It's a good week!

 This week was good, there's probably a lot to share but I'll keep it short this week. We still have awesome members who take good care of us which makes the work even better! We've gotten a few referrals the past few days so pray one of those works out! I am super excited for general conference this weekend! Think of a question to take to general conference, and I can promise you that you will find an answer. 

 In relief society this week the lesson was on President Nelsons talk- Joy and Spiritual Survival, you should read through it! I just wanted to share a part of it that I really like he said, "My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.

When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation, and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy. We feel it at Christmastime when we sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.” And we can feel it all year round. For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!"

I know this is true and that we really can feel of that joy the Savior brings into our lives, even in the hardest of circumstances.

 

This week will be real good. I love you!!

xoxo Sister Walecki

A cool mural in Little Italy

 

Chinatown stores are pretty fun

 

One of the fire stations

 

Central Park

 

Central Park wandering

 

They "fixed" our lock, until we buy a new deadbolt haha. It works and it's just what
you do in Harlem:)

Locked In

 I've got a good story this week, its really long and I'm not sure if it'll make much sense but at one point yesterday there were 6 NYPD officers outside our door. Hahah I'll start from the beginning though..

Our roommates have church at 9am so they went to leave and tried to unlock the door & the deadbolt lock would move back and forth but was still stuck locked. We didn't have the phone number for our super, so I climbed out the bedroom window on to the fire escape to see if we could get out that way and the ladder was so rusted it didn't budge. So I stopped a young kid walking his dog and asked if he would be willing to go around to the front of the building and bring back the Supers number. He eventually made his way back, gave us a number (which ended up being wrong) and we dropped down some chocolate and a Restoration pamphlet to thank him.  

 

 We had called a senior couple, the Larsen's and she had found our super's phone number so we called him and he said he could come but it would be about an hour. Church had already started by now. So he came, tried to unlock the door and no success. He gave us a number for the locksmith. We called the locksmith, he said he could come around 11 or 12 because it was "his day off and Sunday, so people are going to church." So we waited and waited. Finally around 6pm he finally came. He tried for about 30min and couldn't get it so he went to ask the neighbors if he could go through their apartment to the fire escape to climb in through our window but he didn't speak English very well so I don't think they understood what he was asking. He said there was nothing else he could do from outside the apartment and he left. 

 

 About 10 minutes later we get a knock at the door, answer it-through the door and they're like "NYPD police". Apparently someone had called the cops because of a suspicious person- we're assuming the locksmith. Anyway, we told them we couldn't open the door, explained the situation and they weren't too happy that the super and locksmith just left us locked in for the night. So they knocked on the neighbors door, of course he let them right in they came around to the fire escape and we talked to them through the window. He said the best thing to do would be to call the locksmith back and they could get him into and through an apartment to reach the fire escape. So we had police stand outside our door for over an hour while we waited for the locksmith to come back. Finally he came, and we got the door unlocked around 9:30pm. The police and locksmith left and we were left with a huge hole in the door. hahah...my whole mission I always say there are no coincidences, and everything happens for a reason. But I have 0 idea why yesterday happened. But Heavenly Father is always looking out for us and we are safe :) So there you have it- the day 4 sister missionaries were locked INSIDE of their apartment. 

 

On Tuesday there was supposed to be a huge blizzard but it didn't turn out to be as bad as they thought so we went out, luckily we had lots of appointments to stay warm that day! On Wednesday afternoon we found these giant shovels at the church and then walked around our area looking for people who were trying to dig their parked cars out of the snow and we helped them. So if you need to know all the secrets of how to "properly dig a car out of the snow in the most efficient way as to not waste your efforts"- I now know all the secrets. We helped a lady and she told us the "science" of it all. Fascinating actually. I love how service softens people's hearts and helps them to see that we really are just normal people!  

 

 We read a talk this week- talks are my very favorite. Its called All Things Work Together for Good by James B. Martino. He talked about how we endure things in life and don't always understand why but at the end I loved what he said, "As we pass through the trials of life, let us keep an eternal perspective, let us not complain, let us become even more prayerful, let us serve others, and let us forgive one another. As we do this, “all things [will] work together for good to [us] that love God.” I think that remembering to have an eternal perspective can be SO hard sometimes. Especially in the midst of trials but as we remember that perspective and remember that our Heavenly Father is always there for us if we just reach out, we are able to find happiness and peace even in the hardest of times. I know that's true!

