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 

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

"Juked"

Okay, this is seriously scaring me. Everyone says that once you get over your year mark, the mission just goes even faster than it did before. I figured what they were saying was true, but I didn't think it would be this fast. I feel like I blinked, and this week was gone. Looking back on the past twelve months has left me with a lot to think about. So much has happened in what feels like such a short amount of time. Now thinking ahead and realizing that I officially have less than twelve months left makes me realize that I need to make the most out of every day. And those days feel like hours, which feel like seconds. For the rest of my life and into eternity I will be thinking about and looking back at what I did and who I was in this year. It causes some pretty intense feelings when you really start thinking about it like that. At the same time, all of this leaves me with very mixed emotions. I miss you all like crazy, and I can't wait to come home to you. Just the thought that that day is fast approaching puts a huge smile on my face. I also love the mission though! I know that I will never again live this way or have this much capacity to serve others. I only have a very little amount of time left to wake up every morning and literally put on  the name of Jesus Christ for everyone to see. I don't ever want that time to end. So basically I'm extremely happy that we are getting closer to my return home and back into life with my family, but I'm pretty sad to feel my time as a missionary slipping through my fingers. All I can do is take it one day at a time I guess. Anyway, enough of my confusing sobbing/joyful emotions haha. This past week has been great. The work has been a little rough here in Harlem. The whole zone consists of six English speaking missionaries, ten Spanish speaking missionaries, and a senior couple. Everyone in the zone had a similar experience this week, and that was that we all got "juked" a lot. Getting juked is a term we use in the mission for when you have a teaching appointment set up with someone, and when you show up they aren't there. It can be a pretty disappointing thing, especially if it is with investigators that you are extra excited about. Then add onto that training a new missionary and wanting him to always feel like you have a lot of success in your area. Everyone had good spirits about it though. I work with some awesome missionaries. The opportunity to be a District Leader again is a huge blessing. Both times that I've been in this position I have just been so amazed at how much I can feel the support of those missionaries that I serve. They have done more for me and been better examples than I could ever do for them. I'm learning a lot as I feel the love and support of my fellow servants of the Lord. Quick update on Rafael and Kristina is that they are doing really well! They're progressing a lot and working really hard with quitting coffee and drinking alcohol. I have seen them grow so much in the two months that I've been here. It has built my testimony so much to teach those two. Mostly because I have just come to love them so much, and because of that love I can feel just a small portion of how much Jesus Christ loves them, which helps me understand how much He loves me. I was in a meeting with President Morgan this week, and he said something that really hit me. He said that "Heavenly Father wants you on a mission so that you will come closer to Him". As I serve others and help them gain a testimony, my testimony is strengthened as well. I feel like I have learned way more and benefited way more than anyone I have had the opportunity to teach. I have come so much closer to the Lord in the past year than I ever have before in my life, and it is amazing. I'm excited for that relationship to get even stronger as I serve for the next year. I love you all so much. I still think about you and pray for you all the time. Thank you for everything you do for me. I love you!! 

~Elder Allred 

Halfway There!

