Hello my wonderful fam! I LOVED your email!! It was so fun to read all about what has been going on! I loved reading every word! Sounds like a lot has happened! I have been doing great here in the Bronx! It has been an amazing journey! I love having P-Day on Monday because Sundays are pretty relaxed so we get two days of not much going on! So much fun to kick it and write emails to everyone! Sunday nights are perfect for your email! I love being able to come back to the apartment and read your email while we relax! It is so nice, I do get to read emails whenever I want! I can read them but I just can't respond to them until P-Day. I get the little notification icon saying I have an email then I go read it! I love that I am able to do that! There isn't anything I can think of at the moment that I need. The only things I forgot was a toothbrush and a comb but you've got me covered! But other than that I have everything I need! I hope I can remember everything that I was going to say and I can remember everything that happened this week because I want to be sure to tell you everything! The computer's at the MTC had built in memory card readers but we are just typing on our tablets here in our apartment so I'm not sure how to get the pictures to you? I have so many cool pictures and I even recorded our take off to New York! We may have to go over to the church and see if they have a memory card reader. Also, the blog is blocked on our tablets but when we go over to the church I can check it out then! Can't wait to see it! Sounds like crazy weather over there in good ole Nibley! Crazy to think how much snow has melted over the last few days! I hope they can get the water out of their basements soon! I'm so glad that our basement is okay and no water is getting through!!
What a great journey so far! New York is so amazing! I had such a good time flying for the first time and loved all the views from the airplane! Everything went so smoothly the whole trip! It was like clockwork! Where do I begin with all the cool stuff that has been happening!?!? As I stood out in front of the MTC on Monday, I couldn't believe that I was already done with that aspect of my mission! It seemed crazy to me that my MTC experience had gone by so fast and now I'm actually in the mission field! On Monday morning I woke up at about 2:45-3:00 ish, then I finished packing up all my luggage, which wasn't as hard as I thought because I found out that I could check my 2 luggages instead of the one big one! Which was so nice because I didn't have to worry about having liquids over 3 ounces! My big luggage weighed about 48 pounds and my smaller one weighed about 25. But my smaller luggage was stuffed full and I couldn't fit anything else in there so I was lucky the big one was less that 50 pounds! My companion and I were the only Elders from our district to leave on Monday, but the whole district got up at 3:30 just for us to say goodbye! How nice is that!! Also, the sisters in our district got up to say goodbye to the 2 Sisters that came to my same mission. They were all so nice and supportive! I wish they could have come with us to New York because we became really good friends with each other so it was hard to say goodbye! So after we said goodbye we hopped on this huge charter bus (like football teams use to travel!) and we said goodbye to the MTC and off we went to the airport! It was a nice drive because there was NOBODY out driving that early so we had the road all to ourselves. Once we got to the airport and got our luggage I said goodbye to my companion. He and I were really good friends the whole time at the MTC because we have so much in common! He headed into a different entrance because he was flying in the completely opposite direction to Los Angeles. It was really weird to not have a companion the whole time! Our group consisted of Sister Doty and Peterson who were in my district and also companions and then a new sister that I had never met before named Sister Lee. She was really nice and talked about how much she looked forward to meeting President Smith and his wife! When we first walked into the airport they weighed our luggage and then they gave us our boarding passes! Security was really smooth as well! I passed through with no problems! This whole time there was only one thing I could think of........calling you!!! I couldn't wait to get through security so I could call you! When we got through security I immediately checked for a payphone but they were all taken by anxious missionaries! There were lots of tears! I waited for a few minutes by a donut shop near one of the payphones and then a lady that worked there said: "Hey! You want to talk to your family too don't ya?" She said that she gives her phone to missionaries every single time they fly out! It was so much fun to talk to everyone and hear some familiar voices! I loved the conference call idea! It worked really well! I wish we could have talked again so much at the Detroit airport but everyone was on their phones and they didn't even have any payphones whatsoever! I typed up a quick email and tried to send it through WiFi, that I thought I was connected to, but I later found out that it didn't go through. After I called you we had about a half an hour to find lunch and then go to our gate! As we were waiting I got to watch the Super Bowl highlights (wait....is that allowed? ) and then I saw Brother Hobbs. He was headed to North Carolina for a business trip. I chatted with him for a few minutes and he thought it was cool that he was the last person I got to talk to that I knew before I headed out! Then I boarded the plane! I was so excited to be able to fly! We got to our seats and I was second closest to the window so I had a pretty good view of everything! We were right on the wing! As we took off I got one last glimpse of the Utah mountains before we were 35,000 feet in the air in no time! It was such a cool experience! I slept for about a an hour because we were all so tired! The night before I left, I went to bed at about 10:00 so I had only had a few hours of sleep! I woke up about an 1 and a half into the flight so I enjoyed the view for a while! After that they started handing out the snacks and a Sprite sounded really good! It was crazy to me that I was drinking a soda 35,000 feet in the air!
