Hello!

 Well this is halfway for this cycle... I just blinked and it was week three! Today we are going to the Yankees game... It's my second one which means I've done everything there is to do as a missionary in NYC! It's going to be super super hot. I might die.

Before I get into the spiritual stuff, I have a Harlem experience to share. We were walking off the train and this lady was in front of us.
She looked kind of homeless. She was walking and all the sudden she turned and squatted and the next thing I know she lifted her dress up and just let loose right on the sidewalk. I about died. And almost got splashed on.

This week has been awesome. I got to go on a split with sister white!
We both have grown so much in the last year... Living the gospel really does change people so much :)

We also got to go to Lilianna's and talk to her dad, Jose. He was super understanding and honest. He said he was just worried because he didn't want his daughter to be a missionary ;) he was so worried! But we talked about the blessings of coming to church and how it helps us become better people and surrounds us with positive influences.
Missionary work is so much easier when you can honestly testify from your own experiences! I know that young women's helped me so much, even if I didn't always love going. We had the young women's president there, too. Leaders make such a difference!

We also had interviews with president Morgan! It was so awesome. He is a great leader and example. He talked to me about influencing people through love... I think that's really what it all comes down to. No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. He also talked about not underestimating the power of our faith and our covenants. I know I definitely doubt the power of my faith and the covenants I have made. Especially in relation to changing the lives of the people around me.

We also met with a part member family this week. The dad is off and on investigating... So we went to try it out. we talked about the atonement and the member wife cried through the whole thing. The husband answered questions like a member... The spirit was SO strong!
I think I forgot to tell sister smith that they were part members and so at the end of our lesson she asked for a referral. The wife just stared at the husband for a minute and it was really really intense.
They said they'd let us know if they did, and we left. After sister smith was talking about it and I said "she almost gave us her husband as a referral!!!" It took my companion a second but then we were just pumped. We are going to try and visit them a little bit more often and hopefully something comes of it. We all know he felt the spirit because we did and we couldn't deny it.

The gospel is a beautiful thing. I have seen what living the gospel really can do in our lives and the lives of people we associate with.
I know that being active in the gospel and being active in the church are two different things... And I'm grateful that I gained that knowledge before I came on a mission from a loving family and wonderful parents and examples. I love being able to tell people that "I get to talk about Jesus all day" and that I have been blessed with a short amount of time to give back to my Heavenly Father. I love you all!! See you next week :)