Service!! Smiling while Shoveling Snow :)

So I bet you all are wondering....what is up with this title?? So I must tell then right? Well this past week was pretty interesting! Let me tell you! It was great though!! Man I had so much fun!

So this past week we had the wonderful opportunity to be able to go and carol to some people in the ward here and also to investigators! It was so much fun! We, as in the sister missionaries :), made cookies to bring to the people that we went and caroled to and that was just awesome! They got the cookie recipe from The Friend! Can I just say that is using the church materials for good? Because I think that it is! I can say that we were pretty good at caroling without a lot of practice! :) I was super happy with that! It was a lot of fun though!! We did that for a pretty good portion of the night and it was great! The people who we caroled to loved it! So that was pretty sweet! :) Then the next day on Saturday we were supposed to have our ward Christmas party! Oh yeah! It is definitely safe to say that we were all really excited! But so as the day went on we heard about snow that was going to come in and we really didn't think much of it. Then we had a lesson with a guy named Juri Hein with our Elders Quorum president Brother Wilkes and that was really sweet! Juri is an awesome older man with a great testimony! He teaches us a lot! He is such a fun guy to visit! Our time with him was well spent! Then we got out side and boom! There was snow everywhere! And we got news that the ward Christmas party had been cancelled. That was pretty sad. Oh my goodness I was so sad! I was looking forward to this awesome gathering and then it was cancelled because of the weather! Which makes perfect sense, because we don't want someone getting hurt or losing a life over coming to a Christmas party. So then we had a lunch after church the next day instead.

But!!! What happened the rest of the night was so awesome! We went out to a street called Belle Blvd. and we did some more caroling and giving out cookies and talking to people! Oh my goodness it was sweet! Better yet we brought snow shovels with us so we started to shovel the sidewalks along the road which was good because we don't want anyone slipping on the snow right? So we started to do that! Let me tell you I loved it! Every second of it! I was shoveling outside of a super cuts store on the road just clearing it off and a lady came up to me and asked "Why are you doing that? Why are you shoveling right here?" So I responded saying well because we love to help out! And we gotta keep this place running somehow! :) She was so happy that I was doing that and she said "We need to get you a free hair cut!" Boom! I was so pumped! She went inside and a couple minutes later nonetheless she came out and gave me a coupon for one. I was so surprised! I had no idea that something like that would ever happen! I am super happy about that because that means next time I go back I get to talk about why we were doing that and share a little with her about the main message we carry! How God lives and loves us and how Jesus our Savior and how His church has been restored on the Earth today once more! :) So I am a little excited for that! :) After that wonderful experience we went to other peoples houses and shoveled their driveways and sidewalks! It was so awesome! I was having so much fun! :) I just love doing service! We did some members and investigators driveways and then we would go and do their neighbors and a lot of people on the same road! :) So that way people had an idea of who these mysterious people were shoveling their driveways and sidewalks and walkways up to their houses, every time that we finished an area I shoveled a HUGE smiley face in the road by the houses! It was awesome! I mean now these people know that the people who did this were happy while doing it! I called ourselves the Smiling Snow Shovelers! :) :) So we did that for like 4 hours straight! And man! I could have done it all night long! It was so much fun! I specifically remember one house that we did all of us Elders, that is 6 of us!, lined up on the driveway and shoveled the whole thing at once and I looked up and a man in the house was looking down at us just kinda smiling and probably wondering why we were doing that. THAT in and of itself, really that is the best part about Christmas and this season. When we do things without being recognized but we get to see the reaction of the person who we helped or gave something too. It provides us with that warm and good feeling inside that we did something good. That feeling is contagious! That feeling is the Spirit of goodness, which is the spirit of Christ! I love that!

I know that as we serve others, especially in this season we will be blessed with the happiness that comes with helping others. It is one that cannot be described! Only experienced! So please! I invite all of you are are reading.....GO AND DO SOMETHING GOOD FOR SOMEONE ELSE! YOU WON'T REGRET IT! I promise! :) I hope that you can be up to the challenge! I am! I will try my best to do something better and to help and serve someone too! Spread the joy along. Please do. Others need it! No matter what it is you do...do it great! :) And with love. That is the most important thing about this time of year. Christmas and the Gospel of Jesus Christ are centered on love and selflessness, not being selfish greedy and self centered. Because we truly do find our inner selves when we love and serve those around us. No matter who they are. I love you all so much! My advice...LOVE, SERVE, and SMILE! You won't regret it! I promise! Life is amazingly beautiful when we do these things! Remember the reason for the season! :)

Let Us Remember...

Wow the holiday season is continuing right? It is so good to see! I love this time of year because it gives us that wonderful chance to reflect back on what has happened and we can see how grateful we are for the things that have happened and for the things that we have accomplished. It is just awesome and I love it so much!

This past week has been so wonderful and I am just so happy to be a missionary! Man is it a privilege! It really is. When I think about it I realize how blessed I am to be able to be doing what I am doing right now! it is just so wonderful! It isn't all of the time that I get to take two years and dedicate them to the Lord! So I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to be here!

So last week we got to visit and meet with Mike and Sandy at Sandy's house and that was a lot of fun! We had a great lesson with them and enjoyed it a lot! Mike is just such an amazing guy! He really is! He is an awesome New Yorker and he is just loving learning about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and applying it in his life. It really is so amazing to see his progress and to see how the spirit works with everyone in their own individual conversion. Mike really is doing so well and Elder Schreiner and I are so happy to be able to know such a great man! He is such a great friend to us and we are in contact with him all of the time. He is just such a good hearted guy with a desire to keep on the path that he is on which is so great to see. I love having the opportunity to share this wonderful message of hope with others! :)

We also got to teach out free English class last week which was a lot of fun! Our regular friends came! Roger and Franklin! Franklin is from Costa Rica! Oh yeah! He is the first person from Costa Rica that I have ever met! So that is pretty sweet! And Roger is from Peru! Which is also sweet! These guys are just so awesome and they are so dedicated to learning English it is great! Roger has only been in the United States for around 4 months and man you guys should hear him speak! It is so cool! And Franklin! Man he is so cool! He knows a pretty good amount of English too and he is doing just fantastic also! What is sweet is that we gave Roger a Book of Mormon about 2 weeks ago and he is already in Mosiah! It is incredible! He works all the time and he says he just reads when he has free time! And I am thinking....uhhhh...how do you even have free time? Because he is so busy! And what is so cool is that he is using that time to read the Book of Mormon! Oh yeah! So awesome! And Franklin said to us when we started talking about the Book of Mormon all excited "Why don't I have one????!!?" It was so awesome! So we went and got him on eand gave it to him to read! We asked him if he was familiar with the bible and he said that he had a bunch of Bibles that he had been given previously but he hadn't ever wanted to read them. But this time he said he was really excited to read from the Book of Mormon and read from it! That was so cool to see that excitement in his face and that light in his eyes! That is what the word of God does! It makes us excited about life! :) 

On Friday we had the wonderful opportunity to help a family move a treadmill out of their house! That was great! The daughter called us and asked us to help and we were way excited to do that! We went there and the parents couldn't do it because they were in their late 60's and we had to lift it down some stairs and stuff, but the best part was that we got to stay after and have dinner with them and get to know them! It was awesome! The daughter was a recent convert and her parents and boyfriend weren't members of the church and it was just so great to be able to sit down and have a "family meal" I loved it! The dad had a HAM radio set and we got to use it and talk on it! Man I was loving that! :) It reminded me of Grandpa Densley! :) It was so much fun to meet them and we hope that we can see them soon again.

