"Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple"

Temple Preparation Class

Class members are (seated) Ron, Crispin, Frank, (standing) Maria, Jim, Toni, Jeanette, (back) Sister dePaula, Patricia and Luis.

Today our temple preparation class in the Bay Shore ward just completed the fifth of seven lessons. We feel deep gratitude as we discuss making covenants and receivings further blessings from on High. It has indeed been a blessing in my life - and one of my choicest missionary assignments - to teach this class. I dearly love each of these people.

The Salt Lake LDS Temple

These wonderful members have learned many important truths:

• We must be prepared before we go to the temple.
• We must be worthy before we go to the temple.
• There are restrictions and conditions set.
• They were established by the Lord and not by man.
• The Lord has every right and authority to direct that matters relating to the temple be kept sacred and confidential.
  
  I will be so thrilled for each one as he or she is qualified to enter or re-enter the temple...and that will not be too far in the future.

"Who can find a virtuous woman?"

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies."
(Proverbs 31:10)

"Virtue" was the theme of the Young Womans special meeting in the Plainview Stake on Saturday March 28. Sister Da Rosa has asked me to teach the young women and their mothers a special song to be sung at the conclusion of the opening session.

A lovely program was planned for the afternoon and evening including music, speakers, workshops, dinner and concluding with the satellite broadcast from Salt Lake City of the General Young Woman Meeting.

Click for satellite rebroadcast schedule

Since Bay Shore Ward is in the Plainview Stake, I thought it would be a good idea to get a picture of the building. That can best, or should I say "only" be done before Spring, Summer and Autumn foliage completely hide this sprawling edifice. It was a beautiful 20-minute drive on a pleasant day to help the Young Women at their special program. Hundreds of man hours (or rather, women hours) went into "feeding the Lord's sheep" in this little flock. That's just how this Church does things!

"Anything Goes" at Queens College

A Cole Porter classic, "Anything Goes" originally debuted in 1932 during the great depression and is a story that plays out many madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London. It is light-hearted and fun. And we got to see it Friday evening at the Bernstein Theatre on the Queens College campus.

Queens College just off the busy and oft congested I-495 freeway and is noted for its production of good musicals. Many Broadway greats have had their beginnings at this notable instutution. It was our observation that a few of the performers in this college production were as good as some in the Broadway shows we have seen. There is remarkable talent here. It was a great find for us!

Imperial Palace and Chinese Dining

Elder & Sister de Paula and Elder & Sister West

We've been waiting for great Chinese food ever since we arrived in New York nearly 15 months ago. The Wests came to our rescue! We'd both has district meetings that day, busy tight schedules, and the break was delightful.

They found the Imperial Palace in the hear of Flushing, Queens, NY not far from the Goldstein Theatre at Queens College where we would later see Cole Porter's "Anything Goes." We found out why it was so highly rated and so packed. The food was delicious...and beautiful!

We Love Our Missionaries!

Our missionaries at the bi-monthly combined district meeting enjoy a moment of visiting and ice cream and cookie treats, thanks to Elder and Sister Roush, senior couple based in Riverhead, New York. The earlier classes were taught by the young sisters and elders. What a magnificant job they do - both inspired and inspiring!

Not all the district is in the picture as some scampered away or are visiting in the cultural hall or outside in the Spring weather.

There are a record number sister missionaries in our Zone -five of us all together.

(L to R) Sisters Frodsham, de Paula, Burton, Sellers & Brimhall.

Our Zone 8 leaders are amazing young missionaries! Elder Roush, left (grandson of the senior couple), and Elder Hales, right, are spiritual, obedient and enthusiastic. What a blessing it has been in our lives to associate with such stalwart young people...and how we will miss them when we leave!

