Some people like us, some don't. (07-27-2015)

Hello people! 

It has been an interesting week! 

We knocked on a door one day, and from the inside we heard, "Come in!" Well, I didn't feel comfortable just walking into a stranger's house, so I yelled back, "It's the missionaries!" and heard, "Just a minute!" A young woman answered the door, just poking her head around it. We asked how she was doing, and she said, "Well, I'm kind of naked. Can you come back a different day?" We readily agreed, grateful we hadn't just walked in! So that was funny. Sadly she ended up cancelling the appointment we made, but we'll keep trying!

Another door knock didn't end very well. We ended up getting bashed on for about 20 minutes. that was really rough. Good thing the next day was Sunday cause I needed that day to recuperate. I just felt so spiritually drained and sad after walking away. They just chewed up what the "knew" about the church and spit it back in our faces, barely letting us talk. All we could do was leave a simple testimony and thank them for their time. It hurt. But hopefully something will soften their hearts and eventually they will be willing to listen. Right now just wasn't their time. 

We are beginning to work with a lot of people! But most people are really busy with vacations and things so they say, "Give us about 3 weeks then we'll be able to meet with you!" So in the mean time, we just work our tails off trying to find! We did have an awesome lesson with a woman named Annette. She is so great! We had planned to teach the restoration, but ended up just discussing the atonement the whole time, which is fine because it was what she needed and what is the gospel without the atonement anyway?! She has had a crazy hard life, and lived a lot of it thinking God hated her and wanted her to just be miserable. As we discussed the atonement, how God loves her and has provided a way for her burdens to be lifted and to be happy, she just cried. It was beautiful to see the hope and desire in her eyes. 

I got to go to a baptism for Isaiah and Jacob this week! (They young boys I taught in my last area). It was so good!

I hope you all have a great week! Stay strong and remember who's team you're on! We are all here to help each other come unto Christ. That is our life purpose. Don't do anything else :)
Love you!

Love, Sister Porter

QUOTE: "When salvation is sent to me, I can reject or receive it. In receiving it, I yield implicit obedience and submission to its great author throughout my life." Brigham Young

Be happy. You're a representative of Jesus Christ. (07-20-2015)

Greetings! 

We are working hard here in Green Valley! Sister Maughan is awesome and has such great faith. She just wants to be the perfect sister missionary, so it's been fun to watch her grow. 

We were out doing some street contacting this week and saw a bunch of teenage, neighborhood boys out shooting hoops in the street. As we walked up to them I said, "Hey! Can I take a shot?" They said sure and threw the ball to me. I took the ball, explained who we were, then walked clear across the street. It was a pretty wide street, so it was probably half court status. I said, "If I can make this shot, will you all come to church this week?" They all got big smiles on their faces and agreed. I knew I probably wouldn't make the shot, but I gave it my all, and I was right. I was way off! But it got everyone laughing and they were willing to talk to us for a bit. It was a pretty cool experience! 

We have started teaching this amazing man! His name is Jose, and he is so prepared to hear the gospel! When we met him at his door, he broke down crying and said he was going through a really rough time. We've been able to teach him about the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation so far, and we have another appointment tomorrow. He's just eating it up! As we talked about the fall of Adam and Eve, and read from 2 Ne 2 with him, he sat there repeating over and over to himself, "I've never thought of it like that!" Suddenly he stood up, looking around for a second, then went over the the hutch and opened the drawer. He said, "I've got to get a highlighter. This is good stuff!" My chest just wanted to burst! I wanted to just jump to my feet and exclaim, "Yes! Yes it is good stuff!" He's awesome. I can't wait to tell you more!

We met a young man this week who claims to be "Abnostic"... funny!

On my birthday one of the other sisters had to join us for the day, and as we met with them that morning they came out of the car with a cake and candles and singing happy birthday! It was so sweet! Then later in the day a random Lebanese lady gave us a bunch of frozen pizzas (5 each!) and donuts and chicken wings! It was amazing. 

So, funny story... We were at our ward mission leader's house and getting to know each other a bit, and I mentioned that I grew up in Minnesota. He asked where, and when I said Waseca his head popped up and he said, "No way! I've been to that branch!" I was like, "Whaaaat?!" Turns out, he is Craig Evers' brother! Crazy! Also, there's a younger guy in our ward from Rochester, and we know a lot of the same people since we're close to the same age! Awesome connections. 

Ok. Got to go. I love you all! Share the gospel! Be amazing! 

