April is a beautiful time in New York! The trees and bushes are starting to bloom. The weather is getting warmer, and the daylight is lasting longer. We are so grateful for the promise of spring after a long winter. April is a wonderful time to reflect on the life and resurrection of our Savior. "I know that my Redeemer lives", brings us all great comfort.
This April has been full of so many wonderful blessings. We had our Mission Presidents Seminar in Washington DC, we had a new couple come, (the Clarks from Calgary Canada), and we were all blessed to watch General Conference. Our good friend, and Stake President in the Westchester Stake, Jeff Taylor helped to produce 2 amazing videos for this Easter Season. Our missionaries have used these videos over and over to help teach the gospel in their lessons.
Starting today, what will you do to make this world a better place?
Because of Him, our lives have been richly blessed. His message is pure, His gospel is true, and because of Him, we all will live again.
We were so blessed to have our Mission Presidents Seminar this month. The North America Northeast Area presidents and wives met in Washington DC. We were blessed to be instructed by Elder L. Tom Perry, Elder Gifford Nielsen, Elder Hallstrom, Elder Perkins, and Elder Rasband and their wives. We love our area mission presidents and their wives and we feel so lucky to be serving with all of them.
The National Cathedral in Washington DC
President Mark and Karlan Richards, Baltimore Maryland Mission
Sister Barbara Perry and Sister Morgan
We are excited to welcome Elder Ross and Sister Anna Clark to our mission. They will be serving in Harlem as an MLS couple. They are from Calgary, Canada. We were able to take them to dinner, with the assistants and a few other missionaries to Sylvia's Soul Food in Harlem for dinner.
Chicken and waffles
Elder and Sister Clark and the Morgans
Every 6 months between the Sunday sessions of General Conference we have the Westchester Zone for waffles. It's been a fun tradition for our mission.
We had 12 new missionaries join us this month. Each new missionary brings their own talents and personalities to the mission. We love meeting them at the airport and having them stay in the mission home that evening. The next morning they get their I-pads and have some instruction, then it's off to transfers.
Sister Lotito had been sick at the MTC and joined us just a week after transfers. She is a darling missionary from Chile and we are thrilled to have her here with us.
Area book, Planner, Facebook, using technology to teach the gospel is such a blessing.
We had a wonderful Specialty Training Meeting today (April 21, 2014) all about Faith. We had 6 zones meet in the morning at the Lincoln Center Chapel and we had the other 5 zones meet in the afternoon at the Ossining Chapel. The Assistants both conducted the meetings and shared their testimonies. Elder Kerr said, "Faith allows miracles to occur and prayers to be answered." President Morgan gave a beautiful talk about being a more faithful missionary. He challenged our mission to have 100 baptisms in the next 6 weeks. He said, "When we invite others to come unto Christ, it implies that we are already there." There is a Jewish saying that states, "Entrances into holiness are everywhere." When our missionaries have more faith, they can say that wherever they are, is a holy place. We should all stand in holy places."
Faith in Jesus Christ can and ought to be a natural thing to us, because faith can empower courage. President Morgan continued to say, "Our expectations ought to be limitless, not limited." President Kimball said, "Make no small plans, for they have no magic to stir mens souls." Our goals should represent our desires. The challenge of 100 baptisms came with some inspired questions. What will you do? How will you plan? Who will you teach? How will you demonstrate your faith?
We are excited for the coming weeks and we are so blessed to have these faithful missionaries in the New York New York North Mission!
In the New York New York North Mission we have 11 zones. These zones are Chinatown, Manhattan South,
Manhattan Central, Manhattan North, Olmstead, Kingsbridge, Westchester, Stamford, Yorktown, Poughkeepsie, and Newburgh. Today we have 259 missionaries!