What Happened on Patmos

A short distance off the coast of present-day Turkey, in the sparkling blue waters of the Aegean Sea, lies a tiny, rocky island called Patmos. In Roman times, its barren isolation made it ideal as a site for the banishment of political prisoners, ambitious enemies, or others considered undesirable by the imperial state. To it in the last years of the first century A.D. came the exiled apostle John, known also as the Beloved. And to that rocky island prison on a Sunday over nineteen hundred years ago came the glorified, exalted Christ.

Heralded by the trumpet blast of the godly voice and standing in the midst of seven golden candlesticks symbolic of the seven branches of His Church in Asia was the Savior. Some fifty or sixty years before, he had hung in agony on the cross and had been laid in the dark recesses of a borrowed tomb. Now he stood in blinding, blazing glory before John. “I am he that liveth, and was dead,” he declared, “and, behold, I am alive for evermore.”

John fell to the earth as though dead, but the glorious figure touched him, commanding him to fear not, commanding him to write those things which he was about to receive from his Master. That was the revelation of Jesus Christ - to become The Book of Revelation.

We began teaching the book of Revelation last week with its rich imagery, its bold proclamations and profound promises to the saints in two ages.

The book of Revelation is unique. It is quite different from any of the other New Testament books. To many, it is a baffling and confusing book, containing symbolism and imagery foreign to anything with which they are familiar. To many, its name seems to be a contradiction, for in Greek Apocalypsis means “an uncovering” or “an unveiling” of something, and the typical reader finds the content of this book veiled and obscure rather than the opposite.

We created several charts, handouts, quizes and worksheets to help clarify the metaphors used in Revelation. The theme of the work is very simple and is stated by John in the first verse: it is a revelation of Jesus Christ. The book of Revelation presents a picture of Christ’s dealings with men throughout the ages of earth’s history - that which has happened and that which is to happen. We have only two more lessons to discuss this great book.

Brock's Birthday at the Academy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROCK!

We just love heading east to King's Point, NY to the USMMA to see "our boys" and teach Institute, but it's even more fun when we get to celebrate a birthday. Brock chose as his birthday treat a mango - his favorite fruit. The others in class shared the chocolate chip cookies:-).

On Monday we had six students and a teacher, Charles, from Brooklyn who teaches at the Academy. We had a wonderful discussion of the book of Revelation and look forward to two more. How we will miss these great young people in a couple weeks!

Young Couples Strengthen the Bay Shore Ward

LEAVING BAY SHORE A BETTER PLACE...

Long Island is a great place for young couples to live who are attending medical or law school. When we arrived in the Bay Shore Ward, we met many of these great, young families who were from all over the USA and who helped to strengthen the ward.

The Stevens family were here for a few years before Dr. Stevens took a position with a hospital in Champagne, Illinois. They recently came back for a surprise visit with their two children.

Chris and Cindy are a great couple who bring much strength to our little ward. They are both excellent teachers and serve in the youth organizations. They will be relocating nearer "The City" as Chris is presently considering law firm opportunities. Cindy is studying to become a PA.

Jen and Shawn have been a real strength in the ward in leadership positions in Primary, Elders Quorum, Ward clerk for several years. They are the parents of two adorable children. They will be finished with schooling and leave in the Fall to return home to Washington state where Shawn will work as a Physician's Assistant. How this ward will miss them!

"Beautiful Savior! Lord of the Nations!"

When the bishop asked me to prepare the choir to sing for ward conference on March 15, I heard one simple, quiet phrase in my mind - "Fair is the sunshine. Fairer the moonlight and all the stars in heav'n above..."

That's it... we would sing "Beautiful Savior" a children's song, a simple Silesian folk song, with lyrics written nearly 1000 years ago.

The Savior of the world was simple. He restored His gospel to a young, unschooled farm boy in upstate New York. And He spreads that gospel today to the world, not by means of learned ministers, but by worthy young missionaries.

"Thee will I honor, praise, and give glory, give praise and glory evermore!" The ward choir was angelic. They followed every crescendo, every sotto voce, every diminuendo. Elder Maughan did a beautiful job at the piano. We "became His" because we "became one."

