Blind Date

Lately I've been in the mood to do some service acts. Yay! It's been keeping my schedule packed, but I enjoy it!
This week was Youth Conference for our stake. As part of it, I spent Friday downtown with one of the greatest guys in the world, Marcus.
We were there to help out the youth from the stake who were on a scavenger hunt.
We headed out early and met up at City Hall Park with our fearless leaders.

We then headed down toward an area called Old Slip. It's not too far from a spot where we got to see the Brooklyn Bridge. And the Waterfalls exhibit had just started up. I was glad to see it! Last month I had the chance to interview the artist, Olafur Eliasson, about the project. His accent was so thick and I could barely understand him, but I was still pretty impressed with his huge "green" art! Check it out!

Next assignment -- food. (Thank you buttered bagel.)

We then waited for several groups of youth to find us.
The kids were given clues based on the song "Amazing Grace." Their clue for our assignment:
Amazing Grace!
How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
was blind but now I see.
Head to Old Slip and help someone who appears to be in need!

So... Marcus pretended to be blind while the kids tried to help him down the street. Thus, he was my blind date for the day.
Get it?!
BLIND??!!!
Ha!

sigh

The youth didn't really seem too hyped about helping Marcus. Some of them even let him fall to the ground! Talk about the blind leading the blind!

We also talked with them about the history of the area and its links to the LDS church. I was so stoked to learn this stuff. I quickly committed the facts to memory and was so happy to share it with them.

But check this next picture out! I'm all excited about talking to these kids about church history... and are any of them looking at me?? That one girl looks asleep! Glad to know I was so entertaining.

We'd then give each group an envelope which contained another clue, sending them on their way to learn more about the history of our church in the city. How fun!

As the day lingered, it grew hotter and hotter. Some of the kids found a bit of relief from the fountain.


This was actually a really great day. I met some new people in the stake, which was SOOO exciting!!! And would you believe... I made a really great contact for my book project AND I was invited to the stake history dinners every month. Fun!!!

Another really, really cool part was that I got to learn a bit about church history in New York. So here are some facts for ya!

*In 1832, Joseph Smith traveled to the city with Bishop Newel K. Whitney. He stayed at the Pearl House on Pearl Street (now replaced with a parking lot). Joseph wrote to his wife, Emma, about the buildings that were "truly great and wonderful". He was speaking of the three and four story brownstones, which were the tallest in their day.

*In 1845, more than 200 Latter-day Saints boarded a ship at Old Slip called the Brooklyn. Each family paid $75 for each adult and half of that for each child. They sailed from New York, down to the southern tip of South America, and up toward the west coast. They left in November and - SIX MONTHS LATER - arrived in Yerba Buena, California (now known as San Francisco).
About one-third of those Saints eventually traveled to Salt Lake City.


And now you know!