Hello, Hello From New York

I have to say that it has been a very bittersweet week! The days just molded together and another week has past, but that is becoming the story of the year around here, so on to the last 7 days...

This last week was rough! Sister Tuke and I have been very sick with this horrific cold/cough that has been going around. The weather cant make up it's mind whether it wants to be cold or hot, windy rainy or humid, and our bodies have just had enough. We were out cold for a couple of days but the week ended nicely with a great, relaxing couple of days of Conference...what I mean by that is crazyiness! Haha!

How was Conference for everyone?! Did you love the messages as much as I did? Did you feel the Spirit testify to you the things you needed to know? Did you die when President Monson announced all the new temples?! I did! It was so fulfilling. There was not one talk that was delivered where I said that I didn't gain anything. Everything was so timely and valuable, especially all the amazing testimonies of the Book of Mormon, Patriachal Blessings and revelation; to name a few.


It was so fun to once again inform the people of New York that a prophet of God would be addressing the world (see the contact card that I am holding, hehe!) We are so blessed to have that knowledge and the power in it. We had an investigator with us who decided on the spot after the last talk was given that she felt the spirit testify to her that she was in the right place, needless to say we have a baptismal date for her coming up soon :) Others we are teaching had many questions they had that were pending, answered, leaving them speechless as they marveled at our promises of preparation being fulfilled. All of them greatly enjoyed the experience.

And so did we! Conference is like Christmas for missionaries. We have 8 hours of church in one weekend, but not just any session of church, Megachurch (and I'm not referencing YSA conference either, also coined megachurch). I loved hearing from Sister Dalton about how to raise a girl, "Love Her Mother!" Amen. And from Elder Alonso and his story about his son. He likened it unto many people who are around us everyday, "they don't even realize they are lost." And of course the sweet messages from the first presidency. All of these people are so inspired. But overall the spirit that was present was great. All of my questions had been answered and I am confident that I have enough counsel to last me for the next 6 months, ie memorizing scriptures and rereading the Book of Mormon. It was just a great time.

Other than that I am just trying to get myself well. This morning was the first time in a week and a half that I didn't literally roll out of bed, so we're on the up and up. It was a nice day out and the sun was shining. Fall is here to stay and I love it! Which also means Halloween is coming soon :) Well lovies, I got to go, but i hope everyone has a great week! I just love you all and wish you the best, and so it is...

Once Around The Sun, Pt. 2

It has been a year... CRAZYPANTS!

I honestly don't know what to say except I have grown and learned so much over the past year. I cant believe it has been this long though, it feels like I left the MTC a week ago, but then I ask my body how it is doing and realize all this pain and achiness doesn't come overnight.

All is well though. Sorry to be so short these past few weeks. My excuse today is that we went to the temple, then I went shopping for dying missionaries... You know how I love shopping for other people, and this is New York for heavens sake! Anyways, my beloved past companion Sister Fuimaono will be leaving in just short of a month, ugh! What am I gonna do without her? Moreso "How Am I Supposed to Breath with No Air?" Haha, good song. Anyways, she "dies" super soon and we are all just scrambling around trying to tie up loose ends. That will be me soon enough! Scary!

Other than that, all is well in Zion. The weather is getting chilly and the boots are out, but are running low on sole, haha! One more winter. Conference is this weekend and I am so excited. I have to plug it cause I have had such amazing experiences preparing and readying myself for the inspired counsel that they provide. Be ready for a revelatory experience!

Anyways, I just love you all so much. October is here! Love it! I wish you all well. Have a great week!

9/11 and All the Happenings

September 11, 2011, 10 years after the tragic events that transpired in this great city of New York, was a very lovely day. It seemed the city took a bit of a vacation. Not in the party/celebration sense of vacation but in a "vacation from the usual calamity that is living in a city with 8 million people" way. It was so solemn, and a bit strange to peer down 3rd Ave and see nothing and no one for blocks. People were hard to come by on the street that day, to where I say a much needed shift from the norm. What a day it must have been 10 years before?! It was nice to see how people had taken time to slow down and remember how life changed for everyone in a moments notice.

God bless them.

