Well hello everyone. This week was slightly less eventful than last week. I'd say sorry, but I'm not sorry at all actually.
Here is the highlight! We went to visit Lilianna this week. She said she is still praying about baptism and she knows she needs to be baptized but she isn't sure she has gotten an answer for herself. We read from the Book of Mormon with her and talked about how answers to our prayers can come from the scriptures. She read in 2 Nephi 31 looking for an answer. As she read the verse talking about how Christ was baptized so everyone needs to be baptized she just smiled. She couldn't stop smiling actually. It was awesome. She definitely got her answer!
The rest of this week was crazy busy with nothing and everything.
Church was awesome. We are having a hard time getting people to come to church, though. I never realized how important church attendance really is. As we go to church, we renew the covenants we made when we were baptized. Every week we have the opportunity to feel like we have been baptized again. We can be sanctified by the gift of the Holy Ghost. We cleanse ourself from the things of the world and make more room for the Savior in our lives. Before I went on a mission I never thought I would spend SO much time trying to get people to come to church and experience that joy. Pretty much every single day of my life. If you haven't been to church in a while... Try it out. Here is your official invitation to sacrifice the things of the world for something and someone so much better.
Love you all!
Monday, June 30, 2014
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Week 1
What a week.
Let's reminisce for a moment. Remember conference in April? And Holland started conference with that bomb of a talk about discipleship, and how it wasn't going to be easy but it was always going to be worth it? Yeah. I remember it too. And remember that part of the talk where he mentioned the two sister missionaries who had things thrown at them because they were missionaries? Me too. And I am assuming a little but here but I think we all thought some variation of the following "I hope that never happens to sister Toone" or "I am glad that hasn't happened to her yet" or " if that happens to me I'm going home!" (Okay, maybe that was just me)
Well my friends, that moment has come. Let me tell you a story real quick like. Sunday we had an awesome dinner at a members house. I am sure you all got the picture. We had about an hour after dinner so we went to go and look some people up. We were walking through Harlem and I wanted to talk to some people because we hadn't had much of a chance to that day. So I get out my Jesus pass along cards to hand out.
As we are walking, I see a guy sitting on a bench talking to a girl. I get the thought that I should give him a card, but push it away because the girl is there. And then the girl leaves and the thought returns so I heed the prompting and give him a Jesus card. He says thanks and we get about three and a half steps away before he asks us to come back, so we do. He asked us to sit down, so we do. I sat a safe distance away because he was making me kind of nervous.
First he asks us if we are Mormons and then he tells us he was baptized as a Mormon when he was 10. So far, so good. Then he says "you guys believe in the celestial kingdom, right?" Yep, we sure do.
Then his face changes and I get a pit in my stomach. He looks me right in the eye and says "that's bull ****" he ranted for a couple of minutes, but I'll spare you the expletives. Then he tells us to hang on... And I get really nervous.
He walks away and sister smith looks at me and asks me if I'm ready to testify. I guess I am, even if I don't wanna be! He takes a few minutes to rally his crew but all he can get to come back with him is the girl we first saw him with. She walks over and shakes her head and tells us we sat down with the wrong dude. (Yeah, we know.)
He comes over and is now standing in front of us as he starts yelling.
Every other word is the f word and he's talking about how we didn't let black people into our church until the 70s (not true) and how we thought these horrendous things about black people (also, not true) and then he tells us to tell him he is wrong. Which we don't do because he doesn't give us any time. Then he tells us to get the
*blank* out of his face before he throws something at us... So I say "god bless" and we walk away. We get four or five feet away and he chucks his drink at us. Luckily he misses but we get splashed on.
Needless to say, I have been scared to walk through those buildings since then.
In other horrible news, the gates of hell have been opened on our investigators. Literally. Yasmine hasn't made it to church because she has been either really really sick or gone to visit her brother on the ONLY day they let them visit. Lilianna told us that not only does her aunt not want her to get baptized, but her dad also doesn't want her to go to church anymore. Nick cannot stop smoking weed and he hasn't made it to a full 3 hours of church in a long time. We are working SO hard. We are praying SO hard. Something amazing is going to happen soon... I know it.
