Week 26- It's Fall Y'all!

Every other missionary seems to be talking about how it's starting to snow and we're just excited that Fall has finally come! I mean it's been chilly but the leaves just exploded this week. That's about the most exciting event of the week to be honest. It's been pretty magical at the Smith farm and in the Sacred Grove! I've been trying to spend more time in the Sacred Grove, and I got to read about the Savior's Crucifixion and Resurrection in there earlier today which was pretty special, and take a moment to ponder this upcoming transfer. We get transfer calls tomorrow so that will be interesting to see what happens. I'm just keeping faith that whatever happens is where God needs me to be!

The Sacred Grove

On the Smith Farm--the trail
leading to the Frame Home

The Frame Home

I'm out of time but one quick story, I was at the Whitmer farm and giving a tour and I mentioned a story and related it to the change in countenance that you can see with people who are members of the church and one lady who was in our tour said that it was actually something that helped in her conversion. I guess she moved with her husband to Idaho Falls and they would play a game where they would be driving and point out who was a member and who wasn't just by their countenance, and that opened up the door to them accepting the Missionaries a couple years later in Alabama! That was cool that I was prompted to share that so I could hear that story.

The church where the Whitmer Farm Visitors Center is located.

 Whitmer Farm side view (check out that chimney!)

Whitmer Farm a la Fall.

Have a good week y'all!

Love, Sister Potts

Emily with President & Sister Neff

(The Neffs are over all the Church History Sites in Palmyra, Fayette, & Harmony, PA)
Note from Mom:  Serving at the sites, Emily has had two Presidents 
to report to:  her mission president and the Neffs.  
With almost daily interaction with the Neffs, these dear souls have become 
like second parents to Emily, and we will sorely miss them as Emily moves 
into a proselyting area and will now report more directly to the mission president.  
The sister missionaries have been instructed, trained, and supported by 
President & Sister Neff in countless wonderful ways. 
Emily loves them dearly!

FUN FACTS:

1. The main scribes for the Book of Mormon were Emma, Martin Harris, and Oliver Cowdery, though Samuel Smith and Reuben Hale probably helped a bit as well. In fact, Joseph himself even scribed for one verse.

2. In Feb 1828 Martin Harris took a paper with some of the characters from the plates to a scholar in New York City who verified their authenticity.

3. The scholar, Charles Anthon, later ripped up the certificate of authenticity when he heard about the gold plates and the Angel Moroni, but it was still good enough for Martin Harris.

4. Charles Anthon was actually a professor of Ancient American languages, so Joseph himself had no idea that the language on the plates was actually a form of reformed Egyptian.

5. Oliver Cowdery, who was the principle scribe, was so excited to meet Joseph that he practically ran and got there with a frost-bitten toe.