I hope you all have a lovely week.

xoxo Sister Walecki

We had Korean food last pday!

 

Some Snow

 

Look how cute this is. The Seminary put this up near the subway exit near the church.

 

When our members give us more chocolate.

 

Through the peephole of our door last night- 2 0f the who knows how many officers outside our door yesterday Hahaha

9/11 Memorial

I don't really even remember what all happened this week so it might be all over the place, but I feel
like that's how every week goes-sorry. 
                                                                                   

Sister Lee has been teaching me a new word in Korean each day, so now I can say hello, thank you, I love you, and random things found within the subways. So perks of having a bilingual companion!! 

 Winter decided to return & everyone is talking about a blizzard coming this week but we'll see! It snowed once this past week but it didn't really stay for too long.

  Last P-day we went to the 9/11 museum and memorial and that place was incredible. As we walked over and watched the water at the memorial and read the names of the victims you could just feel the spirit so strongly there. It was a really amazing experience.

 We always have a lot of neat experiences but I never know which ones to write about either..

This week we were still street contacting and showing the Because of Him video. And we passed a woman and told her, her dog was cute so we stopped and ended up talking to her and she was Muslim & we showed her the video and she was bawling by the end of it. Showing that video never ceases to amaze me at the way it just invites the spirit and people can feel that- regardless of what religion they are and how busy the sidewalks are.

 Our sacrament meeting starts at 11 this year so we  always have a lot of visitors in our ward and this week we heard that there were about SEVENTY FIVE visitors yesterday. How crazy is that!! There was a lady there who wasn't a member and was just walking by and saw the plaque outside and came in for sacrament meeting. She was so sweet and from Russia so she didn't speak a whole lot of English but google translate to the rescue again!! I think it is so amazing that we get to talk to people from all over the world, from different countries all on the same day.

 At a meeting last week we were talking about...well I don't really remember what exactly but someone said, "You find what you're looking for." and I don't know why that stuck out to me so much but its true- when all you look for is the bad. That's all you find. So look for the good and you will find it!! Jeremiah 29:13- look for Christ & you'll feel of His love in your life, I can promise you that!!

love you all 

xoxo Sister Walecki

   



2 in 1 this week

Last week Elder Gong of the 70 and his wife came to New York for a mission tour. So two Sundays ago we had a devotional with him and then the next Monday we had a zone conference. As a missionary, meetings are my very favorite because I always learn so much I love it!! 

 We had a lesson with Nancy this last week, and teaching someone who doesn't have a christian background/previous belief in Jesus Christ has been a lot different! But it has been really cool to just be able to teach super super simply and testify of the Savior. She is the sweetest and has tons of questions so its great! 

 The weather was really nice and then it got freezing cold and suuuuper windy, I'm grateful for the Kansas wind I grew up in because New York has got some windy days too!! But hopefully spring will be here soon! 

 Friday was my half birthday and I cried about that for a second because I can't believe its already been 6 months since my birthday! Then we had ice cream for dessert after dinner because half birthdays matter :) haha

 We are working on just finding people to teach lately and working with members and less actives. Our ward is AMAZING and the members are so nice and willing to do missionary work and that is the greatest blessing!!

 I was reading a conference talk this week, its called The Master Healer from October 2016 by Carole M. Stephens- you might remember it. But I loved this quote...

Hope and healing are not found in the dark abyss of secrecy but in the light and love of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Elder Richard G. Scott counseled: “If you are free [from] serious sin yourself, don’t suffer needlessly the consequences of another’s sins. … You can feel compassion. … Yet you should not take upon yourself a feeling of responsibility. … When you have done what is reasonable to help one you love, lay the burden at the feet of the Savior. … As you so act, not only will you find peace but will demonstrate your faith in the power of the Savior to lift the burden of sin from a loved one through his repentance and obedience.”

He continued: “Complete healing will come through your faith in Jesus Christ and His power and capacity, through His Atonement, to heal the scars of that which is unjust and undeserved."

just something to think about this week.

Love you all

xoxo Sister Walecki

Chocolate straight from Hawaii because our members are the sweetest and some how know my favorite things.

Sister Benedicto ! We went on splits last week and she is the best! Splits are so fun because we get to know other Sisters so much better! I Love It! We have a whole lot in common and I'm grateful for her example and sweet spirit!!!

Zone meeting last Thursday