Week 71

August 2, 2017
Wednesday, Day 496
Day 136 back in NY
Pay!

Today was pretty good! We had plans for after pday set so our daily planning was quite short. After studies we went about pday business. Well around 3pm it got really dark, the sky was thick and grey. Thunder rolled and lighting struck. And down came pouring rain. Immediately we checked the weather and our weather app said “Severe Thunderstorms” for the next 3 days… well about half an hour into the storm we got a call from R, she canceled... but with the weather that was expected. It was super lame; there was no sign of it raining today.

We had an appointment at 6:15pm, we had called earlier to confirm. 6pm rolled around and we hadn't received a call back, so we headed over to Brother D’s home. We knocked and no one was home… we thought, okay no ones home, let's change real quick and we will head over to R’s to continue working on her door (because the weather cleared up and it was sunny again).

LESSON LEARNED: Be careful when you think no one is watching.

So, with no one home at Brother D's, we decided to change in his drive way and head over to R’s… after completely changing and just as I was putting on my shoes, he pulls up to his driveway with his wife... thankfully we were both completely dressed, but how awkward it could have been had they pulled up any second earlier.

August 3, 2017
Thursday, Day 497
Day 137 back in NY

Zone conference was this morning in Newbourgh. For some reason we planned an hour for travel time instead of half that. So we got to the chapel 30 minutes early. In preparation for this conference, we studied Joseph Smith History verses 1-20. It was a really great meeting. August 30, 2016 we had a Zone study (between interviews) at the Charles chapel on the same topic. Almost a year later, we met again (today) and had this wonderful meeting. We focused on the restoration and Joseph Smith’s experience. It brought back the same feelings I experienced on August 30, 2016, when I felt that I really gained a testimony of the restoration and prophet Joseph Smith.

At the end of the meeting, as many as felt the need, had the opportunity of bearing their testimony. Having reflected on my experience a year ago and my experience today, I stood and bore my testimony.

As Elder Holland’s great grandfather once said “No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so.”

Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restoration. He IN FACT did see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. He knew it was true and he knew God knew it was true, and there was no way to deny it. I have received a confirmation of my own that these things are true and I myself cannot deny it. Seek the truth for yourself, read, ponder, and pray to find your answer, it will come.

August 4, 2017
Friday, Day 498
Day 138 back in NY

We had planned to help Sister P this morning after studies. As we were getting changed to go over and help with her burn pile, we began to hear thunder… on our drive over it began to down pour for about 20 minutes it rained... the thunder was LOUD and the lightening was often. We thought to cancel this morning with Sister P. So we stopped at the church to check the weather and see what was going on. She ended up calling us just before we called her, she said because of the rain she doesn't think it would work out today. After we got off the phone we headed back home, just as we pulled into where we live the rain had stopped and he clouds began to part slowly, we could see the blue sky peeking through…after getting home and about ready to begin planning Sister P calls and says well it looks like the storm has passed right over and it should be clear at least for he next few hours. She was right, so we went to her home and helped out for a few hours. Sorting woodpiles and dragging it down to her burn pile. It was way too wet to get a fire going with all the wet wood but we were able to get a good size pile ready to burn when it all finally dries.

As we finished up the clouds came back and it rained as got back into the car. We went home, weekly planned for a few hours, had dinner, and went to visit Brother R. He wasn't feeling well so we visited with him for some time, he's a talker he kept us there nearly 2 hours… he also asked if we would give him a blessing. After our visit, we gave him a blessing and were on our way home.

August 5, 2017
Saturday, Day 499
Day 139 back in NY

Our first appointment fell through this morning, so unfortunately we wasted a 20-minute drive. We then went to our appointment with Brother K. We focused our message on the sacrament, he's blind, but we played a video of Elder Holland talking about the sacrament, and he listened to it and really enjoyed it. We then committed him to do something different this week to prepare himself to partake of the sacrament. We were a bit behind in our schedule and so were the Sisters, so instead of having an APF, we met at the church and planned ideas for an APF.

August 6, 2017
Sunday, Day 500
Day 140 back in NY

Today was super weird for some reason... But it was great at the same time; I bore my testimony during sacrament. It was weird though, because we didn't have any investigators at church (neither did the Sisters) and Brother W’s in-laws weren't here so we didn't have Spanish class. Then we were asked to teach Elders quorum. So during 2nd hour, we read through a talk by Elder Holland and planned or lesson. Then 3rd hour we taught our lesson.

After church was a bit interesting, an ex-husband of a woman in our branch showed up. (Apparently he came to cause trouble, but someone noticed him come into the building and I guess pulled him into a room and talked to him) we were asked to stay and just be there till he left. President C stepped into the room and talked to him, then about 15 minutes later, he left. And we could finally leave. Once we left we picked up a box of food from Sister M. Then went home and unloaded before going to visit Brother M.

On our way to an appointment we got a call from the family and they canceled on us. So we went to her H’s and visited them as the last stop of the night.

August 7, 2017
Monday, Day 501
Day 141 back in NY

After district meeting we planned to visit R to do some service… but the weather was rainy so we rescheduled… We went to the church so Elder Wallace could have language Study; he started teaching me some. Hopefully I'll come home fluent.

Today was overall a bit better than yesterday. The H’s had us over for dinner, which was great! We had burgers.

Then Brother J invited us to the church for family home evening. We prepared a message and we played a game called Exploding Kittens.

August 8, 2017
Tuesday, Day 502
Day 142 back in NY

We started the day off in Poughkeepsie, at a Temple and Family History training. It was pretty cool, I didn't leave with what I thought I would learn, but I learned what I didn't expect to learn. This is the dispensation for family history.  "The past dispensations have been preparing us for this dispensation.  And, if we, in THIS dispensation, do not fulfill our responsibility to do our Family History and Temple work, the Earth will be utterly wasted"  

Afterward we had to get our car, it was being inspected. Then we drove back to New Paltz and helped out at the bishop’s storehouse. We were there from about 2-5pm. Then we delivered one of the orders that were filled to the E family.

We stopped by Brother W’s office before going to dinner. He had something’s he wanted to show us on family search and a survey he wanted to print off for us. Afterward we went home for dinner and then visited the W.

Patience. Love. Faith
Much love,

Elder Newbold