6-28-10 #1

Hello Family!

How is everyone??? How are things going? OK, so much to say but never enough time. I have more time today but so much happened this week, Jewish wedding, taught N* and C*, Hermana Cuevas, Miracles, Service, workshop I taught, day of miracles, ward party, MY FIRST TALK IN SPANISH! President Nelson, BYU-I Pathways Program, Street sweep in Park Slope, Confidence, and the list goes on and on. Hernama Carney wrote about the Jewish wedding so I am going to send her version so that is something I can skip. It was amazing. We had so much fun and learned SO much! I love the Jewish people. They are amazing and we really do have a lot in common with them. Her e-mail is bellow.

So, where do I begin. Everything is going really well. Its been a week with ups and downs but its been amazing. This morning I woke up with a great amount of Joy in my heart. I know this came as a gift from Heavenly Father. I love being here, I love this work so much. Its hard but it is so rewarding. We have been seeing many miracles this past week. It continues to amaze me how much Heavenly Father loves us and all the miracles we see as missionaries. Saturday was an extremely hot day. We had a street Sweep in Park Slope to help the Elders there. It was very interesting and I felt like it was a lot more productive than the one before. There are a lot of people that really don't know what our Church is about and are stuck on the rumors or views the world has. One woman walked by and I told her there was free lemonade if she would like some. She just shook her head as if I was a daughter who just disappointed her. It was amazing to stand on the street and be judged buy the world and harshly but I still felt joy regardless. I understand how difficult peer pressure or fears of the world can be at times, I felt it in a great amount but regardless we can feel TRUE joy and peace from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is long lasting and with out fear. This woman I invited walked back again back from where she had come from. On her way back I said very nicely, "Have a great day!" yet again she shook her head but this time said, "Are you Mormon?" With a disgusted tone. With out thinking I said as clearly as I could, "Yes we are." This was impressive with me because a lot of times my English is a little rough with learning Spanish and things come out wrong all of the time. I was hoping to be able to talk with her more but instead she shook her head again with a disgusted look. I was sad that she felt that way and that she must have heard something bad. She was about 40 feet away and then turned around. At first I just though she had forgotten something but then came to talk to us. She asked if we were the Mormons from Texas with a whole bunch of girls and many wives. Very animatedly said, "Nooooooo, that is not us." She quickly replied, "Well you dress like them." I explained that we are Sister Missionaries and serve for 18 mo and we wear skirts to respect our calling and the sacred work we do and that when we are not missionaries we look just like her. She was surprised and asked another question. I explained how many people think we are the same but we are very different. Then I attempted to give her a pass-along-card with the website on it but she wouldn't take it. It was all very interesting to me but I loved it very much.

Before our street sweep we had a surprise call from a member. She asked what we were doing at 2:30. The street sweep was suppose to end then but we told her we were open any way and thought we could just leave early. She told us she had someone she wanted us to teach and she had already set up an appointment with her friend for us to teach her with her! That has never happened to me before. It was a great lesson but I was sure humbled. I am learning more and more that when we need to speak we will be able to. I need to have more confidence in the Lord and the Spirit. I have been careful with having confidence in myself for I have been greatly humbled as a missionary but now I need to have grater confidence that the Lord will be my support exactly when I need it. I really do need to trust more. I believe and know that I will be supported and guided but I need to trust in a much greater amount.

After this amazing surprise member present lesson we met with two less-actives that showed up at church last Sunday. We had a great time getting to know them better and I fell in love with the little girl that lives there. They are from Mexico and moved here 8 mo ago and haven't been to church since they got here. It is a mother and a daughter. The daughter is in her 20's and they are living with her sister. The sister isn't a member. They asked if we would teach her more about the church so we did! It was great. Right after that we had a great ward party to celebrate Fathers day. It was so much fun and I felt that I was able to get to know the member a lot better. Its been difficult getting to know them this transfer so that was really good. They are a lot of fun as well.

And can you believe it, that was only Saturday :)

On Sunday I gave my first talk in Spanish. Sunday morning was a little difficult. I just wanted to do the best I could and knew to give this talk I had to have the spirit. We had strict instructions from our mission leader as well. My talk was exactly 7 min according to instruction and on missionary work. I was humbled by how much help and guidance I received from the spirit. I shared Luke 15:4-6 and read from President Ucdorfs talk about being the Hands of Christ. Yet again this was another lesson to me that I need to have greater trust that when I need to speak I will be able to and that I need to have greater trust in the Lord.

Overall things are going really well here. It is EXTREMELY hot but the work continues forward. Sister Carney is doing great as well. She is up to par and plugging along as well. I've been so impressed with seeing her partake of the Atonement so much. What a blessing to me. I feel as though I have been watching the atonement from a picture window.

