A Missionary in New York

So, another great week!

I am now serving in Staten Island! A car area!! What a blessing--- I am not the greatest fan of the snow, and serving on foot in the freezing months of Januray//February- the brunt of the winter chill- was not something I was looking forward to. Well, Heavenly Father knows me best of all! 

And so, He sent me to Staten Island! A car! And with Sister Hamblin. She is so great. :) 

I stay in communication with Sister Shumway-- she is now in Brazil, and it is over 100 degrees. Poor thing. :( Imagine having to make such huge adjustments in such little time! New mission president, new language, culture, weather, everything! She is such a champ. She will do it and thrive! 

Sister Hamblin, my new companion, is so helpful. She is teaching me what it means to just do things rather than asking people if they need help. She's so great at seeing a need and following through with filling it immediately. She is so great. We have fun together and laugh everyday. 

The picture I sent you! 

So- one of the them is me with Sister Sakinah Patterson-- she is just learning about the church! We met with her on Sunday with a member, Sister Reyes, and we preached to her of the restoration of the Gospel. (We do the preaching, the Spirit does the teaching). She is so amazing-- she found out about the church through a friend, and has been coming on her own, with her son, ever since. We love them already! She is so sweet and loves her son so dearly. I am so grateful for the people that are willing to listen and learn and participate. We went to dinner with them on Friday, and we were laughing and having fun. 

Zaire and I were just having the time of our lives-- we sang primary songs together and played hangman. Get this. We played hangman, and we guessed the word immediately the first two times. We were just so in-sync! (We were so in-sync that the Backstreet Boys would have been jealous! This joke is about a year old and I just still get a kick out of it everytime! It's so great!) :)

They're amazing-- the other picture is with a Sister, Sister Gibson, who is from Africa! She is the only member in her family! We met her for only a few minutes and read part of Moroni chapter 7 with her. Will you pray that she reads the rest of the chapter and come to church? She hasn't been to church in about 3 years.

The ward is amazing-- they are really welcoming me in. It's been such changes! We also moved to a new pad this last week, so I have had to move quite a few different times in the last few weeks. That's okay, though-- I hope my life will be like that. I love change. I thrive off of change. And so, a mission has been just full of change!

It's so fun to see the Lord directing the work, too. In little ways-- the people we talk to as we are at grocery stores, in line, the different backgrounds people have here. How many people came from Brooklyn to live here, etc. The promptings of the Spirit guiding us to speak with people-- we were at a gas station, and I walked up to the woman that was filling up next to us (I felt very prompted to do so) and I invited her to church. Turns out they were just moving to the island! (Or maybe a new area of the island? I can't remember...) I offered to help move- she was basically finished. And she is looking for a church! Or other people that we meet in grocery stores and other places. Because we are in a car, we get to be a little more direct and bold with our finding. In Brooklyn, there were people everywhere you turn! So, it's been a fun adjustment. 

Another picture is with cute Sister Martinez and her children Daryl and Chantal-- they're so cute!! She is coming back into full activiity-- she has yet to receive her endowment and wept with us as we were at her house on Thursday. We love this family so much already and I am so excited to keep working with them! And just growing with them. I love the people here! 

Also, the hands and the rocks-- the other day we went on a little drive to just ponder. (It was a needed thing--) We listened to great tunes that focused our thoughts on the Savior, and we went to a part on the island where you are able to enjoy the skyline of Manhattan (also known as the skyline of DREAMS! I am still not over its majestic beauty everytime I look at it-- I just feel I can conquer the world! ;) And the verrazano bridge. And they were both lit up and just looked beautiful. I took a picture with my ipad, and I sent the skyline to you. . . As you can see, it isn't quite as captivating as it is in real life. :) 

Well-- we just danced to the tunes outside of the car- it was great. EFY tunes for the win! Well, LDS.ORG free downloadable songs for the win! And interpretive danced and then we picked up these rocks, we dreamed a little dream, and we cast them into the water.

There are fun things we get to do everyday. 

I love being a missionary-- it is so amazing. The people we get to work with are so wonderful. 

I have been pondering a lot about the love Heavenly Father has for me and for all of His children. I have been pondering about that a lot-- for the reason of why were are obedient. Why we do things. Why I am here. Etc, etc. And realizing that as I understand His love for me, the love I have for myself increases. The more patient I am with myself, for I understand how patient He is with me. Also, the more love I am able to feel and have and experience with others. 

I am changing and it's beautiful. 

I have seen miracles and I continue to see miracles. And I know that it is truly through sacrifice that we sanctify the things we are doing. And I speak of sacrifice a lot, and that is because it is required. And it's glorious. And it's beautiful. And the path of TRUE and honest discipleship truly is a path of sacrifice-- of overcoming the natural man, of learning to desire the Lord's will and acting on that and choosing to live by faith. 

The gospel is so true. I have faith in the healing power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. 

I know that Heavenly Father has been tempering the elements in my life, and I have been able to find joy and gratitude in the sharpest moments of pain, and the deepest feelings of joy in the moments of gratitude. And it's great! And that didn't even make sense! But basically, as we keep the commandments, life is the greatest thrill of joy and pain and beauty and we get to just enjoy the ride!!! And be safe!!!! And I love it!

The work continues to roll forth-- and it will continue to roll forth. Thank you for all that you are doing to connect lives. Thank you for your kindness to God's children. I love you all so very muhc!!! And I am so grateful for all the support and encouragement and FAITH FILLED LIVES you ALL live!!!!!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Love, 

Sister Jenn Blosil

oh! We just keep meeting cool people with cool stories-- our waitress at the restaurant we went to with Sister Patterson is from the Dominican REpublic and when she was younger, she went to the church! And her... aunt? Is a member???? Something like that-- I just remembered that. There are just great people we meet everyday! I am keeping ajournal, it's jus tnot with me right now... Oh, and on the front of the journal says "Enjoy the ride". And it's a picture of a bicycle and it's colorful and stitched. So perfect!