Saturday we had a great chance to visit some less active brothers form the ward! That was a lot of fun! They are great guys! One is originally from Germany and has some crazy stories about WWII and that is sweet and the other one is born and raised here in New York and we always have a great time seeing him. Our Elders Quorum president came with us and it was great! :)

Sunday was such a wonderful day at church! Mike came! It always is so great to have him at church! Later that day we had the privilege to go to our mission presidents home to have a lesson with Mike and sandy and President and Sister Calderwood! Wow! It was amazing and so powerful! I am so grateful for them! President and Sister Calderwood are the best! They are amazing teachers and so dedicated to helping us missionaries here in the New York South mission! Then right after that we had the blessing to go to a member family's house to catch the end of the Christmas devotional! That was awesome! We love the Motzing family so much! Brother Motzing and Sister Motzing are just so great! They are so loving and so nice to us missionaries! And oh my goodness their son Liam! Man I love that guy so much! He is a 6 year old just full of energy! Kids just make me laugh so much and I just love being around them! :)

Monday we got to visit with the Hartrick family! They are so awesome and we love being able to visit at their house. Brother Hartrick isn't a member and they have two sons! They are such an awesome family and so fun to be around! The boys are just hilarious and they remind of the old times of our fun family dinners! :)

Oh my goodness yesterday was transfer meeting tuesday! Holy cow was it inspiring! President and Sister Calderwood are the best! They just teach us missionaries so well! Elder Schreiner and I are staying together! Woo! :) And Elder Hernandez came to my zone where I am now! Oh my goodness I am so happy about that! Also we have a new sister in the district which is way cool! We got some trio greatness going on! 9 missionaries in Little Neck! All I gotta say is we are ready! :) Also Sister Ellsworth left! Oh my goodness I couldn't believe that! I served around her for 2 transfers in Dyker Heights! She is an awesome sister missionary and I am sad to see her go! She taught me and so many others a lot and she left a great legacy of service!

It is a new transfer once more and I am so grateful for this wonderful holiday season that we have to be a part of right now! Let us all remember the true reason for the Season! I know that a baby born in Bethlehem grew up to become the Savior of the World. I love him and I am so grateful for him. Being a messenger of Christ isn't always easy, but it is so worth it! :) This is the place to be! I love it! :) Love you all! Thanks for reading! :)

He Will Guide Us!

Well hello there! It is me! Oh my goodness! It is officially December once more! :) I really can't believe it! I am so happy for this time of year though. It really is so important! And it helps us to put things back into perspective! :) I love it! I really think that this time of year is so beneficial to us and to others if we really try our best to help others who need it most.

 I was thinking of how sometimes we get to those points in our lives where we feel like we really don't know what to do and where to go and sometimes even how to act. I have found that a lot in my life! And especially here on a mission for my church. There are so many things that we are supposed to do and love! Being a missionary has really blessed me and my life so much. I have seen the Lord bless me so much and strengthen me in my many times of need. He really does know us all perfectly! I really have found that I am happiest when I am doing my best to not think about myself and to only think about others. I know that as we do that in life we really will find ourselves and our true character. I have noticed and see as we are up and about doing our best to serve those around us we find the answers that we have been looking for the whole time right in front of our very faces!!! :) I have realized that it isn't that we are ignorant in the first place, it is that we needed to go to a loving Heavenly Father and ask for help. And when we do this he seems to open our minds, hearts, and our eyes to see and feel the things that we need to help us! :) It really is so simple but so true.

He truly will guide us! All we have to do is entrust everything in Him and Him only. Because as we do this we are showing our faith that we know that what he has in mind for us will help us so much more than our own plans.This really is so true. Sometimes it is so hard for us to accept especially if we are struggling with our belief in God. But something that I have learned that is said by an apostle is to lead with your belief and not your unbelief! That is so important! Because when we lead with our belief we feel more confident in ourselves and in God! But it we lead with our unbelief it is "like trying to stuff a turkey through it's beak!" I love that analogy! It is so true though! When we may be struggling through anything we need to hold onto the faith that we already have and trust that God is in control at all times. He really is. All we have to do is trust him! And when we do he blesses us so much more than we can imagine. Yes sometimes it takes time, sometimes it takes a lot more time than we want for the help we need to come, but as we do our part we will always be blessed! :) When we recognize that God is in the details of our lives, when we try to develop a relationship with him, is when we will see that he has always been there and always will be, and that one reason why is because he loves us. He wants us to become like him! :) I know that as we try to serve others and help those around us we will find the answers to our prayers. Like Thomas S. Monson says..."There are lives to brighten, There are hearts to touch. There are souls to save." Let us be the ones to brighten others up touch their hearts and save their souls. We will be so blessed as we do this. It only begins with a simple sharing of what we believe! :)


I know that God is in the details of our lives. He loves us and he always will!!

Grateful & Giving; The Way We Should Live Daily

Can I say where did the month of November go?? Holy moly! It flew by! I can hardly believe that it is almost December! I feel like it was just yesterday when I arrived here in Little Neck and that was at the end of October. The days sometimes seem to go by so slow and at others so fast. Then all of a sudden it is another new month. This is something that I always remember my Dad telling me as I grew up, was that time starts to fly as you grow up and it really is so true. I feel like I was looking at the Calendar a while ago and thinking man it is five months til December that is forever away. And then boom! It is here facing me and all of us! And I think that I can safely say that for all of us we are so grateful for this time of year and that it has come around once again! I am so happy that it is this time of year!! :)

