DECEMBER 2017--Our "last" full month of our New York Manhattan Mission😢

Well that brings us to this point in time--the final full month of this truly amazing and wonderful Senior Couple Temple Mission experience. Some months I have really wanted to "speed up time" as I was really missing my family--BUT this month of December 2017--I really wanted to s-l-o-w-w-w way down and capture ALL ASPECTS of this mission in my memory!! It's hard to believe we are now this close to completing our time here and I am sad now to see us finish!! But all good things must come to an end, right??
So here is a "brief recap" of what this WONDERFUL MONTH had in store" for us!!
After we said our "Good Byes" to the Sears' family we had several "Missionary Activities" to complete and to participate in.  We finished those things that we had planned--and then the "newly called Elder Delmar and Sister Luann Gray took over the Missionary Activity responsibility--at which they will be SO-Ongood at doing!! Here are some of the things we "finished" doing:
 

  

This year I really wanted to participate every day in this very important way to "Celebrate the Birth of our Savior". It was such a sweet 25 day "journey" for me!!

Lights to Music in Rockefeller Plaza

 

       

Sister MSister Carol Mumford and Sister Margaret May (on the left) were partners for the Rockettes   Christmas Spectacular on Dec 12th 2017!! We had "tried" to do this last year (2016)--but we could never "find" each other in the huge crowd outside Radio City Music Hall!! But this year--

WE MADE IT!! And  It was great !!

There is such a great "feeling" during  the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall 

 

    

Barbara Heideman, Jenean Brown and me (Carol Mumford) enjoying the "magic" of Christmas in NYC as we enjoy the sights and sounds of Rockefeller Plaza and Saks Fifth Avenue 

"Carols on Columbus"--such a "musical array of LDS Manhattan-area talent" 

The NATIVITY AT ST PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL on 5th Ave

    

The Golden Retriever in the Nativity is a sweet story about the Catholic Monsignor who is responsible for the placing of such Nativity each year for this Church.

We decided to do a little service project for some of the families in the Rego Park 1st Ward out in Queens, NY --where we attend each Sabbath for our meetings.  

     

We were able to place these little Book of Mormon Stories booklets in 13 families with young children and hope it will help them in their scripture reading or FHE 

Kevin Kindred (a friend who grew up in Preston, ID --his parents, Kent & Janice Kindred have been close friends since we moved to Idaho in 1982) and his wife visited NYC and were staying with friends in our apartment building when we "discovered them" while Caroling in the Lobby a few Sundays before Christmas this year --such a small world!!

    

Annual Full-Time Senior Missionary Christmas Caroling in the Lobby of 2 Lincoln Square Apartment Building where we all live 

 There was a video of us singing--it was very good!!

A most precious Christmas gift from one of our Senior Missionary Couples, Elder Lynn and Sister De Anna DeBry. Her friend is a painter and she did this in watercolorscand sent them to Sister DeBry who then, gave them to us. So beautifully done!! 

 TEA AND  CRUMPETS   

Monday, December 18th, 2017, was a special day for all the senior Sister Missionaries--there are 10'of us-- as we enjoyed an outing together of TEA AND CRUMPETS at  Alice's TeaCup. It was my "treat" to them sort of a "Going Away Party" of sorts. I really wanted to Thank them all for their Friendship and Love !! It was delightful!! 

 

 Holly Young and I are checking out the tasty dishes on our table

    

L to R around the table--Luann Gray, Hazel Tan, Barbara Heideman, DeAnna DeBry, Fusako Miyashiro, Jeneane Brown, Ellen Schoenberger, Kathy Nabors, Holly Young and myself, Carol Mumford

Holly Young and Carol Mumford

 

DeAnna DeBry, Fusako Miyashiro and Jenean  Brown

   

Luann Gray, Hazel Tan and Barbara Heideman 

Ellen Schoenberger and Kathy Nabors 

 

Ellen and Kathy here with Holly Young

 "   

Luann, Hazel and Barbara

Our whole Group just outside this charming little "ALICE'S TEACUP "

L to R--Luann Gray, Hazel Tan, Jenean Brown, DeAnna DeBry, Ellen Schoenberger, Carol Mumford, Barbara Heideman, Kathy Nabors, Holly Young and Fusako Miyashiro 

What a "memory-maker for me!! Love these Sisters to pieces!! 

(The reason for the name--it was decorated with all assorted "antique-looking teacups and saucers " AND with Alice in Wonderland art on the Walls--so so charming)

  

Lincoln & Hollie's family sent this Nativity in the form of "12 days of Christmas" with 12 little packages that we opened--1 each day--until Christmas Eve!! We so loved it--and inside each little package was a note with each of their 5 children giving us their "perspective" of that piece of the Nativity. It was a memorable activity for both of us.   

We set it up on our "makeshift mantle" on our Entertainment Center 

Elder Mumford and I outside the Rego Park 1st Ward Building one of our last Sunday's that we attended there. Oh how we LOVED that Ward!! 

    

Christmas Eve found us with a few of our Missionary friends attending the Choir Concert before Midnight Mass at St Paul the Apostle  Catholic Church in Manhattan just a few blocks from our apartment building.

