Thanksgiving

11/30/2009

Thanksgiving was great. We went to an English member's home at 1:00 and ate a massive thankgiving meal. Then at 7:00 we went to President Hurtado's home for dinner. He is a great Branch President. He really encourages the members to give the missionaries referals and to be involved in missionary work.

This week was a good week. Until Friday. Thursday we had a Turkey Bowl in River head and played flag football for a few hours. It was really fun and I did really well. It's always nice to play sports and just have some plain old fun. Then we ate food like crazy. My legs are pretty sore from all of the football.

On friday we had a good day and went to the Hurtado's house for dinner. On the way home, i used the phone, talked to Elder Hunter to tell him we were on our way back to the pad. When we woke up saturday morning the phone was no where to be found. It had to be in the pad or the car, or i dropped it on the way from the car to the pad...
We've looked EVERYWHERE. and we can't find it. so we've been struggling without a phone for the past couple days. The worst part is that we can't answer the phone calls of people asking about english class. or anyone else that needs something. We'll get a new one in a couple days. But it REALLY REALLY stinks. The phone had all of the members numbers and our investegators numbers in it. we have our investegators numbers in the area book, but the members - no. we'll have to get a ward list.

Most of the members in the branch are Colombian. And apparently i speak spanish with a Colombian accent... Some of the members think so. My spanish is getting better. Sometimes my mind just goes blank, when I'm really tired and my head can't understand what people are asking me. But i am improving. I need to have more effective language study so i can speak whenever i want to, not just in situations when i actually understand what they want and i know how to respond.

I'm excited for this last week of the Transfer. I can't believe how fast this tranfer has gone by. President told me that he is going to keep me and Mathusek together, so I'm really happy about that. We are really good friends and we're happy and working hard. We didn't really have any investigators when we started, and now whe have a lot, this week we are going to commit a few of them to baptism and this next transfer our Branch is going to grow a lot! I can't wait.

It sounds like everything is going great. esspesially because BYU won!

Delivering Answers

11/23/2009


Hey everybody! It was a good week. We have 4 more investegators from our english classes now. We were knocking doors on Tuesday and we knocked into a man who told us that he had been praying to God lately and asking Him to show him the way. He told us that he thinks that we are the answer to that prayer. AND WE ARE!

As far as Thanksgiving goes, we are going to eat at a couple of members houses that day, as well as having a Turkey Bowl in Riverhead. We had a Thanksgiving activity on Friday in our Branch. It was great. The spanish people all cooked turkey and mashed potatoas and everything. And it was actually good. The 4 elders (Me, Mathusek, Johnson, and Anderson) sang a song. The members really liked it. We made up a song about Hispanos being better than Gringo's. They like it a lot.

Week of Miracles

Stephen was so excited this week. One sister in his Spanish Branch called it the "Week of Miracles". Here are some excerpts from Stephens email:


This week was AWESOME! On Thursday we committed a sister to baptism. For the 17 of October! That's right, and she was baptized on Saturday and confirmed yesterday during sacrament meeting. Her son, daughter-in-law and grand daughter were baptized about 4 months ago and she has been living with them for the past 4 months. She is from Columbia and she came here and was going to stay for 1 month, but she stayed for 4. She has been Catholic for sixty something years, so its taken her a while to get baptized. But she is great, and she kind of reminds me of Momita. Her family went to the sacred grove just this last week and she had a wonderful experience and she said she received her answer. We are going to the Temple with them to do baptisms for the dead on Saturday. I can't wait. Oh and the dad is getting the Melchizedek Priesthood on Sunday. We are starting to teach there niece, too, she go's back to Columbia on the 14 of Nov. so hopefully she will be baptized before then.

The same day as the baptism two members of our ward were Sealed in the Temple. They were baptized a year a go and the missionaries that baptized them got to go to the sealing. Also 3 other members went to the temple to receive there Endowments that day. One of those members has Terminal cancer and she has been a member for 15 years and never gone to the temple. she has been inactive, but we have helped her to become active again and she has changed SO much. And now she is prepared to enter into the kingdom of her Father. It's hard to see her so sick, but she is still happy

We tracked out two new families. One of them, when we came to the door just opened the door and said, " hey guys, do you want to come in?" that doesn't happen very often, btw. I think we found two golden families, I'm very excited about them.

This week was so good, the last two weeks were kind of slow and we had a lot of random stuff that we normally wouldn't have that we had to deal with. so it was good to get a week like this to re-motivate myself to be better and get excited again.

I love you, keep being awesome and I'll talk to you soon. Man, it's crazy how time goes by in the mission field. I can't believe I'm already finishing my 1st transfer. I'm learning a lot but i have a WHOLE lot more to learn. My Spanish got a lot better this week, at least I understood people a lot better this week. Anyway, I love you and I will talk to you soon.

