First bite of the Big Apple

¡Hola mi Familia (y Amigos)!

Wow I can't believe I've already been in New York for a week! I'm absolutely loving my area and being a missionary, I seriously am always so happy I'm sure all the grumpy New Yorkers think I'm some insane red head walking down the street but I seriously am loving it!

Before you proceed in reading this email be warned that 1) I'm writing this on the subway because we are going into the city for pday and 2) I have a lot of really good stories from the week so this could get on the long side, BUT it'll all be worth it. 3) I still don't have too many pictures besides the ones I've started to take on the iPad since I've yet to gain access to a computer to get the ones of my camera....and I have a really good share a coke picture from Mexico that y'all should be excited for!!

Okay so I'm going to kind of go day by day so you realize how fresh I am to the area as the stories progress....

So you heard from me last Wednesday and I'm sure it was a big old long jumble of nothing's because I seriously was like a deer in the headlights all day long...but it was really good despite being a lot bit lost. Mostly Wednesday was getting oriented with our area, and our apartment is really nice. I absolutely love it! Also I taught my first lesson to real people! Two of our investigators Louisa and Rachel (mother daughter duo from Ecuador)  we're at the church doing yoga with some of the other sisters so we asked if they had a minute for a lesson. After they got done with yoga (had some time to practice some Spanish while they finished) we sat done with them at the church to teach them about the gospel of Jesus Christ it was going super well and then as we were about to wrap it all up the daughter proceeded to start crying and talking in rapid Spanish and I really started to understand nothing, if I thought it was hard before trying to understand Spanish while someone is sobbing is impossible haha. But after my trainer recapped that they were upset because the missionaries and church hadn't been able to help with their residency papers and that they spent all there time at the church and couldn't even prove it. Any-who they were just so offended and the daughter said she was losing her faith. Such a great first lesson right? Haha my trainer said I handled it well and ended up just baring a simple testimony at the end.

THURSDAY
       So the first big chunk of the day was planning for dayzzzz📆 literally. We had to do weekly planning and coordinate with missionaries in our area. And our area used to just be one Spanish sister companionship so we got another this cycle so we had to transfer stuff over to them and all. But to the good stuff of the day.
       I had my first food appointment! First off all food appointments in the Spanish program are kind of crazy....they feed you SO MUCH FOOD. And they expect you to eat at least seconds. And culturally you kind of stay a while. I'm sure I'll start having really good stories. But this appointment was with a recently deactivated member Maria Espinoza and she is the best. By far one of my favorite members so far, I'll send a picture of us at that appointment, she's from Ecuador so I actually understand most of her Spanish and she is an AMAZING cook. So my trainer Hermana Baker was companions with a sister who just left but her family was picking her up so she came to our lunch appointment with Maria too! So fun. We also got to meet with our investigators the Castro family this night and we read out of the BOM with them and taught them about family prayer, they were so adorable I love the. Also they gave us ritz crackers and juice. It's definitely a cultural thing to always feel like they need to feed us, pray I don't get fat!
       So coming home from that appointment we were at the 175th subway stop and Hermana Baker went really fast ahead and the swip turn thing was different and I accidentally swiped at a different one than I tried to go through so it didn't work but I had already swiped my unlimited card so that means I have to wait 15 minutes, but my trainer was already on the other side. There was momentary panic but then Hermana Baker just let me through the door. We were halfway down the platform like 4 minutes later and this cop comes down and says I just saw you let her through he gate and that's illegal. He proceeds to ask us where we were from...and when we said Utah he asked what country that was in? Really? He makes us come back up to the top, ask for my picture ID and tells me that even though I had only been in New York for 2 days I have to just pay this ticket even though I swiped my card. He didn't speak any English I'm pretty sure he asked what my last name was at least 20 times while holding my id, and looking at my badge, and my last name is one of the first words you learn in English. Anyway it was awful, but we're appealing it so all is well, mostly just a hilarious story to tell even though Hermana Baker tells it better. Haha apparently New York doesn't love me as much as I love it!

