It all started with the directive for all missionaries to self-isolate and stay in their apartments.

Suggested Activities for Missionaries Working from Their Apartments
As representatives of Jesus Christ, missionaries should strive to always focus on their missionary purpose. Even during difficult circumstances, like we are experiencing now with the COVID-19 virus, missionaries should strive to find, teach, and “invite others to come unto Christ” in new and creative ways. This document is intended for mission presidents as they consider the circumstances of their missionaries. Based on missionary needs, mission presidents may select activities from this document to share with missionaries. The intent is to provide ideas that can help missionaries stay purpose centered, safe, and effective. Click on the link below to see how our young missionaries are going to stay busy and focused on their missionary purpose:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1uKtJxZC9cdEDu4k86sodcPbjBB5APteB

And then we received additional information from the Church on our Missionary work.  (Take note, we are one of the 6 Missions in the North America Northeast Area that is referenced.):

More Temporary Adjustments Made to Missionary Work
Missionary Work (Updated March 18)
Missionaries will continue to be called to serve and assigned to labor in missions worldwide. Missionary recommendations will continue to be received, and missionary assignments for worldwide service will continue to be made. However, some missionaries may be reassigned, and young men serving in the United States and Canada may conclude their service three months early.
All missionaries scheduled to enter missionary training centers in Provo, Utah, or Preston, England, will be trained remotely by video conference. Missionaries from regions where government officials are restricting activity will also be trained by video conference.
The Church is taking steps to reduce the number of missionaries in areas where coronavirus is of particular concern. These steps give mission presidents more flexibility to ensure missionaries are effective and safe and that there is adequate space to house missionaries if they are moved out of cities where there are greater concerns about infection.
Young missionaries with health issues and senior missionaries may be released from service. These exceptions apply to the following areas:
• 2 missions in the Europe East Area (as of March 18)
• 6 missions in the North America Northeast Area (as of March 16)
• 22 missions in the Europe Area (as of March 12)

And then the dreaded phone call from President Vest: I have just received word that your mission has been cut short - you are to return home as soon as you can - it's okay if it takes a few days, but you should quickly make arrangements to go home. President Vest told us no negotiating, he had already tried to keep us and the church said NO. Below is a copy of the email that our Stake President, Brent Byers received from the church that he forwarded to us:

Here are the referenced Guidelines for Self-Isolation
for Senior Missionaries:

We started packing Wednesday, March 18th, the same day that we got word that we were going home:

One Last Discussion with Chazia:
Chazia, Elders McOmber & Nielsen and Elder & Sister Spear – Teaching on a conference phone call. (Wednesday night before we left on Thursday.)

How did your reading go in the Book of Mormon this week?
I’ve been lazy. I read in the Bible, but not in the Book of Mormon.

What did you read in the Bible?
I read something that stood out in Hebrews Chapter 11:
We can’t trust without faith.
We have to follow the commandments and seek God in faith. God is a God of faith. It’s wonderful.

We want to talk about the Doctrine of Jesus Christ today and it fits in with what you read in the Bible this week. The Doctrine of Jesus Christ consists of:
Faith
Repentance
Baptism
The Holy Ghost
Enduring to the End

We access the atonement of Jesus Christ by faith.
Let’s read Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things seen.
When I talk to God, I have a feeling – a good feeling. But I also need to have faith.

Faith is a belief and action.
AMEN!
When we have faith, it will lead us to repentance.
DEFINITELY! Not because we are bad; but we need to renew ourselves.

We need to be baptized by one holding the authority or Priesthood of God by immersion.
And then we can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Jesus didn’t leave us to be alone, He left us the Holy Ghost.

Baptism is a beginning of a new life, which leads to Eternal Life – where we can live with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

They cut off my sister’s lights & electricity. She’s afraid of the virus – that we are at the end of the world. But I know if I die, I go to Heaven, to our Father’s House.

Let’s read Alma 34:32
For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

It says this life is the time to prepare to meet God. One of things that we must do to prepare to meet God is to be baptized. Will you be baptized?
YES! I have been expecting that question!
(BIG SMILE on everyone’s faces! I know we were talking on the phone – but take my word for it – there were BIG smiles all around!)

It will make such a difference.
AMEN! Thank you for teaching me and giving me the Book of Mormon. I love you guys…that you came into my life to help me be straight.

There was such an incredible sweet spirit. Chazia closed with a humble prayer. It has been our privilege to be able sit in on her discussions and to be there when she committed to baptism...just totally awesome. What a special end to our mission!

Sadly, we did not get a picture of Kiza and his family. These are the 4 mainstay families of the Swahili Group.

Jack’s Counting Story: Who would you trust?

With kids everywhere home from school because of the coronavirus, I think we are all gaining a new appreciation for teachers.

Our grandkids Jack and Annie had an assignment to count to 200. Annie struggled at first but caught on and could do it.
Jack breezed to 100, no problem at all:
95, 96, 97, 98, 99 – then he got a little confused:
100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600…
No matter how hard everyone tried to tell him that it should be:
100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105…
Jack would not believe them.
Finally, Jessy (his mom) asked, Jack WHO WOULD YOU TRUST?
Jack answered: Alexa
So, they asked Alexa to count from 100 to 200.
Alexa counted: 100, 101, 102, 103…Jack said, OK, I get it. And he did!
You just have to ask the right source! He believed Alexa!

With heavy but grateful hearts, our full time mission has come to a conclusion.

We loved our mission. It was hard at times. It was disappointing at times. It was discouraging at times. We were under-appreciated at times. But we wouldn't trade our experiences for anything. Because we learned and grew stronger from these challenges. Yes, old Senior Missionaries still have plenty of room for growth. Our joy far outweighed any negatives. We loved serving the members in Massena and Buffalo. We loved being a part of those who listened and learned and embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ. We loved the missionaries that we served with - these young servants of God are remarkable. They are dedicated. They are so obedient. They are so strong and stalwart. We loved our mission president and his wife, President and Sister Vest. We loved constantly feeling the spirit.

We received so much more than we gave. We are so grateful for the blessings that were poured out upon our family as we served. The Lord has been so mindful of us and our family. We are so grateful to live in a time when the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored upon the earth. We know that Russell M Nelson is a prophet of God. He has been called in this time and this place to prepare us for the second coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. President Nelson is inspired and is a lighthouse on a hill helping us negotiate these challenging times. We invite all to come and listen to our Savior and Hear Him. You will feel peace. You will experience joy. You will feel safe. You will feel loved. Come Follow Him!

March 15, 2020 - Sister Elaine S. Dalton, Young Women general president wrote in the Church News on March 27, 2013:
There is a beautiful footnote found in the Pearl of Great Price. It is in Joseph Smith—History 1:71. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery had just received the Aaronic Priesthood and been instructed to baptize each other. Oliver Cowdery was the first person to be baptized by the proper authority in the dispensation of the fulness of times. The footnote of that verse reads: “Oliver Cowdery describes these events thus: ‘These were days never to be forgotten . . . and I shall ever look upon [the] expression of the Savior’s goodness with wonder and thanksgiving.’” Since that day in 1829, the work of the Church has rolled forward with majesty and grace. Theirs was a day of establishing, learning, and discovering. Ours is a day of hastening and gathering.

Consider the groundwork and preparation that has been laid and put into place by way of revelation and inspired actions of our Prophet and Apostles over the last couple of years. Couple that with the rapidly escalating pandemic and rapidly changing world conditions. These will truly be days never to be forgotten.

Home Centered - Church Supported Gospel Learning

Come Follow Me with Mark & Karen and our children and grandchildren. With church meetings canceled for the foreseeable future, we enjoyed our first Sabbath day at home by discussing our Come Follow Me Sunday School Lesson as an extended family using our virtual Zoom Room.

What a blessing that we have been so well prepared by our Leaders to seamlessly change to having church at home.

The world as we have known it changed drastically this week with 4 letters from the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve. We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet to lead and guide us in these latter days...

While we waited for everyone to arrive for our Amherst District Meeting, we had a discussion about the wording of the Primary Song, Give Said the Little Stream: Fill in the blank from the song: I'm small, I know, but wherever I go the _______ grows greener still. Now look it up in the Primary Hymn Book - the answer won't be what you thought it was! So that discussion led to traditions on how we sang some of the Primary songs, so we sang Book of Mormon Stories for our opening song to see how everyone learned the actions. We always speak important, meaningful things in our meetings!!!

Mary Scott: My great grandma told me when I was young, that two people are going to knock on your door, and you need to let them in. I’d never seen or heard of the missionaries. Then when I was growing up, I would see these commercials by the church – way after my great grandma passed – but I never saw any missionaries. When we moved to Virginia, I started seeing the commercials again. So, I called the missionaries. And they came.

I tell you, nobody in my family could meet me in the Spirit World and ask me, why didn’t you tell me about the Book of Mormon?

Me and my oldest son got baptized first. My daughter was waiting for her dad. We were raised in the Baptist Church, so our first Sunday in the church – it was way too quiet. When we came to the Baptist church, we CLAP, CLAP, CLAP – it was wild and yeah… So, we were like oh no…but my children said this is the church we need to go to. We went to church for about a year – it was just like we were members and so then we got baptized – first me and my son and then my husband and my daughter. My youngest was too young to be baptized. Then we eventually moved to Buffalo. It’s been an amazing journey.

The stake called Mary to be a Seminary Teacher but she didn’t know how she could possibly get to Seminary and then to work. She told the Lord that He would have to make the way because there was no way she could do it. So, she left it in His hands.

She was supposed to be at work at 7:00 am. So she told her boss that she had been called to teach a youth group this religion class at her church in the early morning but she wouldn’t be able to get to work until 7:30 am. To her surprise he told her that would be fine. Then her bosses boss came in and she thought, oh no, now I’m in trouble. And he said, I hear that you want to come in later to work so you can teach this religious class? And she said she would like to. He told her that was great and that wouldn’t be a problem.
She told him that she was still trying to work out how to do it because she didn’t have a car and she couldn't afford to pay for transportation. He told her that they would help her and gave her a $50 a week raise so she could pay for her transportation.
Is there any doubt in your mind that the Lord is mindful of each of us and wants to bless us according to our faith?

Sadly, Karen's brother Clyde passed away.

