WEEK 64- FIRE! Of the works and flies variety

I made Key Lime Pie :)

A little late, but here's my
 B-day pics!

The most exciting part of the week- we discovered that the fireflies are out! Apparently they have been for the last two weeks and we DIDN'T KNOW. We were so sad. But we were talking to our neighbor one night and then all of the sudden we were surrounded by thousands of them. Literally the most magical thing ever I am going to miss NY so much! We are surrounded by fields so it's pretty perfect firefly conditions. It was especially magical on the 4th of July when we were surrounded by fireworks on all sides (including our neighbor literally 200 feet away) plus all the fireflies! 

The other exciting thing was a new finding method! So we are trying to find new ways to find people since we are running out of options, and someone in the mission mentioned on a training meeting that they had been calling "number neighbors"--basically once they call a number they change the last digit and do the ones close to it and try to strike up a conversation. It's definitely terrifying and a weird experience, but the VERY FIRST PERSON we called was super interested and we already have had 2 lessons with him. Miracle? Definitely. 

It was also my companion's year mark and so she let me do her hair and makeup and we had crepes for breakfast and had a really good day. 

We have had a lot of training this week on how the Book of Mormon can answer any question of the soul. It's so true! We have been going through and thinking of questions and scriptures that answer them and it has been so powerful. Even questions about how to balance a family and career, or how to strengthen your relationship with your spouse have answers in the Book of Mormon. With our friend who was our 'wrong number on purpose' he had questions and concerns about the bad decisions he has made in his life was so touched by the scripture we shared in Alma 36, and I just 'happened' to read a scripture one morning that I shared with a friend who was about to tell us that he didn't want to meet with us anymore because he wasn't getting an answer to his prayers that answered his prayer! So I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and was given to us to guide us through this mortal journey. Any question can be answered through the Book of Mormon, whether it be on the page or through the Holy Ghost that is with us as we read. Satan works against us every day, so we need to fight back every day by reading the Book of Mormon!

Love, Sister Potts

FUN FACTS: Apparently people enjoyed last week's fun facts about the brothers, so I thought I'd do the rest of the family!

1. Sophronia: Joseph's oldest sister! Also the sibling just older than him. Sophronia was married around the same time as Joseph, and followed the family to Ohio, Missouri, and Nauvoo. She lost two husbands, and lived with her younger sister Lucy and her daughter in Illinois until her death in 1876.

2. Katherine: She was married right before the family moved from New York, and also followed the family to Ohio, Missouri, and eventually Nauvoo. Her husband died when she was 40, and she lived for more than 47 years as a widow. She outlived any of the Smith children, passing away at the age of 87 in 1900. 

3. Lucy: named after her mother, Lucy was the youngest of the Smith children born in 1821. If you ever see the recreated log home in Palmyra, there was an addition added on to the back of the house for her nursery. She was only 9 when the Smiths left NY, and was with them in Ohio, Missouri, and Nauvoo. As she was fleeing mobs in Missouri she lost both shoes in icy mud near the Mississippi river. She was married in Nauvoo, and took in her widowed mother after the martyrdom. She remained in Illinois for the rest of her life, passing away at the age of 61 in 1882. 

4. Father Smith: Father Smith was devoted to the Church and his son's calling throughout his life. He was called as the first Patriarch of the church, and followed Joseph from Ohio to Missouri and Nauvoo. He became very ill from the mob persecutions in Missouri, and never fully recovered passing away in 1840. In his final moments he saw his son Alvin, who had died 17 years earlier.

5. Mother Smith: Lucy would witness the deaths of 5 of her sons and her husband before her death. Alvin in 1825, Her husband in 1840, Don Carlos in 1841, Both Joseph and Hyrum murdered in 1944, and Samuel soon after that year. What a strong woman! She went to live with her daughter Lucy after the martyrdom of her sons, and would complete a history of Joseph Smith. She lived her final years with Emma in Nauvoo before she passed away in 1856, nearly 81 years old. 

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