"God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" 1Corinthians 1:27

Becoming a Citizen - a Lifelong Dream

Adela is one step closer to her lifelong dream. Wednesday we took her to the immigration attorney about an hour away to process her documents to becoming a citizen of the United States of America. She was so nervous and so excited, but things look very good for her.

Ellis Island

The prints from a museum hung in the waiting room. As we waited, I thought how long those who came and were detained at Ellis Island had to wait. What their cost must have been. How difficult the conditions were for them. I thought of what the Book of Mormon says about this "land of promise." They came to be free and haven't stopped coming.

As we sat in the outer office waiting for her, we could hear the muffled voices of Adela and her attorney. There were quiet moments as well as frequent laughter. It felt promising. This woman had waited so long and done everything required of her to now become a legal citizen. We were happy to be part of her joy.

Celebration Lunch at Mi Tierrita

Delicious Columbian Food

After a successful hour or so with the immigration attorney, Adela knew right where she wanted to go. She'd heard of a good restaurant around the corner, so off we went.

It was a Columbian restaurant - and word had it that the food was good. Well...the food was marvelous and the place was just beautiful!

Fish, plantains, salad on a huge platter and rice & beans on a separate plate - way too much food for one!

It was a good day, helping a dear church friend whose life is devoted to helping so many people in our little congregation. Adela prepares dinner for all the missionaries every Sunday, or any other time they have a moment for a quick meal. She teaches the gospel essentials class at church and shares a powerful testimony of the Savior. She works two jobs and she loves and serves the Lord endlessly.

Today was a little moment for us to serve her.

Institute - Spiritual and Physical Food

The Spiritual Food

Institute Class is winding down for this semester and we will miss this class so much. Studying the New Testament has been remarkable with young men and women like these! We know we are in the presence of, as Peter describes, "chosen, royal, holy, peculiar" young people.

The Physical Food

Corned beef & cabbage stew with red potatoes and carrots just seemed to hit the spot with the students at Institute on Tuesday, March 17 - St. Patrick's Day.















There's something about homemade cornbread that satisfies the taste buds like no other...and topped with honey butter helped out just fine.

It was a great evening of spiritual and physical food in generous portions at Stony Brook!

Sharing the Gospel at Applebee's

A Charge from Our Mission President

In our effort to fulfill the recent request of our mission president, we are seeking out families. We seem to have our best success on Friday evening at family-friendly restaurants.

Last Friday evening went to Applebee's and were seated across from a couple with three young children...perfect! It's so easy to strike up a conversation about someone with kids:-) After asking about them and their twins and baby, we told them that we missed our five children and twelve grandchildren because they were all in Utah.

Then the questions came. Why are you in New York? Are you LDS? (Now that was different - not Mormon - but LDS.) The young woman said she belonged to two book clubs and had just read a book (gave the title) and asked if I had read it. I responded with a question, "Is that an anti-Mormon book? (Smiling...)Well...I probably wouldn't have read it." Then we both laughed and she replied, "Of course not."

I told her we were very impressed with their curiosity, with them as a couple and with the love they show their children. We chatted briefly about being a family for eternity and general things about life. We could see they were packing up to go.

It was about this time I said that after having read the anti-Mormon book, she deserved to know the truth. It was then that Elder de Paula went to our car to get a copy of Book of Mormon. I wrote a short note in it, asking them to take the Prophet Moroni's challenge on p. 529, chapter 10:3-5. We wrote our name and phone number in the book and on the pass-along card, then hugged eachother and said good-bye.

We felt such love for them. We had been obedient. We went to our car and had a prayer for this precious family, asking Heavenly Father to open their hearts.

Senior Activity - A Feast Fit For the Irish!

Whether you're Irish...or a senior missionary in the New York New York South Mission, you wouldn't have wanted to miss the Irish fest at the Bennions on the March 16.

