The YSA Branch in Richmond Hill. They are awesome and I love being able to help out with their Family Home Evening.

This is a funny picture I took at Hna Bustos's work. She has a hair salon and she had us come into the back and eat with her. I peaked into the "waxing" room and started laughing. Before we ate with her we were talking with her about her reading in the Book of Mormon, where she is and how its going. If you take careful note, on the stand to the waxing bed is her Book of Mormon. She really is reading!

Our Christmas Tree

Some of my Christmas goodies! Thank you so much!

Christmas presents!!!

Hna Sorenson has things to make Reindeer cupcakes! We took them to a family for Christmas.

Hna Sorenson...she was a little sick :)

Merry Christmas from Jamaica Ave in Queens, NY!!!

The crazy amount of snow on our balcony

Last night

A van than must have gotten stuck last night in the middle of the road and is STILL sitting there!

SNOW!!!


Hey family!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Plus...who said it was going to snow 2 feet in NY?! Wow! The first REAL snow we've had in the area I'm serving in and it DUMPED!!! Last night we were told to come home early because it was so bad. By the time we actually got home it was only about 45 min early! I hope the pictures speak loud enough. I'm so grateful I have some pretty good boots and snow gear. Wearing skirts is a little difficult but...we get creative.

My Christmas was GREAT! Honestly I think it was the best Christmas of my life. I really felt that I was able to focus on the TRUE meaning of Christmas and not gifts, where to go, food, or anything else. What a blessing it has been to not have to fight with the world about Christmas. Instead I was able to go out and proclaim the glad tidings of great JOY! That is how I have been feeling lately, full of Joy. Things as a mission are still and always will be difficult but I just feel a sense of Joy in my heart. It was a great Christmas. There were so many people that sent packages or cards. I wish I was able to thank everyone individually but I am overwhelmed with how much love I received. I will always remember who sent a package or a loving card. Thank you. I know they were sent with love and I felt it.

For Christmas we: 1st opened all of our presents and had some fun together as sisters, then got ready for the day and were able to visit with the Ro* Family and eat :) then we called home and ran to the Pe* home. I LOVE that family so much. Ar* was really funny. Hna Pe* had been praying that she would have all of her kids home for Christmas and SHE DID!!! It felt so good to be there with them. We were even able to share a really good Christmas message with her daughter and family that aren't members. What a great day to be a missionary!

Today we helped four people dig their cars out and then dig them a path to the main road. We ended up shoveling for over 3 or 4 hours. It was so much fun. Its a snow day! and as a missionary that means SERVICE!!! All of the people we helped were around the church. They always asked, so are you from there, pointing to the church and we would happily say, "Yes we are!" and keep digging their cars out. The snow is so bad that most of the cars we dug out were actually jeeps or off road vehicles.

Things are going really well in Richmond Hill right now. This last week FLEW by really fast. We've been working really hard to figure out who we need to be visiting, picking old people back up, setting up appointments like no body's business, and just working as hard as we can. I am very grateful Hna Sorenson is here. She's served here 6 mo ago so its nice that she knows the area and people already. We are working really hard to work more with the members and have been doing pretty good with that. I know there is a lot to come but I am excited about it. Things are still hard, that's just how life is but I LOVE it! I love working hard and just crushing it out. I feel like with every companion we've been able to crush things out rather it be "missionary work" or other things. I'm so grateful for every companion I've had and the opportunities to grow, change, and improve. Wow, I LOVE being a missionary!

I know that Heavenly Father has a personal hand in our lives. Last night we were at Ke* and Me*s home. They are Dominican, I LOVE those people. I feel like I connect with Dominicans a lot, even if I can't always understand them. They are passionate, loving people. Me* said some really neat things to me and I knew that I needed to hear them. Life is amazing. We come in contacted with so many different people and have so many different experiences. All of us have the choice to decide how we are going to take life, the hard things and the easy ones. We fought to come to this earth and experience all of these things.

I know that Christ lives. That is why it is OK when bad things happen to good people. Because Christ understands, suffered for it so that we might be healed. He walks beside us, His hand is outstretched, we decide if we are going to take it or not. Its not always easy but its worth it. It can become easier as we turn to Christ.

I love all of you very much!

Love,

Hermana Banaszewski