Love, Sister Porter

QUOTE: "What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"

Onward, ever onward! (07-13-2015)

This has been the craziest week so far!

Last week we had a few funny experiences... We went to see a less active member, who ended up not being home, but her sister was visiting and wanted to know what we believed. She said she'd never been able to understand why her sister would join the Mormon church, but as she asked us her questions it was pretty clear she'd never tried to understand! We were able to clear up a lot of her misconceptions and teach several gospel principles. We gave her a Restoration pamphlet... but the funny part is that she held the pamphlet in the same hand as her glass of vodka, with a cigarette in the other hand, wearing a very scandalous dress, and swearing like a sailor the whole time! It was just amusing :) 

Just after talking to her, we met a woman at the bottom of the stairs who was walking down the street. I offered a pass-along card to her, introducing ourselves, but she just busted up laughing as she took the card and turning to her friend said, "This is the second time one of these fools has tried to give me a card with a blunt in my hand!" (A blunt is a joint)... and they walked away. I hadn't seen the joint in her hand when I started talking to her, but even if I had, I really wanted to yell after her, "Maybe it's a sign! You need Jesus!" But, of course, I didn't... Funny stuff.

I am now in the Green Valley Stake in Henderson, serving in the Quail Ridge and Fountains Wards! I am loving it! However, saying goodbye to all of the people I had taught was so hard! Ivan came to Bible study the night before I left, and he said, "I am very disturbed in my mind, and when I lie down to sleep I am troubled. I am not well." I automatically asked what was wrong, wanting to help, but he said, "They are taking my teacher from me." I couldn't hold back the tears. And when saying goodbye to Si'i, it took everything I had just to leaver her apartment. I didn't want to go. And Chris Cooper... We went for my last new member lesson with him before I left, and he was all happy until we'd been there about 5 minutes, then he remembered I would be leaving later in the day. He couldn't stop crying, and neither could I. It was awful, but I'm so glad to have these eternal friendships! I hope and pray that the members who are there and the missionaries who continue to know and help them will love them as much as I do! 

So, Tuesday we came to my new area to get my things moved into the apartment, only to find it wasn't dwellable! It was the dirtiest home I'd ever seen in my life. These elders had left it in shambles, and it took about 3 days to clean. And the A/C was broken. So, that was fun. The area books were also a disaster. We were told the elders who were here last really didn't do any missionary work for the last transfer, so we're practically starting from scratch. But I'm up for the challenge! I'm glad for the opportunity to help these wards. We were also told we would have to gain their trust, since they really weren't impressed by the last few missionaries. So far we seem to be on the right track! We already have a new investigator, and the bishops and ward mission leaders have been really helpful. I am so excited to be here!

I picked up my new trainee, Sister Maughan (Mon), on Wednesday evening, and she is so great! She's as cute as a button and has the best energy about her. She's actually a LOT like my sister, Sarah. It's uncanny. I'm not sure how to handle it haha... She even has the red hair! She is actually a visa waiter, and her calling is to Brazil. I try to help her use her Portugese as much as possible, but I can't really help her much! Luckily there are some people in our wards who either are from there or served there, so that will help! There is also a part member family where the wife, who isn't a member, is from Brazil and doesn't speak much English. Amazing! The Lord really knows what he's doing! 

I love you all! I hope you are each praying for missionary experiences and acting on them! I know it will bless your life and bring you happiness you didn't know existed! Far and wide we'll tell the Father's story, far and wide His love proclaim! 

Love, Sister Porter

QUOTE: "If you're not a full-time missionary with a missionary badge pinned on your coat, now is the time to paint one on your heart - painted as Paul said, 'not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God.'" -Niel L. Anderson

With great responsibility comes more responsibility! (07-06-2015)

Well, my heart is full. I don't even know where to begin!

Monday I received an email from my mission president, President Snow, saying that I will be TRAINING this transfer! I had a bit of a freak out moment when I read it, not going to lie! Usually missionaries don't train newbies so early in the mission, but I'm excited for the experience and I know the Lord will help me! Since I knew I would be training, we figured that I would be staying in the area for transfers, and that Sister Unsted would be leaving. Nope! I'm going to a new area (Green Valley), taking over an elder's area, and training all at once. Can I get an oofda?! I'm overwhelmed. In a good way. A little nervous. Wow. I just hope I don't disappoint and can live up to the faith and confidence that President Snow and the Lord have in me. I can't believe I've already been here 3 months. I feel like I just arrived. I'm devastated to be leaving my people here! I will miss them, but I'm excited for what adventures lie ahead!

