Olmstead #4

Hello lovely family! 

It was another great week here in the Bronx :) I had my last split as a missionary! I went with sister Westlund in my old area...it felt really weird...like I have never left at all. We taught sister smalls and all other appointments fell through. We ended up contacting a media referral and teachi him about the Book of Mormon. He talked to us as if he was a member. He is super prepared for the gospel. He works so hard to provide for his family. He studies from the bible and prays. Ephesians wants to be a good husband and father. I am amazed sometimes by the people we are led to. So many of them are so, so ready for the gospel! We will give him over to the Spanish elders to teach

So sister Rasmussen and I were on a fairly empty subway cart, caught up in conversation. I was asking her the date she enter the mission field. We realized her 4 month mark would be in a few day. I start chanting "4 months, 4 months, oh yeah" while doing a little dance with my arms. We hear laughing coming from the corner and see an old man who was missing a few teeth say "that is real cute! No I'm not making fun of you! That was like right off a tv show!" He then says "you aren't from around here are you?" We tell him no, that we are missionaries and that we are from the west coast. Then he felt the need to give us advice on how to survive in Ny. So he came from his corner and sat down next to us. His advice was 1. Trust no one. 2. To not talk to each other or others or "they" will recognize you as someone from out of town. 3. To take off our name tag because it makes us a target. Haha we thanked him for being concerned about our safety but we told him we weren't going to take off the tag. We reminded him of his daughters and so we started talking about our family. Some other guy across from us who was listening in and laughing at our conversation also came over and starting. It was a fun interaction and we left them both with our card. I was reminded again of how much we really do stand out and how people are always watching.   

STORY: the other day we were walking down the road near a busy intersection. We hear a man on a blow horn preaching on the street corner saying things like "Turn your life to God. He is the only way" then as we come within eye shot his message starts changing..."Beware of false prophets! Joseph Smith will burn in hell! The church of Jesus Christ of later day saint is not Christian! The Mormon religion is a cult! Only born again Christians will go to heaven!" 

Sister Rasmussen and I just look at each other with gaping mouths and laugh. It wasn't really funny but I guess it was so awful and blunt that it was a little humorous. We brushed it off and continued on our way to go teach those who were prepared for the gospel. :) 

So this week Jessica brown, our investigator is getting baptized!! He boyfriend is a member. She is flying to Minnesota to have him baptize her. She is super knowledgeable because she already learned just about everything about the church from her boyfriend already. So receiving the lessons from the missionaries was more of a review. It is sister Rasmussen first baptism and we are super excited for it :) 

Oh! One last funny story! So there is missionary lingo that goes on the mission. 

Ex. "Where were you born?" Means, where was your first area.

We got juked means, our appointment cancelled on us. 

Trunky is a word to describe a missionary who is always thinking and talking about home. 

A dying missionary is a missionary who is going home in 1 or 2 cycles. 

So, this leads into my story. So sister Rasmussen was emailing her family about me. She had said: "my companion Sister Lounsbury is dying in 5 weeks, I am really sad about it, but she is working really hard" 

So her family, not understanding missionary lingo replied: 

"Carlee was also wondering why, if your companion is dying in five weeks, is she still there and what is she dying from?" Hahah we got a really good laugh over the whole misunderstanding!  

Well that is all for now! I love you all so much! I am excited to see you soon! 

Olmstead #3

Dear family, 

Sorry, but this one is going to be short! 

We have been spending the day cleaning, doing laundry and I have been organizing letters/papers I have collected and so on. I am trying to do a little organizing at a time so that I won't be crazy stressed out at the end of the cycle when I have to pack up. 

To answer your questions mom, we have an escort because hunt's point, and a few other areas are not safe. So we get picked up and dropped off to our appointments in those areas because we are not allowed to go in alone. It is just a precaution. 

Anyway, this week has been fantastic :) I saw Sister Raine at church! She is back from her trip! It was super fun to see each other! How crazy that we would both end up meeting up in NY in the same ward. It was fun to talk and to catch up with her. She teaches gospel principles and does a really good job. I'm glad I'll get to spend a few weeks with her :) 

Well summer ended abruptly. It went from hot days where you are sweaty and thristy, to chilly windy days with misty rain. The leaves have been falling for a while, but now they are really coming down. Fall isn't so pretty here like it was in Newburgh, but I'm still liking it. 

This week we were able to meet with an investigator named Maxine from Jamaica. There is a bit of a language barrier so we have to teach very, very simply. Which is good, because that is what we should be doing anyway haha. We used pictures and any other visual we could and that seemed to help. We can only teach one or two principles at a time or it is too much. We are trying to have short frequent visits. She is very nice lady and I would appreciate it if you could keep her in your prayers that she can receive an answer. 

