March 27, 2017 - 7 Months! - Fairport, Ny

Hey Y'all!

I hope your week was great! I know its weird getting an email on Tuesday not Monday but we had to change our P-Day today so that we could go to the temple since we are so close and that is the only answer to a prayer I can get. So I'm going with a ton of questions to the temple. It's going to be great! I'm so excited!

My week was great! One of the best weeks I've had here in Fairport! Monday was a great P-Day! It was good to hear from some of you! So grateful for your support and love! Means a lot!! We did our FHE with the Crocker family again! They love it and it's so much fun to be with them. We also saw the recent convert Thibisa and taught her about repentance.

Tuesday was a day that we got 2 new investigators in one day! I haven't had that in a long time. It was so awesome! One was a lady that we met in a parking lot. She was smoking a cigarette and I went to shake her hand and she tossed the cigarette and said she wanted to quit, well I said we could help her with that and she was interested! Her name is Pam Sinker and she is around 60 years old. She's awesome. We also had the feelig to contact a former investigator in our area book. So we went over to her house, her name is Tommye Smith. She
answered and was happy to see us! She said she still reads the Book of Mormon even after 5 years of not meeting with missionaries or any contact with the church! She stopped investigating because her daughter made her though. So that'll be a tough one to crack. But she wants us to continue to come over. Actually, we got 3 new investigators that day! Tuesday night we saw Janice Hunsinger, a lady who has been interested in family history. She brought her husband with her and we set up an appointment with both of them! So that was awesome!

Wednesday was our service day at Saints Place and we went to the city to drop of some furniture at a couple different places but we all didn't fit in the truck so the Victor elders had to drive their car behind us. They were under by like 400 miles so it didn't effect them much at all. But it was a good thing because the Saints Place guy,
Micheal had to go run an errand so we hopped into the Victor elders car and headed back but stopped to grab lunch at the Dinosaur BBQ, and let me tell ya mom and dad we are coming back here when we come. It is so
good. The rest of Wednesday we had tracting  time in and we found Jay Kayser, he told us to come back at the end of April because he was super busy with finding a new job, he gave us all his contact info and we gave him stuff to read for now. It was awesome.

Thursday was a long day, we had district meeting and the rest of the day was mainly tracting... ya gotta love it. Not such luck today though.  Our appointment with Pam Sinker fell through. So we took the priest we had
with with us, Addison tracting for an hour or so. It was awesome. He did a great job! We ended the night seeing a couple members and teaching them about the Book of Mormon.

Friday we had interviews with POresident. My interview was life changing. It was the best one I've had so far. Really helped me out. President is the man. We had weekly planning afterwards then we had lessons scheduled with Pam and Tommye and we got see them both! Pam told us in our lesson that she would like to be baptized. Not now but in the summer. It was so cool. She is ready to learn she'll eat it up. Tommye told us more about how she reads the Book of Mormon and we got to find out her interest level. It was a good visit with her. We did more
tracting. We tracted this apartment duplex neighborhood, we have a couple return appointments in there now! Hopefully the spirit will work on them.

Saturday was a day that felt like it was pulling teeth. We had 0 appointments so we tracted  all day long. It was awesome but we didn't even hand out a Book of Mormon. No one was having it. It was kinda discouraging but can't let it stop ya. We did do some less active finding and found a less active that has met with missionaries for a
couple months now. And she is crazy..... we knocked on her door and she opened the door and started crying, not because of us but because of the song she had on the radio. Which was a Bruno Mars song. Then she told us
her life story. I don't think she was all the way there. Ha it was entertaining.

Sunday was a very spiritual day. Services were great. The spirit was so strong throughout the whole day. We saw a less active and a couple active families. We taught them about the Book of Mormon. It was great! I love helping people understand the Book of Mormon more fully. It so awesome. The thing we have been teaching the is that the Book of Mormon is a revelation about revelation. You can read the Book of Mormon and it'll show you how to get and how revelation comes.

Monday was a great day! We cleaned out our area book in the morning and went tracting in the afternoon for a little bit. But it was so nice we decided we would go try street contacting for a little bit and it turned out that everyone and their dog were outside walking Main Street! So we got to meet some really cool people! It was awesome. We had dinner with probably one of my favorite families in the ward. The Neyts. They are so awesome. Then we had FHE with the Crocker family and visited with Thibisa!

This week has been awesome. And its only going to get better, especially this weekend. I'm so excited for general conference! I'm excited to hear the words of the lord spoken throughout prophet and apostles. I'll bear my testimony of them, that I know that they are called of God and they are special witnesses of our savior Jesus Christ. They speak the words of the living Christ. This is His church. The only true church. How blessed are we to be part of it? I love all of you and hope you have a blessed week.

Love,
Elder Judy

March 20, 2017 - Snow Day - Fairport, NY

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great week!

