We got to help deliver food to families in need for Thanksgiving and that was a very humbling experience

     This week was a lot of ups and downs. My companion is great, I love him so much but he is having a hard time adjusting to this lifestyle. So keep him in your prayers please. Sometimes I feel like that's a lot of my day is praying for him but it's fun training. Hard sometimes but fun. It is cool to see him molding into a great missionary. I'm just praying he is able to stick it out. We had some great things happen this week. 
     On Wednesday we got to have Zone Conference 

and I love zone conference so much, it's the best. What is a Zone Conference? We talked a lot about faith and that has become such a passion of mine. I love the idea of faith. Faith makes people do the craziest things but that's what makes it so special. But if you look in the scriptures at stories the biggest difference between the people who have a little faith and those who truly have faith is action. The children of Israel for example, only had to look at Moses's staff and they would be healed but their faith wasn't strong enough to motivate them to take action and look at the staff. Faith is so important but it's not good enough, we have to act on our faith and that is how our faith grows and we strengthen our relationship with Jesus Christ. That's the most important thing we could ever do for ourselves in this life. 

     A great point that President Palmer shared with us is that he asked us the question who has ever gotten offended at church in someway? Whatever religion you belong to. Most of us raised our hands. He then asked how many of us had ever been offended by Jesus Christ? Don't build your faith in something so imperfect and worldly as a church, but build your faith in Jesus Christ. Because the church may fail you but Jesus Christ never will. I thought was great insight and I love the opportunity I have to learn so much. 
     As far as lessons go, we had some really great lessons this week. Probably the best news was the fact that Jose and Jennie have decided to get married so Jose should be able to be baptized soon. I am so excited for him. He has made so many changes the past few weeks to come closer to Christ and I can see the changes every time we go visit him and it's so cool. I love teaching them. We had good lessons with some other people too. 
     We also got the chance to help a ward out with their "harvest hunt." We got to help deliver food to families in need for Thanksgiving and that was a very humbling experience and we actually got a couple of lesson appointments scheduled.  
     Sunday morning Elder Miller woke up with pink eye so we were pretty much quarantined all day which wasn't too fun but what can ya do. We also found out this week that Elder Rasband is going to come do a Christmas devotional with just our mission on December 3rd so I'm super excited about that. It'll be an amazing spiritual experience I'm sure. 
     I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. The holidays are super hard for me because that's when I miss home the most but the members here are so great and help me not miss it so much with their generosity and hospitality. Thanks for your prayers! Stay safe! Have a great week and a great Thanksgiving!

Love, 
Elder Potter

I can really feel the love for those I teach, those I serve, and even those who flip me off and throw things at me as we walk along the roads.

I got this text on Saturday from a guy Colton has helped teach.

So with transfers this week it was a little hectic. We had our training meetings for all the trainers and trainees and that's where I met Elder Miller, my new companion. He is from St Louis area so not Indiana but that's okay. He is a great kid and I love being his companion. He is struggling right now adjusting to missionary life and feeling like he is good enough so if you could keep him in your prayers that would be great. As far as how our week went it was a good week, a little slow but still good. We had some really great lessons and found someone new to teach so that was really exciting. We had yet again another great lesson with Jose. He has to give up a few things and make a couple of changes in order to be baptized but he has told us he is willing to do whatever it takes which is super exciting. He had come so far since we started teaching him. His daughter Emily also wants to get baptized so that's great too. I love their family. 

The highlight of the week was for sure Saturday. We had two baptisms, one for Josh and one for Kinzie. Elder Tyler came back from Grantsville and performed both baptisms but I got to confirm both of them as members of our church so that was really cool. And then Sunday we got to go support Josh as he got ordained an Elder and received the priesthood. What is the Priesthood? And we had another good lesson with the Oros another night. I got to share a very personal experience with the mom and it really touched her and she asked me to give her a blessing. She gave me a huge hug afterwards and I was really able to feel the gratitude she had for what I shared which was cool. I love being a missionary. I can really feel the love for those I teach, those I serve, and even those who flip me off and throw things at me as we walk along the roads. It's really changed my outlook on everything and helped me determine what's really important in life. Pleasing God is really all that matters. Who cares what anyone else thinks about me if God loves me and is proud of me? And if we can trust in our faith and in the Lord he will provide for us. He never said it would be easy but he did say it would be worth it.

I hope to hear back from you today! Love and miss you so much

Elder Potter

His Halloween costume he ordered finally came in.  I love this goofy kid!

