Hello my dear and amazing loved ones! First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBY!!!! I wish I could be there to give you a giant hug but it will have to wait just a few more months! I hope you have the best Birthday ever! This week has been SO amazing and I have lots to tell you about and I'm really excited to talk to you today! The weather here has been so amazing and it has felt so nice! The whole city has been on edge because of a massive snow storm that was supposed to hit us last night starting at 10:00 but it didn't. We woke up to no snow at all and it is raining a tiny bit. Lots of kids were excited to have school cancelled but We woke up this morning and saw all of the school busses making their routes. Hehe!
Last P-Day was a ton of fun and the weather was so amazing! We got our shopping and laundry done very quickly and so we had lots of time to see lots of fun stuff! Since it was a nice day, there were tons of people and tourists out and about. First, we went back to the coins store and had some fun looking around at all of the fun stuff that they have to buy and then we went to the financial district and saw the Charging Bull Statue! I hope that I talked about everything that we got to do because it was a really fun day! Then after our P-Day ended, we got to go visit Robert and we had an amazing lesson with him! He told us that he hasn't drunk alcohol in 3 whole days which is a huge step and he really wants to change his life around! It has been so cool and amazing to see! Then we got to have dinner with Brother and Sister Toomey and we had a great time! We always appreciate the meals and conversations we get to have with the members! I am so grateful for this ward because they always take care of us! We had some really yummy tacos with homemade tortillas! Then they had us help them with some service! They were selling a huge beanbag chair to a lady coming to pick it up from an hour away and so we helped them lift it it to their little Honda Civic and it barely fit. Then we had a great conversation with them and had a great night! Then it was time to head back to the apartment for the night! Then we got a call from Fabhaa and he said that he was visiting California and wants to go to Church there and so we got a hold of the San Diego 5th Ward sister missionaries and they said that they would sit with him on Sunday! It was really cool how it all worked out! It was such a fun day and I loved reading your emails so very much! Thanks again for sending them! We headed off to bed really tired after a great and fun day!
Thursday was so awesome as well! We had another really busy and packed day and so we were looking forward to it! I love being able to talk to people on the streets and the people we see in the elevators! I love how they each have their own story and they love to talk to us! I have been able to get to know so many different people just by talking to them on the street. After our studies, we did our weekly planning and were able to sit down an focus on our investigators and call them as well. We called Fabhaa and he told us that he was going to go to Church in San Diego and so we were really excited about that! Then we went to our next appointment with Brother Andre to help move his couch. He was doing really well but we ended up not moving his couch because he was waiting for a doctor appointment and so he couldn't leave. We had a really nice chat and then we did our 12 Week and companionship study before going to the Temple to pick up our mail but we got a text from the office Elders told us that it wouldn't be coming until Saturday. I couldn's wait to get your package and i was looking forward to wearing some snazzy looking pants! A lot of people in New York City are very curious about our Church and want to know more but the hardest part is to schedule a time to meet with them because they are busy and always on the move. It can be hard to ask people to come to Church and participate in other Church responsibilities so we build their faith any way that we can to help them feel the spirit. It has been fun to start conversations about the Gospel on the street of New York and hear what other people believe and what brings them joy and happiness in this life. The thing that I love to talk about most is Family because is really what makes me truly happy! I love each one of you so much and you make me so proud! I loved getting your email so much! Thanks a million for sending it! I loved the pictures and it made my whole day! After dinner, we went to visit Andy Lam and he wanted us to share a message since he can't come to Church and so we always love appointments and things to do so we were were happy to go over! We helped him with his tablet because he didn't know how to turn the Wi-Fi off and so it wasn't hooked up to his data plan that he has and so it was an easy fix. He asked us to do a favor for him since it is really hard for him to get out of his apartment and so he asked if we could pick up two 12 packs of Chery Pepsi and he would pay us back. They had a by 2 get 1 free deal and so it worked out well! He even gave us each a can! Then we went to visit the McClain family and we watched the rest of the Restoration video. We are building their faith in the Restoration since Monae is a recent convert and so we are trying to teach her in many different ways. It was a really great evening! We walked back to the apartment and it started to pour rain just in time for a good night's rest! We were beat! I enjoyed reading your emails again and I really appreciated them so much!
