2-year old Jeter:)

Hey everyone! 

I can't believe I've already been in Harlem for two weeks! Time just goes too fast. In the beginning of my mission I set up a group email with all of the Juab guys that are on missions. This last week Spencer McPherson updated us on how he's doing down in Florida and mentioned that he's about four months from returning home. That is so crazy! After him, Jackson, and Jake Nielson go home within the next six months, it will just be that much faster as all of the other guys will start going home shortly after. My homecoming will be cool since I'm the last one. It will just be like a huge reunion because everyone will finally be back together again as RM's. Anyway, the work is good here in Harlem. We have tons of people to work with and that we're trying to get to baptism with. I'll highlight my favorite. There is a family named the Latimers that the missionaries have been teaching for a while. The dad is Justin and he's been less active for a long time. However, he has a son named CJ who I think is ten or eleven. CJ wants to get baptized and his dad wants to baptize him! So, we're trying to reactivate Justin and his wife and get CJ to baptism on July 19th. I'm so excited about this family. The coolest part is that they're huge Yankees fans. It's no surprise since they live in New York. I'm talking huge though. They have a two year old named Jeter! So, the first time I went over there I just talked to Justin about the Yankees for like twenty minutes. These are the exact kind of people I was hoping to teach out here! I can connect with them super well, and it won't be hard to get Justin to update me on how the boys are doing. Lol. More importantly I'm excited to see them continue to grow in the gospel. It will be so cool to watch Justin baptize his son. Other than that, we have lots of other people to teach. This has definitely been the busiest area of my mission. A lot of times we're actually running around from appointment to appointment instead of walking around trying to find people all day. It's so nice! It makes the days go by much faster! The ward is awesome too. There are a ton of young white families here. Everyone is super nice. Mom, you'll be happy to know that we get fed several times a week. So, you don't have to worry about me going without food lol. The other night, we ate at Sister Watson's. She is a member from Jamaica, and I had heard that she makes the best food. She made us rice and beans, and it was probably the best rice and beans I've ever had in my life. I miss the Bronx for sure. I had a lot of fun there, but I already love it here too. A couple cool things that I've noticed about Harlem is that Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X had a huge influence on this area. I didn't even know that. I guess I should have paid closer attention in history class. The church is actually on Malcolm X Blvd. And there are murals of Martin Luther King Jr all over the place. Another cool thing is the African influence. We pass this corner a lot of nights where there is a big group of people in African clothes and with drums and everything just dancing and playing African music. It's really cool. We're actually going down to a place on 116th Street today called the African street market to buy some cool stuff. Also, Columbia University is in my zone. We did a huge finding activity there last week. There is just so much here that I love. The one thing that I don't particularly love is the humidity and the heat. I know I always bring that back up, but it's so miserable sometimes. Enjoy the dry Utah heat for me! lol. Anyway, I'm just happy to be here. I love the area. I love the people. I love the work. Nothing to complain about here. Thanks for everything you all do to support me. I can feel your love and prayers from all the way on the other side of the nation. I love you all so much! Have a great week!

~Elder Allred