The rest of the week just seemed to be in preparation for that day. You could feel the city dumbing down in anticipation for the weekend, preparing themselves for the reminders. It was nice to go out and speak with the people. Many just wanted to let off steam, while others were excited to recall where they were and what they were doing 10 years ago when the events happened. A listening ear and an attentive spirit were really all that I could afford. With pleasure.

Other than that Sister Tuke and I have survived another transfer - Upper East Side is where we are for another 6 weeks! The work here has been miraculous! We have been so blessed with work, which also is a much needed shift from the norm, haha. We have been working hard in preparation for the coming YSA Multi-Stake Conference as well as the Semi Annual General Conference in October. Wow, I cant believe we have reached another 6 months where we get to hear from the authorities once more! Everyone is returning for another round of school too so Sacrament meeting has at least doubled in size :) Along with that came two amazing investigators. Both of whom have had past experiences at church and with missionaries. Two completely different circumstances, but one unanimous conclusion: baptism is the next step.

Such faith that must have taken. Both girls sought us out and explained to us that the experiences they have had led them to the Church - again both in very different ways. In some ways without knowledge and in other ways reluctantly. Leave it to the Spirit to continue to press and help us make valuable decisions. Matched with meaningful and sincere prayer they took the steps necessary to quench this initially unrecognizable thirst for the gospel. What a blessing that is. I am always taken aback by the way we "fall" upon things that are so right for us. Case and point, I am serving a mission, haha!

I can say that this one single decisions has drastically changed my life! I cannot do without the experiences that I have had. I was reading in the Ensign this morning the talk given at the CES Fireside in April by Elder Ballard some items on the principle of faith. He says, "Faith is one of the greatest powers that you have in this sojourn of mortality." Faith is what it is. Faith is what leads us to act on that prompting that may initially be uninvited by the Spirit. Faith is what helps us keep hope for the future. Faith is what keeps us holding on actively to the knowledge that Heavenly Father is leading us if we will listen to his voice.

I always like to say that "there are no accidents in history, everything happens for a reason" (thank you Mr. Stordahl for ALWAYS saying that). It is true! I am thankful for my faith and the miracles that proceed it. It is in that order that we see the best that life has to offer. Have faith. Have a great week, and know I love you :) and so it is...

All Is Well In Zion

Ok, ok so the storm is over and the sun is shining today so everyone can stop stressing out, haha! JK, I know you are all aware that everything is good in the Big Apple. Talk about a fun time though, wow! First an earthquake...for a minute I thought I was back in CA with the familar rolling feeling of the earth saying hello...then a hurricane. What a great week it was.

Before I get started with this boring story, let me just take it back a few weeks ago. So we were in Multi-Zone Conference and President Smith said "you know elders and sisters, we are going to provide you with transportable 72 hour kits in case of a hurricane, I would just like us all to be prepared." At that time I kind of chuckled to myself because I didn't really know that New York got hurricanes... jokes on me. The following week in combined 3rd hour our Area 70 sent a message to all the stakes informing them that we should really consider revamping our emergency plans and encouraging everyone to have their 72 hour kits ready in the case of an emergency...maybe like a hurricane, haha!

So back to last week, yes there was a hurricane and it was crazy pants! On Friday most of the city missionaries including my companion and me got evacuated, where I am happy to say our 72 hour kits provided as a blessing. We went and spent 2 and a half days in White Plains with the stake president and his wife. They were so hospitable! After a busy day of helping the neighbors pack in all of their patio furniture and decor from the front and back of their houses we went back "home" and buckled down in wait of the storm. Luckily most of it dicispated over North Carolina and Long Island before it got to the city and even to White Plains but I hear there were some areas that weren't so lucky. All in all it was a vacation away from the city...very strange really. I forgot people live in house and drive cars, but in all reality it freaked me out so Im happy to say Im back in the city!

The joke was if there is an emerency, turn to your nearest Mormon. Did I mention people laughed at us as we carried our huge jugs of water and ginormous red backpacks full of food and safety supplies, hmmm weird. Anyway, I am just so thankful that everything turned out ok. Everyone is safe and there is little damage to the city, little branches here and there that fell but nothing major. Other than that I got some good reading in while I was away...a true vacation in deed. I read The Holy Temple by Boyd K. Packer, good read! I will have to comment on it next week, as for now I am out of time.