The ward here has improved a lot. It was hardly functional but things are picking up. We have a ward mission leader now and just started to have ward council. There really are so many aspects of missionary work, and our main focus here is strengthening the ward members. We are focusing on visiting teaching right now with the Relief Society Sisters. 

I'm not keeping track of how long I have left, but everyone else does a good job of reminding me haha. I guess I have to come to terms with it and start preparing for the upcoming change. I just love the mission. I know there are good things ahead and that God will continue to use me to bring about His work. But I will always, always cherish and love the time He was able to use me as a missionary here in New York. 

Well I love you all. I hope you have a lovely week! 

Love, Sister Lounsbury

Olmstead #2

Hello lovely family! 

Well it has been a fantastic week here in Olmstead with Sister Rasmussen! For a while I had wanted to stay in Kingsbridge, but now that I am here I love it! I truly believe there are people here I need to meet, things I need to learn and things other people need to learn from me. It is cool to see how God's plan for me is way better than what my plan is for me. I thought it would be hard to be motivated to be in an area for 5 weeks, but I have actually never connected faster with a ward or with the people. I have been working really hard at remembering names (something I have always been bad with) and so far I am doing really good! I have actually surprised myself by how many names my brain actually can hold. You just have to really put forth effort. 

Well every area you serve in is a little different with a little different focus. In this area we are working to strengthen the ward. The relief society had a work shop on visiting teaching on Sunday (they put on a little skit that The missionaries got pulled into). But it went well! So we have been following up with everyone with their assignments and teaching the what it means To visit teach if they don't know. We have an investigator who will be baptized on the 26th so that is really awesome! Natasha (from my old area) will be baptized on the 14th. I'm hoof to get permission to see it. We have a lot of media referrals we have been trying to look up. Yesterday we met a referral and she is awesome! She is searching for truth in her life and has been mislead by church pastors she thought she could trust. We reassured her that the message we will teach is one we want her to pray about instead of taking our word for it. We told her that if she prays, she can know the truth through the power of the Holy Ghost. By the end of talking with her at the door she went from being hesitant to wanting us over on Friday! 

I am so happy to be serving here. It is so fun to serve around all the sisters I got to know by being a sister training leader. I love Sister Rasmussen. She is so much fun and she works hard! I am follow up training her, so she is still new. I love being able to share some knowledge and experience and to see her excitement. This is still new for her, so it is fun to see her learn and grow. The ward is pretty small, which I like. The people are friendly and welcoming. And there is still a lot of diversity, which I love. Oh yeah! And we are a model district which is new for me. We still have an area, but if there is an investigator that is found that could be taught better by a certain set of missionaries, then they are reassigned. We still teach any single sister. The thing I don't like is that we need Elders to escort us into any appointment we have in Hunt's Point or above Allerton Ave. They have to pick us up and drop us off. I feel bad and like it is a waste of time for them. But..it didn't take too long for me to find out why we need an escort. So I'm glad they are there, but I still feel bad they have to babysit us. 

Well I just got done seeing the Statue of Liberty with all the missionaries going home this cycle and their companions. It was fun to see everyone and to see the sights. There is so much to see and do here in NY city. I have been a good amount of times but feel like I have barely seen anything at all! There is so much to explore and see! My last trip to the city will be to go the the temple with President Morgan and the missionaries who are going home next cycle. That should be fun. 

Well, I love you all so much! Thank you for being so good with staying in contact with me :) it is so great to hear from you every time! I love you lots!

Olmstead #1

Family! Hey! 

So, I got transferred. 

I will be spending my last 5 weeks in Olmstead (which is the other side of the Bronx) I am actually really excited to be here! Ever since zone conference I had the feeling that I would be leaving. Then again at MLC I was almost sure I would be leaving. I was a little sad at first and then I got really excited about it! I am excited for one more area! I am way excited to be with sister Rasmussen! It is actually really cool because I was a Sister Training Leader over Kingsbridge and Olmstead. So from splits, interviews and visiting for district meetings, I am already really familiar with this zone! I even already know some of the member and people they work with. Sister Wilkes took my place and is a STL with sister Westlund! They are going to be great together! 

I can't believe this is my last area and companion, but I feel really excited about it. I thought that a transfer for the last cycle would be hard to keep motivated, but I feel a renewed energy just because it is a new area, new people etc. It should be a really great cycle! 

Also, to answer your question, yes I would love to teach a special lesson for YW. That would be way fun :) That is so cool that President Morgan wrote you. I have been blessed more than I can ever know by the Morgans. I truly, truly love them. 

Ummm... Ok, I cannot believe how big Caleb is!!! He is like a little man!! What the!? Seriously I couldn't get over his picture... He has done some serious growing there! Also, I can't believe he started High school and is playing high school soccer!!!! Ahh!! And it sounds like an awesome first game! Will I be able to see a game when I come home in October, or will it be over? Oh I really, really want to see him play!! 

