The Final Page

Well, here I am. Tomorrow I leave Elizabeth and go to the Mission Home with all the other departing missionaries. Wednesday I will be on a plane to San Diego. This week has been so surreal. 

Last Monday was our Statue of Liberty trip for all the missionaries going home. I had seen Lady Liberty from Ellis Island many times, but this was my first time seeing her up close. She's huge! 

Tuesday was my last exchange. I was here in Elizabeth with Sister Anderson. At the end of the exchange we got pizza because I'm going to miss Jersey Pizza! 

Thursday was cleaning and packing day, so I got almost all of my packing done, which has made the past few days a lot easier because I haven't had much other time to pack. 

Friday was really cool. Elder David Evans, who used to be Executive Director of the Church's Missionary Department (in other words, he was in charge of everything missionary related for the whole Church) came and spoke to us. The meeting was really long but I learned a lot. He talked a lot about how when we teach people the Gospel, we are so quick to teach them faith and baptism, but we usually gloss over the whole Repentance step that  comes in between the two. He said a lot of things and I know I learned more but it is all written in my notebook that is already packed away.. whoops! 

Friday night Pedro surprised us and told us that a member was taking him to the temple Saturday morning! We knew he was going to the temple soon and we wanted to come with him, but we didn't know it was THAT soon! Usually we have to work with recent converts to get them to the temple, but I guess this time the ward just planned everything without even telling us. So I scrambled to tell Sister Ivie (who is serving nearby in Perth Amboy), get permission from President for us to go, and make the necessary arrangements. So it was all super last-minute but it was the perfect way to end my mission. Early Saturday morning Sister Ivie and I went with Pedro and a few members to the Manhattan Temple and we got to watch Pedro do baptisms for the dead. It was amazing and definitely one of the highlights of my mission. I thought about how perfect the timing was-- Sister Ivie and I contacted him on the street my second night in Elizabeth, we taught him, he got baptized shortly after Sister Nielsen got here, and then I got to go to the temple with him the last weekend of my mission. God is so good, and I have been so blessed to see the change in Pedro and so many others!

 

With Pedro at Manhattan Temple - Perfect way to end my mission

 

Yesterday was my last day of church here. It felt weird knowing that the next time I go to church it will be in English. I don't know how I will handle that... I don't know if I even know the sacramental prayers and the hymns in English anymore haha.

Saying goodbye to recent convert Rosa

I am so grateful for my mission and everything I have learned. It really does feel like I'm leaving home all over again. I have so much love for so many of the people here, and I don't know when I will see them again. The mission is the best thing I have ever done. I have had ups and downs, I've laughed, I've cried, and I've loved more than I ever thought I could. This scripture pretty much sums up my feelings-

Enos 1:26- "And I saw that I must soon go down to [California], having been wrought upon by the power of God that I must preach and prophesy unto this people, and declare the word according to the truth which is in Christ. And I have declared it in all my days, and have rejoiced in it above that of the world."

 

I know that the message I've been preaching for the past 18 months is true. I have felt the Holy Ghost lead me and help me countless times. I have learned what it truly means to rely on Christ and His Atonement. I have seen countless miracles and I feel truly blessed to have been able to play a small part in helping further the work of the Lord in this part of His vineyard. I know that God loveth his children, I know Christ is our Savior, I know Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and that the Book of Mormon truly is Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

For the last time,

<3 Hermana Hannah Harris

New Jersey Morristown Mission 

June 25, 2014 - December 16th, 2015

Statue of Liberty Trip - December 7, 2015

I think I'm funny

 

 

 On the Ferry

 The Great Hall at Ellis Island ... the room all immigrants had to pass through

 The big flag at Ellis Island was at half mast

  The size of her ear

 The view from the pedestal

 The other side from the pedestal

 Standing on the pedestal looking up into the statue

 My favorite picture from the trip

There she is!

Union City Goodbyes

I Heart NJ

Wow this week was crazy busy and exhausting but absolutely wonderful! I feel like I've been running on borrowed energy all week because there hasn't been any chance to slow down and breathe!