Another busy week in our NEW Paradise. Non-pictured activities:

• Member visits: Apolina – took her to kids school, went back in the afternoon to her house, David G – had a great visit and committed him and his non-member roommate to come to church on Sunday, picked up Amos from his work and took him to the hospital to see his son Matthew and then took him home, took Amos to the hospital again and then took him Fatuma and Matthew home, took pizza to Amos family, helped Amos and Amuri with food orders.
• Teaching with the Elders: Took Blaise & Tumaini to an employment agency to apply for a job.
• Missionary Coordination Virtual Meeting – no in person meetings
• BYU PathwayConnect Gatherings
• Fed the Swahili Elders
• Fed the Spanish Elders
• Fed the English Elders
• Seminary rides
• Ward Council – Conference Call – With church being canceled and challenges with the Coronavirus, we made plans to reach out to ALL Ward members. We were assigned about 150 members that are not assigned Ministering Brothers or Sisters.
• District Council Meeting for both the Buffalo & Amherst Districts
• Zone Zoom Conference call – guidelines for missionaries with no church and no public meetings.

March 8, 2020 - How Has it Changed Your Life?
As I have shared in an earlier post, President Nelson has invited us to immerse ourselves in the glorious light of the Restoration as we approach the 200 year anniversary of of God the Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ appearing to Joseph Smith in a vision. President Nelson suggested that we might read afresh Joseph Smith's account of the First Vision. Or ponder important questions about how the restoration of the gospel has affected our lives.
Our mission president felt impressed that as a mission, we should visit the sacred grove as part of our preparation for April General Conference. So, we had our Zone Conferences in Palmyra which included a special visit to the sacred grove. He invited us to consider how the First Vision has changed our lives. We had a sweet experience as we paused to remember how blessed we are to live in the last days as our prophet tries to help us prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

As we arrived at the Palmyra Stake Center for our Zone Conference, Elder McDonald was waiting for us playing the bagpipes - totally awesome.

We had another great lesson with Chazia.
When we asked her if she had been praying, she said: Oh, Yeah!!!
As we discussed the need for an opposition in all things and that we need to exercise our agency to choose, Chazia said: I choose Him BIG TIME!
She later said, I smile, not because my life is perfect, but because I appreciate what I have.
She prayed: It is so beautiful how I am growing closer and closer. Thank you for bringing them to my house.
She continues to come to church. What a joy to watch her progress.

Another busy week in our NEW Paradise. Non-pictured activities:
Member visits: Took Regina to run errands, took dinner to Arnie H, invited Renee & Michael W to our home for dinner, Katherine C - gave her a blessing, gave Amos ride to Math Tutoring and his family & Apolina to Clean Building
Teaching with the Elders: Amanda W & her family,
Missionary Coordination Meeting
BYU PathwayConnect Gatherings
Fed the Swahili Elders
Fed the Spanish Elders
Fed the English Elders
Seminary rides
Ward Council

March 1, 2020 - Last Saturday, we had the privilege of going to the Palyma Temple with Danielle. We first met Danielle when we served in Massena, NY. When we first met, Danielle hadn't been attending church. As we got to know her, the ember of her testimony was rekindled and she made the choice to join with us again...and she jumped in with both feet. It was so exciting to see the changes in her life and just after we were transferred to Buffalo, Danielle was called to be the Branch Relief Society President. We have heard of the many good works that she has accomplished since we left.

And then we heard she was going to go to the Temple to receive her endowment. You can only image how excited we were for her.

Just a quick explanation of the Temple Endowment:

The endowment is a religious ceremony administered in temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is available to adult Church members who are prepared for this sacred experience.

The endowment provides instruction, covenants, and promised blessings that offer power, purpose, and protection in daily life. It teaches about the Creation of the earth, the Fall of Adam and Eve, the plan of redemption through Jesus Christ, and our own journey back to the presence of God. The endowment helps those who receive it to follow the Savior as they strive for “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13), “relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save” (2 Nephi 31:19). Honoring the covenants of the endowment qualifies Church members to enter the covenant of eternal marriage, leading to the precious gift of eternal life.

Boys will be boys! A great end to our City Hall Tour:

Chazia: YES! Definitely!!! YES! Definitely!!! YES!!!

Elder McOmber started our discussion with Chazia describing the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington:
605 feet high with an underground foundation of 30 feet of concrete to give the structure stability
Built to withstand 200 mph winds and a 9.1 earthquake

Elder Niesen then compared the Space Needle to when Helaman spoke to his sons Nephi and Lehi in the Book of Mormon and told them how they could have a strong foundation.
Helaman 5:12
“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”

What stuck out to you in that verse?
Chazia: All of it! Isn’t it wonderful how we can have trust in God? We can have a lot of struggles and we can have the strength and the faith to help us.

Elder McOmber started singing the song: The Wise Man and the Foolish Man and we all joined in. He then told Chazia, when we build our foundation on the rock of Jesus Christ, no matter what happens in life, we can stay strong, we can stay in the truth.

Chazia shared: I was struggling at work and on the way to work I listened to this song where God promises us things as long as we would stand up straight. God doesn’t lie, He doesn’t change, He stays the same. I listened to the song 3 times.

Elder Nielsen:
We want to focus on how we can build our faith and testimony of Jesus Christ through:

1. Prayer
2. Reading the Scriptures
3. Going to Church

Elder McOmber asked: Why is it important to pray?
Chazia: That is the way we communicate with God. He knows what we are thinking, but he says to us, you have to say it, so He can know if you want to have what you are looking for. You have to put our heart out there and just talk to Him.

Elder Nielsen: We should read the scriptures, every day, every day.
Elder McOmber: As we read the scriptures, we learn how we can live with God again one day. And we can follow His gospel. We can receive blessings and we can find happiness.

Bro Vrooman: I find my day goes better when I focus on the scriptures and put priority on it – and try to read first thing instead of putting it off. I find peace and I find happiness. And when you make that commitment you will feel that peace and happiness too.

Chazia: I love studying the scriptures. Two weeks ago, I was listening to a YouTube Bible Study and a young man was saying when we go to God, we just tell Him what we need but we’re not listening to God.
It’s okay if you tell God what you need, but you have to have a time of meditation and just stay quiet and listen to Him so He can speak to you and tell you what to do.

I was taking notes in my journal during Bible Study when they were speaking – sometimes I do that a lot.
Chazia showed us her journal and shared some thoughts she wrote to God in her journal: Thy will be done, whatever you ask of me, I will say YES!! I trust you.

Going to church.
Elder McOmber: Church is the time to take the sacrament, where we remember Jesus Christ and commit to follow Him.
Chazia: I remember how my mom used to push me to go to church. And she would give us money to put in the collection and I just wanted to go to the store and buy candy with the money. My mom would ask my aunt if I put the money in the collection! When I got in the door, my mom would ask, what did you learn in church today?

Sister Vrooman talked about taking the sacrament and the strength that comes from it.

Chazia: There was a time that I wasn’t going to church even though I was praying every single day and would wake up and feel nothing of the spirit in me. I’m not going to church and I’m thinking something is missing. When we go to church, we are praising God. I went to a bunch of churches, but I thought, not here and I kept looking and I just took my time…hopefully I’ve found it. When I came to your church, I was just feeling positive. Let me hang in there a little bit to see how it’s going to go.

Elder McOmber: Will you continue to do these 3 things: Pray, Read the Scriptures and Pray?
Chazia: YES! Definitely!!! YES! Definitely!!! YES!!!

On Thursday, the next day, she called us to express gratitude for having us all over. She had been having a kind of hard day, but when we all came over it made her day end well, "learning about God and being close to him – my day was almost a waste, but that changed it"

Chazia came to church again on Sunday.

Sisters Joos, Melton & Hermana Steiner practicing a musical number for the baptism. Logan (the accompanist) wrote a 3rd verse to the Primary Song: "When I Am Baptized" for Cece's baptism.

The Richardson Olmsted Complex

Widely considered to be one of Buffalo’s most important and beautiful buildings, construction on the 145-year-old Richardson Olmsted Campus began in 1872 and opened in 1880 as the state-of-the-art Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane. Originally built on 200 acres with over 500,000 square feet.

Today, the Richardson Olmsted Campus is being brought back to life by the Richardson Center Corporation. The first phase of renewal consists of development of the site as a hotel and conference center intertwined with an architecture center in a third of the building space.

Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference Center is an innovative 88 room full-service hotel and conference center with modern purpose, designed to fuse with the architectural legacy of the National Historic Landmark Richardson Olmsted Campus. Hotel Henry’s Urban Resort is distinctive from the type of “resort” that most travelers expect. Instead, the surrounding city of Buffalo – its galleries and cultural institutions, architecture, nearby parks… are the treasures to be enjoyed. The Urban Resort is the design-rich city of Buffalo itself. Situated on 42 acres within the City of Buffalo’s museum district and cultural corridor, the Urban Resort Conference Center is surrounded by parks, lakes, museums and connected to the fun and vibrant Elmwood Village. Throughout the building, Hotel Henry’s uncommon spaces invite guests to explore, gather and tuck away in the unique character of Richardson’s masterpiece. Interior and exterior spaces invite guests to find their own corner and make their own experience.

Ash Wednesday

Have you ever noticed how once a year, usually in February or March, there are a lot of people walking around with an ash cross on their foreheads? You probably knew it had something to do with Lent, but you weren’t sure why the ash cross was significant.

Frankly, I didn't really have much knowledge about Ash Wednesday, but as I read a little, I could see that while the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints doesn't formally celebrate Ash Wednesday in the traditional sense that many religions do, we certainly embrace the purpose and ideals that are included in this tradition.

Each year, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. Lent is a 40-day season (not counting Sundays) marked by repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. The 40-day period represents Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness, where he fasted and where Satan tempted him. Lent asks believers to set aside a time each year for similar fasting, marking an intentional season of focus on Christ’s life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection.

The ashes of this holiday symbolize two main things: death and repentance. “Ashes are equivalent to dust, and human flesh is composed of dust or clay (Genesis 2:7), and when a human corpse decomposes, it returns to dust or ash.”

“When we come forward to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday, we are saying that we are sorry for our sins, and that we want to use the season of Lent to correct our faults, purify our hearts, control our desires and grow in holiness so we will be prepared to celebrate Easter with great joy”

With this focus on our own mortality and sinfulness, Christians can enter into the Lent season solemnly, while also looking forward in greater anticipation and joy of the message of Easter and Christ’s ultimate victory over sin and death.