It was so amazing to land in Detroit! The airport there is huge and pretty cool! What I really thought was cool was the really long moving sidewalk they had in a tunnel! After we grabbed some lunch we immediately started looking for a payphone! We looked all over the place but couldn't find one anywhere! We only had an hour in the airport before we had to board our plane so I wouldn't have had very much time to chat but I really wanted to! I felt really bad that we couldn't talk some more! We went to our gate and boarded our plane to New York! This plane was very small because it wasn't flying into a big airport but still pretty fun to fly around in! I took a video of us taking off! It was crazy to think that I was actually flying to New York! The flight was really short but this time I had a window seat so it made it even more enjoyable! I took lots of pictures right before we descended. I was so anxious to meet President Smith and his wife! When we turned the corner I let out a sigh of relief because I saw their daughter holding up a phone to do the Facebook live! They are such nice people! We had seen him so much on the blog and now I was actually shaking his hand! After that, we loaded up our luggage and then we went to the mission home! The mission home is up into some country right next to there church. The house is pretty old but it is renovated. It is very nice inside! After that we went to the church and did some practice teaching with the new missionaries and the assistants to the President. After a half an hour of doing that they said "come on we're doing it for real this time!" So we loaded up and went into town and started teaching people and handing out cards. I had only been there for about an hour and I was already teaching people on the streets! Most of the people didn't have time to stop but we did give out a Book of Mormon to an older lady. White Plains is a small town but it was still pretty fun to think I was in New York! After that we went back to the mission home and ate dinner. We had tomato chicken, rolls, salad, rice, and broccoli. And my favorite...ice cream for desert! Then we had an awesome testimony meeting with everyone! President and his wife told us that being a missionary will bless you and your families life forever and that it is really hard to be away from home but this is where your family wants you to be! We had a great time getting to know each other and introducing ourselves! After that I got to open my awesome package from you guys! I was so surprised like you said that you fit everything in there! I couldn't believe it all fit! I loved the delicious treats you put in there! I have been enjoying them all week! My companion and two other roommates love spam so of course I shared. All those treats are my favorite! I loved them all! Also, thanks for the comb and toothpaste! I was just about out of toothpaste. Thank you so much!
