May 18, 2016

Happy Wednesday everyone,

Awesome things happened this week.
It began with Zone Conferences at the Lincoln Sq. building!
We were asked to come having practiced a 4 minute restoration. So we
did this. Video recorded ourselves which is something President wants
us to do. (Realized we are far too serious and I dread watching
myself. HA but good to do) There's is a big focus in our mission on
those New York minutes and teaching simply! I've been grateful for
this because how do you 1) get to know someone quickly 2) teach a
principle of the gospel to them 3) invite them to do something with a
promise in a 5 minute subway or contact. Things are fast here. This is
hard but it can be so natural as we share who we are and why we're
happy.

So I've had way too much sugar this week. A member took us to Harry's
last night in the financial district and ate this canoly that was the
best thing I've put in my mouth. I also feel like I'm doing well on
the walking/eating ratio.

We really do have such inspired leaders here in New York! We were
privileged to be at a training Saturday with the General RS, YW, P
presidency; Sister Lind Reeves, Sister Joy Jones, and Sister Mckonkie.
I feel like their faith and hope are in their faces and in the way
they treat others. I just felt such a spirit for the Restoration of
the Gospel through a prophet! Please read the Book of Mormon each day
as a family.
This is far more important than anything.  I also felt such a vision.
One of them said, "With increased vision brings increased motivation."
Our visions in life really do change as we change and our hearts are
opened to more truth and light. I have felt it time and time again. I
have a very different vision for my life than I did before and the
choices I make will be a lot more closely guided by the revelation I
receive. I just want to be the best self I can be. Thankfully it's a
lifelong process and it doesn't just happen over night. The Atonement
is such a real gift. It's so real that it changes us, our hearts. I
love repenting! It fills me with joy and more love!  Repenting daily
and coming unto Christ is a real life changer.

And I love doing this by taking the Sacrament. There's a special
feeling by repenting and preparing our hearts before we take the
Sacrament. Sunday we all fasted for an Elder Baldwin in our mission
and that was cool.

We had a really cool experience with a girl who goes to NYU who's mom
is taking lessons in California. We sat in Washington Sq. park with
her and taught her the Restoration and then she had great questions
and is looking forward to going back home and joining in on lessons.
Another one. We had this referral for a cleaning lady who works at the
Marriott hotel who wanted a Book of Mormon. Of course because they are
displayed so nicely. Well we've been a few times now and taught the
front desk worker instead! That has been the Lord in his work. Lucinda
will be baptized. I will keep you updated when we see her.

I love my mission. I love being companions with Sister Hart. It's been
such a blessing. Our studies each morning have been so great together.
I have been super happy lately.

I love you guys!

Xo, Sister Vassau

1. Sister Hart's photography skills
3. Rainy Day in NYC
4. This is our sweet investigator Ashley who is 16. Her birthday treat!
Secret Garden in Central Park

May 11, 2016 - 11 Months

That Mother's Day call was amazing to me. It was just what I needed!

So happy to see that everyone is happy and doing so well. We

celebrated moms by taking people's pictures in Central Park (Bethesda

fountains) and Columbus Circle with our Mother's Day board. I felt

like I was in Italy over here. Spring time in the city is so pretty.

I added some flowers to the pasteboard, put my touch on it. We took so many 

pictures!!! Everyone loved it! Met people traveling from all over the world who

can now remember that lovely interaction with missionaries. That was

happy to see the reaction of so many who'd say you made our day and

hopefully their moms too.

Wow. So we have an investigator named Lucinda who I finally met. She

is soooo great. we set a baptismal date with her for May 21st. We

would love prayers her way! Lucinda heard a lot about the church once

she came here to live from Australia. She saw all the church media in

times Square and was a self referral. She works at Golman. She's super

stressed right now at work, she barely has time to come to church

lately, but she is awesome. She reads conference talks all the time

and she has even gotten her mom back home reading them. When we met

with her Saturday she told us NO WAY can she come to church she has so

much work that's been thrown on her, but we promised everything would

flow smoothly if she came and she would get everything done that she

needed and she could get a priesthood blessing... And she came!  Right

before church Bishop Annett gave her a beautiful blessing. He thought

she was a member when he gave the blessing.  He just saw such a light

of Christ in her. She has a really great countenance.

I was on a split yesterday with Sister Lefler. She is in the area

above us so we had a great day together. We did free Book of Mormon

art tours in the morning at the temple. The temple has this beautiful

art exhibit right now with art from Walter Rein. (In the bishopric in

Harlem) IT'S BEAUTIFUL. Wish you could be here to see it.