It was our turn to "host" the senior activity and corned beef & cabbage is one of our specialties... so it seemed a natural. Seated with President Bennion, above, are Elder & Sister Smith and Elder de Paula.

Elder & Sister Comer, below, show us their smiling faces and yummy food.

Above are Elder & Sister Wilson, left, busy eating, with President & Sister Bangerter, pausing for a picture.

I never could capture Sister Bennion with her companion for a picture.
At left, meet this remarkably wonderful hostess!

Elder & Sister Hess, above, didn't want their food to get cold, but gave a quick grin:-)

President Goepfert and Elder & Sister West, above, enjoy visiting and eating at one of the two tables that accomodate the 10 couples.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner

We love our senior missionary couple activities each month and were so glad to plan our turn on March 16th lovely home of President and Sister Bennion.

Corned beef & cabbage, baby carrots, red potatoes, three salads, Irish soda bread...it was a feast St. Patrick would have been proud to eat! Everyone brought the most wonderful dishes. What a beautiful and tasty variety of food! Is there a place on the missionary application for "specialty cook"? ...because this mission got all of them! Sister Bennion's tables were so beautifully decorated for our St. Patrick's Day party. She always adds just the right touches!


Elder & Sister Roush, below, smile for the camera...
"but hurry, we're hungry!"













Fun and (One) Game...

Our Trivia Quiz 1st Prize winner was none other than our dear President Bennion. He must have known so much about Ireland because he served a mission in his younger years next door in Scotland!

Congratulations President:-)





















The desserts were in typical senior missionary form - plentiful and decadent!

"Patrick, A Christian Missionary"

We gave each person a paper entitled "An Overview of Patrick, A Christian Missionary." Patrick was a Christian missionary to Ireland who lived from around 373 AD. It is believed he died in 460 AD on March 17th - the reason Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated on that day. He served as a missionary from around 433 AD to his death.

What appears in his own letters was that Patrick held firmly to the fundamental Christian doctrines of the early apostolic church including the keeping of the Ten Commandments, the keeping of the Sabbath (7th Day) Holy and without labor, the divinity of Jesus, the Christ, baptism, atonement through Christ, inspiration and prophecy. This is not what the Roman church of that day was teaching or if they were teaching it, it was only in part and tainted with pagan rituals and beliefs. In his letters Patrick never mentioned a connection with the Roman Church of the time.

Centuries later, however, the Catholic Church chose to honor him with sainthood in 17th century on March 17, the day of his death, although Patrick’s beliefs never did correspond to Catholic doctrine.

"Oh Danny Boy, I Love You So..."

The evening ended with Elder de Paula singing the favorite Irish Tenor arrangement of "Danny Boy" (I, of course, was on the piano bench accompanying:-)

Spaghetti Dinner with Competition Rules

There's a little "healthy" competition going on in our ward. It's not in sporting events... but in cooking. This time it was a spaghetti dinner - complete with a set of rules! It turned out delicious...and fun so with three prize winners.

The sister missionaries could hardly contain their composure during the reading of the "competition rules."

It was a fun evening at the Ward where we enjoyed good food, good friends and good fellowship.

New York is Full O' The Irish!

Huge Parade in Bay Shore

We should have remembered from last year. On the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day there is a huge parade in Bay Shore - at least two hours. We were heavy into studying for our classes for the coming week, but decided to walk the quarter block (our apartment building is in the background) to Main Street and watch the last half. It was delightful! Colorful costumes, friendly people, wonderful bagpipers, marching police, family floats, cyclists, etc.

"Look, no hands - and what beautiful music from this family!"

The weather cooperated this year, but bad weather would never have discouraged the true Irish heart. Last year was a downpour and the turnout was great!

Even with more than half the parade over by the time we finally left our apartment, we still saw well over an hour's worth of color, bagpipe bands, marching police units, floats and cyclists to fill our hearts with Irish fun. New Yorker families really know how to celebrate!

New Yorkers are BIG on Family Activities!

Click the play button to see and hear the Bagpipers...