"Tower of Babel Confounds All New York Residents"

Happy Monday, lovelies!

Wow! This week flew by in a blink. Settling into Queens is great. Our area is significantly smaller than any of my previous areas (essentially we only have Corona, Queens and Elmhurst/Rego Park Queens) but in that small area is a largely compact amount of Hispanics and other nice things.

My worries about Preparation Days in the city is that on Long Island there was so much that we could do. We went to castles, mansions, parks, gardens, museums, libraries, etc. I was worried when I realized the modest size of our area that we might not have anything to do. But then I realized how ridiculous that was. I'm not on a mission to go sight-seeing (though I tend to enjoy be just a wee bit touristy), I am here to serve the people. And besides that here is Corona we have much we can do. We can go to Flushing/Corona park and go to the zoo or the science museum (I actaully think we might do that today) or to the Queen's mall. I hear it is a tradition for each Spanish sister in this area to get a keychain from the lego shop so one day I may send a picture of which keychain I decide to buy.

 
Also, just living here is amazing! Where else can you always find pee and doggy doo on the street and killed pigeons and opossums daily along with cockroaches (cucarachas) in your sink and car horns and above-ground subways designed to make one go deaf? Where else can one find six less active Hispanics a day who say, "oh yes, I used to be a Mormon back in my country," (False! Once a Mormon always a Mormon. Just very less active)? Where else can you see the sun set purple and gold and red and orange on Manhattan from the subway stops? Where else can you meet fifty people from all different countries in less than an hour?

 
New York is splendid and I am so grateful to serve here. I wouldn't rather be anywhere else right now.
In other news from this week, we went on exchanges with the Bermuda sisters! It is fun because they are in our zone, however obviously they can't come up to New York once a transfer for exchanges (that would be very expensive) so we just skype them. It is awesome to hear about their experiences and note the differences in our areas. They are doing well, though, and they are great sisters.

We went to the science museum in flushing meadows park and here are the pictures!!

The little room - like Alice in Wonderland!

I especially love the ones in the blue great hall and the giant book.

Tender mercies:

-We had fried rice with salchichas (hot dogs).
-I got five letters this week! Wow #bendiciones
-That last one might be because I haven't checked my mail in a couple of weeks, but still!
-I learned how to say 'Happy Sunday' in Nepalese! (I forgot, but I knew it for five minutes).
-We went to a cafe with an invesitgator and drank peppermint tea.
-my calves are looking better with every passing day.
-Sister Peterson made us stir fry and strawberry crumb cake.

Spiritual Thought:
1 Thessalonians 2:4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
God trusted us to teach this gospel and I will try to teach it His way! :)

District Pictures.

Happy Father's Day!

My love,

Hermana Ally Voss

P.S. The post title comes from something I said on the street after not being able to communicate with persons of about four different languages that were not Spanish nor English. I blame the Tower of Babel for any miscommunications, honestly.