There are so many wonderful and beautiful memories that I have of these wonderful times. Especially of how they go right along with my faith. I am so grateful that God allows us to have these experiences during this holiday season. I love how we go from Thanksgiving to Christmas in about a months period and it is such a wonderful thing to see. I love it!! We go from realizing how blessed we are and we can see how we have much to be grateful for, even in the midst of trials and troubles in life, to giving to others. That is one thing that I love so much about this time of year. It is so precious and we really should treasure it. Please do. It is one time of the year where we all can feel the love of God and the goodness of others around us so prevalently. We go from Grateful November to Giving December. I love that so much. We have so much to be grateful for and then we receive the wonderful opportunity in the coming Christmas season to give of what we have to others, whoever they may be. This really is such a wonderful way to live. Yes, we do it in this time of year, but wouldn't it be so wonderful if we could live like this all of our lives no matter when and where we are. I love taking the opportunity to take a step back and look at how blessed I am when I am in a period of when I am down or discouraged. Because this, I feel, is how God wants us to look at things! Instead of looking at what we don't have or what we haven't accomplished we can look at what we DO have and what we have ALREADY accomplished. Yes, we still need to look forward, but sometimes as we take a step back and see how blessed we are we become so happy in seeing how much God has blessed us. And that is what I love about how this time transitions into the Christmas season! Oh yeah! As we lose ourselves in the true goodness of this time of the year, we find that by giving we truly receive. I know that sounds so cliche, and it is! But it is so true! I can testify as a missionary and as a representative of Jesus Christ as we give and lose ourselves in the service of others, we are truly happy. I know that this is true with all of my heart and soul. I have felt the power of giving so much in my life, whether it being giving someone their favorite candy as a surprise when they are having a bad day, teaching someone about the plan of salvation and helping them understand they are a true child of God with divine potential, or wrapping up something to give someone for Christmas! :) All these things bring joy into our lives! Because when we give to others we are doing as Christ would. You know that good feeling you get when you give something to someone and they are happy? That is the light of Christ! That is what He wants us all to do! :)

This past week has been an interesting one that is for sure but a great one nonetheless! Tuesday was another sweet day! We were on exchanges again and this time I was with the champion Elder Park! Man I love that Elder so much! He is from Korea! And he is the Elder that is speaking Korean on the video that I put up on Facebook about our mission! He is so cool! He speaks like perfect English and has mostly learned it here in the United States. We had a great day together and I learned a lot from him. Man he is a great teacher of the Gospel let me tell you. When he speaks and when he teaches I just sit there and am amazed at the ability he has to explain things so clearly and simply as a missionary. I feel like I am being taught! I love it! We went to visit an awesome member in the ward and his name is John Borsic. We also took the Living Legend Robert Michael Goldfine with us. He is seriously the legend of all the Little Neck Ward. Every missionary that comes here knows him and loves him! Ask Justin Casper about him! He could tell you lots I am sure! But we took Robert with us and it was such a wonderful visit. John hadn't been to church in a while and Robert definitely took care of inviting him back! :) He is the best fellow-shipper and such a loving man. Our lesson was great and we talked about how Christ, for us, has overcome the world. He has done all things that we can't. He is always there for us and one way that we can feel His love and His presence is by going to church and partaking of the Sacrament. Or as others know it, The Lord's Supper, or Communion. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we have the privilege to partake of this ordinance weekly and it is something that I feel so blessed to have in my life. As we know Jesus instituted or in other words started the ordinance of the Sacrament when he was with His disciples. We can find it in the New Testament when He does it! :) I love that so much! We do this so that way we may remember Christ in our lives and also for us to renew covenants or promises that we have made with God. This is something so simple and beautiful that we get to participate in on a weekly basis and I am so grateful for it! I know that when we go to church we feel the Spirit there. He comforts, counsels, consoles, and strengthens us. I am so happy to bring joy into others lives through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It simply beautiful and beautifully simple.

I know that as we give to others we receive such a great amount of happiness in our lives! It is so true! I am so grateful for this time of year! As we are grateful and find ways to give I know that we will feel the presence of God more closely in our lives. We will recognize His loving hands in all things. We will come to trust and love Him so much more. I know God lives and that Jesus is the Christ! Este Evangelio es Verdadero! :) I love all of you so much! Thanks for reading! :) And check out the links below! I promise they won't disappoint! You will LOVE THEM!!!

The Work Goes On!

Hey everyone!

I hope that you all are having a wonderful and blessed day! I am so happy to be able to update you all on what is happening in the most wonderful mission in the world!

This past week has just been beautiful as always! I am so grateful to be able to be here in New York. Man it is one awesome place let me tell you! Fall is in the full swing of things and I am so grateful to be able to see the leaves on the trees changing to their beautiful colors and then fall to the ground. It really never gets old to me! I love being able to see the turn of the seasons. It really is just a witness to me that God is just in control of everything. As I continue to get older day by day I am starting to recognize the little things in life that really just bear witness of our wonderful creator. Our Heavenly Father, who loves us so much. That is why the seasons change, the wind blows, and the sky is blue and why there are the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets. He, controls it all and we have the amazing privilege day by day to witness it.

I have seen so many blessings in my life so recently and I am so grateful for each and every one of them. I am so grateful for a loving family who supports me in every step that I take here on my mission. They are my rock. Especially my mom and my dad! I can't even begin to express how grateful I am for them. They really are the most incredible parents in the world. I love how when I am teaching and I find myself quoting things that they have told me so many times. I would not be the missionary or the person that I am without them and their righteous examples to me. Especially of trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ. The testimony that I have of Him is real. And I cannot deny it in any way, shape or form. I know that He truly does live and I know that He truly does love each and every one of us. His love is real. His forgiveness is real. The amazing part is that all we have to do to receive it is try our best to follow Him and His example for us. We have to repent. That word sometimes can take on a negative connotation in our day I feel like and many people turn away from this word and action because we don't want to have that word placed upon us. But something that I love is how in the bible dictionary it says "The Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world." I love this so much. Repentance really in all ways means turning towards the light. And I know that is true. The joy that comes through true repentance is something that is so beautiful and so real. It is incredible. Even repenting of the littlest thing can bring us such great peace and hope.

I just thought that I would share that with you all! :) I just wanted to update you on a super awesome day which was yesterday! We had a huge combined zone conference with zones 7,8,9 & 10! Oh my goodness was it wonderful! I was reunited with Elder Goates and Elder Woolley! Oh man that was so cool! I hadn't seen Elder Woolley in forever and that was great! He is an awesome Elder! And it seems as though I and Elder Goates are never far away from each other which is pretty funny! :) Anyway the day yesterday was so filled with the spirit! We talked a lot about the how and WHY of missionary work and how the work is going on. Why we are here doing what we are doing. And ultimately it is to help everyone return to  our Heavenly Father. That is why we are here!

In our mission we talk a lot about vision goals and plans and how important those are in our lives, and also how this is the patter of our Heavenly Father. It is so cool to learn about! I love it! It is so cool to see how our Heavenly Father's vision for his children is for us to receive eternal life and live with him forever! He has said it so much and clearly in the scriptures. And one of His plans is something we know and cherish! Which is the Plan of Salvation! We are a part of this plan of happiness! And our duty is to share it with our beloved brothers and sisters! We learned about yesterday how important it is to show the people we are talking to that we love them and that we want them to be our friend. This is so important! A we truly show others around us that we love them they will want to know and experience what we have. It is so simple to share and something so great to be cherished.

After our wonderful meeting yesterday we headed to our church building and had an awesome activity called our Ward Culture Night. It was incredible! Saying that The Little Neck Ward has culture is a severe understatement! :) It was so awesome! The food there was plentiful and amazing! The people were warm and loving as always and the experience was incredible! It is amazing how places such as Israel, China, Korea, Mexico, Peru, Italy, The Congo, America, Canada, Brazil, The Philippines and many others came together under one roof to celebrate each others culture. It was awesome! It was a wonderful turnout and so much fun! It is days like these where I can sit back and see how incredibly blessed I am to be here!