We got transfer calls this week!

Last District Meeting Before Transfer

Went to Johnny Rockets after Temple Square to celebrate transfers.

 Family we took to Temple Square  - the Oros

                     The Rushtons

So first off, we got transfer calls this week (every six weeks or so they are reassigned to areas based on missionaries going home, missionaries arriving and the needs of people in the different areas) so Elder Tyler will be heading to Grantsville (Colton's Aunt and Uncle and cousins live there) and I will be staying in Hunter South and will be training a brand new missionary, Elder Miller right out of the MTC. It was awesome to be able to serve with Elder Tyler for three months. I learned a lot from him and I'm glad I got to serve with him. I'm definitely excited about the opportunity to train Elder Miller and I'm excited for the work that we have going right now in the Hunter South Stake. 

But I had a really good week this week. We had some really good lessons and a couple of break through lessons. On Wednesday we normally have a correlation (planning meeting) with one of our ward mission leaders but he wasn't home for some reason at the time we normally meet and so we went back later and his wife said he had just left but should be back soon so we stuck around that area and tried a couple of referrals. We had knocked most of these houses we tried at least 5 times and never got an answer but we got a couple to answer and picked up two solid new investigators which was awesome. 

Saturday we got to go to Temple Square with a family, the Oros and it was so cool to go with them and to be able to answer all their questions. The mom and oldest son are members but that's it and we have been working with them forever. One of the teachers I had at the MTC worked with them so they have been meeting with missionaries forever and so we are happy with their progression right now. On Sunday, Jennie and Jose and 4 of their 7 kids were able to make it to church again and Jose loves it. Sunday night we stopped by and visited with them so elder Tyler could say his goodbyes and stuff to the area and Jose told us he wants to get baptized and then he wants to marry Jennie and he is super excited and sincere about it and it was so cool. So next lesson we are going to go over a couple of things so he knows what the requirements for baptism are. Jose has a couple of things he needs to work through first but I think  he will keep the faith and stay strong and make it. I'm super excited for him and his family. Besides that not too much else to report. This transfer is only a 5 week transfer so the people going home can get home in plenty of time before Christmas. So this transfer is going to fly by and I feel like I'll probably stay here for another transfer after this one. But I'll be 6 months down at that point so that'll be cool! Until next week!

Elder Potter

Miracles happen every day. All we have to do is open our eyes.

This week was a GREAT week. So many miracles happened. I can testify to everyone who reads this that miracles happen every day. All we have to do is open our eyes. God blesses us so much in so many different ways and he is just waiting to give you even more blessings. He is just waiting to hear from you. Prayer is real. God answers prayers all the time. It might not be the way or in the time you want but He will answer them in the way that most will benefit you. But for kinda the breakdown of this week, we had probably the least amount of lessons we have had since I've been here. A bunch feel through which normally equals a bad week but it wasn't. We got to meet a lot of new people through contacting door to door and referrals we received. We set up some lessons with new people for this next week which is exciting. And the few lessons we had were really really good. We had another great lesson with the family from California. It is so cool to watch how Jesus Christ is changing their life for the good. Every time we meet with them they have so many great questions and are just so willing to learn and it makes being a missionary so worth it. Another highlight, not because it was fun but because I have to mention it, was the service project we helped with on Saturday. We started at 9 and finished at 4:30. We were prying up some concrete slabs at the entrance to a member's driveway so we could dig the roots out from underneath so the concrete can be level. Oh my gosh was it hard work. My hands and arms were killing me Saturday and Sunday from swinging the axe trying to break these massive roots up but it was satisfying seeing the finished project and it was nice getting to help this family. There is no way they would have ever finished if it wasn't for the work that we did along with a couple other missionaries. Saturday night we had a ward party to go to that was really fun. And then Sunday we got to go to a high council meeting with one of our investigators who is waiting from approval from them to be baptized. He got the approval which is super exciting. He has been waiting for a long time to get baptized. But that about wraps up this week. Today we have a full day P day because they don't want us out and about during trick or treat hours. So we are having a Halloween party and costume contest. That will be super fun. Also we get transfer calls this Saturday so that will be exciting. I've loved being able to serve with Elder Tyler but we are both hoping that we don't end up together another transfer so that we can stay friends and won't kill each other. Being with someone 24/7 with no breaks at all for three months is a little tough but he has taught me a lot and I've loved serving with him. That wraps this week up! Until next week! Have a happy Halloween!

"So my challenge to everyone this week is to be respectful and show kindness toward everyone no matter what their beliefs are or how they act toward you."