Sorry I'm a bit late today. We had a zone activity this morning, and I didn't have time to email before it started. The activity was a ton of fun. We went to this place called Roosevelt Island. I may have told you about it a few weeks ago, because that's where we went for our zone activity last cycle too. Just in case, I'll tell you about it again. It's a little island in the East River about halfway up Manhattan. the way you get out to it is by a tram that lifts you right up next to the Queensboro Bridge, which connects Manhattan to Queens. It reminds me of riding the skylift at Lagoon or taking the lifts at a ski resort. The spot we found at the island was a super nice little field with trees surrounding it. You can see Manhattan on one side and Queens on the other. It's nice and quiet and peaceful and has an awesome view. If I had to live in New York City after my mission, Roosevelt Island wouldn't be a bad place to do it. You get the luxury of the quiet with the convenience of everything that New York City has to offer being so close. I'm sure the cost of living is a little bit above my budget though haha. It was a lot of fun to hang out there today! Also last Wednesday Elder Raine and I decided to to go down and see the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That was super cool. We only had about an hour to see stuff and didn't get to look at everything we wanted to, so we might end up going back in a couple weeks or something. I can never seem to get over the fact that I live in Manhattan. It's a  lot different than I ever would have expected it to be like, but I love it so much. Of course, when you think New York city your first thought isn't the ancient apartment buildings and projects of Harlem. It's seriously so much fun though. There's a lot that I will miss about this place when I have to leave. Hopefully I'll stay in Harlem for awhile. I don't think I could do it for much longer than two years. There's too much country in my blood haha. I definitely miss being able to see more than a few hundred yards in either direction, and a look at the Utah mountains is a foreign thought to me now. For now it's fun though. The work here is great, and I really enjoy meeting people from all over the world with all different backgrounds. This week has been pretty exciting. We got a new investigator that we tracted into named Noel who agreed to a baptismal date in our first visit. We're looking forward to helping him prepare for the 27th of September! Rafael and Kristina are still doing well. Kristina came to church for the first time for fast and testimony meeting on Sunday. She absolutely loved it! She said when she was listening to the testimonies she kept getting chills and almost crying. The Spirit was so strong in that meeting. I've seen a lot of progress in those two over the past two months, and I'm excited to see even more in the coming weeks. It seems weird to say that I've been here for two months already. It feels like I just left the Bronx. I have no clue where the time is going! Which brings me to my last point of this week's email. Of course you all know already, but tomorrow is my year mark! Seriously? Where in the world did that come from? It's kind of  crazy to be at this point in my mission. I'm reflecting on everything that has happened in the past twelve months, and it is a lot to think about.  Obviously the halfway point is huge for any missionary. You start thinking about all that you've done so far. All the people you've met. All the experiences you've had. All the things you've learned. Then when you're done thinking about that you start thinking about what's ahead. What areas you might serve in. What kind of people you have yet to meet. What kind of lessons you will continue to learn. It's so cool. I'm learning a lot about myself. Who I was, who I want to be, and who I would like to become. Sorry if I may have gotten a little cheesy with all of that, but I just couldn't think of how to express the feelings I'm having haha. But seriously, if I had to describe the past twelve months in a word that word would  be change. And if I had to describe how that "change" happened in a word that word would be "Atonement". Before my mission I thought I knew exactly what the Atonement was and what it could do. Now I can see that I had no idea what its capacity is and what kind of ability it has to affect our lives. The sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us gave us literally everything that we have. I think about the Atonement all the time. I talk about it to almost everyone I meet. It's just such an incredible thing to me. I've experienced the Atonement so frequently and so intensely since the day I put my name tag on a year ago. It has carried me through the twelve most difficult months of my entire life. It has guided, comforted and strengthened me. It has made me the man I am today, which is a much better man than you knew last August. If there is one thing that I will take from my mission it will be my knowledge and testimony of the Atonement. To me that principle is easily the most important of everything that we learn about in the church. Without the Atonement none of the rest of it would make sense. It just wouldn't work. It's the piece that holds it all together. I'm so excited to see what more I can learn about it in the coming year and to see how much better of a person I can become as I continue to allow it to influence my life. I have the unique opportunity to be writing to you today at the peak of my full time mission for the Lord. I've thought a lot about what I would say today, and there is one thing that I want you all to know. It's that the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for me, for you, and for everyone else who has ever lived or ever will live is real. He really did die and resurrect for us. Words can't express what kind of eternal value that has. I can feel His power in my life every single day. I would be nothing without Him. I want you all to know that Jesus Christ loves you. He knows you better than any other person anywhere does. He has a perfect understanding of who you are and what you need. He has experienced every last ounce of pain, sorrow, sadness, joy and triumph that you have or will in the future.  He has compassion for you, and He loves you beyond words. I would even venture to say that He loves you beyond human comprehension of emotion. I hope you all know that. No matter what you may think you have eternal value, and you are always loved. I hope you can all feel how much our older Brother means to me. I wouldn't be who I am today without Him. Have a fantastic week everyone. You are all amazing, and I love you probably more than you know. The strength and support you give me means more than I could explain. Thank you all for everything. Can't wait to give you all a big hug one year from now! 

Love, Elder Allred

July 30

Hey everyone! 

