Upcoming Baptism:)

 Mom is SO jealous that Ty got to see the Yankees bike and Jorge's jersey 

At the gorgeous OCC showroom. One of his top 3 best Pdays ever! 

Life is great! The work is going really well here in Poughkeepsie. Our investigators have been progressing pretty well, but we're running into some concerns with some of them that are difficult to meet. One of our investigators told us a few weeks ago that he wants to be baptized, so we've been working with him to get him there. He has some pretty big concerns to work through before he can be baptized, though. We actually had a pretty frustrating lesson with Brother Smith yesterday. I love him with all my heart, but he is a very stubborn man. He has this whole theory about Joseph Smith and the Word of Wisdom. I won't go into the details, but it's super untrue and pretty disturbing. It's been a roller coaster with him, because he's so sincere about knowing that the Book of Mormon is true and that ours is the only church with the fullness of the truth. He even admits that he knows Joseph Smith was a prophet of God but tells us about how he thinks he was a really bad person. It hurts to hear that kind of thing about our beloved prophet, who I respect so much for his leadership and his character. Anyway yesterday was just more of the same disagreement on the Word of Wisdom and whether or not outlawing coffee was revelation from God. I walked away feeling very discouraged and a little angry. I didn't show it while we were with Brother Smith, but I sure did vent my frustrations to Elder Wagner in the car. I couldn't really think straight, and Elder Wagner couldn't either. So we decided that we should just pray. I prayed that we would be able to think clearly. That we would be able to put aside our frustrations with Brother Smith for the time being and just focus on the people we would be contacting and teaching for the rest of the night. I'm so grateful that I did! About an hour later we had a lesson with Joe. I haven't seen Joe for about a month. He's been visiting his family in Washington and his girlfriend, Jordynn's family, in Utah for Christmas break. We tried to set up Skype lessons with him, but it never really worked out. It was great to see him again. He looked really happy. When he and Jordynn walked into the room and sat down, I noticed that he had a brand new quad with his name engraved on it and a new CTR ring. It turns out his visit to Utah was awesome, and he spent the eighty bucks or whatever it costs these days to get himself a nice set of scriptures. He told us that his family still isn't completely on board with his decision to join the Church but he knows that he needs to do it. He told us that he's ready to be baptized! We were able to set a date for his baptism on the 31st of January, next Saturday. I just felt so incredible after the lesson with Joe. He's such a good guy. I know that the way the lesson turned out was an answer to the prayer I described from earlier in the day. If I had still been thinking about Brother Smith and still frustrated, I don't know if the lesson with Joe would have turned out so well. There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord is fully aware of each one of us. Doing the Lord's work is more and more amazing all the time. I'm grateful that I still have a good amount of time to have these kinds of missionary experiences. There is still so much ahead of me in the next seven months! Well that's the big thing from this week. Other than that everything is great! It's pretty cold here, but I think January will be the worst month. It will start warming up before we even know it. Thank you all for everything you do. Remember that God loves you and that He answers your prayers. I love you all so much. Have a wonderful week.!! 

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

District Leader :)

I can't believe today was transfers again. It seems like I just barely sent you guys the pictures of me with Elder Kroff, Steiner and Fronk from the last transfer meeting six weeks ago. This cycle has been good. As far as teaching people goes, it has probably been the slowest cycle of my mission yet. We just haven't had much going on. Since President Morgan's training that I told you about last week we've been doing a little better. On Thursday we taught this guy named Jeff. He's a potential investigator that I've been trying to get in contact with since I've been here, so it was awesome when he finally let us come over. I felt the Spirit so strong as we taught his about Joseph Smith, the Restoration of the Gospel, and the Book of Mormon. He also just happened to have a friend over at the time we scheduled our appointment. As we taught, his friend was listening and asked if he could have a copy of the Book of Mormon. He got up and left before we finished up, so we weren't able to get his contact information. He has our card though so hopefully he'll read and get interested and contact us. It was so cool. It feels so good to teach a solid lesson like that. When we get those opportunities are some of the times that I am most happy. We also started working with this guy named Eddy, who was baptized in Haiti about 20 years ago. Shortly after he was baptized he came here and lived in Florida for a few years before moving to the Bronx. He hasn't been to church since leaving Haiti, and he came on Sunday! We've already taught him twice, so hopefully we'll get to continue working with him. Other than that, there's not too much going on. Elder Rydalch and I will be staying together again this cycle in the Bronx. Our district leader got transferred, and President Morgan called me to be the new district leader here. I'm pretty nervous but excited for this new calling. My capacity to serve and love will increase so much, and I know I will learn a lot in the next six weeks. Things are good, and I'm excited for this next phase of my mission. I miss you and love you all so much! 

