So, this week has been an adventure! The
mission life is hard right now, but it is going well. So, I am limited
on my time today, but I want to share a letter I wrote today to one of
the teachers back in my home ward. The teachers quorum was given an
assignment to write me a letter and ask me about my mission life. I got
6 of these letters from boys I have never met before in my life (ok, so
I knew one of the six because I babysat him years ago). It was so
sweet to see them preparing now for their missions. So, here is my
letter to one of them:
Dear Future Elder Stead,
That
has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Haha. Thank you SO much for your
letter to me! That really made my day! I got a letter from you and
several other teachers in the ward. I was so excited to get all of them
at the same time. I'm glad you followed through with your assignment to
write to me asking about myself and my mission here in New York City!
You've got some awesome leaders! Give them my thanks, will you?
So yes, my name is Sister Celeste Weyandt.
I'm sure you know Kyle Weyandt in the ward. He's my little brother.
Anyway, I am 23 (almost 24 years old) and am serving my mission in New
York City in downtown Manhattan. I am living in Chinatown in Manhattan,
and I live about a mile away from where the World Trade Center site is
(9/11). I went on my mission a little later than most girls, but I know
that was what the Lord wanted for me. I had prayed for 3 years to get my
answer as to whether I should go or not. It was a LONG process, but
when I finally got my answer, I ran with it! I got a lot of advice and
many answers to prayers in those 3 years and all of them added up to
help me make my decision to go. One persons advice was given in their
homecoming talk. They said that if we ever have the opportunity to serve
a mission, to NOT pass it up. That really had an impact on me.
The people here are so unique! Some are so
friendly. Others are very brisk. But ALL are children of God! We have
some amazing investigators that we are teaching! They are so ready for
the gospel in their lives and soak up everything we teach them. The Lord
is working on their hearts and I feel that it is just a matter of time
before they are baptized!
You asked several questions about my
mission that I would LOVE to answer, so I'm going to make a bullet point
list. I hope that's ok with you. So, here it goes:
- What helped me to prepare for my mission? SEMINARY (and Institute)! Going to these classes and really trying to learn from them made all the difference in my preparation for not only my mission, but life in general! It gives you so much insight and perspective that having it in your life is invaluable! So, if you are not enrolled in seminary now, DO IT TOMORROW!
- What could I have done better to prepare myself for my mission? Reading through Preach My Gospel regularly. I thought it was boring when I first got it. I opened it a few times and then put it to the side. But it is ESSENTIAL to a mission and teaching. My advice, take turns with your friends teaching a lesson to each other (they have 3-5 minute mini lessons in the back of the lessons of Chapter 3 I think. Check it out). This will help you learn the simple, basic doctrines thoroughly. If you do this, you are set!
- The weather here is similar to Utah's weather actually. Very similar. Humidity (a wetness in the air) causes the hot to be hotter and the cold to be colder, but I am use to it now. It is getting cold as of this week... not fun!
- We do have a specific routine for the first ½ of our day. We wake up at 6:24 to be ready by 6:30 to exercise for 30 minutes. Then we have until 8:00 to eat and get ready for the day. At 8:00 we do our personal study and prepare to teach our investigators that day. At 9:00 we come together and share what we learned in personal study and combine what we studied for our investigators to meet their needs. For new missionaries we do training at 10:00 and my companions both were learning a new language, so we would do language study for an hour, then lunch. Then we go out for the day. We will go to peoples houses or meet them at the church to teach them a lesson. When we don't have lessons to teach, we go out and try to find the less active members and pay them a visit at their home or we go out “contacting.” Contacting is where we talk to people on the streets and hand out pass along cards. My companion and I like to do this in Times Square or other parks. Then we usually have dinner at a members house each night. After that we usually head home by the subway or bus to be home by 9:00 pm and plan for the next day. We are then in bed by 10:30. Then it starts all over again! P.S. We do not tract much here. Many people here live in HUGE apartment complexes and they have a guard (doorman) who will not let you in the building.
- My favorite P-day activity is emailing family back home and seeing pictures from them.
- Our investigators are Aimee, KJ, Travis, Chris, Beverly, Yael, and Larry.
- I've had 2 baptisms in 6 months :D
- I have never been transferred and have had 2 companions- 1 from the Phillipines and another who is headed to Brazil on her mission once she gets her visa.
- My favorite place is the Hudson River- it overlooks the Statue of Liberty and New Jersey.