 

Tuesday we had a rehearsal in the morning for the fireside, then we had Zone Meeting, then we all had lunch, then Sister Nielsen had to practice for a coupe special musical numbers while I had my departing interview with President Taggart. I got to talk to him for half an hour about what I've learned on my mission and what my plans are for the future. It felt a little weird talking to him about things other than missionary work, but I learned a lot and got some really good advice. 

 

Wednesday was the temple trip for all the missionaries going home! We met at the Newark chapel and then drove with the Taggarts to the Manhattan Temple. It was so cool being at the temple with the Taggarts and the Spirit was really strong. Afterwards, we ate lunch in Central Park! I took lots of pictures but won't get a chance to send them today because of the Statue of Liberty trip. 

 

From Thursday to Friday we had an exchange with Sisters Poh and Morgan. For the exchange I was here in Elizabeth with Sister Morgan, who's only been in the mission for 3 weeks. 

 

Saturday was super busy. Sister Nielsen and a past companion of hers went to the temple super early in the morning with a recent convert of theirs. Afterwards we went straight to Ellis Island for my last time volunteering there. I'm going to miss being able to help people from all over the world find their ancestors at Ellis Island. Later, Saturday night we had a movie night activity with the ward. We watched The Lamb of God  and we had spent the past few weeks inviting everyone we could to this activity. A lot of less-active members came and a lot of people brought refreshments so it was great! Afterwards we gave everyone copies of the DVD because we had a ton of them.

 

Sunday was amazing. Pedro was confirmed during sacrament meeting and received the priesthood later that day. Sister Nielsen and I sang Noche de Luz (Silent Night) in a quartet with two other people from the ward during sacrament meeting as well. 

 

After church we had to be in Newark at 4pm to practice for the Christmas fireside. This fireside was put in by all the Spanish missionaries in the mission, and investigators and members from all over Jersey came. People gradually arrived while we were practicing, and the fireside started at 6. There were a ton of songs sung by a choir of all the missionaries, as well as a lot of special musical numbers. Sister Nielsen has the voice of an angel and sang a solo of La Primera Navidad (The First Noel) and also sang Santa la Noche (Oh Holy Night) in a trio with two other sisters and they were amazing. In between songs, there were a few narrators  who narrated the story of the birth of Christ and read from the scriptures. In my part I got to speak about the prophets that had prophesied of the coming of Christ. At the end of the program, six missionaries from six different countries bore their testimonies of Christ. The fireside concluded with the missionary choir singing Silent Night and the audience joining us on the third verse. It was so cool to be up there singing about the birth of Christ and to be able to look out at the audience and see so many people I know and love from my three areas. The Spirit was so strong and it was honestly probably one of the most joyful moments of my life. I love New Jersey and I love Christmas and I love being a missionary, so this was just about the best thing ever. 

 

After the fireside I got to see and talk to a lot of the people from my old areas who came. I saw so many of the members I love from Union City, including recent convert Emilio, who received the Melchizedek Priesthood yesterday and is going to go through the temple for the first time on Saturday! It was so great to see that he is still strong in the church a year after I was giving him the new member lessons. I also got to see the Guerras, a couple who came up all the way from my old area in Toms River! This fireside was the perfect conclusion to my mission and chance to see the people I've come to love one last time before I return to the other side of the country. 

 

I am so incredibly grateful that the Lord sent me here to New Jersey. I have fallen in love with the huge crowded cities, the cute seaside towns, and everything in between. I've taught people in big nice houses, out on the streets, and in tiny cramped apartments. I've met people from around 70 countries, with every imaginable background and from every walk of life. I've come to feel the love Christ has for each of them. I've seen countless miracles and have felt the Spirit work through me so many times. I will cherish this last week I have left.

 

<3 Hermana Harris

 

I'm Not Quite Dead Yet!

Hello hello hello! This week was awesome!

