Life here is so different.

Hello family!                                                                                       September 24, 12

How are you all doing? I loved your emails, and actually at the Library here in Queens I can print your emails for free. So I will be writing you after I am done with this :) Oh and mom, I haven't gotten any fudge yet, I might just have to drop by the mission office and see if it is there!

Stephen, Congrats!!!!!!! That is AWESOME! I am proud of you and hope your really enjoy it. There are few cooler things on this earth than running a race with a BYU jersey:) (The only cooler thing that I know of is wearing a black name tag with our Savior's name on it).

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers. I surely can feel them carry me along. Boy is it tough. I feel like at least once a day there is a moment where I think to myself, "What am I doing here? I didn't have to do this!" And then at the same time, everyday there is a much more powerful moment where I know and feel that there is no place I would rather be. Its quite the roller coaster in that sense.

I am glad you liked the pictures and that you were able to check the area out on google earth. Like I said I live just across the train tracks from the chapel. Life here is so different. Everyone walks everywhere here (I have never seen more podiatrist doctor offices in my life!). It is interesting when we do our "Street Sweeps" (We set up a table on a busy street and walk with/ stop/ talk /testify with people on the street as they pass by). We offer them free church DVDs (Finding faith in Christ, Lamb of God, Together forever and Restoration) and offer to bring it by their houses. The interesting thing is that when we stop and talk to people they are busily on their way somewhere. It is kind of like stopping people in their cars on their way to work. We call it "Fearlessing" We do it on the train (which we ride a lot), the bus, and to and from appointments. We usually give them a Mormon.org card or other pass along card. I am not so good at the whole "Having no fear" part of it, but I am getting better.

Our Mission president is an inspired man and very smart. He is really pushing these street sweeps and fearlessing (especially close to the chapels). In answer to your question Dad about the campaign we are told very strictly that we cannot participate in any political discussions, BUT our mission president wants to take advantage of the attention (especially in NYC where the media is centered) that the church is getting and get the name of the church out there. We do find actually quite a few investigators from fearlessing and street sweeps, and also we get the name of the church out there. People may not want to listen to our message, but at least they walk by the table and know that Mormons believe in Christ. We work really hard to keep the name of the Church out of politics.

Now, most of the people that we work with aren't US citizens and so aren't interested in politics anyway. We spent a lot of time in Corona this week which is very much Hispanic. I am, for the first time in my life, the only white person walking the streets and I really stand out. I did see one other white man yesterday. He was a construction worker who was talking to his supervisor on the phone and reporting that he couldn't do the work because of the language barrier and he couldn't get people to clear the streets ha-ha. The language is coming, still a challenge, but coming and at a miraculous rate. I now can understand most of the Spanish that I hear, the real challenge is communicating. It is coming.

The Miracles are unfolding and we are finding people to teach. We now have 2 investigators, and both were found through fearlessing. We have a few more that we are starting to teach as well. This work is so true, there is no way that 2 "foreigners" like us should find any one to listen to the message that we bear but there is. The converting power of the Book of Mormon is real. We went and visited a family that dropped the missionaries 7 months ago. The mother and son were home and the Book of Mormon was sitting on their living room table. We talked and found out that the 13 year old boy has read almost the entire Book of Mormon and knows that it is true. When we taught about Joseph Smith, he was finishing our sentences. The mother has been reading a little bit also. What a miracle! The problem is that their father will not let them go to church, and so we are praying!

Thank you again for all your love, support and prayers. I love you a lot and miss you terribly, but know that this is where I want and need to be :) I often find myself "talking" to you in my head and thinking about what advice you would give and what you would say, you help a lot :)

Love,

Hermana Chipman