I hope you've all had a great week! I definitely have. Elder Raine is a great missionary, and we've been working super hard. I'm grateful to have him as a companion. I'm super tired all the time. My new responsibilities as a District Leader and a trainer are keeping me plenty busy. I would be lying if I said that it didn't stress me out a little bit. There is just so much to think about. So many people to remember and assignments to fulfill. Stress can be good though. It motivates you to do the things and accomplish more. I think that's one of the biggest things that the mission has taught me. How to manage stress and use it as a positive thing instead of a negative thing. I'm still working on it, but I'm a lot better than I used to be. Here's an update on how the work in Harlem is going. We've been working with this couple, Rafael and Kristina, for the entire seven weeks that I've been here. Since the first day that I met them, I could tell that they were special and that they had so much faith. I've seen both of them progress so much in the past month and a half and it's been incredible to watch. This last Sunday Rafael came to church with us for the second time! That was really exciting. He wasn't feeling super well but knew that he needed to come, so he fought through it and came! He's a trooper. Kristina hasn't been able to come because she always has to work, but this coming Sunday she will finally get a day off and be able to come! I'm so excited for them. They had a baptismal date set when I got here, but about a month ago they dropped it and haven't wanted to set another one since. I think they will be ready soon though. They just keep making the right steps and progressing. They're awesome! The other big one that we're working with is the Strungys family. They're a less active family that we're trying to reactivate. It's super difficult to teach them, because they have seven kids, and it's always just incredibly loud and chaotic when we go there. They've made some progress though and have now come to church twice since I've been here. The oldest two boys went to a young men's activity and really want to go to an upcoming scout camp. That family needs the gospel! They would be so much happier if they would all jump in together. Other than that, we just have a whole bunch of other investigators and less actives that we try to work with regularly. Nobody else looking close to baptism  yet, but that's okay. I personally measure success based on two things. Neither one of them is the amount of lessons that I teach or the amount of people I baptize. The first thing is whether or not I feel like I'm trying to help others and if I have love for them. The other thing is whether or not I feel like I'm changing and becoming a better person. All I can say is that I definitely feel like my mission has been a success thus far. I think I've made a positive difference in the lives of a few people, and I am most definitely a much better person than I was 11 months ago. I'm excited to see how I will be able to progress even more in the next twelve months. This experience has already changed my life for the better, and I know that I will be eternally grateful that I chose to come out here and to stay even when it would be easier to raise the white flag and come home. One more thing about this week is that I had to say goodbye to someone that has had a huge impact on my mission and on my life. Elder Taylor finished his mission and returned home to Salt Lake last week. It was really hard for me to say goodbye to him. He probably doesn't realize just how much his example has meant to me. Since I first came into the mission I looked up to him, because he was my trainer's trainer. A few months later he was my Zone Leader in the Bronx, and for the past few months he has served as an Assistant to President Morgan. His leadership and example have helped me with so much on my mission. I'll always be grateful that I had him to look up to.  Anyway, that's about it for this week. Life is good! I'm happy and healthy and loving the mission. I couldn't ask for anything better. I still miss you all so much and wish I could be home with you. But, the good news is that the next time you hear from me, we will be a day away from my one year mark! (As if  you didn't already know that. haha). Have a wonderful week! And please let me know if there is ever anything I can do to help any of you. You do so much for me, and I feel like I am never able to give you anything in return. Thanks for everything. I love you all!!!

DL, trainer for Elder Raine

Hello friends and family! Well, today is transfers again. I cannot believe another cycle has gone by already. The scary thing about these six week periods of time is that each one that goes by leaves me with one less to be a missionary. And after this next one goes, I'll have less than half of mine left. I'm sure this one will fly by too. That's mostly because of my new callings. This cycle I will be training a new missionary again! The hard work and responsibility that goes into this leaves you no time to think about what day it is and only time to help your companion and be a good example. My other calling is to be the District Leader for the Harlem English speaking district. I've already trained once and been a District Leader once, and now I will have the opportunity to do both at the same time! I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about this. I feel like this enormous amount of responsibility has just been laid on my shoulders, and the weight I have to carry just tripled. That's a good thing though. Stress and work is what pushes us and makes us grow. Every major lesson I've learned on my mission has come to me in times are a little bit more trying. So, I'm excited for this new challenge. It will be good for me as well and help me refocus. I had a ton of fun with Elder Monson these past six weeks. We got along really well and did some awesome work together. Being in this companionship also had its downfalls though. Watching Elder Monson prepare to return home was fun and exciting but also a little hard on me. The natural man inside of me was jealous and wished that it was me coming home to see all of you. I still worked hard, but my motivation level dropped slightly. So, it will be good to have a brand new missionary as a companion. That "greenie fire" is exactly what I need to get me back into my groove and completely pumped about the work in Harlem. The entire atmosphere of this area is going to change. The apartment will be a lot different too. We live with the Zone Leaders here, and one of them (Elder Linton) just got transferred to the Bronx. So, Elder Smith got a new companion as well. His name is Elder Burr. I served around him in the Bronx for a little while. He's a great missionary and a hard worker. It will be way different but good. I'll miss Elder Linton, but his leadership is really needed in the Bronx. I'm really going to miss Elder Monson too. He and I have been through a lot together in these past six weeks, and I'm glad he was by my side. I consider him like a brother. I'm excited for him to continue his life in Utah and move on. He'll do great things. I"m excited to build that relationship with my new companion as well. His name is Elder Raine, and I can already tell he is going to be an awesome missionary. He's from Brea, California. I've only known him for less than an hour now, but I can already tell he's excited to be here and ready to go. We will do some great work in Harlem together and see some miracles for sure. I'm grateful that the Lord has chosen me to fulfill this role at this time. I'm sure there are a hundred other missionaries in this mission more worthy and qualified than I am for this, but the Lord has chosen me. I have a testimony that He chooses His leaders for a very specific purpose, and I've been able to see so clearly that every time I'm in a leadership position it's so I can learn something new and improve. So, I'm excited for what the Lord has in store for me. Thanks again for all of your love and support. I miss you and love you all. Have a fantastic week!
~Elder Allred 

