Still serving in the time of Covid: part 5

February 3, 2021

#LightTheWorld 2020/Happy New Year 2021

THE NYC MISSION CHRISTMAS VIDEO & VIRTUAL CHRISTMAS CARD

I love these end of the year videos and cards. I know we don’t quite get all the missionaries in as some leave before photos are taken or arrive just after, but this captures all who were in the mission as of Christmastime 2020. We have a lot of missionaries this year so the video goes through them quickly, but here they all are holding still 🤣

Christmas is always a wonderful time in New York City! This year a lot of things were not quite the same because of the ongoing pandemic, but there is still a festive spirit in the air and lights, beautiful trees and seasonal decorations still fill the lobbies and store fronts and Manhattan in particular feels like a magical place. We were sad that we didn’t have the Giving Machines for the #LightTheWorld campaign as that is always a highlight of the season for the missionaries to work at the machines, but we hope they will be back next year. We did have fun taking #LightTheWorld initiatives online. We started a couple of Facebook groups, one in English and one in Spanish so we could have a place to share and encourage others to do the #LightTheWorld service prompts each day and it was a big hit. Within just a few weeks we had a couple thousand people join, so we decided to keep going with the groups and see what happens. So far they continue growing and we hope they will become just one more way the missionaries can find people who are prepared and share the good new of the gospel with them. The mission Instagram account is also doing well. The missionaries we have running it are super creative and super focused on their missionary purpose and they are seeing lots of success. If you don’t follow our Instagram account yet you should go do that and tell any friends you have that live in New York to follow it too! It has really great content and will put some extra light and goodness into your day. The account is @comeuntochristnyc and here is the link: https://www.instagram.com/comeuntochristnyc/

Similar to Thanksgiving, we planned some special activities for Christmas. Below is our schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was so fun to gather on Zoom and hear stories from Sister Lori Mortensen and President Norris Chappell. What a blessing to have the Mortensens and Chappells serving with us! They are the best members, examples, and Mission Presidency counselors! Sister Mortensen introduced us to her friend and former New Yorker, Jenny Richards. Jenny is a graduate of The Juilliard School and a brilliant pianist. She gave us a access to her musical offering of the most peaceful, worshipful Christmas music. We had asked the missionaries families to send letters expressing their testimonies of the Savior and also any blessings they had seen while their missionary had been serving and then we asked the missionaries to read the letters and have some time to reflect on their own testimonies and blessings they had seen while they listened. Then, Christmas morning we were joined by Elder and Sister Bennett. Elder Bennett is our Area President. We are so grateful they took time out of their Christmas Morning to share an inspiring and uplifting message with us.

A little fun out and about with our kids. Adam and Noah came back for 7 weeks and finished up their winter semesters here. There was a lot of Zoom going on between 3 kids in school and all of our missionary meetings.

TRANSFERS

ARRIVALS

DECEMBER 2020-JANUARY 2021

Elder Walton, Elder ROSKELLEY, and Elder Holdon
Elder Hopkins & Elder OLSEN
Elder TRIPLETT
Sister Dewey & Sister CASILLAS
Sister BURKE & Sister Buist
Sister Buckles
Elder Frank
Elder Locke
Sister Sadler
Sister McCurdy
Elder Anjewierden
Sister Erickson
Sister Jobe
Sister Ricks
Sister Jensen
Elder Harlow
Elder Harwood
Sister NIELSON, Sister Larsen
Elder KENNEDY, Elder JORDAN
Elder Larson, Elder FISCHBECK
Elder GARNS, Elder Pauni
Elder Cloward, Elder Steffes, Elder STEPHENSON
Sister Shaw, Sister GREEN, Sister Avondet
Sister Halverson & Sister ADHIKARI

DEPARTURES

DECEMBER 2020-JANUARY 2021

These 16 missionaries finished their mission and returned home during December and early January. We loved hearing each of them share their powerful testimonies and experiences they’ve had while serving their missions. 5 of them were reassigned to NYC after being in overseas missions and were only here since this past summer, but we feel like they’ve been here the whole time and it’s hard to imagine they weren’t always a part of our mission. We feel so blessed to have served with each of these amazing young women and young men and we are grateful for the legacy of hard work, obedience, love, and trust in God that they leave for all of us.