I am grateful for these experiences! I am grateful for the good and the bad days! And the crazy things that happen where you forget the phone in the car one night and you are on exchanges. Then the next day when you leave to go out and grab it in the morning you realize right as the door shuts that your companion didn't grab the only keys to the apartment. Then you panic. Then you think how in the world are we going to be able to get back inside??? And then you try to find a way onto the lower roof...then once you do you hope that you pick the right fire escape to climb up. Then once you jump and climb up the fire escape, looking ridiculous,to your room and try to open the window, you realize it is the wrong window when you are taking of the screen to try and get inside when an old man yells at you "What are you doing??!!??" Then you try to explain how you thought that this was your room and that you aren't trying to break into his apartment. Then you take off your OWN SCREEN on YOUR OWN WINDOW and then your exchange companion has to climb up the fire escape too and loses his slippers on the way up. Then you finally make it inside and think "Wow!"  Then you go and apologize to your neighbor for scaring the heck out of him and go to retrieve your companions slippers on the lower roof and finally get the phone out of the car. Then you get back inside and your neighbor comes and knocks on your door later and apologizes to you for yelling at you. Then you tell him about how we are missionaries and what we do and how we help people with family history and how we would love to talk with him more. Then you are friends with your neighbor who you have never seen or talked to before. Then you think, did those keys get left by accident? Maybe so. But did something happen out of it that was beneficial? Somehow, incredibly and miraculously...yes. I am grateful for that! Someday I will look back and laugh on that wonderful crisis this might have happened to me. Might have. Okay it did! Haha! But it was so awesome! We are now such good friends with our neighbor Ed! He is way cool!

I am grateful for the crazy days! And the ones with these experiences. I am happy to be a missionary. One who forgets keys and climbs up the apartment fire escape looking like a thief to get back in. One who isn't perfect. One who loves this work. One who knows that the Gospel equals peace. I'm happy to be a 2 year New Yorker. I love being a missionary. NINE MONTHS has past to where? I have really no idea how it is gone. I know that this time is wonderful and that it should be loved. I love it. I really do. I love being here! Our lives are a race! We need to look for the finish line and find joy in the journey as we do so. God will lift us up in our times of need. His light is real.

Through Christ We Can Feel Free

Hey hey! It is almost Turkey Day!

Okay I know that was a really bad rhyme! Hey! Sorry that it has been so long since I have been on the Blog and created a post! We haven't come to the library in Great Neck in quite a while! But the good news is that we are here! :)

So the big news is that the missionaries in our mission have ipads! Oh my goodness what a blessing it is to have one! Holy moly! You can do so much good! I have been learning so much greatness from the scriptures so much faster! Seriously the Gospel Library Application is AMAZING!!! It has a bunch of the Bible Videos that I am absolutely in love with, and mormon messages which are just as incredible and you can go from scripture to scripture in seconds! I love it so much. It has helped me to continue to learn a lot! :)

This last week I had the wonderful opportunity to be able to talk to one of my great friends Dylan Newton through skype! Wow that was so cool! It was the first skype lesson that I have had on my mission! I loved it! It was so cool to see Dylan! I missed him a bunch and it was great to be able to connect with him again. I loved being able to talk with him about or relationships that we have with Christ in the midst of a world that is slowly becoming less and less religious. It was awesome! We talked of how this world and the people within it need God more than ever before and how God really loves us so much. One thing that I love is how we can be of different religions but know that God loves all his children no matter what. It is so true. I love how our Heavenly Father is so beautifully merciful to each and every one of us it is just so true.

I have been learning so much here in Little Neck. I am loving it! There are times when it is hard and easy but that is all part of the life of a missionary right? But the thing that I am most happy about is to continually be able to feel the cleansing power of the Atonement in my life. I know that what Christ did for us is real. I know it without any doubt in my mind whatsoever. The reason why is because I have felt it first hand many times. I know that through Jesus Christ we truly can be clean from sin and from the things that bear us down day by day. I know that this is true. The worst pain can be replaced by the sweetest joy.  I know that this is true. When we are trodden down by guilt, pain, sorrow, or whatever it may be, there is one person who can heal us. And that is Jesus Christ. He knows us and He loves us more than we know. This I know with every fiber of my being. He lives. I know it. It has brought me so much joy and that is all I want for others to know too. I promise that through Jesus Christ we can feel joy and peace in the times where we struggle and wonder if there is one who understands us. Through Christ we can feel free of all our sufferings. I know it. :) 

I know that as we hope on and journey on we will be blessed. Hold onto hope. And never let go of what you know to be true. I love you all! :) 

Check this video out below!! It is amazing! :)     

You Too Can Be A Light

Hey everyone! It is Elder Waidmann here again!

I hope that all is well with everyone! Life here in New York is just so wonderful! Day by day everything that happens to me I am just so happy to experience. This area of Little Neck is such a blessed place! I am still learning my way around and trying my best to not get hit by anyone on the road! I thought that the driving here would be a lot calmer but it is still pretty crazy! :)

Being a missionary is a once in a lifetime experience! Something that I have realized though is that we can all be missionaries at any time. We need to be in all reality. The world is changing day by day and what is needed is people who can bring true hope, joy, happiness and peace. That is where we come in as missionaries and as members of the church! We have a knowledge of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! And hey! If you aren't a missionary or a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints then check us out! It is something that will bless you for the rest of your life! I promise! So just take a second and think if a gift was offered to you that you were told was the best thing you could ever have and it was free! Would you accept it? Well let me tell you I would!! :) So please accept our gift of a hand of friendship and take this great journey that we call life with us!

On the subject of bringing hope into a world that sometimes we think seems hopeless I can promise all of you that there is one solution to this all. Yes it may seem too simple and sometimes others think that it can't be true because it has to do with God. However I know with my whole soul and being that this is what can mend broken hearts and spirits. It can lift the hands of the weak, bring joy to the dreary and downtrodden and it can bring what we all need in life, light. What is the solution to these problems and the sure for the pain? It simply is the Gospel of the Master Teacher Jesus Christ. I know that it can solve these problems because I have seen it first hand here in New York. And I know that is works! :) It makes me so happy to see others that receive a renewed sense of hope and joy in their lives because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He truly can bring us peace and a sense of security in an often distressed and troubled world.

Christ truly does bring us hope and joy and light. He himself taught "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." I know that as we truly do follow the Savior Jesus Christ in all that we do we shall experience true and everlasting joy, peace, and happiness. 