Love, Stephen

Elder Stephen Kenneth Griener
New York, NY South Mission
85-69 60th Dr
Elmhurst, Queens, NY 11373

Conference Weekend Email

I had a pretty busy week getting ready for conference.
We had made a lot of little fliers we were giving out and
trying to get people to come.  We had 4 investigators who
came to conference on Saturday and 2 of them came on
Sunday as well. I think it was really good for them to hear
the prophet and the apostles and gain testimonies of their
device callings.

We watched it at the chapel. I watch in English, my
investigators and ward members were in the relief
society room watching in Spanish.  I'm sure that
dad is excited about the Concepcion Temple. There is an
elder form Hualpen and he was excited as well. Elder
Reyes. He came here the same day as me. In
fact we were travel companions on the plane.

Everything is going well.  They are trying to figure out
a different housing arrangement for us.  We have three
bunk-beds all lined up next to each other in our room.
Its kinda like a sleep over every night. The only problem
is when we have companionship study in the mornings.
Its nearly impossible because there has to be 2
companionships in the same room trying to talk to
each other and its hard. We might me moving in to the
apartments that Jared and Sarah lived in. Atlantic Point.
that would be awesome, it's way nicer than the place
we're living in now. We'll see. The problem is that we are
locked in our contract with the apartment until next august.
and we can't get out of it. But something is going to change
this week, we're just not sure who is moving or where.
I'll let you guys know.

We have our zone activity in Riverhead this afternoon.
We'll drive over there after we finish up with our laundry
and email. We're going to play basketball and have a...
How do you spell barbique?...uhh. yeah, that will be fun.

General Conference was awesome and im excited to change
and work harder and it was great! but i was so tired afterwords.
This next week should be really good, we have a lot of lessons
planned and we have plans to commit a few people to be baptized
, they are ready and I have faith that they will except.

My companion and I are getting along really well.   He's
really cool and he has been teaching me how to plan effectively
and he's a great teacher. He uses a lot of examples in his
lessons and i really like it.

Thank you for sending my coat and everything, it hasn't
snowed yet, but it's starting to get colder. yesterday was
kind of hot though.  In a week or two it will be plenty
cold. at least that's what I've been told.

The little movie in between conference sessions about
John Rowe Moyle made me think of home.  But not too
much, but it was probably the most homesick i have felt.
But it wasn't really homesickness, just made me think about home.

I am really enjoying it here, I'm still struggling to know
what the heck some people are saying when they talk
to me in Spanish, but I'm understanding more and more
and i can speak a lot more Spanish. I just don't know
what to say to someone when i have know idea what
they just asked me. ha ha.

Being here makes me realize how blessed you guys
are to be living in Alpine. In a small branch where
there aren't very many members it's hard to have all
of the callings and everything that make it run so
smoothly. It puts a lot of weight on the missionaries
to get things done, we're working with the branch
president to get the members started again on
there home teaching and visiting teaching.  Its
hard but we're working on it.

Everything is going well and I'm having a great time. 
Once we get our apartment situation figured out
and everything i think it will be a little easier,
but it's not so bad.

Tell everyone that i said hi and that I'm having a
great time. And i want to hear from them.  I got a
letter from Adam Grant this week, that was cool. He
sounds like he is loving Australia but its the same
as the U.S. but people talk differently, that's about
it.  And they do a lot of Tracting.

I plan to write quite a few letters today, but we'll
see. I might not have too much time.

Thanks for all of your love and support,
I'll talk to you soon. Keep being awesome
and reading the Book of Mormon
together and all the other stuff I'm trying to
get people out here to do.

Love,
Stephen

First pic in the field...

Stephen with Elder and Sister Nelson

1st Week in the Mission Field

Good morning everyone!

Monday is Stephens P. Day so he gets to email us on those days. This morning I woke up to find a lovely email from him with all the details he left out in his letter. Enjoy!


OK, I have a lot to tell everybody. Hopefully I will remember everything I wanted to say. We arrived at the airport monday afternoon around 2:00. Pres. Nelson and the AP's picked us up and brought us to the mission home. Before we landed at JFK we had to circle the airport for 25 minutes because President Obama was leaving the airport and we had to wait for Airforce 1 to be in the airbefore we could land. CRAZY. so that was weird.

Anyway, I spent the first night at the presidents home and we had a nice dinner and a little fireside with all the new missionaries. The next morning we drove to the mission office in Queens, met our companions, and went to our various areas. My companion is ELder Williamson. He is from SanDiego and he great. I am in the Patchogue Spanish branch. The appartments that Jared and Sarah lived in are in my area!(Jared and I lived in Bellport, NY for 4 months durring the summer of 2007) I drove through them just yesterday.