- I've been able to visit the World Trade Center site, the Natural History Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum. We went to a Yankees game, and I see the Empire state building everyday.
- This week I ate chicken feet at a Chinese restaurant. Not too bad!
- My mission is being paid through personal saving as well as help from my parents.
- Me and my current companion are BEST friends one day, and not so good friends another day. But we are learning a lot from each other :)
A
mission is awesome! Sure, there are hard times. Life is full of hard
times. But it is so worth it. You grow so much! And you know, a mission
is a lot different that I thought it would be. I thought I would feel
different, act different, and be different. But I am still me, and I
still act like me and talk like me. I simply have a badge on my shirt
and the blessing and protection from the Lord to do His work. If you
want to start preparing for your mission now, DO MISSIONARY WORK NOW!
Open your mouth and share the gospel with your friends (whether
members, less actives, or non-members). If missionaries are in the area,
go out teaching with them when you can. If you have Facebook, post
Mormon Messages, scriptures, inspirational thoughts, etc. Do all you can
to lift others up and bring them to Christ. Missionary work is THE
MEMBERS RESPONSIBILITY. The missionaries are just there to teach those
the members find. So, be a member missionary, NOW!
I'm so impressed that you are preparing for
your own mission by studying Preach My Gospel and by bearing your
testimony! That is GREAT! What a perfect way to start preparing! As you
do all these things, pray to know if the things you are learning are
true. Gain a testimony for yourself so you can share that knowledge with
others in a powerful, personal way. And you have even saved up twice as
much as you planned to this summer for your mission! Wonderful! The
Lord is hastening his work and it is so exciting the changes that are
coming now that will be available to you when you come out on a mission!
God wants us all to return to live with him. He wants it more than
ANYTHING else. And the ONLY way we can return to live with him is to be
baptized and keep the commandments throughout our life. That is all he
asks. So, it is our job to go out and share the gospel with others so
that they too can live with God again as well as their families. God's
plan for our salvation is flawless. He is brilliant! And he will do
everything in his power to help us all return back to live with him.
Let him continue to touch your life and to
build your testimony. Follow EVERY prompting you receive. Pray for
missionary opportunities, then seek them out. Act on every good thought.
If you see someone who looks down, smile and say hi. If you see a piece
of trash on the ground, pick it up. If someone is gossiping (or you are
yourself), stop participating or bite your tongue. Pray, pray, pray.
The Lord will help you. I promise you! Thank you again for your
wonderful letter! I hope I answered all of your questions! Please write
me back with any more that you have! Oh, and please do me a favor... you
know my brother, Kyle, right? I know he can be hard to deal with
sometimes, but could you help him feel loved and included? I think he
just needs a good friend who cares about him. Anything you can do to
help him would be greatly appreciated by me, my parents, and by God :D
Thank you again for your letter! Thank you for praying for me and my
companion! We need all the prayers and blessings we can get in this
great work of the Lord. Have a WONDERFUL week, and God be with you until
next time!
Love Always,
Sister Weyandt
P.S. If you want to SEE what we have been up to recently, check out this blog: reachmygospel.blogspot.com
and watch the video about the Plan of Salvation in Union Square. This
video was even posted on the front page of KSL.com this past week and
was viewed by 10,000 overnight! Rumor has it that the prophet may have
seen it already! How fun! P.S. I am the girl wearing the yellow shirt
with the blue cardigan over it. This was a fun activity and a cool way
to share the gospel with others! Enjoy!
******************************
Kind
of a fun letter for me to write! So part of my adventurous week was
this whole KSL.com news article/video coverage we got. My zone was
featured on KSL.com, and will be on the Deseret News soon, or so I
hear. Last Friday we went to Union Square and did a chalk drawing of
the Plan of Salvation. Check it out at Youtube: Union Square Plan of
Salvation, and at the zone leaders blog:reachmygospel.blogspot.
Love Always,
Sister Weyandt
Pictures:
#1- We got to wear regular clothes when we did the chalk drawing! I hadn't worn jeans in 4 months! Wonderful feeling :) Hehe
#2-
So, I ate chicken feet. Not too bad, strangely. I'm branching out!
This restaurant, Jing Fong, was awesome! We were eating Dim Sum with
hundreds of other people! So cool!
#3- Sister Carly Porter and her husband Josh are moving. So sad. We will miss her!
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