I loved all the pictures you sent of the boys. They are all growing way too fast! It sounds like they had quite the experience camping! I a so excited for Whitney! I am so sad I am just barely missing her! She is going to be a fantastic missionary. She is very hardworking and has a great testimony. I am so excited for her!! Lucas writes me every now and then so we have been in touch. I am so proud of him for choosing to serve a mission. It is so, so awesome! 

This week was a lot of goodbyes and packing. I also had my last Mission Leadership Council on Friday, went on a split right after til Saturday, planned for zone meeting Sunday  and then presented Zone Meeting Monday. So we stayed plenty busy! I am excited to have full time proselyting as a "normal" missionary haha. It should be good. Well now I need to do some grocery shopping and unpacking! But I love you all so much! 

Love, Sister Lounsbury

Kingsbridge #25

Hello family! Well this week has been a great one! 

On Thursday we had zone conference about going back to the basics. We received a commitment as a mission to read the Book of Mormon in 120 days. We started on Monday and will finish on Christmas Eve! I know today is Wednesday and we are three days in, but I think it would be awesome if as a whole family we joined together in this! What do you say? Right now I am trying to cram and finish my 75 day Book of Mormon read that we are doing as a ward. I'm in Ether, so I'm almost there. We were also committed to read more from PMG and to study and ponder on the simple, fundamental basics. It was a refreshing and awesome conference. 

We had a split Friday and Monday. That makes the week go by so much faster! They were both fun splits and I came away with a lot of insights. I think that is my new favorite part of being a sister training leader—you are able to learn so much from the sisters you serve. 

The rest of this week will be busy as well. Friday we have MLC in Scarsdale and then right after we will go to Olmstead to do a split. I will be staying in the area with sister Wilkes (my ex companion from Newburgh) so that will be fun :) 

Sometimes in the Bronx you feel like a celebrity because lots of the men makes comments as you walk down the street. But this week we had some stories worth telling. So we were walking and this guy stops us and asks who we are. We told him we were missionaries, told him about what we teach and asked if he'd be interested. He said yes, IF we were the ones teaching. We told him he wasn't in our area and it should matter who would teach him. He refused to be taught by anyone else and Then he walked into the shop he worked and told us to come by when we were in the area. The same exact thing happened the next day. We were stopped by a man from Jamaica. He said "hey! Do you have a book for me?" I told him we did and pulled out the Book of Mormon. But when it came down to meeting with missionaries, it was the same story. He didn't want to meet with the elders. I told him that the Book of Mormon would change his life and it shouldn't matter who taught him. He then agreed to give us his info to give to the elders. And then there was a boy we met and invited to church. He came last week and again this week. He asked me if I had a boyfriend. I told him no because we don't date on the mission and then slipped out of the conversation. Then he asked my companion the same thing in which she also told him that she doesn't date as a missionary. Haha I felt bad, but he said he would come back next Sunday.

So last Sunday I was sitting in correlation and hour before church. Bishop said a speaker fell through and asked if one of us could share a message. Somehow I was nominated. So I put together a talk on seeing the good in others and resisting the temptation to judge. I talked about charity and lifting those around us instead of tearing each other down. I had a lot of people approach me and tank me for the message, so I guess I pulled it off even with little preparation :) 

Well family, it is good as always to hear from you! Thanks for you love and support! 

Love sister Lounsbury

Ps we find out this Saturday if I will finish my mission off here in the Bronx or if I will go somewhere else. So we'll see what happens! 

Kingsbridge #24

Hello lovely family! 

So this week has flown by like no other! We have been keeping as busy as ever. This week we have 24 SET appointments and two splits in which we have to travel back and for from Olmstead. We picked up more new investigators and more referrals. We have way more work than we can keep up with. Several people complain that they don't get to see us as much as they would like. We apologize and show them our schedule and tell them we would see the. More often if we could! 

We had a really fun ward BBQ. I are way too much food and then played soccer right after. But despite feeling like a was going to burst, I scored all our teams point but one. And that point was assisted by me. I've still got some soccer skills in me :) 

I had a super fun split this week with sister Anderson who is a brand new missionary. She is Spanish speaking, serving in Olmstead. We laughed so hard the whole day. It was a blast. :) I love my calling as sister training leader. It is so much fun to get to know the sisters. It is really rewarding to help newer missionaries progress, gain confidence, and understand what it means to be a successful missionary. 

