Sup Familia!
Wow, I can't believe I'm already back at the computer writing another email at the computer. This week was nuts and we are scurrying as fast as we can to get these people baptized before Sister Stephens leaves this next week. I will be getting a new companion on Feb 2. In some ways I feel so ready to take over the area and in other ways I feel completely insignificant and am praying with all my heart God sends someone to help me take care of these wonderful amazing people we are teaching right now. We have some very prepared people right now that need loving tender care and I know without the help of the Lord and my next companion I'm not going to be enough. Yet God always gives you the resources you need right? I have faith!
So this last week was probably the hardest week of my mission. Sometimes I sit in bed at night and just think to myself, "Wow, I can't believe I'm on a mission in NY right now." I'm having experiences here I would never have dreamed of and I know that the Lord is in all things. This is unlike anything I've ever done but I would never trade this time in my life for anything else. I know this is exactly where Im supposed to be right now. That God is with me and he really does watch over me. I feel it and I perhaps even see it.
I was asked a few weeks ago on my 1/4 way mark what my favorite part of the mission was. There are lots of things I love about the mission so narrowing it down is really hard because everyday brings new life experiences. Yet more than anything I love watching the atonement of Jesus heal souls, families, and lives. I have always had a testimony of the principles I'm teaching to be good and taken them as truth yet here in New York my depth and perspective has changed durastically. These people have been put in situations and experienced things that I never even imagined to be a reality. God is an idea in their minds that might possibly exist, but an idea that isn't quite tangible. As they put these principles into play in their lives, as they experiment upon the word, they find joy they never thought they could feel in their own life. It becomes more than just faith but a reality as they see it work. I know that our Father in Heaven loves us. I know that the atonement of Jesus Christ is real. I know that the Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world and that he really did suffer and overcome the bands of spiritual and physical death. Its through our committment to Christ that we are able to start our lives anew and follow the example of Jesus Christ. This step of baptism isn't just the symbolism,it is to be spiritually reborn and begin again. Our sins are washed away and we committ to a new lifestyle and way of living. We have a God of miracles. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Last night we went back over to teach with Yolanda and Napoleon. They are from Equador. Hermana Stephens knocked on Neopolen's apartment before I got here 4 months ago. They scheduled a return appointment with him but he had to cancel and everytime they tried to go back he was never able to follow through. About a month ago when we were making calls to invite people to church my companion decided to randomly call him and invite him. He said he would come and he did. Ever since then he has been coming to church. He works a LOT in Jersey (not unlike many other spanish folk) and it was really hard to meet with him. Yet he expressed to us a desire to meet with us after church and a desire to change. He related how he was having some marriage problems along with his family and that he wants to change. We told him the importance of families in the gospel and that we would like to get his family in on this goal with him. He didn't seem to thrilled about the idea which seemed strange to us sisters so we arranged for a noche de hogar (FHE) with another Equadorian family in the ward and invited him over. We asked him to invite his spouse but a few nights later he came alone to the FHE yet listened very well as we taught the restoration. The members established roots with him. We had to leave while they visited, but by the end of the night they had arranged for a return appointment at his home for the following week. Little does Napolean know all the tricks up our sleeves to help him and his fam overcome whatever they are trying to overcome. So last Friday we went over with Darwin, and the Bueno Family to Napoleon and Yolanda's. Hermana Bueno was the Bomb.com at establishing roots with the wife Yolanda. right off the batshe went to the kitchen as Yolanda was cooking when we arrived. It was of course nothing like Napolean had described his wife to be, yet we all know how hurt feelings grow, and as they do, the perseption of pain seems to deepen. Napoleon and Yolanda have 3 boys of ages of 14,17, 21. They seemed polite yet a little less receptive last week when we met them and wandered in and out of the room. Yolanda fed us delicious Ecuadorian food which is becoming a tradition. Every time we stop by for anything, they feed us, even if it isn't a full out lesson. Walking away a couple of friday 's ago just seemed like exactly what missionary work should be about. The love and spirit and forgiveness. Yolanda is awesome. She talked about how we were an answer to her prayers for Napoleon. She wants to do this change with him and is willing to do anything to restore her family. We found out a little bit more of the history. No wonder their family is hurting yet it doesn't matter because through the miracle of forgiveness all things are possible. Yolanda said the closing prayer which was beautiful. She gave a very heart felt prayer and forgave her husband for everything and prayed that they would be able to move and grow together in this new light. She is anxious to learn. They have both been attending church now for the last couple of weeks. It's really hard to teach them together because their schedules are pretty much opposite and they are always working. Yolanda goes to work late on Sundays just so she can come to church but she thinks and knows it a good sacrifice. The only other day we are able to teach them is Fridays. Hermana Stephens prayed yesterday that we would be able to teach them more this week before she goes. We felt like we should go stop by Napoleons last night to drop off the containers they had given us for food the week before even though we knew Yolanda had left striaight from church to work the rest of the night in Manhatten. When we went we found Yolanda there and it was almost like she was expecting us. It was so weird yet cool at the same time. She said she had just gotten home about 5 minutes earlier because it was slow at work and she had wanted to come home. We enjoyed some good food and talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ. We almost had a baptismal committemnt from them but the silence was broken by one of the members which changed the subject. Hispanics do not like silence P.S. The kids were really warm to us last night and I'm thinking next lesson they will even be willing to sit in. They realize we are helping their family and that it is good for them. Well I g2g. Pray that these investigators will find strength in their lives. All my investgatiors have tough stuff this week yet they can do it. Pray for them to have the strength.
Krisina
Monday, January 24, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Que Hubo? from the Columbian
From: Krisina Lewis
Sent: 1/17/2011 9:48:43 AM
Subject: Que Hubo?
Soy de Colombiana. Just so you all know lol. I don't know how all this exactly came about but evidently I'm anything but my true origination of caucasion. People always think I'm a mix of something. Thai's think i'm asian now the spanish think i'm Spanish.... I don't know. haha. But anyway one of our investigators Napoleon, calls me the colombiana and now other people are picking up on it and its starting to stick. Maybe it is coming from the columbian bakery feddish that I've picked up. Bunuelos and chocolate caliente are the best little bread balls of deliciousness I can think of. Those Colombian bakeries are delicious all around. Darwin is our ward correlator from Ecuador. He comes and teaches with sister stephens and I for member present lessons every now and again. We expounding off the joke of how I am colombiana and he taught me the phrase of the colombians Que hubo? It's the equivalent of Que hay de nuevo? Que Pasa? Que Tal? Como esta? etc. Only the colombians say it I guess. Its fun to have learn all the different lingo of all the different countries. Wow, my spelling is aweful. Perdoname.
Anyway way awesome week. Mom, you are killing me with the questions. lol. I have to have time to write all the cool stuff that happened this week too.
THe friday you were wondering about was just super good. Little miracles here and there and everything was just flowing how it should. That friday a couple of weeks ago was amazing because I finally felt that I was able to feel that purpose I've been looking for here. We had lessons lined up one after another with all really great progressing investigators. We taught Anna, Jose, Jonathan, Napoleon, I felt like the spirit was present in all the lessons and everything I was able to say was because the spirit was guiding and helping me. I felt like I was understanding. My companion and I were working together and were each being edified from teaching as well. I just felt like " this is what a mission should feel like". Jose Sosa also got a baptismal commit that day too which was pretty sweet. He is rockin. I told you some of the things that Jonathan said as we taught him. I just felt so good at the end of the day and it was one of those epiphanies for the mission where you learn a lot and what your trying to aim for and help people feel. I can't really explain it. I'll try and send you a copy mom of my journal entry for the day so you can get some more details. Just know really good things are happening here in the mission and that your prayers and thoughts in my behalf and the those I'm teaching really do come to pass and that I know God is listening. I've been thinking mom, it would be so awesome to go on a mission with you. Is that allowed? We should work that out somehow when I get home. We would rock the mission world together. :)
What did I do for New years?
So I was looking in my drafts and I'm not sure if it sent but I sent it again from last week just in case for the week after new years. New years was good though. We got sent home at 6pm to avoid the streets of new york and all the craziness that goes on. There were so many people out already though shopping and getting ready for the big night. We did our weekly planning that night. Had a little celebration and did cheers to the new year before we went to bed at 10:30 :) It was great. I'm liking this whole 10:30 bedtime thing. Why do people stay up till all hours of the night anyway? lol.
Ancient Grains.
Sad to say I never got any of that ancient grains in my package. However, we did make the elders with the costco card take us last week to get groceries there. I saw the cereal Ancient grains and I said to myself "Self that must be the cereal your mother has been talking about" So I bought some. Oh my! It is deliciouso! I love it. My comp and I are wishing we had bought more! I spent probably a $100 on groceries last week lol. I'm not going to have to go shopping for probably another transfer I'm thinking. lol. Good thing I'll have one more in the area at least. I'm kind of thinking i'll stay here for 5. I've been here for 2.
G-ma's Jam
Best stuff in the whole world. Yes I'm enjoying it much on all this stuff I eat. Grandma's jam has always been the best. Please tell her I love her and I think and pray for her. She is an awesome lady. Couldn't ask for a better grandma that spoils me. She also wrote me this week which I thought was so sweet of her. Let her know I'm thinking about her and to just have faith and all will work together for her good.