We have started the madness of splits and interviews. We have done one of each, and so far so good. Hopefully sister Smith has caught on to things! We have had some good adventures this week, including getting caught in a monsoon. (Okay, it probably wasn't a monsoon... But it felt like it)
Ooh. On Wednesday after Pday we went to a legit gospel music worship service with a less active. It was SWEET! Pretty much everything the movies make it out to be. This guy got up to make an announcement and he was like, excuse me... I just need to do this. And then he broke out in song and the whole congregation joined him!!! It was too prime.
Then sister smith got to hail a taxi to take us home because our less active paid for it. HOLLA! Welcome to Harlem. :)
Um. Well. That's really all I have to say. Oh wait! YASMINE HAS A BAP DATE!!! July 5th. :)
Here are some pictures
Let's reminisce for a moment. Remember conference in April? And Holland started conference with that bomb of a talk about discipleship, and how it wasn't going to be easy but it was always going to be worth it? Yeah. I remember it too. And remember that part of the talk where he mentioned the two sister missionaries who had things thrown at them because they were missionaries? Me too. And I am assuming a little but here but I think we all thought some variation of the following "I hope that never happens to sister Toone" or "I am glad that hasn't happened to her yet" or " if that happens to me I'm going home!" (Okay, maybe that was just me)
Well my friends, that moment has come. Let me tell you a story real quick like. Sunday we had an awesome dinner at a members house. I am sure you all got the picture. We had about an hour after dinner so we went to go and look some people up. We were walking through Harlem and I wanted to talk to some people because we hadn't had much of a chance to that day. So I get out my Jesus pass along cards to hand out.
As we are walking, I see a guy sitting on a bench talking to a girl. I get the thought that I should give him a card, but push it away because the girl is there. And then the girl leaves and the thought returns so I heed the prompting and give him a Jesus card. He says thanks and we get about three and a half steps away before he asks us to come back, so we do. He asked us to sit down, so we do. I sat a safe distance away because he was making me kind of nervous.
First he asks us if we are Mormons and then he tells us he was baptized as a Mormon when he was 10. So far, so good. Then he says "you guys believe in the celestial kingdom, right?" Yep, we sure do.
Then his face changes and I get a pit in my stomach. He looks me right in the eye and says "that's bull ****" he ranted for a couple of minutes, but I'll spare you the expletives. Then he tells us to hang on... And I get really nervous.
He walks away and sister smith looks at me and asks me if I'm ready to testify. I guess I am, even if I don't wanna be! He takes a few minutes to rally his crew but all he can get to come back with him is the girl we first saw him with. She walks over and shakes her head and tells us we sat down with the wrong dude. (Yeah, we know.)
He comes over and is now standing in front of us as he starts yelling.
Every other word is the f word and he's talking about how we didn't let black people into our church until the 70s (not true) and how we thought these horrendous things about black people (also, not true) and then he tells us to tell him he is wrong. Which we don't do because he doesn't give us any time. Then he tells us to get the
*blank* out of his face before he throws something at us... So I say "god bless" and we walk away. We get four or five feet away and he chucks his drink at us. Luckily he misses but we get splashed on.
Needless to say, I have been scared to walk through those buildings since then.
In other horrible news, the gates of hell have been opened on our investigators. Literally. Yasmine hasn't made it to church because she has been either really really sick or gone to visit her brother on the ONLY day they let them visit. Lilianna told us that not only does her aunt not want her to get baptized, but her dad also doesn't want her to go to church anymore. Nick cannot stop smoking weed and he hasn't made it to a full 3 hours of church in a long time. We are working SO hard. We are praying SO hard. Something amazing is going to happen soon... I know it.
We have started the madness of splits and interviews. We have done one of each, and so far so good. Hopefully sister Smith has caught on to things! We have had some good adventures this week, including getting caught in a monsoon. (Okay, it probably wasn't a monsoon... But it felt like it)
Ooh. On Wednesday after Pday we went to a legit gospel music worship service with a less active. It was SWEET! Pretty much everything the movies make it out to be. This guy got up to make an announcement and he was like, excuse me... I just need to do this. And then he broke out in song and the whole congregation joined him!!! It was too prime.