One of our ways of finding is by going into treat shops and bakeries

and talking to the employees. We walked around West Village yesterday

(major heart eyes) and taught 5 people about the Book of Mormon or 4

minute Restoration!! It was so effective!! One man named Jeremy that

we've been back to a couple times and he's a single dad of 4, lives in

Connecticut, and is wanting to read the Book of Mormon... So many good

treats. Oh my gosh. Also, we went running this morning because we are

right next to the water in China town and it's the most beautiful

sight to see. The Brooklyn bridge and Manhattan bridge are right

there. Dreamy!! Sometimes I feel like I'm on a long mission trip with

all these cool sights to see and yet, I get to feel the spirit and

share happiness by being the Lords servant.

LOVE IT.

I've been thinking about obedience lately. Always room to be more exact.

I liked this quote-- "Obedience is the lifeblood of faith. It is by

obedience that we gather light into our souls."

Happy May. Xx

Sister Vassau

Park and Jos Wedding Week

Heeeeellloo!! 

So many great thoughts this week! Let's see! This week there was really good days with some frustrating moments mixed in there. 

My favorite thing about this week was taking the sacrament. More than anything, that time has become so special to me! I need it, oh do I need it. It just felt good and I had a more spiritual experience as I prepared to take it. I don't think I could go week to week as a missionary if it wasn't for those 15 minutes. I love the Savior and that time to think about how he can help me & what he's done already for me and each of us. 

So I shared my testimony in church (takes all of me to do that sometimes) especially when everyone is so new. I went throughout the day and I felt all these negative feelings and did not feel the spirit after church riding on the subway and such. The worst! How does that happen? So I've thought so much in the last two days about how much we have to fight for our testimonies. Never has it been easy to have one. Monday we met with a less active member who just is facing so much opposition. She is still reading and praying, but she doesn't see how she is going to come back to church based on some of the people and experiences she's had. I though about it and what I would do if I went through similar experiences. She is still doing the things she is suppose to and took the sacrament this week. We read this verse yesterday in a zone meeting as we sat in the chapel thinking about what the sacrament and our covenants mean to us. 3 Nephi 18:10-14 

I want to live the doctrine of Christ even if things get hard!! 

I WILL ALWAYS READ, PRAY, TAKE THE SACRAMENT because I know the church is true and pure. Heavenly Fathers promised blessings are so real when we do our part. He will not fail us.

Now from what I remember about this week: 

-Good deed dares: we came up with this idea. We made cards with all kinds of good deeds we "dared" people to do. Set it up at Morning Side Park. 

-Garrett's popcorn: so we have this boy named Anthony we teach @ Garrett's. We've been helping him understand prayer and how to understand the spirit. He gives us free popcorn. It's killer.   People just give us free food here, ALL THE TIME!! It's so bad!!!! I am so watching my calorie intake, even though I know I need to enjoy myself. I literally could gain 20 lbs here so quick. So much good food, fun restaurants, and good members who feed us. 

-Hand scrub: LOL. So we walked past a girl handing our free soap samples yesterday and she told us she ordered a free bible or got the app and told us what a sign this was to see us! We promised her we'd bring her a Book of Mormon. She was excited. Then.... We got a free hand scrub with sample :):) 

-Last night we had dinner with a part member couple. They just got married. She works in fashion. Love her. He is from Brooklyn.  They have been trying to do prayers together and read the scriptures. He's open to the Book of Mormon and things, he just has his own beliefs. Their relationship is very cool. 

-I saw Kelsi!!! (Toes too) Their apartment. Is so cute. It's so good to have family so close by!!! 

-We helped clean a members apartment. And shared with her a thought on mothers. 

Counting the days until I get to talk to you mom!!!!! I LOVE MOMS. 

I read Behold Thy Mother by Elder Jeffrey R Holland yesterday and I was filled. (Tears, My goodness) I miss my mom! Haha I love the story of the mom who bore her sons heartbreak along with the Savior. PLEASE GO READ THIS. I thought about my mom and Julie and my grandparent and my aunts and all the sweet moms in my life who feel everything for their children.  no love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child. 

Thank you for the most loving moms who have been my examples of faithful woman who know who they are and help others see that as well. I love you all. 

Xo- Sister McKell Vassau 

 Kelsi & Toes 

 NYU campus is so pretty right now with the flowers. 

 Our APF in Morning Side Park

Spring in Union Square

What a beautiful city. Spring could not be a better time to be in Union Square. I'm really enjoying the good people and flowers shops. Heart eyes for all the spring colors and cute bakery shops.  The Lord's work is so happy.  I have understood more of what works here and what doesn't, it really is a seed planting area. We have great conversations each day. Those usually don't always count as a key indicator, but the amount of light and service we can give here is endless. 

I've had to adjust my thinking a little and think of what the Lord would need us to be doing in a place that's so busy!  I will share some sweet little miracles with you and some day to day things so you have an idea of what the work looks like here. 