Friday was so awesome! We had some really awesome family history training first thing in the morning at the Manhattan Temple Chapel with a senior couple, the Openshaws! So we did our studies and then took the 1 train for our fun 2 hour training! I remember them doing this training when I was in Kingston and what a great job they did! It was snowing quite a bit but it turned to slush and didn't stick at all. I hope that was the end of the snow because haven't gotten very much snow. I remember last year when Elder Kirkham and I did all of that shoveling for almost 2 days straight! It was a really memorable time! Our whole zone was at the training and we really enjoyed listening to Elder and Sister Openshaw talk about how we can help other become more interested in doing Family history work. I love my Family more than anything and so I love talking to other people about how they can have the same joy that we all have and how we can be with those we love forever! Then we had lunch before doing all of our studies and it was a total downpour. We stayed nice and dry until we needed to head back out to knock on some doors. We were able to contact quite a few people and even set an appointment with a guy who ordered a Book of Mormon online for this evening! After that, we headed back to the apartment for dinner and it was still coming down pretty hard. It was a weird, slushy snow that just turned to water as soon as it hit the ground and so everything was a mess. After dinner, we had an appointment with Alexsander Feliciano and he was doing really well! We taught him about prayer and it helped him a lot because he told us that he hasn't been saying his prayers so we were able to help him understand the importance of saying prayers. Then we got an amazing call from Robert! He cancelled our appointment because he had been outside in the snow all day doing errands and so he wanted to rest. But the good news was is that he hasn't been drinking for a 5th day in a row and he remembered our names, remembered our appointment, and it was so exciting to hear! He said that his brother called him to congratulate him on his amazing transformation because all of his family members are realizing his change! Then I got your email and it was so good to hear from you! Then we got another exciting phone Call! Elder Davis and Elder Nadolny are the Assistants to the President and they wanted to go on splits with us which is an awesome opportunity! We were so excited to hear from them and were anxious to go on our split! It is a huge deal to go on a split with the Assistants!
Saturday was really awesome! I was really looking forward to getting some new pants and I was excited to go get mail! It's always so fun to have fun mail to get as a missionary! We woke up, exercised, had breakfast, and then did our studies before going to our 1st appointment of our busy day! We had a packed schedule and so we were looking forward to getting started! The weather was so much better than the day before and it finally stopped raining but there was water everywhere. We started out by going to visit lots of people! We knocked on some doors on the West side of Manhattan on 22nd street and tried to find more people to teach! I was thinking about you all a lot and really hoping you were doing well and having a great day! We were able to knock on John Kronwitt's door but he didn't want us to come in. He told us that he had been reading the Book of Mormon and so we were really happy for him! We knocked on Kevin's door again but he didn't answer. We knocked on a few more door but since it was Saturday and the weather was so nice, everyone was out and about. Then we had lunch and did our 12 Week and companionship study before going up to the Manhattan Temple Chapel to get mail. It came just in time because we had just finished up our studies! I was really looking forward to getting some new pants! Thanks again for sending them! They fit me perfectly and I love that brand so much! Also, thank you very much for the Hershey's kisses! That was so thoughtful of you and I really appreciated it! I also got a wedding invitation for Graciela and Mike which was really cool because if I hadn't been in Kingston during that time, I probably wouldn't be getting an invitation. Thanks again for the pants and kisses! They work awesome and will last the rest of my mission!!! I enjoyed having some treats all the way to our next appointment! Then we hurried to see Brother Eades and Brother Forbes to say hi and invite them to Church before our dinner appointment! We teach Alexsander Feliciano and his Mom's name is Norka. She invited us over for dinner because she wanted us to say a prayer with her and the family because they lost their son a few years ago and March 3rd is the anniversary. So we went over for a lasagna and garlic bread. We were so grateful that they invited us over! The dinner was really good and we said a family prayer with them for their son that passed away in a tragic car accident. Then we went to go check on Robert and see how he was doing. We want to go over to visit him once a day because he is doing so well and we want to make sure that he stays on the right path!
Sunday was a really great Sabbath day! We woke up and headed off to Church and had a great Fast and Testimony meeting! We had 1 really cool testimony that I want to share! We had an amazing turnout of less active members and recent converts come and so it was really awesome to see so many fruits of our labors! We had Brother Eades, Brother Forbes, Andre Cox, and a lot of recent converts! It was really aweosme! Then Sister Myrers gave an amazing testimony and I would love to share it! Brother and Sister Myers have 1 little daughter and they are expecting their 2nd child in 12 weeks from now. Sister Myers in her testimony shared an experience that she had had a few days prior. She said that she has been having a really hard time with nausea and has been really sick during this pregnancy. She told us that she was on her way home one day and she was on a subway and felt really sick. She ended up getting off a few stops early and threw up into a garbage can on the subway platform. Sorry, I know that's really gross! Hehe! She said that she was so humiliated and another subway pulled up to the station and a huge group of people got off and saw her. Then to make matters worse, after the crowd dispersed, a lady was video recording her right in her face and captured the whole thing on video. She said that she just cried and cried because she was so embarrassed. Then she felt the holy ghost and it reminded her of Jesus Christ and how humiliated he was and how people mocked and ridiculed him. She said that if they had phones back then, people would have recorded it too. She said that it was a humbling experience even though she was so embarrassed and humiliated, she said that Jesus Christ knows exactly what it is like and how we feel. It was just a really cool story!
