Light the World in Times Square from Our Dear Friends Elder & Sister Baer

Our dear friends and neighbors from Mapleton Utah, Elder & Sister Baer, are serving as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Long Island New York, Seminary & Institute. This is part of the letter they sent to family & friends. We hope you enjoy reading their Light the World experience as much as we did. - Elder & Sister Badger

 I snipped their picture off the amazing YouTube video below:)

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, one we will probably never forget.  I’ve never been to Times Square.  I’ve heard all about it, how the young missionaries aren’t permitted to go there because of the people who regularly go there without clothes (apparently they paint themselves to look like they have on clothes…but don’t!)  And with the digital advertising on dozens of enormous screens constantly flashing away, it very much has a Las Vegas feel. (not my favorite place to visit)  So I don’t expect to ever care about going there again.  But I was grateful to get to be there when the majority of screens (most of the largest ones) were taken over by depictions of the Birth of Christ, along with promotions of the Giving Machines and the good they do.  There was still some beatbox music in the background, that at first drowned out the tune of Silent Night, but the depictions carried on, and the crowd hushed, and maybe for 30 minutes out of the day/week/month/year, sweet depictions of the Savior were dominant.

While we stood there, in that very worldly place, I kept thinking about 1 Nephi 14:12-14 - segments of Nephi’s vision of the last days, when he did “behold the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few… and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small” but that he beheld the “Power of the lamb of God, that it descended upon the…covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.”  For a brief time, in a very worldly place, members of the Church of Jesus Christ took over Time’s Square to share a message of light - the true light.  It was EPIC, as they say!

And then the Church filmed the presentation - it was gorgeous, and they filmed people’s reactions as it was happening, and low and behold, my face and bad haircut and Mike’s chin got some coverage!  That was a sweet surprise!  If nothing else, it’s proof that we really are in NYC, not just skipping church for 3 months!  Here's a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INse1lhgZGA 

...We sure appreciate your prayers!  I can’t even tell you how much!  And we’re grateful to get to be a part of this amazing work!  

Hurrah for Israel!

Sister and Elder Baer