Week 13 August 16 - 22

Elder Li from Hong Kong. Elder  Zeng, Elder Ramantal from Hawaii, Elder Lo from Taiwan

 We had many visitors/tourists come to the temple this week.  Paul was at the recommend desk when a father and his son came in to take a look at the temple.  I happened to be there waiting for baptism patrons.  They were not members so he suggested I take them next door to the chapel and show them the Walter Rane paintings of the Book of Mormon.  It was a very enjoyable experience as I explained the paintings and testified of the Book of Mormon.

outside the temple doors

Thursday evening we went back to the temple to participate in an endowment session.  It was going to be in Mandarin.  Elder & Sister Grimley were officiating and they had two Chinese sisters receiving their endowments.  Very special and touching session.

Friday morning I got up early to join some sisters, Buchanan, Thompson, Holloway and Mumford to go to Central Park to see Good Morning America.  We got there but no one else was there.  It was being filmed at Times Square this morning.  Oh well, two more weeks.  Maybe next week we'll find them.

Sisters Thompson and Buchanan waiting for the rest of us

Got to the Park and found it was being televised from Times Square

We had a wonderful experience this week in the temple.  A sister from China came with a limited use recommend to do baptisms for her parents and family.  She spoke very little English so they found Elder Grimley who speaks fluent Mandarin, mission president in Taiwan.  By the end of the week this sister had received permission to be interviewed by Pres. Bennion to receive her endowment and then later to be sealed to her family and as a bonus she received a patriarchal blessing from Elder Grimley who is a Mandarin patriarch here in New York.  What a wonderful week for the whole temple.  We continue to have wonderful experiences and miracles of how the Lord puts people where they need to be when they are needed.

At Church Sunday we met Elder Ammon Sumsion from the RR 9th Ward.  He arrived in NY on Tuesday and Wednesday we saw him in the temple and then Sunday found he was assigned to our Bldg but in the Spanish Ward.  He is in a great ward with the SantaMarias.

Elders Staker, Brown,        Elder Sumsion and Elder Lewis

Our group of 28 missionaries + a few others we did not know.

Monday we all met downstairs for our trip to Philadelphia.  There were 28 of us.  We took the 1 to Penn Station where we boarded a train to Trenton then switched to one to Phili.  Took about 3 1/2 hours but it was worth it.  The temple is beautiful.  We had a wonderful tour with ushers throughout who spoke to us about each room.  Very very nice.  We caught a quick lunch and caught the train back.  We got off at Time Square and went for a little walk to 5 Guys an then walked home through the Park.

In the visitors center

School started for almost everyone at home this week.  The kids are all getting so big.  We start with Kaylee a senior, Tyler a 10th grader, Mallorie 9th grader, Robbie, Josh and Brayden 7th graders, Riles and Gage 4th graders and Brodie 1st grade and little Blake at home with Mom.  Courtney got transferred to Newton so lots of changes.

Kimberly is taking a job teaching kindergarten at a charter school in Jerome.  We wish her well and know she will do an awesome job even though she has just jumped right in without any warning.

Have a great week.  God is watching over us and we are so blessed by His great love.  Lets keep His commandments so we can be truly happy and find much joy in this life.