I just want to say thank you for all your well wishes and prayers, they are always so thoughtful and helpful in times of crisis. If I can say anything I would say listen to the revelations given by the power of the spirit keenly and act promptly...it could and usually does save your life. I love you all so much! Thanks for everything :) and so it is...

PS...some things you may not know because I have been unable to post pictures as often as I usually do.

1. I have dreds now, yes real ones
2. I wear my glasses all the time
3. I have a new companion, and
4. I love Domo!!!
Just throwing it out there. Love you

It's Been Too Long and I'm Lost Without You...

I can always rely on Aaliyah for a great title to a long awaited email and blog post from me. Man I have been busy. My companion and I sat down last night and planned time to effectively and completely email today which means no half letters claiming I'm too busy to write, no excuses and of course an update on all the happenings here in New York City.

I cannot even recall what I said in the last letter I wrote so let me start from the top. Sister Hsieh and I were together for a cycle, I know ONE CYCLE aka 6 weeks (not even enough time!). She and I had a great time living life on the East side together and teaching a great woman named Dede. She was baptized on July 24th, Pioneer Day and was so happy to join the saints on such a momentous day. Sister Hsieh, however who is no longer with me decided to go down to Chinatown to teach in her native tongue, rude! JK, I am so happy for her. President Smith has allowed her for her last two cycles of the mission to teach people who speak Mandarin Chinese downtown. It is such a rare opportunity so of course I would encourage and support her to take it.


So, as you could assume I have a new companion. Sister Tuke! She is back in the city and we are just moving right along. It took her some readjusting consider she has been upstate and out of the city for the past 7 months (going from the car to the city streets is a hard transition, one I could for sure do without -- fingers crossed). Since she has been here it feels like life is on hyper speed. Time is just flying by and I cant believe we can already see the early onset of Fall...but everyone knows how much I love "sweater weather" so I'm not even mad, especially if Winter takes it time to roll in. Other than that, its pure mission life!

We have been paying special attention to finding and building relationships in the ward. We are both pretty new in the area and haven't really established much ground yet...but that is the best part about being in an area for a few months, all this will come with time. Time that I seem to be running out of quickly. I was studying the other day and was so blessed to come across an article in last month's Ensign. It is called "This Year It's A Weed -- Pull It", http://lds.org/ensign/2011/07/this-year-its-a-weed-pull-it?lang=eng. Something that really struck me was the concept that everything has a time and a season, which it does. The article talks about how a beautiful plant was growing in the midst of the wrong harvest. Though it was beautiful and strong and would produce what seemed to be great product it wasn't in season. The counsel that was given was to "pull it" even though it was great. Many times in life we have to recognize what is in season. I always think of that song by the Byrds, "Turn, Turn, Turn" (and of course the scriptures in Ecclesiastes) where it reminds us that in everything there is a season, a rhyme and a reason, haha! But it's true. Now is the time for me to be a missionary, and when it is over I will be back to my usual shenanigans, whatever they may be. I love it though.

Eventually the sun will set on this venture and a new dawn will awaken. Let me enjoy the day though :). I have a call, I have a mission and along with many ups and downs I'm still excited. Thanks for coming along with me! I wish you all a great week and a close of summer. Take advantage! I love you all, and so it is...

Oh PS! A lot of my mail was never delivered I am finding out each week from one person or another. If you have written me and haven't received a response, try writing me again cause I might not have received it. My address is:

Sister Ash Coleman
New York New York North Mission
700 White Plains Rd Suite 315
Scarsdale, NY 10583

Thanks and good luck!

Empire State of Mind?...

So we went to the Empire State building today and boy is that building soooo highhhhh. Great views of New York for sure! We didn't get to go all the way to the top, however we got to see some great aerials of the Big Apple. I still cant believe sometimes that I live here. I get the "behind the scenes" look at what this city is all about. Of course not in a way that the locals do who have the ability to go any- and everywhere or even the tourists, but I do get to experience it on the personal level.

What do you mean by that? You are just a missionary!... Double duh! What I mean is we talk to more people here than people who have lived here for years. It is not just your superficial "hey, how you doin'?" (not assuming that is what everyone is about around here) but we actually get to know the people who are around us, which in reality is getting to know the city.