The Nativity as it was set up in St Paul the Apostle's  Cathedral for us to view on Christmas Eve 2017 

   

We "journeyed" to Chinatown at the invitation of Elder and Sister Tan (who are Chinese but have come from Singapore--to serve as Full time Temple Missionaries). They treated us to a Dim Sum 

Lunch --which was so delicious--mostly because they both knew what dishes to choose from the cart that goes from table to table

L to R--around the table clockwise--Ron and Carol, DeAnna and Lynn DeBry and SK and Hazel Tan 

We enjoyed this so much--and then Hazel took DeAnna and I shopping for "bargains"!! What Fun! 

 

Riding the Subway home from Chinatown.we found this little Chinese man using his best imagination to create "haunting Chinese music" on his homemade instrument.

      

Our table was "literally loaded" with such tasty Chinese food!! 

Thank you so much Elder & Sister Tan!! It was such a great meal!! 

    

   

Christmas Day 2017 

Ron and I and a few of the other Missionaries were invited by Rukmal Dehicdebob (so phonetically) to come to his apartment on Staten Island and enjoy a meal with his wife and little 6-month old baby boy. It was almost a 2-hr ride by Subway, Ferry, Bus and walking about a mile--one-way-- to get there. Ron wasn't feeling well--so I went alone with the Heideman's, Kathy Nabors and Fusako Miyashiro--and here they are standing outside the front of the house where his very small  apartment is in the back. 

       

Rukmal, his lovely wife and myself and Sister DeBry 

This wonderful wife, who is from Malaysia,  had been up since 5:00 am, cooking all the food we would be served that day. What a sacrifice--for us--whom she had never met until that day.  We had  huge pans of rice and beans and curry dishes and fruit and 2 desserts. WOW WHAT A FEAST!!

Rukmal, his wife and the Heidemans

These are just part of the MANY Christmas cards we received  and I'd put them on our wall where we could see them and be reminded every day how much we were loved by such good family and friends

And the sweet spirit of Christmas was "within" that card display!!

 

The "HAPPY BANNER" that came from Linc's family helped us keep a "positive" tone in our apartment! We so loved it!!  

This pretty much takes us to the end of December

Sister Colleen Pratt shared her "Conversion Story" with us at the Heideman's Apartment earlier in the month of December. I loved these special "gatherings" as they were so faith promoting and special

 

After a Missionary Activity in November--where Sister Ciccotelli talked about her "Quilts for Refugees" project--we took a quilt top home with us--and tied it with the wonderful help from Barbara Heideman and with Ron " threading needles for the Blind ( that would be me!!) 

Oh was a beautiful busy delightful month of December we had!!

Our LAST VISITORS--Lisa, Megan and Clancey Sears

we said "Good-Byes" to Shelby, Missy and Jearlene on Tuesday, November 29, 2017 and the next day we Greeted our Visitors from Clifton--Lisa Sears (Ron's sister) and two of her children Megan and Clancey. AND  they truly "hit the ground running." They only had 5 days in the Big 🍎and there was so much to see and do!! They saw Lion King and Wicked on Broadway and The Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. We went to the New York Botanical Gardens "Holiday Train Show"-- which was amazing and they went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and they came to the Manhattan Temple for a Session and we all went to the "Carols on Columbus" at the Manhattan Chapel next to the Temple.  We walked the Brooklyn Bridge and enjoyed a pizza lunch at Grimaldi's. They even came out to Rego Park 1st Ward in Queens, NY where we attend our Sunday meetings each week and teach the Youth Sunday School class. While we were serving at the Temple each afternoon and evening--they were doing some exploring on their own at the American
Museum of Natural History and just skimmed the surface of Central Park.  They were "exhausted" at the end of each day --yet they got up the next day and went out to make "more memories"!!  They were wonderful to have as our "last ones to visit" and we truly hope they enjoyed their time here!! Here are some pics--although we didn't "go with" on many of their adventures--we just pointed them in the "right direction" and relied on Megan's "Missionary to Denmark expertise" in getting them around in the BIG 🍎. And now some pics to PROVE THEY WERE REALLY HERE:

We are so happy that this group of Visitors made it to see us in NYC

FINDING "Dum Dum" at the American Museum of Natural History

The Lights of the Rockefeller Plaza--timed and set to music. Gorgeous!!.

Clancey & Megan are in. NYC!!

Lisa, Clancy & Megan Sears in the Lobby of our apartment building 

Riding the Metro North RR out to the New York Botanical Gardens

Clancey  and Carol on the Metro North RR--heading to the NY Botanical Gardens --where the Holiday Train Show is on display

The Holiday Train Show at the Botanical Gardens is Spectacular!!

Everything in these displays at the Train Show is made of all natural materials except the model trains themselves  

The displays at the show depict "classics NEW YORK " areas and famous landmarks

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge 

We ate pizza at Grimaldi's close to the Bridge and that is ALWAYS a favorite activity!

On the Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty

It was such a "WHIRLWIND OF ACTIVITY" for these guys as their visit was only 5 short days  in the Big 🍎--but they sure packed a lot into the time they had. Loved having them come and we even were able to see them in the Temple--which is ALWAYS a real Bonus for us!!