2015 Mission Vision

Hello Family :)

We had a gooood week.

The Christmas Eve mission conference was the best day ever. So. Much. Fun. I love the NYNYCS missionaries. We have some of the best!
President announced our 2015 mission vision. It's a lot like the old one, with a few changes. This is how it goes:

I am SET APART from the world to serve WITH the Lord JESUS CHRIST. (Jacob 5:71-72). I am privileged to survey during the HASTENING of HIS work (D&C 88:73).

Through my exact OBEDIENCE and perfect FAITH, miracles in others will happen (D&C 82:10; James 2:18, 22, Mosiah 28:3). By studying and applying Preach My Gospel, I am FOREVER CHANGED. (PMG page v.).

BAPTISM is the gate,

The TEMPLE is the goal,

The MEMBERS are the key,

The DOCTRINE OF CHRIST is the path,

The ATONEMENT is the only way (2 Nephi 31:21)!

Powerful, right? We recite the vision every morning during our studies, and I feel the spirit every time!

As President talked about the upcoming year, I felt the spirit so strong. I've never felt the spirit so much in one day as I did that day. It was really cool.

President and Sister Calderwood bought custom-made NYNYCS Mission temple recommend holders for everyone in the mission :)))) They're sweeeeet.

After the conference we went to our Christmas Eve dinner with the other ASL sisters. C, a non-member who is basically a member fed us. She is the mother of B and C who are both members. She has been investigating for 10 years and comes to church every week. I'm pretty sure she even pays tithing, but she has some things to sort through before she can be baptized. Anyways, she made us lasagna, turkey, and stuffing. Hahahah :) It was good :)

Christmas Day we spent some time with M. She was sooo happpyyyy. No one ever visits her on Christmas! She kept saying "sisters are much better than those silly elders, they never visited me on Christmas Day, nope, not ever." 

Would you like to know what she gave us for Christmas? Keep in mind she's deaf. For Christmas her gift to us was singing to us, O Come All Ye Faithful, with her VOICE. I was so surprised, didn't even know how to handle the situation. I've never heard someone sing so loud with so much confidence as M did that Christmas Day. I thought the building might fall over it was so loud! But she was so excited about it, and it was so sweet. I will never sing O Come All Ye Faithful the same again, that's for sure.

For our Christmas dinner U and J had us over. J mom is Muslim and from Bangladesh, but she made us a Bangladeshi(?) feast for Christmas! Mmmm, my favorite. I made a very important decision as I ate my food... When I am a mother my Christmas feasts will consist of Bangladeshi foods. Goodbye funeral potatoes and ham! Bangladeshi food has changed my life, ITS SO GOOD. You gotta try it.

The rest of the week was good. Oh, I must tell you about S. She was baptized a year ago in Rochester while attending RIT. When last semester ended she moved home to Queens to get ready for her mission.(!!!!!!!!!!!) On Saturday she came out teaching and finding with us. It was so wonderful. I love her so much, it was like having a best friend spend the day with us! At the end of the day she asked us to teach her hearing Dad and Grandma. We had a sweet lesson with them about the restoration Book of Mormon, my fav lesson to teach :) the Book of Mormon is TRUE, no doubt about it! It was also so so so nice to teach in English.

K love you all :)

Happy New Years!

Stay safe. Choose the right.

-Sister Layton