This is Zion in Babylon

Hey everyone! 

This week has been great! I can't believe this cycle is already halfway over. Elder Monson is such a good companion. We get along really well with each other and do some great work. It seems that when you have a companion that you really enjoy working with, you don't get to stay with them for very long. I'm kinda bummed that we will only be companions for three more weeks. I guess we'll just have to make the best of them and make sure Elder Monson's last part of the mission will make him look back and be happy about the work he did in Harlem. The way that missionary work is moving in our mission is really cool. President Morgan is such an inspired man and leader. In the past few months he has put a huge emphasis on setting inspired goals, having the faith that you will reach those goals, and putting in the necessary plans that will help you get there. I've always had struggles with planning, and we do a lot of it as missionaries. I don't know why, but I just really don't like it. So, when President Morgan brought this out I was less than excited. But as we have put some things into practice, I've started to gain a new perspective on it. In the last couple of weeks the mission has started to do a new kind of planning called monthly planning. This is where you focus on an individual that you are teaching and plan out what needs to happen before they can be baptized. You start with their baptismal date and then plug in when they need to be interviewed, when they need to meet the Bishop, when they need to come to church, when they need to be taught each lesson, and all of the other little things that need to happen for them. This requires a lot of extra work and is kind of tedious. These plans are also subject to change as the Spirit directs and as investigators progress differently than you thought they might. It gives you a really good perspective though and helps you have a visual of how much work needs to be done with these people in order for them to reach their goal. Like I said, President Morgan is a very inspired man. I think this new practice will really help us as missionaries to better prepare people for baptism and help more people stay active after they are baptized. The work of the Lord is progressing and hastening all the time, and it is so cool to have a front row seat to it all. We had an awesome experience this week that showed me that miracles really do happen and that the Lord is always preparing people to receive the gospel. We were at the chapel on Sunday waiting for church to start. About a half hour before sacrament meeting started, one of the YSA members came over to me and introduced me to a guy named Norman. He said that Norman just came into their sacrament meeting and sat down. He started talking to him, found out he's not a member, and introduced him to the missionaries. So cool! Norman is from Jamaica and is visiting his cousins here in Harlem for about five months. I had the chance to give him a Book of Mormon before the meeting started and explain to him what it is. I felt the Spirit so strongly as I testified of the promise given to us in Moroni 10:3-5. If he would just read the book, ponder it in his heart, and sincerely ask God if it was true, he would gain a divine witness of it from the Holy Ghost. It was so incredible to watch him as they started passing the sacrament. He opened up the Book of Mormon that I had just given him and began reading from 1 Nephi. This was just such a cool experience for me. The Lord has prepared Norman to come in contact with us. He was prompted by the Spirit to walk into our church on Sunday morning and followed that prompting! This is truly the Lord's work, and He is doing it in His way. I'm just here for Him to use as a tool to further progress His children and to bring them unto Him. It's amazing! We also had a less active family come to church on Sunday for the first time. The Strungys family. Elder Monson and I found them a couple days after I got here. They live up in the Polo Grounds, which is a huge project across the river from Yankee Stadium. It was so awesome when they walked in and sat down. Brother and Sister Strungys have seven children, so they took up an entire row by themselves. Just like you might see in a Utah ward. Haha. Anyway, I'm excited for them to continue to progress and become fully active in the gospel again. I'm seeing miracles all over the place, and it's incredible! Oh yeah, one more cool thing from Sunday. For the fifth Sunday lesson, the Bishopric talked to everyone about attending the temple and how we should make it a priority. Bishop Kelly ended the meeting by telling us a story about when President Hinckley dedicated the Manhattan temple. He said that a few times President Hinckley used the phrase, "This is Zion in Babylon". I thought that was really cool. In the midst of all the craziness and sin in New York City there stands a temple. Right in the heart of it all is the house of the Lord. It truly is Zion in Babylon. I then thought about the ward I am currently serving in. The congregation of saints here in Harlem is tiny compared to everyone else that lives here. But the chapel on 128th and Lenox makes a difference on the entire surrounding area. It's a little oasis from all the craziness of Harlem. Then I also thought about our role as missionaries. I've heard President Morgan say a few times, "Just you missionaries' presence alone makes a positive difference on the areas where you serve". A few representatives of the Lord walk around Harlem every single day and make it a little bit better of a place. What a privilege it is for me to be one of those few trusted to be here and to make a positive impact on this place. We are Zion in Babylon. I just think that statement is so profound. As members of the church (even in Utah) I think we all need to have that perspective and strive to build a Zion in Babylon. The world we live in gets more and more wicked all the time, but if we can stay true to the gospel we can make a small difference in the world. Well, that's about it for this week. I'm off to a Yankees game! Love you all. Have a fantastic week! 