Pics.
Symbria/Mom- The pics you have been sending me totally rock! Symbria, I can't believe how much you are growing! I don't even know if I'm going to recognize you when I get home! Your going to be a grown woman! Did you turn 10 or 11 in October? I was thinking you must be 10 going on 22. You look so cute in your little Chinese clothes and I love the pic of you in front of the Christmas tree with your Christmas sweater! You are beautiful. Keep them coming. I've had pictures developed and a CD to send you now for a couple of weeks. It's just a matter of time to find a way to get to the post office. I have a sad story. So I had a CD you sent me in my backpack so that I could develop some pictures of Thailand and Sun Valley. Guess what happened? The CD got smashed against something and got a big old crack in it. I"m devastated! All my pics from Thailand, graduation, sun valley, etc. Ruined! I think I shed a tear or two. Maybe you could ask Tawn if she could get me a CD of graduation and Sun valley. Maybe Duang if she still has a copy of the Thailand pics that I sent her. Maybe I could get a copy of them. I'm so sad! But I guess everything happens for a reason.
Bedspread
Mother dearest, how I love that bedspread but I have had it since the 4th grade and it has had a lot of wear and tear. Pretty much hashed. I give you permission to DI it though. I'm so excited to see the bedspread you bought in China. I'm sure it is beautiful. What color is it?
Okay I think that's all the things you wanted me to answer. Stories for this week.
Miracle #1
I got to go to the temple and attend a session in Manhatten on Friday. It was amazing! My companion had her farewell temple trip and I was supposed to do exchanges with one of the other leaving sisters companions. Sister Lambert and work our area while the sisters went but when I got to the office to drop sister stephens off. Sister Unga and Sister Lambert had got stuck along the way and were having complications getting to the office. One of the elderly couples that were in charge of the trip just decided it would be easier to take us two sisters with them because of all the stuff that was happening etc etc etc. So, I got to go to the temple with everyone. One of the very few greeny's in history that has the privilege of going to the temple before the half way mark. President and Sister Nelson had a wedding of a former missionary at the Manhattan temple so they came and found us in the waiting room when we got there. President arranged for the temple President and his wife to come speak to us after the session and answer any questions that we might have regarding the temple. It was really good and I enjoyed it. President Nelson also spoke a few words to the departing sisters. He threw in a line about how he had no idea how sister lambert and myself got into the departing temple trip but that it was good to have us. It was a really spiritual experience for me and I enjoyed it very much.
Miracle #2
Jonathan- I am enjoying teaching Jonathan so much. I can't believe how fast he is progressing and eating all this stuff up. He wanted to meet with us every day last week. So now we have been working with him for what, 2 weeks now? Ya we started out with a young man that only believed in the existence of God. God didn't even really have a role in his life he just kind of felt like God was this concept that was real but had never acted upon that. After our lesson on Saturday Jonathan now has a relationship with god through his prayers. He prays everyday and loves it. He has read a good portion of the book of mormon. Started out just thinking it was "interesante"=interesting and now he knows it is true. Which if he knows the book of mormon is true= he knows Joseph smith was a prophet of God who was called to translate the book of mormon throught the power of God. If Joseph Smith was a prophet of God= you know what that means.... THE CHURCH IS TRUE! Oh snap! I think it is a little bit of an emotional overload for him yet it will be okay. The fact that he knows it is true is a little scary for him because he knows he has to change his life a lot. He hasn't come from a perfect little picture and has a lot of things in his life he will have to use the atonement of our savior to overcome. He is rocking though and I know that with the love of the savior and the spirit all things are possible. We told him to pray about his baptismal date for the 30th. I like johnathan because he follows through with what he says he is going to do. He doesn't put up with crap and he gets straight to the point. Part of the reason he has picked up so much so fast. He said to us the other day though. I feel so happy since i've started reading and talking to you and to god. He said, "this isn't normal for me." I've never smiled or laughed this much my whole life". THe gospel of jesus christ truely does change us and help us find happiness.
Miracle #3
Napoleon and Yolanda! They are this cute couple we have found and we want to teach their family! They are so rocking awesome! Napoleaon has been to church 3 times now and Yolanda came for the first time this last sunday. We are teaching some really cool lessons with thiem. I hope things continue to go well there. Well tms out. lvoe you have a good week!
Sent: 1/17/2011 9:48:43 AM
Subject: Que Hubo?
Soy de Colombiana. Just so you all know lol. I don't know how all this exactly came about but evidently I'm anything but my true origination of caucasion. People always think I'm a mix of something. Thai's think i'm asian now the spanish think i'm Spanish.... I don't know. haha. But anyway one of our investigators Napoleon, calls me the colombiana and now other people are picking up on it and its starting to stick. Maybe it is coming from the columbian bakery feddish that I've picked up. Bunuelos and chocolate caliente are the best little bread balls of deliciousness I can think of. Those Colombian bakeries are delicious all around. Darwin is our ward correlator from Ecuador. He comes and teaches with sister stephens and I for member present lessons every now and again. We expounding off the joke of how I am colombiana and he taught me the phrase of the colombians Que hubo? It's the equivalent of Que hay de nuevo? Que Pasa? Que Tal? Como esta? etc. Only the colombians say it I guess. Its fun to have learn all the different lingo of all the different countries. Wow, my spelling is aweful. Perdoname.
Anyway way awesome week. Mom, you are killing me with the questions. lol. I have to have time to write all the cool stuff that happened this week too.
THe friday you were wondering about was just super good. Little miracles here and there and everything was just flowing how it should. That friday a couple of weeks ago was amazing because I finally felt that I was able to feel that purpose I've been looking for here. We had lessons lined up one after another with all really great progressing investigators. We taught Anna, Jose, Jonathan, Napoleon, I felt like the spirit was present in all the lessons and everything I was able to say was because the spirit was guiding and helping me. I felt like I was understanding. My companion and I were working together and were each being edified from teaching as well. I just felt like " this is what a mission should feel like". Jose Sosa also got a baptismal commit that day too which was pretty sweet. He is rockin. I told you some of the things that Jonathan said as we taught him. I just felt so good at the end of the day and it was one of those epiphanies for the mission where you learn a lot and what your trying to aim for and help people feel. I can't really explain it. I'll try and send you a copy mom of my journal entry for the day so you can get some more details. Just know really good things are happening here in the mission and that your prayers and thoughts in my behalf and the those I'm teaching really do come to pass and that I know God is listening. I've been thinking mom, it would be so awesome to go on a mission with you. Is that allowed? We should work that out somehow when I get home. We would rock the mission world together. :)
What did I do for New years?
So I was looking in my drafts and I'm not sure if it sent but I sent it again from last week just in case for the week after new years. New years was good though. We got sent home at 6pm to avoid the streets of new york and all the craziness that goes on. There were so many people out already though shopping and getting ready for the big night. We did our weekly planning that night. Had a little celebration and did cheers to the new year before we went to bed at 10:30 :) It was great. I'm liking this whole 10:30 bedtime thing. Why do people stay up till all hours of the night anyway? lol.
Ancient Grains.
Sad to say I never got any of that ancient grains in my package. However, we did make the elders with the costco card take us last week to get groceries there. I saw the cereal Ancient grains and I said to myself "Self that must be the cereal your mother has been talking about" So I bought some. Oh my! It is deliciouso! I love it. My comp and I are wishing we had bought more! I spent probably a $100 on groceries last week lol. I'm not going to have to go shopping for probably another transfer I'm thinking. lol. Good thing I'll have one more in the area at least. I'm kind of thinking i'll stay here for 5. I've been here for 2.
G-ma's Jam
Best stuff in the whole world. Yes I'm enjoying it much on all this stuff I eat. Grandma's jam has always been the best. Please tell her I love her and I think and pray for her. She is an awesome lady. Couldn't ask for a better grandma that spoils me. She also wrote me this week which I thought was so sweet of her. Let her know I'm thinking about her and to just have faith and all will work together for her good.
Pics.
Symbria/Mom- The pics you have been sending me totally rock! Symbria, I can't believe how much you are growing! I don't even know if I'm going to recognize you when I get home! Your going to be a grown woman! Did you turn 10 or 11 in October? I was thinking you must be 10 going on 22. You look so cute in your little Chinese clothes and I love the pic of you in front of the Christmas tree with your Christmas sweater! You are beautiful. Keep them coming. I've had pictures developed and a CD to send you now for a couple of weeks. It's just a matter of time to find a way to get to the post office. I have a sad story. So I had a CD you sent me in my backpack so that I could develop some pictures of Thailand and Sun Valley. Guess what happened? The CD got smashed against something and got a big old crack in it. I"m devastated! All my pics from Thailand, graduation, sun valley, etc. Ruined! I think I shed a tear or two. Maybe you could ask Tawn if she could get me a CD of graduation and Sun valley. Maybe Duang if she still has a copy of the Thailand pics that I sent her. Maybe I could get a copy of them. I'm so sad! But I guess everything happens for a reason.