The first day I got here we went over the some investegators homes and taught them a lesson, then we taught another lesson and then we visited some less active members. We don't do much tracting because it's hard to know where the spanish speaking people live and its more effective to go to the homes of former investegators, less active members, media referals,ect. then we knock on three doors to the right and 3 to the left. The spanish speaking people usually live close to each other so this works well.

There are 6 Elders in my appartment. Elder Williamson, Elder Close, Elder Douglass, Elder Huner(new elder), Elder Parez and Me. They are all good missionaries that want to work hard, so that's good. My companion has been out for almost 1 year, and he has been in Patchogue for 4 transfers, so he knows everybody and he knows how to get around. This makes it a lot easier.

I went to church yesterday for the first time. Some of our progressing investegators came. They both want to be baptized but arn't able to yet. I really enjoyed church, there are about 50 or so members that come each week, that number includes the children. It's a lot different than the Alpine 7th ward, thats for sure.

We got to go to the temple saturday morning with the ward, to do baptisms for the dead because there were some reasent converts that were going fort he first time. They loved it and can't wait to go back.

The Ward missionleader's are Benito and Jose, Jose has only been a member for 2 months but he is awesome. He comes with us a lot to teach and he is super smart and very proffestional. He always coaches us on how to be punctual and how we should say things. He is really funny. So far I am loving it, and our branch really loves the missionaries and most of them are very excited about missionary work, we get lots of member referals and they are always willing to come to lessons with us and that is what really makes the difference.I can't wait to get to know the members better and to find more people to teach. I have really enjoyed my first week here, but i wish i couldunderstand what people were saying a litte better. Some people speak clearly and i can tell, but others... I'm clueless. When we get packages they are kept at the mission office until we have atranfer or if the office elders have time to bring them out here. It's aboutan hour or so drive to the mission office from my area. Really its likethere are two TOTALLY different missions in my mission. The city, and theIsland. It's crazy but I am loving it so far.

I am really enjoying myself and its a LOT of HARD work, but it's vale lapena. (worth it).

Thanks for all of your prayers, love, and support.

Love, Stephen

Off to the Big Apple

SOOOOO... Stephen left the MTC on Monday morning to fly out to New York! This would have been very exciting in and of it's self, but to make it even better he got to call home from the airport. His flight left the Salt Lake International Airport around 8:30AM so after he got all checked in and through security he was able to call us on a payphone at like 7:00 AMish. Because my dad is currently in Santiago, Chile we had to 3 way him in while my mom, Jennie, Nate, Josh, and I used 3 different phones all set on speaker phone to talk with him. It was so good to hear his voice! Lots of meaningless chit chat went on at first, then we heard a little more about the MTC and what he had been doing there. He and my dad also had quite a long conversation in all Spanish and Stephen did so well! From what I understood they were talking about how quickly he has picked up the language yet how different it is going to be once he is out in NY. From what I understood they were talking about how quickly he has picked up the language yet how different it is going to be once he is out in NY. Most of the people he will be meeting with will have learned Spanish as their first language so they will speak much faster than he is use to and will use a lot of slang terms that he will have to pick up while he is in the mission field. After my dad left the call we 3-wayed Jared and Kote so they could talk to him. Jared speaks fluent Spanish so he and Stephen talked to each other in Spanish also, but Jared couldn't stop laughing the whole time... apparently he thought it was funny that Stephen can speak Spanish... Not sure. Ha All in all it was a GREAT conversation for everyone. I will admit that I shed a few silent tears at first but I hid them well.

I am assuming that he made it to New York... I didn't hear about any plane crashes that day and no one ever called us to let us know that he didn't arrive... apparently while on the Mish no news can be considered good news. So Stephen is now out tromping around somewhere in the New York New York South mission.... could be in Queens, maybe the Hampton's, possibly Brentwood. We don't really know yet. Hopefully he will send a letter soon and fill us in on all that jazz. Once I know, I will let YOU know.

In the mean time here are some pictures of Stephen in the MTC... watch for one of my BFF's to make a guest appearance! :)

Stephen and... some other Elders... not sure who any of them are. HA

Stephen... FLYING!

Stephen got to help my BFF Dani Talbot get all checked in and whatever on her first day at the MTC!

Monday, Monday, Monday!

Stephen is leaving the MTC on Monday!!! So from now on if you want to write him you will need to use his NYC address. We get to talk to him on the phone while he is at the airport so I will give everyone a full update after we hear from him.

