Week #61, NYC me!

So this weeks email will not be very spiritual....not much going on currently in that aspect of the work here. his week was focused on meeting our key allies, searching out the less actives, and continuing to get to know our branch members.

It was awesome this week to be able to see Aimee Bloch, my former investigator, again. Nothing has changed, but we invited her to check out the new branch, and she said she would drop in :) YAY!

We also met up with two less actives who have gone less active because they are gay. Awesome guys! One is a coach to help people prepare for Broadway. The other works as a consultant for the United Nations as a crisis manager for Africa. Probably one of the smartest men I have ever met. He has a boyfriend from the Czech Republic who he plans to propose to soon. Having conversations like this is totally different from what was normal to me during my time and upbringing in Utah, but for some reason it doesn't shock me anymore. Yes, sometimes I still find myself surprised by the many unique things I hear, but I am rarely shocked these days. The first one, the coach, came to church on Sunday! Yes! And the other one said he would come visit sometime soon! Perfect! This branch is working! :)

Also, we finally met Pres. Comstock! He is the most loving man I think I have ever met! When we were in a meeting with him, his phone rang and he answered it. He was so tender in his tones and kept saying "sweetheart" and "love" in reference to this person on the other line. Come to find out it was his teen son! Aw! He greets women with a kiss on the cheek and a hug. It is endearing to see!

We also met with the stake relief society president. She basically asked us to be her liaison between the ward relief societies and the sister missionaries.  Cool, cool! We skyped with our branch relief society president since she is in Utah for the next 3 weeks. Last night we met with our branch council....until 10:15pm. We were not home until 11:00 pm. Oops! Our curfew is 9:30 and bed time is 10:30.  But we got special permission from the AP to be late. But our meeting was so amazing! Every member of the council is so passionate about this work and willing to help. They are phenomenal. Pres. Comstock ended the meeting with one of the most beautiful testimonies of our Savior I have ever heard. It was beautiful! He is so close to the Savior, and he really understands the vision of life.

Oh! I got to go visit Union Square 1st ward this weekend for their ward party on Saturday and for an assignment on Sunday! It was great to see all my old ward members again! I love them all so much! I heard my convert, Travis, spoke in church (we only came for the last hour). Sweet! He spoke about how the gospel changes lives :) Love it!

Sorry this email is extremely jumbled...but oh well. I am too lazy to fix it. Yesterday we went to a place called NY Common Pantry near our home to volunteer there. We usually bag vegetables for the pantry. Yesterday we bagged rotting sweet potatoes. I almost threw up from the smell. It was gross!

Today we went ALL over the city! We went to the Metropolitan Museum, saw the Guggenheim, went to Chinatown, Central Park, Times Square, Union Square area, and to sooooooo many shopping stores. My companion loves shopping and is looking for the perfect outfit to go home in when she leaves in a few weeks. Haha... The first 2 hours I was totally fine with it. 5 hours was too much. Haha...I am not a shopper apparently, especially when it includes pushing through thousands of people in Times Square. It seems glamorous, but it's more annoying when you have a mission to accomplish. She is doing the "goodbye tour" in trying to see everything before she leaves. Haha...the next 3 weeks are dedicated to her. I am ok with that :)

Anyway, long day. I am super tired. We will teach her parents via Skype tonight with our mission president and his wife present. We will invite her father to be baptized! Yay! Keep him and the family in your prayers! I love you all! Like I said, not much meat this week, but not every week is fabulous in life, right? Have a great week and know that

Love Always,
Sister Weyandt
God is watching out for you!

Week #60, Back in Manhattan!

I am back in Manhattan! My zone is SouthMan...AGAIN! I am soooo excited to be back! I am in the temple building for church this time around instead of at the 15th street chapel. We are in a new mid singles branch. Our branch president is Robert Comstock, a hot shot fashion designer who has a "I'm a Mormon" video made about him, and he is on all of our pass along cards! To see his video search for "I'm a Mormon, Single Dad, Designer, Baseball Coach". I have not met him yet, but we are in contact otherwise until he returns from China. (And one of our members helped design the Freedom Tower- the new World Trade Center building...no big deal!). Anyway, we are trying to figure out all that we are suppose to do. Our assignment is extremely unique here.

