Lynlee’s #99+1 Invitation

100 days before his 100th birthday, President Russell M. Nelson invited folks to “reach out to ‘the one’ in our lives who may be feeling lost or alone.”  I’ve appreciated his invitation to reach out, because I am so grateful for people who have seen me and reached out to me.  This is a quick story of one of Lynlee’s #99+1 Invitation—to me.

Lynlee’s #99+1 Invitation

Someone who recently made a difference to me by reaching out is my niece Lynlee. I’m not the “plus 1” in the traditional sense, but I am in the middle of this weird phase in life contemplating legacy and difference and often feel alone.

My sister Daciana plans a mother-child trip to celebrate the child turning 13 years old. As Daciana and Lynlee discussed Lynlee’s dream of seeing Wicked on Broadway, Lynlee asked her mom if they could invite me, because she thought it would be fun. So they sent a Marco Polo inviting me to join them in New York City. I was so surprised and delighted by the invitation.  We chatted about what we wanted to do while in the city for a few days and began making the reservations.

One of my life goals is to visit every temple in the world.  Happily, it’s getting more difficult with so many temples announced at each conference.  I’ve decided to experience what I can and be happy with that.  I hadn’t visited two temples close to NYC—Hartford Connecticut Temple or Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple—and decided that if I were going to be in the area, I’d go before or after the days we spent in NYC.  I mentioned that plan to Daciana and Lynlee and they both jumped right on board with the day trips to Hartford and Philadelphia!

So not only had they included me in their plans, but Daciana and Lynlee wanted to join me in accomplishing my goals.  Daciana and I have traveled to quite a few temples together over the years, so this was a fun renewal of those road trip days.

I met up with them on a Wednesday afternoon.  We grabbed some delicious Peruvian empanadas and then watched Wicked. Lynlee was so happy and I was blown away by how spectacular the show was on Broadway!  We celebrated by eating cheesecake nearby and walking to/through Times Square.

We woke up early to take the subway to Battery Park and waited in line for the ferry to Ellis Island.

We climbed all the stairs we could to explore Lady Liberty and then took the ferry to New Jersey to catch our jet skis.  We jet skied up and down the Hudson and East Rivers and around the Statue of Liberty.

We took another ferry back to NYC, wandered through an Irish potato famine memorial, and ate Italian food.  We soberly explored the 9/11 Memorial Gardens and catapulted to the top of One World Trade Center.  We couldn’t believe the view or the immense cityscapes below us.

We walked to Chinatown for souvie shopping, checked out a bit of Little Italy, and crossed the city for some famous cookies.  The next morning, we rented a car, got another variety of famous cookies, drove through Central Park and to the eastern tip of Long Island where we climbed the lighthouse.

We took a series of ferries to Connecticut and did a baptismal session, where we met a sister missionary from West Texas on that same session who knows our aunt and uncle and whose brother I know.

Then as darkness and rain fell, we drove back through NYC towards Philly.  We checked into that hotel at 1 am and slept for a few hours before heading to the Philadelphia temple to do another baptismal session and met someone who was the grandson of one of our dad’s best friends.

We drove to Independence Hall and saw the Liberty Bell, then walked/ran up the Rocky stairs and then Daciana and Lylnee dropped me off at the Philly airport.

They explored a little longer before heading back to the airport themselves, only to discover that their flight was canceled. They ended up sleeping in the airport and flew out the next day.

We crammed as much as possible into every moment.  Lynlee was a fun traveling partner and kept the vibe fun and chill.  I can’t even express how fun and meaningful it felt to spend that time with them.

Lynlee’s #99+1 Invitation meant so much to me. I felt seen and loved.  My life is different from theirs and they created space for me. They invited me into their adventure.

And so as the recipient of the care and love President Nelson invited people to share, I hope everyone else gets a chance to be especially seen, included, and loved. I most often feel these while reaching out to others.

Ask and Receive Life-Changing Truth

Even more important than this family/interpersonal connection, is to be known and to know the Lord. I hope everyone takes the chance and the time to feel seen, included, and loved by the Lord.

Another challenge President Nelson gave involved this relationship with Deity.

Therefore, my first recommendation is to learn for yourselves who you really are. Ask your Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ how He feels about you and your mission here on earth. If you ask with real intent, over time the Spirit will whisper the life-changing truth to you. Record those impressions, review them often, and follow through with exactness.

I promise you that when you begin to catch even a glimpse of how your Heavenly Father sees you and what He is counting on you to do for Him, your life will never be the same!