Week 16- Church In Fayette!

From Wednesday Aug 7.  Next P-day is Tuesday!

I love NY!  A fun place to visit:  Seneca Lake near Fayette!

Hey y'all! Nothing too exciting has happened this week, but there are a couple cool stories that I want to share! We gave a tour to a family from french speaking Switzerland! They were so cool but then we got talking to them after and the mom told us the story of how her family joined the church. He was at a hotel and found a Book of Mormon in the drawer. He read a bit and thought that was interesting and wanted to get one, but the bookstores didn't sell any. Later he was walking down the street in Zurich and missionaries had a little display set up and so he was able to get his own copy but never got around to reading it. Then a missionary asked him, If God gives you time, will you read it? and he agreed thinking nothing of it, but then his boss just happened to give him a week of vacation in a beach house in Italy and he brought the book and read the ENTIRE thing. So he met with the missionaries and got baptized! And his family too. And it's incredible thinking whoever left that copy of the Book of Mormon probably has no idea that there are 3+ generations of faithful members from that small act. Imagine what we can do!

The Swiss family in Grandin Print Bldg.

The Whitmer Farm in Fayette where the church was organized.

We also got to go to church in Fayette. How incredible that I got to attend a sacrament meeting on the very same property where the very first meeting of the church was held? I could hardly believe it. Then afterwards the senior couple took us on a picnic to Seneca Lake and it was SO fun. 

Seneca Lake!

For my spiritual thought of the week: LOVE! In the Christus room we often get to testify of Christ's love for all of us. To imagine the amount of Love required to be willing to experience the most amount of pain anyone had ever experienced x every single human that has every lived upon the earth is crazy. And through it all he was so willing. In that way I want to strive to show Love for the people in my life. For my family, my friends, the guests at the sites, my companions, those I teach, my leaders, it's amazing how powerful Love is. I know as we come to Love those around us as Christ would that we have the potential to change the world. It's amazing how far a sticky note, or a smile, or a compliment can go. I invite all of you do show a small act of Love to someone today!

Some of the amazing sisters I serve with:

Have a great week!

Love, Sister Potts

FUN FACTS: 

1. At the time the Smiths moved into Palmyra there were about 600 citizens.

2. Because Palmyra was along the projected route for the Eerie Canal, it was expected to become a flourishing community, but it never really did.

3. Mother Smith was known for making oilcloth coverings and was able to set up a successful business doing it that payed for the family's provisions and furniture.

4. The Smith family had a 'cake and beer shop' in Palmyra where the younger kids would help to make pastries, root beer, gingerbread, boiled eggs, and other refreshments. 

5. Joseph Jr had a small cart where he'd sell these goods during events like the 4th of July.