The night that I got here I went with the two office Elders to sleep in their apartment for the night because the sisters got to sleep in the mission home. Then the next day we got up and headed to the church to be assigned our area and companion! I was so excited! My companion is awesome! His name is Elder Kirkham and he is from Salt Lake. He is a huge Utes fan and goes to a lot of football games! Isn't that cool Parker!! So far I have had two companions that love football! He played football in high school as a wide receiver. He just turned 18 last April so he is young like me. We have gotten along really well! It has been really nice to have someone who has been here for a while otherwise I would be totally lost! I haven't had to gotten shopping yet because he planned ahead and bought extra food for me to eat but we go shopping here in a little while after laundry! How nice is that! We have a few stores close to our apartment so that makes it really convenient! The buses here are crazy! We took a train to our apartment and that's when I could see the city from our window! How cool is that! I took a few pictures from our apartment window of the city. Once we got settled in we took a tour of our apartment and the Bronx! My area covers the whole Bronx! The only reason why my area is called Olmstead is because that is the street that our church is on. But I couldn't believe that my first area is the Bronx! One thing that I have noticed is that people LOVE to honk! The second the light turns green, the cars behind the car in front will start honking like crazy! I couldn't help but think of Dubbie: "Hey! I'm walking here!" It is exactly like the game! The whole city itself is pretty old but still a really neat place with lots of cool world war 2 houses and apartments! So far, I have met so many nice people! There are tons of Jamaicans, Puerto Ricans, and Italians! It has been really neat to get to know them more! I love all the little Deli and Pizza shops! We haven't eaten at one yet but there is a place called Cross-Bronx that sells one slice of authentic New York pizza that is almost as big as the box! It costs $5.00 for the pizza and drink! Definitely my kind of pizza shop!
Awesome week! The first two days, we went street contacting and just talked with people to find some new investigators for us to teach! My companion had some investigators that are pretty far along but he wanted me to get used to talking with people. He couldn't believe that I would go up to people and start talking. He said when he was being trained it took him a week to muster up the courage to talk to someone, his companion did all the talking! On Thursday night we had something really cool happen! My companion and I were walking home from an appointment with an investigator and we were about to cross at an intersection and the light turned green and this car started to move forward but then her car just died and shut off. She kept rolling forward but her engine was off. The cars behind her were honking like crazy and yelling out the window at her! She put her hazards on and then slowly rolled to the side of the road. We were walking passed her and I thought we should stop and see what was wrong. We knocked on her window and she was on the phone trying to get some help. It was a really nice Jamaican lady and she said her car just died. It was a newer BMW so I'm not sure what happened. She didn't speak much English so it was hard to understand her but we told her that we would push her car to the nearest shoulder in the road because she was in the bus lane. She put her car in neutral and we pushed her car about 200-300 feet but suddenly without her even turning the key the car started up and away she went. The light was red to we ran down the sidewalk to see if she thought she could make it home. She thanked us so much and couldn't believe someone would help her. Kind of a neat experience!
It is so amazing to be here in New York because when a fire truck or police officer passes by it has big and bold NYPD on it! I even saw a fire truck with ladder number that responded first to the September 11th attacks! Really cool to see that! I took a picture of a painting done on the side of a restraunt that had the twin towers and a fireman who lost his life. The first few days I still couldn't believe I was actually here! Lots and lots of sirens here! There is always something going on! It really is a pretty area even though some of it may seem a little run down. There are trees and squirrels everywhere! There are even black squirrels and lots of pigeons as well. One interesting thing that I have noticed in that there are TONS of Honda Civics, Mercedes Benz, and Honda Odyssey minivans! I have seen a ton of really nice cars but there are so many nice Civics!
So far teaching and finding investigators has been going great! I have met a lot of cool people! I have some exciting news! Before I got here a Nigerian man and his wife wanted a bible so the missionaries dropped it off and scheduled another visit. The missionaries that dropped it off where not in our area so we are now in charge of teaching him! His name is: Osagie Pius Edokpolor! He is such a good guy! We taught him the first lesson and he loved every minute of it! He said he has never heard anything like our church and said: "It is everything he has ever wanted in his life!" We invited him to be baptized and set a baptismal date goal and he accepted to be baptized on the 25th! So cool! So we will teach him and his wife the rest of the lessons, he loves our lessons and gets everything that we teach! We have another investigator named Matt Fortino that lives in city island which is a little fishing town. He lives in a 150 year old house. He doesn't own the house but he pays rent from the lady that owns it. It has 15 bedrooms! It was built by the owner of the Bronx 150 years ago! Really cool to go see it! So far I have loved getting to know so many people with different backgrounds and nationalities! People talk just like you think they would here! The Italian Deli owners sound just like Buddy from cake boss.
