Dyker Heights 2.0

Hello fam :)

Buenos días from Brooklyn! I don't know that I have words sufficient to describe this week. I guess we'll start with last Monday. I got a blessing from Elder Marchant and can I just say that was the biggest thing. Friday night after we got the calls, me and Hermana Spencer both felt maybe we should get blessings. I was like, "nah, I don't need that, I'm fine. Not even stressed!" Well, I was stressed :) I know he gave that blessing with the Spirit because he said things that I had not expressed to anyone. Grace. It's a real thing and I love being able to experience it firsthand. I have grown so much it is not even funny. It's kind of amazing to see how much the Lord can change us and help us grow when we truly submit to --and seek to do-- His will. So, that was a big tender mercy for me.

Also, Tuesday we had transfers! With our mad Tetris skills we got all of our luggage into the car and headed on our way. Now, long story short, all of Delta shut down and the Mexico missionaries didn't get in to NYC until five in the morning. Everything ended up being pushed back and that resulted in literally every missionary and their dog being at transfers. I got to say bye to Elder Voorhees, Elder Young, and Elder Goodson so that was nice. Kinda sad. But good. I talked with Elder Johnson (in charge of housing) and he told me they are closing the apartment we used to live in so we would be staying in the 91st street apartment. So we live a lot further south than before, which means a lot further from everything. Therefore, travel time is increased but that's okay. We have been able to find/plant a lot during our travels. Also, we live in the old district leaders' apartment so it's decently nice haha.

Anyway, the trainees got to Rego late but so did many of the trainers. At about 1:30 we got our new companions. Aaaaaand drum roll...I am training Hermana Voss! She is a few months younger than me, from Maryland, went to BYU for a year and plays the cello. We are serving with Elders Weisler and Creager (new trainer/trainee) as the Spanish missionaries, then we have Sisters Johnson and Li with Elders Brenkman, Song, and Switzer in the Chinese branch. We're all in a district together. It's a little weird being with so many new people and not having the missionaries I'm used to serving with me, but everyone comes into our lives for a time and a season, and I'm thankful for the time I had to learn alongside them. Anyway, after getting trainees and new companions we were all off! The Staten Spanish elders took our stuff to our apartment for us and the sisters dropped us off. Then the real adventure began. We spent probably 45 minutes trying to figure out the locks. Let me tell you, if there's one thing New York is good at its making their doors secure. Finally our elders (the Spanish ones) were able to stop by and Elder Weisler tried for literally five minutes and he got it and showed us how to do it.

Since we've been in Dyker we have done a lot of finding. We have walked so much it is no joke. We've also sprinted after/to beat a few buses as well, so that's been an adventure. It's a lot of fun though. One night in particular we were still figuring out the best route to get home and the bus didn't come. One came that said out of service instead. A man who had been waiting also was getting into a van with some other men. He asked how far we were going and I said 95th. He said they'd give us a ride no charge and we were like, "uuuuh no thank you". About two minutes after they finally left the bus came. It's kinda funny how we will say something to people street contacting in Spanish and they'll respond in English. Then we start talking to them in Spanish and they always ask why we speak Spanish. Needless to say we stand out quite a lot here.

As far as teaching goes, we only have a few people we can meet with right now that we have been able to contact but it's been good. We also saw a lot of the members Thursday and Friday when we had ward council and the relief society cleaning the church. Some of my favorite members were asking where I'd gone and they all were asking if we were here to stay haha. We told them we'd be here for at least three months :) They are so sweet. I just love these members.

This morning we also had a lesson with another investigator. She is great. Hopefully we will be able to see a lot of progress with her the next couple of weeks. We will hopefully be seeing her again this week before next Monday at our next appointment. I just love these people so much. We were sitting in that lesson with her, the lesson with our other investigator, all of them, and just the love that I have for these people is crazy. I love it here so much.

We also had a really cool experience the other day when we were doing a lookup on our way home. We went to this door and the number we had in area book for her address had a Hispanic man's name next to it. Those are sometimes wrong so we buzzed it anyway. It was weird when they didn't ask who it was and buzzed us in. Because we rarely get buzzed in, we were excited and jumped on that opportunity. We opened the door and started into the hallway to the stairs. We made it about two steps before we stopped and looked at each other. Both of us felt the same thing: nope. Don't go. So we turned around and walked out. It was cool because I've never experienced the "danger warnings" of the Spirit. Sister Mejía told us in Coram when she has gotten it it's not really an added feeling, it's that the feeling is gone. The feeling of the Spirit I mean. So we got to have that experience! We both felt the Spirit go and knew we shouldn't go to that look up. That was a cool tender mercy and a chance to experience how the Spirit works with us in different ways.

All in all this has been a great week. A fast week. We have interviews with President tomorrow (we do them every two or three transfers I think) and an FHE for a family in our ward. Hopefully we can see some more success this week. We are still just doing everything we can to open our mouths and represent. Gotta do our best and know our best is enough. I love missionary work. This is awesome. I love you so much and am so thankful for your prayers and thoughts as well. Look for the little blessings this week. Try and find the good in every situation. It makes life happier :) Have a great week!

Muchísimo amor,
Hermana Karra Gourley

PICTURES. :)
Last day in Patchogue. We've got the only district picture we ever got (I'm sorry, I wanted a real one too haha but this was all we've got haha) with Elder Goodson on the hoop, Peters and Marchant on
shoulders, Broadhead and Cahan as bases, Mejía on me and Hermana Spencer, and Elder Hendrickson on the bottom haha. Then there's our Charlie's Angels pic for Wayne haha! And our last picture outside our house before we left for transfers!

Pictures Part Dyker

We have trainers and trainees all of us together probably thirty minutes after meeting our new companions. Next is the lovely pedigree photo, then right before we left we got one of the two of us. We have our district: Elders Song, Weisler, Creager, Brenkman, and Switzer, then Sisters Li and Johnson with me and my companion. This was after our first district meeting. Lastly, mom you'll like this, she's a picture person so we have us in some Brooklyn streets x3. Also,  Third Ave had these cute little flower lights up so we got a picture with those.