Merry Christmas

Hello Everyone! Merry Christmas!! I can't believe it's already this time again. I'll talk to most of you on Skype tomorrow, so I'll keep this email short. I mostly just want to talk about the Book of Mormon challenge. I read Moroni 10 this morning and finished. I can tell you that I took Moroni's challenge. I prayed for a witness of the Holy Ghost that this book is true, and this promise was fulfilled. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that to be true just as much as I know anything else. What an incredible experience this has been for me, and I'm so grateful that some of you joined me. My testimony of this book has become so much stronger over the past few months. I've seen miracles in myself and in others with this challenge. I'm so grateful for the Book of Mormon. It is a powerful testament of our Savior, and I don't know where I would be without it. It is my rock and the foundation of my belief, it is the reason I'm even on a mission, and it has brought me nearer to God than anything else could. I hope you have all had similar experiences over the past 120 days, and I hope that you will continue to read from the Book of Mormon. I"m excited to read from the first chapter of First Nephi tomorrow! I love you all so much! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and that you can feel the Savior's love for you during this very special time of year! Thank you for all of your support! I've received several packages, letters and cards this week that I'm super grateful for! I love you!!! 

~Elder Allred 

Pictures!

ELDER ALLRED in MILLBROOK, NY

I'll probably keep this email a little short today. That way I will have some time to email some of you back individually. Everything in Poughkeepsie is wonderful. We are having a lot of success, and our teaching pool is great. One of our main investigators is a 20 year old guy named Joe. He's from Washington DC but is currently attending Marist College in Poughkeepsie. He was introduced to the church when he met his girlfriend who is also attending Marist and just happens to be Mormon! So she brought him to church, and now we're teaching him. He's really cool, and he's taking the lessons really well. It's kind of cool to be teaching someone my age. I can relate to him much better than a lot of the other investigators that I've taught. This past Friday we had our mission Christmas devotional. I love that program! It's the only time of year when the whole mission gets to come together, which is about 260 missionaries these days. It's fun to see all of your mission buddies who are serving in different areas. It's been kind of hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit this year. It might just be because we haven't had much snow yet. I'm not really sure why. It doesn't really bother me though. I really think I"m just more focused on the missionary work that I'm doing and less on the holiday. I'm sure I'll get into it more this week! This is the last week of the Book of Mormon challenge! For those of you who are reading along with me, I'm going to make a few changes to the schedule so that I can finish on Christmas Eve. So tomorrow I'm going to read Ether chapter 13. Friday I will read Ether 14-15. Saturday I will read Moroni 1-2. Sunday Moroni 3-6.. Monday Moroni 7. Tuesday Moroni 8-9. Wednesday Moroni 10. I hope that schedule makes sense. Maybe someone could post this altered schedule on the Facebook group so everyone who is reading can follow if they'd like to. The Book of Mormon challenge has been incredible! I'll wait to share my thoughts next week as we finish it out. The challenge has had a huge impact on me though. Well, like I said, this email is a little bit shorter. I'm hoping to be able to email most of you back. I love you all so much! Can't wait to see you on Skype next week!!

~Elder Allred 

#SharetheGift

Life is good here in Poughkeepsie! Elder Romo and I had an awesome week! We're getting along really well . Having a lot of fun and going some good work. I don't even know where the past two weeks went. Now Elder Romo only has three more weeks until he goes home. It will kind of be a bummer when he leaves but I'm excited to continue working with him for a few more weeks. Our area is great. We're always really busy and have plenty of opportunities to teach, which is a big blessing. A lot of missionaries think that areas upstate out of the city are tough and kind of make it an excuse to not work hard and to settle for less than they can do. Luckily that's not the case for us here. We're both working hard and seeing blessings. We had one cool experience with a less active yesterday that I'd like to tell you about. His name is Harvey. His aunt is an active member who we visit every Tuesday for lunch. (The same one who I said "mucho gusto" to last week haha). Anyway she told us that he could use a visit, so on Monday we dropped by. He wasn't home, but his wife answered the door. She took our number and said she would tell him that we came by. This happens often. We give someone our number and they say they'll call. In my experience they usually don't ever call. So, we didn't think much of it. Didn't think he would call and just kind of shrugged it off, hoping we could drop by again next week. Well, at about five o clock yesterday we got a call from Harvey. He told us his wife relayed the message to him and that he wanted us to come and visit. We asked if he was free at six thirty and he said yes! So we went over and had a great visit with him. He's from Peru (which happens to be where Elder Romo is from) and speaks Spanish. So I didn't really get to say much. I understood parts of the conversation but couldn't get the whole thing. My understanding of the Spanish language is a lot more than it was before my mission but still not enough to communicate. So I asked Elder Romo afterward how it went. He said that Harvey told him he has been feeling guilty for some of the mistakes he has made and started this week to pray for help. We showed up right on time! Now Harvey wants us to visit often and help him, and he wants his non-member wife to learn about the church. Is it coincidence that we showed up when he needed us most? No. I am convinced that there is no such thing as coincidence in the work of the Lord. He directed us to Harvey right when he needed us. The Lord has His hand in what I'm doing every single day, and it's amazing when I get to see that as clearly as I did from this experience with Harvey. I love being a missionary. I'm also really enjoying my new calling as zone leader. It's been a bit of an adjustment for me. I was a district leader in Harlem for over four months, so I was pretty comfortable with my responsibilities in that calling. One thing I've learned is that when you get comfortable, the Lord doesn't let you stay comfortable for long. If that were the case we would be missing the purpose of progression in this life. So it's good that I'm adjusting to something new. I'm learning a lot and trying to figure out how I can lead the missionaries in my zone well. I had a great opportunity to learn on Friday. Usually the last Friday of each month the mission has a mission leadership council (MLC). The purpose of MLC is so that President Morgan, his assistants, the zone leaders and the sister training leaders can meet together and council on the needs of the mission. November's MCL got pushed back a week so we went to Scarsdale on Friday to attend that meeting. It was really cool! We actually had the opportunity to have Elder Anthony D Perkins from the First Quorum of the Seventy in that meeting with us. He is a spiritual powerhouse. Since he visited our mission I studied the talks he has given in general conferences. I really enjoyed his talk from the October 2006 general conference, "The Great and Wonderful Love". I learned so much from his teaching, and it was a really cool experience to be that close to a general authority. We also had some other awesome visitors. Elder Allen, who is the head of missionary work in the entire world and a team of five other church leaders in the missionary department joined us. They talked to us about the He is the Gift initiative. The team is actually the one that worked on this project and brought it before the Quorum of the Twelve. They are visiting New York City because a lot of the focus for this initiative is in this area. The Church has purchased space is Times Square and on public transportation to advertise this initiative. If any of you haven't heard of He is the Gift yet you should definitely check it out. The main part of the initiative is a video about Christmas and how Christ was the first gift. 

http://www.mormon.org/christmas

You can also search #SharetheGift to see what people are posting about it on social media. I love the video, and we're trying to use it a lot in our teaching and finding efforts. The way that the church is using social media is so cool! I'm so grateful to be a missionary during this exciting and historical time in the church. Anyway, that's about it for this week. Life is good! I'm loving it and just trying to soak in every minute of the time that I have left to serve the Lord full time. I hope you are all doing well. I'm so grateful for each one of you, and I love you with all my heart!

