Homeward Bound!

On March 14 we bade a bittersweet farewell to New York City and our beloved fellow missionaries and local members after fifteen months of service at the Manhattan Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.   On the way back to Idaho we  enjoyed visiting some Church historic sites.

Here, at the Priesthood Restoration Site in Harmony, Pennsylvania, we are standing in front of the reconstructed Hale home.  Emma Hale lived in this home at the time she met Joseph Smith, whom she would later marry.

Interior of the Hale home in Harmony.

Here is the kitchen of the Joseph Smith home on the Hale property.  At this table, Joseph sat with his scribe and translated approximately 70 percent of the Book of Mormon.

These lovely sculptures commemorate Joseph Smith's receiving the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods at the hands of heavenly messengers.  Behind them sits the lovely new building housing a chapel and visitors' center. 

It was especially fitting to visit the Smith farm in Palmyra, New York at this "early springtime"of the year.  In the early springtime of 1820, Joseph Smith was living with his family in a cabin like this reconstructed one when he was prompted by a scripture in James to ask God which of all the various churches he should join.  James 1:5  "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."  He retired to the grove of trees still seen behind the cabin to ask of God, and received a vision of the Father and the Son.

Interior view of the Smith frame house.

The Smith frame house in Palmyra, New York.

Monument to the Angel Moroni atop the Hill Cumorah, near Palmyra, New York.

The Grandin Building in which the first 5000 copies of the Book of Mormon were printed and bound.

We learned of the miracles involved in getting the Book of Mormon published in 1830.  The Book of Mormon, revered as scripture by Latter-day Saints, is "Another Testament of Jesus Christ."

When the body of the early Latter-day Saints gathered to Kirtland, Ohio, they were commanded by the Lord to build a temple where He could "endow His people with power from on high."  With great sacrifice they raised this magnificent edifice to their God.  It still stands as a monument to their faith. 

We visited the exquisite Indianapolis Temple just dedicated in the fall of 2015.  Now 150 temples dot the earth with several dozen more in the planning and building stages.  In these sacred "Houses of the Lord," Latter-day Saints receive saving ordinances which bind them as families for eternity.

Latter-day Saints

Serving in the Flushing First Branch was a highlight of our missionary service.  On Sundays we met with these dear Primary children and their patient, faithful teachers to provide music and singing time.

Challenging?  YES!  But what a blessing it was to share Gospel principles and faith with these unforgettable children!

Most of these children come from difficult home situations, but know how to SHINE because of what they learn at Primary.  They know they are children of a Heavenly Father who loves them.

We found such joy in sharing our love of the Church hymns with these dear sisters who were eager to learn all they could about music.  They are now ready to conduct congregational singing!

We felt so blessed to associate with many faithful local temple workers:  older, younger; married, single.  Most traveled long distances and at great expense to serve in the House of the Lord.  They counted their sacrifices a joy.

 

A great blessing of our mission was our association with so many other senior missionaries.  All serve here in New York City in various capacities, at their own expense, offering all that they can in terms of experience, skills, energy and faith to the work of building the Lord's kingdom in this special city. 

These are some of the extraordinary senior missionaries on our shift with whom we were privileged to work seven hours a day, five days a week for fifteen months in the Manhattan Temple.  We came to appreciate their absolute faithfulness, goodness, good-humor, patience, energy, and kindness in all that we shared in our temple service.
They have changed our lives for good!

New York City Is for Foodies

We have enjoyed sampling pastrami sandwiches all around the City in our own little quest for New York's best pastrami.

Here we are at "Pastrami Queen," a tiny, neighborhood Jewish deli on the Upper East Side. We loved our pastrami sandwiches, then tried the iconic knish, a dumpling of dough stuffed with mashed potatoes and baked..

We really loved the pastrami at Katz's Deli, New York's most iconic deli, with claims to be THE BEST, but it is hard to imagine anything more amazing than this sandwich from Carnegie Deli in Midtown, near Carnegie Hall.  It contains a pound of both pastrami and corned beef, juicy and tender.  We ate part of it on this bench in Central Park, then took the rest home for a couple more meals!

After all that meat, it was a welcome change to share a delicious vegan meal with the Ranes: Drew, Walter, Linda, and Joelle (Rachel's sister). 

New York City is rightly famous for its abundance and variety of eating establishments:  from exclusive restaurants, to cozy neighborhood cafes, to street vendors.  I'm sure every ethnic, fusion, and contemporary experimental taste can be satisfied. We had fun eating a couple of times at the iconic Tavern on the Green in Central Park.

Every bakery window displays masterpieces!

Food trucks are everywhere on the streets.  There are several apps which track them (especially the new wave of GOURMET food trucks: from "Kimchi Taco" to "Waffles and Dinges") and allow you to see which trucks are in your area right at the moment.  You can search for your favorite trucks by cuisine, learn about new trucks, hear truck-chef interviews, arrange for catering by food trucks, and read reviews of the food.

Winter in New York City

Our New York City winter was wonderfully mild with the exception of a near-record breaking snowstorm January 23.  The city was blanketed with snow measuring 26.8 inches in Central Park.  The next day, we joined thousands of other New Yorkers in the Park to enjoy the snow:  sledding, slipping, sliding, and sloshing.

Times Square in New York City is reportedly the most-visited tourist sight in the world. On average, over 300,000 pedestrians enter the heart of Times Square every day, while another 115,000 drivers/passengers pass through by car and bus.  In total, Times Square signage advertising can expect nearly 1.5 million impressions each day.  These statistics were probably one of the reasons the Church put up a huge display over the 2015-2016 Christmas holidays and into the New Year.  In the midst of all the bright lights advertising everything from Broadway shows to chocolate candy to jeans, these billboards beautifully proclaim, "A SAVIOR IS BORN"!

We thoroughly enjoyed another visit to the Museum of Modern Art, this time to see a once-in-a-lifetime exhibit of more than  100 works of sculpture by Pablo Picasso.  Here are two of our favorites.

Interspersed among New York City's skyscrapers and neighborhoods are dozens of interesting historical sites.  Among them are thirteen historic houses in Manhattan  which have been converted into museums.  Above are a couple of views of the interior of the Revolutionary-era Dyckman Farmhouse, built in 1784 of fieldstone and clapboard.

The Morris-Jumel Mansion, Manhattan's oldest house, originally commanded extensive views in all directions:  of New York Harbor and Staten Island to the south; of the Hudson and Harlem Rivers to the west and of Westchester County to the north.  The house's situation and large size made it ideal as a military headquarters during the Revolution, and it was occupied successively by George Washington, General Henry Clinton, and the Hessian General Baron von Knyphausen.  This upper room in the mansion was reportedly Washington's command room. 

The Morris-Jumel Manison was constructed in 1765 by a British loyalist.  During the Revolutionary War, George Washington, and British and Hessian forces occupied the house.  Subsequent occupants included Alexander  Hamilton.

The Grand Central Terminal is an important hub for local subway trains and commuter trains coming into and going out of the City.  It is visited by an average of 750,000 people a day. It, along with Penn Station, also in New York City, are the two busiest passenger rail stations in the United States.

Here is the busy main concourse of Grand Central Station, with President and Sister Bennion.

A popular current exhibit at the Museum of Natural History is all about butterflies.  In this special room, visitors can mingle with hundreds of butterflies and moths.  Here I am holding a slice of orange and feeding a lovely little creature.

Curt is standing in the grand entrance foyer of the Museum of Natural History which is located just a few blocks north of  our apartment and faces Central Park. We were glad we could have the opportunity to visit here many times; this huge research and education institution houses more than 32 million specimens and artifacts!