But the question is how do we follow Him? The answer is fairly simple. We learn of Him and His ways. As we do this we come to feel a sense of closeness with our Heavenly Father and with Jesus Christ that we have never felt before. I can promise that I know that this feeling is real and that it is true. As I have been serving my mission as a full time missionary here in New York I have felt so much closer to my Heavenly Father than I ever have before. I have learned who the Savior is and how He wants us to treat others. I know that He lives and that He is real and that He truly does love us. We who have this knowledge need to share it with others. We have a light within ourselves that sometimes we forget about. We need to let it shine unto all of those that surround us. I promise that as we try to share this wonderful knowledge with those we care about we will help them receive so much happiness and so much love in their lives. As we share our light with our family, friends and those who we see on a daily basis the light in their eyes begin to grow. I know that this is true! The hope of God's light is real! Let us share it! 

God lives and loves us! He wants the best for us! That is why we are here learning and growing together. Let us reach out and take a hand and smile! :) I love you all! And for those of you who would like to receive this gift of love and hope...Come Join With Us! :)
 

Service is The Best!

Well hello there everyone! It is has officially been a week since I have arrived here in Little Neck! The current status is that I am loving it!

Being here has been such a blessing! The Lord is so aware of us and he knows exactly where to put us at the right time. There really is never anything that happens by chance or where it isn't planned out. The Lord always knows that there are certain times for everything. Even though we may not see it or recognize it, the Lord's timing behind everything. I am loving this area so much. It is definitely quite the difference from Dyker Heights in the heart of Brooklyn let me tell you that much! But it is a place that I know that I am going to learn to love.

This past week has been great! I have already learned a lot! I am continually learning so much each day! So I am learning the area as I go! I am driving every so often and it is super weird to be behind the wheel again after 8 months! So yeah I have gotten honked at a few times I can't lie about that one, but also the people here literally honk if they think that you breathe wrong...okay not really but I think that you all get the picture! :) It is great here though. The fall has definitely come here and it is so beautiful! I love it! I have always heard about how here on the east coast the trees are just so beautiful and it really is so true! Everyday I am just amazed by all of the wonderful beautiful things that I see here!

On Saturday we got to do a service project! Oh my goodness was it fun! I loved every second of it! It was so much fun! We drove quite a ways out and the service project was a lot of us missionaries and other members from the Planview Stake. We all put on our Mormon Helping Hands vests and went to work! Man I still can't believe how much fun I had! We got to rake leaves and put them in bags and beautify the area that we were at. It is just a testament to me of how as missionaries we take being set apart from the world so literally and sometimes we don't even realize the effects of it on us. Normally, I can't lie about this one sadly :), but when I knew that it was time for us to get out into the yard and rake leaves I wasn't super excited to go and do that. Also while I did it I can't really say that I loved every second of it. But jump to now this last Saturday, I have never had so much fun doing service. I have never felt such excitement in doing such simple things as raking leaves and cleaning up a Veterans Facility. Then as I now think about it, I realize why. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ for two years of my life. I have given up much to accomplish something much greater. And that my friends is the Salvation of souls. It is helping and blessing others on a daily basis. This isn't something that is a burden to me at all. It is a blessing. Sure the days long and tough, but hey I love it! This period of my life I wouldn't trade for anything. There is much to be learned each day and also to share with others. I have learned that as we serve others and do the littlest things we truly are happy. It is when we lose ourselves in serving others that we find true and lasting happiness. We don't worry about ourselves and the problems we have. We are involved with trying our best to serve our fellowman. That is what life truly is about. That is why we follow Jesus Christ. He was perfect. He was always blessing and serving others regardless of their circumstances. I know that as I missionary I have this opportunity daily, of which I am so grateful. I am so happy to be blessed with this time to serve my fellow New Yorkers and to bring the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ into their lives. Thank you for all you do! You guys rock!

With Love from Little Neck,
Elder Waidmann

Little Neck: The Big Beginning

Well just as the title says! I am in a great big place called Little Neck! It is crazy! I thought that I would stay in the City for almost my entire mission! Well I guess not! However I am so happy to know that this is where my Heavenly Father wants me to be for a specific purpose. It was a tough goodbye with Elder Martinez! I love him with all of my heart and I will never forget the time that I spent with my best friend and companion in this mission here in New York, but I am here and I am ready to start anew once more!

I figure that I should say who my new companion is! I am now with Elder Schreiner! He is great! I served with him when I was in Zone 1! So that was a sweet surprise to be able to get a new companion who I already knew! I am so grateful to be with him! I am excited for the time that I am going to be able to spend with him. I always learn so much from my companions so I am grateful to be with Elder Schreiner and to be able to learn and grow with him here in this part of New York where the Lord has trusted us to work.

It is an amazing area here! Wow! I love it already! I have missed nature so much and it is here! The trees are so beautiful with the fall colors on the leaves. It is just these little things such as the seasons changing that just makes me so grateful for all of God's creations; little and large no matter what they are.

Transfer meeting was so great and inspiring! I always love being able to hear from our mission president and his wife. They are such wonderful people and so loving. We all feel a sense of urgency for this work of salvation that is happening here in New York and also all over the world. I know that it truly is the work of our Heavenly Father to share this wonderful knowledge that we have as missionaries and as members of this incredible church. I know that it is true. Not because someone told me it was or because other people have told me it was. I know that it is true by the power of the Holy Ghost. That is what I love about our Heavenly Father so much. He could give us all of the facts that we want to prove something was true. But yet he doesn't. I had always wondered why there weren't things that could prove the church was true specifically and something that could just say "HEY THIS IS THE TRUTH!!!" and then we would accept it and know. Now I can say I understand why. Because we wouldn't be living by faith. It really is that simple. If we didn't live by faith and trusted man and material means to prove these things to us, we wouldn't be fulfilling our purpose here on the Earth. We came here to learn and to grow and to live by faith! That is why we are here! To become like our Savior and our Heavenly Father.

One analogy that I always love to think about is this: Being here is like taking a test. If we are sitting in a room and taking a test and all of the answers are up on the wall, the only thing that we are going to do is copy the answers down turn it in and say we are done. Then we know it is an instant pass and 100%! Yeah sure that is great and all but in the long scheme of things did we learn anything? The answer is no. BUT. If we go to the other way of going through the same experience, as we are taking the test and trying our hardest to get things right and to get the best grade that we can, at the end of it we really have learned. Yes it was hard, but when we come out of the experience we are so grateful when we see that the efforts that we have put in to prepare and during the test were worth it.

Life can be the same way and so can be trying to figure out what God's plan for you is. I love it. I love our Heavenly Father. He is so good to us. Yes sometimes change comes and we are not happy about it, but we end up finding that the change was to benefit us, even though at first we fought against it. I am grateful for trials and for change. Not because they are easy but because I learn so much through it and and grow closer to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Also I learn so much about myself and the eternal potential that I have. I am so grateful to be here in New York. It is the experience of a lifetime. I am grateful for faith. I am grateful to have a loving family. I am grateful for the spirit and communication that I receive through this great gift in my life. It is something that is so wonderful! I am grateful to be here! I am grateful for all of you! God bless you all and remember to walk by faith, even in the hard times.

God, He just keeps on Giving!