 The branch's focus is unlike any you will ever see...ever! It is truly to invite ALL to come unto Christ, whether practicing gay, an atheist, an eternal investigator, people with real doubts and concerns about the church, etc. Their needs and concerns will be addressed in open discussion. Controversial topic seminars will be conducted, filmed, and put online to advertise. Those who are less active for one reason or another are all warmly welcomed back, despite their current hold backs. There is soooooooooo much more, but they are being very open in an effort to bring the lost sheep back. 3 or 4 of our active members are openly gay, and they are accepted with loving, open arms.

It has been amazing to see how less active members have been falling into our paths who left the church but love it. We hope to reclaim them through this new initiative. Elder Perry himself requested this branch be created. Our mission president told us they requested his very best sister missionaries for this branch. I am honored I was chosen for his extremely unique assignment. We are working closely with the stake relief society presidency on a special assignment gathering welfare information that will benefit bishops throughout Manhattan to know what their resources are offered by the city.

I have seen several of my old ward members and will be able to see plenty more as we do the rounds to each ward on the island educating the members about the unique initiative of the branch. It is not a "last chance to get married" branch, but a "rescue the lost sheep and bring in any and all who are interested in being a good person, not necessarily becoming a Mormon".

My companion, Sister Richeson rocks! She is just like me....but times like 3! She has so much drive, motivation, and initiative! If something needs to be done she does it immediately, swiftly, and very professionally. She is down to earth, clean, kind, and a wonderful teacher. She served in my last ward at the very beginning of her mission, so we always have tons to talk about throughout the day and while waiting for sleep to overtake us at night. Some nights I have looked at the clock at 11:30 or 12 and have said "Haha! Sister, we have to go to sleep!" Never had a companion like her before! She is such a driver and I love, love, love it! At times I feel like the companion who is dragging the work....haha...it is an interesting feeling to be in the other end of it. But don't worry, I really don't hinder the work.
 
So, we live in the Harlem area of Manhattan right off the tip top of Central Park. We have seen some VERY interesting things in just the last few days that I never saw in downtown Manhattan. Like, a woman hanging her legs into the tracks of the subway platform while the train was coming (luckily a man dragged her out of the way), a small white pedifile(?) van that they constructed into a pimped out, lit up, convertible gangsta car, and a man on a 5 ft tall bike riding through a 1/4 mile long subway tunnel. It has been entertaining to say the least. We can go to any part of the island without permission. So we have hit the top and bottom of the island, and everywhere in between the last few days!  I love this new area!
 
Oh! And we are Skype teaching Sister Richesons non-member father and less active mother! We met with them and the St. George sister missionaries last night! Her dad is so stinkin cool! His assignment was to read 1 Nephi 1...guess he read almost all of 1 Nephi! He is progressing towards baptism, something Sister Richeson never dreamed would happen in her entire life! What a miracle to be apart of this! :) Needless to say, it has been a great week! I feel like I man back home :) Well, minus the cockroaches in our appt, but you know ;) I love you! Have a phenomenal week! You know I will!

Love Always,
Sister Weyandt

PS- right now I am at the South Ferry terminal getting ready to go see the Statue of Liberty. In the last 6 weeks of our missions we have the opportunity to go see The Statue of Liberty and a Broadway play. Luckyfor me, I get to go to the Statue earlier than that because Sister Richeson is going home in 5 weeks! We are gonna tear it up these last few weeks! :)

PSS- it is Soooooooooo HOT now! Ugh!

Week #59, I'M HOME!!!!

I AM BACK IN MANHATTAN!!! I AM SO EXCITED TO BE BACK!!! I am back in South Manhattan zone and white washing a new mid singles ward at Lincoln center in Manhattan! My companion, Sister Richeson, and I are gonna tear it up! We will cover the entire island of Manhattan! So, we do not have to ask permission to go anywhere on the island! Sooooo exciting! Anyway, gotta run! No time! Talk to you next week! Bye!!!

Love Always,
Sister Weyandt

Week #58, "If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it..."

What a wonderful week it has been! I cant believe it is Pday once again! It seems each week for the last 3 weeks my companion and I have exclaimed to each other “It is Pday, again?!” It creeps up on us...FAST! Despite waking up nightly for the past month because of all my itchy bug bites (get new ones several times a week it seems) and having to get up and out of bed to medicate or ice them, all is SUPER, SUPER well in Zion!