Sister Lines, Sister Froelich, Sister Martial

Elders BIngham, Mendenhall, Lowe, Harrell

ZONE CONFERENCE

We met with each zone over Zoom and then later met with them in person at a church building for a devotional. On the Zoom calls we did role plays where we picked a few different companionships to teach us about The Plan of Salvation in just 2 minutes! Wow they are some powerful teachers. It is amazing to me how the spirit is not restricted by us not being in the same room or anything like that. We could feel their love and the truthfulness of their message. I know the people they are teaching feel the same things. We had one companionship teach simply but powerfully using the lyrics to primary song, another one used a single verse of scripture and another used some artwork and a white board. All bore testimony and expressed how understanding God’s plan of happiness and salvation has blessed their life. We also had several missionaries read their one page personal statement we asked them to write about one of the principles of the plan of salvation. Those are my favorite! I love hearing their personal insights and experiences of coming to more deeply know their Savior and his gospel. In addition to being heartfelt and personal, some of them are just so well written. I think there are several future famous authors and poets in our midst!

SPECIAL GUESTS

We were thrilled to have President and Sister Smith and President and Sister Reynolds join us on morning devotionals. They were the mission leaders of the New York North and New York South Missions just before we arrived and those two missions were combined into the New York City Mission! We love them so much and are grateful for the amazing legacy of faith, work, obedience and love they left. We also had several former missionaries join one morning too and share some of their mission experiences. It was the best! Unfortunately I didn’t take screen shots that morning. We had the former Elders: Thompson, Carlson, Walker, Eastmond and Sisters: Schetselaar, Choi and Franks. We hope to organize a few more of those calls with NYC Mission alumni in the future. There is a great sense of connection and an instant bond we all share to this city and specifically to doing the Lord’s work in this city.

❄️ Nor’easter ❄️

After two fairly mild winters (by East Coast standards) we finally had a big storm! Even though school is mostly online now Grace still got a “snow day” and was pretty happy about that. You can hear her practicing the piano in the background of the video 😊. The missionaries had their preparation day but had to mostly stay home because the mayor said no cars could be on the roads (except for essential travel) and even the above ground trains quit running for part of the day because of the high winds and heavy snow. It is such a blessing that they can still do all their finding and teaching from their apartments if needed, but most of them got out and had some fun in the snow too 💨❄️☃️

He directs the snow to fall on the earth

and tells the rain to pour down

Then everyone stops working

so they can watch his power

Job 37:6-7
New Living Translation

Serving in the Time of Covid: part 4

February 3, 2021

AUTUMN 2020

I’ve been so grateful these past few weeks for the beauty that God has designed for us!
Fall in New York is the best!!!
🍁☀️🍁
I’ve been pondering about that phrase from President Nelson’s talk in October’s General Conference, “Let God Prevail.” What does it look like to let God prevail in my life? One day as I was on a walk, enjoying the fall colors in all their glory, I realized that these leaves are giving me the answer. They are showing me exactly what it looks like to “Let God Prevail!” They are doing what they were designed to do! They are trusting their creator and following His plan for them. And when they do, they bring so much beauty and joy to the world ! What if I did that? What if I trusted my creator and the plan he has for me? What if I did what I was designed to do, if I chose to do what he asked me to do: to love Him and love others? Would my life, like these leaves, bring beauty to the world too? I want to be more like the fall leaves and Let God Prevail!
🍁☀️🍁

Yep! We love Jesus! Sister Barnum, Sister McClara and Sister Allen. October 2020

Manhattan District (one companionship joined virtually because they were still in quarantine with a new missionary.

Devotional with the Chinese Zone. We read the “Dedicatory Prayer of the Chinese Realm for the Preaching of the Gospel” by Elder David O. McKay of the Quorum of the Twelve given on 9 January 1921. There are some blessings for the missionaries in that prayer that even a century later are relevant.

…may the young men and young women come out of the darkness of the Past into the Glorious Light now shining among the children of men. Grant, our Father, that these young men and women may, through upright, virtuous lives, and prayerful study, be prepared and inclined to declare this message of salvation in their own tongue to their fellowmen. May their hearts, and the hearts of this people, be turned to their fathers that they may accept the opportunity offered them to bring salvation to the millions who have gone before. May the elders and sisters whom thou shalt call to this land as missionaries have keen insight into the mental and spiritual state of the Chinese mind. Give them special power and ability to approach this people in such manner as will make the proper appeal to them. We beseech thee, O God, to reveal to thy servants the best methods to adopt and the best plans to follow in establishing thy work among this ancient, tradition-steeped people. May the work prove joyous, and a rich harvest of honest souls bring peace to the workers’ hearts which surpasseth all understanding.
“Dedicatory Prayer of the Chinese Realm for the Preaching of the Gospel,” Elder David O. McKay of the Quorum of the Twelve given on 9 January 1921