Then sister smith got to hail a taxi to take us home because our less active paid for it. HOLLA! Welcome to Harlem. :)
Um. Well. That's really all I have to say. Oh wait! YASMINE HAS A BAP DATE!!! July 5th. :)
Here are some pictures
Friday, June 13, 2014
Transfers
Today is transfers so naturally this week has been NUTS. This email will probably be mostly pictures. :)
Just an update. I am still STL and I am training a new STL who has never served in the city before. We will have 8 companionships of sisters to interview in 6 weeks... And we don't do anything the first or last week so.... It's gonna be CRAZZZYYYYY. here is my week:
Wow guys
This is too much
Obviously me and technology do not mix.
My email was too SHORT.
So we had a few awesome lessons this week. Lilianna talked about baptism all on her own! Nick tells people the church is true in casual conversation and the Garcias love missionaries and want us to do FHE with them. :)
Shot calls on Saturday took us all by surprise. I thought for sure sister Campbell and I would be companions for 3 cycles and I was totally okay with it. I learned so much from her!!! President Morgan called to release sister Campbell and we both just wanted to die a little.
Oh! I have a funny story for you!!
Did any of you see the drug bust on tv that happened in Harlem? Around
125 street? They arrested like 300 people? That's where we work. Every day pretty much. Our investigator lives in that building and her brother is in jail right now because of it. a member told us all about it. Don't worry, there hasn't been that much apostasy here.
I am so excited for this new cycle. It is going to be so busy and so fun!! Everyone is in our zone now :) and sister Richeson is in my district which means we are going to have the sassiest district EVER!!!
I promise to write more next week.... But here is another picture for you :)
Just an update. I am still STL and I am training a new STL who has never served in the city before. We will have 8 companionships of sisters to interview in 6 weeks... And we don't do anything the first or last week so.... It's gonna be CRAZZZYYYYY. here is my week:
Wow guys
This is too much
Obviously me and technology do not mix.
My email was too SHORT.
So we had a few awesome lessons this week. Lilianna talked about baptism all on her own! Nick tells people the church is true in casual conversation and the Garcias love missionaries and want us to do FHE with them. :)
Shot calls on Saturday took us all by surprise. I thought for sure sister Campbell and I would be companions for 3 cycles and I was totally okay with it. I learned so much from her!!! President Morgan called to release sister Campbell and we both just wanted to die a little.
Oh! I have a funny story for you!!
Did any of you see the drug bust on tv that happened in Harlem? Around
125 street? They arrested like 300 people? That's where we work. Every day pretty much. Our investigator lives in that building and her brother is in jail right now because of it. a member told us all about it. Don't worry, there hasn't been that much apostasy here.
I am so excited for this new cycle. It is going to be so busy and so fun!! Everyone is in our zone now :) and sister Richeson is in my district which means we are going to have the sassiest district EVER!!!
I promise to write more next week.... But here is another picture for you :)
Friday, June 6, 2014
:)
Well hello again. This week seemed so long and so much happened!
Thursday was our mission tour with elder Snow. It was awesome.
Everyone had to write a 5 minute talk and by Wednesday night I hadn't even started mine so after planning I wrote some ideas down and set my alarm so I could get up extra early and finish it. I always use my iPad for an alarm, and I guess I left my wifi on or something because it DIED so our other alarm didn't go off until 630 and we had to leave at 715! Needless to say I was praying pretty hard that he wouldn't call on me!
The conference was so awesome. In the last three months president has introduced a lot of new mission 'themes' for lack of a better word, and tons of new goals. It has been really overwhelming, especially as a leader because we are supposed to be the example and the model of all of these new things president has talked about. The conference was such a relief because it went back to the basics. Even president did.
He started the conference by talking about the companionship. He said nothing works if only one companion is trying. How true that is! I'm sure it's that way in life too. Then they talked about consecration and how living that law takes time. Elder Snow's wife talked about the hymns and journal writing, and then he talked about faith, and he said that he is still working on faith and repentance. I think I agree. :) he took some time to invite people to give their talks. He called up one girl and after hers he said okay, now we are going to critique it!
It was HORRIBLE! Definitely a flash back from my public speaking class. He even talked about filler words!
After lunch Elder Snow talked about the links in missionary work and how each of them work together. He said it all goes back to finding, which is so true and I so hate it :) it was so nice to spend some time talking about the basics like working with the word and retaining new converts. It was definitely something I needed!
