Week 34: Rapidísimo!

1. Dope elf looking hats that our member had in her barber shop

Hola! Wow this week has flown by, literally the fastest week of my mission so far. It has been pretty crazy, just running around to lessons, hospitals, and the church. 

So last Thursday we had a member from our ward go to the hospital because he needed surgery, and he doesn't have any family here in NY. So we went over to go pick him up, and when got there we found out that he wasn't even in his surgery yet. So we left and taught a lesson and then came back and he had just gotten out of surgery and into the recovery room. It was hilarious to go talk to him in there cause he was all drugged up, and he was making jokes the whole time about he was just hungry. We brought him home though with his home teachers help and it all has gone well. So that basically was the majority of our day Thursday! 

2. So we had a little CO2 problem that we had to call 911 for, but it's all good. But right after some guy passed out drunk outside so they got to stay even longer.

On Saturday we had an APF outside on the West side of Harlem, where we were giving out chocolate and letting people write on hearts then stick them on a board the sisters made that said "Como sabe que Dios le ama?" or "How do you know God loves you". It was super cool because so many people stopped by to talk to us, which was partly because of the candy. But this one super huge dude walks by and I end up stopping him and asking him if he would like to write down one reason he thinks God loves him. At first he said he was good, but after the 3rd attempt he agreed. We got to talking about his life and he told me that he has been taking care of his mom for 4 years now because she has Alzheimers. He said he lived in Brooklyn and was actually headed to his mom's right now, and that it was pretty rough to see his mom like that. He shared his belief in God with me and I was able to share a scripture with him and then give him a book of mormon. We just talked about how much God loves us for a solid 5 minutes, with some tears as well, and at the end gave each other a big hug. It is so cool to be able to make connections with people in the little time you have with them during a street contact, but I wouldn't trade those experiences for the world!

3. Classic door decal here in Harlem

Side note: There is a member in our ward named Felipe from Spain and he is one of the coolest guys ever.   He makes us dinner every week, and works at the UN. His cooking is seriously like the best thing ever, and he is hilarious so let's just say that Sunday night dinners at his place are the bomb.

4. Whoops wrong number!

So yesterday was awesome. We had a youth from the ward named Noland with us all day, and he is turning in his mission papers in the next week or two. He is so ready to go and just wants to hang with us all day which is pretty cool to see, this kid is prepping hardcore to go out! So we first had an awesome lesson with a guy returning to church and his wife, and she made us tres golpe which is a Dominican dish, so that was well appreciated. Then later we were doing some look ups, and we actually were knocking a door of a member we had never met or seen at church, and she came home right as we were talking to her son at the door. Perfect timing! We went inside and were able to share a video with them, and when we invited them to church, her 13 year old son said he would love to. He also wants to play ball with us so we gotta set up a time to go to Rucker park and show em up again! Then our last thing last night was a lesson with the Mataritta family. Their cousin Ever is in town from Costa Rica working with Wagner, the dad of the family. Ever has family back in his country that he is going to see soon, but he's just been going through some stuff and tough decisions. We shared the plan of salvation, but during my studies yesterday morning I felt like we needed to share a video called "Earthly Father, Heavenly Father". So at the end I shared it, and it just turned into a bawl fest. Wagner was crying and testifying to his cousin and just expressing how important being a father is and the love that he feels for him and the support he wants to offer him. Ever was crying saying how he knows he is loved and that he loves and misses his family. I was crying and I don't even know why, but it was just so awesome and the spirit was so strong. There was a moment when nobody said anything for about 3 minutes, and we all just sat there thinking. At the end of that, Wagner said "I know the spirit is here, this is one of the most powerful experiences I have had." I know that the spirit was there too, and that it testified to everyone the special role our Heavenly Father has in our lives.

5. English elders took my tablet while I was in the bathroom 

6. La Familia Pichardo! Cuñado, far left, went back home to the DR this week so we had to get a goodbye picture. 

I want to end with a quote from the video which says, "It should have great meaning that of all the titles of respect and honor and admiration that could be given him, that God himself, he who is the highest of all, chose to be addressed simply as “Father.”" God loves us so much that he wants us to have a deeply personal relationship with him, and think of him as the literal father that he is. I know he loves us and is watching over us.

Have an awesome week everyone! Love you all! 

Elder Adam Ray Allen
New York New York North Mission
700 White Plains Rd Ste 315 Scarsdale, NY 10583