Weeks 3/4 - I HAVE A HERMANA!

Well people this has been quite a week! We flew into Rochester on Tuesday last week and ever since it has been quite an adventure. We went straight from the airport to go street contacting with some established Sisters and mine was literally running around the streets and knocking on car windows--it was terrifying. We talked to this one cute girl who ended up being a Doctorate of Piano Performance major at Eastman (SOOO COOL) and we asked her what role religion has played in her life.  She said not much but that faith had. We were like OH REALLY and *cue Alma 32: 21* shared a scripture with her. She was really touched by it and I gave her a Book of Mormon! She also said she wants to learn more so that was exciting. 

The next morning we all got to go to the Sacred Grove! It was cold and I was overwhelmed but it was cool to envision it and feel the cool spirit there! Then we got our companions and areas. I am... drumroll please... a full site missionary (at least for this first 6 weeks)! Basically I spend every day at one of the 4 historical sites in the Palmyra New York area. There's the Grandin printing press where the Book of Mormon was first published, the Smith Farm/Sacred Grove, the Whitmer farm, and the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center. We are there basically from 9 am to 9 pm and study in our down time so sometimes that doesn't happen which is hard. But even though we are teaching a lot of members we are also helping a decent amount of nonmembers and less actives! The missionary purpose is to help others come unto Christ which we totally get to do here even in a visitor's center. Where else do you get to bear your testimony and teach hundreds of people every day? 

My companion is Hermana Ramos! She joined the church 4 years ago, is from California, and does the Spanish tours which is fun. Literally the first thing I said to her even before hello is "you have to teach me Spanish okay?". She's super sweet and loving. I can understand a decent amount of the Spanish she says when she takes tours, and I even get to bear my testimony in Spanish! We live in a restored 1820s house on the original Smith Property that Joseph Smith once walked in! It's ancient and kind of nasty but has a cool history.  

My companion, Sister Ramos!

Cool story, my VERY FIRST DAY we had this young couple from Cornell come in that aren't members and gave them a tour. Afterwards we sat down with them and they asked questions for like 2 hours about deep stuff like sealings and levels of the celestial kingdom. I taught a lot of it and the spirit was really cool and it was awesome. We even invited him to baptism and he said of course he would if he came to believe that it was true. THENNN of course he starts throwing out a couple scriptures in the Bible that seem to contradict us, and talks about the teachings of the Students of the Apostles and some philosophical stuff, and says the only way he could know the Book of Mormon was true was through historical proof and stuff like that. The Spirit left SO FAST. It was sad but a good reminder about agency and how the best you can do is to teach them and they have to make that choice to accept. 

The Hill Cumorah Visitors Center

My comp & I in front of the Sacred Grove!

It's been an emotional roller coaster, and I have been super overwhelmed, anxious, frustrated, overjoyed, and everything in between. I can tell this is going to be hard but I can already see that it will be worth it!

Love, Sister Potts

My High School friend who is in my mission--Sister Flinders!

P.S.  Since I literally spend hours a day learning church history, I'm going to start including 5 fun facts every week!

1. Joseph Smith first ordered 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon for $3,000 and they took 2 years to complete

2. The first copies of the Book of Mormon sold for $1.25 which was the equivalent of 2 days work in the day.

3. The Smith home is a replica but is built on the exact foundation so you are literally in the same airspace as the Angel Moroni!

4. President Hinckley was so insistent that they build the house on the same foundation that they literally moved an entire road so it wasn't too close. 

5. Have you every heard some people say the Smiths lived in Palmyra, and others say they lived in Manchester? Well that's because their property is technically in both cities and their two houses they lived in on their property were in different cities!