Letter #13 - Week 15- "Uhh, dude, how do you say 'rude' in Spanish?"

December 31, 2018

Hola Everyone!

This was a jam-packed week. It started off with service of wrapping Christmas presents at the mall on Christmas eve. All 17 missionaries that go to our building were able to be there. It was wild and lots of fun. Together we collectively speak English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Turkish and come from 3 countries and at least 7 different states. The people we serve are even more diverse, whether they lived in Queens all their lives or just moved from China, moved from El Salvador 20 years ago or from Korea raising their family. In no other place in the world can you experience so much of the world. It has been so incredible to see the breadth and depth of Heavenly Father's children on the earth. So many are prepared or preparing to fully accept the gospel of Jesus Christ into their lives. It is beautiful that Heavenly Father allows us to play a small role in His perfect plan.

Later that night we went to our Branch President's home for a Christmas Eve dinner. They are from the Philippines and my oh my was it a lot of food. The on Christmas we went to a member's home who were also from the Philippines and we were well fed there too. We are so blessed by the kindness and generosity of others. Just as much as we need to give we need to be gracious when we are given too. This can create a cycle of true joy.

Christmas day was lots of fun. We ate a traditional Christmas breakfast and had the opportunity to speak to our families. There are several churches around our church, and there is a Korean one in particular that we say good morning to a parking attendant every Sunday. On Christmas morning we were walking by and we said hi to him and he gave us little Korean candies. It was so good to see everyone going to church on Christmas and share the love and belief of Christ with all those people. We visited members who were sick and gave little ornaments to people on the streets and those who were working.

I wore pants on Christmas. I'm wearing pants right now. Qué comfort. Mucho warmth. I took a picture to commemorate my first time before going out and proselyting in pants.

Hermana Jensen was complimented on her Spanish a lot this week, but I think one of the most beautiful times was on Thursday this week. I started talked to a young Hispanic guy on the street in Spanish and the Hermana Jensen started to take over. We were just talking to him and he was waiting for one of his friends to meet up with him. When his friend came he was trying to get out of the conversation and was panicking a little bit and turned to his friend and said, "Uhh, dude, how do you say 'rude' in Spanish?". Hermana Jensen said, "I don't know" and the kid we were talking to seemed really relived. "Oh, you understand English." and very kindly excused himself from talking to us anymore. That's another interesting part about New York, or at least where I'm at, is that you can't assume white people speak English. There are lots of Europeans and some Hispanic people who have very fair complexions.

Helaman 6:1-5

1 And it came to pass that when the sixty and second year of the reign of the judges had ended, all these things had happened and the Lamanites had become, the more part of them, a righteous people, insomuch that their righteousness did exceed that of the Nephites, because of their firmness and their steadiness in the faith.
2 For behold, there were many of the Nephites who had become hardened and impenitent and grossly wicked, insomuch that they did reject the word of God and all the preaching and prophesying which did come among them.
3 Nevertheless, the people of the church did have great joy because of the conversion of the Lamanites, yea, because of the church of God, which had been established among them. And they did fellowship one with another, and did rejoice one with another, and did have great joy.
4 And it came to pass that many of the Lamanites did come down into the land of Zarahemla, and did declare unto the people of the Nephites the manner of their conversion, and did exhort them to faith and repentance.
5 Yea, and many did preach with exceedingly great power and authority, unto the bringing down many of them into the depths of humility, to be the humble followers of God and the Lamb.

Os amo,

Hermana Prue