Bedspread
Mother dearest, how I love that bedspread but I have had it since the 4th grade and it has had a lot of wear and tear. Pretty much hashed. I give you permission to DI it though. I'm so excited to see the bedspread you bought in China. I'm sure it is beautiful. What color is it?
Okay I think that's all the things you wanted me to answer. Stories for this week.
Miracle #1
I got to go to the temple and attend a session in Manhatten on Friday. It was amazing! My companion had her farewell temple trip and I was supposed to do exchanges with one of the other leaving sisters companions. Sister Lambert and work our area while the sisters went but when I got to the office to drop sister stephens off. Sister Unga and Sister Lambert had got stuck along the way and were having complications getting to the office. One of the elderly couples that were in charge of the trip just decided it would be easier to take us two sisters with them because of all the stuff that was happening etc etc etc. So, I got to go to the temple with everyone. One of the very few greeny's in history that has the privilege of going to the temple before the half way mark. President and Sister Nelson had a wedding of a former missionary at the Manhattan temple so they came and found us in the waiting room when we got there. President arranged for the temple President and his wife to come speak to us after the session and answer any questions that we might have regarding the temple. It was really good and I enjoyed it. President Nelson also spoke a few words to the departing sisters. He threw in a line about how he had no idea how sister lambert and myself got into the departing temple trip but that it was good to have us. It was a really spiritual experience for me and I enjoyed it very much.
Miracle #2
Jonathan- I am enjoying teaching Jonathan so much. I can't believe how fast he is progressing and eating all this stuff up. He wanted to meet with us every day last week. So now we have been working with him for what, 2 weeks now? Ya we started out with a young man that only believed in the existence of God. God didn't even really have a role in his life he just kind of felt like God was this concept that was real but had never acted upon that. After our lesson on Saturday Jonathan now has a relationship with god through his prayers. He prays everyday and loves it. He has read a good portion of the book of mormon. Started out just thinking it was "interesante"=interesting and now he knows it is true. Which if he knows the book of mormon is true= he knows Joseph smith was a prophet of God who was called to translate the book of mormon throught the power of God. If Joseph Smith was a prophet of God= you know what that means.... THE CHURCH IS TRUE! Oh snap! I think it is a little bit of an emotional overload for him yet it will be okay. The fact that he knows it is true is a little scary for him because he knows he has to change his life a lot. He hasn't come from a perfect little picture and has a lot of things in his life he will have to use the atonement of our savior to overcome. He is rocking though and I know that with the love of the savior and the spirit all things are possible. We told him to pray about his baptismal date for the 30th. I like johnathan because he follows through with what he says he is going to do. He doesn't put up with crap and he gets straight to the point. Part of the reason he has picked up so much so fast. He said to us the other day though. I feel so happy since i've started reading and talking to you and to god. He said, "this isn't normal for me." I've never smiled or laughed this much my whole life". THe gospel of jesus christ truely does change us and help us find happiness.
Miracle #3
Napoleon and Yolanda! They are this cute couple we have found and we want to teach their family! They are so rocking awesome! Napoleaon has been to church 3 times now and Yolanda came for the first time this last sunday. We are teaching some really cool lessons with thiem. I hope things continue to go well there. Well tms out. lvoe you have a good week!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Presto
Que tal?
Sup? :) jk. Okay so awesome rockin week I'm pretty sure last friday was the best day of my mission yet but I'll get to that later first of the week first. OKay mom, you ready for this. Guess where I went last p-day? Don't be jealous... :) So my comp. scheduled this tour about 6 months ago and they were all filled up when she scheduled it until march but then they called her back and told her they had a cancellation for January if she wanted to come then. She didn't even know if she was still going to be on her mission but she decided to take the appointment just in case and then it worked out that she did up extending/training me and I totally benefited from the coincidence. So my companion and I went along with four other missionaries to the Steinway & Sons Piano Factory here in queens. Man! Mom it was so cool! You would have loved it. I watched a piano be born and I stood in a room with more than a million dollars worth of wood for piano's. I watched how they construct them and the effort that goes into the masterpieces. Our tour guide was so cool and definitely passionate about music. Each piano is unique and I learned a lot of cool things. I wrote it down in my journal so maybe in a year and a half we can find my journal and I can tell you all the cool random facts about Steinway. But por ejemplo, did you know that the hammer key part is put together by them factory women and the construct more than 60 different little parts by hand. I also watched the artisans construct the harp into the belly of the piano. Their precision and accuracy is amazing. It makes me want to get a Steinway when I grow up. The lucky man I'm going to marry will have to love me a lot haha because I really want a steinway hahaa. But ya, you would have liked it mom and I thought of you. I was glad I was sister Stephens companion so that I got to be part of that great tour. We even did a little missionary work on the tour because our tour guide was of course curious about us missionaries. he told us we were cousins because he is protestant. yet he really admires us youth going out and preaching the gospel. It was chill.
Mom, second thing is... you need to know I wasn't lying about the bread. Ya, my package really did come almost 2 weeks late but my food wasnt' bad at all. We really did enjoy it. When that last delivery came into the office right before christmas and my package wasn't there I was a little down and I said god if my package isn't here for christmas would you please just let everything in there stay good until I do get it? He gave me the warm fuzzy feeling- spirit saying yes. So naturally when i got the package it was absolutely delicious. I still have the loaf of bread actually. Its in the freezer and I finished up the rolls this morning. The tea ring tasted absolutely Delicious and fresh and I really do think the cold helped it stay good. But I'm a sister missionary and the lord definitely listens to my desires of my heart and often grants them no matter how small. :) Even if it is just tea ring that I love oh so very much. So thank you for your thoughtfulness. I loved it/loving it all. The boots are absolutely perfect.
Rego Park here is awesome. Lots of rockin people and the lord truely is blessing me. There are so many people that I just think are awesome. I dislike talking about them because I almost feel like I jinx them in the coming week so I don't know how much depth I want to go into but I'll tell you one of the miracles I've seen this last week that I just love. He is our new investigator Colton Rupp- I mean Jonathan :) Yet every time I'm talking or teaching him I almost call him Colton. lol. Jonathan is 21 and just moved here to New York here by himself from Ecuador about 5 months ago which means about the time of my mission. My companion and I have only taken a wrong train 2 times in the time I've been here and both times we have randomly contacted really good people. Jonathan happens to be one of these times so in my opinion it is fate. My companion and I were sitting waiting for the subway. I had this feeling to go talk to him but made some rationalizations/excuses because I had already had some bad contacting experiences for the day and he looked younger which often times means they don't even speak spanish or they would rather die than have to try and listen to you speak it to them. lol. si entiendes? Anyway I know bad excuse right. I know I don't need the lecture trust me i've given myself one. :) Naturally shortly after that my companion gets the same impression and asks me if we should go talk to that kid standing up against the wall. I said ya, probably... i was thinking along the same lines. So we target this kid and approach him as many other people throughout the day. We just decide to approach him in english but he says " sorry I'm not confident in my english, I've only been here for a little less than 5 months learning english" The only thing is that he said it without hardly any accent at all and he spoke so formally. I think that's another reason why he reminds me of colton is because he speaks so formally and uses very educated word choice. He is also very philosophical and well read. The more I get to know this kid I'm absolutely appalled that he has only been speaking the language english for 5 months. That's the same as me! If he can do I should definitely be able to do it with Spanish right? lol He said he just practices with himself in the mirror which he finds awkward yet helpful and then only listens to english music, books, and movies. He's definitely able to talk the language of his heart better in spanish but his english is better than most people here the states I think and it just amazes me how smart this kid is. Anyway we start talking to him about the restoration. He really thought it was interesting but he had so many questions for us. By this time we are on the train and we realize we are going the wrong direction so we tell him we would love to tell him more and meet with him another day. Cause we had to switch trains... yadadyadada. So we get his number and call him the next day and set up an appointment. Long story short we taught him a couple of times this last week. We gave him his book of Mormon to start reading. He asked for it in English but we also gave him Spanish because we told him the old english is sometimes hard to understand. By the time we came back a couple of days later he had read to page 30 which is super awesome. Not only in the English but in the Spanish too because he wasn't sure he was understanding the English. He has read the Bible cover to cover a couple of different times he says and finds the Book of Mormon very interesting. He is very curious about our religion. He likes the restoration but he doesn't know if he believes that God the father and Jesus Christ could actaully appear to a boy younger than us to restore his church yet he still thinks it very curious. He says ever since he met us on the train he was very curious to the happiness that we seem to have. He thinks we are different than other people and he wants to find out more about why we are the way we are. He can't imagine going on a mission for a couple of years simply out of faith and love for God. Yet he is already learned so much. I honestly have no idea what will become of Jonathan through teaching him. He's so analytical! Yet we taught him how to pray and when we called to check up on him the next day to see how his reading and prayer was.... wow. Like I said he had read to page 30 in the BOM (spanish and english both) so really that's like 60 pages and then he said that he prayed for a whole hour. He said he felt really weird at first just talking out loud but then it just started all coming out he said and an hour later he closed his prayer how we had taught him. He said it was like therapy. I said well " God is the greatest therapist of us all no?" So it makes sense that you would feel good after talking to him. If god created us he obviously knows best how to help us and how to make us feel good when we are done praying. He said I know it makes sense. Yes it does. IT just makes sense. Why can't all people see that? GO JONATHAN!!!! Anyway and then next time we taught him we committed him to come to church. He had to work all night saturday into sunday mornign into Manhatten and so that didnt' go over very well for him but then we talked about the importance and even if he could only make it for the first hour it was better than none. He agreed. This is the other thing that I like about Jonathan is that he actually does what he says he is going to do. So he did he came straight from work in Manhatten to Church after a long night. Not only did he stay for first hour but all three he ended up staying for. He loves the single adults we have in the ward. They rock. We took a couple of them with the appointments we had earlier in the week and they just absolutley involved him in everything. Then he went home and slept and then we took him to teh CES fireside with elder christoffereson. Whcih was cool and he took so many notes and just loved it! Todo bien he said. I just really think he is awesome and so smart about everything. I really hope things continue to go well and that he just really continues to have light and knowledge as we teach him.
