January 12th, 2015

Hola! To mí favorito familia!

It looks like you had a great time on your Cruise Mom and Dad, I will admit I was a little jealous when I saw you parasailing over the beautiful blue waters, I looked outside and saw snow and gray skies. But I am so glad you had good time! I hope it was your most wonderful birthday yet!

Happy Birthday Jenn! It is blowing my mind that your 17 already!

It has been another interesting week here in good old Rochester! Don't worry we have been surviving the cold. I am just super grateful that we have a car and that we don't have to bike around right now. 

Ok, so remember how back in Ogden how one time a missionary used a can to slam his finger but because he had it on a firm foundation (the Counter) it didn't hurt him, and then how I let him do it to me!  So I got to do that for the first time! We were having dinner with a less active family, that has feed the missionaries for a while now, but they don't really want to do anything with the church. Anyways I remembered that experience and told them about it-- and of course I had to give them the real experiences, so I quoted Helaman 5:12 and slammed my finger! It was Exhilarating! everyone in the room screamed.  I lifted the dented can and showed them that my finger came off conquer! That was my first time doing it since that first time in Ogden so I was freaking out a little on the inside. It went really well and I think I got the message across! :)

Ok so one of our investigators and members of our ward are Free Masons, and they have been filling us in a little on the social group and it is really interesting. We told Bill (our investigator) how Joseph Smith was a Mason, and he found it very interesting and wants to do a talk on Joseph Smith for one of his meetings. We then told him that we have a member who is a Mason and that we could bring him to the sites and see the real thing!  We are super excited about that!

This past week I have had 6 people ask us for money: three were super Drunk ( taught two of them the Restoration, probably won’t remember anything), and one of them Begged from us twice on different days! It breaks my heart to see these people and I just want to share with them this message that will help their lives.

Saturday I got to go to the Palmyra Temple!!! I was so excited it is the first time I have been able to go since I have gotten here! I shined my shoes, I Ironed my shirt, my pants and even my tie, I was that excited! and it was such a wonderful experience! We went with Bro. Kelley, a resent convert in our ward, to receive his endowment! There was such a wonderful feeling being there and being able to witness the fruits of this marvelous work. I was so excited for him! It was great! The Palmyra temple is really small but it is Beautiful! and one of the best parts is looking out of the window in the temple and seeing the Sacred Grove. It is a wonderful place to be and I am so happy I get to be here serving were it all started!

I am loving the NYRM!

This is the best work!

Love 
 Elder Todd Houghton