Important days of the Easter Season:

Ash Wednesday – The beginning of Lent, a day of reflection and repentance from sin
Palm Sunday – Celebrates Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem
Holy Week – The week leading up to Easter
Maundy Thursday – Commemorates the foot washing and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles
Good Friday – Commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary
Easter Sunday – Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and his victory over sin and death.

A Prayer for Ash Wednesday:
Lord, Holy One, have mercy on us. We confess our sins to you. We have fallen short of your glory and without your mercy and grace, we would be dust. We repent now. Lord, as we enter into this Lenten season, be near to us. Help us, by your Holy Spirit, to feel right conviction and repentance for our sin. Help us, by your Spirit, to have the strength to overcome the enemy.
Thank you, Lord, that Easter is coming! Death has no sting, no victory, because of Jesus! Glory and honor and praise to His name! Thank you for rescuing us. Help us keep both the weight and the joy of this season in our hearts and we move through the next several weeks. Help us bear the good fruit of your Spirit.
Thank you that the ashes on our forehead do not symbolize our ultimate reality. From dust we might have been formed, but our bodies, our spirits, ourselves, await beautiful redemption and the restoration of all things. Help us long and look forward to that day, and let it come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

What a beautiful prayer full of hope and anticipation and faith - may we all focus on our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, this Easter Season.

Ash Wednesday - For some more information:
https://www.christianity.com/church/church-life/what-is-ash-wednesday-why-do-christians-celebrate-it.html

Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras is also known as Fat Tuesday, the last day to eat King's Cake before Lent begins.
Mardi Gras season begins on January 6, of each year and ends on Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent. One of the wonderful traditions of Mardi Gras, and probably the most delicious, is the King Cake.
On the Christian calendar, the 12th day after Christmas is celebrated as the date that the gift-bearing Magi visited the baby Jesus. This day, January 6, is known by several names, including "Epiphany", "Twelfth Night", or "Kings Day". The celebration of this event has evolved over the centuries, with each culture adding its own unique rituals. The New Orleans tradition, borrowing heavily from European influences, is believed to have begun in the 1870's. As part of this celebration, it is now traditional to bake a cake in honor of the three kings - the King Cake. King Cakes are oval-shaped to symbolize the unity of faiths. Each cake is decorated in the traditional Mardi Gras colors - purple representing justice, green representing faith, and gold representing power. A small baby, symbolizing the baby Jesus, is traditionally hidden inside each King Cake.
In New Orleans, King Cake parties are held throughout the Mardi Gras season. In offices, classrooms, and homes throughout the city, King Cakes are sliced and enjoyed by all. Like the Biblical story, the "search for the baby" adds excitement, as each person waits to see in which slice of cake the baby will be discovered. While custom holds that the person who "finds" the baby will be rewarded with "good luck", that person is also traditionally responsible for bringing the King Cake to the next party or gathering.

Movie Filmed in Buffalo
Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has begun work in Buffalo on his latest project, Nightmare Alley, a film based on the 1940s novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham.
Nightmare Alley, as del Toro explained, is about truth and lies and set in the secretive world of 1930s traveling carnival culture.
"It's about a man that pretends to speak with the dead, and the choices he makes coming from a carnival and rising through society by using his 'gift,'"
Rooney Mara, who is co-starring along with Cooper, is also said to be in town.
Nightmare Alley has no release date as of yet and also stars Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Ron Perlman, Richard Jenkins, David Strathairn, Holt McCallany and Jim Beaver.
“In Nightmare Alley, an ambitious young carny (Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is. The carnival cast includes carnival worker Molly (Mara), head barker Clem (Dafoe), and Ron Perlman as Bruno the Strongman. Richard Jenkins is part of the high society crowd as wealthy industrialist Ezra Grindle.

Another busy week in our NEW Paradise. Non-pictured activities:
• Member visits: Jean M & her adult daughter Debbie, Bonnie & Albert Z, Amos – Gave Amos the General Conference Talk that he is supposed to teach in Elders Quorum this coming Sunday, Apolina & Veronica – took to dentist, Tony & Mary D, Sabina – gave ride from baptism in Amherst, Hillary’s daughter Kaycee, Donna Pigeon, took soup to Kiza’s family – they have been sick
• Missionary Coordination Meeting
• BYU PathwayConnect Gatherings
• Rides to church
• Fed the Swahili Elders
• Fed the Spanish Elders

February 23, 2020 - The Elders met Niyezimana last night (Saturday) while out knocking doors at 8:50 pm. A man answered the door that spoke Swahili and even though the missionaries speak some Swahili, they were having a difficult time communicating with him, so they called Sabina who helps translate for them. The Elders were trying to make an appointment to come teach him next week. Niyezimana told Sabina that he wanted to come to church on Sunday. So, they told him that someone would pick him up for church. The Elders sent us a text asking us if we could add him to the list of those needing rides.

When we got to his house Sunday morning, I went to the door and saw his name was on the mailbox – how many Niyezimanas could there be? So, I knew that I was in the right place.  (I know that sounds like a simple thing, but most people don’t have their names on the mailbox and most live in older two or three story houses that have been split up into several apartments, none of which have apartment numbers or tenant names on them and their apartments are usually behind a locked entry door – so it’s nearly impossible to make contact with the person that you are looking for.)

I knocked and a man came to the door that was around 40 years old or so – I’m not sure if he is the right guy because I don’t know what he looks like nor how old he is – I’ve never met him. And he doesn’t speak English, I asked for Niyezimana (Of course I butchered the name and you would have too!). I got a blank stare. I pointed to the mailbox and asked if he lives here. The man said yes, and I thought he was going to go get him because he turned and went back into the house leaving the door open. (I figured that was a good sign since he didn't slam the door.)  I waited and waited and waited and finally a young man about 18 came to the door. He spoke a little English so I asked him if Niyezimana was there. It took a little work, but I finally realized that he was saying the man that answered the door was his dad and the person that I was looking for.

I asked this young man if his dad wanted to come to church. He said yes. The young man went back inside – presumably to get his dad so we could to church. So, I waited and waited and waited again. Finally, Niyezimana came and we got in the car to pick up one more group of people. We got to church 15 minutes late, but we made it with everyone that was supposed to come.

In Elders Quorum Niyezimana participated and seemed to really enjoy the discussion, although it was a little challenging because we have 3 people that can usually help translate (one member and two nonmembers) and none of them were to church this week. I taught the lesson using Elder Peter Johnson’s General Conference talk from October 2019. I printed several copies in English and Swahili, so we were able to read sections and have some discussion. Elder McOmber (one of the young missionaries) is getting better and better with the language and was able to help.

When the discussion ended, I felt that I should ask Niyezimana if he would be willing to pray. After a little discussion with our Group Leader Amos, he agreed and then he proceeded to kneel down. We all followed his example. I didn’t understand a word he said, but I knew we had just talked with God. There was such a powerful spirit in the room. Tears flowed down Niyezimana’s cheeks.

As we were about to leave the room, he asked the missionaries if we would pick him up again next week for church! Wow! What a tender mercy from the Lord – by staying out and working at 8:50pm, the missionaries showed the Lord that they could be trusted with the Lord’s elect and the Lord led them to someone who was prepared with a humble heart and a desire to learn more about his Savior Jesus Christ. It was so awesome! (And you may have wondered why we would leave our home and serve a mission...now you know.)

Chazia: When we start to get to know God and see how great He is, it will be just awesome, awesome.

We couldn’t go with the Elders to meet with Chazia this week because of another commitment, but the Elders gave us a recap of their visit:

We had another awesome visit with Chazia again. When we asked about her reading this week, she opened up to a very highlighted 2 Nephi 31! She loved the part that said that Jesus "is the only way and name by which we are saved".

She enjoyed church, she says that she feels like herself there…sometimes you get invited to church and you just can't see yourself there, but this church is different.

We read Alma 32 and she enjoyed it. After finishing the chapter, she said, "It comes slowly, like the seed growing, I feel like it was saying that when we start to get to know God and see how great he is it will be just awesome, awesome."

Igor, the Ward Mission Leader who went with the Elders, changed the last verse (Alma 32:43), as follows:
Then, Chazia Kayi, you shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.

Chazia is so awesome. She said as she reads, and comes to church, and meets with us it is like filling her cup. She didn’t feel like it was full, but now it is being filled.

Our Miracle Minivan: When our car window was broken on Sunday Feb 16th, we knew that we would be helping with transfers in just three days.  We had a 2 day “free” car rental given to us from Enterprise when we rented our last car and so we took whatever car they would give us for “free”.  It was a Toyota Camry.  We knew that by Wednesday if our car was not fixed, we would need to rent something bigger to get missionaries and luggage delivered during transfers.  

However, on Tuesday afternoon when we called the Collision and Glass shop about how the repairs to the broken window in our Toyota were doing, they told us our car would be ready for pickup before they closed at 6:00 pm.  Perfect! Or so we thought.

When we called at a little after 5:00pm they told us that a part that was needed to finish the repair had not come in.  We started calling car rental places right away to try and rent a bigger car.  We called all the major rental places and they all said the same thing, “no van or suburbans”.  Enterprise told us we would probably have to go the airport to find one because they have a bigger supply of cars.  So, at 6:30 at night, away we went to the Buffalo Airport.  Mark went to the place where all the car rental companies were located in the same area (while I parked illegally in the load and unload area).  NONE of the car rental companies had bigger cars.  

As we drove home, we talked of other solutions.  We could rent a second car, and drive two cars to Syracuse, but we didn’t like that solution.  So finally, we decided that Mark would go alone.  We knew we were transferring two Elders, so I could not go alone.  

But we would get up early and try the Enterprise Rental Company that was less than a mile from our house and see if they had a bigger car with a bigger trunk that might work.  So, we were at the rental car company before they opened and after a few minutes the assistant manager walks into the lot to open up.  We told him our dilemma.  He said that actually someone had unexpectedly dropped a van off the night before and we could have it!  MIRACLE #1!  We’ll take it!  

He told us it was too dirty, and he would have to clean it first.  We told him that wouldn’t be necessary, but he said, “oh no! it is really trashed” (think of Jon and Michelle’s rental after their spring break last year).  We thought it would take too long to clean, but within 20 minutes, the car was washed, cleaned out and ready to go and we were on our way.   MIRACLE #2!    