~Elder Allred 

Mucho Gusto!

Hey family!
First thing is that I'm sorry I wasn't able to do much emailing last week. My day was pretty crazy. Left the apartment in Harlem at about 8 am to go to the city transfer meeting at a chapel in North Manhattan. Then I left from there at probably like 12:30 to go to the upstate transfer meeting in Ossining, NY. We arrived in Ossining right in the middle of a snow storm. So by the time the upstate transfer was over at about 4 we needed to start on the hour long drive to Poughkeepsie which didn't leave me much time to email you guys. So if I left any of you hanging or with unanswered  questions I'm sorry! Anyway, Poughkeepsie is great! Elder Romo is awesome. He is nearing the end of his mission now, so he will go home in about four weeks. Hopefully we can have some fun and get some good work done before that happens. We're getting along really well. I've known him since the very beginning of my mission when I was in Newtown and he was serving in the Spanish Ward in the neighboring town of Danbury. The zone leader area here in Poughkeepsie has to have at least one Spanish speaking elder because there is no Spanish Ward in Poughkeepsie. However, there are a few Spanish members of the church here and some investigators who speak Spanish.  So some of the lessons we teach are all in Spanish and I pretty much just sit there and try not to fall asleep while Elder Romo teaches. Haha. I've been getting pretty good at praying in Spanglish, and I know a few phrases now. The other day we were eating lunch that a Spanish member prepared for us, and I looked at her and said "Mucho gusto!" Apparently what I said to her was, "Nice to meet you." What I meant to say was, "Me gusto mucho." Which would essentially mean, "I like the food a lot!" She understood that I don't speak Spanish and that I was trying. It was really funny though! We live in a small town just north of Poughkeepsie called Hyde Park. Elder Romo and I live in an apartment all by ourselves. It's quiet but nice. I'm definitely way more in my element here than in the city. Driving around the small towns up here reminds me of Nephi and Ephraim and makes me realize how grateful I am for the country life. I'm happy to be here! We're also plenty busy. We have a few pretty consistent investigators that we're working with who you will hear lots more about  as I get to know them better. Thanksgiving was great! We had dinner with a family in the ward. We were at their house for close to five hours. We ended up playing chess and just chilling. It was nice to kind of kick back and relax a little, especially after the crazy day we had the day before. A couple other families had us over for pie afterwards. So no need to worry. I was well taken care of! Although nobody had my favorite chocolate cream pie it was a great day! Haha. And my birthday was great too! I got all of the packages and everything the day before, so thank you all so much! You're the best! Well that's about it for now. Life is great! It's nice to slow down a little bit again and take some deep breaths. Living in the city for almost a year wore me out! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and you're all doing well. Love you!! 

Elder Allred

Puh-kip-see

 Sister Kovac, whose Mom is a friend of Elder Allred's Mom

Sister Torres, who is Elder Allred's cousin Kylie's  BFF since they were teeny little girls:) 

Big week! So as most of you probably know... today is another transfer day. I'll just cut right to the news. I'm being transferred out of Harlem! President Morgan called me at about 9:45 Saturday night and told me that I would need to pack my bags. He also informed me that I would be released as a district leader and that he is calling me to be a zone leader. So I will be going to Poughkeepsie, NY, to be a zone leader with Elder Romo. A mixture of emotions filled me after I got that news. I'll explain a few. Sadness: I love Harlem so much! As you can tell from the emails that I've sent since coming here, I've had some incredible experiences and really feel like I've fulfilled my missionary purpose here. The people I've met are incredible. It was so hard to say goodbye to them over the past few days. Just so many amazing people. Members in the ward that I really look up to. Investigators. Other missionaries. Little pieces of my heart are scattered all throughout Harlem. Excitement: change is always exciting! I know that there are new opportunities to learn and progress just waiting for me in Poughkeepsie. It will be kinda nice to be out of the fast paced and tiring lifestyle of the city. I love it here, but it has for sure made me tired. I could use a slow down, and I'm excited to get back into a taste of the quiet country life. Nervousness: being a zone leader is a huge responsibility. I will be expected to train and help a lot more missionaries now. The effect that a zone leader has on his missionaries is incredible. I will need to learn to lead by example and love. I know that I am capable. That's why the Lord is calling me to do it. It will be a challenge though, and there will be a lot on my shoulders. I let my weaknesses scare me a little bit too much sometimes. Anyway, these are just a few of the feelings that I've had over the weekend. There are several more! It's just been so crazy and busy! Packing up your whole life and moving on a three day notice leaves you with a lot to do in a little amount of time. I will miss Harlem so much! This place will always be a special and sacred place to me. Some other news is that my roommate/zone leader, Elder Smith, was called to serve as an assistant to President Morgan. He and I are really good friends. We came to Harlem together and have lived in the same apartment for almost six months. I'm excited to have him leading the mission, and I will be able to continue working closely with him since I will be serving as a zone leader. Zone leaders have pretty frequent contact with the assistants. I'm ready for what is ahead in the next part of my mission! I know that I will see miracles in Poughkeepsie! Elder Romo is a great guy too. I've know him since the beginning of my mission. We were in the same zone when I started in Newtown and again in the same zone when I went down to the Bronx. Really good friend of mine. So I'm excited to see the work that we will be able to do together. Anyway, life is great! I love the mission so much! It's really scary how fast it is slipping through my fingers now, but I'm just trying not to think about it and continue serving the Lord the best I can. I hope you all have  a wonderful Thanksgiving and that the Cowboys lay down a good beating on Philly! I love you!!!! 

~Elder Allred 

Brrrr!!