Monday was a great pday! We played lots of basketball at the mission office!  To end the day we had FHE with the Crocker family that is less active, and we had a lesson with Thibisa who is a recent convert! And her mom
sat in on our lesson about the atonement with us! It was awesome. Tuesday we woke up to it snowing outside and thought it would be a great to go shovel potential investigators driveways so we went down to the mission office and got shovels and went shoveling next to the mission office. We went to Barbara's house, she is a potential that we shoveled her driveway awhile  ago so we thought we would go help her out again! She was out doing it herself so it was perfect! We helped her out and she invited us in for hot chocolate! We were able to also teach her the plan of salvation! It was awesome. But while we were in the lesson the zone leaders called us  multiple times... so we gave them a call back and they said that we need to go to our apartment. So we started driving there but couldn't even make it through the intersection and our apartment was a 15 minute drive... so we ended up
making it to the Victor elders apartment and got stuck there for the day and the night cause it only got worse.

Wednesday we were all sick of sitting inside so we went out to the parking lot and ended up shoveling a strip wide enough for a car through the whole parking lot and spent from 7am- 7:30pm shoveling out cars and driveways. The ending count was 14 cars and 10 driveways. It was a tiring day. But well worth it!  During our lunch break Elder
Gardner and I got this great idea to go swimming. The video is below. And we made it back to our apartment safely Wednesday night.

Thursday Elder Falter had his doctors appointment in Brockport so we drove out there! Then had district meeting at 11am. It was a very inspiring meeting! We talked a lot about being 100% obedient and the blessings from it. I felt Ike I got punched in the face... I'm exactly obedient but I don't feel like I've been meeting my full potential my
mission. So that is my goal this week is to study that area and see if I can improve in anyway. We didn't have a dinner appointment so we went to the mission office and Elder and Sister Spencer ended up taking us to Applebee's! They are my favorite! We ended the night visiting some youth and getting them a personal mission plan set up. That was guidance from President Evans, he wants us to work more with the youth.

Friday was weekly planning and we also had a lesson with Jeff Ornt. It was so spiritual. Hopefully it kicked him in the right direction. We had a lesson with Lela McCoullough! She's my homie. My favorite less active. She started coming to church more often after her son was killed in a car accident. I think it so awesome that she turned to the
church in that time of need. We did a little bit of tracting in a very wealthy part of our area.... no such luck. We ended the night it's a lesson with Joan! Our most progressing investigator who is on date for April 22!  She's awesome, she poured her heart out to us saying she wants to get an answer that this is true but doesn't have time to read or ponder. So we invited her to put God first in her life and to read the Book of Mormon for 5 minutes a day. I believe that this will help her find more peace and happiness in her life for sure.

Saturday was a slow day, we had nothing planned but God was on our side so he made it snow again so we went out and did some more unplanned service! We went and shoveled less actives driveways, we didn't get in contact with any of them but we are cleaning out our area book as well and we got to do some of that! Always so much fun!  We ended the night by teaching a couple member families about the Book of Mormon and how its a book about a revelation about revelation. Read the first 14 pages and find out for yourself of how Lehi ad Nephi received
revelation or direction from God. It's awesome.

Sunday was a get Sabbath day! Sacrament was full of the spirit! One funny thing that happened was Elder Falter forgot the phone at the apartment so we were driving back to the apartment to get it before a member appointment and we were stopped at a intersection at a red light and all the sudden I felt a little tap on the car and looked back and this guy had just kissed our back bumper! Haha so i got out and told him to follow us and he did. We got to a parking lot and we got out and nothing had happened to either car and the guy was very sorry but we ended up giving him a Book of Mormon and  he gave  us all of his information! He said he would love to us to come over! So that was crazy! The lord works in mysterious ways.

Well that was my week! It was a crazy fun one! I hope you all know that this church is true!! The Book of Mormon is the word of God! 2 Nephi 33:10 is one of my favorites. We have the full gospel of Jesus Christ that was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. But none of this could've happen if it wasn't for the translation of the Book of
Mormon. D&C 5:4. The Book of Mormon was the first gift of this dispensation. And it continues to bless and guide us as we abide by it teachings. I love you all and hope you have a blessed up coming week!

Love,
Elder Judy

March 13, 2017 - Where Is March Going? - Fairport, NY

Hello family and friends! I hope you all had a blessed week! New York is great and very cold
this past week!

Monday was a great pday! We hung out in palmrya with all the other missionaries! It was a lot of fun! We had a couple lesson after pday with a less active family, and we saw thibisa. It was a great night Tuesday morning we went and taught the restoration to a lady we tracted into a couple weeks Ago! Her name is carol, she loved the
message and we asked if we could come back and she said to give her a week to read and to think about. Praying she accepts the message and wants to move Forward! We did a little bit of tracking in the afternoon and we didn't find anyone but we did touch a little girls heart. A little girl who was out with her grandma cleaning the driveway we talked to then and gave then a gospel of Jesus Christ pamphlet and the grandma came outside after we had finished tractjng the street and she apologized for being rude but told us that the girl has been asking questions about God and Jesus, but we couldn't teach her because the parents are unbelievers and don't want there
kids to be either.... So sad.

Wednesday we did service at saints place and saw members all day afterwards. Thursday we had zone conference and president trained a lot about the atonement and missionary work! It was so inspiring and fired me up to
be a better person. I love being a Missionary!

