of forgiving.  I pray that you will consider this and try to remember that by studying the Book of Mormon we can learn to be more Christ-like in all we do.  It is the word of God and will help in all aspects of our lives.  Every time I study and read this book, I learn something new and pertinent to helping me work toward salvation.

I love you my family and friends.

As you know,  I love trees. There are so many big, gnarly trees here!  I'm always amazed
by the way rocks and bricks have been "ingested" by the tree roots.

I saw this sign on the sidewalk in front of a restaurant. It rather fits with "misunderstanding"

This sign is on top of a building in Brooklyn. I've passed by it many times but Saturday
the traffic was literally at a stand-still so I took a picture. Eat real food???  As opposed to rubber food? 
Fake food? Dirt?  ?????

Love for my Savior

DECEMBER!!  No way!!!   Every year I find myself saying the same thing:  Where has the year gone???   Time is such a strange thing.  It seems I just came to New York just a few days ago, but here I am beginning my second Christmas season here.

The temperature is in the 40’s.  There are still leaves on some of the trees but after a heavy rain/wind storm on Tuesday and Wednesday, I found these colorful leaves decorating the sidewalk.

We have a nasty virus taking its toll on the mission. A lot of sore throats, congestion, headaches, body aches, and coughs.  It seems to take a couple of weeks to run its course.  I can give the instructions for care in my sleep:   

Use 1/2 tsp salt in a cup of warm water as a gargle for your throat.  Do not swallow it.  1 tablespoon of plain honey also helps soothe your throat and calm a cough.  2 ibuprofen with food helps with fever and body aches.  Increase fluids.  The juice of 1/2 of a lemon in warm water with honey helps a cough.  Sip this.  You may use over the counter medications for colds and congestion.  If you have questions or concerns, let me know. 

Tuesday was temple day so I got to go to lunch with some of the sisters whose companions were at the temple.  Laura and I had finished an English lesson so she joined us before she went to work.

I started the month and the holiday season in a fun way this year.  Sister Shapiro, Sister and Elder Williams and I went to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall.  It was a fun evening.  The music and scenery were spectacular.  It ended with a manger scene and classic Christmas carols.  Beautiful night.

Foyer of The Hall

Elder and Sister Williams and Sister Shapiro

The stage is huge!  There was a full size trolley/bus that the dancers were in.
The scenery changes as the trolley went around the stage showing different city scenes. Amazing!!

Dance of the wooden soldiers. A Cannon fire knocked down the first soldier and they fell like dominoes.

Organist playing while waiting for the show to start. The snowflakes were projected onto the ceiling.

The Sugarplum Fairy

The toys come alive

Finale manger scene

Blurry pictures - real camel

Real sheep

Before the show we went to Rockerfeller Plaza to see the tree. 

Wooden soldier overlooking the skating rink.

Macy's behind the angel.

St Patrick's Cathedral.

Saturday after grocery shopping, I was in such a Christmas mood I listened to Christmas music on Pandora and I bought a live tree to decorate with the ornaments that my grandchildren made and sent to me last year.  A poinsettia and candy canes add a finishing touch. 

This week the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ has caused me to think a lot about my Savior.  As I was reading Mosiah 14, I was overcome with such emotion that I couldn’t read.  Abinadi is teaching from Isaiah and even though I have read this before, the Spirit testified so strongly to me of the Savior, His divinity, and the Atonement.  Abinadi taught that God should redeem his people, that God himself would come down from heaven, take upon himself, by birth, the form of a man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth. I would encourage you to prayerfully read Mosiah 14.  I pray that you will receive that same confirmation as I have received. 

As I pondered more about this I read other items and because I cannot express my feelings adequately, I am borrowing from others. 

From Promised Messiah by Bruce R. McConkie, we are told how Jesus Christ appeared to others:  “There is no mystique, no dynamic appearance, no halo around his head, thunders do not roll and lightnings do not flash at his appearance.  He is the Son of the Highest, but he walks and appears as the offspring of the lowest.  He is a man among men, appearing, speaking, dressing, seeming in all outward respects as they are.”

From Mortal Messiah by Bruce R. McConkie:  “Jesus had come unto his own, and his own received him not! The leaders of the people rejected his words when he preached in the temple at Passover time.  The common people of Nazareth hardened their hearts against his words when he spoke to them in the synagogue.  And so it would be throughout his whole ministry; save for a few believing souls, he was despised and rejected of men” and eventually his own would lead him before Roman overlords, as they raised their voices in chants of ‘Crucify him, Crucify him.’”

From We Will Prove Them Herewith by Neal A. Maxwell:  Jesus Christ “knows by actual, personal experience, because not only did He suffer pains, afflictions, and temptations of every kind during His second estate, but He took upon Himself our sins as well as our pains, sicknesses, and infirmities.  Thus He knew, not in abstraction but in actuality, according to the flesh, the whole of human suffering.  He bore our infirmities before we bore them.  He knows perfectly well how to succor us.  We can tell Him nothing of pain, temptation, or affliction: He learned according to the flesh and His triumph was complete!”

From Symbol of Our Faith by President Gordon B. Hinckley:  “No member of this Church must ever forget the terrible price paid by our Redeemer who gave His life that all men might live—the agony of Gethsemane, the bitter mockery of His trial, the vicious crown of thorns tearing at His flesh….the cross, the instrument of His torture, the terrible device designed to destroy the Man of Peace….We cannot forget that.  We must never forget it, for here our Savior, our Redeemer, the Son of God, gave Himself a vicarious sacrifice for each of us.”

I do testify with every fiber of my soul that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.  Through Him and because of Him, I know the path I must follow to return to my Father in Heaven and to be united with my husband and family for eternity.  I know that by studying, pondering, and praying about the scriptures in the Book of Mormon, I can be lead and taught and helped along that path.  I feel in my heart deep gratitude and love for my Savior.  My heart aches for the pain and suffering he felt.  The Holy Ghost has testified of the truthfulness of these things to me.  

I pray that you will have the Spirit with you during this Christmas season and always.  I love you my family and friends.

Sunday dinner