I have to start off saying the words wow. That is about all that I can use to describe the blessings, well in better words miracles here in Brooklyn New York. The Gospel of Jesus Christ and His church are continuing forward and it is being spread to all ends of the Earth to everyone especially those who are pure in heart and looking for the truth in their lives.

This week has been one full of amazing miracles let me just say. After our lesson with Miguel on Tuesday night of this week we honestly were completely floored. This man is so ready to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ in his life. I remember thinking a while back how these types of miracles don't happen very often, but now my opinion has really taken a 180 degreee turn. I KNOW that these miracles happen all of the time. It is just a matter of the missionaries exercising their faith, praying, and doing the best that they can. The Lord always prepares His children at times in their lives to accept this Gospel and to put it into practice in their lives.

So on Wednesday of this week we had 2 appointments at the same time so Elder Martinez and I parted ways with each other for a little bit sadly! I went on a mini exchange with Elder Bills to visit a member in our ward Hermano Nocelo, and Elder Martinez stayed at the church with Elder Garcia to teach Miguel again!

So the night went great! Elder Bills and I had a wonderful time at our appointment and on our way back we met a man who was here in New York visiting from Brazil! Oh how I wish that I knew Portugese! It is so sweet! But I do have to learn Spanish first because I am definitely not perfect let me tell you all! :) So when we got back with the Elders and met up with them I got to here the story of how the lesson went. Oh my goodness. Miguel. This man is just incredible. As Elder Garcia and Elder Martinez were teaching him and talking to him about the Book of Mormon and how it could bless his life he told the Elders that he already knew it was true! Oh my goodness. It is amazing to see how when some people really are ready to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ the really are READY. I have noticed, especially here as a missionary how everything honestly just makes sense to the people we are teaching. The things that they learn just add to their joy of their previos knowledge and they in turn have even more to treasure than before. I love seeing the light in their eyes. Their spirits are lifted and they just smile because they know, and more importantly, can feel from the power of the Holy Ghost that it is true. Our new friend Miguel is a prime example of this. He has told us of how he wants to leave his previous life behind him, because when he moved here he fell away from God and fell into things that weren't good for him. However now, his resolve to change and leave everything behind him is something that completely motivates me. His determination is incredible. All he wants to is follow Christ and he wants to do it so badly! He told us how he is already changing his work schedule so he can come to church next Sunday and how if he needed to he would ask for less work so he can come to church. This man is amazing!

We taught him yesterday of the Plan of Salvation one of the most pure and beautiful doctrines that we believe as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And he was just so incredibly happy learning about it. As we got closer toward the close of the lesson Elder Martinez asked Miguel if he would like to be baptized on the 24th of November, and Miguel responded so fast and excitedly "Por supuesto!" (Of Course!!). It was one of the most amazing things to hear because Miguel knows that this is the Church of Christ that has been restored completely once again on the Earth today.

In closing all I can say is one more time, wow. This is the true work of our Savior Jesus Christ. He loves us. Our Heavenly Father loves us, and we are here for a reason. I know that for a fact. I have no doubt about it. Please remember YOU are loved even when you might not feel like it, you are. That I know with all of my heart. Our God is a God or miracles and all that He wants for us is to be happy. He just keeps on giving! This Gospel, as we live it, and put it into practice in our lives, brings peace. It brings joy and a true and lasting happiness. One that we can only feel as we follow our savior. I love being a missionary. I love this work. I love my family. I love you all so very much. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. He Lives. And please remember there are those like Miguel waiting and searching for the truth. So for those of you who are already members and have these blessings; share them. For those of you who are my dear and beloved friends please experience this joy that awaits you. This is the reason why I am happy and I know that it is something that we all are searching and hoping for, even though sometimes we don't think so. It fills our lives with light and hope for a better future. I love you all, and remember as Thomas S. Monson says "The Future is as Bright as Your FAITH"

With Love from Brooklyn!
Elder Waidmann

He Always Hears Us When We PRAY

Hello all!

Yes it is once again that time for another post! I hope that all is well where you everyone is at who is reading this! Because all is certainly well here in Brooklyn!

So the big news is that transfers are coming up soon and I can say that I am definitely scared to hear the phone ring nowadays because I don't want the conversation to contain that I am leaving in it! But I have to get used to the phone ringing off the hook because we have Free English Class Flyers literally EVERYWHERE here around the church and on 5th Avenue! So let's just say that we get a lot of calls with questions! But I love it though! I think that my favorite part is where I answer the phone in Spanish but, the person on the other side of the phone call asks "You speaka Spanish?" in the thickest accent ever! It is so funny and then I am always able to say yes I do! And ask what their question is. It honestly never gets old! :) I love it!

So this last week was seriously so wonderful! Brooklyn continues to grow on me and I am loving it here! It is such a wonderful place filled with so much culture clashing! It is so cool! You literally con feel like you are in 4 different countries within minutes of walking it is pretty amazing! That is what I love about the Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, and Sunset Park areas of where we are pretty often!

We have been using facebook now and I am starting to like it as a missionary a lot more now. It is definitely still a little weird being connected to everything still but it really can also be a blessing to us in missionary work. We can do things now that we haven't ever been able to do before which is awesome! And I love being able to update my blog too! It is great! :) I am so blessed to be here in this mission in New York to have all of these wonderful privileges.

 I am loving my time here with my companion Elder Martinez! Man he is great! So funny and he loves Christmas! Let me tell you that much! He has the countdown started already! Also we officially started the Christmas season in our companionship! Elder Martinez has been playing Christmas music and we are loving it! A little early?? Yeah probably! :) But hey we love it!

Last Friday night our ward, or also known as Congregation, got together and had our annual Noche de Hispanidad!!! Oh my goodness was it wonderful! I loved it! There was some amazing food as always! Because hello the Spanish food here is the BEST! :) I am so blessed to have tried so many different things! I basically am becoming every type of Spanish person with all of the different foods I have eaten and all of the different people from many parts of the world! There definitely isn't only one culture here! Which is so cool! We also as missionaries performed a little skit/act and it was a lot of fun! The members here loved it and that is what we like! :) We love our ward members so much!

On Saturday we were privileged enough  to be able to go to Midwood, here in Brooklyn to help out the missionaries there! It was called Operation Good Shepherd! We went out as missionaries and looked for all of the people that were on the list of the ward that hadn't been to church in a long time to help them in any way that we could and to love them back into the fold! I went on a mini exchange with Elder Nyre who speaks Creole! That was sweet! We had a good time and got some good done! :) That is what we missionaries do! We go and spread the Good News of the Gospel and try our best to always go about doing good! I just love it!