Email #1

We have a few more details... and the first request of many I am sure :)

  Hola! Como está? entiendo todo en su email
pero, it will take to long if i email you
back in spanish.  I will on Friday but right
now I only have a few more minutes to use
the computer. My P-days are Friday while I'm
here. My companions name is Elder Jackson,
he is from Salt Lake. I there are 7 Elders
in my district and 4 Hermanas. My zone is
awesome and I am really enjoying it here.
And I found out from one of the other Elders
that Austerly was in my zone but he left the
DAY BEFORE I GOT HERE!!!!!!! Crazy The food
is ok, I thought it would be better.  My
spanish is getting better and I can't believe
how much I've learned in two days.  I will
teach my first lesson to a fake investegator
on monday.  In english, thank goodness.
if you could send me my indoor soccer shoes
that would be great.
  Tell everybody that I love them,
          Elder Griener

We just got a letter....

We just got a letter;
We just got a letter;
We just got a letter;
Wonder who its from...

Hey look its a letter from our missionary!

... yes I did just sing a Blues Clues song.... but only because we received our first letter from Elder Griener today... and drum roll please.... HERE IT IS!

Hopefully this is the first of many!

So... what I got out of that is that stuffs cool, his comp is cool, everyone is friendly AND cool, they have big meetings, and eat lunch and dinner. HA maybe we will get more details about these COOL things the email. Cross your fingers!

Here are a few pictures of events leading up to Stephen heading out. ENJOY!!!

Fishing at the West Fork

Stephens last fish... HA

Stephen and Sammy at the McGuire Family Reunion

Saying good bye to the Arnoldsen Fam

Michael shaking Elder Grieners hand... so cute!

Stephen and some of his friends at his farewell brunch

The ladies are really going to miss him :)

With mom and dad at the temple.(I think this was the day he went for the first time)

Grandma and Grandpa McGuire

Grandma Sharron and Jim

Para Siempre Dios Esté con Voz...MTC Drop Off

Hasta La Vista to brothers and sister in front of the house.

















A last meal at Cafe Rio with the Padres.












Drop off at the curb at the Missionary Training Center in Provo.

New ... Jersey?

A few weeks back Stephen and I went to stay with Jared and Kote in New Jersey. Part of the reason for our trip was to help Jared out and visit Kote, the other part was to make some money! How you ask would Stephen and I be making this money? By knocking doors! Summer Sales... UG. It was quite the experience... one that Stephen thinks will be very helpful for him in preparation for his mission. He repeatedly told me that it was good for him to get use to talking to total strangers and having doors shut in his face. ... Makes sense right. Although New Jersey is not quite New York.. it is very similar. The first week we were in Jersey City... GHETTO! But like I said... good practice for him. We got into an average of 5 houses every day and over the total of 2 weeks made 5 sales... doesn't sound like many but when the other ppl in the office had been there for three weeks and had yet to get one it sounds a lot better. SO... the moral of the story here is ... Stephen got in a little door to door knocking experience and is still good to go...

Stephen.. Knocking doors

The first day we were there Stephen and I ventured out on our own to find a church meeting to attend. We walked 13 blocks along the Hudson River in Hoboken and hopped on The Path, a train that connects the NYC metro system with NJ Transit. We took The Path to about 14th St & Ave. of the Americas... where we walked 3 blocks to the church. We were so proud of our selves because we found it without to much trouble and were only about 3 minutes late. However upon entering the building we were unable to locate the chapel. When we finally found a person to ask where the chapel was we were told that it was Stake Conference and that the meeting would be ending in about 15 minutes. :( GRRR.... Going to church in the city is SO MUCH EFFORT! I am grateful that the building we go to is like a 30 second drive away.

Looking thoroughly defeated after finding out it was stake conference.

Oh yeah... AND...

Today a lady from the MTC called to find out exactly how much spanish Stephen already knows. The way she did this was by asking him questions in spanish and having him respond to her questions. He told me the questions were along the lines of 'How many people are in your family?' and 'Why do you want to go on a mission?' ... at least that is what he thinks she was asking. Ha.

On a sadder note... the Swine Flu has reached the MTC :( Which means Stephen will get a curbside drop off. No long teary good byes. At least not in Provo.

A little info...

So... The other day Stephen received a letter/package thingy in the mail with some more details of his mission. I didn't read it so I am not sure what all it says... but he told me that it informed him a little bit on how they get round in his mission.

He said they don't use bikes because it is not safe to ride bikes in most of the areas and they usually get stolen anyways. Isn't that a gem.

So if/when they are in the city they will have an unlimited MetroCard which allows them to use the subways as well as the city buses.SIDE NOTE FROM SARAH: Riding the subway downtown was one of my favorite things to
do while I was in NY two summers ago. I LOVED watching all the crazy people!

If they are farther out on Long Island where they don't have the use of public transit they will have a car to use.

...Stephen... You better start studying this map! :)

Elder Stephen Kenneth Griener has been called to serve...

Elder Stephen Kenneth Griener has been called to serve in the ... (drum roll please) ... New York, New York South-Spanish Speaking Mission!

He reports to the MTC on July 15th!

Yeah Stephen!!! We are all so very proud of you.