After the conference was over the leadership got to go to MLC with Elder Snow. He didn't plan anything so for an hour we got to ask him questions about being a leader. Some of my favorite things he talked about were making and setting attainable goals and maintaining a certain standard of excellence. He said it feels so much better to achieve a modest goal than to never achieve any goal at all. That is so true for me! He said missionary work, like life, is 95% rejection so we have to do what we can to find success. He talked about pushing yourself a little harder each week to slowly progress and how that is so much better than setting a really high goal one week and achieving it, and then not even coming close to that goal the next week.
Sorry that was a lot. I hope you realize sometimes these emails are more for me than anyone else :)
Friday we were on a split with our roommates. It's kind of crazy because sister Campbell was companions with sister Barlow and I trained sister Orme, and it just worked out so that we would be companions with them again! Sister Orme is awesome. They are kind of struggling in their area with finding things to do, so hopefully it picks up soon.
Saturday was kind of crazy. We planned with the zone leaders in the morning for zone meeting, and then we spent the rest of the day running around. We invited soo many people to church! We taught Yasmine, our awesome new investigator. She wants to be baptized and she loves the idea of a modern prophet. Her mom used to meet with missionaries in the Bronx so we are hopefully going to teach the whole family soon.
All of the trains were busted Saturday so we walked A LOT. We ended our night with correlation. Our ward mission leader is so awesome. I love talking to returned missionaries who still love the work and are doing their part as member missionaries. Anyway, after correlation we were asking them how we should get home and they gave us money for a taxi. Now no one is allowed to judge us for this next bit. Okay?
All taxi drivers are male. Seriously. The white handbook says that we always need a third member of our sex with us, even in the car. We were really excited to take a taxi and we were praying for a female driver but mostly we were just excited to hail our own taxi :) so we stand on the corner and try our best to hail a taxi. We wanted an OG taxi. Welp... Just our luck (and kind of karma for breaking the rules) the first one that pulled over was a stinkin MINI VAN!! Seriously. The Mormon vehicle of choice. We were kind of dying. And the driver was a guy. So.. It never pays to be disobedient.
Sunday we left our house at 7:15 and didn't get home until 9:30. I was exhausted. We had an interview, did our studies in Central Park, ate dinner with our favorite family and did some lookups to find the 100 people we invited to church because NONE of them came.
Monday was zone meeting. It went really well! Sister Campbell and I taught about how we can have the spirit with us so we can teach by the spirit. In my humble opinion, it was the best part ;) Monday I was feeling slightly unmotivated, so after zone meeting, we went to get some froyo. Oh! I don't know if any of you know the sandwich punching game. If you don't, you aren't missing out. But basically; if you are eating a sandwich and you set it down and don't cover it it is free for anyone to punch. Elder Berryman was eating this HUGE hamburger and he left it uncovered for like 2 seconds and sister Campbell punched it soooo hard. I was dying it was so funny. He was so so mad :)
I can't remember what exactly we did after that... But at some point we visited Nick to find out why he wasn't at church. I LOVE nick. He is so crazy but also so sincere and amazing. We took him to a park and on the way home (he knows everyone) he stopped by some hob looking guy and said "Tom, can I have a hug?" And then while they were hugging he said "Tom.. Jesus loves you!!" I felt the spirit so strong. It was crazy and so cute.
Tuesday I was on another split. This time with sister Jensen that someone asked me if I knew. :) she is so cute! We were in Harlem and we saw so many miracles but I'm just too tired to write about them :)
Today we went to the 9/11 memorial and to battery park. I have a TON of pictures so I will try to narrow them down...
Thursday was our mission tour with elder Snow. It was awesome.
Everyone had to write a 5 minute talk and by Wednesday night I hadn't even started mine so after planning I wrote some ideas down and set my alarm so I could get up extra early and finish it. I always use my iPad for an alarm, and I guess I left my wifi on or something because it DIED so our other alarm didn't go off until 630 and we had to leave at 715! Needless to say I was praying pretty hard that he wouldn't call on me!
The conference was so awesome. In the last three months president has introduced a lot of new mission 'themes' for lack of a better word, and tons of new goals. It has been really overwhelming, especially as a leader because we are supposed to be the example and the model of all of these new things president has talked about. The conference was such a relief because it went back to the basics. Even president did.