~Elder Allred 

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 

Statue of Liberty

 Hey everyone! Harlem is so much fun! I think I was destined to live in the Hood. Haha. From the Bronx to Harlem! We live in a huge building on Broadway and 135th Street. It's just a couple avenues over from the Hudson. We run over to a football field every morning and work out right next to the river. It's so cool! Missionaries call our building "The Great and Spacious Building". I thought that was pretty funny. We estimated that there's a little over 4,000 people that live in our building alone. So, the building that I live in has almost as many people as the population of Nephi. Crazy! Elder Monson and I are having a lot of fun and the work is great. He's a great guy. I can already tell that I'll be sad when he has to go home in five weeks. 

Anyway, sorry this week's email is super short! We went to the Statue of Liberty today since Elder Monson is going home this cycle. One of the cool things that President Morgan lets us do in this mission. And since I am his companion I got to tag along! Everything is good here! I'm loving Harlem. It's getting super hot. And since we walk most places here, it's been tiring me out! The humidity is ridiculous! Haha. I'll try to write more next week. Have a great week everyone. Love you! 

~Elder Allred 

Harlem

~NEW COMPANION, ELDER MONSON~

 Hey everyone! So, I know that you all know today is transfer day. So, I'll tell you the news right here at the beginning. I was released as District Leader, and I've been transferred out of the Bronx to Harlem! I'm pretty sad to be leaving the Bronx. I've really loved it here. This last cycle was awesome. I got really close with a lot of the people I served with. Especially Elder Rydalch and the guys in our apartment. Elder Kohli will be going home tomorrow, and it was sad to say goodbye to him today. He's a good guy, and we've had some good times together. For his last district meeting, Elder Sevy and I put together a song for him. Since we all love country music, we decided to sing "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins. We re-wrote the words for him and put it into a missionary version. It was really cool. I was way nervous to sing in front of the whole zone, but it turned out so well! Anyway, I don't have much time to email today, so this one isn't going to be very long. I'm excited to start working in Harlem! My new companion is named Elder Monson. He's from West Jordan. This will be his last cycle. He'll be going home at the next transfers in July. It should be a lot of fun. These next six weeks will fly by! Adjusting to the new area and watching Elder Monson prepare to go home. I'm excited to have more stories to tell you next week. Thanks for everything. Sorry for the short email this week. I love you! 

~OLMSTEAD ZONE WITH ELDER AND SISTER SNOW~ 

May 7 ...grocery shopping in the heart of Harlem

Hey everyone! I'm a bit late. We went to Harlem today and got groceries at Costco. It was quite the adventure to take all of the food from Harlem back to the Bronx. Whatever you have to do to eat cheaper is worth it here! Haha. Anyway, I don't have a whole lot of time, so the mass email is going to be really short today. I'm going to try to do some individual emails instead. Quick update though. Things are great. The new district leader calling is going great! I love it so much, and I'm able to interact with each companionship a lot more. I'm just happy to have the chance to serve more people more fully. Usually each Monday I would give a training to the district, but since this week was the first Monday of the month, the zone leaders did it. Next week I'll be up though. I'm kinda nervous, but I know that opportunity  to teach the other missionaries each week will help me learn so much more! The work is good. Our mission has a goal to baptize 100 people in the month of May. I was talking to the AP, Elder Taylor, and he said we're already at 28! I think we will reach it. Elder Rydalch and I are hoping to set a baptismal date this week with someone. We've both been a lot more determined lately to work hard and have talked to a lot more people. We taught five lessons on Monday alone. Other than that, things are great! Nothing too big to report on. I can't wait to see everyone for Skype on Sunday. Love you guys! 

~Elder Allred