John and Connie

The big news, Elder and Sister Seamons have a baptism scheduled for March 5. About 3 months ago a lovely young couple came to church in New Paltz. They live on the mountain in Kerhonksen. She was a member but Johnathan was not. We stopped by to see them a couple of weeks ago and then got a phone call from Johnathan. He wanted to be taught. Wahoo!!!. He is a wonderful young man who is trying to fix up his life and prepare to take his bride to the Temple. Please keep him and Melissa in your prayers, they are struggling, just like everyone else.

Yes, we did get snow, but not as much as others or as much as the news would have you believe. One of the pictures attached is of Elder Barfuss and Elder Seamons in front of your parking lot snow pile. This snow storm was not as bad as the one last year that tore many of the limbs from the trees.

We took our Prep day and with the New Paltz Elders we went to the Temple in Manhattan. It always amazes us to see the diversity in the NY temple. We also spent a couple of hours at the Museum of Natural History. It was wonderful. We saw all the characters in the movie "Night at the Museum". They have a wonderful Planetarium, and a Butterfly Room. We were impressed how much/little we know about our galaxy and space. The Butterfly Room was not as cool as Hogle Zoo.

We are still teaching our APR classes. We have grown really close to our attendees. We just got an email from one of them who said he spent Sunday with his estranged wife. They took their son to a party and had a wonderful time. The program is incredible, everyone should experience the Saviors Healing Balm. This will be our 10th time (that's120 lessons) going through it and we continue to learn. Because it is based on the Atonement of Christ, everyone can use it in their lives. Our students keep attending after completing the 12 steps because they feel a need to be lifted up each week. One sister says her week just doesn't go well if she misses.

This is Emily Duersch's family. She is one of our top BYU Idaho students. When they were going to USU they lived in the basement of the home on first south in Logan that belonged to Eloise Seamons. It was my bedroom at one time. Eloise had passed when they lived there so I. don't know who owned the home then. Emily now lives in Poughkeepsie, NY and her husband works for IBM.

We are now in our 2nd Semester of BYU Idaho Pathway. It is English 106. We have 8 students this semester and they must write two to three page essays every other week. They are all terrific students and it's a joy to work with them. The Higbee's from Cedar City teach the Book of Mormon Institute Class and we monitor the English class. She is a terrific teacher and we learn so much from her. One of the BYU Idaho Pathway administrators will be here next week to get feed back from our students

We are visiting 2 different prisons to see inmates. Elvis Costello is in Sullivan Co Maximum Security. Dalvin Beltran, and Johnathan Lawrence are in the Fishkill Maximum Security prison. It is a real scary experience when those heavy metal doors close behind you, really creepy. Elvis is a non member who has a wonderful testimony of the Savior. Dalvin is a member who recognized the picture of Pres Monson in the cell of a fellow inmate. He asked who they were and Johnathan said they were a bunch of "Guys" from my church, and the conversation proceeded from there. They want us to be teach them both. We can't take any books with us, so we try to prepare a message to give to them. We meet in a large room filled with tables and chairs. All the other inmates with their wives and children are there too. We watch as shattered lives try to hold it together. We sit there and look at all these men and wonder just what they did that sent them there. Some young wife with little kids are there to see "Daddy". What a sad situation! Dalvin said it's like a big YMCA except you can't leave. Would you believe that New York has 168 prisons! Scary!

We have a great little Branch. The branch set a goal to become a Ward. We have about 60 to 70 people attend each week, but if we had 100 we would make it. People are really excited about the goal. It would mean adding on to our building. Right now we are just a Stage 1 chapel. New Paltz is also designated to be the Stake Center some day. It is located in the center of the Stake. We own enough land (it was planned that way). Now we just need to get people to come to Church. There are several families that could come but don't, and of course lots that haven't come for years. Elder Seamons is teaching Sunday School, and Sister Seamons is the Family History Consultant and the 2nd counselor in Primary. Sister Seamons has to play the piano quite often. Elder Seamons told her she should have practiced more at home.

Our kids are all doing well. Amy and Brad just moved to Flagstaff. Amy has a new job with Gore. It is the same company Steven works for and their families have done quite a bit together since she moved. Steve and Millie are expecting #4 in August and of course, Brian and Jeanne are expecting #6 boy in April. Mindy and Jeff and kids came to visit in December. It was a wonderful 4 days and helped us so much during the holidays. We Skype quite often with each of the kids so the grand kids still recognize us and talk to us. What a wonderful technology.

We are grateful to be here on a mission. We know the Lord sent us here to this part of New York because we are able to help so many people. Our mission has a motto "Expect a Miracle each Day". It is true. The Lord prepares us and those we need to reach. We can't tell you how many times we just stopped at someones house just when they needed us. Johnathan Statt who will be baptized next week is a perfect example.

Yesterday we attended a surprise Mission Conference and spent 3 hours with Elder Bednar in a Revelatory Experience.We learned so much that if we tried to share part of it it would not be adequate. The one thing we would share with you is that "the time has past when you can expect to live on borrowed light". The parable of the 12 virgins comes to mind.

We miss you all.

Elder John and Sister Connie Seamons

801-540-6770

500 State Route 299 Apt 24cHighland NY 12528

You have no idea how thankful we are for the generosity of Sister Ulvestad. She made the lives of two old missionaries immeasurably better. We have a wonderful bed in our home in Willard. We have always felt it was an area of our lives where we would try to make it the very best. After all we spend 20 to 30% of our lives in bed and as we get older it might be more. We arrived in NY about this time last year, to an unfurnished apt.. The mission home had promised us furniture but did not get it delivered. Our first week was spent on an air mattress, but that is another story. When the furniture and bed finally came we were so grateful we just took what was delivered. That is until after the first night. The bed was so bad we went out the next day trying to decide what to do. We had no way to buy and get a bed in one day so we bought a 2 1/2 inch memory foam cover. It was so much better we hardly gave it a thought. Over the past year our backs and hips have been bothering us but we thought it was age, well it might be, but after last night we think it had a lot to do with the bed.
Due to the generosity of a sweet sister we have a new bed. We want to thank her and everyone else who have been so supportive of our mission experience.
I am attaching a picture of our old bed.

I asked Sister Seamons to describe last nights sleep, HEAVEN was her answer.

We got a lot of snow last night and my new camera is so cool so here is a picture of outside at night no flash and no adjustments just point and shoot.