Week 49- QUARANTINE

So it looks like I spoke too soon last week, it is definitely NOT business as usual, haha. We got a message early Tuesday morning that we had to self isolate for at least the next two weeks (but there's no way it will only be that). It's probably good because New York has about 15x more cases than anywhere else in the country, though most of that is in the city. The county I'm in doesn't have any yet which is nuts, but the whole state has been ordered to do a mandatory isolation, so people can only do shopping once a week and only absolutely necessary workers are to go to work. It's wild! 

4/17/20:  Along the St. Lawrence River. 
I ended up celebrating my 11-month mark by starting our quarantine.

You would be pleased to know, however, that we are keeping very busy. In fact, busier than we ever have been! We have had a ton of lessons and been able to contact some inactive members that we have never met, and have set up appointments with some new people who have been previously taught! My mission president thinks that this could even change a lot of the way that missionary work is done in the future, because a lot of people respond better to this than knocks at the door. We will see! We don't really do any extra studying because that's really not as effective when there's so much work to be done.

The hardest part is seeing the same 4 walls every day all day. I don't mind being inside, honestly, it's just weird ending for the day and being like, well, I guess we'll just go to the other room? haha. Also the fact that there's nowhere exciting to take walks except on the road that has nothing on it. OH, and all of these possible plans that the missionary department keeps hinting at in their updates that we want answers to, haha. (like shortening missionary service? what?!)  My companion keeps getting mixed messages about what is going to happen to her at the end of the month.  As you know, she's on an "out-bound" for just 2 transfers from the SLC Temple Square mission, and she was supposed to be going back to SLC the last day of this month.  She heard from the missionary department that she'll mostly likely need to stay another 6 weeks for the next transfer (since everything on Temple Square is closed down anyways), but her Mission President there wrote that he's still trying to get her back to SL by the end of the month.  So much is up in the air!  

Here's your spiritual thought for the week, it's what we've been sharing with all the members this week:

In 1829, Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith were translating the Book of Mormon. Mounting persecution from people nearby was causing Oliver to be troubled, and he asked Joseph to ask God for a witness that what they were doing was truly the work of God. The revelation that came from that is found in the 6th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, and includes this beautiful reassurance:

"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."

We all have times of fear and worry in our lives. Where do we turn in those times? Do we seek for answers from others or the media? Do we hop on google? Or do we turn to the source of all truth itself - our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. They are the only true source of lasting peace and happiness, and if we turn to them we don't have to doubt or fear. We don't have to doubt that our Heavenly Father loves and cares for us because we will have felt it, and we don't have to fear because we KNOW WHO WINS! I hope you have all watched President Nelson's video on Facebook which brought me a lot of hope. If the person who probably has the most knowledge of the conditions of the world is hopeful for the future, then we can be too. This too will pass! I know that the Lord has been preparing us for this very time in our world and has been putting in place all the necessary measures to make sure we would be able to continue our sacrament meetings from home. I know that we are led by Christ through a living prophet!

Love, Sister Potts

Warning:  picture overdose!  We've been trying to make the best of our quarantine.  These are just a few of the things we've done during our breaks.  After all, a girl's gotta have some fun, too!:

 

FUN FACTS: Due to some interesting events that happened this week to my companion's family, I thought it would be appropriate to share about the elopement of Joseph and Emma!

1. The morning of January 18, 1827, Emma went and visited her sister near Colesville (near where Joseph was living). 

2. They had been courting for roughly a year, and Joseph had already asked Emma's father twice for her hand in marriage, which had ended very badly.

3. When Emma went to Josiah Stowell's home that day where Joseph was living, Joseph again asked her to marry him. 

4. Despite her family's objections, she was nearly 23 years old, and "preferring to marry him to any other man [she] knew" she accepted.

5. They were married in Bainbridge, NY by Justice of the Peace Zachariah Tarble. After the wedding, the couple went to the Smith home and spent the next year or so there.