Temple Day!

Here I am again!!! Writing to you from the subway. I love the state of New York. I feel like it had my heart even before I'd been here.

20 years old! 

Happy Birthday to ME! 

I am so blessed and I have been overwhelmed with love on my Birthday. You made me feel so so loved!!!!! Heavenly Father looked out for me. There is no place I'd rather be. I always love the week I get to celebrate with super special people. Kyle and grandma, I hope you were shown love all week!!! Next is big D. My birthday started off with 15+ emails from my mom.. Hahaha I got sung happy Birthday to that many times. My companion and I were LOVING THEM. Hahahaha I think my favorite was Brandon's. Actually, I can't decide they were all so good. I think it just showed her what a unique and fun bunch I have back home. You all are great. I woke up to my companion who decorated our place, made me breakfast, and then opened my packages of love. Loved everything!! I had an interesting lunch and got sang to by Sita sham (greatest lady), did so much finding, and then at the end of the night we got cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory because it's right next to us. SUCCESS!  Also the Lanier family bought me a NY Jets shirt because they loooove the Jets and are Treaver Reilly fans. That was so nice of them! Haha They love that we know him!  Every letter I read reminds me how much my family is sent here just for me. You all are special. Thank you, thank you!!

Another great thing was our Primary Program this past week. Westchester 1st Ward kids testimonies are so amazing of their Savior. Children just get it! We had ward council with our new bishopric before and I'm amazed at the leadership in this ward. Truly amazing. It's a really neat thing being able to be in on it all at this time in my life and see how each leader is so involved in this work. Bishop Mortensen does everything with such care & understands how it's the small little things in the church that are pleasing to God. Their consecrated examples have made an impact on me. His life and family is consecrated on the Lord. There are definitely a lot of things we have to give up to live the law of consecration in our lives!! 

Quote I love: 

"Christlike conduct flows from the deepest wellsprings of the human heart and soul"

The people we are teaching are great! We saw the Garcia's this week and taught them about the Plan of Happiness. We taught a lesson to the Lanier's and Cotton about the "Tree of Life" and they loved it because we talked about how the temple is on this straight and narrow path, but it's not the end, we have to endure. They are excited to get there because they understand that they can be an eternal family as they make it to the temple! Cotton is leaving for North Carolina for a month so that's sad, it will take time and patience to see him into the gates of baptism!! Aaaand Meava Meava is so great. Ahh, haha this is the woman from Ireland, who told us last night she wants to come to church and who knows maybe she'll really enjoy it. She has so many questions when we go over there. Only, she asked us to pick her up coffee this week. Uhh 

We had dinner with a member last night who has served his life in various callings. He was a mission President in Africa. Fun fact. He quizzed us on PMG. There are 126 chapters/verse references in PMG that he challenged his missionaries to memorize. They are all the doctrine and many of them did it and knew the doctrine so well. That is the basis of what he had them study on their missions and I thought that was cool. He showed us his marked up scriptures of the pure doctrine. After I finish the Book Of Mormon I would like to do that. He said they could dig into the scriptures as they did this. 

I'm going to the temple right now :) :) 

Have an awesome week.

Love you, Sister Vassau