~ Elder Allred

You saw it here... Elder Allred promised his Mom he would come back to Snow College after his mission!! :)

Elder Rydalch and I are working really well together! It's been kind of an adjustment. I was really used to Elder Hansen, and we were getting along incredibly well. Six weeks together definitely wasn't enough time. I went two cycles with my first two companions, so to only have one with him made it feel like we were only together half as long as we were supposed to be. It's amazing how fast I become friends with people in the mission. I was thinking about that last week when I got to spend some time with Elder Kroff and Elder Steiner. I only had three months to get to know Elder Kroff and only two weeks to get to know Elder Steiner. But now they're both two of the best friends I've ever had, and I could sit and talk to either of them for hours on end. I'm so grateful for those friendships that I am building. I'll always be surrounded by people that share in my beliefs and can provide me with support. I think Elder Rydalch will be another one of those people. He's planning on going to Snow when he gets home and playing for the football team. Since I'm planning on going back for another year and cheering, and since we'll both be going in the Fall 2015 semester, we'll be able to hang out with each other all the time. That will be awesome! The work is going pretty well still. We did, however, have a pretty big disappointment last night. Theresita texted us and said she doesn't want to meet with us anymore. She's planning on moving down to Florida and going to a different church down there. It's really sad, because I know that she has felt the truthfulness of what we have taught her about. I've seen the spirit work in her and testify to her, and it's been incredible. She has been so eager to learn and so excited about the gospel. She was even going to let us start teaching her daughter, Juanita, this week. She's letting us come over on Thursday to say goodbye. Elder Rydalch and I are just planning on bearing testimony and expressing our gratitude for the opportunity we've had to teach her. If we can help her feel the Spirit one more time, then maybe someday down the road, she'll remember how she felt as she learned with us, witnessed a baptism, came to church, and had many other faith building opportunities. Maybe someday she will realize that she needs the fullness of the gospel that has been restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. All we can do is pray for her. That's probably one of the hardest things about missionary work. Our purpose is to invite and not to force.  We do all that we can to live worthy of the Spirit and provide people with  opportunities to accept the gospel, but in the end, they have their agency. It's their choice, not ours. As much as it pains me to see Theresita stopping and choosing not to learn anymore, I can't make her change her mind. I think that's probably the way that God feels about us a lot of the time. All He wants us to do is choose to keep His commandments and return to live with Him again someday. He loves us so much and wants us to choose Him, but He can't force it. Just like an earthly parent wants their child to love them, He wants us to love Him and choose Him. I'll be he sheds many tears when His children walk away from Him. That's one thing I've learned a lot about as I've been on my mission. As I come to love these people and have real concern for their salvation, I get a small taste of how our Father in Heaven and our brother, Jesus Christ, feel about us. As I see the worth in the souls of everyone around me, I'm understanding what the worth of my soul is to them. Being a missionary is changing me in so many ways, and giving me an entirely new  perspective on a lot of things. I love this experience so much. I'm so grateful for everything that I've been blessed with. And even though I'm sad about Theresita today, we get to go to the temple! There couldn't have been better timing for this. I'm excited to spend a little bit of time in Manhattan again. Plus I get to buy another matching tie today! I have one with all of my companions so far, and we always wear them to meetings where all of the missionaries gather. That's one way to get recognized by 260 missionaries! Anyway, thank you for everything that you do for me. I was spoiled this week when I got three packages in the mail. It was like Christmas! Haha. Have a great week everyone. I love you !

