Now This is My Joy: We have been evacuated! Plus recent pictures :)

Hello family! So I know you usually write later, but I am writing a little earlier this week because of this hurricane.

It is kind of strange. We just heard about this hurricane 2 days ago. We were told to get our grocery shopping done early and to get ready to be home bound for a few days. But it turns out this storm is getting bigger and bigger and we got a text about an hour before church that all of us Sister missionaries were being evacuated to the Mission home today, and the elders in the lower areas all evacuated into other elders apartments who live. We hurried and packed and ran to church. I am now the ward pianist.....man do I wish I played more piano before my mission (its kind of rough ha-ha but I am all they got). The Bishop cancelled the rest of church after sacrament meeting and the rest of the meetings for the week. We are now all at the mission home (there are 27 sisters!). It should be fun :) We are being told we might now be here for 7-10 days. It is interesting. NYC apparently never gets hurricanes. There was Irene last year that everyone prepared for, there was some damage for some areas but for the most part it just rained. I guess they are having a hard time evacuating areas of Brooklyn because people don't believe it this time (which is silly because this storm is supposed to be HUGE). There are sisters from HI who are saying that their families have been evacuated for tsunamis that are being caused by an earth quake....CRAZY!!! Also all of NYC trains, subways and buses closed down at 7pm tonight...entonces, the whole NYC area is hunkering down...maybe this city will actually sleep!

However crazy, we are safe and praying :). We are emailing tonight because we don't know how much longer we will have power. Kind of funny, today in sacrament we sang "Paz Camlmense" or in English "Master the tempest is raging"....how appropriate. I am more worried about being in a house with 30 women ha-ha. It is strange not having anything to do. I will enjoy it while I can, and the sisters here are incredible!!! I also feel very blessed. As I was sitting on the stand (in the back) I looked out on my Rego Park Barrio II. Wow, how do I love these people. They are so pure, so good and so strong. I feel humbled that the Lord has called me to serve amongst these specific people. It is painful to think of everyone in harms way. You can tell people were worried today, about their homes and for a lot of them, what little they had. Sacrament Meeting was so full of faith. It was neat. Anita came by herself and stayed a while to talk to people :) sad not to see Saul with her, but good she had the drive to come. Goya, one of our investigators and our "mama dominiacana" also came. It is interesting I am a missionary, I have no home to worry about and a safe place to go, our food storage was taken care of. I am just bringing prayers and smiles. Amazing how I do feel in some ways that I do have family to worry about, for these people really are feeling as such, especially as I am so far from home.

Thank you for your prayers and support! Please as you are praying for me, also remember the people here in Rego Park and NYC. Who knows it might just be a rain storm.

Dad, I thought of you today as you were sustained Bishop of our ward! I would love to hear about how it went. I have been praying for all of you especially hard this week! Also thanks for your early email this week, it was nice to have something to read even when I am so early :) Oh and I got the ballot! Thanks! As soon as you can, will you send me some help in voting for the judges? I know that affects your work and I want to do the right thing and need to send my ballot soon. Just if you can of course!

Mom, I love and miss you as always and am thinking of you too!

Steve and Allie...love and miss you of course thinking of you! Thanks for being awesome! I hope you got your package Stephen :)

Te Amo mucho!!!
Megan