Sunday was a beautiful day! We had a great day at church! There were many people there who were investigating the church and who were there for there first time! It was awesome! A man named Luis who we had met earlier last week came and he loved it! He is such a humble man and is so ready to continue to learn and accept the Gospel and Christ into His life and to live according to Christ's teachings. He told us that he is looking for something to fill his life with and we are so happy to be a part of it! We also met with a wonderful couple named Elizabeth and Elmer and they are such a wonderful family! They have such a cute little daughter named Allison and she is just hilarious! :) We talked to them about a lot of things and shared out testimonies with them! They are wonderful members of the church! We shared with them the importance of the temple in their lives and they put their vision there at the temple to go and be married and sealed for time and all eternity! We are so happy for them! It was awesome! And they fed us too! Bonus! :) They are so nice! :)

And okay! So about the title of this blog! I have been continually praying that we can continue to see miracles here in this area and I have been trying to do my best to find them no matter how little or big they might be. So yesterday as we were finishing preparation day and riding the B9 bus that runs on 60th Street right next to our church we get a text message from our Relief Society President saying that there was someone who was interested in learning about the church in the church. And she asked if we were close and if we could come. So since we literally were right outside of the church when she texted us we got off of the bus at the nest stop at 8th Avenue and headed over. Elder Martinez and I thought that it just might be someone asking for information about English class, oh but lo and behold we were wrong! When I hopped off the bus I was hoping that it would be someone that would want to learn more about the church. Then we got into the church and our relief society president, Hermana Casiano began to tell us of what had happened. A man had came in wanting to learn more about the church and since we weren't there she talked to him and gave him a Book of Mormon and explained some things about what we believe and she let him into the chapel to pray. So then we went into the chapel and waited for him to finish praying. It was so great to be able to sit there and just feel of the spirit that is always present in that room. Then he finished and Elder Martinez and I introduced ourselves to him. It was then that we learned his story.

His name is Miguel. He told us that he had come into the church to pray and find peace. He had seen one of our Free English Class Flyers on the street and he said that he was interested in two things. 1) That it was a church, and 2) that it was offering free English Class. So he said that he got off of work yesterday early and had nothing else to do so he made his way to the church. He said that he couldn't find it and then went and looked for the paper again to find the address. After walking 15 blocks he found it and then went to the church. And then, that is where our paths crossed. Miguel is such a humble guy. We still don't know too much about him but I know that He is one of our Heavenly Father's children who is looking for the truth of the Gospel to fill his life right now. He said that when he moved here to the United States he fell away from God, but now he wants to bring himself back. That was one of the most amazing things that I have ever heard. These people. I just wonder. How? How do we cross paths and meet these people that are so hungry for the truth? And then the answer obviously comes to my mind. It is simple and one word. GOD. Yep that is really the answer. God. He is so aware of everyone and everything. He knows who His children are and He knows them by name. He is all knowing and all powerful. He wants to bless us and have our lives filled with truth and with light. That is why He has given us the gift of prayer. It is our straight line of communication with Him. He is always listening to us at ANY TIME and ANYWHERE. I know that this is true with all of my heart and soul. God listens to us. And when we are acting in Faith of the things that we have asked for He Will Bless us. I have no doubt about it. I have seen it and I have felt it. I know that there are no such things as coincidences. Just only ANGELIC ARRANGEMENTS. And I am grateful to have been able to been a part of one yesterday. Miguel is so ready and so humble to learn and so willing.

I would love to invite all of you to do as he did. Search if you don't know. Be patient and listen after you pray because your Heavenly Father will answer you about anything that you ask. He will answer us especially as we serve others I love what President Uchtdorf says: Often, the answer to our prayer does not come while we’re on our knees but while we’re on our feet serving the Lord and serving those around us. Selfless acts of service and consecration refine our spirits, remove the scales from our spiritual eyes, and open the windows of heaven. By becoming the answer to someone’s prayer, we often find the answer to our own. 

 I love Him so much. I love my Savior Jesus Christ who did something that I could have never done for myself. He is the one and only person who knows all of us perfectly. His grace is sufficient and perfect even when we feel that we don't deserve it. I know that this is true. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. It is simple for us to live and all that we get from living it is pure and true happiness. Not one that the world thinks is happiness, but what God knows is happiness. He loves us. Me and YOU and everyone on the Earth. How we can never comprehend. But we can know it. I know it and I feel it. God's love is the best! Elder Terrance M. Vinson describes it so beautifully :

I believe that if we could have the privilege of walking physically with the Savior, that we would feel His arm draped over our shoulder just like that. Like the disciples heading toward Emmaus, our hearts would “burn within us” (Luke 24:32). This is His message: “Come and see” (John 1:39). It is personal, inviting, and embracing in its invitation to walk with His arm around our shoulders.

May we all feel as confident as Enos, as reflected in the last verse of his short but profound book: “I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father” (Enos 1:27).

Because of the multiplicity of experiences and the power with which the Spirit has witnessed to me, I testify with absolute surety that God lives. I feel His love. It is the sweetest feeling. May we do what is needed to align our will with His and truly love Him.

 I love you all so much. And remember Miracles are possible when we ask and when we ask in faith! I love you!

With love from Brooklyn,
Elder Waidmann

Spreading the Gospel Through New Manners: Online! :)

Hello all! This is actually me! Yes! As a part of being online missionaries I also get to update and edit my blog! I want to first thank my wonderful and amazing mother and my two incredible sisters for doing such a wonderful job keeping this up to date when I send home emails about what is going on here in New York. I am so grateful to have such an amazing family back home who supports me!

Well since it has been the second of October that this has been updated, I should definitely give an update on what is happening in the happenin city of Brooklyn. Wow. That is the words that I can basically only use to describe this place. It is completely different than any other place that I have ever been! Well I haven't been to many many places but this city by far beats them all in everything I must say. New York. It is one place that turly lives its name. The City that NEVER Sleeps. It really doesn't and I just am amazed at how things are always running on all cylinders here.

The people here never cease to amaze me either. You can never experience the same routine each day because things are always changing. And literally things are always changing. Brooklyn, where I am living as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is one place to behold. When I imagined Brooklyn I could have never thought of what I experience on a daily basis but I am so grateful for every single day that I get to spend here. It is so much fun and also so much work to be a missionary. To be completely honest though, I wouldn't trade this experience that I am having now for anything in the world. Yes that phrase is used way too much sometimes, but I really do mean it. Everyday isn't a cake walk here. It isn't just me and my companion Elder Martinez going around and seeing the sights of Brooklyn. It is us laboring in this wonderful place to find those seeking for the truth. Yes that sounds kinda funny that we are laboring and trying to find people to share our message with but that is what we as missionaries do. We believe and we know that the things that we teach which are central in Jesus Christ and families can change the lives of others for the better.

There really is nothing better than meeting someone who says to us that they have been looking for the truth everywhere and haven't found it yet. Because then we are able to ask "Well have you heard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints before?" And when they reply that they haven't and as we begin to share with them the teachings of Christ the understanding that comes to them is incredible. I know that this is true because I have seen it. I have blessed enough to experience it first hand. I know that The Gospel of Jesus Christ really is the "good news" that will one day fill the entire Earth. It is a way of happiness. A way of love and a way of personal peace and righteousness.