Hey everyone! We've had an awesome week here in Harlem! The Sisters that serve in the YSA Ward had two baptisms! One on Saturday and one on Sunday morning. So many amazing things happen here, and I get to be a first hand witness to it all. I love it! When a convert gets baptized, they are usually interviewed by the district leader or a zone leader. In special cases they are interviewed by the mission president. I had the opportunity to interview both of these people, and it was such a cool experience for me. Elder Raine and I are doing pretty well. I've been a little frustrated the past couple of weeks. After Rafael, Kristina and Noel and got baptized we were left with no progressing investigators. So for the past couple weeks we've been working extra hard and trying like crazy to find new people to teach. I've been kind of a bum about it and Elder Raine has heard my complaining all of this week. I had an experience on Sunday that was very humbling for me though. Rafael and Kristina haven't been able to come to church since Rafael's baptism. This week they showed up early and worked on family history before church started! Then they stayed for the meetings. The whole sacrament meeting was about temples and gospel principles class was about temples and family history. It was so cool. Just the perfect day for them to keep them excited and progressing in the gospel. I say that this experience was humbling because it made me realize something very important. I've been so worried about not having any investigators preparing for baptism that I wasn't acknowledging the blessings that God has given to us. I wasn't even thinking about how amazing Rafael, Kristina and Noel are and how we are still fully engaged in the work of bringing people to Christ as we prepare them to go to the temple. It was a bit of a wake up for me. I still wish we had atleast one solid investigator, but my perspective is different now as I'm trying to take each day with an "attitude of gratitude" rather than one of complaint and negativism. One more cool thing from Sunday was from Bishop Kelly. In case I hadn't mentioned it before, I look up to that man so much. I've learned some amazing lessons from watching his humble service as the bishop in Harlem. Not a very easy position to hold. He takes it so humbly though, and the and the people here trust him so much. I hope that when I come back home and have callings in the church, I will be able to serve half as well as I've watched Bishop Kelly serve here. Anyway, after the two speakers were done in sacrament meeting, Bishop Kelly took the last ten minutes or so and said a few words. He talked about the temple and how important it is for all of us. He spoke specifically to recommend holders, those who are currently unworthy or don't hold a recommend, recent converts, and young people preparing to enter the temple. So pretty much everyone, but he wanted to make sure everybody felt included. What he said was really powerful. He posed a question, "What do you need to do in order to prepare for the temple?" I loved his answer. He said that in order for all of us to prepare to enter the temple (whether we currently hold a recommend or not) we need to learn about, understand, and apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Loved it!  If we feel the effects the Atonement can have on us, we will feel clean and worthy enough to enter into the house of the Lord. I'm grateful that Bishop Kelly said that. It was definitely an inspired message for the saints in Harlem, including me, to hear. Well, that's about it this week. Saturday night is shot calls! So I will find out if I'm staying in Harlem or leaving. I've been here for quite a while so I imagine I will be getting transferred. I"ll be happy either way. I love Harlem so much! I could stay here for the rest of my mission and be perfectly happy. Change is always good and exciting though. We'll see! I'll let you know next Wednesday. Well I hope you are all happy and well! Love you! 

~Elder Allred

Riken and the Plan of Salvation (November 12 email)

Hello family!

We had zone conference yesterday, which was awesome! President and Sister Morgan focused all of their messages toward the Savior. Sister Morgan's talk invited us to ponder how well we "Know the Shepherd". So throughout the holiday season we will be thinking about Christ and studying a lot about His life! We naturally kind of do that more around Christmastime anyway, but I think this year there will be even more of an emphasis on it. I have a feeling this holiday season is going to be really special. It's my final one as a missionary, and it's also President and Sister Morgan's final one. They will return home to Sandy, UT about a month and a half before my mission comes to an end. Anyway, I'm excited for the season. By next Saturday, I will find out where I will be spending my birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. There's a pretty good chance it won't be in Harlem, because I've already been here for four cycles, and and I've been with Elder Raine for three of those four. We'll see what happens! I did have one really cool experience teaching this week. Elder Raine and I were over at Rafael and Kristina's on Monday night. After someone gets baptized, they need to be taught all of the lessons over again to review and make sure they have a basic understanding of it all. So, we're teaching them about the Plan of Salvation, which is usually one of the more difficult lessons to teach, but this time it was really easy and going really well. Right when we were just about to start talking about what happens during our life here on Earth, Rafael noticed that the background on my iPad was a picture of Riken. He pointed it out right in the middle of the lesson and said that he was a cute kid. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity to talk about Riken for a minute and to show him off a little bit, like I always do haha. So I showed them a couple of pictures and talked about how much I love the little guy. You might initially think that took us off track a little but and distracted us from the lesson. In reality, it did the opposite! I was able to talk about how Riken is just beginning to grow and learn. To learn how to use his body. To learn how to talk and walk and run. To learn how to be funny and express his emotions. To learn how things work in the world. I related that to all of our experiences here on earth. Just like Riken is growing, learning, and progressing, so are all of we as we live in this part of our Heavenly Father's plan. It was perfect! Never thought I would be able to talk about Riken (Which is something I do a lot) and teach a missionary lesson at the same time. It was really cool. One of the best Plan of Salvation lessons I've ever taught on my mission. Anyway, life is good! The mission is great! Love you guys!!

~Elder Allred

Happy Halloween from Harlem

I found some funny Halloween stuff when I went on a split with one of the elders in my district yesterday! 

Hello family! 

Everything is good here in Harlem! The cold weather is just around the corner, and I'm starting to feel it already. On Sunday it got pretty chilly, and I actually busted out my winter jacket and my scarf. The last couple days haven't been too bad though. I'm sure we'll see snow before the next transfer at the end of November. The work is going pretty well. Rafael, Noel and Kristina are all doing well. We're working with all of them to try to get them to the temple soon. Noel and Rafael still need to get the priesthood before they can go. One step at a time! We're working with a guy named William. Elder Raine and I contacted him a couple of weeks ago, and we've taught him a few times. He's pretty active in another local Christian church, so he hasn't been able to come to church yet. Hopefully soon! We're also teaching a Jamaican couple named Lindsay and Annette tonight. They're awesome. I don't know if I've mentioned their names in any of my emails before. About three months ago they lost their eight year old son to cancer. We actually met Annette through another Jamaican lady that we contacted on the street right after Elder Raine got here. This little family has been in my prayers pretty frequently for a while now. We've been trying to set up a time that we could come over and teach them, but it just hasn't worked out yet. Hopefully all will go well tonight! Other than that, there's only really one announcement from this week. On Sunday we found out that our Ward Mission Leader, Brandon, got called into the Bishopric of the Harlem Spanish Ward, so he got released from his calling and will no longer be serving with us. I was pretty down all day Sunday after finding out about that. I have learned so much in my time serving with Brandon.  He's just so dedicated to serving the Lord, and he's been incredibly helpful in our efforts. We also lost our Elders Quorum President this week, because he got called to serve on the High Council. He has also done a lot to help us in the work. It's sad to see these good men go. I've learned a lot from both of them. After a lot of thinking, though, I've come to the realization that they have been called to serve in other callings for a reason. The work of the Lord is always moving forward, and sometimes that means that people who have blessed a lot of lives in a certain calling need to move on to bless the lives of others in a different calling and capacity. My only worry is that they'll take Bishop Kelly away from us next haha. The good ones always go fast. Anyway, I'm grateful for the examples of the faithful brothers and sisters that I've been able to serve with in each ward that I've been in. I've learned so much from so many humble examples of Christlike service. I hope that one day when I return from my mission and serve in different callings in the church, I can serve with the same kind of love and devotion as some of these good people that I've mentioned. I'd like to end this week by highlighting something in my Book of Mormon reading. This week we were reading about the end of Alma the Younger's time in Alma Chapters 36-42. Right before he died, he talked one on one with each one of his sons and gave them personal counsel to remember after he was gone. I started thinking about how much I've learned from my father and about how the things he taught me growing up prepared me to go out on my own. I'm so grateful for that. Then I started thinking about how one day, I might have sons to teach and prepare. What do I need to do now in order to have a positive influence on them like Alma had on his sons? Or like my Dad has had on me? God places all of us in the families that we need to be in in this life. We are to support each other and prepare each other for the challenges that we will each individually face in life. I'm grateful that God chose to place me in a family with all of you. Each person who is reading this email right now has played  a major role in my life and has had more impact than you probably realize. Thank you for everything that you have done and continue to do for me. I love you with all of my heart!

