Week 58 - Hey, I'm related to Charlemagne!

I forgot to send this last week!  Time is flying now--
celebrated 13 months of missionary life on May 17th!

Hello there! Sister Potts checking in after her second week in Pittsford!! I'm still in shock every time we drive somewhere and there's tons of people and giant houses.

It was a good week! The highlight was getting to partake of the sacrament yesterday for the first time since this all started (about 2 1/2 months ago).  Restrictions finally eased to the point that we could go to our Bishop's house to get it. Yay!  We also went home with some amazing chicken pot pie and chocolate chip cookies made by the bishop's wife!  Bless her!  It isn't often we get fed, so this was a real treat :)

Family history continues to prove a very useful tool for engaging friends and new people alike! One of our progressing friends gave us some info and within 5 min we found a grandma who had all her tree in and we traced it back to 200 b.c. He found out he was related to Charlemagne and Ceasar Augustus!  Wow!  He was sooooooo excited and was even telling his sister about it! We also have a lesson tonight with a lady who reached out to us and we are going to show her some cool things that we found. Families are such an important thing to everyone, and we are sharing the message that we can be together for eternity. What could be better?

We have a lot of people who have questions and concerns and don't really understand priesthood authority. But I'm just so glad that God's power and authority has been restored to the earth so that we can perform the ordinances necessary for salvation and to be sealed to our families forever.

Nothing else too exciting happened this week I'm afraid, but it was good nonetheless! We have a ton of missionaries coming in starting next Monday and every couple days after that so the next few weeks could keep you on the edge of your seat, haha.

God lives, he loves you, Christ loves you, and we can have that same love for others. Love you all!

Sister Potts

P.S. It's so nice to finally see blossoms and have Spring here in NY!

FUN FACTS:  Soooo . . .  Something cool I realized this week....

1. I am technically in basically the first area the gospel was ever preached in!

2. One of the towns in my area is Mendon, NY. This was one of the stops on Samuel Smith's first missionary journey after the printing of the Book of Mormon. Samuel was Joseph Smith's younger brother and regarded as the first latter-day missionary following the organization of the church.

3. In an inn he sold a copy to a man named Phineas Young, and was later thrown out and had to leave, thinking he had no success whatsoever.  He also gave a copy to Rhoda Greene, who happened to be Phineas's sister.

4. Little did he know that Phineas and Rhona had a brother, Brigham, who would be converted by this book he sold, and would later become the second Prophet of the church.

5. I love this story because as missionaries we never know what influence we have on others. And we know that no effort is wasted!

Week 57- A stranger in a new land

Aka transferred! After 5 transfers in the land of the north I have been moved. I will never forget the time I spent in Massena and the people I met. They will forever have my heart, and it was so hard to leave! But my new adventure is in.....PITTSFORD which is an eastern suburb of Rochester! 

Meet my new companion, Sister Mills,
from Spanish Fork, Utah!

It couldn't be more different.  It's pretty ritzy and educated, lots of stores and places to go, and a huge ward. I don't even know what to do with myself. But I like it so far--at least what I have experienced from my apartment! It is hard being so close to Palmyra because the closer you get the harder Satan works on the people. They are only 30 minutes away from one of the most sacred places in the world, so of course he wants to prevent them from going! Also because the church has been here so long it's hard.  I definitely get a vibe I didn't in Massena in that way. But we are trying and reaching out more through family history! We have been getting a lot of response with people very interested in learning more about it and so I'm really excited. I have enjoyed teaching family history so much! 

We are also covering an area called Penn Yan until more sisters come in, and I actually spent a few days there last September doing exchanges, so I'm excited!  Lots of good people that are being taught. 

We talked to two people about prayer this week who have the hardest time because they refuse to pray for themselves! They only want to pray for others. And, sure, we don't want to pray for selfish things like wealth or fame, but I want to testify that our Father in Heaven does love us and wants to help us. He is just waiting for us to ask! Peace, joy, fulfillment, better relationships, etc can be helped through prayer. Pray always and not faint! 

Have a great week and hopefully I'll have more exciting stuff next week.

Love, 

Sister Potts 

Goodbye to Sister Johnson.
We got the new missionary handbook right before transfers!
Can you tell we're excited?!

FUN FACTS: (Smith Children, continued...)

1. Joseph Smith III was born Nov 6, 1832, in Kirtland, Ohio. He eventually became the president of the reorganized Church of Christ and died in 1914.

2. Frederick Smith was born June 20,1836, in Kirtland, Ohio. Little is known about him except he stayed in Nauvoo and died in 1862.

3. Alexander Smith was born in Missouri in 1838 and grew up devoted to the Book of Mormon and his father. He became a leader in the reorganized Church of Christ and died in 1909.

4. Don Carlos Smith was born June 13, 1840.  He was named after Joseph's youngest brother and lived only 14 months, dying of malaria within days of his namesake.

5. Apparently Emma delivered a child on Feb 6, 1842, and he died the same day.

6. David Hyrum Smith was born In 1844 soon after his father's martyrdom. He served for the reorganized church but was later committed to an insane asylum where he stayed until his death in 1904. 