Another week in the books. Getting closer to the new year which is just crazy. Seems like I just got here but also like I've been here forever. It's a weird feeling for sure but I love it out here. I do love waking up and being able to go outside and look at the mountains. It is absolutely gorgeous in the morning and evening. Not nearly as green as back home which I miss but I guess you can't have it all. This week there weren't too many highlights through the first few days. We did get to go to Temple Square with a kid who was just recently baptized so that was super cool. Besides that we really didn't have too many lessons. A lot of the people we have been working with either have gotten baptized and don't need to meet with us anymore or they returned to church. But that means we did a lot of finding new people to teach which is not very much fun but it is very important. 

We were able to contact quite a few referrals. One of them is a super nice lady who is from New York. She has a cool story but we were able to just befriend her and have a nice long discussion about different religions. One thing that I thought she said is so true is how sad it is when people discriminate against other people because of their faith. If there aren't people showing up at your church with signs yelling and screaming at you, why would it be okay for you to do it to other churches? I think what she said is so true. I had never really seen that until I came out here but it is super sad. There is already a lot of hate in this world so don't hate others based on what they believe. That doesn't mean you have to agree with them but at least respect it. Nothing is more discouraging as a missionary then when people are rude and disrespectful towards us. We believe in something so strong we are willing to give up two years of our life to help other people. That's all we are doing. But people still throw disregarding remarks towards us all the time. So my challenge to everyone this week is to be respectful and show kindness toward everyone no matter what their beliefs are or how they act toward you. On Saturday, we got to go to temple square again with a family that we are teaching and it was amazing to see how much they loved it. They are so fun to teach. They have seven kids and they are all so respectful and I just love their family so much. Then we went to a ward party and they showed up and even participated in the super weird square dancing. They're awesome. Then Sunday, Elder Tyler and I got to speak in sacrament meeting at one of the wards we cover. We talked about sharing the gospel through our testimony. I think the best way you can do this is through your actions. Our actions should show us as being followers of Christ at all times, in all things, and in all places. Don't ever be afraid for standing up for what you believe in. I would much rather stand with God and be judged by the world then stand by the world and be judged by God. Just something to think about. I know I say this every week but thank you so much for your constant support for me. It means a lot to me and I need it. Being a missionary is really hard but I love it. Until next week!

Elder Potter

4471 S 5400 W

West Valley City, UT 84120

"Repentance is a gift from God so don't waste it, use it."

This Photo Colton sent us - I assume someone made them these fabulous Halloween pillowcases. How fun!

This picture came a surprise text from a family who was feeding them.  They said they love to have them over.  We are grateful to all those who are willing to welcome them into their homes!

This picture he included must be of a wedding they attended.  

This week was a little bit of a different week. We had an extra meeting on Wednesday on top of our 3 hour planning session on Thursday and hour and a half district meeting on Friday. The mission presidents have been advised to start having zone conferences every transfer instead of every other transfer so this was actually my first one but it was an amazing meeting.  It was super long but I felt like I learned so much in that meeting. Zone conferences are meetings held for a larger area of the mission under the direction of the Mission President.  They are typically held every 3 months and can cover a variety of topics.  In this case they will be holding them every 6 weeks. On Tuesday our zone leaders asked if we could help them in a role play in front of all the other missionaries and so we got to teach one of our zone leaders about repentance and about how to repent. And as I was studying for this Wednesday morning, I felt like I knew all about repentance but I was wrong. Maybe I knew this and hadn't thought about it but if we aren't living up to how Jesus Christ lived his life 100% of the time we NEED to repent. It's not an option. We are commanded to read from our scriptures every day and to pray often every day and if we aren't doing that we need to repent. Sin is sin and we need to repent from it. But repentance isn't something that should be scary. It is a gift from God. He loves us so much He sent His son down to earth to suffer and die for each and every one of us individually. Because of that we can repent and receive mercy from our Heavenly Father and be forgiven of our sins through Jesus Christ. But we will not be forgiven in our sins. We will be forgiven from our sins. There is a big difference. When we repent we must have a change of heart and desire to truly change. We must do the very best we can. God loves us unconditionally but that does not give us a free pass to live our lives whichever way we want and then expect to reap all the rewards in the end. That's just not the way it works. So humble yourself, repent and change. I'm going to do the same thing. We should never justify sin and we should be repenting daily because we are all sinners. Repentance is a gift from God so don't waste it, use it. I really liked the training we were given about repentance and felt like I should put it in my email so there ya have it.