Of course, we wrote a nice review and we took cupcakes the next day to Tim at Enterprise.  MIRACLE #3, customer service is not dead!

After All We Can Do

Don’t Miss This – Emily Belle Freeman and David Butler had a great discussion on grace in their Come Follow Me Lesson for 2 Nephi 11-25. (If you haven’t listed to their video podcast, you are missing out.)

After quoting 2 Nephi 25:23 – After All We Can Do – they got into a great discussion about grace, which led them to read from Elder Uchtdorf’s April 2015 General Conference talk - The Gift of Grace.

Elder Uchtdorf:
The prophet Nephi made an important contribution to our understanding of God’s grace when he declared, “We labor diligently … to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”

However, I wonder if sometimes we misinterpret the phrase “after all we can do.” We must understand that “after” does not equal “because.”

We are not saved “because” of all that we can do. Have any of us done all that we can do? Does God wait until we’ve expended every effort before He will intervene in our lives with His saving grace?

I am certain Nephi knew that the Savior’s grace allows and enables us to overcome sin.  This is why Nephi labored so diligently to persuade his children and brethren to believe in Christ…

Emily & David continued:
What does it look like to believe then, because maybe that becomes the most important thing? Those moments when we feel undone, those moments when we feel not worthy, those moments when we’re just not enough for what is going on – those are the moments when we have to believe in Christ and in his promises and that he told us he would show up and he would bring an enabling strength that was going help us get through.

The discussion of grace is one of relief and one of strength and one of hope and renewal.

So, what does it look like to choose to believe? One of the best examples is in a story that was told about something that happened many years ago. There was a man named Charles Blondin that is such a good example of what Nephi was talking about.

Here’s Blondin’s background:
Charles was a really good tightrope walker. He decided he was going to try and walk from Canada to the United States on a tightrope across the Niagara Falls. He stretched a rope 1100 feet across and 160 feet off the water. No one thought he would be able to make it – the rope would be wet from the mist and the wind gusted constantly.

On the morning of June 30, 1859, about 25,000 thrill-seekers arrived by train and steamer and dispersed on the American or Canadian side of the falls to watch Blondin fall to his death.

About a third of the way across, Blondin shocked the crowd by sitting down on his cable and calling for the Maid of the Mist, the famed tourist vessel, to anchor momentarily beneath him. He cast down a line and hauled up a bottle of wine. He drank and started off again, breaking into a run.

After 20 minutes of rest Blondin began the journey to the other side, this time with a Daguerreotype camera strapped to his back. He advanced 200 feet, affixed his balancing pole to the cable, untied his load, adjusted it in front of him and snapped a likeness of the crowd along the American side. Then he hoisted the camera back into place and continued on his way.

Blondin announced subsequent crossings, promising that each would be more daring than the last. On July 15, with President Millard Fillmore in attendance, Blondin walked backward to Canada and returned to the U.S. pushing a wheelbarrow. Two weeks later, he somersaulted and backflipped his way across, occasionally pausing to dangle from the cable by one hand.

Shortly after that he made another crossing, and, after a brief rest, appeared on the Canadian end of the cable with Harry Colcord (his business manager) clinging to his back. Blondin gave his manager the following instructions: Look up, Harry.… you are no longer Colcord, you are Blondin. Until I clear this place be a part of me, mind, body, and soul. If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself. If you do, we will both go to our death. Your job is just to cling to me with all of your might and mind.

By the time he gave his final performance, in 1896, it was estimated that Blondin had crossed Niagara Falls 300 times and walked more than 10,000 miles on his rope.

Emily Belle Freeman:
Every time that I read this story it reminds me of grace for this reason: Who did the work of the crossing? Who was in charge of saving Harry? Harry’s feet never even touched the tightrope, not once. It was Blondin who did all the work. He carried Harry all the way across the tightrope. He took Harry to a place he could not get to on his own. Harry was not capable of getting there on his own. It was Harry’s job to believe that Blondin could do it. And to cling to Blondin and balance and sway where he swayed with all of his might and mind.

That is what belief looks like. When you are talking about what it means to believe, it means to cling to someone with all of your might, mind and strength and know that they can get you to a place that you would never be able to get to on your own. That’s what Jesus promises – that he can do that. He promises us salvation. All He asks of us is to believe on His name.

Greek word for grace is Charis.

First part of the definition: Jesus will come touch your heart.
Second part of the definition: We will reflect that in our life. Once we have experienced His grace, that transforming power, that enabling power, that strengthening power; we are going to reflect that and it’s going to look like obedience and covenant keeping and serving others and the love that we manifest through keeping his commandments.

That’s what receiving grace looks like, it transforms us. It’s like Paul saying, once I was touched by that red-hot love, once I experienced that; Paul said, send me, I want to go. He wasn’t saying I will on a mission and earn salvation. But he was saying, once I felt salvation, then I wanted to go out and preach. Charity is a reflection of what we know about grace.

Harry had seen Blondin walk across the tightrope dozens of time, Harry trusted Blondin, he knew he could do it. Harry’s experience with Blondin in the past, led him to hold tighter.

So, what does it look like to believe? We might ask, what does it look like to hold tightly to Christ. It might be a daily devotional in the scriptures – that helps me cling to Him. It helps me know Him; it helps me feel closer to Him. It helps me balance. (Think tightrope)

You can see how this is such a difference: I don’t go to the Temple to earn grace; I go to the Temple to hold closer to Him. What kind of things do you do to pull yourself closer to the Savior?

The transforming power of grace is what happens in our ordinary everyday life. It’s those moments when you feel undone, it’s those moments when you feel unclean, it’s those moments when you are not enough for the situation you have gotten yourself into. Sometimes it’s when you are having an argument with a child or sometimes when you are trying to figure out something with your spouse or sometimes when you are extended a calling that you think you are not capable of doing.

That’s when we experience grace in our life because in those moments is when you will pray and say I need Christ’s grace right now in my life. I need it to transform me into the best mom I can be for this child in this moment, I need it to transform me into the best wife, into the best leader, into the best teacher. Christ has the ability to bring us enabling strength, to increase our capacity, to magnify us through His grace to become exactly who He needs us to be. Grace is what allows us to go through that process of becoming.

It is not receiving at the very end but living in it along the way. Even after any or all that we do, we are still saved by grace. Jesus Christ meets us where we are, as we are, but He doesn’t intend to leave us there, He plans to take us to places that we could never get to on our own

This is just a small part of the discussion for this week – check it out.

Watch video of Elder Fretz being assigned to serve with Elder Miller. They were assigned to be a new companionship to serve in Buffalo with us. We now have 3 young missionary companionships, a Temple Senior Missionary Couple, a Church Service Missionary Couple and us!

Another busy week in our NEW Paradise. Non-pictured activities:
• Missionary visits: Esterina
• Member visits: Lucy Berent, Suzette Bich, Irene Canaan, Mary Kenny & son Donny, JaniceLee Stebbins, Robert (Suzette Noble’s husband)
• Missionary Coordination Meeting
• BYU PathwayConnect Gatherings
• YWYM Rides: Eunice, Bahati, Seh, Elisha, Rama
• Rides to church
• Fed the Swahili Elders
• Fed the Spanish Elders
• Follow up call with Elder & Sister Purcell – Senior Missionary Couple assigned to Massena
• Moved furniture into Swahili Elder’s new apartment
• Yummy lunch with Brother & Sister Kay at their home
• Lesson with Amanda Weir and her 3 children – introduced new English Elders to her
• Meeting with Bishop Desrosiers & Elder Sonnefeld to coordinate activities and plans with Swahili Group

February 16, 2020 - When we met again with Chazia on Friday night, we asked her if she had read the Book of Mormon, she told us that she had read and wrote notes. Unfortunately, she had left her notes at work, because she had written down several questions to ask. We had asked her to also pray to know if the Book of Mormon was true. She read and prayed on Wednesday (the same day she usually fasts) and she told us that she received a witness through her feelings. She said, "I didn’t hear a voice saying, "Chazia, this is the right way, The Book of Mormon is awesome" but she said that she just had a peaceful feeling that the Book of Mormon is true and she recognized that this feeling was God's way of communicating to her. She shared, “I think this is the way and where I want my church and where I will be.”

We read Moroni 10:3-6 and shared the story of the Restoration. She seemed particularly touched about having Prophets and Apostles again.

She loved going to Church last Sunday. The last speaker in Sacrament Meeting stood out to her.  Chazia repeated what the speaker said, “We need to come to church every week in order to fill our spiritual wells.” Chazia said, I wanted to tell the speaker, “I like that and think it is good to go to church, but I think why only one day, don’t we need to fill up every day? Satan is right next to us - You prayed today... but on Monday I'll be on you again. That's why I like praying every morning. It's like I have my coat and my shoes laid out and I’m ready for the day and I can do anything! Any obstacle on my path I can overcome!"

When we asked her if she would like to call on someone to pray, she asked if it would be okay if she said the prayer. Her prayer was the crowning jewel of the lesson! She started by expressing gratitude for the beautiful day and for us and for learning more. She said that she believed everything we had taught. "This is my second time with this, I didn't have my heart all the way in it last time but as they say, The second time is lucky." She repeated that she believed everything that the "Sister and Brothers have said" and asked for us to have safe travels on this cold night.

On Saturday, Chazia came to the baptism for 9-year Mikey Conklin and brought her two children, Bienfeit and Doriann. And then they stayed for the Ward Valentine’s Day party.

And Chazia came to church on Sunday.

Our Wednesday Miracle: Maybe This is the Reason We Met Today?
One of our Swahili members, Veronica, age 10, was playing outside at school and was pushed by a school mate and fell and broke a front tooth. Her parents wanted to file an incident report at school and request a meeting with the parents of the girl that pushed Veronica. There are two problems with that: They don’t speak English and they don’t have a car! So, about 6 hours and three trips to the school later, the incident was resolved to Veronica’s parent’s satisfaction.
This resolution was not without pain and suffering – some of which included loading two kids in and out of car seats in the snow, waiting and waiting for translators, failed communication, and two attempts to meet the parents.

Veronica’s 5th grade teacher helped a bunch and one of the times we were waiting for an interpreter to come, she asked me how I knew the family. I told her that we went to the same church. She quickly said, I have asked Veronica about her Church and I have tried to find it. Veronica has tried to explain to me where her church is located. So, as I left, I handed her a note with the church address and my phone number. And she said, “Maybe this is the reason for our meeting today.”