~Elder Allred 

Springtime in the Bronx

Elder Allred's final P-day with Elder Hansen was spent in Chinatown

 Transfer Day... Elder Allred got to see his companion from the MTC, Elder Steiner. His trainer, Elder Kroff and Elder Fronk. Elder Allred looks SO happy!!:) 

He loves us <3

Hey everyone! I can't believe how much the work has picked up in the past couple of weeks. As I told you last week, we started teaching Theresita. She is doing really well. I can't remember if I told you or not, but the first day we met with her was the day she was getting baptized into another church. I was really nervous, because I didn't know how we were going to explain to her that her baptism was a good thing but that it wasn't done by the proper Priesthood authority. We ended up having an amazing lesson with her on Wednesday night. Before we could even get started teaching her, she told us that she had read the pamphlet we gave her on the Restoration, which talks about Joseph Smith and the restoration of the fullness of the Gospel, including the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the Priesthood authority being returned to the earth again. She said that as she read it, she felt that her baptism was a good thing but just didn't feel completely full. She told us that she knew she needed to be baptized again and that she would be coming with us to church on Sunday. It is incredible to see the Spirit working in people. We didn't even have to teach her this stuff before the Spirit was able to testify the truth to her. It just goes to show that we are not the real teachers. Our role is to live worthily enough and study hard so that the Spirit can work through us to teach people. The Spirit is always the real teacher, and we missionaries are just one vehicle through which it works. We had an incredible rest of the week teaching Theresita. Our zone leaders had a baptism on Saturday for one of their investigators, and she came with her daughter Juanita. The next day she was fifteen minutes early for sacrament meeting. she seems to really enjoy it and said that she cried a few times during Relief Society. She will definitely have some adjusting to do as she gets used to how our worship is. LDS meetings are much more silent and reverent than a lot of other Christian services. She is used to singing loud gospel music and shouting amen in the middle of someone's talk. It's okay though. She'll get used to it. And as she feels the Spirit more and more, she'll know that she is where she needs to be and that she's found God's true church. Besides Theresita, we've gotten in contact with a few other people this week. Not that numbers are super important, but we taught more lessons this week than I've been able to in my whole mission. The work has picked up in our area so much. I know that this is all the Lord's doing. Everything happens in His time and in His way. He prepares people to receive the Gospel and allows us to work with them when He's ready. We're being incredibly blessed with those opportunities all the time now. It is always nice to have a full schecule!  Of course, this exciting time for the area is coming just as the cycle comes to an end. Just as things get going smoothly, the Lord switches everything up! I guess that's His way of keeping us on our toes. Sadly, Elder Hansen is leaving the area and going to New Paltz, NY :/ We got along so well! Six weeks of being companions was way too short. Especially since this cycle went by so much faster than any cycle yet. It  definitely does not feel like I've already been here for a month and a half. Before I can catch up with the time, it will already be summer, many of my good friends will be going home, and I will be hitting my year mark. It's right around the corner. So yeah, I'm sad to lose Elder Hansen. He's had such a good impact on me and is an incredible example. I'm sure he and I will be lifelong friends. I'm excited for my next companion though! His name is Elder Rydalch from South Summit! Another Utah companion! Haha. Big surprise there. That makes more than half of my companions being from Utah. I've heard that he's a really cool guy. Elder Kroff was actually his MTC companion and said that he really enjoyed their time together. I'm excited for what this next phase of my mission has in store. Like I said, the area is on fire, and I'm getting another cool companion. Plus, the weather this cycle is going to be so much nicer! Spring time in the Bronx! Hopefully we'll be able to use one of our p-days to pop over to the zoo. Life is good! I'm loving it. Have a great week everyone. Remember that God is real. He knows what each and every one of you might be struggling with and knows how to help. Never hesitate to turn to Him, because He loves you. I know that's true. Enjoy every single day and keep on smiling! I love you, I love you, I love you!!! 