Since people are passing by so often we set up a table in front of the chapel with cute boards that we can stand by and say hi or something kind to people passing by. Obviously they know we want to share something so either people will stop once in a while or we'll just leave them with a good image of who we are.. Nothing too annoying so people don't have negative thoughts. Earth day was Thursday and one man did stop. He was an artist named Art. lol He stopped and first told us he loved our energy.  It was clear he was drawn to our light.  He told us he never sees people like us who have so much sunshine that light up the city.  We shared a 5 minute principle about our plan here on earth and he said he will be at church. He called us Sunday night and told us why he couldn't come, which is great! 

We went to a dog park and let George play. We talked with a woman from Maldesia the whole time and we were able to talk about a few principles with her of the gospel! The area is just beautiful. We can walk by the water and see the Statue of Liberty. Pretty cool. We share short messages with members in the ward that let us come stop by. The Sisters have made really great relationships with the members. I was able to meet the ward mission leader. He has such a cute wife and little boy Paulo (love the name). They are from São Paulo, Brazil. Very kind man and seems to have loved his mission in Brazil, which is easily the opposite of this area. His wife wants us to help her with her English each week. She is so darling. 

Listen to this!! Do you remember sweet Robert? Who offered his seat to me on the subway in Harlem. we created a good relationship by phone for a few weeks . Sweet little Puerto Rican. Well, we were walking past a building after grabbing some lunch and Robert sees me and gives me this big smile and hug. Ah! Haha he was so happy to see me. I can't believe we walked past the place that he is a doorman for, because I knew in the back of my mind it was somewhere in this big city and I wanted to find him. Heavenly Father knew! He really wants to come to church and wants us to pass by and say hi:)  

Saturday was Union Square park. We talked to people about family history. We have a big world map. we went to the temple later that day to help in the family history center. I love doing that. The temple is such a special place.  It really is a refuge and ties our families together. It had me thinking of grandma and Josilyn and Parker!!!!!! BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE LOVE BIRDS. you guys are getting married in the temple:):)  that's so happy! I have a lot of feelings about it but I can't find the right words of explaining how I feel because I don't do that well, also I don't know how I even feel anymore about not being apart of it.. Heavenly Father is watching over me here. What could make a sister happier than her best friend finding and being with his best friend for eternity? That's preeeetty great. Only the restored Gospel can provide us with such rich blessing and hey..no one said it better than President Thomas S. Monson. 

  "There is no more important goal for you to work toward than being worthy to go to the temple!  Our goal is to obtain celestial glory, and the choices we make will, in large part, determine whether or not we reach our goal."

I was more grateful for the small things this week.  If we don't teach very many people throughout the week I can find fulfillment in my daily studies and being happy with what I've been blessed with. This Gospel is true. We do have a loving Heavenly Father.   He's so real.  

P.S. Save me some flowers!!!! 

Sister Vassau

Hello Union Square!

Hey!

I have a lot of exciting news for you all. We had a great week in
Harlem! One I will remember!! The highlight. An Evening of Praise. Oh
my goodness it was so great. The gospel music was amazing. AND! Our
Baptist investigator came and loved it so much. Haha she was naturally
in her element. She was raising her hands in the air and lovin every
minute. I thought that was so cool how we could come together on two
different levels and have a common ground. She is excited for us to
keep coming over and who knows!

I have just felt super humbled this week with everything that has been
going on.Yesterday I said bye to Harlem. I had a lot of mixed feelings leaving.
I really grew a lot in Harlem.  It's incredible the feelings I have as
I leave that area and Sister Staley. There is a feeling of deep love
for her sweet soul. Sweetest companion. She is getting a little
Philipino who is just arriving to New York from the Philipians and has
been waiting on her visa. Pray for her. I'm sure she will do great.
I am being transferred to Union Square (42nd St. down 5th over on the West.)
(TriBeCa, Financial district, Chelsea, West Village, Washington Sq.
Park.) all those cool places. Our apartment is in China Town. I'm a
little worried about all the treats here. My new Companion is Sister
Hart. She is twenty-one from Alpine (has me thinking of Sister
Eastman). She is very cool. She came out with Sister Staley and is
already very great with people. I will learn a lot from her!

The area is extremely different then Harlem. The work is
slower, which to me sounds crazy for how many people are in this city,
so I am  trying to figure it all out right now. Right now we have I
one solid investigator. Compared to running around in
Harlem and feeling like there were so many who were ready. The Sisters
do A LOT of finding here. Finding in very creative ways. Working with
members. Yesterday we had our transfers (they've been changed to
Tuesday's) and I met three members, all amazing people. Helped one
clean her home, another, we walked her dog Gramercy. Gramercy is a
good little missionary. We went to the dog park so we could talk to
people there, then we had dinner with such a special family that live
right on Wall St.