Sisters Melton, Tolman and Joos from the Amherst District made up words to "Follow the Prophet" to help them learn all the points of the Commandments...watch the video, they are delightful.

Another busy week in our NEW Paradise. Non-pictured activities:
• Missionary visits: Esterina
• Member visits: Kate & Justin
• Missionary Coordination Meeting
• BYU PathwayConnect Gatherings
• YWYM Rides
• Seminary rides all week
• Find a new apartment for the missionaries - more details to come next week!
• Zone Conference Zoom Call - Implement a daily text to Ward Council to help the work of proclaiming the gospel move forward more powerfully as we coordinate our efforts and work in unity together.
• Rides to church
• Dinner with Elder & Sister Hubble who are serving a Temple Mission in Palmyra and are assigned to attend our ward on Sunday – we have several members who are working towards going to the Temple, so it will be great to have them help with the Temple Preparation Class
• Fed the Swahili Elders
• Fed the Spanish Elders
• Orientation over the phone with a new Senior Missionary Couple, Elder & Sister Purcell who were just assigned to take our place in Massena. We're so glad someone has been assigned to help our wonderful members that we love so much up in the North Country. (But I’m not missing the Massena winter – they are getting pounded and we continue to have a mild winter in Buffalo!)

Lin was born in a refugee camp in Thailand. He lived in the camp until he was eight years old when he and his family were able to come to Buffalo, New York. His family spoke Karen and Karenni. Lin also speaks English like a native.

Lin became acquainted with the church through three friends who encouraged him to become involved with Boy Scouts and other Youth activities in the Buffalo Ward. Lin says he participated for about 3 years before he went to church for the first time in Idaho. He and his friends went on a road trip to BYU Education Week with their Young Men’s President, Taylor. They stopped in Idaho to go to church on their way to Provo, Utah.

Lin continued to become more involved with the church and was baptized just over 2 years ago when he was 17 years old. Lin was able to attend BYU for a couple of semesters and will be leaving in a few days for the Kentucky, Louisville Spanish speaking Mission. Lin’s friends, Kombi (Zimbabwe Harare), Jack (Utah Provo) and Mark (France Lyon) are currently serving missions.

Who would have thought a young boy born in a refugee camp in Thailand would come to America and end up joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Lord truly works His miracles even now in our time.

Chazia: My Mom Gave Me a Great Gift

Last Friday, we went to a discussion with the Elders McOmber and Nielsen to teach Chazia who is from the Congo (she speaks French and English). Chazia had previously met with missionaries about 6 months ago. She got busy and stopped meeting with them. She told us that she had two friends that had babies and she was busy helping them and interpreting for them in the hospital, while she also attended school. And she is a mom of two children, so she just couldn’t fit anything else in.

When Elder Nielsen asked her if she was religious, she responded:
My mom gave me a great gift – my love of God. And then she explained that if she didn’t go to church, she didn’t get breakfast or lunch. But because she did go, she came to love God.

We asked her why she decided to reach out to the missionaries again, she shared with us that she recently saw an invitation from the Church on the internet and she responded because she believed the scripture in Matthew 18:30 – “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” She wanted to meet with the missionaries so she could experience this promised blessing.

She had her Bible and it was clear that it didn’t sit on the shelf neglected and forgotten. It was well worn, highlighted and full of post-a-notes with comments on them.

When we asked her if she had gone to church when she previously met with the missionaries, she responded that she had not. We told her that our church met at 10:00am on Sunday and asked her if she would like to come. She said, Yes! I’ve been looking for a church.

Elder McOmber asked her if she would be willing to give the closing prayer and she immediately said yes and gave a beautiful prayer. She thanked God that we could meet together, so we can feel the love of God more, more, more!

Follow Up:
Chazia came to church Sunday and later in the evening texted the Elders:
"Thank you so much for inviting me to church today I enjoyed everything! Thanks again, have a great night see you on Thursday. "

What a beautiful, sweet experience.

President Russell M Nelson - My 2020 Invitation to You:
Share the Message of the Restoration of the Savior’s Gospel

When I spoke during last October’s general conference, I designated 2020 as a bicentennial period commemorating 200 years since God the Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph Smith in a vision. That singular event in human history initiated the Restoration of the Lord’s gospel—an unfolding Restoration that continues today. How blessed we are to live in the light of that vision. With that vision came new understanding about the nature of God our Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

God loves all of His children and has a vision for each of us. Just as He listened to Joseph’s prayer in 1820, He listens to you and yearns to speak with you through the Spirit. Heavenly Father wants you. We want you. This is going to be an important year. We invite you to be a major part in sharing the message of the ongoing Restoration of the Savior’s gospel. We will share more about this soon, but you can start today by acting on the invitations I extended to you at last general conference to immerse yourself in the glorious light of the Restoration.

What does that look like? You may wish to begin your preparation by reading afresh Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision as recorded in the Pearl of Great Price. Or ponder important questions such as “How would my life be different if my knowledge gained from the Book of Mormon were suddenly taken away?” or “How have the events that followed the First Vision made a difference for me and my loved ones?”

Select your own questions. Design your own plan. Act on any of these invitations to prepare yourself for sharing the important messages of the ongoing Restoration. As you seek Jesus Christ in these efforts, God will prepare you to receive further light. It is your personal preparation that will help April’s general conference become for you not only memorable but unforgettable. The time to act is now. This is a hinge point in the history of the Church, and your part is vital.

I testify that Jesus Christ lives. He leads this Church today. God is trusting us, all of us, to play an important role in the Restoration of His gospel.

Our first District Activity that are now approved (one activity per 6 week transfer). We had a great time bowling.

Sisters Mayer, Graham and Olesen showed off a little dance they created.

Another busy week in our NEW Paradise. Non-pictured activities:
• Member visits: Renee & Michael, Suzette
• Clothes Exchange with Fatuma, Apolina, Regina & Niha – Sister Sonnefeld was given some surplus clothing from members of their Amherst Ward for the Swahili families.
• Missionary Coordination Meeting
• Buffalo District Council
• Amherst District Council – their Senior Couple went home and we were invited to come to their meeting.
• BYU PathwayConnect Gathering
• Lessons with Elders: Alice, Esterina
• Fed Swahili Elders twice
• Fed Spanish Elders
• YMYW Rides
• Meeting discussing needs for Saturday Math Classes with Amos, Kiza, Placide.
• Trained Elder & Sister Lovell via Zoom Room – new Senior Couple in Utica. (Elder Lovell was a councilor to Bishop Lovett in Amarillo, Texas. President Vest and Elder Lovett recruited them to come serve in the New York Syracuse Mission.)
• Zoom call with Bishop Desrosiers reporting progress with Swahili Group

February 2, 2020 - When Gerald and Ada Lowe from our Stake reported their mission to Mongolia several years ago (I would tell you if I could remember - but it's probably been 20 years), Gerald shared that while they were serving their mission in Mongolia, they went to a Senior Missionary Conference where a General Authority promised them that their families would be blessed for ten generations because of their missionary service. It was a very tender moment for me and I knew that I wanted that kind of blessing for my family. While we have not attended a conference where promises were made of that magnitude, we have certainly been promised choice blessings because of our missionary service.

We would be remiss to not express our gratitude to our Heavenly Father by recognizing some of those blessings - for blessings have truly been poured out upon our family while we have been gone. (I didn't set out to do this, I just have been overwhelmed by everything going on. I am sure that I will leave things out - my children, grandchildren, other family and friends have permission to remind me of those things that I have left out - we have so much to be thankful for and I will happily continue to add to my list.)

We know all of our grandchildren are out and about doing good and accomplishing many wonderful things - we have not addressed all of those things in this blog. We see and hear about all that you do and we are so grateful for each of you. So, while our family may not have been part of that original meeting where the Lowe's  family was promised blessings for ten generations, I know that our family will continue to receive  God's blessings for ten generations and beyond. We certainly have been overwhelmingly blessed for 3 generations: Karen and me, our children and our grandchildren. I can see that this will gather steam and continue to roll forward for generations and generations to come - way beyond ten generations. With every fiber of our beings, we acknowledge the hand of the Lord in our lives and express humble gratefulness for His goodness, love, rich blessings and careful watch over our family.

We are feeling soooooo blessed: For the month of January 2020, the snowfall in Buffalo is nearly a foot below average at 13 inches. (Average snowfall for the month of January is about 25 inches.) For the cold weather season, we’ve had 41.7 inches of snow, which is 19 inches below the average of 60 inches through the end of January. Last year’s snowy January had us up to 90 inches on Jan. 31, by comparison. Even with some seasonably chilly days this past week, our monthly mean temperature has a large positive anomaly, running 8.4 degrees above average. Watch the local weather report by First Alert Channel 7 from January 30th.

Watch this video as Elder McOmber putts for the win...he needs a hole in one to get his first tournament championship.

Another busy week in our NEW Paradise. Non-pictured activities:
• Member visits: Raymond S, Lin K (just got his mission call to Kentucky Louisville – Spanish speaking), Ashley S, Kim M, Reh family, went to breakfast with Linda S, Vrooman’s came for dinner & Arnie. Lots more visits attempted – some not home, some moved, some MIA.
• Missionary Coordination Meeting – the work is going strong – we love serving in Buffalo.
• Swahili Group Council Meeting – first one ever!!! We focused on transportation needs and the Council made plans on to how to they could address solutions to help people help themselves.
• Two people who have been attending church and know members were invited to participate in the Council because of their relationship and connection with the Swahili community in Buffalo. Kasimu (not a member) – asked for help teaching the Swahili community about the church, so they would know who we were. I don’t think he will have to ask twice!
• BYU PathwayConnect – We had great gatherings again this week. There is such power when members of the church gather – this is truly an inspired program.
• Video Conference Igor discussing visits and work that we can do in the ward.
• Lessons with Elders: Alice Mugore with Fatuma, Abdallah with Didas
• Fed Swahili Elders twice
• Fed Spanish Elders
• Gave rides to Seminary
• YMYW rides by Karen
• Food Order Distribution – helped unload the delivery truck and helped Grace get her things home.
• And who knows how many other things – I don’t get them all written down…they definitely keep us busy.

