Another week dead and gone! I can't believe how fast the
time is going by here.
This week has been rough. Our apartment (all of us 4 Elders
) came down with a nasty virus/flu and we have all been stuck in bed since
Friday (which is a letdown because right when we get our car, we get super sick
and can't do any work). Apparently something is going around that affects young
adults and I think that's what we got. (Bad body aches, headaches, fever, throw
up, cold, sore throat, etc)...it's been no fun. Haha. We seem to be kind of
getting better. We're going to go and see a doctor soon because no matter how
much sleep we get, we wake up feeling the same way. My companion says he thinks
50% of it is depression and this is how our bodies are coping with it. I totally
wouldn't doubt it. South YONKERS is the most depressing place on earth. Haha.
But it's ok, we are alive and well and got to get a few days of work in before
the sickness hit.
Last Wednesday we went to Manhattan and went to Central
Park, and went to the MET museum. It was awesome! They had different artifacts
from different cultures dating back to around 600 B.C. Beautiful place. If you
ever get the chance to go, do it! I will attach some pictures. We also got to
go to the LDS Manhattan Temple (which is beautiful!). We got to go to the Apple
Store which was awesome because the whole store is made out of glass. We got to
go briefly check out Juliard school of music as well.
The people in Manhattan are so cool. It's like a completely
different world compared to Yonkers. It's like the opposite of Yonkers.
Everyone is on a mission and people are here to work and they are so nice! The
fashion that everyone has in Manhattan is awesome too!
The subways get JAMMED packed here. (That's how we got to
the city). It was funny, as we were waiting to get on the subway to go back to
Yonkers, we had this crazy African American guy come up to us and started
talking. I didn't understand a word he said. He then missed his train and was
running back and forth yelling at the train, and then he came back to us and
said "if anybody ever gives you any trouble, you let me know and I'll take
care of them". Haha, all I can say is I'm super glad that guy liked us
because I would hate it if he was against us.
David: the more I get to know David, the more I see how
interesting he is. He showed us this video of this traffic light camera and how
this truck came and was about to hit a bicycle and then this girl with glowing
hands popped out of nowhere and
transported him to the sidewalk. It looked like a five-year old photoshopped it
and he claimed that it was an angel of God. Haha! This man is very gullible yet
firm on his opinions. He is so difficult at times. It's hard when you give your
all to help and teach someone and they don't want to understand due to being
stubborn. It took us 3 hours to get through our lesson because he talks so
much. We will be teaching him about a specific point and then randomly he will
start talking about something else (like that video for example). He claims to
be catholic and he tells us that no matter what, he will always be catholic and
nothing we say to him will convince him otherwise. The funny thing is is that
he never goes to church, he's never read any of the Bible, and refuses to read
any of it. Same with the Book of Mormon. He tells us that he's here to teach
us. Haha. He likes to be right all the time so if we are teaching him something
that may be different from his opinion, he won't even give it a chance because
it's so important for him to be right. On the bright side, we got to teach him
the entire lesson and he ended with one of the most beautiful heartfelt prayers
I've ever heard, and in the prayer he never even once asked anything for
himself, he thanked God for everything else and blessed everyone else. He
talked about how thankful he was for me coming to NY and prayed that my family
would be safe and that we would be blessed all the days of our lives for giving
service to him. It really was a genuine prayer. It was a good lesson!
Victor: this was by far the best lesson we have had. His
wife ended up making us dinner and dessert, and as we ate, we got to know each
other better which was great. Victor always tells us how he knows we will be
fine in life because we are serving a mission. I don't know how he knows that
but I'm glad he does. Haha. He also
talks about how we will fall in love one day and how it will happen. It's funny
how the people we teach love giving us advice. Haha.
Anyways after dinner, we taught about the gospel of Jesus
Christ and the joy it brings in this life. The Spirit was so strong. We ended
up sharing that video of the man who was lost in life and was going to end his
life, but then his life flipped around and with time he found happiness (I sent
it in one of my emails a few weeks back) and at the end of the video, Victor
was tearing up, and he finally opened up, and he told us that he was looking
for something in his life, but he didn't know what it was, and I asked him if
he has prayed and asked God what it was, and he said he has, but not seriously
because he wants to wait until his daughter graduates high school in May,
before he makes any changes. At this point the spirit was so strong and I told
him that when we open our heart all the way and let God in, he then begins to
open our eyes - to truth and happiness and how to obtain both. I got the
impression to leave him with a scripture. The very set of scriptures and
numbers popped in my head, but I forgot what they were about but I was prompted
to share them. It was a while since I had read those scriptures. I took the
leap of faith and challenged him to read and pray about the scripture I gave
him, and we ended on a very spiritual high note. Turns out the scripture was
exactly what he needed. I didn't know that, but God did, and He impressed me to
share that with him. Great lesson!
It's been great - we have had 4 dinner appointments
now! There is this family named the
Martinez family and they make the best Mexican food ever! They are my favorite!
I've never been more appreciate of good food. It's so hard
to get good food here so mom the food you've been sending me means everything
to me! Thank you! It's ok though that the food is bad because it teaches you
how to survive off very little. It's pretty much been Raman noodles every meal.
Haha. For next month, we are going to plan out our meals, budget and figure out
how to shop so we can buy healthier food. I can't wait to have some good
healthy food. Haha.
Anyways, I can't lie, I've been depressed here. But I keep
telling myself it's not about me. Because it's not. It's not so much the
mission, it's the city of Yonkers and the people in it. People tell me all
these people need the gospel but honestly a lot of these people are too far
gone. It's so sad to say but they are so involved in drugs and violence that
they are almost at their animal instinct. The natural man has completely taken
over. I don't know how to explain it. People cuss at each other at church and
fight all the time. Even my companion who has served in Inwood, and The Bronx
says this is by far the most depressing place he's ever been. I'm trying to
lift my spirits, it's just very tough. I guess God is trying to teach me
patience and perseverance. Even the members hate it here. It's funny! They will
always ask me if I like it and I'm like "yeah sure I love it here!"
And they are like "really!? I hate it here". Haha it's pretty funny.
At least I'm not alone. I think what's frustrating is this isn't like a normal
mission where you get to serve people, teach people, have dinner appointments
and just be busy helping others. None of that really happens. Nobody answers
their phones, they lie all the time about when they can meet, and nobody has
any integrity here. Nobody wants to learn, they just want someone to tell all
their problems to and it just brings you down! Im trying to be as positive as I
can! Hopefully we will start to see some change happening in this place. We
just need to find that one person or family that will make it all worth it!
This scripture (even though way more extreme than what I've
been going through) has helped me a lot. Maybe it can help some of you too who
are experiencing difficult times.
“And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the
hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast
into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds
become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements
combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape
open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall
give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” D&C 122:7
That's what I love about this gospel. God is always there
for us. This gospel allows us to see how the good things and the hard times are
placed in our life for God to shape us to becoming like him if we let him. We
know that it will be perfect in the end and that's why we are always so happy
even when there's no reason to be. Because we always have that eternal
knowledge that as we work and show our faith through actions, the Lord will
bless us in this life and the next. This is the only way to true eternal
happiness. It lasts forever and only increases as we live right.
Keep going and things will get better.
With a whole lotta love,
- Elder Austin Celaya
P.S. I finally got to drive! New York drivers are not very
good drivers. Haha most of the speed limits here are around 30-40 and I think
there is a reason for that. Haha. Driving is so fun though.
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