A dear friend of mine lives life with Article of Faith #13 as her motto.

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

She truly is the embodiment of seeking after things that are virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy. She is not a member of our church, but I’ve shared with her some of our mission experiences and she is so impressed with the young missionaries especially. Recently, she invited me to invite the missionaries to join her in her quest to spread messages of love and encouragement! She started doing this in our hometown of Alameda, CA by writing messages in chalk on sidewalks and places around town. People in Alameda are loving it and are posting about the messages they encounter on social media and it is spreading…all the way to NYC! She wants to remain anonymous so chose #carrychalk as her pseudonym. Below are some of the messages the missionaries are sharing on the streets (and stairs) of New York. You can join us too–grab some chalk and leave a message of hope and encouragement on the walkways where you live.  #carrychalk

 

 

 

Mega-Zones

Is mega-zone even a word outside of mission lingo? Probably not. In a continuing effort to more fully integrate the former North and South missions and move toward aligning the zones with stake boundaries, we’ve made several adjustments to the existing zones including the creation of a Chinese Zone. We were able to arrange things so that we had 4 mega-zone conferences with 60+ missionaries at each one.

In addition to all the training and sharing, our mission nurse, Sister Postma arranged for all the missionaries to get a flu shot if they wanted to. That was fun!

President Teuscher taught about the importance of following up and helping the people we are teaching to keep their commitments. We had several missionaries give short presentations and share what works well for them in following up with various aspects of missionary work. We had a really insightful and helpful workshop from Elder Rich on giving effective chapel tours. He works in the Chinese program and has been using them as a tool to help people understand the importance of the Jesus Christ, his restored gospel and the necessity of ordinances like baptism and the sacrament.

I taught about Love: understanding, recognizing and receiving God’s love, and learning to develop and share that kind of love with others. The missionaries are volunteering their time and giving of themselves in order to help others recognize and receive God’s love, and all of the blessings that come with it, in their own lives. They do it out of love. I learn so much from them as they share their thoughts, insights, and experiences.

My brothers and sisters, the first great commandment of all eternity is to love God with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength—that’s the first great commandment. But the first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind, and strength. That love is the foundation stone of eternity, and it should be the foundation stone of our daily life. Indeed it is only with that reassurance burning in our soul that we can have the confidence to keep trying to improve, keep seeking forgiveness for our sins, and keep extending that grace to our neighbor.” —Jeffery R. Holland

 

Westchester, Yorktown and Bronx Zones

We love Elder and Sister Carter and are so grateful for them, and for all the senior couples and their willingness to feed these hungry missionaries. It isn’t easy preparing a meal for nearly 70 people!

These elders are such gentlemen, letting the sisters eat lunch first while they lined up in the hallway to get their flu shots. Look at Elder Rogers and Elder Allred jumping for joy! ha ha!

 

Brooklyn and Woodside Zones

 

Manhattan and Chinese Zones

Lynbrook and Plainview Zones

They are making mini Korean hearts with their hands (just in case you were wondering)

Suster Dunne had the best expression/reaction to the flu shot, is she laughing or crying?

 

Transfer Day

We have been getting a lot of rainy days in New York recently and transfer day was one of them! Good thing these missionaries know that rain makes things grow and they just smile and make the best of it.

 

 

It is hard to sum up the month of September. There was so much going on–several groups of missionaries arriving throughout the month, a big group that went home who we will miss, transfers, zone conferences, service opportunities, Grace starting school and cross-country meets, a trip to Bermuda, more things on my “to do” list that did not get crossed off than did.  For some reason it makes me think of this lyric from September Song–especially the last line, “these precious days I’ll spend with you.”  It truly is a blessing to spend precious days here in New York with these missionaries and all the people we are meeting.

Oh, it’s a long long while
From May to December
But the days grow short
When you reach September
When the autumn weather
Turns leaves to flame
One hasn’t got time
For the waiting game

And these few precious days
I’ll spend with you
These precious days
I’ll spend with you

Departing Missionaries

This photo is from the temple trip with the missionaries departing in September. It happened to be on September 11th. Here is what I posted about it on our mission Facebook page:

9/11 
I am humbled to be in NYC today, this day of remembrance and reverence. I was also humbled to spend time in the Manhattan temple with this group of missionaries. It felt like a really meaningful and empowering way to spend a sacred day here in the city. The temple stands for everything that a few people tried to destroy on 9/11. It is the antidote to all that is wrong in this world. In stark contrast to the horrors of that day 17 years ago, a temple is a place of refuge, of safety for the soul, of beauty, knowledge, understanding, acceptance, and peace. The kind of knowledge and peace that heals and has the power to make even the most difficult and damaged parts of our lives whole. This kind of peace and understanding are available to all and these missionaries (who were just toddlers 17 years ago) have spent the last two years of their lives sharing that message here in NYC. They are wonderful! You should listen to them!

