One of the benefits of serving so close to New York is...
ELLIS AND LIBERTY ISLAND ARE IN YOUR MISSION!!!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.
Ellis Island is literally 12 minutes driving away from our area. Actually, it's probably IN our area. We would probably take a morning run there (although that would take way longer than the 30 minutes we have to run). We see the Statue of Liberty every day when we are driving between Jersey City and Bayonne. Gotta say, I love the city. It is really fun to be here.
So a plus of being so close is being able to volunteer on Ellis Island! This past week we had an orientation to learn to help people with their family history work. I am SUPER excited to volunteer there.
Other highlights of the week:
~Got fed by members twice! I love Honduran/Guatemalan food! Slash every other kind of Latin American food you could possibly think of. You get people from all over Latin America and, come to think of it, all over the world in Jersey. We just get fed by the Latin American ones :)
~Having a lesson with a member that doesn't talk. He writes down his responses. That was a first for me.
~Had an awesome Zone Conference about repentance and the importance of forgiving others and yourself.
~Found and bought almond milk for super cheap and decided it's the best thing ever.
~Had a lesson with a new investigator whose house is decorated entirely by pictures of Buddha. EVERYWHERE. Also fluffy pillows.
~Saw the TV and realized that TV has definitely changed since I last saw it. WEIRD.
~Helped a nice lady named Veronica take her groceries in and then she let us stay and talk to her! She was super nice. Hope to see her again :)
~Another super big snow storm. Actually, this snow storm is currently happening. We had a lovely walk through said snow storm this morning to get to the library.
~Met a lady on the bus named Faith (haha funny) and referred her to the English-speaking elders. They went to visit Faith and her family and they want to get baptized and are going to church on Sunday! YES! I love it when people are ready to hear the Gospel.
Spiritual experience of the week: In New Jersey you have the bus and then you have wa-was, which are little buses run by a different company that are cheaper depending on where you are going. Well, on the wa-wa this week we were going up to Union City, an hour and a half ride, and an old lady got on the bus. She was struggling, and then a lady on the bus jumped up and helped her and got her seated and then gave her bus fare. The old lady was SO grateful, she started crying. Then the nice lady moved up next to her and prayed with her. Everyone on the bus, including us, were stunned by how Christlike this lady was.
There are so many humbling experiences like that on the mission. We are here to do the Lord's work but so often we are too busy or too distracted to see opportunities to help others. I am so grateful for that lady's Christlike example. I have promised myself that I will NEVER again be the person who doesn't see the lady struggling to get on the bus. I'm going to be the one who jumps up to help her, to give her bus fare, and to pray with her.
I am so happy to be the Lord's missionary. There is so much to learn and I am far from perfect, but I know that with the Lord's help I can be good enough. I am so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and I know that this is His church!
I love you all! Choose the right and know what you stand for!
Love,
Sister Reed
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