Week 47 April 11 - 17

 April 14 was our temple sealing day 27 years ago.  On Thursday Paul went in early to the temple and did baptisms with President Bean.  It was also the day Sisters Nabors, Heideman, Dransfield and I went to the United Nations for the Focus on Faith event sponsored by the RS.  Our new General President Sister Bingham was there and spoke.  It was really exciting and a beautiful place.  It was in one of the large assembly rooms, which was a miracle.  This room had been scheduled but the day before another organization, who can bump anyone, called and said they wanted the room.  We had already given out 600 tickets and the room they wanted to move us to held only 300.  The brother who works at the UN and set it up said a prayer and a few minutes later the organization called and cancelled so we got the room after all.  The Lord does watch over His people and blesses them.  There was a panel of six organizations who are working together to help refugees throughout the world.

Bryn Bass and Mar Jean at UN Focus on Faith

A way quoting Isaiah across the street from UN

Sister Bingham giving her address

United Nations  Building

The temple was busy all week.  I guess everyone was trying to get in before Easter.  It was great.  We have been going over three days a week and doing temple work.  Last week Darlene sent us a family of ten children, several died as infants.  We worked hard all week to get all of the temple ordinances completed so we could have them sealed.  They were Matthew Fish and Sarah Pomfret.  the special thing was that on April 20 we went to the temple to have the family sealed.  President Garff was sealing and we were able to have ten children surround the altar and be sealed.  What a glorious day for us and this family.  Several said "how happy the family must be.  Now this mother, Sarah, will be able to raise her children in the millennium.  

The children were Mary Fish Oct 1771, Mister Fish 1773, Nanny Fish 1774, James Fish 1778, Sally Fish 17809, Catherine Fish 1782, Mister Fish 1785, Mister Fish 1786, Ralph Fish 1789, Mister Fish 1791 from Blackburn, Lancashire, England, ancestors of my Grandmother Mary Alice Hill Anderson.  Thanks Darlene for this wonderful opportunity.  

Sunday 16th was Easter Sunday.  We had a great Sacrament program with three speakers speaking on the atonement and Gethsemane and the Primary sang, Brother Knighton, and the Warad Choir.  All the classes were excellent.  We came home and had a great dinner at Sister Nabors and Miyashiro's home.  The Holloways and Bryn were with us.  

Miyashiro, Holloway, Bryn, Nabors, Lewis

Monday was our Cloister's Day.  Paul and I were in charge of setting it up.  We met at 10 and headed up in two groups.  However the second group caught up with us quickly.  We had a wonderful tour of this medieval museum which is part of the Met.  Our tour guide was excellent and we learned much.  Afterwards some of us went to lunch at Saffron Indian Cuisine.  A really fun day.  

Gold3n adn Diane Adams

David and Natalie Bean

Mark and Dorothy Bench

Mark and Susan Dransfield

Richards (MLS couple from Kingsbridge 2)

Tom and Elisabeth Hanson

John and Shellie Harris

Kathy Naboras

Kent and Barbara Keideeman

Richard Holloway

Richard, Elaine Holloway Paul

Serge and Linda Martinez

Tim and DeEtte McKenna

Paul & Mar Jean Lewis

Mumfords and Heidemans

Ronald and Carol Mumford 

Rosary beads 

Rosary beads 

A wonderful week.  We are so blessed to be serving in the Manhattan Temple.  We have met the most wonderful people.  We love serving in the Kingsbridge 2nd Ward.  It has been a great blessing for us.  We love the Lord. 

Week 46 April 4 - 10

We spent the week going to the temple and getting some of our family names completed.  Some I have found and some that Darlene has sent us.  We have gone in most days and done a session before our shift.  We were last out last week so we try to see that everything is completed so that after the veil the missionaries can all leave and go home.  Of course there were always one or two people who wanted to sit in the celestial room forever.  But then we have to remember that is why we are there to help them have a good experience.

Sunday was Stake Conference for the Manhattan Wards.  President Buchner was release and called as an area seventy.  We went over to hear who the new president was.  We do not know him.

Monday the Holloways invited us to go on a harbor cruise with them and the Mumfords.  What a fun day.  It was beautiful and we really enjoyed seeing the NY skyline and learning some new things about the city.  The Holloways had family in town last week and they couldn't use all their tickets so we reaped the benefits.

cherry blossoms in Central Park

Sister Eoods, MJ and Jennifer Garcia at Church in the Bronkx.  They are in our Temple Prep class

Richard, Elaine Holloway, Carole and Ron Mumford

New York skyline 

Week 45 March 28 - April 3

Hair cuts after Kimberly left

Early Tuesday morning Gary and Kimberly took off.  They were being picked up at 2:20 am so we all got up to see them off.  Hard to go back to bed so got back up at 4 and then went back to bed about 6 and slept for a little while.

We went into the temple at 12:30 to do a session.  We have been trying to get in three times a week doing a session or sealings.  Always great to be in the temple and get some of this family history work done.

This week we have seen more people at the temple.  We have had some nice size sessions and lots of baptisms.  It is always a blessing.  We also have our faithful locals like Sister May, Interiano, Hunt, Pratt and many more who are such a blessing to us.

Conference has been wonderful.  All excellent talks which touch  our spirits and inspire us to do better.  Saturday we went to the Church and watched.  We invited Sister May and Francine and Sister Green and Sister          , to come for lunch.  The two sister missionaries served with us in Kingsbridge and so it was fun to be with them.  Bryn came over and watched after her shoot.

Sister Bongolto, Francine, Sister May, MJ, Sister Green 

Sunday we watched the morning session at home and then went to the Church for the afternoon.  It was such a beautiful day I went for a walk around Lincoln Center and then got Paul to go on a short walk to Central Park.

Went to see Beauty and the Beast with Sister Nabors.  We all enjoyed it, of course, Paul slept thru the first part but said he enjoyed it.

Week 44 March 21 - 27

What a wonderful week.  Kimberly, Gary, Kaylee, Mallorie and Brayden arrived to spend the week with us.  What a fun time we have had.  We about walked our feet off and they also were chilly and warm.  Never know what kind of weather you are going to have here in NY.  They spent the first two days doing the bus tour.  It was cold.

He only slept here one night.  Grandpa traded with him the rest of the week

First subway ride

Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge

poor me

Rockefeller Center 

Grandpa and Disneyland, especially for Blake

School of Rock, what a fun evening

Sunday in the Bronx

Statue and Ellis Island 

A little rainy when we started

Gary and the Bull 

Lunch at Shake Shack

We had such a fun week with the family.  Wish they all could have come.  Maybe another time.

We continued to work in the temple every day.  They came the first day and did baptisms and then on Thursday Kimberly and Gary came and did sealings with us.  Pres. Garff was the sealer and made it really special.  We even did a family of Elder Hansen who had seven children and he sealed them all at the same time.  Always a special time.

 Sunday evening we had an open house for Sister Miyashiro.  So happy to have her.  She is from Hawaii and has served a couple of missions.  She is a single sister and was a brail librarian.  A very fun lady.

Benches, Sis.. Miyashiro, Nixons, Heideman, Lewises, Mumfords, Harrises, Youngs, Sis. Nabor, Holloways, Grimleys

Another marvelous week in the temple.  We are so blessed to be able to serve here in Manhattan.