And here is your chance to listen to them singing “How Firm a Foundation” at the close of the testimony meeting which was the night before leaving to go home after completing their missionary service.

While at the mission home this group of elders found a copy of the old “New York Mission Song” written in 1989.  They sight-read it a couple of times and here is their final performance!

And just for fun…this is what the garage looks like for a couple of days as we host the groups of arriving and departing missionaries at the mission home.

Arriving Missionaries

We had quite a few different arrivals this past month which is always fun. It made for a lot of trips to and from the airport, which means extra opportunities to practice being patient with NYC traffic 😊

Greeting the new missionaries as they get off the plane is the best! They are full of anticipation and excitement mixed with the nervousness that comes with any new situation that requires you to step outside your comfort zone in a big way. Well, we didn’t want to make them wait too long to experience being a missionary in NYC so we took this group straight from JFK to a busy street in Queens and let them go out for a little while to do some good old-fashioned street contacting! They were super nervous, but did great! Then we came back to Scarsdale where we had a delicious dinner prepared by our office couples, took more photos, had a testimony meeting and then finally let them get a good night’s sleep at the mission home. They are a great group and we are excited to see all the good they will do and all the growth they will have while doing it!

Elder Dill is with us until his Visa for Australia arrives

Loading everyone into the vans at JFK. That poor guy with the blond hair wearing the beanie–he looks a little uncertain about being surrounded by a group of missionaries.

Finally, time to eat!

Sister Young, Sister Tintle, Sister Palmer and Sister Carlin (probably in the kitchen during this photo)  are the best (so are their companions) They are so wonderful to prepare a delicious dinner for the arriving missionaries one night and then do it all again for the departing missionaries the next night.

Our Tetris master office elders, Elder Sanders and Elder Meliza somehow were able to add bags of bedding in with all the luggage they had previously tightly packed in the van. Good thing for side view mirrors!

Temple Square Sisters

We are blessed to have Sisters Kurokawa, Deighton and Yang from the SLC Temple Square mission join us for a few months.

Haitian-Creole Missionaries

We are excited to have Elder Sullivan and Sister Zornes join us to serve the Haitian population here in NYC. They are blessed to be training with Elder Morency and Sister Hosea. (I didn’t get a photo with their companions  when they arrived, but there should photos of them at the next zone conference)

Korean Elders

Elder Monk and Elder Mensching arrived next. It was fun to drive them to their area to meet Elder Jarman who will be their trainer and to hear the excitement in their voices as they started seeing the first few signs on buildings and streets written in Korean!

 

Wow! That 6 weeks went fast! I guess it feels even faster since it took me a few weeks to actually post about our first zone conferences–I’m trying not to be not quite as slow this go around. This time we condensed our zone conferences into 5 days which meant some really big mega-zones on a few of those days which was super fun! I love a room full of missionaries who are eager to learn and share and help and love. Seriously, where else can you be in a room with 60 young men and women in their late teens and early 20s who are eager to learn how they can be even better at loving and serving others–and from someone who is their parent’s age! (OK maybe a tad older than some of their parents 🙂 The thing is, I am usually the one who is taught by them. I am constantly humbled to hear their expressions of faith and the stories of miracles that happen on a regular basis.

During Zone Conference we learned about obedience and the importance of doing! We discussed and trained on ways we can help the people we are teaching to make and keep commitments. (Preach My Gospel Ch. 11). This is not a passive gospel, the Lord is always inviting us to do–pray, read, learn, ask, repent, draw near, seek, progress, become. It is through doing, through keeping our commitments and covenants that we come to know.

John 7:17 

If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

 

Feasting Spiritually and Physically!

Thanks to our senior couples for all the help with lunches!

Can’t forget about our missionaries in Bermuda participating by Skype!