There are such sweet spirits here in New York. People who have come here for all sorts of reasons, or who have grown up here for generations call this place home. It is an amazing dynamic. It really helps me to realize how this Gospel is not just a cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all church. Everyone brings their own life to the sacrament table and finds that the principles that govern them in the spiritual sense put every worry at ease and help them build more fulfilling lives.

This last week we had a lesson with such an amazing girl that we stumbled upon; such an intellect and so driven! She was asking us questions about the hows and whys of Mormons, questions stemmed from her brief readings of The Book of Mormon as well as some principles that she had learned from some member friends she had experienced in the past. The questions being asked were predominately in regards to the spirit and knowledge. For example, "How could you have all this (as she points to a nearby bookshelf full of books) and still make the claims of this (The Book of Mormon) being the most 'correct' book?" and "How do you account for the Spirit?"

As I bore my testimony to her I realized something that I hadn't fully enveloped in the past. I opened my Book of Mormon and read 3 Nephi 17:5-7. As I did so I could feel the presence of the Savior...really. I let her know that the Bible gives a great layout of what the Savior did, but who was he? These verses single-handedly helped me FEEL who he is, and recognize that he does indeed live. I continued on without answering her question about accounting for the spirit, there was no need because she felt it too. I let her know that all the knowledge that I have and continue to obtain is in direct correlation to the writings of "this book". I assured her that the things that she has experienced and knows are all a part of our progression on this earth. I couldn't have left a lesson feeling more blessed for the testimony that I have than I did that day.

I know it. That's all there is to it. The invitation still stands for all those who are still wondering to learn more. If anything, knowledge is power :) Anyways, I just love you all so much. Life is moving fast here in New York, a "New York minute" if you will. I've got to take a moment to slow down and cherish what I have. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to recall and do that. Again I love you love you, and so it is...

Wayyyooohhh!

...sorry bout last week, I was kicked off the computer, hehe.

Anyways, I am doing great out here. The weather is heating up for real! I think it is around 94 degrees today with some scattered thunder showers, aka walking in the rain cause there is no point in having an umbrella, ella, ella, eh eh eh. But its nice because the heat sticks around and dries our clothes off quickly.

So what has been going on? The Forth of July just passed! Oh heavens, everyone knows how much I love the 4th and it was such an amazing day. I have to tell you, if you are ever thinking of visiting New York when the city is ALIVE dont bother with New Years, come on the 4th. It is 100 times better and the weather is nicer. Nonetheless, we had the best contacting opportunities because everyone was out on the streets being lively and having a great time. Central Park doubles as the entertainment arena for anything and everything, especially for BBQing, and oh it smelled so good. Also the best seating in the house for the fireworks is your own roof. Yes, we went Fiddler on the Roof style and hiked up to the roof of our building where we saw a great fireworks display a couple blocks away. The best part was seeing Sister Nalawas see fireworks for the first time. She doesn't get displays like that very often in Vanuatu (off the coast of Fiji), and her excitement is like a child's; so pure.

In other news the work has been good. A TBC from the last area I was in is the baptism was postponed until this weekend, so that will be happening with Sister Fuimaono and her new companion Sister T. In my new area we have a baptism coming up real soon too, which Im really excited about. I always think that this work is so fascinating in that it continues regardless of wherever we go. It really builds my testimony in knowing that 1. the Lord has gone before us to prepare the work and 2. it cannot be frustrated. Whether a switch of companions, ward change or even an area switch the work will continue forward. The reality is the Spirit is the true teacher here. He has testified to us all of the light and knowledge of the gospel and it is up to us to respond. In Helaman 14:30, I gathered this week that the Lord will not force our hand to do anything. We have the tools necessary to make well decisions. In Doctrine & Covenants the Lord informs us to study it out what we want to do then to pray whether it be right, receiving a confirmation in our hearts and in our minds. This leads us to figure that we have the ability to know of our own accord if what we want to do is right and then we can pray to confirm whether what we though is right indeed is right for us by the edifying "burning in our bosom". Its fail proof and another amazing aspect of the Gospel that I thoroughly enjoy.

I just continue to have faith that the Lord is not an innocent bystander. That he is "all in" on this investment. He will not lead us astray. I just love this work! It has helped me so much to see how helpful we can be in answering other's prayers. I know this is where Im supposed to be. I know he Church is true. I love you all, and so it is...