Week 56- snap crackle pop

Thanks to the Purcell's (the senior missionary couple
here in Massena) who sent us the beautiful flowers!

Hello friends and family! Signing in for possibly my last weekly email from Massena. Transfers are Wednesday, and I've already been here 5 transfers, so the odds of me staying are very slim! We will see though.... 

I don't have much time today, but here are some highlights of the week! First off, to explain my title I've been having back problems for a while and I finally broke down and told my mission president's wife about it.  She had a former senior Elder (a chiropractor) call me and teach my companion how to pop my back! Seriously a huge highlight of the week--it is the best, haha! You know you're in quarantine when that's the most exciting update .... 

We were also able to get a hold of some people that we haven't in a long time! Huge miracle. We were able to teach the law of chastity to someone who we've been really nervous to teach it to, and she took it so well! She has such a desire to do what God wants and we were blown away by her great attitude. 

We also were able to start doing family history with Jillian! We have found a lot and have been able to put a lot of her tree together and she is so excited. Her parents are really excited too, so it could be a great excuse to get them more involved! The spirit of Elijah is so real. 

We also found out that the new missionaries are going to be coming in starting in a couple weeks! They'll be coming in on the daily so every day there will be transfers pretty much. Wild! But exciting. We were told we could go out and take a hike or something today, so we went and walked around a little nature center area and got to wear JEANS! My first time since being a missionary! Honestly can't wait to put the dress back on soon haha.

Also Mothers day was this week! I am so grateful for a mom who has encouraged me to pursue my interests and passions, and who has taught me to prioritize the gospel in my life. She has taught me so much! Love you momma 

Love, Sister Potts 

Lots of good food this week!

French Dip Sandwiches & Sunshine Salad :)

Can't go wrong with ice cream!

FUN FACTS - to answer some peoples questions! If you have any send them in :)

1. I got a question about the economy around the time when the Smith family left Vermont:  the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia changed weather patterns all around the world, and in Vermont it caused several years of cold summers. As farming was a very large part of the economy and what employed many people this would have had severe economic consequences. It's what drove the Smith's and I'm sure many others from Vermont to the west to find better soil and climate to farm. 

2. The rest of today I will be answering questions about Joseph and Emma's children!

3. 1. (Possibly) Alvin Smith born June 15 1828 in Harmony, PA and lived only a few hours.

4. Fourth and fifth - twins born in Kirtland Ohio in 1831. Both died at birth.

5. The next day, a family friend also gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl (named Joseph and Julia Murdock) but when she died shortly after birth the Smith's adopted the babies. Joseph died in early 1832 after contracting the measles And being exposed to cold air from a mob attack. Julia live until 1880 and would end up converting to Catholicism and reside near Nauvoo. 

We will finish next week! !

Week 55- Party prep...

The next couple weeks are going to be a party.... we are more than doubling our mission! We currently have about 110 missionaries serving, and we are receiving 170 more in the next couple weeks who have been reassigned! Crazy. So we are preparing for that by really focusing on obedience and technology use to make sure that we set a good tone for all the new missionaries coming in. Obedience brings miracles! 

We were able to teach Jillian the restoration, and we got her a physical copy of the Book of Mormon! Her member friend was able to drop one off to her. And she LOVES the Book of Mormon videos. She's making up for all of the other people we are teaching who are dropping off the face of the planet haha. 

The weather has started warming up! We got to the mid 60's this week and there are faint signs of green on some of the trees as we go on our walks and runs. So that is exciting even if everything at home is already a month ahead of us haha. 

This week we finished memorizing the Restoration proclamation that came out this last conference! It has been so neat. A favorite section of mine says, "As a companion scripture to the Bible, the Book of Mormon testifies that all human beings are sons and daughters of a loving Father in Heaven, that He has a divine plan for our lives, and that His Son, Jesus Christ, speaks today as well as in days of old." I just want to add my witness that the Book of Mormon really has testified to me that we are beloved sons and daughters of God and that Jesus Christ can speak to us today, often times through the Book of Mormon! It's amazing. 

Love, Sister Potts

FUN FACTS:  (Moves part 2)

1. In early June 1829, Joseph moved to Fayette, NY to finish the translation of the Book of Mormon, and Emma followed soon after.

2.  Following the completion of translation, and after securing a copyright, Joseph moved back to Harmony.

3. Between April and June 1830 Joseph and Emma spent time in Palmyra, Manchester, Fayette, and Colesville, but they moved so much I'm going to consider it a long vacation rather than a move haha.

4. Around August of that year opposition in Harmony forced Joseph and Emma to move back to Fayette.

5. During the third conference of the church in January of 1831, Joseph announced a revelation given that directed the Saints to move to 'the Ohio'. Joseph and Emma left in the end of January. 

Well there we go folks! with 10 moves from last week +4 from today we have approx 14 moves from 1805-Jan 1831. There may be something I missed but that's what I got from the info I've been given from the church history department!