Oh and best of all!! The most amazing cousin, Kelsi Kimball, lives in
this area!

As we stood waiting for the bus yesterday. We said hi to an older
woman who was campaigning for politics. She asked us if we knew her
and then we tried to rear off the subject of politics. She was not
warm with us and told us there is a lot more to life than what we are
doing... And that I will not love all people when I am her age.... I
thought this was so weird and It hasn't left my mind, because this is
life. The gospel has everything to do about our plan here. I think
people are so confused and harder to share this happy message with
down here in Union Square. They don't see that there is a need for
anything more in their lives. I feel it such a blessing that we have
the full gospel and personal revelation to guide our lives. I just
feel.. What the world needs is not more scholars and technology, but
righteousness and meekness!!

The gospel is Happiness and I pray I can bring that into the lives of
others here, even if it's just by seeing a light that I have. I have
thought a lot before and as I have been here about just being TRUE.
True & Sincere in all things. With who I am personally and as a
representative of Jesus Christ. Treating others and doing as Christ
would. I love the Gospel! I love my family! I love my church! I love Union
Square! Love it all!

Hopefully next week I will have some more good stories and miracles to
tell you about. Pray for experiences to share the gospel & pray for us that 
people's hearts will be soft and ready to hear it!!

Love you, Sister McKell Vassau

So great are the Blessings!

My dearest family and friends!

I loved General Conference!! We watched most sessions at the chapel in Harlem. There is a difference in watching it in a church building. There's a different reverence. It's a little different than cuddled up in a blanket. However, I had the two CUTEST little girls come sit by me. Whenever I see them at church I die. Haha I would take them with me if I could.  They kept making me laugh singing Hallelujah and putting together my plan of salvation illustrations. Also, Marie-France came, not the other 100+ people we invited but I'm sure they watched it online right? :) I had a lot of feelings and people come to mind from many of the talks, 

My favorite was Elder Hallstrom's on the simplicity and basic doctrine that
God is our Loving Father and each of us His children. Do we know it in our mind, in our heart, and our soul? I feel I still can learn more about the true nature of God and conference confirmed to me that I need to have a more absolute trust in Him.

 "You can have what you want or you can have something better." 

I also loved Dieter F Uchtdorf's talk about lost sheep. He knows when we are lost. He will find us. Transformation will begin with obedience-- "obedience is the process by which we discover what we are truly made of."
Last quote I loved from Jeffery Holland, because he is a special man to this mission. 

"GOD WILL NEVER DESERT US. HE CANNOT DO IT. IT IS NOT IN HIS CHARACTER!"

After P-day last week Sister Staley and I had one of the coolest lessons with this girl
named Emani. We found her while prayerfully tracting her floor. She is a young twenty year old mom of a little boy, who also works and goes to school. She is so real and sincere, it's refreshing. She wants to get baptized really bad, but right now she doesn't care which church it is. We asked her why she wants to and she told us of the guilt from her past that she wants to get rid of.  So we had a set appointment with her, but when we knocked her door her moms boyfriend told us we were not sharing anything there. A few minutes later Emani answered her phone and told us she just barely got home! We came in sat down and taught her until 20 minutes later her mom gets home and tells us to rudely leave.. This is always awkward... Emani kindly and very maturely told her mom she was acting very rude and that she is 20 years old with a kid and pays for most her things...  So Emani said, we will take our lesson into the hall. So in the dirty project building hall way we had this lesson with every distraction you'd see in a project building, Emani just listened. The spirit was there! I will never forget that. Emani standing up for what she felt because she knew we were representatives of Jesus Christ.

Each week comes new challenges in this area, but SO GREAT ARE THE BLESSINGS OF THE LORD UPON US. Sandra is really going through so much. We sat with her this past week and she just cried. She is feeling so much pain. We listened to her and she expressed to us how she has never met people who she feels actually feel her pains with her.. She told me she "fell in love with me from when she fist met me." We reminded Sandra we are literally representative of Jesus Christ. That is why we come when she is at her worst points. I know it's the inspiration that comes from a loving parent.. He is our Loving Father in Heaven and he AIDS to our needs and sends us relief. Elizabeth, our new investigator also experiences huge health problems and can't handle pains in her throat and the hole in her stomach. It's really sad so we brought her juice and muffins this week. Marie-France has been distant. We just keep praying. 

I read this quote this morning and I wanted to share it because it echoes what our Prophet and Apostles spoke to us about.  

 "Our daily discipleship will determine our eternal destiny." 

I know with everything that this in fact is true. If you have any doubts, confusion, or are struggling with something turn to the Book of Mormon. Prayerfully read it daily. 

So transfers are in one more week!! We realized last night that this is a 7 week transfer.. Haha So I get to stay in Harlem for at least one more week. I'm happy about that.

Much love,

Have a joyful week.