We had a pretty great week! I just love talking to people about the gospel. People are much more open to it than you think they are, in general. Yeah, there's the occasional jerk who slams the door in our face or those people who just aren't interested, and we have to respect that. But really, I think the stigma of no one speaking about religion or politics really wears on people, and they want to ask questions. They want to discuss the things they don't feel allowed to talk about. They want to voice their beliefs, and it's great because as we discuss truth, the Spirit of the Lord can be there testifying to their hearts that this is a good thing. And that causes a desire for more. I see it all the time. Whether it goes very far or not is a different story, but at least a seed was planted. 

I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July!!! I had the BEST 4TH EVER! Mainly because my dear, dear friend, Julie (who also served her mission here before I was called), came to visit and I got to spend a lot of the day with her! She went out with us to visit people, and it was great feeling like she and I could be companions for a day! She also brought me an amazing birthday package and a bouquet of flowers, so that was great!! We also attended a baptism that day for a young man I got to teach a few lessons to before we passed him off to the young single adult sisters. It was a great baptism, and I was filled with such gratitude for everything in my life! I still can't believe that I get to be here, doing this. I have been blessed to teach amazing people, to make fantastic friends, to know myself better... so many things. 

On Sunday in our first sacrament meeting we attended, a young boy got up to bear his testimony. He couldn't have been more than 6 or 7, but he bore one of the sweetest testimonies I've ever heard. A few words into it he started to cry uncontrollably. He was so overcome with his love for Heavenly Father, and I started to cry too. I wondered just how much harder I will probably cry when I hear my own child bear his or her testimony someday. Then in our second sacrament meeting, Ivan bore his testimony. He rolled to the front in his electric scooter and was brought a microphone, and as he spoke of his reverence and love for the gospel, and for the Savior, I just lost it. I was bawling, and I thought, "Maybe this is what it will be like when my own child bears his or her testimony." I was just so proud of Ivan. Also, Chris Cooper, a man who was baptized just before I got here, blessed the sacrament for the first time! We have been teaching him the new member lessons, and I have just loved teaching him! He is one I will miss dearly. 

I love you all! Pray always! Smile lots! Remember that the Lord is mindful of you in all things, and send a little prayer my way for all the changes that will be happening in the next few days!

Love, Sister Porter

QUOTE: "If you dwell on the things you're not, you'll miss out on the things you really are."

Lizards, and roaches, and ants, oh my! (06-29-2015)

There are so many creepy crawly things finding their way into our apartment! We don't like killing the cockroaches and hearing the crunch, so we've started trapping them in a jar. We've caught 5 this week. And my bathroom is infested with ants! I'm going to have to buy a trap today. There are also earwigs galore. Want to teach a kid not to throw his clothes on the floor? Live in Nevada! We've also seen some big horned sheep and a lot of jack rabbits! Every day is an adventure. 

We had a pretty good week! Our teaching pool is dwindling a bit in one ward, and it's very slow in the other, but it's all good! We are seeing progress, though it may be slow. 

We met a woman in a parking lot this week getting some things out of the back of her car. We approached her, calling out as we were walking toward her, but she didn't flinch. Then as we got closer I said, "Excuse me..." but no response. I wasn't sure if she was ignoring us on purpose to be rude or what... but as I got closer she turned and I said hi, then she motioned that she was deaf. I automatically switched to what little sign language I know to ask her if she wanted help unloading her car. She said no, and that she could do it alone, but we gave her a pass-along card and she thanked us. It was just cool to see how even my past experiences of having deaf friends, a friend in the ASL program, and nonverbal clients has prepared me to be a missionary. So cool. 

Another day we were out trying to contact some people we had in our records, and we were wanting to see a man named Jose. We had never met him, but knew the address so we drove on over. As we pulled up we realized it was the same address for a unknown name referral we had gotten several weeks ago. We had tried and tried before, leaving our card in the door, with no answer, so we hadn't been back there in while. We looked at each other, and had an unspoken conversation of, "Well, we already tried a bunch of times and never succeeded, so let's just go to the next one." As we drove down the street I had an undeniable feeling that we should go back. There had to be a reason we had picked his name, right? So we stopped and walked back to the house to knock on the door. And what happened? Nothing. No one answered. I stood there thinking, "Is this supposed to be like an Abraham and Isaac experience?" Or maybe it was all just in my head and the Holy Ghost hadn't been telling me we needed to go back. 