Friday we planned all day. Haha elder falter had a doctor's appointment in Brockport and came back and did more planning. We planned a whole bunch for the members in this area and it's going to be a great week.

Saturday our site trip fell through so we went to survival mode and tried finding people, then we helped a member move and then went to go see a couple members and we taught then about the Book of Mormon. Sunday was Great! We had a great Sacrament meeting and we had 2 investigators at church! It was a great day!

Sorry this email is short but it's sweet, love you all!

Love,
Elder Judy

March 6, 2017 - Considering where you came from; You should be a lot better. - Fairport, NY

Hey!🏼,

This week was amazing. I'm going to be on a spiritual high for a long while.  I hope you all had a great week! 

Monday was just like any other P-day, we played basketball 200 yards away from the grove... that's pretty cool. Haha!  We actually ended up moving an apartment half way through P-day then we took off to Palmyra! After P-day ended we were driving home with the Pittsford elders and there was a car on the side of the road with it's hazards on so we pulled over, well it ended up as their alternator was fried and we jumped their car multiple different times as they were driving to the nearest parts store. Long story short we shared the gospel with them and passed them off to the Gates elders where they live. I just got a text from them saying that these people are solid and on baptismal date! How cool is that? So awesome! The lord provides for his strong and faithful servants. So awesome!

Tuesday was transfer day and I said goodbye to Elder Griener and picked up  Elder Falter! And oh how exciting is that? Elder Falter was in the MTC with me! And he is so cool! We get along great! We both want to work hard and find new people to teach! Elder Falter is from Washington state. And came from East Buffalo to here. East Buffalo is one of the sketchiest parts of our mission. Now he's in the richest place so big change for him. He loves it tho! We have put in a lot of work this week! 

Wednesday we did service at Saints Place and had a lesson with a less active. We got a text from David saying he won't give up coffee. Then later that night he said he was reconsidering because he looked up caffeine side effects. So that was pretty funny. Haha we did a little bit of splitting of our area book with the other elders since my last area got split into 2 so that has been a big pain. 

Thursday we had an amazing zone meeting. It was so inspiring in how to have faith to find people to teach, just what I need to start this transfer! 

F - For

A - Always 

I - I 

T - Trust 

H -Him  

For I will always trust my lord and savior to lead me to the people who are prepared for the restored gospel, and will accept the gift from god, The Book of Mormon. We had a lesson with David and taught him the plan of salvation, he had some really weird concerns that we addressed. He's coming along slowly but surely. And we ended the night street contacting in the brutal cold wind. Haha that wasn't too much fun. 

Friday was weekly planning which we did the Victor elders so I could help them out a little bit. Then we went to go set up chairs for the picture that we were going to take with Elder Holland. And got the chapel and church looking all pretty for him. And finished up splitting area book! That'll be nice to not worry about that anymore. We met up with David and he took us out to Palmyra for a stake meeting that President Eyring and Elder Holland spoke at! And oh man was it amazing. Elder Holland spoke a lot about D&C 135:3 "Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God," 

My heart was touched and my testimony was strengthened about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

President Eyering spoke about gods love, and how he knows us by our names and even our nicknames,. And he shared an experience and then he brought in a quote I love when he was talking about gods love and how we came to be, he said this: "Considering where you came from; you should be a lot better."  I think about this, it's so true, we should also try a little harder to be a little better. Strive to be like our savior Jesus Christ. 

Saturday was an awesome day! In the morning we had a personal meeting with Elder Holland! And boy was it spiritual. He talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and how it's the first gift from god in this dispensation. (D&C 5) we read the Book of Mormon with him.  We read the first 14 pages. And I want all of you to do this, read these pages and ask yourself how does the spirit come, and why does it stay? I promise you as you diligently search you will find an answer to this question. There's also a story in those pages that EVERY prophet of the lord has. Read it to find out. One quote that I love that Elder Holland said to us was: "This is every prophets story... this isn't new... this isn't made up... this is our message: that the heavens are opened and god is doing what he has always done." 

This work has been around from the beginning of time, and it only makes sense to have a modern day prophet so that we can be connected to our savior Jesus Christ. My testimony was strengthened so much! It was such an amazing weekend. 

Sunday was a great fast Sunday! We didn't have a whole lot planned out for after church and studies so we went out to go find people and tracted for a little bit until we had a member lesson. Elder Falter and I have decided to share the message of the Book of Mormon that Jeffrey R Holland gave to us. And we've done it twice and both times we've gotten referrals, so that's awesome! We ended the night street contacting and we ran into Alex and Scott, two guys that had walked out of a bar. They accepted Book of Mormons and were actually really excited! It was awesome. 

Well everybody that is my week! I hope you all are doing great and I hope this week will go great for you. I would just like to add my witness of Jesus Christ and to the quote, "considering where you came from, you should be a lot better." It's so true. We have a Heavenly Father who is perfect and we need to become as he is. And it's possible through daily prayer and scripture study, we can grow closer to our savior Jesus Christ and use his Atonement more fully in our lives. This church is so true, and it's so humbling to see the lord's hand in his own work. Bringing souls to Christ is the best job out there. Tough, but totally worth it. Always remember I love all of ya! 

Love,

Elder Judy