Monday was so awesome and very busy which is always great! At our dinner appointment on Saturday with Alexsander Feliciano and his parents, they asked us if we wanted a really nice, free washing machine for our apartment because they were giving theirs away because they bought a bigger one. We called the senior couple missionary who is in charge of our apartments and she said that we weren't allowed to have it in our apartment so we looked ariund the Ward to see if anybody wanted it. We brought it up in our ward correlation meeting and Sister Coburn told us that one of the Sisters' investigators, Barbara, was is desperate need of a new washing machine and so it was really cool how everything fell into place and the timing was perfect! So we set up a time to walk across the street and pick up the washing machine from their apartment at 9:00 Monday morning and then we set up a time to drop it off at Barbara's apartment the following morning. We were a little nervous because it is a 2.5 mile walk from our apartment to where Barbara lives all the way over on the West side of the island but the washing machine was small enough and had handles that we knew that we could do it! So before District Meeting, we went over to Alexsander's apartment to pick up the washing machine and take it back to our apartment. We were so glad that Babarba wanted it because she said that her washing machine was breaking down and doesn't work half the time. It was exciting to help out someone in need!!! We carried the washing machine across the street to our apartment and cleaned it up and it honestly looked brand new! It is a nice LE brand and Norka said that she has only had it for a year! Then we headed off to District Meeting and took the 14D to the 1 train and got there just in time! Elder Williams was asked to give the spiritual thought and I was asked to present a training on the How To Begin Teaching Points which are so helpful to start off teaching an investigator! So I showed a video from The District and the invited all of the missionaries to use them throughout the day. I realized that I am one of the oldest missionaries in the whole District and I have been out for a lot longer than most of the missionaries in our Distrct which I thought was crazy! Then we scheduled a split with our new District Leader and had some lunch before doing our studies. President Smith asked the whole mission to watch some online prosylyting videos on how we can use technology to further the work and they were really cool! After that, we went to go visit Brother Eades and Brother Forbes and share a message about Family History. Then we came back to the apartment for dinner and then went to visit Alexsander! He is doing great but he has struggled to come to Church because of some health problems. We shared a message about the Book of Mormon and how important it is to read every day. Then we went to go have a lesson with Robert and he is doing so amazing! He hasn't had 1 drink of alcohol in over a week now. He has completely changed his whole life around 360 degrees! I wish you could see the before and after because he has changed so much for the better! His whole facial expressions have even changed and we can tell a huge difference! It has been so exciting to see! We shared a video about addiction recovery and we want to take him to the class on 87th street because he really wants to go! We had a great lesson and he gave us a big hug and was so grateful for us having a lesson with him and believing in him! His sister has been calling him almost very day and she can tell a huge difference just in the way he talks! It has been truly incredible! I realized something today that totally blew my mind! It's really cool and I'm sure that you won't believe it either! I just realized that the first ever missionaries that were born in the 2000's are just now beginning to serve. Isn't that amazing!?!?! There hasn't been a single missionary born in the 2000's to serve a mission and they are just now beginning to come out within the next little while! Really amazing!
Tuesday was so awesome! I was VERY excited to hear from you and couldn't wait for your email and pictures! I was really excited to hear about your week and all of you fun plans for Abby's Birthday! It was really fun for me to think that I get to hug and see Abby when she is still 17!!!!!! She is the first person to turn the age that I will get to see them when I return home which I was really excited about!!!!! We woke up and did our studies and then we got to deliver the washing machine which we were really excited about! Barbara texted us and asked if we could deliver it a little later and so we brought the washing machine over to the Church on a dolly and then did our studies and had lunch! We had lots of people stating at us because we had a washing machine with us but we were able to get it to the Church safe and sound! It was really cool to be able to provide that serve to Barbara because her washing machine isn't working correctly and so we were so happy to give her a new one and we were grateful for Norka! After our studies, we took the washing machine from the Church to Barbara's apartment. The weather was so beautiful and the temperatures reaching into the upper 50s! It was a nice walk and we enjoyed talking to people on the streets because the weather was so nice! Barbara was so happy about getting a brand new washing machine! She thanked us and away we went to our next appointment with Brother Eades and Brother Forbes! We decided to teach them about Families and Temple work and had a great lesson with them! I was getting so excited for your fun email and couldn't wait to get it! I also was hoping that Abby was gearing up for her Birthday and that she had lots of fun plans! We tried to drop off the dolly to Robert but he wasn't home and so we knocked on the door of a guy named Hector who was just sent over for us to teach. He wasn't home and so then we went to visit Charles and Monae and we had a great discussion with Charles! He was in the military and told us how grateful he is for the experiences he had and how much he was able to grow. Then we showed them a Mormon message called "The Will Of God" and it was such a great way to end the day! I was so excited to come back to the apartment and read your email and see your pictures! Thank you all a bunch for your fun email, pictures and videos! It was a blast to hear from you as always! We had another great week!!!
Well my dear and amazing Family, it was a blast to email you all today! I hope Abby has a really fun Birthday and that you all eat lots of yummy food! You are in my every thought and prayer and I love and miss you all so very much! You mean the world to me and I want you to know that I care so much about each of you! I hope each of you has a great and fun week! LOVE AND MISS YOU TONS AND TONS!!!!
Love You Always!
~Elder Lindberg
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