~Elder Allred 

Daily Bread

It's the last pday of the cycle, so Elder Hansen and I are going down to Manhattan today. Elder Hansen's last companion is Chinese, so we're gonna go down to Chinatown to see him. I've also heard they have incredible food down there. So, it should be fun! This week has been really good. I've been a little discouraged because we haven't been able to teach very much in the past few weeks. Not too discouraged, but a little bit. Missionary work is just so much more fulfilling and enjoyable when you have atleast one consistent investigator. Luckily, this week has changed that. We started getting a ton of media referrals. Those come as a result of a few different things. Either they got on mormon.org themselves and put in their information, or someone else put their information in without them knowing it. So, a good number of times when we try to contact these media referrals, they don't have any idea that we're coming and aren't actually interested. One of our new ones is really promising though! Her name is Theresita, and she lives in one of the projects in our area. We met with her for the first time on Saturday. I felt the spirit so strongly during that lesson. It was really incredible. She was so excited to have us over, and she kept saying that we were an answer to her prayers. So, she invited us to come back on Monday and teach her again. And we already have another appointment with her tonight! She's really just on fire and ready to learn as much as she can. After our first meeting, she was reading one of the pamphlets that we gave her, and it referenced a scripture in Alma. She said she was looking everywhere for it in her Bible, but she couldn't find it. She finally figured out that it wasn't in there and texted us Sunday night saying that she really needed us to bring her a Book of Mormon. So, I'm just really excited to be teaching her. There's one tricky thing that we'll have to deal with. After our meeting Saturday afternoon, she went and got baptized that night. In another church! Haha. Pretty crazy. So far, we've just been really supportive of her decision to do that. It seems to have been a real faith building experience for her, which is always good! We haven't told her yet that her baptism wasn't done with the authority of the Priesthood. She just doesn't know yet that she hasn't received the full truth and her full potential. We're gonna teach her about Joseph Smith and the restoration of the Priesthood tonight, so it will definitely come up in that lesson. I'm excited to see where it goes with Theresita! We also started teaching a kid named Zahill this week. He's a young kid, about nine or ten years old. He and his mom live with his grandma, who is an active member. His mom isn't a member, but he's been a baptized member since September. So, we've just been going over the basic missionary lessons with him. It's been cool, because his mom sits in the other room and does her own thing, but she listens to the whole lesson. The other day, she even helped us explain to him what a word meant. So hopefully by us bringing the Spirit with a gospel lesson, she will feel it. The Spirit is good at catching people who aren't expecting to feel anything. I definitely saw that as we taught Declan, and Sister O'Grady came back to church with him. She didn't think she would ever be active again, but the Spirit did what it does best! Anyway, I just feel really blessed to have the opportunity to be teaching more. If you think of the story of Moses and the children of Israel, God provided them with manna so that they could be nourished and uplifted in the wilderness. There are a lot of things that provide me with "spiritual manna". I think the biggest one for me though is sharing my testimony with others. Being a missionary, I get that opportunity way more often than ever before, and it helps me so much! If you get the chance, watch the Mormon Messages "Daily Bread" and you'll know what I'm talking about here. There are three videos in the little series. I love them so much! Just go to mormonchannel.org or lds.org and you'll be able to find them. Things are great right now. The Bronx is awesome, and the weather is finally warming up a little! It was sixty degrees yesterday! It felt so nice. I had spring fever like crazy, and all I wanted to do was grab a mitt and throw a softball with someone. It's my favorite time of year. I can't believe transfers are next week. This cycle has flown by way too fast. It doesn't feel like it's been a month and a half since I left Newtown, and it definitely doesn't feel like seven months since I left home! I say it all the time, but the time really is flying.  It's kinda weird actually. Haha. I'm sure by the end of my mission, I will feel like I should still have six months left! Anyway, that's about it for this week. Have a great week everyone, and enjoy the warm weather that's on its way. Love you!!!

~Elder Allred