Hello Brothers

Hello everyone! 

I can't believe it's already Wednesday again! This week seriously went so fast. I told you last week about how I talked to President Morgan in my interview. I talked to him about how much time I have left. I can seriously feel it just slipping away so fast. It's good, because I know that it won't feel like too long before I get to see all of you. It has its bad side though, because I love being a missionary, and I never want my time to end. This is honestly the best thing I've ever done in my life. The person I am today wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the challenges and triumphs that the mission has brought into my life. It's a difficult thing, but I also have so much fun all the time! I've just learned so much, and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world. I had a big wake up call this week when I got an email from Jackson Jones and one from Spencer McPherson. They've both completed their missions and are now returning home with honor. I can't believe they're already at the end. Pretty soon the rest of my friends will start going home, too, and then it will be me. It's all going to go way too fast now! Anyway, I just have to keep the mindset that I need to enjoy the mission while I'm still here and not worry too much about what or when the end is, which actually isn't too much of a difficult thing to do because the mission is offering a lot of things right now to enjoy. On Saturday, Rafael and Noel both got baptized!! It was incredible. I don't think there are words to describe the way I felt, but I'll give it a shot. There were a few moments over the course of the baptism on Saturday and the confirmation on Sunday that really stuck out to me. I'll share some of them. Rafael and I have a really good relationship, and he actually asked me to perform the ordinance for his baptism. I always like it better when they ask a member of the ward to do the baptism. There aren't many better ways to start a solid relationship of trust. I felt honored and lucky that Rafael asked me though. Right before he went in to the font, I just gave Rafael a big hug and told him that I love him. He replied that he loves me too, and we walked in. It was a really powerful moment. That confirmed to me that Rafael is my brother, and that we will be close to each other for the rest of our lives and into the next. Another powerful moment this weekend was when Noel got baptized. He went right after Rafael and asked Bishop Kelly to perform the ordinance. I just stayed there in the back of the font area in my wet clothes and watched from the side. It was really cool, though, because I was the only one with the perspective looking at Noel head on. When he came up out of the water, he just took in a deep breath and smiled. His facial expression said everything it needed to assure me that he felt good. The last moment I would like to share was on Sunday at the confirmation. Rafael went first. I, along with Elder Raine, Bishop Kelly, and three other guys from the ward stood in the circle. After Rafael was done, Noel walked up to sit in the circle. Right before he entered into this circle of Priesthood holders and sat down, he said very quietly, "Hello brothers." That was a tender mercy from the Lord for me! I could feel how much Noel trusted us and acknowledged that we really were his brothers. So awesome. I'm so excited for both of these guys. They are already wonderful members of the church. Not to forget Kristina either. She is incredible! She's always super excited about paying her tithing every week and is looking forward to going to the temple. I love these people so much. All three of them have had a special place in my heart, and I'm incredibly grateful that I've been here to help them come unto Christ. I love this work so much. There's no way I can deny that this is the work of the Lord and that His all powerful hand touches it every single day. Anyway, it goes without saying that things are going well for me here. Some days are rough, but it's that way with any phase of our life. All in all, I just love everything about what I'm doing here in New York. I hope you're all doing well. I miss you, and I love you!!!

~Elder Allred

Saturday Is A Special Day:)

Hey family! 

I hope you all had a wonderful week! Everything is good here. I don't think I fully realized it until this week, but I have seen some incredible miracles since I've been in Harlem. On Saturday, Rafael and Noel are getting baptized. They both had their interviews in the past few days and both passed! Both of their conversion stories are incredible in unique ways. Noel has been awesome. Elder Raine and I were just out knocking on doors his first day here. The very first door that Elder Raine ever knocked on on his mission was Noel's. Whenever I used to hear people tell stories like that I thought it would never happen in my mission.  But here we are. We've been meeting with him two or three times a week for the past three months, and he's getting baptized! He's just such an honest and humble man. He will be an awesome addition to the Harlem 1st Ward. Rafael is one of the best friends I've ever had in my life. He and I have a really good relationship, and we've both grown together in the Gospel over the last four and a half months that I've been here. I remember the very first time that I went over to teach him and Kristina. I could just tell that there was something special about them. I remember feeling the Spirit so strongly and I could just feel the strength of their faith. I knew they would both eventually be baptized. I'm excited to continue to watch them grow in the rest of my time here, and I'm excited to keep that relationship with them for the rest of my life. I hope you all get to meet these people one day. They are incredible. I've learned so much about charity in the time that I've served here in  Harlem. I love these people so much. I've expressed that love to them time and time again, and I've shed a few tears over the intense emotion of love that I have for them. There aren't words to express how grateful I am to have them in my life. Saturday will be such a special day! Everything else is going really well too. I had the opportunity to have another interview with President Morgan on Monday. He is such a good man and has done more for me that I could ever repay him for. He leads the mission with love and care. He has developed a relationship with me on a personal level that means a lot, and I'm so grateful for him. They say behind every good man is a good woman. Such is the case with President Morgan's wife. Sister Morgan has honestly been like a mother to me here. She provides the kind of care that only a mom can give. I'm so grateful for both of their dedicated service to this mission. In my interview with President Morgan I told him that I can feel my time slipping through my fingers and that it kind of scares me. So, I asked him what I needed to focus on to make the most out of the rest of my mission. It couldn't have been a better time to ask. This weekend he was in Palmyra at a special conference with Elder Holland! (Crazy right?) I can't imagine how awesome that would have been. He said that he got to spend a little one on one time with Elder Holland, and when I asked President Morgan that question, he relayed a message that Elder Holland had given him this weekend. That was pretty powerful and the advice he gave me will give me a lot of direction for the next ten months. One last thing from this week was that we had stake conference, and it was really good! Saturday afternoon we found out that all of the missionaries in the stake were going to be singing a musical number for the Sunday session. So we showed up at the temple early so we could rehearse. Luckily the song was Called to Serve, so it wasn't hard for anyone to sing. It was really cool! Oh yeah, and my highlight from the 120 day challenge this week was Alma 14:26. Alma understood that strength from the Lord was totally dependent upon his and Amulek's faith. Such is the case for us. The divine help that we receive is only as strong as our faith in the Savior is, and the way we gain more faith is by fully living the doctrine of Christ! Anyway, life is just so good. I love it here more and more every day! Thank you all for everything you do, and don't forget that Jesus loves you! !

~Elder Allred 

Well hello family!