He started the conference by talking about the companionship. He said nothing works if only one companion is trying. How true that is! I'm sure it's that way in life too. Then they talked about consecration and how living that law takes time. Elder Snow's wife talked about the hymns and journal writing, and then he talked about faith, and he said that he is still working on faith and repentance. I think I agree. :) he took some time to invite people to give their talks. He called up one girl and after hers he said okay, now we are going to critique it!
It was HORRIBLE! Definitely a flash back from my public speaking class. He even talked about filler words!
After lunch Elder Snow talked about the links in missionary work and how each of them work together. He said it all goes back to finding, which is so true and I so hate it :) it was so nice to spend some time talking about the basics like working with the word and retaining new converts. It was definitely something I needed!
After the conference was over the leadership got to go to MLC with Elder Snow. He didn't plan anything so for an hour we got to ask him questions about being a leader. Some of my favorite things he talked about were making and setting attainable goals and maintaining a certain standard of excellence. He said it feels so much better to achieve a modest goal than to never achieve any goal at all. That is so true for me! He said missionary work, like life, is 95% rejection so we have to do what we can to find success. He talked about pushing yourself a little harder each week to slowly progress and how that is so much better than setting a really high goal one week and achieving it, and then not even coming close to that goal the next week.
Sorry that was a lot. I hope you realize sometimes these emails are more for me than anyone else :)
Friday we were on a split with our roommates. It's kind of crazy because sister Campbell was companions with sister Barlow and I trained sister Orme, and it just worked out so that we would be companions with them again! Sister Orme is awesome. They are kind of struggling in their area with finding things to do, so hopefully it picks up soon.
Saturday was kind of crazy. We planned with the zone leaders in the morning for zone meeting, and then we spent the rest of the day running around. We invited soo many people to church! We taught Yasmine, our awesome new investigator. She wants to be baptized and she loves the idea of a modern prophet. Her mom used to meet with missionaries in the Bronx so we are hopefully going to teach the whole family soon.
All of the trains were busted Saturday so we walked A LOT. We ended our night with correlation. Our ward mission leader is so awesome. I love talking to returned missionaries who still love the work and are doing their part as member missionaries. Anyway, after correlation we were asking them how we should get home and they gave us money for a taxi. Now no one is allowed to judge us for this next bit. Okay?
All taxi drivers are male. Seriously. The white handbook says that we always need a third member of our sex with us, even in the car. We were really excited to take a taxi and we were praying for a female driver but mostly we were just excited to hail our own taxi :) so we stand on the corner and try our best to hail a taxi. We wanted an OG taxi. Welp... Just our luck (and kind of karma for breaking the rules) the first one that pulled over was a stinkin MINI VAN!! Seriously. The Mormon vehicle of choice. We were kind of dying. And the driver was a guy. So.. It never pays to be disobedient.
Sunday we left our house at 7:15 and didn't get home until 9:30. I was exhausted. We had an interview, did our studies in Central Park, ate dinner with our favorite family and did some lookups to find the 100 people we invited to church because NONE of them came.
Monday was zone meeting. It went really well! Sister Campbell and I taught about how we can have the spirit with us so we can teach by the spirit. In my humble opinion, it was the best part ;) Monday I was feeling slightly unmotivated, so after zone meeting, we went to get some froyo. Oh! I don't know if any of you know the sandwich punching game. If you don't, you aren't missing out. But basically; if you are eating a sandwich and you set it down and don't cover it it is free for anyone to punch. Elder Berryman was eating this HUGE hamburger and he left it uncovered for like 2 seconds and sister Campbell punched it soooo hard. I was dying it was so funny. He was so so mad :)
I can't remember what exactly we did after that... But at some point we visited Nick to find out why he wasn't at church. I LOVE nick. He is so crazy but also so sincere and amazing. We took him to a park and on the way home (he knows everyone) he stopped by some hob looking guy and said "Tom, can I have a hug?" And then while they were hugging he said "Tom.. Jesus loves you!!" I felt the spirit so strong. It was crazy and so cute.
Tuesday I was on another split. This time with sister Jensen that someone asked me if I knew. :) she is so cute! We were in Harlem and we saw so many miracles but I'm just too tired to write about them :)
Today we went to the 9/11 memorial and to battery park. I have a TON of pictures so I will try to narrow them down...
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