Week 11- Birthday Miracles

The Big 20!

and I finally took my 2-month picture (only 10 days late)

Hello all, this has been a great, crazy week! My birthday was on Thursday and I was a little worried not having my family there but it ended up being awesome. The other sisters in my house woke me up with breakfast (chocolate chip pancakes), I got to go on a run and doll myself up, and then I got to spend the day at the Smith Farm and Sacred Grove! One of the Senior couples brought cupcakes and ice cream, another got us fries and ice cream, our Site President and his wife brought two containers of cookies and ice cream sandwiches, and an office sister I share a b-day with brought a fancy fruit tart along with flowers and a package from my family! I have never eaten so many sweets or felt so loved, so it was great. 

A surprise bouquet and teddy bear from my momma!

Ignore my face--I was just really touched or something
but you can see some of my birthday spoil haha. 

One of the tours we gave that day was a non-member young adult who just saw a sign on the freeway and decided to come (WHAAAAT?). On the tour was also a young family with kids so we just taught super simply and basically taught the restoration. We made sure he didn't have any questions, then let him into the grove. We went to dinner, but apparently he came back into the welcome center and asked if the church had any literature!!!! Of course we do! The Seniors gave him a Book of Mormon and a copy of the Testimony of Joseph Smith and sent him on his way. It definitely made my day. 

Go Smith Farm!!

Another neat tour was at the Whitmer Farm Saturday, it was a family from Finland! First off, the language is super fascinating. They taught us how to count to three! They were really funny and then after the tour they just walked into the chapel, one guy walked up to the piano and started playing Be Still My Soul (the tune of Finlandia haha) then had us sing hymns with them it was super neat. 

I started making a list of the countries I've had people visit from and it just struck me so hard how amazing it is. I was serving where the church was organized which is literally in the middle of nowhere, and now the church has spread to all 4 corners of the earth. I know without a doubt that something that started in the middle of cornfields in New York could never have spread that far if it wasn't the true church of God. 

Me with my awesome companion, Sister Hatfield!

Have a great week and remember to read the Book of Mormon!

Love, Sister Potts

FUN FACTS:

1. Ancestors of both Smith parents fought in the Revolutionary War

2. Joseph Smith Sr was the third of 11 children!

3. Joseph Sr. was 6'2'' about 200 lbs, and was famed as a wrestler. 

4. Mother Lucy was the youngest of 8 children

5. Mother Smith had two siblings die within months of each other when Lucy was 19, and to console her, her brother took her to Vermont where she met Joseph Sr.