Oh no, i'm running out of time but i'll keep you updated. I'm really worried about Ana. Pray for her.
Loves and hugs.
Sister lewis
Sup? :) jk. Okay so awesome rockin week I'm pretty sure last friday was the best day of my mission yet but I'll get to that later first of the week first. OKay mom, you ready for this. Guess where I went last p-day? Don't be jealous... :) So my comp. scheduled this tour about 6 months ago and they were all filled up when she scheduled it until march but then they called her back and told her they had a cancellation for January if she wanted to come then. She didn't even know if she was still going to be on her mission but she decided to take the appointment just in case and then it worked out that she did up extending/training me and I totally benefited from the coincidence. So my companion and I went along with four other missionaries to the Steinway & Sons Piano Factory here in queens. Man! Mom it was so cool! You would have loved it. I watched a piano be born and I stood in a room with more than a million dollars worth of wood for piano's. I watched how they construct them and the effort that goes into the masterpieces. Our tour guide was so cool and definitely passionate about music. Each piano is unique and I learned a lot of cool things. I wrote it down in my journal so maybe in a year and a half we can find my journal and I can tell you all the cool random facts about Steinway. But por ejemplo, did you know that the hammer key part is put together by them factory women and the construct more than 60 different little parts by hand. I also watched the artisans construct the harp into the belly of the piano. Their precision and accuracy is amazing. It makes me want to get a Steinway when I grow up. The lucky man I'm going to marry will have to love me a lot haha because I really want a steinway hahaa. But ya, you would have liked it mom and I thought of you. I was glad I was sister Stephens companion so that I got to be part of that great tour. We even did a little missionary work on the tour because our tour guide was of course curious about us missionaries. he told us we were cousins because he is protestant. yet he really admires us youth going out and preaching the gospel. It was chill.
Mom, second thing is... you need to know I wasn't lying about the bread. Ya, my package really did come almost 2 weeks late but my food wasnt' bad at all. We really did enjoy it. When that last delivery came into the office right before christmas and my package wasn't there I was a little down and I said god if my package isn't here for christmas would you please just let everything in there stay good until I do get it? He gave me the warm fuzzy feeling- spirit saying yes. So naturally when i got the package it was absolutely delicious. I still have the loaf of bread actually. Its in the freezer and I finished up the rolls this morning. The tea ring tasted absolutely Delicious and fresh and I really do think the cold helped it stay good. But I'm a sister missionary and the lord definitely listens to my desires of my heart and often grants them no matter how small. :) Even if it is just tea ring that I love oh so very much. So thank you for your thoughtfulness. I loved it/loving it all. The boots are absolutely perfect.
Rego Park here is awesome. Lots of rockin people and the lord truely is blessing me. There are so many people that I just think are awesome. I dislike talking about them because I almost feel like I jinx them in the coming week so I don't know how much depth I want to go into but I'll tell you one of the miracles I've seen this last week that I just love. He is our new investigator Colton Rupp- I mean Jonathan :) Yet every time I'm talking or teaching him I almost call him Colton. lol. Jonathan is 21 and just moved here to New York here by himself from Ecuador about 5 months ago which means about the time of my mission. My companion and I have only taken a wrong train 2 times in the time I've been here and both times we have randomly contacted really good people. Jonathan happens to be one of these times so in my opinion it is fate. My companion and I were sitting waiting for the subway. I had this feeling to go talk to him but made some rationalizations/excuses because I had already had some bad contacting experiences for the day and he looked younger which often times means they don't even speak spanish or they would rather die than have to try and listen to you speak it to them. lol. si entiendes? Anyway I know bad excuse right. I know I don't need the lecture trust me i've given myself one. :) Naturally shortly after that my companion gets the same impression and asks me if we should go talk to that kid standing up against the wall. I said ya, probably... i was thinking along the same lines. So we target this kid and approach him as many other people throughout the day. We just decide to approach him in english but he says " sorry I'm not confident in my english, I've only been here for a little less than 5 months learning english" The only thing is that he said it without hardly any accent at all and he spoke so formally. I think that's another reason why he reminds me of colton is because he speaks so formally and uses very educated word choice. He is also very philosophical and well read. The more I get to know this kid I'm absolutely appalled that he has only been speaking the language english for 5 months. That's the same as me! If he can do I should definitely be able to do it with Spanish right? lol He said he just practices with himself in the mirror which he finds awkward yet helpful and then only listens to english music, books, and movies. He's definitely able to talk the language of his heart better in spanish but his english is better than most people here the states I think and it just amazes me how smart this kid is. Anyway we start talking to him about the restoration. He really thought it was interesting but he had so many questions for us. By this time we are on the train and we realize we are going the wrong direction so we tell him we would love to tell him more and meet with him another day. Cause we had to switch trains... yadadyadada. So we get his number and call him the next day and set up an appointment. Long story short we taught him a couple of times this last week. We gave him his book of Mormon to start reading. He asked for it in English but we also gave him Spanish because we told him the old english is sometimes hard to understand. By the time we came back a couple of days later he had read to page 30 which is super awesome. Not only in the English but in the Spanish too because he wasn't sure he was understanding the English. He has read the Bible cover to cover a couple of different times he says and finds the Book of Mormon very interesting. He is very curious about our religion. He likes the restoration but he doesn't know if he believes that God the father and Jesus Christ could actaully appear to a boy younger than us to restore his church yet he still thinks it very curious. He says ever since he met us on the train he was very curious to the happiness that we seem to have. He thinks we are different than other people and he wants to find out more about why we are the way we are. He can't imagine going on a mission for a couple of years simply out of faith and love for God. Yet he is already learned so much. I honestly have no idea what will become of Jonathan through teaching him. He's so analytical! Yet we taught him how to pray and when we called to check up on him the next day to see how his reading and prayer was.... wow. Like I said he had read to page 30 in the BOM (spanish and english both) so really that's like 60 pages and then he said that he prayed for a whole hour. He said he felt really weird at first just talking out loud but then it just started all coming out he said and an hour later he closed his prayer how we had taught him. He said it was like therapy. I said well " God is the greatest therapist of us all no?" So it makes sense that you would feel good after talking to him. If god created us he obviously knows best how to help us and how to make us feel good when we are done praying. He said I know it makes sense. Yes it does. IT just makes sense. Why can't all people see that? GO JONATHAN!!!! Anyway and then next time we taught him we committed him to come to church. He had to work all night saturday into sunday mornign into Manhatten and so that didnt' go over very well for him but then we talked about the importance and even if he could only make it for the first hour it was better than none. He agreed. This is the other thing that I like about Jonathan is that he actually does what he says he is going to do. So he did he came straight from work in Manhatten to Church after a long night. Not only did he stay for first hour but all three he ended up staying for. He loves the single adults we have in the ward. They rock. We took a couple of them with the appointments we had earlier in the week and they just absolutley involved him in everything. Then he went home and slept and then we took him to teh CES fireside with elder christoffereson. Whcih was cool and he took so many notes and just loved it! Todo bien he said. I just really think he is awesome and so smart about everything. I really hope things continue to go well and that he just really continues to have light and knowledge as we teach him.
Oh no, i'm running out of time but i'll keep you updated. I'm really worried about Ana. Pray for her.
Loves and hugs.
Sister lewis
Monday, January 3, 2011
Feliz Ano Nuevo
From: Krisina Lewis [krisina.lewis@myldsmail.net]
Sent: 1/3/2011 9:49:15 AM
Wow, 2011! That is so weird! It's cool to think this whole coming year I get to dedicate to the lord and have all the time to think and work only for him. Sorry I couldn't write more last week. Mom, how was your birthday? I was thinking of you and it was so weird to think you were watching the ball drop in the same state as me yet I was sleeping even though it was just a train ride away. lol. Sounds like you had a blast. Did the davies come over? Anyone else? P.S. Family/best mother in the whole world- I got my christmas package this week and it seriously rocked! I LOVED it and that tee ring was absolutely delicious! I loved it so much! My Padmates and I ate it for breakfast. They thought it was delicious and commented on how lucky I am to have such a wonderful mother. Which is true. And those recipes/box is the cutest thing I've seen in a long time. I loved it and it will go to very good use. Boots are perfect! Work so good! Loved the letters and pictures. Tell the rest of the fam how much I appreciate them, Especially Cheryl. I really am so blessed with you guys and the great family that love and keep me in their prayers thanks. It was a wonderful christmas/new year. I hope you all are doing well and feel of my love for you.