Since the last update a lot of great things have happened! Namely General Conference! It was just incredible! I love conference so much and I am so grateful for it every time that I am able to see it! Here in the mission it is like our Super Bowl or Righteousness! :) It was so much fun! It was my second General Conference here in Dyker Heights in Brooklyn and oh it was a good one! I would encourage you all to watch some of the messages that were shared! They are incredible and honestly for each and every one of us they can also be life changing. They can apply to all of us in different ways and I know that they have helped me.

I am so grateful for these messages because they have helped me to look inside myself and try to work on things that my Heavenly Father wants me to better about myself. I know that these messages can help us all have meaningful introspection and assist us in the everyday lives we live. I know that these messages are true with all of my heart and I invite you all to listen to them and to watch them. We can truly be edified by the uplifting spirit that they all contain. I am so happy to be a missionary to be sharing this message with thosse here in New York. I am loving every day that I have here. I love you all. I know that what I am doing is true. Like Nephi from the Book of Mormon I am proud to say "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life."-3rd Nephi 5:13

I love you all and thank you for your continuous support! Christ lives! We are so blessed!
With love from Brooklyn,
Elder Waidmann

And ps! Here are some of my favorite talks from conference! Check them out!

"You Can Do It Now!" by President Uchtdorf 
"Come, Join With Us" by President Uchtdorf 
“I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee” By President Thomas S. Monson

"The Lord is so true to His promises to us"

"Here he is!"
 (Elder Waidmann, our investigator, a member in
our ward and Elder Martinez right before the baptism)

Hi all!!

I hope that you are doing well and that everything is going well with you! So this past week was definitely one to remember! It was amazing. Yesterday we were able to see the amazing miracle of our dear friend and investigator get baptized. It was truly incredible. The service went wonderfully and it was so great to be able to see him enter the waters of baptism. The smile on his face was just so wonderful to see and was so prevalent yesterday!  Elder Martinez and I were so happy and it was such a great experience to be able to see this happen. It really shows that the Lord prepares his children to receive the Gospel in times in their life when they are humble and when they are ready and willing. Not every person is the same, but everyone as I can see, comes to the point where they realize that they need to know the truth and so it can help them everyday.

Meeting, teaching and getting to know our investigator truly was a miracle of our Heavenly Father.  He was placed in our path and we were placed in his. It is amazing and is so incredible. The Lord is so aware of every single one of us.  Our investigator was baptized by a strong member in our ward, and is a great friend. It is so wonderful to see the fellowship that is happening and the love that the members of the ward have for him already. They supported him wonderfully yesterday and helped us out so much with the baptismal service. It truly was a miracle to see everything come through the way that it did. The ward members were such a great help and I am so happy that they were so happy with the baptism that took place. Members said to us how happy that they were to see our investigator get baptized. 

I am so grateful that our Heavenly Father is so aware of every single one of us and how He helps us to know that our efforts here as missionaries are for a great purpose.  I am so happy to have been here and to have seen this amazing story unfold before my eyes. The Lord is so true to His promises to us. The more we love and serve Him and try and show our faith, the more that he will bless us. It is so true. I know it.  Jesus Christ is so close to this work because this is His church. He is so aware of us and I know it.

The Church is true. I have no doubts about it at all. It is so wonderful to see our investigator, now a brand new convert, that has just been baptized, share his testimony and say how he “felt just like Joseph Smith”. How he “had searched everywhere and couldn't find the truth”. How felt good when he came to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  He said that he knows that it is the true doctrine of Christ. He said he knew that the things that we were teaching were true when he had dreams about Elder Martinez and I teaching him. That was so amazing to hear! Elder Martinez looked at each other in the lesson when he said that, and we about died! That seriously was the coolest thing ever to hear! I was just floored yesterday!  I love how, to know if the Gospel is true, all one has to do is feel it. The Holy Spirit will provide that witness and feeling to your heart.  I know that our investigator feels the truth, peace and joy in his life right now. It is amazing. That is all I can say. I am so happy!!

Overall everything else is going great! I am continually learning so much and I am so grateful to be here.  I know that it wasn't by accident or coincidence that I was put here. I am so grateful for the scriptures and the truth within them.  I am grateful for my wonderful companion. This week was so great! I got to go on an exchange with Elder Parker, our district leader (who looks like Chris) too and that was way cool! We learned how to cook some way good rice and beans from a member, and man that was sweet! You guys better watch out when I get back…because I got the authentic cooking skills down! Haha. Okay not really, but let's just go with it!  I love you all so much!

Love,

Elder Waidmann

"The Lord is so good to us and He loves us so incredibly much"

"Mom! I miss you and love you!"

"Yes! I can still make UGLY faces! :)"

"Two words... OH YEAH!"

"Yeah we painted this...not! I wish! :)"

"Hey there! Camera on sport/action mode baby! :)"    

"We look pretty scary right? :) Love you guys!"    

"Our Wonderful District! :) Top: Elder Parker, Elder Hernandez, Me!, Elder Martinez Bottom: Hermana Alverio, Hermana Ellsworth, Hermana Sanchez. They are in a trio Hermana Sanchez is leaving though! :("

"Basically describes us perfectly haha :)"

Hello Everyone!

I hope that you are doing wonderful! First off… I totally met Elder Hallstrom from the Quorum of the Seventy! It was so cool!  It was a shock to see him yesterday at the church! It was a pleasure to meet him.

Well just to let you know everything here is moving right along! It was so cool to here about the new companionship and then to meet them this last week! I am so happy to have Elder Bills and Elder Garcia with us. They are awesome Elders and they are so ready and willing to work hard and to find people to teach! They are already having some success in doing that, which is so wonderful to see! I am happy to have them with us.

This last week was wonderful! I was so happy to see the progression of our investigator! That man is a walking miracle!  He is so humble and so pure in heart. He is already a missionary, in the sense that he knows the importance of preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to others. It is so amazing to see how the Lord really does prepare His children at the perfect me to help them accept the true and restored Gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today. I am so grateful and will be forevermore grateful for this wonderful and miraculous opportunity that I have to be here to see that hastening of the Lord's work here. It truly is so incredible!

I am so happy for our investigator! He is getting baptized this next Sunday. He is so happy and so ready! He is such a warm man and is so kind to others!  We taught him this week about the importance of commandments and principles that he needs to commit to live, before he is baptized. The great thing is that he is already living them!  He tells us of how when he reads the Book of Mormon, that he can understand things so much easier and how he loves what he is reading.  I love how he says that here, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is where he feels the truth. He feels good and he feels that he is walking in the way that God wants him too. It is amazing. 

I am so happy to be able to be a part of this. I am learning so much about the Lord and how He provides miracles in these days. The Lord is so good to us and He loves us so incredibly much. I know that to be so true. The gospel is true. I know it, and I know that God knows it! I love you all so much! It is so cool to see all of these great things happening here in New York!  This week has been so wonderful! We are so happy to be here! Love you all so much!

Love,

Elder Waidmann