But in other highlights this week, we have a boy that we have been teaching who got baptized my first week in the field named George. We have been trying and trying to get his younger sisters to join us in lessons but it wasn't until this week that we actually did so that was really exciting. We are hoping for them to join us as we get to go down to Temple Square with George later tonight. Temple square is an amazing, beautiful place. Every time we get to take someone there I feel the spirit so strongly. We went out to lunch with the zone leaders on Tuesday to a place called Pizza Rev and they need this place in Goshen SO bad. It is like a subway except with pizza. Oh man was it good. Unlimited toppings and a pizza big enough that I finished it but was hurting a little bit after that and it only cost me $6. Can't beat that. We found out for Halloween we aren't allowed to be outside so we get a full-day P-day which is super exciting. We aren't allowed outside mainly because some people apparently dress up as missionaries and cause trouble so we don't want to get mixed up in that. But I also think it is partly because of the creepy killer clowns. I really hope I never see any of those guys walking around. But our zone is going to do a companionship costume contest so that is going to be super fun. My companion and I ordered them Thursday so we are hoping to get them in time but it'll be cutting it close. That will be super fun. Pictures will come with that shortly. Friday night, one of our wards put on a talent show and some ladies in the ward signed us up so we tried to throw a musical number together and it went a lot better than expected. Elder Tyler played the ukulele and I sang. I woke up sick on Friday so I wasn't feeling great but I did the best I could. We sang Wagon Wheel by Darius Rucker. All in all a successful event. This weekend was general conference so we had a bunch of other meetings to go to. Saturday was the priesthood leadership session at 4 and then the adult session was at 7. Sunday was the regular session at 10. We had some great council from the stake leaders here as well as from Elder Bryant Larson of the 70 who presided at the meetings. My favorite thing from the weekend meetings was shared in the adult session by Elder Larson. He talked about how if we want to avoid being deceived from Satan, we MUST gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon and of Joseph Smith. I can testify to you all the Joseph Smith is a prophet called of God and the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God. Together with the Bible, the Book of Mormon is the greatest tool we have to return and live with our Heavenly Father after this life. It's true. I know it's true with all my heart. There is no way that Joseph Smith could have written that book except he was inspired by God and given the power to translate it by God. There is no way an evil man could write the Book of Mormon, and a righteous man wouldn't write it unless he was commanded to by God. That's all for this week. Thanks so much for all of the prayers and support you all give me. I truly feel them every day.

"God will work miracles into your life if you do your part and show Him you have faith in Him."

Another week in the books and again a lot of really cool experiences this week. Tuesday morning we got a text that there was a girl in the hospital who needed a blessing and so we drove with one of our mission leaders about 45 minutes to get to the hospital and I got to give her a blessing.  What is a Priesthood Blessing?  It was cool to be able to do that for her. This was this poor little girl's 5th open heart surgery and she is probably 10-11 years old. As I gave her the blessing it honestly felt like the words coming out of my mouth weren't coming from me and were coming straight from God. It was really cool. It was the first time that I gave a blessing where I had no idea what the blessing was for. Obviously she was in the hospital but I didn't know what she was in there for until after the blessing, but I said things that definitely directly applied to her that I didn't know so it was a cool experience. 

And then Tuesday night we went on exchanges for Wednesday and so I was companions with Elder Trout for the day. Elder Trout came to my area and he entered the mission field the same transfer I did so we are both still "greenies." But it was a great day. We had a really powerful lesson with a guy we started teaching recently, Christopher. We talked about what faith truly is. Faith isn't just believing in things you can't see which is what a lot of people think. Faith is proving to our Heavenly Father you believe in Him and His word by showing Him through your actions. That's giving up things that will help you strengthen your relationship with Christ. Faith is extremely hard. Christopher showed a lot of faith this week and I'd like to share it with you all. He lost his job and was basically out of money and had to pay his house payment and all this other stuff and he just didn't have the money. In our last lesson we talked about the word of wisdom (What is the Word of Wisdom? ) and how in our religion we don't smoke any type of tobacco including vaping and he likes to vape. We told him if he shows his faith to God and quits vaping that he will be blessed and be able to make all of his payments. So Christopher had a garage sale and sold a bunch of stuff online and the first thing that sold was all of his vaping stuff and he was able to make all of his payments and then Wednesday morning he got hired for a completely new job that makes triple the amount of money he has been making. God will work miracles into your life if you do your part and show Him you have faith in Him.