Fast-forward to later that day. It was 8:30. We were tired, and just wanted to go home. We had just finished talking to a less active member in a parking lot, and we stood outside the car not sure what to do the rest of the night, and I was honestly more stumped than I've ever been. We had already used all of our back-ups we had planned for the day, and going home is such a tempting thought at moments like these! But I had the impression that the person we needed to see was in an envelope of old referrals we had inside the car. So I got out the envelope and passed over the name of Leticia twice before deciding that was who we needed to go see. We pulled up to her house, and it looked very dark. Sister Unsted said something indicating we should probably just go home, and it really is so hard to bother people that late at night, but I thought the least we could do was try. We knocked on the door, and a very excited Leticia answered the door! She was so happy to see us. It turns out that she's a less-active member, and she doesn't come to church because she has to care for her dad who lives with her. Her brother works to support them, and she stays home with her dad 24/7. We talked about her mission she served in Venezuela, and her experiences in the church. She told us about her mom's death and how hard that was for her, but she bore a beautiful testimony of the gospel and shared her feelings. We asked if there was anything we could do for her, and she hesitated, then said, "Actually, yes, could you sing a hymn for me before you go?" My heart melted. Such a simple request! Sister Unsted and I smiled at each other and readily agreed, then asked what her favorite hymn was. She requested "A Child's Prayer," and we began. The Spirit filled the room with such force! It took everything I had not to start crying, though Leticia was across the room wiping away tears of her own. As we sang I felt so strongly that her mom was there with us, thanking us for coming to see her. When we finished, she told us that the sister missionaries used to come and sing hymns to her and her mom when her mom was dying. I will never forget the feeling I had that night, and I am so grateful that I followed the promptings that were put into my heart. 

I believe that our fruitless labor earlier in the day was simply a test to see if we would do as we were directed later in the day. I read a talk today called The Law of Sacrifice (https://www.lds.org/liahona/2002/03/the-law-of-sacrifice?lang=eng ) by Elder Ballard, and he speaks of how the law of sacrifice and the law of obedience are inseparably intertwined. He shares this story: 

"Brother Truman G. Madsen tells about a visit he made to Israel with President Hugh B. Brown (1883–1975), an Apostle of the Lord who served as Second Counselor and then First Counselor in the First Presidency. In a valley known as Hebron, where tradition has it that the tomb of Father Abraham is located, Brother Madsen asked President Brown, “What are the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?” After a short moment of thought, President Brown answered, “Posterity.”
Brother Madsen writes: “I almost burst out, ‘Why, then, was Abraham commanded to go to Mount Moriah and offer his only hope of posterity?’
“It was clear that [President Brown], nearly ninety, had thought and prayed and wept over that question before. He finally said, ‘Abraham needed to learn something about Abraham.’”

I know that the Lord tests us to see if we will follow. The purpose of sacrifice is to test us and bring us unto Christ. We must be tested! We came here knowing that, and we must not complain when it happens! A faith that hasn't been tested cannot be trusted, and if we want our Heavenly Father to trust us we must be willing to go through the refiners fire that we knew and expected this life to be. I am grateful for the opportunity to build my faith as I sacrifice what I think is important for what I know is most important. 

I love this gospel! I love being a missionary! And I love all of you! 

Love, Sister Porter

QUOTE: "Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience; it is purchased by the blood of the Son of God." Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

Death Valley, Sin City, Saint City, whatever you want to call it, IT'S HOT. (06-22-2015)

This week we hit 118 degrees. Oofda!

So, I'm pretty torn, because I feel like we had a super awesome week! We worked so hard! And at the same time, I feel like we have nothing to show for it. But a quote I found recently has really helped me. It says, "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant." I'm becoming a great seed planter! 

We stopped at the Davis family home this week to meet them, not knowing that Sister Davis had just passed away last week. They have been less-active in the ward, and many of their family members who were there are not members of the church, but we were able to briefly share a spiritual thought to bring them some comfort. The Lord works in mysterious ways, and he comprehends what we can not. 

