Goodness how time flies huh? I have
only been out here in New York for 3 weeks, but it seems like it's been
forever! 5 weeks ago I left home and now I feel so comfortable as I
walk the streets of Manhattan! It's definitely a different way of life
out here! We have had some fun experiences along the way though!
So, every time we walk out of the subway, we don't
know what to expect: a street fair, bike races, rally's, etc. You name
it, we got it! It's so alive an exciting here. Last week my companion
and I went to a fruit vendor in Chinatown on Pday. She wanted to look
around the inside of their store. As I walked around eying all the
fish, live crabs, and other food, I stopped to gaze into a large plastic
garbage can. I gasped!!!! Inside were dozens of MASSIVE dead toads!
"THEY EAT FROGS?!" I exclaimed to my Filipino companion! "THEY EAT
FROGS!!!!!!" Haha... she just looked at me and said, "Of course we eat
frogs!" UGH!!!! SHE eats frogs! And not just any frogs, but HUGE
toads! Nasty! Haha... it was quite the experience. We quickly vacated
the store for my sake.
Just a day or two before that experience, we were
heading home when a man was passing out free samples from their stores
merchandise. The item he gave me looked like candy. As we briskly
walked away, I looked back at the store to see what kind of a store it
was. It didn't look like a candy store. I saw my companion eagerly
beginning to unwrap it. I decided to smell the "candy" before I ate
it. She had the "candy" almost to her lips when I exclaimed, "NO!
Don't eat it! It's SOAP!" Haha... yes, it was soap! She was so glad
I caught her before she put that into her mouth! lol-- it smelled
really good though. Since our hopes of a sugar high were dashed, we
stopped by a street vendor and bought us some candy bars to make up for
our loss ;)
Haha! Oh! So the tourist attraction of the week is
Times Square! We were volunteering at a 5K run/walk for Womens
Cancers. We were up at 3:50 to be in Times Square bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5:45am. We donned our beautiful volunteer shirts and stared in amazement that we were REALLY there in Times Square. Since it was 5:45 am
and the streets were blocked off for the race, no one was there. It
was beautiful to not hear horns honking, and seeing taxi's trying to run
pedestrians over. I finally got to enjoy a tourist attraction without
all the tourists!
I was able to go to a baptism this week of our
District Leaders investigators. Mary Lopez is a gem and I'm so excited
she decided to be baptized! We are still teaching Karen Slappy and she
is getting baptized on May 25th!
She is so receptive and eager to learn, come to church, and do
additional reading than what we left with her! So great to see her
willingness to know the truth! The work is continuing to progress and
we go out and tract, contact, and meet with the ward members each night
for dinner. It's so cool to see how the Lord is placing certain people
in our paths to help us learn and grow.
Today I was able to go to the temple! It was a
beautiful experience! I was just crossing the street on the way to the
temple when I looked up and saw a familiar face! One of my good
friends, Haley Mae Felton was standing on the corner of the temple! We
went to Disneyland together a few years back, and I just adore that
girl! We squealed and hugged and got some pictures! Love her! The
Lord knew I needed a good boost from back home! So grateful for His
love and tender mercies!
God lives! He is amazing! I love that I have the
opportunity each day to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with those here
in New York! What an incredible experience it is! I still have
moments where I stop and say, "Am I really on a mission? Like THE
mission I've been hearing about all my life?... and am I really in
Manhattan?!" The answer to all my silly questions is of course YES!
This is such a great experience. I'm learning to much! Sorry for the
LONG email, but hope you enjoyed it! I love you! Thank you for your
love, support and friendship (or familyship). You are amazing and have
touched my life! Hope to hear from you soon!
Love Always,
Sister Weyandt
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