June 23, 2010

Hellooooo and greetings from NYC!
It's HOT and HUMID and music is in the AIR!!

It's been a good week!! Elder Torres and I are doing so great- we're
such a great team!

This week..

Well on Saturday we had a Blitz up at Pelham Bay Park! Our district
set up a table and stopped everyone we saw to come sign up on a sheet
on the table for the Missionaries to come by and give a free Video
about Christ and teach them about it! We made a fun little competition
out of it- whoever could get the most addresses wins! I just kinda let
the obnoxious side of me take over (the dominant side?) and really
animated-ly lead people to the table! Behehehe I won! I got a little
prize treat from the Hermana Misioneras for winning! Hahaha! PLUS I
contacted Santa Claus (I'm not kidding- Santa hangs out in Pelham Bay
during the Summer- I WISH I had taken a picture of this guy) and the
ever-infamous "Crazy Hat Man".... Just picture all the costumes in the
Masquerade scene of Phantom of the Opera- all put together- worn by a
crazy 7 1/2 foot tall bronx guy. Yeah.

Last P-day we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art! It was...
hahaha It was definitely a fun experience to hang out with the District
in Manhattan for a day. PLUS we went to CRUMBS BAKERY! Can I JUST
SAY- CRUMBS is a NECESSITY for anyone traveling through or to New
York. Best Cupcakes- IN THE WORLD.

Elder Torres had the coolest street contact yesterday-
We were walking down Jackson Avenue and we passed this bald Puerto
Rican guy with a cane (not an old guy, just balded and cane-ed) and had
gotten about 3 blocks away from him when Elder Torres stopped abruptly
and turned to me and said "Elder, we were supposed to have contacted
that guy." I said "He's way back down the street! And he's an old (but
not old) bald guy! But alright sure..?" So we hurried (ran) towards
him until we got about 20 feet away, then slowed down to regain
composure before talking to him. We walked up and Elder Torres in
Spanish said "Excuse me, hey we passed you and I was supposed to talk
to you." The Puerto Rican guy said "I know- so why didn't you?! I'm
on my way to work right now, but here's my number and address- be at my
apartment at 12:00 on Saturday and we'll talk then!" Hahaha it was co
cool!! He kinda contacted himself for us and then set up an
appointment! So funny!

Another cool story- a lady we taught the first lesson to last cycle
suddenly disappeared a few weeks ago- and so we decided not to go by
there anymore. Yesterday, we were nearby and I found her name in my
planner and decided for us to run up there and just knock on her door.
We did, and she came to the door and was SO happy to see us! Turns out
she has been in the hospital with her sick son and hasn't been home
during the day for the past 3 weeks- but she took the Book of Mormon
and Plan of Salvation pamphlet we gave her at the first lesson with her
and has read well into 2nd Nefi! She has marked up the Scriptures with
stars and questions and was so excited that we had come by! We're
going back at the end of the week to teach her and her husband too!

We had a great Mission Conference on Monday! Such a powerful Spirit
was felt and it was great to see Elder Betenson and Elder Martindale
from WX and all the other missionaries!

Work is going well! Still hard and hot and humid- but I love it! I
love being a missionary- I still get goosebumps sometimes when I put my
tag on every morning! haha! I love this Work! Church is True!!!

B happy, B safe, B at CRUMBS BAKERY!
All my Love
Elder Brandon Hellberg