So exciting news, sister Lopez and I bought tickets on Friday to see wicked today!!! We bought tickets for 91 dollars that were originally going for 250+ dollars!!! I am literally the front row seat! (It is the furthest swat to the left, but that is nothing to complain about!!) it is also a blessing because I don't have glasses still and can't see. I thought I would just be listening to a play, but I will get to see it!! :) 

Then Thursday we have a zone conference about going back to the basics. I am super pumped for it. I love President and Sister Morgan. I truly, truly love them. I love having any chance to hear from them and to be uplifted and inspired. Then Friday/Saturday we have another split then church on Sunday and then BAM we are into the last full week of this cycle. I literally cannot believe it. It's gonna go super fast because we have two splits this week and two next week. 

Natsha is progressing super well! She is the most excited investigator I have ever had for baptism! She looks up things on LDS.org in her spare time, comes to service with us Tuesdays, meets us three times a week, she wants to serve a mission and do temple work and she is just awesome. She will be baptized sept 13th :) 

Novella and her daughter are also progressing well. We had the most hilarious lesson on the law of chastity with them. Hahah it is really hard to describe over email but we had a really good laugh during that lesson. 

We aren't able to get in with everyone else as often as we would like, but we can only do so much. The biggest struggle is fitting everyone into our schedule. We have people organized by their area. It is difficult because the Bronx is big! It probably takes 1.45-2 hours by bus,train ect to get all the way across. So we group the appointment by the area and you hope they can meet at that time! It is a good problem to have, I just hope no one slips in between the cracks. 

Well family, I love you a whole lot. I hope all is going well with everything! 

Love a Sister Lounsbury

Kingsbridge #23

Family!!

Hello! How is life? Happy belated birthday Caleb! I literally cannot believe you are in high school this fall. And getting your permit soon? Wow.... Just wow. That blows my mind a little.

Well, It has been another lovely week! We were able to attend the temple trip for the ward. While at the temple I was members from the Yonkers branch! That just filled my heart up to the top. It was a tender mercy for sure. Then later I was sitting waiting to do baptisms and a couple comes in. I am super blind but I could tell they were starring at me, the wife mouthing the words "do I know you?" I go down to them and find out that it is stephanie blackham's sister and her husband! They were just visiting New York and happened to bump into me! What are the chances!! So that was really awesome! 

Unfortunately the date originally planned for us to go to the temple with our returned less actives from Yonkers was moved. Alberte and Fabienne will gothis Friday. Mitchelle needs to set her dates till. Angela (my Jamaican mama) will go this Saturday with sister Matthews as her escort. I am so sad I will have to miss it because we have scheduled appointments we can't move. But I am still just as happy that they will all be going through the temple!! That is just so incredibly awesome for me to hear about while I'm still here in New York. It makes me feel like I have accomplished more the I realized. Truly a missionary cannot see or know the full effect they have on the lives of others. This work is just so awesome! 

We have been keeping busy like crazy. I don't know if I told you but novella and her daughter taniyah both accepted baptism for sept 27th! They were grinning when we extended the date. It is really cool to see how their desire to be baptized is really motivating them to make changes in their life (such as living the word of wisdom) they love having us and we love going over. They have us laughing every time. We just feel so comfortable with them. They feel like family to us :) Natasha also accepted a bap dat for sept 13th. She is progressing so well! We meet about two times a week and she does service with all us missionaries on Tuesday. She is super excited about baptism. She added us on FB and I saw she had posted several statuses about being baptized and how excited she is. It is amazing to teach people who are so excited about baptism! They are so prepared and so ready for this message!! 

On a random note, a bird totally pooped on me yesterday. We were hurrying to the bus and once we were seated, I realized there was poop all over my bag! Then I felt my hair and realized it pooped on my head. We were laughing as sister Westlund was trying to get it Out with hand sanitizer and her used sweat rag...not sure how much that really helped. Then we look down and realize that sister Westlund had stepped in gum and it was on her shoe. We were laughing quite hard at this point because this was just the biggest series of unfortunate events (we had to carry around these massive bags from our split all day, we got caught in a down pour, we didn't have time to eat lunch or dinner and now the poop and the gum) but then to top it all off I look down at my tan skirt and there is even more poop smeared across the front of it. We both look down at the poop and at this point we just lose it. We were laughing so hard! It was just extremely humorous at this point of how unlucky it all was. We had to teach gospel study right after so luckily I had a pair of jeans in my bag I was carrying around from service earlier that I could use. The after that we taught the Addiction Recovery class and finally for home to have a late dinner at 9:30 (when we should had been done with planning) whew!!! Are days have just been so packed! It is good to be so busy,but I hope we can keep juggling everything and not feeling too overloaded. Pray for our brains to keep up!! Haha we will be happy when our area splits again and we have two sets of sisters here inthe Bronx again. 

Well we are going to the city today! We will to the temple to do an endowment session. That will be awesome. Sister Lopez and Arquero will be there! And hopefully we will see sister Nielson as well. 

Welp, I love you all so much. Have a great week! 

Love Sister Lounsbury