 

Tuesday morning was Pedro's baptismal interview. We walked with him to the church so our district leader Elder Hilton could give him his interview. He passed with flying colors and was so happy. We walked him from the church to his house and talked about how he felt. It was super cold but none of us cared. When we got back to his house and said goodbye, he had the biggest smile on his face and said "Hermanitas, gracias por salvarme" (Sisters, thank you for saving me). It was such a sweet moment and I almost cried because the Spirit was so strong.

 

Afterwards was probably the best District Meeting I've ever had. We talked a lot about the Plan of Salvation and what it means for us and for the people we teach. We all ate lunch together afterwards and talked about deep doctrine, which Is a favorite subject of missionaries :)

 

After District Meeting we did a trio exchange with two companionships of sisters. Sister Nielsen went with Sister Rogers and Sister Hale in their area in Plainfield, and I went with Sister Robinson and Sister Troconis in their area in Scotch Plains. It was a pretty easy exchange because the sisters I was with are superstars and know exactly what they're doing. Sister Troconis is from Venezuela and has only been in the mission for about two months. She just barely joined the church about a year and a half ago, but she knows so much. From watching her teach it is hard to believe that she is so young in both the mission and the Church.

 

Wednesday we came back to our area in Elizabeth and went to a Noche de Hogar (family home evening) activity at the church. Two elders in the ward, Elder Jacobs and Elder Strech, did a cool Book of Mormon battle reenactment game based on the war in Mormon chapter 9. Some of us were Nephites and some of us were Lamanites and we had to throw "weapons" at each other. It was super fun!

 

Thursday was Thanksgiving!! Our zone did a Turkey Bowl in Newark with another zone of missionaries and it was actually really fun even though I'm not the world's biggest football fan. Last year it was snowing and super cold, but this year it was a good temperature and we had a lot of fun. We were definitely sore the next day though. For dinner we went with the Ortiz family (a super great Dominican family in the ward) to the house of a friend of theirs who lives by Scotch Plains. Turns out there were four other companionships of missionaries from different wards who were also invited so it was really fun to be with them. The house was so crowded and there were probably fifty-something people there. The hosts said that they had lost count of how many people they had invited and they weren't expecting that many. But luckily there was enough food for everyone! It was a good mix of American food (turkey, potatoes, etc) and Dominican food (rice and beans and fried plantains) and it was awesome!

 

Friday we had MLC in Morristown. I always learn a lot during MLC. President Taggart talked a lot about trusting the Lord because he has a perfect plan for us.

 

Saturday was rainy and wet but we still were out working a lot and found some cool people! That night there was a wedding for some members of the ward and they asked the missionaries to sing a song for everyone. It was really pretty and of course there was a ton of great HIspanic food.

 

Sunday was such a special day because Pedro was baptized!!! He showed up early to church in a brand new white shirt and tie. He was so excited to be baptized. President and Sister Taggart happened to be there because they gave talks in Sacrament Meeting (with translators) and they stayed for the baptism! Also Sister Ivie was able to come from her new area in Perth Amboy to see the baptism :) It all went really smoothly and so many people from the ward were there to help and show support. They even already had his home teachers assigned and introduced them to him. I am just so grateful for all the miracles I've seen here on my mission and for the change I've seen in Pedro since we first started teaching him in August. Before he started learning about the Gospel, he was so lonely and didn't really know his purpose in life. Now he is so happy and has a place and knows why he is here. He just radiates joy, because that is what the Gospel does to people :) I am so grateful God put us in the right place at the right time and we were able to talk to him on the street that day.

 
 

People keep asking me how I am feeling about "dying" in 2 weeks and I don't really know what to say because it still doesn't seem real. I know it is almost over but I am still working hard and giving all I can to the Lord. In the words of my favorite comedy, I'm not quite dead yet! ;)

 

<3 Hermana Harris

 

 

 

Busy, Busy, Busy!

 

Another great week has come and gone so fast!