I need not be nervous about next transfer and who will be my new companion. I know all will be well. I can't believe how much I am learning and growing. I saw President Nelson yesterday at a baptism. After he came up to me and we had a very tender experience. He shook my hand and said, "Let me quote your weekly presidents letters to you, it was another great day to be a missionary." We both started tearing up and he told me with a soft voice that he was so grateful I was serving here. It touched my heart and I felt his love and the love the Lord has for me. How grateful I am to be here. I would be no other place.

I love all of you very much. I pray for you often and can feel your prayers. Thank you so much for your love, support, concern, and help.

With Great Love,

Hermana Banaszewski



Sister Carneys E-mail home about the Jewish Wedding~

And Thursday night! Amazing! We came home dressed as Jewish as possible. And we still stood out like sore thumbs. We both had long black skirts and shirts with longer sleeves and we even wore vests to look even more professional. And even though it was hot we wore our hair down. Well, let me tell you that at a wedding they dress VERY FANCY! The suits were all materials like satin and silk. The women wore sequins and lots of jewelry and just way fancy dresses. Oh my goodness. If we had worn suit jackets we would've been better off but we still would've stood out.

We arrived at about 6:30 and hovered at the door. Harye's granddaughters saw us and recognized me. They must've told Harye they saw us cuz a few minutes later he came out and brought us in. "Don't be shy! And don't get scared by their dress! The big hats mean nothing. And the women are just very fancy. Don't worry about it! Come! Eat as much as you want!" So we got some food and sat and watched as people came slowly in. Then a woman named Z* came. H* had called her last week when we were with him. He told her that 2 girls from far away were coming and that they'd never seen a traditional wedding before so he asked her to guide us around and explain things. She was quite a blessing.

For most of the evening the men and women were separate. We even had a separate entrance. At the beginning we just ate and then Z* had us come with her to congratulate the bride. And that was an experience itself! We had to push and shove to get to the front! And I'm not kidding. We shook her hand and Z* took a picture. The men were on the other side of a wall. The fathers and the Rabbis were writing the marriage contract. They write it on a plate and it can't get broken before the ceremony. The... Chah... I think. Anyway, I guess in Europe they used to write it months in advance and then it was binding. And it was all to protect the women because they wanted to treat them like royalty and take care of them. But I think part of the reason they do it the same evening here is to give less chance for the plate to break. Convenience.

Then right before the ceremony the fathers and the groom and the rabbis come in (in a procession) and they put a veil on the bride. And when I say veil, I mean a VEIL! Like, think of the material the dress is made of and then put that on your head. She then had to have a woman on each side of her to guide her cuz she couldn't see anything. She left the room and then everyone else left after to go into the room for the ceremony. In that room we were still separated. Women sat on one side and men sat on the other. In the back of the room there was a group of men singing. It was kind of like having a live band including a DJ... but totally different, haha! I can't describe it better than that. In the front of the room was the canopy and the fathers and the groom and the rabbi and the witnesses.

We all stood when the bride came in. She was escorted by her brother and sister-in-law. She's usually brought in by her parents but her mother passed away and it needs to be a married couple. Her sister-in-law was one of the woman who stayed by her side to guide her everywhere. First the bride walks around the groom 7 times. Then different rabbis come up and say different blessings. I think there were 7 blessings as well. And the bride drinks out of a glass. And then the groom smashed the glass. That is to remember when the Jerusalem temple was broken. The instant he smashed it the bride whipped off her veil! They walked out the door and everyone was lining up trying to say Mazeltov and take pictures.

Speaking of taking pictures, we did manage to take some really good videos and pictures but it was way awkward or we would've taken more. Others were taking pictures but not very much at all. And they seemed to be looking at us and wondering what we were doing.

After the ceremony we went to the bathroom. Yes, this part is also interesting. There was a silver basin with handles in each sink. We watched the other girls washing their hands and they would fill the pot and set it aside and I saw some using the pot to pour water on their hands. We were confused so we tried to be sneaky and just wash our hands the way we know how.... haha!

Okay, then came dinner. More fish! I ate so much fish that night you wouldn't believe it! And that's the first time I had raw fish, too! (Which actually tasted pretty good.) During the meal Z* showed us lots of pictures from Israel. (She went a few weeks ago.) And then the fun part! The bride came in and we all started dancing! (We were separated by a wall again, the men in another room.) When she first came in Z* and Sis B (Rachel) and I were at the front... but let me tell you. They may look all sweet and harmless but don't believe it! Jewish women are feisty and pushy! They were pushing and shoving like nothing and suddenly we found ourselves at the back of the crowd! Well, I got a chair and stood on it cuz I wasn't about to miss my only experience at a Jewish wedding! And a few people copied the idea too. Anyway, we eventually got to join in the dance ourselves. Very simple. We just all join hands and dance around in a circle around the bride. She danced with her nieces and she danced with her friends. She just danced with different people all night. We also went and peeked in at the men and they had a circle dance of their own but with one major difference. While we were in the middle of a small battle and tons of chaos, the men were all organized and perfectly cordial.

We didn't get to stay for the "special dance" and I have no idea what would have happened there. But it was already late and we had to go home. But it was such an amazing experience!