☀️ I matched with Hermana Robison ☀️

The Office Elders are always helping 

There are lots of things about mission life that are exciting, but there is nothing quite like transfers! Every 6 weeks there is the potential for change: change in who your companion is or in the area where you are serving and living, or in your assignment in a leadership position or as a trainer of a new missionary and sometimes you get more than one of the above at the same time! This transfer was a big one for the NYC mission. There had been a lot of anticipation on the part of the missionaries knowing that we would be further combining and integrating the former NY North and NY South missions, and I think it did not disappoint! It was so fun to see them gather with their lives all packed into suitcases and bags (that many of them drag through subway stations and on buses!) and joyfully greet their friends and fellow missionaries, find their new companion, and then head off again to their new area to keep working.

You can’t really tell in the photos, but it was a scorcher of a day–extra hot, sunny and humid! Sister Perkins (on the right) is the only one who thought about bringing her own personal shade 🙂 There were quite a few sun-kissed cheeks and noses by the end of transfers–and it only took an hour!

Arrivals and Departures

The biggest changes of all that occur during transfers are the arrival of new missionaries and the departure of the ones who are finished with their missions and are headed home! It is such a range of emotions. From the excitement, wonder, and nervousness of the arriving missionaries to whom it is all so new, to the deep emotions of love, gratitude, joy, and testimony of those that are headed home. They head home with many lessons learned and hard-earned and sometimes even harder to explain. They are excited to be reunited with family and friends and at the same time, so deeply committed to the work and so full of the joy that comes from service that they long to stay. We love experiencing it with them and are amazed at how deeply we have come to know and love and care about each of them in such a short time!

New Missionaries

We received 8 new missionaries this week and look forward to another 5 arriving in another couple of weeks. After getting up at 3AM to be to the airport for an early morning flight across the country they arrived tired but excited. After a short experience out contacting, they came back to the mission home in Scarsdale for dinner, a testimony meeting, and a good nights sleep. The next morning we took them to a chapel in Queens to meet their trainers. My favorite part was hearing their frequent expressions like, “Oh wow!” as we approached the city and they saw for the first time the Manhattan skyline!

Departing Missionaries

 

 

 

 

We had a wonderful session at the Manhattan Temple with this group of amazing missionaries who are going home! We love them all and are so grateful we got to serve with and learn from each of them. After the temple, we headed back to the mission home for a delicious Cafe Rio style dinner prepared by our senior office missionaries followed by a beautiful testimony meeting. It is humbling to hear them speak of their personal journeys of growth and faith over the past 18-24 months. They have a deep love for the Savior and the gospel and the people they have served.

Missionaries are called to speak in 7 different languages here in NYC including American Sign Language. We were privileged to have some of our ASL missionaries in this group.

A few missionaries have come and gone in between the regular transfer times and I don’t want to forget about them!

Sister Martin with Sister Jardine (SLC Visitors’ Center Missionary)

Sister Farr, Sister Draper, Elder Aguilera

Zone conferences are a time when we get to spend several hours with smaller groups of missionaries. We study the scriptures, learn from each other, teach and train together and of course every missionary’s favorite part…role plays and practicing the skills and things we are learning! The theme for this round of conferences was trust: trusting in the Lord and becoming someone the Lord can trust.

 

This is our Mission Leadership Council (MLC). Just before we arrived, President Smith and President Reynolds worked to combine the MLC by putting Zone Leaders, Sister Training Leaders and the Assistants in companionships with one missionary from NYC North and one from NYC South, and this is the result. Aren’t they a great group? Believe me, they are even better in person!

We told them that they are like the Mighty Amazon River. The ‘Meeting of the Waters’ is the point where two of Amazon River’s largest tributaries, The Rio Negro and The Solimoes River converge and run side by side without mixing for many kilometers. 

When they do come together they form the Mighty Amazon–a river that is so powerful that when it meets the Atlantic it dilutes the salinity of the ocean for up to 100 miles!

The NYC North and NYC South missions have been working side by side for years. Now we are at the point of confluence and we are so excited to work with the combined strength of the “Mighty” NYC Mission. A big thanks to these missionaries for leading the way!

Here they are “practicing” what they preach in small group discussions and role plays.

 

 

DAY ONE: THE MISSION TOUR

WOW! It’s hard to believe that the first official day of our mission was three weeks ago! It has been so full that it kind of feels like one long day since we got here–one really good long day!