I hope you're all doing well. I sure am! I'm still in Harlem, so I can't really complain. Things are going really well here. Rafael is still doing really well. His baptismal date is the 25th of October, and he's right on track. I love that guy so much. Honestly one of the best friends I've ever had in my life. We're going over tonight to share some scriptures with him and Kristina about baptism and the Holy Ghost  and to start making some plans for his baptismal service! We also have Noel on date for the 25th. He's been doing awesome too. His main struggle has been that he has a smoking habit, but he hasn't smoked a cigarette for almost two weeks now! Both of these guys are awesome, and I'm so excited for them to become members of the Church. I feel so lucky that I've been trusted to teach these people. Not too much else going on except that the work is really good, and we're always really busy. Oh, we did watch Meet the Mormons on Friday, and it was so good! Those of you who have seen it know what I'm talking about. Those of you who haven't seen it need to. It's incredible. It did make me a little homesick during certain parts. haha. Especially watching highlights of the Navy football games. Football has been a huge part of my life, and that made me want to come home pretty bad. It's all good though. Football can wait! I have to tell myself that all the time. Often we'll be walking down the street, and I will see a football game or a baseball game on inside a restaurant or something. Usually what happens is I will just grunt and start walking faster. Then Elder Raine will ask me what's wrong, and I don't even have to say anything for him to figure out that I saw a game on a TV haha. It's really not that bad though. I usually have so many things to think about  with our investigators and with taking care of the district that I don't really have time to think about how much I would love to relax and watch a game. Anyway, things are great. I absolutely love it here. I've learned so much from serving in Harlem, and I'm grateful to be here! Still miss you all like crazy, but I know this is where I need to be right now. I love you all so much. Have a great week!

~Elder Allred

One More Cycle in Harlem :)

I'm staying in Harlem!! I was gonna save that bit of news for the end, but I'm too excited and too impatient to type it out haha. I don't know how to explain how much I love it here. I love the area. I love the ward. Mostly, I just love the people we are teaching. We got the transfer call on Saturday morning just before we headed out for General Conference. The other exciting part about it is that Elder Raine is staying as well. I've never had a companion for three cycles, and I'm excited that I get to do that with him. He's a great kid and has nothing but good desires. Training a new missionary is always accompanied by a headache or two, but for the most part we've gotten along really well and have done some really good work here. We never really argue about anything or get contentious at all, which is saying a lot since we have spent twenty four hours a day within sight and hearing of each other for three months now. He has learned so much and changed a lot since he first came out. I was also really excited to find out that our roommates are both staying for another cycle as well. Elder Smith and I came into the area at the same time in June, and we have become really good friends since then. By the end of this cycle we will have lived and worked together for almost six months. He's a great example to me and has taught me a lot about being a good missionary. General Conference was amazing!! As I have watched it as a missionary it has been so much different than ever before. Growing up I didn't really pay that much attention to it, but now I just eat it up. I'm sad I only get to watch one more time as a full time missionary. I loved President Monson's talk about following in the path of Jesus Christ and walking as He would walk. A simple testimony of the Savior provided powerfully from our beloved prophet. There is no doubt in my mind that he and the other leaders of this church have been called of God to teach us and be examples to us. So many of the talks this weekend were just so good, and I loved every minute of it. I also liked how a few people spoke in their native tongue. And the choirs from Tooele, G-ville, and Stansbury were incredible! I'm sure some of you knew some of the people who got the opportunity to sing. So cool!! The thing that hit me hardest this conference wasn't in the talks or the music. It was in the closing prayer of the Saturday morning session. The person who was praying mentioned the missionaries. What was cool is that he didn't pray for the missionaries. Everyone does that. He prayed for our "parents, grandparents and families". I thought of all of you and the sacrifices you have made having a son, brother, a cousin, a nephew, an uncle, and a friend serving in New York. I know this isn't easy on you guys. So I was so full of gratitude for that prayer in your behalf. The last highlight of the week is this new movie called Meet the Mormons. I'm sure you've all heard of it. It seems like it's been somewhat big in the media. Well, the mission is going to be watching it! So I get to see it on Friday morning at the temple with all of the other missionaries in the city. I'm excited to see it and see what kind of a positive image it will put into the eyes of the world of our faith. Well that's about it for now. I love the mission. I see miracles every single day, and I've never been closer to the Savior in my entire life. I have a little joke with the missionaries in my zone. Half of us are Spanish speaking and half are English. I've picked up a few Spanish words but definitely not enough to hold a conversation. I like to throw in some Spanglish sometimes, and so I often say to everyone "Dios is real". It usually gets a little chuckle. It's a true statement though. God is real. He's there. I know it. He knows each of us personally, and He loves us. I love you all so much. Thanks for everything you do. Have a great week! 

~Elder Allred

The Directions for the Volleyball Court in Central Park

 Hello friends and family! Life in Harlem is as great as ever! Transfers are next Wednesday, and I can't believe it's already that time again. I'm so incredibly nervous about what is going to happen. I'm not ready to leave Harlem yet. I love it here so much. I love the people. If I could stay for just one more cycle, I would be a happy man. Sadly, I think there is a good chance I will be leaving. Elder Raine only has one more week of training left to do, and I've already been here for three cycles. We'll see what the Lord has in store for me. I guess all I can really do is just enjoy this week and go out and work. 

 On that note, I'll update you on how our investigators are doing. So Kristina has been doing really well since her baptism. She just had her interview with Bishop Kelly for a temple recommend, so hopefully we can go to the temple with her soon. Rafael is doing really well too.

 The last couple of time that we've seen him he's been super happy, and he told us that he's ready to be baptized as well! He actually lives on the lower east side downtown, and he's been coming to Kristina's apartment to take the lessons with us. So he doesn't actually live in the ward boundaries. What we're trying to do is get permission from our Bishop and the Union Square Ward Bishop (that's the ward he lives in) for him to get baptized in Harlem. It would be good if he could be here. He has a lot of support from the members in this ward and from Kristina. We'll see what happens. Once we get it all figured out, he could get baptized anytime. I'm super excited for him! I love those two so much. They will be two of my best friends for the rest of my life and onto the next. I'll be sad when I have to leave them. Our other main investigator is Noel. I don't know if I've ever told you much about him. The way we found him was picture perfect. Good ol' fashioned door knocking! On Elder Raine's very first full day in Harlem I took him out tracting. Noel's door was the first one we knocked that night. Which means that it was also the first door that Elder Raine knocked on as a missionary. Doesn't get much better than that. Anyway, Noel is from Jamaica, so I automatically got excited about him. Jamaicans are my favorite people to teach. I don't know what it is. I just really like them. He's a really quiet guy. Super humble and has a huge heart. He's on date for the 18th to be baptized! That will probably change because that is stake conference weekend, but it will be soon anyway. I just love these people so much, and I'm so grateful to be helping them improve their lives. 

 The Book of Mormon is always incredible. I really liked King Benjamin's words in the first few chapters of Mosiah. What stuck out to me most is what he chose to talk about right before he died. His last words to all of the people who were intently listening to him. Of course he chose to talk about.... the doctrine of Christ! Loved it! Well sorry I'm emailing so late today. We went to Central Park and played sand volleyball this morning, and I'm just now getting back to Harlem. It was so much fun! The volleyball pit we found was in a perfect place. On the West Side of the park around 67th, and really close to the temple (I write that so that if we ever want to go one day, I'll remember where it was). We all brought some stuff for lunch in the park, and I worked hard last night and this morning to bake some peanut butter cookies for everyone in the zone! They were a huge hit and everyone loved them. Props to Mom for teaching me the easiest recipe for peanut butter cookies ever. I  used just about all the peanut butter, sugar and eggs we had in our apartment haha. 