January 26, 2020 - Our Buffalo Ward had a Temple trip to the Palmyra Temple last Saturday. Of course we got to give rides to Rama & Elisha (brothers - who had been to the Temple several times) and Florence who came for her first time, just being baptized in December 2019. She remarked: This is a Perfect Day! And it was, our Ward had 7 people come do baptisms for the dead for the first time - there was such a sweet spirit in the baptistry.

We sang Hark All Ye Nations for a closing song.

Another busy week in our NEW Paradise. Non-pictured activities:
Member visits including Janice & Tom, Monica, Amos and more
Missionary Coordination Meeting – Trying to come up with a plan to coordinate rides for those members and friends that need help getting to church. Anybody out there have any ideas?
Continued to deal with insurance companies on our totaled car.
Fed the Spanish Group Elders
BYU PathwayConnect Gathering – One of the highlights of our week
Met with Igor, our Ward Mission Leader
Lessons with the Elders
Stake YMYW Fireside in Amherst – took Florence, Eunice, Bahati and Seh
Fed our Swahili Elders twice (or more) – sometimes they are working on the westside – where we live – in the afternoon and then they have appointments in the same area in the evening, so we have them stop by or a quick bite so they can keep working and not have to drive back to their apartment on the north side – saves time AND miles!!!

The road of discipleship is not easy. It requires sturdy, all-weather souls who are constant in every season of life and who are not easily stalled or thrown off course. When Karen read this statement by Neal A Maxwell that President Vest gave us to study, I thought it said we needed sturdy, all-weather soles...as in shoes. While Elder Maxwell had the other kind of souls in mind, I've decided we need sturdy, all-weather souls and shoes to keep us moving forward so we are not stalled or thrown off course.

Ali started his road of discipleship last Saturday when he was baptized. He is originally from South Yemen, but has lived in the United States for 48 years.

Morning Hours Dictate How Your Life Will Go
Elder Jeffrey R Holland - (Seminar for new mission presidents, June 26, 2011)
"I frequently say to missionaries in the field, 'You make or break your mission every morning of your life. You tell me how those morning hours go from 6:30 am until you are on the street in your mission, whatever time it is; you tell me how those hours go, and I will tell you how your day will go, I will tell you how your month will go, I will tell you how your year will go and how your mission and your life will go.'"
This is good advice for full-time missionaries AND every-member-a-missionary missionaries!

We had a discussion about Discipleship in Zone Conference.

The Pathway of Discipleship
Elder Neal A. Maxwell – Ensign, September 1998
But this road of discipleship which we are considering here is not easy. It requires sturdy, all-weather souls who are constant in every season of life and who are not easily stalled or thrown off course.
The daily discipleship to which I’m referring is designed to develop the very attributes which are possessed to perfection by Jesus. These attributes emerge from a consciously chosen way of life, one in which we deny ourselves of all ungodliness and we take up the cross daily—not occasionally, not weekly, not monthly. If we are thus determined, then we are emulating yet another quality of our Lord, of whom we read, “And there is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it” (Abr. 3:17). True disciples are meek but very determined.
Once we are settled in terms of the direction of our discipleship and the gross sins are left firmly behind—“misery prevention” it might be called—then the major focus falls upon the “thou shalt”commandments. It is the keeping of the “thou shalt” commandments which brings even greater happiness. True, as the scripture says, “wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10), but neither is lukewarmness full happiness. Failing to be valiant in Christian discipleship will leave us without significant happiness. Therefore, our active avoidance of wickedness must be followed by our active engagement in righteousness. Then we can come to know true joy—after all, man is that he might have joy.

Your Great Adventure
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf – Ensign, November 2019
And yet, mortal life has a way of distracting us, doesn’t it? We tend to lose sight of our great quest, preferring comfort and ease over growth and progress. Still, there remains something undeniable, deep within our hearts, that hungers for a higher and nobler purpose. This hunger is one reason why people are drawn to the gospel and Church of Jesus Christ. The restored gospel is, in a sense, a renewal of the call to adventure we accepted so long ago. The Savior invites us, each day, to set aside our comforts and securities and join Him on the journey of discipleship.
If you hesitate in this adventure because you doubt your ability, remember that discipleship is not about doing things perfectly; it’s about doing things intentionally. It is your choices that show what you truly are, far more than your abilities.
Even when you fail, you can choose not to give up, but rather discover your courage, press forward, and rise up. That is the great test of the journey. God knows that you are not perfect, that you will fail at times. God loves you no less when you struggle than when you triumph.
Like a loving parent, He merely wants you to keep intentionally trying. Discipleship is like learning to play the piano. Perhaps all you can do at first is play a barely recognizable rendition of “Chopsticks.” But if you continue practicing, the simple tunes will one day give way to wondrous sonatas, rhapsodies, and concertos. Now, that day may not come during this life, but it will come. All God asks is that you consciously keep striving.

Do NOT Invert the Two Great Commandments
Matthew 22:36-39
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Elder Oaks says sometimes we get these two commandments inverted.
We sometimes try to please others and are disobedient.
Our zeal to keep this second commandment must not cause us to forget the first, to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. We show that love by “keep[ing] [His] commandments.” God requires us to obey His commandments because only through that obedience, including repentance, can we return to live in His presence and become perfect as He is.
Disciples of Christ do not invert these two principles.
If we don’t invite people to change, we are actually helping them move further away from Christ. Our calling is to invite others to come unto Christ.
Always put God first. Do what is right, let the consequence follow.

President Vest taught us about Love and Obedience.

Beware of Pride
Ezra Taft Benson - April 1989 General Conference
We reviewed this talk also - here are just a couple of high points - go find this talk and read it and then read it again - I'm old, I remember when this talk was given, it is definitely a classic:
Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of “my will and not thine be done.”
God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble.
The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others. In the words of C. S. Lewis: “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.”
There is so much good doctrine and teachings in this talk - jump in - there's a lot there.

Another busy week in our NEW Paradise. Non-pictured activities:

Sabina finished translating chapter 9 (the Relief Society chapter) of Handbook 2 into Swahili.

We went with the Elders on several teaching appointments including Abdallah and his family, and Esterina. The life of a missionary – we went to several other appointments that were no shows.

We did lots of member visits including Deborah T., Laesgaws dad, Eddie & Morgan and kids, Christina and her kids & her mom. Took dinner to Sonnefelds – Sister Sonnefeld was not feeling well.

Gave rides to Young Women's Activity

Visited Chalimpa a couple of times, we took him a bed, sheets, table, chairs and some miscellaneous kitchen items.

Missionary Coordination Meeting Wednesday night. Lots of things to review

BYU PathwayConnect Gathering on Thursday. It’s going to be a fun semester in the Religion class – lots of difficult case studies to review and discuss.

Made multiple trips to church on Sunday

Fed the missionaries at least twice!!! We love having them and it makes it easy to do some planning.

And lots more…

January 12, 2020 - Things to look for in our Blog this week:
1. Discussion with Faraja, Bahiti & Eunice
2. Our Fender Bender, parking and parking tickets!
3. Transfers - Godspeed Sister Weise
4. Balmy weather (I'm sure that I'm jinxing myself on this one.)
5. Buffalo Science Museum
6. Food orders - caring for the poor
7. Lunch at Duff's Famous Buffalo Wings
8. Family Traditions

Watch this video as the Missionaries introduce themselves in Swahili:

The museum had a spot with a green screen where you could give a weather report. It was fun - the sound quality is poor, but it entertained me! I'll keep my day job...wait I don't have a "real" job...I get to serve the wonderful people of New York every day - how great is that?

Another busy week in our NEW Paradise. Non-pictured activities:
Amos & Kiza finished translating the first 5 chapters of Handbook 2 into Swahili.

Missionary Coordination Meeting Wednesday night. Lots of things to review

Met with Igor our Ward Mission Leader again. We made it through about another third of the Ward List reviewing Ward Members that we should reach out to.

We visited several families this week: Went with Elders to teach Esterina and her family, dinner at our home with Elder & Sister Sonnefeld, went with Elders to teach Furaha and her family where we met Chalimpa – we visited him later in the week, had Baruani family over for FHE and milk shakes (not sure if they like ice cream like we do!) – we taught them how to play Moose! Moose!  It was fun. Went with Elders to teach Makenzie and her friend.

We only made 2 trips to the church giving rides this week – some of the members and those being taught were sick.

BYU PathwayConnect Gathering on Thursday. The second semester has begun. We missed everyone over the holidays, it was good to get back together.

Fed the missionaries at least twice!!! We love having them and it makes it easy to do some planning.

And probably another dozen things that I didn’t get written down!

January 5, 2020: Happy New Year!! Things to look for in the Blog this week:
1. Translating Church Handbook 2 into Swahili
2. Fact Sheet. U.S Refugee Resettlement
3. Conversion Story of Amos Baruani - our Swahili Group Leader
4. Sister Oleson & Sister Graham are in our District.
5. We're not in Kansas, Dorothy!

Fact Sheet: U.S. Refugee Resettlement
January 25, 2019
Who is a refugee?

A person outside the U.S. seeking refuge. The U.S., based on international law, defines “refugee” as a person outside the country of his or her nationality, who is unable or unwilling to return to that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on his or her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

The legal basis for humanitarian admissions of refugees and asylum seekers to the United States began with the Refugee Act of 1980, which defined a refugee, established the Reception and Placement (R&P) program for initial resettlement under the U.S. Department of State, and created the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Who determines the number of refugee admissions?

The President of the United States. The number of refugees accepted to the United States each year is set by the President in consultation with Congress.

What is the refugee limit for fiscal year 2019?

30,000. Although historically the U.S. has resettled more refugees than any other country, its resettlement program has not kept up with increase of the global refugee population that has increased by about 50 percent over the past five years.

While there were approximately 19.9 million refugees worldwide as of fiscal year (FY) 2017, the U.S. currently resettles just a small fraction of them. Less than 1 percent of the total number of displaced people on the world has been resettled to one of 37 current resettlement countries each year. In FY 2016, the U.S. admitted nearly 85,000 refugees, a number that declined to fewer than 54,000 refugees in FY 2017, the lowest number in a decade after President Trump reduced the cap on refugee admissions via executive order. In FY 2018, the president further reduced the refugee admission cap to 45,000, the lowest since the enactment of the Refugee Act of 1980. For 2019, the administration cut the number of admissions even more to 30,000. However, the cap represents the maximum number of refugees that may be resettled in a year and the Trump administration is unlikely to resettle anywhere close to 30,000 people in FY 2019. In FY2018, the administration failed  to keep pace with the 3,750 refugees who would need to be resettled each month to reach the annual ceiling, resettling a total of less than a half of the annual admission number
[The government cut the cap on refugee admissions to 18,000 for 2020 - we're headed in the wrong direction.]