This Friday night we got to go to Rudy Ramirez's home for his first real Family Home Evening. He is a recent convert, and as of last week he is the Elders Quorum President. So, both us and the elders went to his home to teach him and his non-member family how to have Family Home Evening! It was great! Rudy is such an example to me! I have faith his wife will some day come around and join the church!

Earlier that day we had Zone Conference! It was our mission's conference tour where a 70 comes to visit. Steven E. Snow and his wonderful wife came out to visit us. It was a wonderful conference! I learned a lot! Throughout this week we have had many of the missionary leaders come up to us and congratulate us on our area and high goals. I guess President Morgan has been talking a lot about our companionship and goals in Mission Leadership Council (MLC). Wow! That was cool to hear! Afterwards, President Morgan asked us to be interviewed by Elder Snow. Must admit, nothing too exciting occurred in the individual interview, but it was a neat experience to be selected to have a one on one conversation with our visiting 70! Later this week my District Leader, Elder Fotheringham, told us we were the examples right now in the mission that everyone is talking about. Haha...no pressure!

President Morgan came up to us during breakfast time at the conference and told us we were doing awesome as a companionship and he was so proud of us. He then told us that we better enjoy our time together, because it would be ending soon. He then told Sister Bolton she will be training again (something she is not too stoked about actually). He then proceeded to give me THE BEST NEWS EVER! I wake up every morning with the news he gave me running through my mind, and it makes me smile...really BIG! He told me that if all goes according to plan, I will be going back to NYC to serve in Manhattan again!!! He said I will be white washing a brand new mid-singles adult ward! I wanted to squeal with happiness! MOST of my recent converts and investigators in my last area will now be in my new ward in Manhattan! Also, many of my old ward members will now be members of this new ward where I will serve! As far as I know, I will be serving in the Manhattan temple building where a chapel is inside! I am VERY, VERY excited to be going back to the City to the people I love! I dream about it a lot now. But I will be extremely sad to leave here too! Newburgh is amazing, and the people are truly one of a kind! You will NEVER find such wonderful, genuine, helpful, and willing people anywhere else! Ok, maybe you will, but I haven’t seen it too much! But shhhhh... don't tell anyone I'm moving yet! It is not official until tonight when Sister Bolton gets her training call :D But by this time next week I should be in Manhattan :D

So, ROSE CAME TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY AND LOVED IT! She was crying the whole time! And my dear ward members welcomed her in naturally, without being asked to at all! She felt the spirit! Fast and testimony meeting was PERFECT! Everyone gave such solid, wonderful testimonies of our Savior. They testified of many challenged, but the blessings the gospel brings. One woman named Alma Partyka got up and said “If anyone here is an investigator, the best thing I could ever tell you is to get baptized within this church! It was the best decision I have ever made!” Wow! I was blown away! Phenomenal day!

Alyson and Samantha came to a BBQ at Chiara's house! They loved it and are now good friends! Chiara leaned over to me and said “Don't worry, I'll have them baptized in no time!” Lol! She is a covert of about 2 years and she loves the gospel!

The BEST news I got this week though was from a young man named Rob Iraheta! I contacted him in Union Square last year. He saw the temple on the pass along card I gave him and stopped. He was smoking and asked me directly, “Is smoking bad?” “Yes!” I replied simply and honestly. From there, I taught Rob several lessons before passing him off to the missionaries in his area in Queens. He finally gave us smoking and everything else as was baptized on May 31^st! What wonderful news! I am so excited! It doesn't matter that he isn't counted as MY baptism. I am just stoked that I was able to find him and help him along the covenant path! Woohoo!

Today for P-day we had A LOT of fun with our zone at Hil-Mar (Pam Paulines place). We played volleyball, football, had a water balloon fight, and a water soaker war! It was SO much fun! I love getting to relax for a bit and feel like a normal person again!

Oh, just a few minutes ago I got an email in my Facebook messages. It was from one of my EFY girls from my first year as a counselor. The following year I was her Building Counselor, which is SUPER rare. She turned to me for help during a time of doubt and trial. I wrote her a lengthy and heartfelt letter. She messaged me saying how she just found that letter again and read back through it to realize that everything I had said in it had laid the foundation for the change she made in her life. She thanked me for doing that and being that powerful impact in her life! I was so touched! God truly has his hand in our lives in ways I will never begin to comprehend!

So, as you can tell, life is great here! I am completely living the dream! I am so grateful for this time I have been given to be here as a missionary! It is incredible!

Love Always,

Sister Weyandt