Well, that's about it for this week. Everything is awesome, and I am just loving the mission more and more every day. I miss you all like crazy and can't wait to see you again. I love you all. Thanks for everything you do for me! 

~Elder Allred 

Kristina's Baptism

 Elder Allred, Elder Ross, Kristina, Antonio, Elder Raine, Elder Orellana

 Kristina, Bishop Kelly, Antonio

Elder Allred, Rafael, Kristina, Elder Raine

What an incredible week! I just love missionary work so much, and I have seen such amazing miracles as I've done it in Harlem. As you all know, Kristina's baptism was on Saturday. I've been a little bit stressed out over the past couple of weeks leading up to this. Planning for a baptism is not a very easy thing to do. There are so many assignments to make for the service, paperwork to fill out, scheduling the interview, worrying about whether the baptismal candidate will actually pass the interview, just trying to make sure the whole experience is perfect for your investigator, etc. There's a lot to think about!  But it all came together really well, and all of the stress was worth it. Our ward helped a lot. Our ward mission leader was amazing! His name is Brandon, and he's a really cool guy. Originally from Utah. Bishop Kelly was actually the one who baptized Kristina, which was awesome.  He's a really good guy too. I've learned a lot from watching him lead this ward over the past few months. Then one of the ward missionaries, Darren, confirmed her on Sunday. It was so great to see the ward members so involved in the whole thing. A lot of miracles were seen this weekend. I'll just highlight the one that stuck out the most to me. After Kristina was baptized, there was a part in the program for her and Antonio to bear their testimonies. Oh I forgot to say that another guy got baptized on Saturday as well. Antonio has been taking the lessons with the other two Elders in the ward for awhile, and they were both ready at the same time. It was really cool that both of them got baptized! Anyway, Kristina got up in front of about thirty people and bore a beautiful testimony. She expressed gratitude for the opportunity that she has had to meet with us missionaries. It was amazing. I was trying to hide it, but I couldn't stop the tears from coming. When I met Kristina, she  was too nervous to even say a prayer in front of me and Elder Monson. And there she was bearing her testimony in front of a big group of people. That moment really hit me. I could see how much the gospel of Jesus Christ has changed this individual. As she has applied the things that we've taught her, she truly has been strengthened and healed through the powers of the Atonement. This is really what it's all about. This is what we are trying to help people do as missionaries. And as I watched Kristina on Saturday night, I felt so blessed that the Lord trusted me to help her come closer to Christ. And then on Sunday after she was confirmed it was crazy to watch her entire countenance just change. I could almost physically see her being "sanctified (purified) by the reception of the Holy Ghost" (3 Nephi 27:20). She came up out of the water on Saturday night, cleansed from her sins. But it wasn't until she received the gift of the Holy Ghost that she was completely sanctified. It was incredible for me to witness that with my own eyes. It was such a testimony builder to me of so many different things. The fact that we have the true Priesthood authority of God on the earth today. The fact that I have been found worthy as one to hold that Priesthood authority and act as an instrument in the hands of the Lord. The fact that without receiving the saving ordinances, we cannot return to live with our Father in Heaven again. That we need to be baptized by water and the spirit, and then go on to live worthily and receive our further ordinances and make further covenants in the temple. It's just so much to think about and so much to be grateful for, and it hit me so hard this weekend. I'm so excited for Kristina as she begins her eternal journey as a member of the true church of Jesus Christ. We've also been teaching her boyfriend, Rafael, and I think he is pretty close to being ready to be baptized as well. 

I just love it here so much. I love Harlem. I love the people I interact with. I love the ward members. We did a big service project on Saturday morning with the ward cleaning up a park. It was just so much fun working with the group of saints that stay strong in Harlem. Not really the easiest thing to do. I had Bishop Kelly's little boy following me around and helping me pull out the big roots of the trees we were removing. Working side by side with these people made me realize how much I really do love them. There are so many people here that I could turn to for help, and I'm grateful for their support. There's only two more weeks until the next transfer, and I fear I might be leaving. I've been here for awhile now, and Elder Raine is just about done with his training. I just really don't want to go. Whatever the Lord had in His plans for me is for the best though. No matter what happens, I will just have to hold my head up high and look forward to the future. I know this email is already super long, but I just wanted to finish with one last highlight of the week. The Book of Mormon challenge! I can't believe we're already a month into it. This week's chapters were great. The ones that really stuck out to me were in 2 Nephi 31-33. Chapter 31 got me so excited as Nephi focused all of his writing on the doctrine of Christ, which as you all know is what I've been searching for as I've studied. The thing that really impressed me is that this is the very last thing Nephi chose to write about before he died. After all of his amazing stories and teachings leading up to this point, the doctrine of Christ was the most important thing he felt he could talk about to close his remarks and end his teaching in the book that he knew would reach the hands of millions of people to bring them back into celestial glory and to gain their salvation. Chapter 33 Verse 15 was especially impressive to me, "... for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey." Nephi was the perfect example of one who understood and lived the doctrine of Christ. He not only taught it to his people, but he actually lived this doctrine himself. He was obedient from the beginning right to the very end, and he endured the way he was supposed to. What an amazing example! I loved it. I hope that those of  you who have taken the 120 day challenge are still excited about like I am. Anyway, I'll end with that this week. I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week! 

~Elder Allred 

Temple trip

Hey everyone! 

Things are great here! The work has been awesome! I think this week's email might be the shortest one yet... we just got out of a temple session. I'm really happy about that, because I haven't  been in about four months. I can't imagine being in a mission that has no temple. We are so blessed here that we have one right here in Manhattan. It's seriously so easy to get to, and we get to go all the time. There is no better place to learn and feel the Spirit than in the temple. Now we have to head back up to Harlem and get an early start on our work tonight. We've had a hard time all week getting a baptismal interview scheduled for Kristina, and it finally worked out for today at four. Normally pday ends at six, but we're going to sacrifice a couple of hours today for the interview. As long as she is good to go for Saturday, I'm good! I hope you are all enjoying the 120 day challenge. We finally made it through the Isaiah chapters!! Haha. I still didn't understand a whole lot about what was going on, but I got a little more this time through than I ever have before. I love the chapters right after the Isaiah quoting finishes. Chapters 25 and 26 are the ones I just read yesterday and this morning. Nephi's testimony of the Savior is absolutely incredible. I can't wait to meet Nephi one day and talk to him face to face! He's an inspiring man. Anyway, that's about all the time I have this week. Everything is going well. Time is just flying too fast, and we're hitting some fall weather back here. Love you all. Have a great week! 

Elder Allred 

Better than Christmas!

Hey friends and family! 