Mom, I need John & Joelyn's address their mail keeps getting forwarded back to me and I have a Christmas card for them. Did you like those I sent? :) Oh and guess who else came in with the new batch of missionaries and is in my zone out of all the places he could have been sent in the mission? Elder Story. Elder story happens to be the elder that is the nephew of Paul and Jonie. Oh my he looks and acts a lot like Jason Wells and it is halarious every time I see him and almost call him Jason. I just think its funny that we have the same family and we are in the same zone for our first transfers together and out of all the missions that we could have gone we go to the exact same place.
That snow storm was something else but I really like the snow. The Elders fort ended up having a 3 foot tunnel in the entrance and then opened up into a big igloo room fitting 5 or 6 people inside. It was super cool and we had lots of people come by and admire their work. We ended up helping people shovel walks and getting return appointments to share a bit more about our message. Like I said, Christmas and the New Year ended up being really awesome. Members are super awesome and its fun to be a part of their families for the holidays. We also had a reallyl neat concert with the Hoopes children a few weeks back. I don't remember if I wrote about it but Chad hoopes and his 2 sisters that study at Julliard came and did a big concert for the mission. It was so good! It makes me miss the violin and I really enjoyed and felt the spirit. Makes me think of us sista's and when we play in our little quartet around the holidays. I'll look forward to that in a couple of years.
I feel as if there is so much to tell. The work is definitely progressing through with the help and hand of the Lord. We have some super awesome investigators right now and some really neat things that could happen as long as these peoples hearts remain strong and the spirit is able to penetrate their hearts. We have 4 baptismal commits right now and still working on some big hurdles to overcome in order to make those happen. We have these 2 other investigators that are randomly showing up to church and because they are so open and golden it almost makes us wary with cautiousness lol. But at the same time it rocks! Napoleon y Orlando are the two investigators and we have set up appointments with both of them for this week so i'm excited to see what happens with them. I hope that their hearts may be receptive and that we can be in tune to say what the spirit would have us say.
I had such an awesome thing happen at church yesterday and you wouldn't believe how much it lifted my spirits/ the excitement. I had this cute young spanish couple walk up to me yesterday at church. I didn't recognize them so I was surprised when they approached me and told me in English that they had a message for me. Caught me off guard and I said "for me?, or sister stephens?" Well Your Hermana Lewis are you not? "Yes..." So our note is for you.... then they handed me this orange little sticky note that I didn't even have to read to recognize the handwriting. It was a note from Hermana Jaclyn Cowley! I looked up at the both of them in such excitement and just was so happy. I told them I wanted to talk to them after the block because of course right at that moment I was getting pulled away to teach the last hour so the had to run and sit down. But my note was just a quick little hey how ya dooing and know that when you get this I send my love. It is that same family Sister Cowley talked about that is in her ward in Virginia and they visit NY sometimes and will be moving back in probably march. So cool how we are in different states yet in one way or another meet some of the same people. Hermana Cowley rocks and from what I can tell/hear from awesome people she rocks as a missionary and is changing lives. Great things come to pass in small and simple things.
But like I said, the missionaries taught 3rd hour yesterday to all the members. We are trying to plan a really neat Super Sunday in Febrero for the Ward. The idea came from our district leader (Elder Bonham) who had a brother serve in Brazil. The story of his brother is that the missionaries in his area had every member invite a person to church. They had just over 50 new people show up to church with their member friends. Those members sat with their friend during the different classes and then they had a special gospel principles class to help the investigators understand the importance of the foundation of the church/restoration. Before the friends of the members left they left their information and the missionaries went to every single referral within the next 2 or 3 weeks. Of those 50 people 20-30 of those people were baptized and became member s of the church within the next couple of months. So we are going to try to go for something similar for the coming month. I think its a super awesome idea and will be successful dependent on the effort of the members and how many people we are able to get to church. Isn't that cool? I think it should be rad. I think about how the role of missionaries has changed over the decades and how more effective methods are coming for missionary work. In the MTC they talked about how 1/1000 door knocking 1/10 referrals 1/3 for friends taught in a members home end up in baptism. Teach when you find, find when you teach. The message is powerful and has changed the world and will forever change my perspective of how I choose to view life. Yet the work of members with the missionaries makes the success rate sore as far as people accepting the gospel and helping them establish roots that will help them sustain a solid testimony in the gospel. I think about when I get home and how I could be such a better member missionary. As members of the church, our responsibility is to look for ways to bless the lives of others by sharing the gospel with those who are looking for it. As members, we are able to pray for missionary opportunities to bless our lives.
For example, There is this really awesome member Jonathan, who is a great member missionary. He gives a book of mormon away probably once a week to people he meets on the train. He has a cute wife named carla and they are both converts to the church. He has a really awesome testimony of the gospel and his conversion through the book of mormon. there is a really cute old couple that lives in the apartment above hime that he helps carry groceries for and such. They have a library and are very well read. they have studied philosophy, reglion, and sceinece. The husband is an engineer. They are form Argentina. We went up to their apartment with Jonathan to present them with a book of mormon. The wife wasn't letting us in but because jonathan was there the husband let us in. We ended up talking with them for the next hour. They had so many questions and the gospel totally has the answers. They are so well read when they read the book i know they will recognize it as truth. Anyway i'll keep you posted. I g2g love you!
Hermana Lewis
Sent: 1/3/2011 9:49:15 AM
Wow, 2011! That is so weird! It's cool to think this whole coming year I get to dedicate to the lord and have all the time to think and work only for him. Sorry I couldn't write more last week. Mom, how was your birthday? I was thinking of you and it was so weird to think you were watching the ball drop in the same state as me yet I was sleeping even though it was just a train ride away. lol. Sounds like you had a blast. Did the davies come over? Anyone else? P.S. Family/best mother in the whole world- I got my christmas package this week and it seriously rocked! I LOVED it and that tee ring was absolutely delicious! I loved it so much! My Padmates and I ate it for breakfast. They thought it was delicious and commented on how lucky I am to have such a wonderful mother. Which is true. And those recipes/box is the cutest thing I've seen in a long time. I loved it and it will go to very good use. Boots are perfect! Work so good! Loved the letters and pictures. Tell the rest of the fam how much I appreciate them, Especially Cheryl. I really am so blessed with you guys and the great family that love and keep me in their prayers thanks. It was a wonderful christmas/new year. I hope you all are doing well and feel of my love for you.
Mom, I need John & Joelyn's address their mail keeps getting forwarded back to me and I have a Christmas card for them. Did you like those I sent? :) Oh and guess who else came in with the new batch of missionaries and is in my zone out of all the places he could have been sent in the mission? Elder Story. Elder story happens to be the elder that is the nephew of Paul and Jonie. Oh my he looks and acts a lot like Jason Wells and it is halarious every time I see him and almost call him Jason. I just think its funny that we have the same family and we are in the same zone for our first transfers together and out of all the missions that we could have gone we go to the exact same place.
That snow storm was something else but I really like the snow. The Elders fort ended up having a 3 foot tunnel in the entrance and then opened up into a big igloo room fitting 5 or 6 people inside. It was super cool and we had lots of people come by and admire their work. We ended up helping people shovel walks and getting return appointments to share a bit more about our message. Like I said, Christmas and the New Year ended up being really awesome. Members are super awesome and its fun to be a part of their families for the holidays. We also had a reallyl neat concert with the Hoopes children a few weeks back. I don't remember if I wrote about it but Chad hoopes and his 2 sisters that study at Julliard came and did a big concert for the mission. It was so good! It makes me miss the violin and I really enjoyed and felt the spirit. Makes me think of us sista's and when we play in our little quartet around the holidays. I'll look forward to that in a couple of years.
I feel as if there is so much to tell. The work is definitely progressing through with the help and hand of the Lord. We have some super awesome investigators right now and some really neat things that could happen as long as these peoples hearts remain strong and the spirit is able to penetrate their hearts. We have 4 baptismal commits right now and still working on some big hurdles to overcome in order to make those happen. We have these 2 other investigators that are randomly showing up to church and because they are so open and golden it almost makes us wary with cautiousness lol. But at the same time it rocks! Napoleon y Orlando are the two investigators and we have set up appointments with both of them for this week so i'm excited to see what happens with them. I hope that their hearts may be receptive and that we can be in tune to say what the spirit would have us say.