Monday Sister Ivie and I got to do something called the Fearbuster. It's a tradition in our mission where the brand new missionaries fresh off the plane get taken to downtown Newark right after getting picked up from the airport. There they meet some more experienced missionaries and are assigned one as a companion for the activity. They are told to stay with their companion but they don't know why. We all stand in a circle and sing Called to Serve, and on the word "onward" all the experience missionaries scatter and run in all directions, and the new missionaries are a little confused but know they have to stay with their companion so they follow them. When the new missionaries catch up to their companions, the experienced missionaries then give them their first experience at street contacting and handing out a Book of Mormon. There were only two new sisters coming in this transfer so Sister Ivie and I were the only sisters there besides the new ones. My companion for the activity was Sister Mora, who is originally from Mexico but grew up in Kentucky. It was so fun to show her how to talk to people on the street, and she was so confident and comfortable and had no problem testifying to people she had just met. We found some pretty cool people and got their information and sent it to the missionaries who live in their areas. It was a really fun experience and brought back memories of that hot and humid day over 15 months ago, when I was fresh off the plane from Mexico and pretty overwhelmed to suddenly find myself talking to strangers in downtown Newark. Time flies. 

 

Transfer conference was on Tuesday and I got my final companion! Her name is Hermana Nielsen and she is from St George, Utah, and she is the sweetest thing ever. We worked really hard this week and found a ton of new people and got a lot of referrals and she is already learning her way around the area really quickly.

 

Transfers are usually 6 weeks, but this transfer is 5 weeks because flights around Christmastime are crazy so they are sending my group home a week early. Having a short transfer is going to make these next few weeks insanely busy, because we have to go on exchanges with 7 companionships of sisters in 5 (now just over 4) weeks, in addition to Thanksgiving, a Christmas fireside,a temple trip, and a couple special trips for departing missionaries. So needless to say it is pretty stressful but I know it will all work out. 

 

Friday Sister Nielsen had a meeting in Morristown for newly called leaders, so I was on exchange in Morristown for a few hours with Sister Bascom, who is the companion of the other newly called sister training leader. Sister Bascom was in the MTC so it was fun to reminisce with her about the MTC days and to see how far we have come in almost 17 months. 

 

Saturday was going to be our only normal proselyting day this week, when we got to follow the normal missionary schedule without any special meetings or planning getting in the way. Well missions are full of surprises. At 7:45am the Assistants called us and asked us to drive up to Paterson (about an hour away) ASAP. There was a stake youth activity where the youth were going to go on splits with missionaries for a few hours to see what missionary work is like. Only problem was that nobody remembered to ask the missionaries to help until about an hour before we were supposed to be there. So we booked it up to Paterson, picked up two 16-year-old girls, took them back to Elizabeth, and proselyted with them for about 3 hours. We split up so I was with one girl and Sister Nielsen was with another. We taught Pedro about tithing and he was so willing to pay it because he knew the blessings it would bring. We then knocked doors for a while and found a couple really cool people. One of them said she was really impressed with how we were so happy and energetic about knocking doors in the cold on a Saturday morning, and she let us set another appointment with her :) The two girls thought it was the coolest thing ever to be out with "real-life" missionaries and they both can't wait to be old enough to go on missions.

 

I am stressing out a bit to know that I go home a month from today, but I am trying to just work as hard as I can and give everything I have to the Lord and make this the best month ever! I love being a missionary and feeling the Spirit every time I testify to someone. I'm not slowing down. Go go go!

 

<3 Hermana Harris

 

 

 

No Pressure

This week was fantastic! It was Sister Ivie's last week here and we worked super hard. I feel like the whole month of October was kind of a drought for us because we were working so hard but didn't see much fruit of our efforts. But after this week, we decided that Heavenly Father had been testing us and our patience because this week we finally saw some great results.

My sickness wasn't getting any better so I finally went to Urgent Care on Tuesday after Zone Meeting. They got me some cough syrup and an antibiotic pill. They seem to be working since my cough is almost gone! The only annoying thing was that the cough syrup makes me really drowsy so it was really hard to stay awake and focused in some of the lessons.