Where do refugees resettling in the U.S. come from?

All around the world. The United States admits refugees from more than 60 countries all around the globe. In FY 2018, U.S. refugees came mainly from Democratic Republic of Congo, Burma, Ukraine and Bhutan.

Source: Refugee Processing Center

The number of U.S. refugees from Syria and Iran dropped considerably in FY18 due to implementation of the latest version of the Trump administration’s travel ban, which prevents individuals from Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and certain government officials from Venezuela from entering the U.S. Because the travel ban has been in effect since June 2018 after being blocked by courts for nine months, the two countries are no longer among the top 10 countries of origin for U.S. refugees.

Where do refugees resettle?

All across the United States. Refugees have been resettled in 49 U.S. states, with Texas, Washington and Ohio resettling the most refugees in FY 2018.

Source: Refugee Processing Center
The number of U.S. refugees from Syria and Iran dropped considerably in FY18 due to implementation of the latest version of the Trump administration’s travel ban, which prevents individuals from Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and certain government officials from Venezuela from entering the U.S. Because the travel ban has been in effect since June 2018 after being blocked by courts for nine months, the two countries are no longer among the top 10 countries of origin for U.S. refugees.

Where do refugees resettle?
All across the United States. Refugees have been resettled in 49 U.S. states, with Texas, Washington and Ohio resettling the most refugees in FY 2018.

Source: Refugee Processing Center

Who refers refugees to the U.S. for resettlement?
Primarily the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). UNHCR, the United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency, is an international agency dedicated to protecting forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. UNHCR screens applicants to determine whether they qualify as refugees and if they are in particular need of resettlement, and, if so, refers them to the U.S. and other countries. In some cases, for the U.S. refugee admissions program (USRAP), refugees are referred by a U.S. Embassy or a specially-trained nongovernmental organization; certain groups with family members in the U.S. or who served U.S. missions in Iraq also have application pathways.

How long does it take to screen and vet a refugee?
An average of nearly two years. While the total processing time varies depending on an applicant’s location as well as other circumstances and policy changes, the vetting time – from the refugee’s initial UNHCR referral to his or her arrival in the U.S. –has averaged approximately 18 to 24 months in recent years. Given recent developments, the length of the wait will likely increase.

To be admitted to the U.S., refugees go through several rounds of background checks, screenings and interviews under the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), including:

After an initial screening by UNHCR, the nine Resettlement Support Centers (RSCs) located around the world collect applicants’ biographic and other information.
After the State Department preliminarily approves an application to begin the resettlement process, they are reviewed by officers from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as ongoing vetting by a variety of intelligence agencies (including the FBI, CIA, and others).
USCIS also conducts an in-person interview with each refugee applicant before deciding whether to approve him or her for resettlement in the U.S.
All USCIS-approved refugees then undergo health screening to prevent those with contagious diseases from entering the U.S.
Most refugees undergo also a cultural orientation course prior their arrival.
Before refugees arrive, it is established where in the United States they will initially live and which refugee resettlement agency will help orient them to life in the United States.
After arrival to the U.S., all refugees are checkedat the airport by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer to ensure they are the same people that were screened and approved for admission.
What do refugee resettlement agencies do?
Assist refugees after their arrival in the U.S. After the final screenings by the U.S. government, the refugees are picked up at the airport by a representative of one of the nine domestic resettlement agencies, all of which have cooperative agreements with the U.S. Department of State.

Shortly before the arrival of the refugees, the resettlement agencies arrange for their housing, which include basic furnishings, appliances, climate-appropriate clothing, and some of the food typical of the refugees’ culture. When the refugees arrive, the resettlement agencies’ representatives then take refugees to their new homes.

After arrival, the resettlement agencies help refugees to start their lives in the U.S., assisting them with applying for a Social Security card, registering children in school, learning how to access shopping facilities, arranging medical appointments, and connecting them with needed social or language services.

How is the refugee resettlement funded?
Through the Department of State and the Department of Health and Human Services. The State Department’s Reception and Placement (R&P) program provides refugees with a loan to travel to the U.S., which they are required to start repaying after they arrive. The R&P program then supplies resettlement agencies a one-time sum per refugee to finance their first 30-90 days in the U.S. That money goes mostly towards rent, furnishings, food, and clothing, as well as costs of the agency staff case management and other integration services.

After three months, HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) then works through the states and other nongovernmental organizations to provide refugees with limited cash and medical assistance, as well as short-term language, employment, and social services, and longer term integration services.

Can refugees legally work in the United States?
Yes. Upon arrival in the U.S., refugees receive employment authorization and are encouraged to become employed as soon as possible so that they can support themselves.

Can a refugee become a U.S. citizen?
Yes. All refugees are required to apply for a green card to become a permanent resident after one year in the United States. After five years of residency, they become eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship.

Amos Baruani Conversion Story as told to Don Sonnefeld & Taylor Atkinson:
My name is Amos Makulu Baruani, and I was born a refugee from the DRC in Burundi in 1981. My mother, Ungwa Bawili Njasa, and my father, Henry Baruani, had fled from war in the DRC and for the first months of my life I lived with my 2 brothers and 4 sisters. Shortly afterwards, my family returned to the Congo.
As I grew up, I learned to love the Congo, my country and my people. It was there that I went to elementary school and high school, sat by the jungle and ate rice and beans that my mother prepared. There were dangers -- once my father brought home a 14-foot boa constrictor he had killed in the jungle -- but it was my home. Sadly, at age 15, war erupted in the Congo again and I was forced to flee with my mother.
We left our home in Tizi and I rowed our canoe for 22 hours to reach Kigoma in Tanzania to seek refuge. There, we found shelter in Lugufu where a refugee camp had been established for Congolese people. Life in the refugee camp was extremely difficult, sometimes with very little food and sometimes with no food at all. Still, I worked as a carpenter for some additional food or supplies and made close friends. Also, it was in Lugufu in 2004 that my brothers encouraged me to talk to the neighbor that I was too shy to talk to on my own, Fatuma. Fatuma and I were married later that year, and I worked off a $500 dowry to her parents over the years that came after.
Two years later, a Congolese man, Mchumbi, had come to the camp from Nairobi, where he had been given a book. He had passed it on to a friend of mine, Ikuku, and one day as my friend Dennis and I went to visit Ikuku in his home we noticed he was reading it. We asked him about the book, and he gave it to me. I learned that it was called The Book of Mormon. This began the long journey of finding the truth of the gospel, and I have kept that same book to this day.
As I began to read the book, I was impressed by the introduction where it talks about Moroni's promise, to read and pray to learn if the book was true. Studying the book quickly became a passion and love of mine, and as I compared it to other spiritual texts like the Bible and others, I became convinced of its goodness and truth. I knew it was true.
Excited by this, Dennis and I began to share what we'd learned with others. We formed a small group that would meet on Sundays to discuss gospel teachings. We sent letters to the Church in France and asked them to send us missionaries. The church sent us pamphlets about the restoration of the gospel and 4 more copies of the Book of Mormon, which we studied and discussed together. They sent us the address of the church in Nairobi, and we began to send letters back and forth with them as well. We continued to ask for missionaries, and they continued to send us church literature. Eventually they gave us the address of the church in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, the closest church location to our refugee camp, 1,200 km away.
After four years of not having any missionaries sent, three of us, myself, Dennis, and our friend Benjamin, decided to go to Dar es Salaam ourselves. The journey took us 4 days, some of which we were able to afford to travel by bus, but much of it was on foot. The journey was long, but we were excited and ready to be baptized.
In December of 2008 we found the missionaries, but we learned that the mission president was not in the country. We spent three days with the missionaries, they taught us the gospel and gave us more materials. However, the missionaries told us that without their mission president's approval, they were not authorized to baptize us. It was a moment of extreme emotions -- we were very disappointed that after our travels, we could not be baptized as we had hoped, but we were excited that we had a chance to learn from the missionaries and bring these teachings back to our people. The missionaries shared our sadness and joy as they watched us return to Lugufu.
We continued to meet. On Sundays we would gather. The missionaries had told us we couldn't bless or administer the sacrament without the priesthood, but we studied and taught from the Principles of the Gospel handbook. During the week, we would do home teaching and missionary visits as the missionaries had taught us to do. Then, in 2009, the Tanzanian government decided to shut down the Lugufu refugee camp. They told the Congolese refugees to return home, and while some did, many of us did not believe the country was safe enough for us to bring our families back there yet.
We moved to a new refugee camp in Tanzania, Njaragusu, and continued our meetings. We would send reports of our numbers and progress to the mission president in Nairobi, whose mission our refugee camp was technically a part of. Eventually missionaries who had heard about us began to visit us from Dar es Salaam. On one occasion, an Elder Canyon came and taught us, bringing with him three bus tickets to Dar es Salaam. With his gift, I was able to travel to Dar es Salaam once more with my friends as I had two years before and be baptized. I was overjoyed to finally join the Church of Jesus Christ.
After returning to Njarugusu, missionaries began to visit us more regularly, like Elder Johnny Cannet and the first counselor of the mission presidency, Elder Badilemua.
During this time I applied to the immigration bureau of the United States, and returned to Kigoma to meet with them. My family and I were tremendously blessed with the opportunity to come to America and we now live in Buffalo. My in-laws have told me that since I live in the United States now, the dowry for my wife has now gone up to $1,500.
Since I have arrived, a small group of French and Swahili speaking Africans has begun to hold their own sacrament meetings in the Buffalo ward's building. My friend Dennis has also come to America and belongs to a ward in Idaho. I am still in contact with my Congolese brothers and sisters in Njagurusu -- recently the president of the Nairobi mission visited them and baptized 27 people. And weekly I go with the missionaries in Buffalo to meet with other Congolese brothers and sisters who have taken refuge in Buffalo.
I have been extremely blessed, and now that my wife and children are baptized, we are finally taking temple prep lessons so that we can go this fall to the temple and be sealed together as a family for eternity. I know that the church is true, that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that Jesus Christ is my Savior.

