Cleaning Up After Transfers

 It was kind of fun completing our assigned apartment inspections, this week. It reminded us of our time in Sweden. It is a little frustrating, because in Sweden, I would always have a tool box and a box of nuts, bolts, and other commonly needed items to do some repairs. Here all we can do is report them. Still, we enjoy meeting with the young missionaries and leaving a brief spiritual thought.

This time, we performed our inspections following transfers, so while one apartment was not affected, another was left by elders and taken over by sisters. There were several things that needed repairs and lots of things that had accumulated and needed hauling away.

The elders' apartment was without heat or hot water for the third day in a week. That day followed the coldest day of the winter, so far: 8° with real feel of -21°. It is a very old building; no elevator, so they climb steep stairs to the fourth floor. The heating system is the old hot water radiators, that heat the water they use, as well.

Elders Golightly and Phelps in a fairly
clean, tidy apartment. "We don't spend
much time in the apartment, so we 
don't mind."

Sisters Hammond, Bougioann, and Aydell at their
baptism on Sunday. We met them on Friday, when
the temperature was dropping and the wind blowing.
They helped us carry out the extra items with no coats,
a pair of sandals on one set of feet; stockings on
another. No brain, no pain? No, just needed to get in
and finish studies, so they could get out and find.

Transfers are always fun and inspiring. The president always has some motivational topic that is given with power and authority. The elders and sisters are ready to start finding on their way back to their apartments. It is fun to see the enthusiasm that is evident when new missionaries meet their trainers. Neither has a clue until it is announced. When it is announced there is a great cheer and the senior companion races to the front to hug and welcome the new missionary. We only go if there is a need to transport luggage to and/or from the Woodside chapel. There was this week, so we got to be a part of it all.

Both Elders Bybee and Clayton transferred out,
so we took their luggage as well as Elder
Christiansen's to the chapel. We brought back
Elders Erickson (with luggage) and Reeves
to this apartment and Elder Moser's luggage
to the apartment behind ours. Good times!

We got to help Elder Christiansen, who was here to
help us move into our apartment. He was transferred 
along with Elder Truman who had only been here
one transfer. Elder Summers (2nd left) and Elder
Moser (3d left) replaced them.

We finally got in much deeper with our employment assignment. We had an appointment in person on Thursday, with one young man we met by Zoom on Monday. He is an Indian immigrant who is finishing his MBA at NYU this summer. He has been employed in management at Amazon, but is part of the drastic downsizing. He is becoming rather desperate because he is here on an H1-B visa that expires March 10th, so if he is not working, he can't remain in the country. We reviewed some of his profile and he left us with a resume that needs just a few adjustments. We also looked as some jobs offered by the Church that allows him to work remotely. 

A relatively new member of the Church, Gowtham
is obviously brilliant and has some good credentials
and work experience. The problem is, at his level,
finding a position is usually a long process. 

We also met with Elder and Sister Packer who had an appointment with Brenda. She is receiving SSDI from a work-related accident. She is concerned about losing her benefits, but got some good advice about how to keep the benefits while working for a time. Both are coming back this week.

Brenda is very talkative and outgoing, so we are
hopeful that she will find something soon.

Sunday was full top to bottom. We attended Fast and Testimony Meeting in the Rockaway Branch, in the town of Far Rockaway. It is a Spanish branch, but a little less than half of the members are English speaking. We both bore our testimonies in English and most of the members understood us. Some wore headphones, as did we, because the sister who interpreted did so from Spanish to English and vice versa.

 We especially enjoyed our Sunday School (English) class taught by Brother Thompson. In his testimony he described how, when he was working for a hotel, a maid brought in a Book of Mormon for him that had been in a room, knowing that he was a devout Christian. He rejected it, but didn't throw it away. Some time later, he was staying with his mother who was dying. He came out of her room looking for some solitude when a couple of young men wearing white shirts and ties approached him. He discovered that they were missionaries and when they introduced him to the Book of Mormon, he recognized it and, in their presence, started reading it. After four pages, he handed the book back to them and said, "This book is true." He has never stopped reading it and the Bible since that day. 

Brother Thompson teaching. Ammon,
who really wants to be a missionary,
is listening. We strongly encouraged
him to start his application. Next to
him, but hidden, is Josh who would
be baptized later that day.

We didn't catch this young man's name,
but he moved to be next to Brother
Thompson, so he would miss nothing.
He and his family, like so many others
in the branch, are very recent converts.

The young man talking with the elders
is set for baptism later this month.

This woman and her granddaughter
came to church for the first time in
a long time. Happily, they were next
to Olivia who gave her some hope,
encouragement, and motivation to
keep coming.

Elder Summers, Josh, Ammon, and Elder Harris
at the baptism on Sunday.

One thing that became abundantly clear, once again, is the gigantic need for self reliance in these branches and wards. So many come in with the understanding, often for the first time in their lives, that they are literally children of God, but lose that vision because little has changed in their homes, work places, or associates. It has to be much more available. Slowly it is improving, so we have to be patient. We love doing what we are doing. We hope your week is filled with the joy of your innate blessings.