I had such an awesome thing happen at church yesterday and you wouldn't believe how much it lifted my spirits/ the excitement. I had this cute young spanish couple walk up to me yesterday at church. I didn't recognize them so I was surprised when they approached me and told me in English that they had a message for me. Caught me off guard and I said "for me?, or sister stephens?" Well Your Hermana Lewis are you not? "Yes..." So our note is for you.... then they handed me this orange little sticky note that I didn't even have to read to recognize the handwriting. It was a note from Hermana Jaclyn Cowley! I looked up at the both of them in such excitement and just was so happy. I told them I wanted to talk to them after the block because of course right at that moment I was getting pulled away to teach the last hour so the had to run and sit down. But my note was just a quick little hey how ya dooing and know that when you get this I send my love. It is that same family Sister Cowley talked about that is in her ward in Virginia and they visit NY sometimes and will be moving back in probably march. So cool how we are in different states yet in one way or another meet some of the same people. Hermana Cowley rocks and from what I can tell/hear from awesome people she rocks as a missionary and is changing lives. Great things come to pass in small and simple things.
But like I said, the missionaries taught 3rd hour yesterday to all the members. We are trying to plan a really neat Super Sunday in Febrero for the Ward. The idea came from our district leader (Elder Bonham) who had a brother serve in Brazil. The story of his brother is that the missionaries in his area had every member invite a person to church. They had just over 50 new people show up to church with their member friends. Those members sat with their friend during the different classes and then they had a special gospel principles class to help the investigators understand the importance of the foundation of the church/restoration. Before the friends of the members left they left their information and the missionaries went to every single referral within the next 2 or 3 weeks. Of those 50 people 20-30 of those people were baptized and became member s of the church within the next couple of months. So we are going to try to go for something similar for the coming month. I think its a super awesome idea and will be successful dependent on the effort of the members and how many people we are able to get to church. Isn't that cool? I think it should be rad. I think about how the role of missionaries has changed over the decades and how more effective methods are coming for missionary work. In the MTC they talked about how 1/1000 door knocking 1/10 referrals 1/3 for friends taught in a members home end up in baptism. Teach when you find, find when you teach. The message is powerful and has changed the world and will forever change my perspective of how I choose to view life. Yet the work of members with the missionaries makes the success rate sore as far as people accepting the gospel and helping them establish roots that will help them sustain a solid testimony in the gospel. I think about when I get home and how I could be such a better member missionary. As members of the church, our responsibility is to look for ways to bless the lives of others by sharing the gospel with those who are looking for it. As members, we are able to pray for missionary opportunities to bless our lives.
For example, There is this really awesome member Jonathan, who is a great member missionary. He gives a book of mormon away probably once a week to people he meets on the train. He has a cute wife named carla and they are both converts to the church. He has a really awesome testimony of the gospel and his conversion through the book of mormon. there is a really cute old couple that lives in the apartment above hime that he helps carry groceries for and such. They have a library and are very well read. they have studied philosophy, reglion, and sceinece. The husband is an engineer. They are form Argentina. We went up to their apartment with Jonathan to present them with a book of mormon. The wife wasn't letting us in but because jonathan was there the husband let us in. We ended up talking with them for the next hour. They had so many questions and the gospel totally has the answers. They are so well read when they read the book i know they will recognize it as truth. Anyway i'll keep you posted. I g2g love you!
Hermana Lewis
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Feliz Navidad
Wow!
What a week! IT's so weird the days blend into the weeks and the weeks blend into the rest of the mission! I normally keep notes on what I want to write about but this week just flew y and now its time to write and I haven't written anything down. But don't worry I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve.
First off, Friday was the was the ward christmas party. How I love the ward. I live in a big Spanish Ward and the Latino Ward Parties are just way different than than the normal ones back home and such. Sister Stephens and I actually ended up stopping by the English ward party the next night for some odd reason and we commented on how the two contrasted. The English ward was peaceful music with christmas lights and nice ettiquette dinner where everything is cleaned up and put away nicely by 10pm where the Spanish is Loud fun mexican christmas music, lots of decorations, dancing, authentic food and the party doesn't even start until an hour after the prearranged time of 7:30 and etc. Haha oh I love it and the ward members just love on me and sister Stephens. they are so good to us. We have 8 missionaries in our ward. Sister stephens and me, and then 6 other elders. Sista's I have the funniest story to tell you about the christmas party and the bishops daughter. You ahve to remind me. The elders made me promise I wouldn't tell it till I talked to the fam on christmas.
The other really cool Christmas even that took place last night was the Christmas Concert with Chad Hoopes and his 2 sisters. Chad Hoopes is a 16 year old violinist and his 2 sisters who study at Julliard. They are absolutely phenomenal. It was put together by the mission and was for all of those in the the mission boundary. It was so beautiful and had a really great Christmas message behind it. All three of them are members of the church and told how for them they expressed their testimonies through their talents god had given them through their music. They were super awesome and it was just mezmerizing to watch and listen. Plus it was fun for me to see some of the other missionaries that I flew into the mission with. It is so crazy to me to think I made it through my first transfer already and there is a new batch of greenies coming in on Tuesday.... weird. Sister Stephens could have gone home last weekend! Yet she didn't because she extended and now because of that she has got to train me and we will be staying this next transfer together as well. I told her she has to teach me all she knows and leave her legacy behind. I feel so lucky to have had her as my companion. I dont know what I'm going to do when she goes home in February! That will leave me as the trained greeny in the area and I will have to show my new companion the ropes of the area. Pray for Sister Stephens and I that we will thrive this last transfer together. That our hearts and desires will work together in unity to bring about the work of the Lord and see the miracles that are waiting for us this transfer. Pray that she will be filled with a new light and hope to finish the mission strong and that we will accomplish both our goals together. So many of our investigators are so close to baptism and the committment it takes to leave old habits behind and pick up a new life to start a new but it really takes a burning of the spirit and the desire. I pray for that every night.
Ana came to church this week again! Yeah for Ana! She really is so awesome! I can't wait! I really would like her to be baptized! Come on ana your almost there! "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" She is so close! We just need to get her moved out and living the law of chastity and then I think we will be prettty much good.
This is what I've kind of formulated in my head. I LOVE the latino people. They are so kind, usually humble, and so nice to always listen what you have to say. They listen and they love to learn and then they commit to and want to change to be better for almost anything. But what I DON"T like about the culture is USUALLY it is all talk and they RARELY follow through. Haha but I guess you have a little struggle with it that in every mission. People in New York just have no time to listen. They are always on the run. Running running running. Remember the song "BE Still my soul" it is a necessity in life people for receiving revelation. I'm telling you its essential. :)
We had a really neat experience this last week about acting on the spirit. My companion is super awesome about following the spirit. We had our night all planned out as usual yet my companion says, " I feel that we should go look up this former that is in the records" We had never met her yet we both agreed to head out on the far side of our area to go and find her. We got there and her son Antonio let us in to the building he went to go find his mom Rosa for us and we followed him to the door. He came back trying to tell us she was busy and about to head out when all of the sudden she decided to come to the door and she automatically said "Pasan, Pasan" which means come in. So that was a good sign. We ended up teaching her a beautiful lesson about the importance of the book of mormon. She talked about how she just loves to read and she will read the book. I felt the spirit so strong and we read with her a little bit. At this point in her life she is just so prepared and has been humbled. Is really concerned about her two boys and wants to know how to help them. She cares about her family. We talked about how the gospel blesses and strengthens families. How through god we can overcome all things. She really ate that up and we are going to go and visit her later this week I think. Pray that she has read and that her heart will be open to looking up more. Then after that we had a really great time going to teach Louis. We actually got a baptismal commit from him for the 16th of January. First lesson with him but his parents are members and were sitting in on the lesson with us. They are from Equador and were converted by the missionaries there a couple of years back. Oh man it would be awesome if we could get him prepared. What a good chrismtas gift for his family. He just works all the time! So we will pray things will work out there but. BUt the work is progressing and I have good experiences every day. Its the best. Very much an emotional rollercoaster which is weird but I 'm growing lots.
Talk to you this week! Love you all
Love hermana Lewis
What a week! IT's so weird the days blend into the weeks and the weeks blend into the rest of the mission! I normally keep notes on what I want to write about but this week just flew y and now its time to write and I haven't written anything down. But don't worry I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve.
First off, Friday was the was the ward christmas party. How I love the ward. I live in a big Spanish Ward and the Latino Ward Parties are just way different than than the normal ones back home and such. Sister Stephens and I actually ended up stopping by the English ward party the next night for some odd reason and we commented on how the two contrasted. The English ward was peaceful music with christmas lights and nice ettiquette dinner where everything is cleaned up and put away nicely by 10pm where the Spanish is Loud fun mexican christmas music, lots of decorations, dancing, authentic food and the party doesn't even start until an hour after the prearranged time of 7:30 and etc. Haha oh I love it and the ward members just love on me and sister Stephens. they are so good to us. We have 8 missionaries in our ward. Sister stephens and me, and then 6 other elders. Sista's I have the funniest story to tell you about the christmas party and the bishops daughter. You ahve to remind me. The elders made me promise I wouldn't tell it till I talked to the fam on christmas.