FRIDAY

     Friday I got to both street contact AND tract for my first time ever. Haha during tracting we had 2 pretty funny experiences a one door this Asian lady that I'm pretty sure was blind slowly opens the door staring at us and closes the door in the same motion, we were dying it was so funny. Then at another door this guy answers and before we say anything says come on in! We were shocked. They ended up being this crazy Family from Lebanon that loved Donny Osmond and knew we were all children of God, it was great.
     Two investigators for this day are Ana Chan, the house attendant for an English investigator, and she is amazing we also got to meet with her after church Sunday. She is a stellar investigator that reads a lot and I just love her. Lianabel is another investigator she is 15 and so ready for the gospel but unfortunately her family is really strong in a local church so she will probably have to wait until she's older and move out, but I love her. Also we teach lianabel I'm English most teenagers prefer English actually.
    I tried my first cocohelado it's this amazing Dominican ice cream stuff that kind of is like Rita's but so much better. Also we got a mango from a Mexican street vendor with hot sauce and lime and salt it was really delicious.
    Our young women in the ward are struggling so we also went to the young women's activity Friday night and read with them in the BOM for a minute! Also our young women's president is amazing she's English but her husband speaks Spanish and used to be the bishop so she taught herself Spanish, she's amazing!

SATURDAY
   Okay so there isn't a lot y'all will want to know about Saturday BUT we did meet with this awesome referral Jericel that is going on a mission soon and wants us to teach her family. She was so cool, unfortunately she lives in the other sisters area but still cool. We had a dinner appointment with on the the bishops counselors and they have the cutest little girl about Joshua's age. We also met with my favorite investigator Ylaura that unfortunately we also turn over to the other sisters AND I set my first baptism date for October 4th and she is amazing and so prepared!!! We met a less active Tammy and her family on a whim after and on the way there saw a drug deal go done so that's cool.

SUNDAY

    insane church day, mostly didn't understand ANYTHING, so crazy RS and testimonies but after church we  had mini BOM/ turnover to the other sisters lesson with Adelis, a recent convert.
   This adorable family called the Giffords had us over for dinner I guess we go every other week, they are cutest young family, the mom is Mexican and they met at BYU he's in finance, kind of cool. And we finally ate some veggies! And sandwiches and ice cream 🍨
 Walking around Sunday we heard this huge thump and turned to see a squirrel hitting car💥 because it fell out of a tree, we died laughing, too good.
  So we had yet another dinner appointment with Miguel  in the PROJECTS! He has the most amazing stories about gangs he was in and prison stories, apparently he was in prism in Utah for killing 2 guys but was released because they were people the cops had needed. Pretty much he's an amazing member that President Packer came to New York to give a baptism interview to pretty amazing .

Monday

-district meeting📆
-first real NY pizza slice🍕🍕(picture included)
-FHE (Rachel & Louisa came!!, Monserrat's house, food and random message about prayer) zone leaders and other Hermanas📖🍛
-Guadalupe was home! (Newer investigator) we had an Interesting lesson about god as Heavenly Father and trinity and she committed to church📖

Tuesday

-we went to south man! The Temple for interviews and leadership  meeting, (I ❤️ Lower manhattan!)
-3 performers on subway back
-APF street contacting with surveys
- Maria Villanueva (surprise fed us dinner) showed video, talked about being worth for temple recommend by paying tithing 📖🍛 she's a member
-more tracting🚪

Okay so I'm out of time but just do you know today we got to go to the city and spent some time at highline park and it was so great! There was a little store thing by jcrew that I will definitely go back to eventually, also we ended up in Chinatown for food and wifi in the weirdest office building chapel haha gotta love Chinatown, and the city!

WOW so sorry that got so long so much has happened and so many things are new, hopefully you were entertained or were able to skim through some parts. I'm loving being in the city, walking around the beautiful park in the morning for exercise. Most of the time haha I love riding the subway, and meeting lots of people. It's just so great! My Spanish is coming along, though I still don't understand the Dominican Spanish all is well and he Lord is definitely helping me so much. Thanks for all y'all do! Love you so much and hope you have a great week☺️💕😊

xoxo
Hermana Smart