Church yesterday was so different!! Our church is pretty small and we only had 42 people TOTAL at church yesterday! Crazy! I asked if this was normal attendance and he said yes. He said that in Manhatten they have a lot more people each week! I heard that the bishop is only at church once a month and the 1st counselor in the bishopric is pretty much inactive! The 2nd counselor was the only one there yesterday! So different from what we're used to! I got to speak in sacrament meeting yesterday! I spoke about prayer and the role it plays in our lives! I told the congregation that I pray for each and every one of my family members each time I pray! I enjoyed speaking! Very different experience!
On Thursday, the big snow storm was crazy!! It was unbelievable! President Smith called everyone and told them to stay in their apartments and study the whole day! In the morning we didn't have much snow but then the storm really picked up! The wind was UNBELIEVABLE! It was bitter cold and the wind was the 30-40 miles per hour! The snow was huge and it came down really fast! At about 3:00 our time the storm had settled down and my companion and I decided to go see who needed some help shoveling! The wind had caused the snow to pile up like crazy and literally bury cars! We went to a nearby neighborhood and started shoveling. We asked this one couple if we could help and they said: "No we're good, we don't have very much money." We said that we would help them for no charge because we were missionaries and we were just trying to help people out! When they heard that...they put us to work! We shoveled their driveway, then their two neighbors and the sidewalk down their street! It was so awesome to dedicate time to just helping people. One of the houses we shoveled was an elderly man and he couldn't get his car out so we helped him. He went inside and brought out a $20.00 bill. Then the first house we went to that said they didn't have much money came out with two $20.00s and a $10.00. They were very nice Jamaican people and couldn't understand why we wouldn't accept the money. We handed them a Book of Mormon instead and said that if they started reading it together that would be our "payment". Crazy how generous people are because they don't see much service going on so they thought they had to pay us. After shoveling driveways we decided to head back to our apartment for some hot chocolate and dinner. On our way there were tons of cars that were completely buried in snow so we helped everyone that were trying to unbury their car. Overall it was a great experience! I appreciate you teaching me the value of service!
On Friday we got to go to Wendy's for some dinner! I took a pictures of the receipt that says Bronx New York on it. Pretty cool I thought! The night I got here my companion told me that all the new missionaries that come into this area have to try McDonald's new menu item....the Grand Mac! It is a bigger version of the Big Mac with bigger patties. So of course I had to try it! I got the combo and could barely finish it bevause it was so big! He told me that each week he likes to eat out for dinner so we can try everything! Lots of cool Deli and pizza shops to try! One Deli shop has a giant reuben sandwich I want to try!
I have some really exciting news! Today for our first P-Day he wanted me to get used to doing laundry here and shopping then we would do something really fun next P-Day! He asked me what I wanted to do more than anything and I said go to the 911 memorial and museum! He said that we get to go to Manhatten once per transfer because it is out of our area. So next Monday we will go down to Manhatten and go see the 911 museum! I'm so excited! My companion's last area was Manhatten and he said he went to the memorial but he had no idea there was a museum! So I will get to go see the memorial fountains and then go through the museum with all the artifacts and parts on the World Trade Center that they found! I can't wait! Will be something fun to look forward to!
Well I think I got to talk about everything that happened this week! I love emailing and telling you everything! It has been so fun to let you know what my experience has been so far! It has been great! Just know that I love you all so much and I miss you every single day! It has been an amazing experience so far and I can't wait to see what this next week brings! I can't believe that I will already be out for a whole month this coming Saturday! Time flies when you lose yourself in the work! I hope you all have a fun a safe week at school and work! I have felt so many prayers and I hope you have felt my prayers because I pray for you all each and every day! I love having an army of family every step of the way! Love you all so much!
~Elder Lindberg
P.S: Our apartment address is 2180 Bronx Park East so you can look it up on Google Maps! If you are looking directly at the building our apartment is the very top right! Hope you can find it!
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