We had our last exchange of the transfer from Tuesday to Wednesday. The last few weeks have been super busy with a ton of meetings so we ended up with two companionships left and only one possible day to do exchanges. So Sister Ivie and I decided to divide and conquer and hit two companionships at once. Luckily both were in Perth Amboy so we all just met up and Sister Ivie went with one companionship and I went with the other. I was with Hermanas Becker and Detrinidad, who are both fabulous missionaries. I've always thought they would both be great companions, so I'm glad I got to be companions with them at least for the day :)

Getting Pandebono (a delicious cheesy Colombian roll) with Hermanas Becker and Detrinidad

Saturday morning we had an amazing lesson with Pedro. We were pretty worried about him because he hadn't been to church since September. For over a month he always told us he would be going to church on Sunday but then his work always got in the way. We had also extended him about three different baptismal dates because we always had to keep pushing the date back due to him not being ready yet. We had all this in mind as we prepared his lesson Saturday morning. We had been planning on teaching him about temples, but we felt that he needed something else. We decided to teach him about repentance because he had been struggling with forgiving himself of past mistakes and feeling like he was worthy to be baptized. We read Alma 7:11-13 with him and talked about the Atonement and what Christ did for us, and then we read verse 15- Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism.

We explained to him that he doesn't need to be perfect to be baptized; he just needs to be willing to work towards it through the help of Jesus Christ. We invited him to be baptized on November 29th, and this time, instead of hesitating and laughing uncomfortably, he simply said "Yes" with a huge smile on his face. He then gave the closing prayer and thanked God for sending us to change his life. He came to church yesterday for the first time since September and he stayed the whole 3 hours and participated in the classes. At the end he mentioned that he is going to come every Sunday now and he's going to tell his boss that he can't work on Sunday's anymore. It was such a "proud mom" moment for me :)

We also visited Melva, the wife of our awesome Cuban investigator Ivo who is on baptism date. We hadn't seen her in a while, so we asked her if she had been reading the Book of Mormon and praying to know if it's true, and we were pleasantly surprised when she told us that she had read and prayed and she knows it's true! We taught her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and she accepted a baptismal date as well!

In addition to the people on baptism date, we were also able to get a lot of really solid new investigators, so I am excited to work with them and see them progress as well.

As is the case every week in Jersey, in addition to the amazing lessons there are always some that are pretty weird. There are simply a lot of strange people in New Jersey, especially Elizabeth, and we never have a shortage of random experiences. Here is the lesson report we put in our area book for one of our lessons this week, in which a recent convert Jorge met up with us to teach his sick ex-mother-in-law in her hospital room:

"We were 10 minutes late but Jorge was right on time and was there waiting for us. We spent 5 minutes on follow up/opening prayer and then taught the Restoration in about 5 minutes and then Jorge took over and went on for 20 minutes about who-knows-what, then a random old man passing out religious literature showed up and talked for about 5 minutes (and gave us marriage advice), then a couple friends of hers joined us and gave her a snowman that sang "Let It Snow" for 5 minutes, she cried and they bonded for about 2 minutes while we awkwardly looked on, then they chatted for 5 minutes while we sat there, then we prayed and said our goodbyes for 3 minutes, for a grand total of 60 minute and quite possibly the single greatest hour of our young lives."

And thus ended the twelfth week of the reign of Sister Ivie and Sister Harris. I have loved spending these 12 weeks with my MTC companion and seeing how much we both have progressed since then. Sadly, Sister Ivie is getting transferred and tomorrow I will have a new companion for my last 5 weeks. I know my time left is winding down, and I'm trying so hard to give the Lord everything I've got. It's funny; when I started my mission I felt like I was giving so much to the Lord, but now I feel like I've gained so much more than I've given. I've given 16 months of my life, but in return He's given me a better understanding of my purpose in life, a strong testimony of the truth of the Gospel, and some lifelong best friends. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world.

< 3 Hermana Harris