First I have to thank everyone. I probably got more mail this week than anyone else in the mission! Three packages and eight postcards! I had to stop and think what special occasion it was. Then I realized it was just a normal week, and you all felt like sending me something at that same time. It was better than Christmas! Haha. Believe it or not, I think God worked through each of you to send me mail this week. I really needed that extra little bit of uplifting encouragement. It's just been kind of stressful. We're getting ready for Kristina's baptism coming up, and things are a little rough. She woke up on Sunday not feeling well and had to miss church. Then she was supposed to have her baptismal interview on Monday and had to cancel it. The adversary is definitely working on Kristina as she gets closer to her baptism. It reminds me of the first vision, when Joseph Smith began to pray and was overcome by the power of Satan. As he began to offer up his desire to know the truth, he was bound by darkness to the point that he couldn't speak. In Joseph's account we read that he exerts all of his powers to call upon God to deliver him from the enemy which held him bound. And a pillar of light rested upon his head, casting out the darkness and overpowering Satan's influence. I am reminded of two things from this experience with Kristina and from Joseph Smith's story. One is that although the adversary's power is real and scary, the Lord's power is so much greater. The other thing I am reminded of is that the work I am doing is true and real. It really is God's work. If it wasn't then the adversary wouldn't be working so hard to try and stop it. I think Kristina will be okay. We visited her yesterday and ended up giving her a Priesthood blessing. I know that the reason Kristina is being faced with challenges is because she is about to make the most important decision of her life. Besides everything that's going on with Kristina and the worry that has caused, I have been stressed out over a few things as well. Nothing major. Just a bit of a rough week. Anyway, the point is that I can feel your love and support, and it helps more than you could even imagine. I may have to deal with depression issues down the road after I eat through the massive candy drawer you've all provided me with  and probably gain about ten pounds haha. But I think I'll be able to handle it. I'm gonna keep the email a bit short today so I can reply to some of you individually, but just know how much your love means to me. I really can feel it every day, even on the other side of the country, and it makes a big difference. I am so blessed to have a family and friends like all of you behind me. Not everyone has a very good support system at home, and I know that the Lord has placed each one of you in my life to help me at this time as I do His work. You've been an amazing strength to me over the past thirteen months. Thank you all for everything you do for me. I miss you so much, and I love you more than you can even imagine! 

~Elder Allred

Second Cycle Training Elder Raine

 The roommates in Harlem

 Harlem Zone 

A mural that reminded Elder Allred of his mommy:) 

Hello friends and family! 

Well, today was transfers. I can't believe it's already been six weeks since the last transfer meeting. Elder Raine and I will be companions in Harlem for another cycle. I was so relieved when I got the news that I would be staying. There was a small chance that I would leave, but I was pretty sure that since Elder Raine is only halfway done with his training I would stay and finish. I just don't think that I've completed the Lord's purpose for me in Harlem quite yet... so it will be good. My district isn't changing too much. I get to keep four out of the same five missionaries. We're only losing Elder Poulsen, because he is returning home to Utah. We will also be gaining two new district members. The sisters here have been covering both the Harlem family ward and the Harlem YSA. This transfer is bringing a lot of sisters into the mission, so President Morgan opened up the YSA ward area, and two new sisters will be working there. It will be great to have more missionaries to get to know and to serve with. I just love this calling so much. I've gotten so close with this district in the past six weeks, and I'm excited for more memories to be made in the coming weeks. Our investigator, Kristina, is doing really well! Yesterday we taught her about the law of tithing and fasting, and she said that it made total sense. She's ready to start paying her tithing after she gets baptized. That was the last lesson we needed to teach her before her baptism. So, now we're just working on scheduling an interview with her for this weekend, and as long as the interview goes well she will be baptized on September 13th! I'm so grateful that I have had the opportunity to teach her and Rafael since I've been here. They have both learned and progressed so much in the past few months. You might get sick of hearing me talk about the doctrine of Christ, but this doctrine has really changed them both as they've been able to apply the Atonement in their lives through it. This brings me to the last thing I want to talk about in my email this week. The 120 day challenge! It's so exciting to me that so many of you have joined me in this challenge. Already I've learned so much from my study of the Book of Mormon. I've begun to highlight anything that pertains to the doctrine of Christ that I find as I read, and there is seriously something on every single page. As I read the stories in the beginning that I've heard a million times before, I am gaining new insights that have never come to my mind. One that I would like to point out has to do with Laman and Lemuel. Of course, everyone knows these two as the wicked brothers of Nephi. Always complaining and murmuring. Constantly turning away from the righteous decisions of their younger brother. The thing that has impressed me is that on a number of occasions they soften their hearts and follow their brother  for a moment. Several times it says that they "humble themselves before the Lord" sometimes more than once in a chapter. In the first 18 chapters that I've read so far, it even says a couple of times that they repented. Every single time they humble themselves or repent they are forgiven, and they receive immediate blessings. What I really like about this is that it shows you how the doctrine of Christ works for everyone. Even for Laman and Lemuel, so after countless "humbling themselves" and repenting, even after seeing an angel with their own eyes, turn around and harden their hearts and go back to their wicked ways.  It doesn't matter how many times they mess up or how bad they mess up. They are always welcome to turn back to the Lord and ask for forgiveness, and He gives it to them every single time. The same is true for you and me. We all make mistakes in this life that leave us feeling a little guilty and shameful of ourselves. We even sometimes make mistakes that are pretty big ones. Ones that we've made in the past. Ones that we promised ourselves we would never make again. And when we slip up, it feels like there's no hope for us. It feels like we will never be quite good enough. That's what is so wonderful about the doctrine of Christ and repentance. Just like it was in the case of Laman and Lemuel, we can always turn back to the Lord and receive forgiveness for our shortcomings. None of us are unqualified for the infinite love of our Father. No matter what we do. I've learned this truth from experience in my own life. I've changed a lot over the past twelve months. I still make mistakes every day, but I know that I can always talk to God before I lay down and go to sleep and ask for forgiveness. It's such a beautiful thing to me that we have a Father in Heaven who offers us this kind of love. This truth is only being solidified for me as I take in everything that the Book of Mormon has to offer about the doctrine of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I want you all to know that there is nothing you could ever do that would disqualify you from repenting and feeling the power of the Atonement of Christ uplift you, strengthen you, and change you. I hope you can all feel how powerful this has been in my life and how strongly I feel about it. I love you all more than you could even imagine! 

