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
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