Another busy week in our NEW Paradise. Non-pictured activities:
On last Sunday we met with Bishop Desrosiers, his counselor, Taylor and Elder Sonnefeld. We discussed a plan to create a Swahili Branch in the next several months.

Met with Bishop Desrosiers and Kiza who will work with the Swahili Group Leader, Amos, to start the process of translating Handbook 2 into Swahili. Kiza speaks Swahili, French and English. (Amos speaks Swahili and French. I met with Amos a couple of days later at his house.) We are taking the French Handbook 2 and then also the Google Translate computer translated version of French to Swahili and the English version of the Handbook and trying to complete a Swahili version. Besides ending up with the Swahili translation, we will spend time teaching leadership principles, first to Kiza and Amos. Then we will expand our teaching to include other members who are growing in the gospel and being prepared to be future leaders in the Swahili Branch they are hoping to organize soon.

Missionary Coordination Meeting Wednesday night. Reviewed lots of things that are going on and how we can help.

Met with Igor Marques, the Ward Mission Leader, in his office to review Ward Members that we should reach out to – and he gave us a Ward List to help us know where everyone lives.

Met with David & Maria to help them find family names to take to the Temple. Maria was recently baptized.

On Friday we met with Amanda who hasn’t attended church in a while but has decided to be more involved. Amanda called the Sister Missionaries, but Amanda doesn’t live in their area. So, Elders McSpadden and McOmber asked us to visit with them. We also met with Amanda and two of her children on Saturday to teach them about the Restoration. And then they came to church on Sunday – it was awesome.

We cleaned the building again on Saturday – we gave rides so the Swahili members could come help too.

We visited several families this week: Didas & Regina, The Amuri Family, Amos & Fatuma, Maria’s son, Ney, Franco, Desire “Siden”’s brothers, Zachery & Stephanie and Iyana.  And we tried to find a bunch more, we’ll keep trying! (And of course we took lots of Karen’s yummy treats with us as we visited.)

We made 3 trips to the church giving rides. (That took about 1 ½ hours.)

Things are hopping in this part of the kingdom - we feel so blessed to be here!

December 29, 2019 - We got transferred to Buffalo, New York!!! We left Massena last Monday night, December 23rd and headed to our daughter Jessy's house near Schenectady. We spent Christmas with her family and then headed to Buffalo where we will be working with a group of Swahili speaking members who are refugees from mostly the Congo who have been resettled in Buffalo!

We gave the kids little mini-drones that were a lot of fun to play with.

Let's just say - it was a crazy week with getting transferred. We made it. We'll miss everyone in Massena - we made a lot of lifelong friends. We hope the best for everyone and pray that they will stay faithful and committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we can already see that we will love our new opportunity in Buffalo. Everyone has been wonderful. Thanks for making us feel welcome.

December 22, 2019 - On Sunday morning, we had the privilege of witnessing the baptism of Rita who was so very well prepared. This was the best Christmas present EVER! Rita will be such a blessing to the Branch.

We had a wonderful Christmas program for our Sunday Light the World Sacrament Meeting. The highlight of our program was Sister Potts and Rebekah (a Young Woman in the Branch) playing a piano, violin duet: O Come, O Come Emanuel. We videoed them practicing for their Sunday performance.

Another busy week in Paradise. Non-pictured activities:
Lots of Light the World Visits inviting members to attend special Christmas Sacrament Meeting. (The program centered on JOY. One of the quotes on joy that was read was by Kevin J Worthen, President of BYU!!! It always catches us off guard when someone quotes Karen’s brother.)
Young Women’s activity.
Cleaned the chapel
Bible Study – Luke 2 (It’s Christmas time after all!)
Breakfast with Betsy at Twin Leafs
Missionary Coordination Meeting – Final Plans for Rita’s Baptism
Piano lessons for two children in the branch
Carlena, young woman in the branch - singing practice – she’s singing in Christmas Sacrament Meeting (And she did make the Ensemble Group for the Massena High School Play: Newsies. (Along with Morgan and Rebekah – other Young Women in the Branch)
Rides for Michael Grady and Chris Snyder.
District Missionary Council - reviewed talk by Elder Jeffrey R Holland: Tongue of Angels from April 2007 General Conference - we are focusing on Positivity in the Mission - especially with how we approach winter and the work.
Practice with Rebekah (piano), young woman in the branch and Sister Potts (violin) – going to perform in Christmas program together.
Dinner with Rita – finalizing details of her baptism
Elders Quorum Presidency Meeting - Trained on how to organize and complete a service project.
Lots of visits and delivering Christmas treats to members and friends of the church.
Ministering with Craig – a Young Man from the Branch.
Hospice visits at the nursing home – now visiting two different people.
BYU PathwayConnect Gathering – Last Gathering of the Semester – Students get a break!!!
FHE Group at the Highland Nursing Home – we watched Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and Kristin Chenoweth sing and tell a Christmas Story and then shared what we liked about Christmas.
Trip to Malone to meet Elder and Sister Sudweeks (Mission Housing Coordinator and Mission nurse) to see if we would need anything from Senior Missionary Couple apartment that was being closed.

December 15, 2019 - ...and that reality is never clearer than during the Christmas season when we enjoy beautiful carols that testify of the risen Lord. Come and Sing with us at our special Christmas Worship Service on December 22nd.

Article from the Church News:
In the cozy home where he raised his children, President Russell M. Nelson sat on the piano bench and played Christmas carols without the aid of music. Next to him sat 7-year-old Claire Crosby, a young YouTube star. Video cameras rolled.

The first leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to make a music video, President Nelson performed “Silent Night” on the piano as Claire sang along. Each agreed music is one way they can share their testimony of Jesus Christ.
President Nelson shared the video on his Facebook page on Sunday, Dec. 15, as part of the Church’s Christmas service campaign, “Light the World.”

Claire’s dad, Dave Crosby, said the family was “absolutely shocked” that Claire was invited to make a video with President Nelson. “We have had a lot of incredible experiences over the last few years,” he said. “When this opportunity presented itself, we knew it would be the most special.”

Claire, who has more than 6 million followers on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, said making the video with President Nelson was “really exciting and really fun.” She and her family are Latter-day Saints.

When Claire arrived at the house, President Nelson thanked her for coming and introduced her to his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson.

Between takes, Sister Nelson asked Claire if there was anything she wanted to ask President Nelson.
“What is your favorite color?” Claire asked.
“What is my favorite color?” President Nelson responded. “You know, I love them all.”
“I like all of them too,” Claire said.
“It is just like children,” continued President Nelson. “Do I have a favorite child? Oh no. Everyone is special. Blue is special. Yellow is special. Orange and red, I love them all.”
“I do too,” said Claire.

A few minutes later, Claire asked President Nelson a more serious question.
“How do you know what the Holy Ghost feels like?

President Nelson answered, “Sometimes you get an idea in your mind and you wonder where did that come from. Often it is Heavenly Father trying to teach us through the Holy Ghost something we hadn’t been thinking of. Something really wonderful. Like, maybe I should go give my mom a hand with the dishes or with the baby. Or maybe I should go help my dad tune up his guitar. Lots of times we think the ideas are from ourselves, but they are really given to us through the Holy Ghost. It is wonderful. It is a great gift.”

And then they sang again.
“How was that?” said President Nelson.
“It was great,” said Claire.
President Nelson then looked at the crew and said, “She said it was great.”

President Nelson added on his Facebook page:
Sister Nelson and I were thrilled to meet the Dave and Ashley Crosby family during this Christmas season and share an evening together. Imagine my good fortune at having the chance to accompany their daughter Claire as she sang one of our favorites, “Silent Night.”
Music is such a powerful form of worship, and that reality is never clearer than during the Christmas season when we enjoy beautiful carols that testify of the risen Lord. This December I hope you will make time with family and friends to enjoy the glorious music of this season. Merry Christmas! #LightTheWorld

Always Be Teachable

At our Mission-wide Zone Conference, our Mission President counseled us that we should always be teachable. Elder Randall K Bennett, our Area President, also attended and taught us.
President Vest discussed Elder Bednar's talk, Watchful unto Prayer with us. He showed us Topis on an anthill and asked us, "Who are these important people?"
For everyone in the church these Topis represent the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve standing on the watchtower where they can see things that we can't see. (Elder Bennett pointed out for those of us serving in the New York Syracuse Mission, these Topis also represent President and Sister Vest.) Elder Bennett then pointed out that the new Missionary Handbook that will be effective in February 2020, says that as full time missionaries, we are called to assist the Apostles. This great responsibility should not be taken lightly.

Elder Bennett quoted President Nelson when he spoke at the BYU Devotional on September 17, 2019:
You are the children whom God chose to be part of His battalion during this great climax in the longstanding battle between good and evil—between truth and error.  I would not be surprised if, when the veil is lifted in the next life, we learn that you actually pled with our Heavenly Father to be reserved for now. I would not be surprised to learn that pre-mortally, you loved the Lord so much that you promised to defend His name and gospel during this world’s tumultuous winding-up scenes.  One thing is certain: You are of the House of Israel and you have been sent here to help gather God’s elect.
Two questions were posed for us to ponder:
1. What did I plead to do before I came to the earth?
2. What did I promise to do?

Then Elder Bennett discussed Elder Tad Callister's General Conference talk from October 2019, "The Atonement of Jesus Christ".

President Vest asked the "young" missionaries to be sure and thank the Senior Couples for all they do - so I had to make sure our sisters had an opportunity to be obedient and follow that invitation.

Another busy week in Paradise. Non-pictured activities:
Lots more help for Chris who continues to recover from foot surgery – rides and meals and visits.
Visit to Sister Cook – showed Light the World video, the Christ Child
Rides for Michael to his work at the Mall
Young Women’s activity
Helped clean the chapel
Bible Study – Jeremiah
Missionary Coordination Meeting
Piano lessons for two children in the branch
Carlena, young woman in the branch - singing practice – she’s trying out for high school play
Dinner with Carrie – YW President
Practice with Rebekah (piano), young woman in the branch and Sister Potts (violin) – going to perform in Christmas program together.
Lots of visits and delivering of treats to members and friends of the church.
Hospice visits at the nursing home – now visiting two different people.
Took Charnay to her job in Hogansburg
BYU PathwayConnect Gathering