(Greeting with an exclamation mark and a smiley face)! :)
So, I decided that I am a slight fan of writing my emails in bulleted-list form. It makes it easier for my scattered mind to comprehend what I am actually telling all of you. Here is what I have for you this week:
Ward Party
So, just a little back ground on the ward. The members here are fantastic!!! I really love them and love being part of their ward here in Rego Park. However, the members don't really know each other very well and don't take care of each other. A large focus we are trying to work on with the leadership of the ward is help the ward actually become a ward. Home and Visiting teaching aren't really a thing here, so if the members need help they always just ask the missionaries, not help from people they know in the ward. With that being said, we had a ward party on Friday! Wahoo! We had tons of food, a silent auction to get the young men money for a camp out, and a talent show! It was a ton of fun! It helped a TON with the members getting to know each other as well. It is going to take a lot of effort and a lot of time to get the ward where it needs to be, but they are definitely taking steps in the right direction. A lot of the progress of the ward so far is a result of our ward mission leader, Brother Nunez. A lot of the members really like him and he has some really good ideas on how we can further help the ward. I am excited to see what Heavenly Father has in store for the Rego Park 1st ward! Wow, being a missionary is the coolest!!!
All By Myself...
Funny story for the week: So, we were on our way to a lesson with Joe and we decided to bring Deyshawn (less-active member) with us. We were walking down the subway station and realized that our train had just pulled up down the stairs. We started rushing down the stairs. The train door was only half way open for some reason, so we looked at it for a second thinking about how strange it was. We then remembered we needed to hurry and get on the train. Deyshawn gets on followed by myself. The door closes and Deyshawn looks at me and says, "your companion!" I turn around to see Elder Imlay on the other side of the closed subway door as the train speeds off, leaving my dear companion in the station. Luckily, we were only planning on going a couple stops, so we waited for him to arrive in the next train. Nothing bad happened, so that is good!
Finding On the Bus!
Elder Imlay and I were on our way home for the night yesterday. We had meetings ALL day and were dead tired. We decided that we were going to find at least two people to share the Book of Mormon with that night. We talked to a bunch of people all night, but no one was really open to talking with us. It was time to go home, so we went to the bus stop. We were the first ones there, so we waited while the line continued to grow in size. After trying to talk with the people standing next to us for 10 minutes, the bus finally came. Since Elder Imlay and I were going to be the first people on the bus, we decided that in order to find our two people we needed to divide and conquer. I sat down in the center of the bus, while Elder Imlay made his way to the back. Once I sat down, I started praying that Heavenly Father would have someone sit next to me who I could have a conversation with. The bus filled up quickly as the HUGE line made its way into the bus. No one would sit by me. They would take a look at my name tag and turn away. I then decided to not make people feel awkward and just stare out the window of the bus. The seat next to mine was the last available seat on the bus until a woman sat there and immediately started scrolling on Facebook. The bus started to move, so after a minute I decided to talk to her. She turned out to be one of the kindest people I have met out here! Her name is Julietta and she is from Albania. As we started talking about where she worked and about her family, she put her phone in her purse and started asking me questions about what I do and about my family. I saw this as a wonderful opportunity to testify to her about the Book of Mormon and the powerful difference it has made in my life. I then offered her a copy and she said that she was actually going to ask me for it but didn't want to be rude! I gave her the Book of Mormon, and she said she can't wait to start reading it with her family. She also said she would love to have her family talk more with us about it and about God and Jesus Christ. She had to get off the bus before we could set an actual appointment, but we did get her phone number! I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for answering my prayers and putting me in the path of someone who He has been preparing to receive the Gospel!
There was so much more that happened this week, but time is running short. So, I will just leave it at that. I hope you all know that I love you and that I have a testimony of the gospel and of Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven. Thanks for everything! Love you all!
Elder Snell
Picture Parade!
1-5) Our new apartment!
6) My studly companion!
7) The view from the church building
8-10) The only way it was possible to get that couch out of the Elder's basement apartment.
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