The other really cool Christmas even that took place last night was the Christmas Concert with Chad Hoopes and his 2 sisters. Chad Hoopes is a 16 year old violinist and his 2 sisters who study at Julliard. They are absolutely phenomenal. It was put together by the mission and was for all of those in the the mission boundary. It was so beautiful and had a really great Christmas message behind it. All three of them are members of the church and told how for them they expressed their testimonies through their talents god had given them through their music. They were super awesome and it was just mezmerizing to watch and listen. Plus it was fun for me to see some of the other missionaries that I flew into the mission with. It is so crazy to me to think I made it through my first transfer already and there is a new batch of greenies coming in on Tuesday.... weird. Sister Stephens could have gone home last weekend! Yet she didn't because she extended and now because of that she has got to train me and we will be staying this next transfer together as well. I told her she has to teach me all she knows and leave her legacy behind. I feel so lucky to have had her as my companion. I dont know what I'm going to do when she goes home in February! That will leave me as the trained greeny in the area and I will have to show my new companion the ropes of the area. Pray for Sister Stephens and I that we will thrive this last transfer together. That our hearts and desires will work together in unity to bring about the work of the Lord and see the miracles that are waiting for us this transfer. Pray that she will be filled with a new light and hope to finish the mission strong and that we will accomplish both our goals together. So many of our investigators are so close to baptism and the committment it takes to leave old habits behind and pick up a new life to start a new but it really takes a burning of the spirit and the desire. I pray for that every night.
Ana came to church this week again! Yeah for Ana! She really is so awesome! I can't wait! I really would like her to be baptized! Come on ana your almost there! "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" She is so close! We just need to get her moved out and living the law of chastity and then I think we will be prettty much good.
This is what I've kind of formulated in my head. I LOVE the latino people. They are so kind, usually humble, and so nice to always listen what you have to say. They listen and they love to learn and then they commit to and want to change to be better for almost anything. But what I DON"T like about the culture is USUALLY it is all talk and they RARELY follow through. Haha but I guess you have a little struggle with it that in every mission. People in New York just have no time to listen. They are always on the run. Running running running. Remember the song "BE Still my soul" it is a necessity in life people for receiving revelation. I'm telling you its essential. :)
We had a really neat experience this last week about acting on the spirit. My companion is super awesome about following the spirit. We had our night all planned out as usual yet my companion says, " I feel that we should go look up this former that is in the records" We had never met her yet we both agreed to head out on the far side of our area to go and find her. We got there and her son Antonio let us in to the building he went to go find his mom Rosa for us and we followed him to the door. He came back trying to tell us she was busy and about to head out when all of the sudden she decided to come to the door and she automatically said "Pasan, Pasan" which means come in. So that was a good sign. We ended up teaching her a beautiful lesson about the importance of the book of mormon. She talked about how she just loves to read and she will read the book. I felt the spirit so strong and we read with her a little bit. At this point in her life she is just so prepared and has been humbled. Is really concerned about her two boys and wants to know how to help them. She cares about her family. We talked about how the gospel blesses and strengthens families. How through god we can overcome all things. She really ate that up and we are going to go and visit her later this week I think. Pray that she has read and that her heart will be open to looking up more. Then after that we had a really great time going to teach Louis. We actually got a baptismal commit from him for the 16th of January. First lesson with him but his parents are members and were sitting in on the lesson with us. They are from Equador and were converted by the missionaries there a couple of years back. Oh man it would be awesome if we could get him prepared. What a good chrismtas gift for his family. He just works all the time! So we will pray things will work out there but. BUt the work is progressing and I have good experiences every day. Its the best. Very much an emotional rollercoaster which is weird but I 'm growing lots.
Talk to you this week! Love you all
Love hermana Lewis
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Sup
FAM!
I hope your holiday season is just going awesome! I love you so much! Ah this week has been absolutely amazing!
Yeippee! We had 2 investigators come to church this week! Ana for the 2nd week in a row! And another answer to prayer we found her a room so she can separate from her novio in order to prepare for baptism! Better yet this room is with a member and it is the perfect set up for her to have the support system she needs once she becomes a member. Pray for her to have the strength to follow through on the promptings that she has received and remain strong in her decisions. These baptism candidates are super awesome but it is a continuous battle for them until they are actually out of the font. lol. So Ana is our Golden star for the week.
Adriano was our other investigator that FINALLY came to church. We have been wanting him to come for the past month and he finally said he would come. We were worried that he would blow us off because he wouldn't let us come get him but he said he would come by himself. And guess what, HE DID. He was awesome. I was so excited. There are a lot of things that he is struggling with in his personal life right now yet he also knows that the things we are teaching him are good and that there are a lot of things he "should" be doing. We taught him the law of Chastity last lesson and asked him to live it. He said he would talk to Sandra his girlfriend. He knows it would be better for their 2 boys but isn't sure how Sandra is going to react. Pray that her heart is softened and that she too will be able to be excited and enthused about the great blessings that come from living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Experience #1 that I just loved for this week. Sister Nelson (mission prez's wife) will often go out with the sister missionaries to help with the work. She is awesome. I spent some time with her when I flew into the mission home but have not spent much time with her since then. She scheduled a time to go out with me and Sister Stephens a couple of weeks ago when we had zone conference. We met her at the office. All the missionaries that are leaving to go home at the end of the transfer were having their departing interviews. So Sister Nelson was a temporary companion to Sister Ball who was waiting in the office to go home. It ended up that Sister Ball and Sister Nelson both came with us to our appointment with Altagracia and Tairis. They are the cute little family we have been teaching from the Dominican Republic. As we were walking over we came up with the grand idea to do splits since Sister Ball had unexpectedly been able to come with us and we and 4 people instead of 3. We had another former investigator we had wanted to look up. So guess what that meant.... I got to go teach Altagracia and Tairis with Sister Nelson while the other two sisters went to look up our former estella. BAH!!! Wha?! I had no prep time and I have never taught a lesson by myself in Spanish. Was this possible? I wasn't sure but I knew that it would go one way or the other and you just press forward in the work. It turned out to be one of the best experiences I've had yet. We got there and Tairis (13 year old girl) was asleep. Altagracia is the mom and she graciously invited us into her home. She doesn't speak any English. So we taught her some English in the beginning and then we taught her the lesson afterwards. It was so good!!!! I so felt the spirit of the Lord working through me. Sister Nelson was awesome as well. She served her mission in Chile back in the day and so she knows quite a bit of Spanish as well. I felt so blessed by the hand of the Lord. Sister Nelson and I extended a baptismal commitment. Altagracia doesn't feel ready but she is thinking it is a definite possibility. We taught her the rest of the plan of Salvation and the Kingdoms of Glory. When I walked out of that lesson, I finally knew why it was so rewarding to be a missionary. I knew why people said they loved their mission. I finally understood what my purpose is in NY. It was awesome and I just felt like nothing was going to hold me down!! Boohya! Sister Nelson and I had a really nice talk on the way back and she really built me up. I appreciated her and the words of support she gave. She just told me how impressed she was with the lesson and she couldn't believe I've only been here a month and could understand Altagracia as much as I did. She pointed out it doesn't take perfect Spanish to teach with the spirit and help people understand the gospel. That God will always make up the difference where we fall short as long as we are preparing and doing our best. She is awesome. I really appreciate her and all that she does. It was exactly the growing experience I needed and its given me a lot of hope for the future.
The lord is aware of each of us. I know we are his children and God loves each of us very much. It's so wonderful how God just works miracles in our lives. Our greatest happiness come by living those commandments God has given us to help us receive certain blessings. God promises us those blessings if we are willing to live those commandments. It's a very simple equation yet so many of us are unhappy or think things could be a different way if only this one thing were different.... no we have the opportunity to choose happiness. Happiness come through faith, charity, selflessness, love, and service of your fellow men with an eye single to the glory of God. Forget yourself and go to work. That's what I've been told; that's what I get to do. I love you so much and wish the spirit of Christmas, the presence of our lord and redeemer, to be with you the whole year through and more.
Love, Hermana Lewis.
P.S. mom, I agree with you. A.J. emails rock! I love reading them. Tell Boonseon and fam I said hello. Seems Elder Gudmundsen is rocking Thailand! Good for him! They need more missionaries like him in the world. God Bless :)
I hope your holiday season is just going awesome! I love you so much! Ah this week has been absolutely amazing!
Yeippee! We had 2 investigators come to church this week! Ana for the 2nd week in a row! And another answer to prayer we found her a room so she can separate from her novio in order to prepare for baptism! Better yet this room is with a member and it is the perfect set up for her to have the support system she needs once she becomes a member. Pray for her to have the strength to follow through on the promptings that she has received and remain strong in her decisions. These baptism candidates are super awesome but it is a continuous battle for them until they are actually out of the font. lol. So Ana is our Golden star for the week.
