As we prepared for the upcoming fall term, we have had two linger longers, one in Elizabeth and the other in Perth Amboy. Our attendance in Elizabeth has always been small. We know that there are a few more YSA's that could be attending Institute and we are trying to get them to do that. During August we attended the Elizabeth ward meetings three weeks in a row. There is a young single adult Sunday School class there, so we attended that also. We explained to them that we would have a linger longer the next week for all the young single adults in the ward.
Let me explain what I mean by linger longers. We stay after the Sunday meetings for a time to eat and get to know each other better. During this time we wanted to invite them to not only attend Institute class but to be aware of some upcoming regional activities. We also have formed a Facebook group for the Spanish speaking YSA's in our area and we want them to join that.
As it turned out in Elizabeth, only the faithful three or four attended. The same day that we planned to have our linger longer, the ward council had a meeting and also planned to serve food also. Ours was better though, as I served taquitos, fresh guacamole and salsa, chips, and brownies and ice cream sandwiches for dessert. (I forgot to take a picture!)
In Perth Amboy we had great success! Perth Amboy is a new area for us. We visited the Branch president and asked him to advertise our upcoming linger longer. On the day of our planned linger longer, as the sacrament meeting was ready to close, the counselor that was conducting (and who is also a YSA) gave an announcement about the linger longer. He not only made the announcement but pointed out individually who all should be there. It was great and I'm sure that really helped our attendance. We are excited to be able to teach in Perth Amboy. This will probably be another strong group of YSA's to work with.
Front Row: Berenise Mendez, Ivan Ferrer, Sheila Arevalo, Miguel Varquez
Back Row: Benny Santos, Malfer Santos, and Ricardo Perez
Fun Family Home Evening in Eatontown
The FHE's in Eatontown just started last month. Every Tuesday in Eatontown the Spanish Branch and English Ward YSA's meet together for Institute. After opening exercises we separate into classes, one for the Spanish speakers and one for the English speakers. A few weeks ago, Dalia decided that there needs to be family home evenings for the YSA's in the area. We volunteered to join with them and give support. Last week we met in Bradley Beach and went bowling then ended up at Applebee's afterwards. We didn't get home that night until 1:00am!
Front Row: Emily Kerr (a nanny from England), Dalia Mendez, Aggie Oles
Back Row: Elder and Sister Hancock and Attorious Renee Augustin
These girls are so much fun!!!
At Applebee's, Emily had to sit at the bar and have her picture taken. She had never seen an "American bar" before. The pubs in England evidently are very small.
Trip to Temple
On Thursday, Sept. 4th, the sisters and us took a train and went to the temple. Sister Young was meeting up with three daughters and their husbands and we did a session together. She was so exited to see them. She has now had four of her children come to see her. We asked her daughters and their husbands if they would be willing to call our children and encourage them to come out to see us... :) Afterwards we went to the EuroPan Bakery Cafe that is just down the street from the temple and ate lunch on the street.
Benny's Baptism
Today, Sept. 7th, we attended Benny Santos' baptism. We met Benny a week ago at the linger longer in Perth Amboy. He was so excited to get baptized. Benny is from the Dominican Republic and has just been here a few months. He was baptized by Elder Garcia who arrived here in New Jersey the same day as us: April 1st.
Doctrine and Covenants
This next week we start to teach the Doctrine and Covenants as our course of study for Institute. This summer we have been focusing on recent conference talks. Elder Hancock is worried that the work load will be a lot harder. When he teaches he always plans the lesson first in English and then translates it into Spanish. When he teaches we use the new Seminary manual, but we are expected to condense five lessons into one a week. (Seminary is every week day, Institute here is once a week.)
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