This week's been really great!...our trip to Columbia University

Hello mom and dad!!

How are you enjoying the sun over in Vegas?! Sounds like you guys are having a blast! Sorry I'm such a bum with remembering stuff like that...being on a mission just makes it really hard to remember things back home. We always say that "the veil is thick" haha we think it's just Gods little way of helping us stay focused :)

But anyway...HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Wow...20 years...that's super crazy! You guys are old! ;) haha jk. You guys are definitely an example to me. Especially now that I'm around people who hardly know what marriage is! I swear NO ONE is married here except for like white people going to school here! Even old people are still like boyfriend-girlfriend living together...it's weird. And sad. The culture is just sooooo different here.

I DID get a coat, though. I bought it at this CRAZY Asian clothing store called Uniqlo. It's like an amusement park for shopping! There's like TVs everywhere blasting weird Chinese techno music  with clothes like folding themselves in sync to the music, bright color EVERYTHING, and really creepy mannequins. It was $89 but it's a super good coat. It has a down interior layer that is sooo warm and then a waterproof jacket that zips up over it. It's really warm and looks really nice. You can see it on me on my Facebook profile picture!

We're actually going to the Met again this p-day because we only got like 30 minutes in it so we didn't get to see much. We're gonna be spending most of the day there today so we can see more. It was really cool, though! We saw the Egypt section with that awesome temple thing that they brought over from Egypt! And then we walked through the American art section for a little bit and then left. We're excited to see more.

So about those walk things, they're actually put on by one of the other elders' investigators!! He is AWESOME! He loves the church and everything about it. He is super into the community and bringing it closer together so every week for like the last three years, even before he met the missionaries, he's been going on these walks where along the way he just tries to pick up people and bring them along! They're really cool and are great things to bring investigators to because every week, as we walk, we talk about a certain gospel subject and then go to a site in the city that kind of relates to that subject. For example, for the topic of restoration, we went to this old old building that had been renovated to look new again. They're actually really cool! Last week we went to Columbia University! That's where that picture with me and the lion statue on Facebook is from.

I LOVE the subway!! I'm actually kind of getting used to what train goes where and what stop we need to get off at and what bus line will get me across town...it's really complicated but once you get the hang of it it's actually super convenient! Elder edmunds is pretty good at it because he was in South Manhattan last year. Speaking of him, he's great! I love elder edmunds! He's a really good, obedient, thoughtful missionary and we get along great. Yeah we have a couple difference but they're really nothing and definitely not anything to fight about. The only thing about him is that we're WAY different just with our personalities and interests. He's kind of a quirky guy and has a lot of things that kind of make me go "huh" or "what for?" but other than that there's really no complaints! He's from Taylorsville, Utah. I don't think anyone is easy to get along with 24/7 for long periods of time haha but he's definitely the easiest of my companions so far.

Ahhhhhh! You have to tell me all about your concert! Was it just amazing?! I hope you enjoyed it! That sounds like it would be a lot of fun...for you haha. Oh no...Akayla likes her?? That means I'll be doomed to listen to her for all 100% of my life!! ;)  No...I'm just kidding!!

Speaking of her...well, you already know...but she's gonna be going to the Omaha, Nebraska Winter Quarters mission!!! That's soooooooooooooooooooooo cool, huh?? Oh my goodness!!! I'm sooooooooooooo excited for her! That will be so good for her.

Well...this week has been really great. Nothing spectacular...oh we got  a referral from someone in Jersey City!! She is awesome!! her name is Lina and her husband, Derek, is also interested! They're like fresh off of the boat from China as of 6 months ago! They are awesome! Lina came to church this last Sunday and loved it. We're going over there this Thursday to hopefully teach them the Restoration! They speak really good English so hopefully that isn't a problem. She is such a sweetheart, though and was so nice and friendly with everyone there. We're looking forward to seeing them hopefully progress :)

Well...we're about to have a party for someone for their birthday so I gotta go. I hope you have an awesome week! Especially your time together with dad! This will be a memory you'll always remember :) I love you both so much! 

-Elder Stafford 

Our trip to Columbia University

The David Letterman Studio



The Manhattan Central Zone

The Manhattan Central Zone! We are LDS missionaries known for our message about Jesus Christ. Our purpose is to come and focus on Jesus Christ with the intent to invite people to reflect on what Christ means to them. We work in between 59th and 155th street in Manhattan. We hope through our effort in New York City and on the Internet that we are able to reach tens of millions of people. Please feel free to stop and talk to us! --facebook