Adriano was our other investigator that FINALLY came to church. We have been wanting him to come for the past month and he finally said he would come. We were worried that he would blow us off because he wouldn't let us come get him but he said he would come by himself. And guess what, HE DID. He was awesome. I was so excited. There are a lot of things that he is struggling with in his personal life right now yet he also knows that the things we are teaching him are good and that there are a lot of things he "should" be doing. We taught him the law of Chastity last lesson and asked him to live it. He said he would talk to Sandra his girlfriend. He knows it would be better for their 2 boys but isn't sure how Sandra is going to react. Pray that her heart is softened and that she too will be able to be excited and enthused about the great blessings that come from living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Experience #1 that I just loved for this week. Sister Nelson (mission prez's wife) will often go out with the sister missionaries to help with the work. She is awesome. I spent some time with her when I flew into the mission home but have not spent much time with her since then. She scheduled a time to go out with me and Sister Stephens a couple of weeks ago when we had zone conference. We met her at the office. All the missionaries that are leaving to go home at the end of the transfer were having their departing interviews. So Sister Nelson was a temporary companion to Sister Ball who was waiting in the office to go home. It ended up that Sister Ball and Sister Nelson both came with us to our appointment with Altagracia and Tairis. They are the cute little family we have been teaching from the Dominican Republic. As we were walking over we came up with the grand idea to do splits since Sister Ball had unexpectedly been able to come with us and we and 4 people instead of 3. We had another former investigator we had wanted to look up. So guess what that meant.... I got to go teach Altagracia and Tairis with Sister Nelson while the other two sisters went to look up our former estella. BAH!!! Wha?! I had no prep time and I have never taught a lesson by myself in Spanish. Was this possible? I wasn't sure but I knew that it would go one way or the other and you just press forward in the work. It turned out to be one of the best experiences I've had yet. We got there and Tairis (13 year old girl) was asleep. Altagracia is the mom and she graciously invited us into her home. She doesn't speak any English. So we taught her some English in the beginning and then we taught her the lesson afterwards. It was so good!!!! I so felt the spirit of the Lord working through me. Sister Nelson was awesome as well. She served her mission in Chile back in the day and so she knows quite a bit of Spanish as well. I felt so blessed by the hand of the Lord. Sister Nelson and I extended a baptismal commitment. Altagracia doesn't feel ready but she is thinking it is a definite possibility. We taught her the rest of the plan of Salvation and the Kingdoms of Glory. When I walked out of that lesson, I finally knew why it was so rewarding to be a missionary. I knew why people said they loved their mission. I finally understood what my purpose is in NY. It was awesome and I just felt like nothing was going to hold me down!! Boohya! Sister Nelson and I had a really nice talk on the way back and she really built me up. I appreciated her and the words of support she gave. She just told me how impressed she was with the lesson and she couldn't believe I've only been here a month and could understand Altagracia as much as I did. She pointed out it doesn't take perfect Spanish to teach with the spirit and help people understand the gospel. That God will always make up the difference where we fall short as long as we are preparing and doing our best. She is awesome. I really appreciate her and all that she does. It was exactly the growing experience I needed and its given me a lot of hope for the future.
The lord is aware of each of us. I know we are his children and God loves each of us very much. It's so wonderful how God just works miracles in our lives. Our greatest happiness come by living those commandments God has given us to help us receive certain blessings. God promises us those blessings if we are willing to live those commandments. It's a very simple equation yet so many of us are unhappy or think things could be a different way if only this one thing were different.... no we have the opportunity to choose happiness. Happiness come through faith, charity, selflessness, love, and service of your fellow men with an eye single to the glory of God. Forget yourself and go to work. That's what I've been told; that's what I get to do. I love you so much and wish the spirit of Christmas, the presence of our lord and redeemer, to be with you the whole year through and more.
Love, Hermana Lewis.
P.S. mom, I agree with you. A.J. emails rock! I love reading them. Tell Boonseon and fam I said hello. Seems Elder Gudmundsen is rocking Thailand! Good for him! They need more missionaries like him in the world. God Bless :)
Monday, December 6, 2010
So I am in Queens not Brooklyn
From: Krisina Lewis [krisina.lewis@myldsmail.net]
Sent: 12/6/2010 8:23:01 AM
To: Janette Lewis [mjjklewis@mstarmetro.net]
Subject: Feliz Navidad!
Dearest Family!
How are you!???? It's so good to hear from you. Love you all much! Happy December! It has changed from colorful fall to blizzardly winter almost over night. It's snowing today and I am LOVING my coat mom. It is the bomb.com! Seriously in all honesty I love it much. Thanks so much!
Okay, so first and foremost I need to make a little correction. Mom, you wrote me a letter and said " My Krisina, in Brooklyn!" I was thinking to myself, "I'm not in Brooklyn" so I looked through my emails and found that the first week I told you I was in Brooklyn. Bahhaha. I think I was a little delusional when I wrote that first email lol. In reality, I am located smack in the middle of Queens! (NOT Brooklyn) lol. But my area in Queens is called Rego Park. The reason I haven't given you another address is because I go into the mission office for mail a couple of times a week. The mission office is in my area and it's been really fun to get to know all the couple missionaries that work in the office. I see the President and his wife often. So it's really the fastest address to send mail to because I pick it straight up from there. So yes I've rectified the problem. I am located in Queens in a dense area of Latinos which is awesome.
Oh there are so many great things going on right now. We had some really great lessons this week. One of our investigators came to church this week! Yeah! Ana Ramirez is our shining star. She is really trying to make some really great changes in her life. That is one thing about the gospel that I just love. When people have a sincere belief and testimony of Jesus Christ it gives them the faith to follow throught on those promptings that they have. The biggest thing that we have been working on is trying to get her married or separated from her novio (bf). When the law of chastity was presented she was not down for the whole idea but when we went back she told us she is looking for another room. She feels the spirit when we come and she feels that we are helping her. There are always other issues that we have to work through such as money, but the point is that the desire is there and she is willing. She came to church and is planning to continue to come. She really is awesome. I love it.
We had zone conference this last week. It was really awesome. We are getting ready to start the new year. We are looking for themes and things that we want to accomplish. This last year the mission theme "was the year for miracles". The mission has had just over 500 baptisms this year. This is the most since 2002 and we continue to press forward in finding and preparing those who are to come unto Christ through baptism. We had a mission fast yesterday and it was really great. We had a fireside last night and I was asked to share some thoughts in order to start off our discussion. I studied in the BOM about Moroni and the title of liberty.The title of liberty stood for truth, righteousness, and protecting the freedoms of their families, their wives, and children. They were able to save the kingdom from evil because they united and put their trust in God by obeying and pressing forward in Christ. As missionaries, we strive to obey, serve, and love. We will have the Lord's power as long as we do those things he has asked us to do. To go forth with a united purpose and love.
Merry Christmas Family! I'm thinking of you and I appreciate all your love and concern and prayers. They mean the world.
Love Hermana Lewis
Sent: 12/6/2010 8:23:01 AM
To: Janette Lewis [mjjklewis@mstarmetro.net]
Subject: Feliz Navidad!
Dearest Family!
How are you!???? It's so good to hear from you. Love you all much! Happy December! It has changed from colorful fall to blizzardly winter almost over night. It's snowing today and I am LOVING my coat mom. It is the bomb.com! Seriously in all honesty I love it much. Thanks so much!
Okay, so first and foremost I need to make a little correction. Mom, you wrote me a letter and said " My Krisina, in Brooklyn!" I was thinking to myself, "I'm not in Brooklyn" so I looked through my emails and found that the first week I told you I was in Brooklyn. Bahhaha. I think I was a little delusional when I wrote that first email lol. In reality, I am located smack in the middle of Queens! (NOT Brooklyn) lol. But my area in Queens is called Rego Park. The reason I haven't given you another address is because I go into the mission office for mail a couple of times a week. The mission office is in my area and it's been really fun to get to know all the couple missionaries that work in the office. I see the President and his wife often. So it's really the fastest address to send mail to because I pick it straight up from there. So yes I've rectified the problem. I am located in Queens in a dense area of Latinos which is awesome.
Oh there are so many great things going on right now. We had some really great lessons this week. One of our investigators came to church this week! Yeah! Ana Ramirez is our shining star. She is really trying to make some really great changes in her life. That is one thing about the gospel that I just love. When people have a sincere belief and testimony of Jesus Christ it gives them the faith to follow throught on those promptings that they have. The biggest thing that we have been working on is trying to get her married or separated from her novio (bf). When the law of chastity was presented she was not down for the whole idea but when we went back she told us she is looking for another room. She feels the spirit when we come and she feels that we are helping her. There are always other issues that we have to work through such as money, but the point is that the desire is there and she is willing. She came to church and is planning to continue to come. She really is awesome. I love it.
We had zone conference this last week. It was really awesome. We are getting ready to start the new year. We are looking for themes and things that we want to accomplish. This last year the mission theme "was the year for miracles". The mission has had just over 500 baptisms this year. This is the most since 2002 and we continue to press forward in finding and preparing those who are to come unto Christ through baptism. We had a mission fast yesterday and it was really great. We had a fireside last night and I was asked to share some thoughts in order to start off our discussion. I studied in the BOM about Moroni and the title of liberty.The title of liberty stood for truth, righteousness, and protecting the freedoms of their families, their wives, and children. They were able to save the kingdom from evil because they united and put their trust in God by obeying and pressing forward in Christ. As missionaries, we strive to obey, serve, and love. We will have the Lord's power as long as we do those things he has asked us to do. To go forth with a united purpose and love.
Merry Christmas Family! I'm thinking of you and I appreciate all your love and concern and prayers. They mean the world.
Love Hermana Lewis
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