I totally slept in this morning! Turned off the alarm clock and went back to sleep. I was awakened by my roommate saying. 10 til 9! 10 til 9! As she rushed out of the room in a frenzy to get ready and go to church. I took a few extra minutes to pull up my hair, put on some makeup and make myself presentable as Ingrid hurried out the door.
The train pulled up to the platform right as I arrived at the stop- perfect timing! Rode the 2 stations up. My eyes were watering terribly so instead of slipping right into sacrament meeting I went to the bathroom to get some tissue paper.
These are the reasons I sat where I did…In the very back. I would usually be up closer in the pews with my roommates etc. anyway. After church I saw a friend from BYUSA. Scott and I were chatting a bit and he looked over and saw 5 people sitting quietly in the middle of the hustle and commotion of the transition between sacrament meeting and Sunday school. He said…um I think we should talk to these people. I thought oh- okay whatever. I guess.
Hi blah blah…
We met Denise and Romeo. And I didn’t get the name of mom and dad and…um…uncle I think…because they did not speak English. They are from Italy they have been in NYC for 2 days and are staying for a week. Their tourist book suggested to come to our church. So COOL! I guess I didn’t realize that going to the Mormon Church in Harlem was part of the NYC tourist experience. =) OF COURSE IT IS! HA!
So I thought…hummmmm….there has GOT to be someone here who speaks Italian! I invited them to come upstairs with me to Sunday school and found out from the sister missionaries that there was a girl, Jen, in my ward who speaks Italian. So I grabbed her and during Sunday school we had a little 10 minute introduction to the church lesson in Italian! I sat there understanding VERY LITTLE….but SO MUCH at the same time!
WOW WHAT AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY I have to be part of THIS! This church and this gospel! WOW! I am SO INCREDIBLY BLESSED! What other church could you randomly go to in Harlem and…oh yeah sure let me find someone who can speak to you in your native language…cause they served a mission in your country!
SO COOL! So we were able to share with them a little bit (well Jen talked to them and I sat and smiled)
They LOVED the Hymns that we sang in Sacrament meeting! So the 2 women came to Relief Society with us and stayed for the 2 hymns at the beginning before they went on their way.
I got their information and told them that I would send the missionaries to see them in Italy and they were very welcoming to it.
AND they told me that I should come and visit them in ITALY!!!! FOR SURE I WILL!!! HaHa! I LOVE IT!
Really quite an incredible day! How everything worked out the way it did! WOW! I don’t think that I would have met this family if I had not been late to church and then my friend Scott who just happened to be visiting from DC this weekend decided to introduce himself, and I took it from there.
Dang! Sometimes I think…”Shoot Heavenly Father has it all put together!”
By the way- today is 10-10-10…and that’s pretty cool!
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