We had a whirlwind tour of the mission to meet all the missionaries. After the last stop on the tour, each of us went out with a companionship and did some good old fashioned street contacting in Harlem. It was awesome! Harlem is such a great place and people on the streets are generally willing to talk to you and share their thoughts and feelings about God. I went out with Hermana Walker and Hermana Anderson–they are the best!

Scroll down to take your very own virtual tour and meet all of the NY, NYC missionaries!

Note: In all the picture taking of the day we somehow neglected to take a photo with the assistants Elder Bailey and Elder Rogers so here is one from a recent zone conference lunch. They have been absolute rockstars! Along with the dedicated help of the office elders, Elder Sanders, Elder Norton, Elder Wood, Elder Farneman and all the office staff, they have organized everything and helped us get where we need to go and given us valuable guidance every step of the way. We could not have survived these first few weeks without their support.

And now the tour…

The first group (in no particular order) are the missionaries serving in Manhattan, Harlem, Inwood, Chinatown, Brooklyn, and Bermuda.  (Click on a photo to enlarge)

And here are the missionaries serving in Flushing, Little Neck, Montauk, Hampton Bays, Riverhead, South Shore, Patchogue, Terryville, Plainview, Westbury, Brentwood, Bay Shore, Queens, Jamaica, Lynbrook, Far Rockaway, Mineola, Freeport, Woodside, Richmond Hill, Rego Park, Astoria and Staten Island.

In this final group are the missionaries serving in Yorktown, Danbury, Darien, Stamford, New Rochelle, Westchester and the Bronx: Kingsbridge, Concourse, Olmstead (there are a few senior couples not pictured: Keyes, Forsberg, Metcalf, Openshaw, Ho)

WE ❤️ THE MISSIONARIES IN THE NYC MISSION

It is hard to describe the gratitude we feel for these people standing on either side of us; they are spiritual giants on whose shoulders we have the privilege of standing.

For the past three years, Sis. Rebecca Smith & Pres. David Smith and Sis. Barbara Reynolds & Pres. Gary Reynolds presided over the NY North and NY South Missions respectively. They worked tirelessly, loved deeply and served diligently. They left a legacy of faith and hard work and miracles. The missionaries are always telling us that they are “all in” and letting us know that we can count on them and trust them to work hard and do the right things. We know that they do this out of a love for the work, for the Savior and for the people they are serving but also out of love and respect for the Smiths and the Reynolds. We are indebted to them and others who have provided this firm foundation from which we can move forward with the responsibility of combining these two powerful missions into one amazing NYC mission!

And the Smith kids… can’t forget how awesome they are! William, Lauren, and Savannah all made our kids feel welcome and loved from day one (even before as they reached out via social media before we had a chance to meet in person). We are all instant friends! Thanks too for all the tips on what to do, see and eat in the city. We’ve crossed a couple of them off, but have lots more exploring and eating to do!

 

It has been an incredibly eventful past month for our family! We welcomed Adam home from his mission in Southern France, celebrated Grace’s 15th birthday on the same day Adam returned, then celebrated Isaac & Noah and the Head-Royce class of 2018 as they graduated a few days later!

 

In between all the celebrations we sold our home in Alameda, CA, got rid of or packed up all our things and tried to find a way to pack up and keep 20+ years of memories from raising our family in that home! We said goodbye (for a little while) to life-long friends and Craig said goodbye to the job that has provided so many meaningful opportunities and friendships over the years.  After a brief but enjoyable and entertaining Groberg reunion in Idaho, Craig and I headed to the Missionary Training Center in Provo while the kids relaxed in Park City. The experience at the MTC was intensely spiritual as we received teaching and counsel from many members of the missionary department as well as from the prophet, Pres. Russell M. Nelson and his counselors,  Pres. Oaks and Pres. Eyering plus each of the 12 apostles! We enjoyed seeing some old friends and making lots of new ones who will be embarking on this same journey with us over the next three years, but in different parts of the world.

And what a journey it is so far! We may have left our hearts in San Francisco, but we found new ones here in New York. Everyone we have met in the past few days: our neighbors, nearly 300 missionaries, many members of the church and people on the street have welcomed us with great big hearts, open arms and even bags of NY bagels!

I think we can safely say that we are going to ❤️ NY!