SPECIAL MORNING DEVOTIONAL WITH ARTIST CLARK KELLY PRICE

We really enjoyed learning from Clark Kelly Price and hearing the stories and inspiration behind some of his paintings. He was so generous to share digital images of a dozen of his paintings with us. I’ll share a little about 3 of them

“Dan Jones” is every missionary’s hero! Especially here in NYC where (pre-Covid) we would take to the streets, trains and busses and talk to everyone. Faith over fear, just like Dan Jones. Now they open their mouths online!

“First They Pray” depicts a father and son in Tonga (where Clark Price served his mission with my dad as his mission president 😊) before heading into the sea. First they pray, then they go! Much like Nephi: “I will go and do what the Lord commands…” trusting that he will provide a way for us to accomplish our tasks.

“All Present and Accounted For” which depicts the Stripling Warriors from the Book of Mormon at the end of a difficult battle–many wounded and tired from the fight but all present and accounted for. He shared how we sometimes want to quit the fight when it feels too hard, but that one day we will meet these warriors–will we be comfortable looking them in the eye and explaining our reasons for complaining or not doing our duty?

Virtual Mission Tour with Elder & Sister Clayton

We loved spending several days online in a variety of formats with the Claytons. We learned so much from both of them and loved having them join district councils, companionship studies, lessons with friends the missionaries are teaching and even some personal time with individual missionaries.

ZONE CONFERENCE:

Zone Conference has become a hybrid of online and in-person meetings. We love being able to gather in-person in small groups for our devotional portion and we also really like the convenience of being able to get the whole mission together at once on Zoom. We also like being able to meet online with individual zones and practice teaching or other skills. It gives more people a chance to participate and it gives us the opportunity to hear from and be taught by more missionaries.

In October, we focused on working with members. It was really wonderful for the missionaries to hear from several different local members who live and work here. They helped us gain insight into things we can do to earn trust and be more helpful to the members.

In November we learned about different ways to have effective scripture study and then we did some effective scripture study together by combining two of those ways–careful or in depth study of a certain passage and also topical. We explored the topic of gratitude and studied together the story of the 10 lepers. I’ll try and condense nearly an hour into a few sentences. All 10 lepers had the faith to call out to Jesus, all 10 were obedient when he told them to go show themselves to the priest, all 10 were healed as they went and did as he said, all 10 must have been overjoyed to be given this miracle of being healed, but only 1 returned to give thanks, 1 recognized who the true high priest was, 1 was grateful not only for the gift, but for the giver of the gift. It is easy to be grateful for the gift or the blessing or the miracle that is what we asked for, the prayer that was answered the way we hoped, but are we equally able to be grateful for and recognize the Savior as the source of all our blessings–even when we don’t recognize them as blessings? I love the quote from President Nelson and also this artwork entitled “Holding Sorrows” from Caitlin Connolly. When we truly develop a grateful heart we will be able to see beauty and good and opportunities for growth even in our sorrows. I am so grateful that He has provided a way through those sorrows and that he gives “beauty for ashes.” One of my favorite hymns is Come, Thou Fount. When I learn to see Christ as the source of every blessing, when I “tune my heart to see his grace” in and through all things, when I learn to recognize “streams of mercy, never ceasing”, then it truly does “call for songs of loudest praise.”

“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”
I loved filming this music video for our Facebook page on the steps of the Met and in Central Park!
New York City has so many beautiful spaces. Sister Low, Sister Barrus and Sister Martial singing and Sister Taylor as videographer.

THANKSGIVING

We wanted to make Thanksgiving special for the missionaries since Covid cases are back on the rise so they weren’t able to have meals with members or others this Holiday season. Elder and Sister Buckner joined us on Zoom in the morning and gave an outstanding devotional. Elder Buckner is the Area Authority Seventy and they live in the Manhattan 1st Ward and are the absolute best! We love the Buckners! After the devotional we had our very own baking show featuring our star chef Sister Clifford! She taught us how to make homemade rolls and then I showed everyone how to bake a pumpkin pie. The missionaries spread lots of joy and messages of gratitude and then we met back together over Zoom in the evening to eat our pie and share our testimonies how good God is!