~Elder Allred

Beginning 120 Day Challenge

TY'S DISTRICT ON ELDER ROSS'S BIRTHDAY 

**120 DAY SCHEDULE IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!**

Hey family! This week has been great! I can't believe how fast this cycle has gone by. It's already been six weeks since I got the call from President Morgan that I would be training Elder Raine. We'll get the call on Saturday night to know if I will get transferred or not. It's not very likely that I will, because Elder Raine is only halfway through his training. This has been one of the best cycles of my mission! For two reasons. One is that the work has picked up a lot, and we've seen some real miracles in our teaching pool of investigators. Of course you hear about Rafael and Kristina all the time. Those two are awesome, and I'm looking forward to Kristina's baptism in a few weeks. From the day I met them a couple months ago until now, I've seen the Doctrine of Christ working in their lives and changing them. Kristina came to church again this week and loved it. The ward has been awesome at making them feel welcome, and we've been able to take a few members with us to lessons with them. Then we have some other investigators as well that I'm really excited about. Noel and Barry both have baptismal dates for the 27th of September. We just got a couple new investigators this week as well. The work is great! The second thing that  I have loved about this cycle  pertains to my calling as the district leader in the Harlem English district. I've had the opportunity to lead two separate districts now, and both have had one thing in common. They have been full of missionaries that support me and teach me so much about how to love the work. I have so naturally felt  the Christlike love flowing through me for these few individuals that the Lord has trusted me to lead. I don't know what it is that gets me so emotional about these missionaries, but I would do anything for them. In almost every district meeting that I teach I bear my testimony at the end, tears well up in my eyes, and my emotions get the better of me. Too many missionaries have seen me cry haha! It's good though. I know that I always have friends that care about me and that I can turn to when I need them. The other highlight to my week has been the 120 day challenge! I'm excited to hear that some of you will be joining me! I know that we will all benefit as we do this together. The thing that I'm really focusing on as I read through the Book of Mormon this time (this will be the fourth time I've ready it front to back) is looking for the Doctrine of Christ, otherwise known as the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in every chapter. Since I had no clue what the Doctrine of Christ was before my mission, I'll explain for those of you who don't know exactly what I'm talking about. The Doctrine of Christ is what Jesus taught the people in Jerusalem in the New Testament as well as the people that He visited in the Americas, which we read about in the Book of Mormon. It consists of five steps that will bring us closer to Him: faith, repentance, baptism (or renewing that covenant through the sacrament and making further covenants), receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end (continuing this pattern throughout your whole life). So I'm looking for ways that Lehi and his family and everyone else in the Book of Mormon lived this doctrine, so that I can understand it better. I can tell you that striving to live the Doctrine of Christ in the past twelve and a half months has changed my life completely. It has unlocked doors for me that I never thought were possible, and it has allowed me to be changed by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As we read the Book of Mormon together between now and Christmas, I am excited to understand the Savior's teachings more deeply and continue to become better through his Atonement. There is no doubt in my mind that the Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the Gospel. It may sound like I'm supposed to say that because I'm a missionary, but I really do mean it. I have a testimony that that book changes lives, because it has changed mine. I love you with all of my heart, and you're always in my thoughts and prayers. Have a wonderful week! 

Love, 

Elder Allred

120 DAY CHALLENGE SCHEDULE

25-Aug	1 Nephi 1-3
26-Aug	1 Nephi 4
27-Aug	1 Nephi 5-8
28-Aug	1 Nephi 9-10
29-Aug	1 Nephi 11-13
30-Aug	1 Nephi 14
31-Aug	1 Nephi 15
1-Sep	1 Nephi 16-17
2-Sep	1 Nephi 18
3-Sep	1 Nephi 19
4-Sep	1 Nephi 20-21
5-Sep	1 Nephi 22
6-Sep	2 Nephi 1
7-Sep	2 Nephi 2
8-Sep	2 Nephi 3-4
9-Sep	2 Nephi 5-6
10-Sep	2 Nephi 7-9
11-Sep	2 Nephi 10
12-Sep	2 Nephi 11-12
13-Sep	2 Nephi 13-15
14-Sep	2 Nephi 16-20
15-Sep	2 Nephi 21-23
16-Sep	2 Nephi 24-25
17-Sep	2 Nephi 26
18-Sep	2 Nephi 27-28
19-Sep	2 Nephi 29-31
20-Sep	Jacob 1
21-Sep	Jacob 2
22-Sep	Jacob 3-4
23-Sep	Jacob 5
24-Sep	Jacob 6-7
25-Sep	Enos-Jarom-Omni
26-Sep	Words of Mormon
27-Sep	Mosiah 1-2
28-Sep	Mosiah 3
29-Sep	Mosiah 4-5
30-Sep	Mosiah 6-7
1-Oct	Mosiah 8-10
2-Oct	Mosiah 11-12
3-Oct	Mosiah 13-15
4-Oct	Mosiah 16-17
5-Oct	Mosiah 18-19
6-Oct	Mosiah 20-21
7-Oct	Mosiah 22-23
8-Oct	Mosiah 24-26
9-Oct	Mosiah 27
10-Oct	Mosiah 28-29
11-Oct	Alma 1-2
12-Oct	Alma 3-4
13-Oct	Alma 5
14-Oct	Alma 6-7
15-Oct	Alma 8-9
16-Oct	Alma 10
17-Oct	Alma 11-12
18-Oct	Alma 13
19-Oct	Alma 14-15
20-Oct	Alma 16-17
21-Oct	Alma 18-19
22-Oct	Alma 20
23-Oct	Alma 21-22
24-Oct	Alma 23-24
25-Oct	Alma 25-26
26-Oct	Alma 27
27-Oct	Alma 28-30
28-Oct	Alma 31
29-Oct	Alma 32-33
30-Oct	Alma 34
31-Oct	Alma 35-36
1-Nov	Alma 37-38
2-Nov	Alma 39-40
3-Nov	Alma 41-43
4-Nov	Alma 44
5-Nov	Alma 45-46
6-Nov	Alma 47
7-Nov	Alma 48-49
8-Nov	Alma 50
9-Nov	Alma 51-52
10-Nov	Alma 53-54
11-Nov	Alma 55-56
12-Nov	Alma 57
13-Nov	Alma 58-59
14-Nov	Alma 60-61
15-Nov	Alma 62-63
16-Nov	Helaman 1-2
17-Nov	Helaman 3-4
18-Nov	Helaman 5
19-Nov	Helaman 6-7
20-Nov	Helaman 8-9
21-Nov	Helaman 10-11
22-Nov	Helaman 12-13
23-Nov	Helaman 14-16
24-Nov	3 Nephi 1
25-Nov	3 Nephi 2-3
26-Nov	3 Nephi 4
27-Nov	3 Nephi 5-7
28-Nov	3 Nephi 8-9
29-Nov	3 Nephi 10-11		ELDER ALLRED'S BIRTHDAY!!!!
30-Nov	3 Nephi 12-13
1-Dec	3 Nephi 14-16
2-Dec	3 Nephi 17-18
3-Dec	3 Nephi 19-20
4-Dec	3 Nephi 21
5-Dec	3 Nephi 22-26
6-Dec	3 Nephi 27-30
7-Dec	4 Nephi
8-Dec	Mormon 1
9-Dec	Mormon 2-3
10-Dec	Mormon 4-6
11-Dec	Mormon 7-9
12-Dec	Ether 1
13-Dec	Ether 2
14-Dec	Ether 3-6
15-Dec	Ether 7-8
16-Dec	Ether 9-10
17-Dec	Ether 11-12
18-Dec	Ether 13-15
19-Dec	Moroni 1-2
20-Dec	Moroni 3-7
21-Dec	Moroni 8-9
22-Dec	Moroni 10