Some of the people we are working with are:

Isaiah and Jacob Sanford (brothers, 8 & 10)

The Denton family

The Diaz family

The Nicolosi family

Afa (Si'i's brother in law)

Darcy

Jenny

Raven

Adelina and Dana (Ivan's daughters)

These people are all amazing! Please pray for them. The Sanford brothers have a dad who is a member, and he and his wife were baptized about 5 years ago, then his wife passed away. He remarried pretty recently, and his new wife isn't a member. She is staunch Catholic (even though she doesn't necessarily practice it) and has little interest in the church, but at least she's fine with the boys learning and being baptized! Hopefully her heart will be softened as they continue to learn and grow in the gospel. Something way cool about it all is that the boys have high functioning autism, so I am loving working with them! The Lord is certainly preparing people just for me to teach. 

We had a great lesson with Afa this week! We found out that he is a musician, and loves to sing, play piano and guitar! Just like me! So he brought out his guitar and we all sang "How Great Thou Art" all in parts. It was awesome! Then I got to play the guitar for a bit. I'm getting pretty rusty already! :( 

Ivan is doing so well! We went to see him yesterday, and we are now starting to teach his teenage daughters, and he has requested that missionaries be sent to his wife who is still living in Belize working. They are an awesome family! He has the best stories, and the best perspective on life, and the best accent! It's fun to talk to him. The man in the picture was his brother, Franklin, who lives here in Henderson with his family. He is showing a little interest in the church now too, but he's not in our area so I don't know how much the elders have been able to teach. 

The Perez family is doing well also! Angela's sister had a baby yesterday, and Angela and Edwin are going to adopt him. It's so exciting! Edwin came to help us teach a lesson this week, and he was just on fire! He is not afraid to talk to anyone about the gospel. I'm so excited for when they will be able to go to the temple, and I will be here to go with them! 

I love you all! Keep on keeping on! The Lord will do it with you. 

Love, Sister Porter

"I'm not asking you to pretend to have faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have." -Jeffrey R. Holland

If I ever become one of those missionaries who talks out of the side of their mouth...just slap me. (6-15-2015)

Hello people! I hope you're all having a great day! 

Oh my goodness, so many adventures this week! On Wednesday we went on exchanges, so I went to Boulder City with Sister DeFrietas. It was awesome! We talked to a shirtless man who looked like Buddha, and he just wanted to challenge us. But I found him really amusing. It's a good thing I'm not easily flustered. 

Ivan's baptism was this week! Sister Unsted and I went to fill the font and get everything prepared. Ivan has both legs amputated just a little below his knees, so he was going to have to sit on the bottom of the baptismal font for his baptism. Sis Unsted sat down while it was still dry so we could put a marker on the wall to determine how deep the water needed to be (about 3 feet). Well, we got it filled to that point, then I reached in and felt it, and it was so cold! We still had some time so we decided to empty it a bit so we could fill it with more hot water. So I hiked up my skirt and reached down to unplug the font, then plug it again after a minute. We filled it up the rest of the way and everything was fine! The baptism began beautifully, and we waited until Ivan was in the water before opening the font doors. When the doors were opened we could see there was only about a foot of water!  Oh crud! Apparently the plug hadn't sealed. They tried doing it anyway, but there wasn't enough water. So we had to shut the doors and Ivan just sat there for about 10 minutes while we filled it up more. Then it took 3 more times to get his whole body under because his legs kept floating to the top since there wasn't enough counter weight. Good thing all of us had a good sense of humor and Ivan is the most patient, Christ-like man alive! Then, at the close of the baptism, I was leading the closing hymn, "Onward, Christian Soldiers," ...and it just was dead. It felt more like a funeral than a baptism! Some people weren't even singing, and others were just mumbling the words. So before the last verse I stopped and said, "Let's sing like the gospel is true!" Everyone lit up! People sat up straight in their chairs and smiled as they sang, 

"Onward, then, ye people; Join our happy throng. Blend with ours your voices in the triumph song: Glory, laud, and honor unto Christ the King. This through countless ages, men and angels sing. Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus, going on before."

It was wonderful. Then in Sacrament meeting the next day, the brother conducting said as he announced the hymn, "And as we were reminded yesterday, lets sing like the church is true!" It was pretty funny. I really love this area! I'm already dreading the day I'll have to leave! 

In the same Sacrament meeting, a young man was speaking in preparation to leave for his mission this week, and he parents also spoke. It was a very touching meeting. They are from American Samoa, and they had a LOT of family there! Everyone in the family, and in the bishopric, was wearing leis around their necks, and part of the father's talk he gave in Samoan. But the end of the meeting I just wanted to stand up with both fists in the air shouting, "Hurrah for Israel!" Just like Elder Kolipoki on "The Other Side of Heaven." It was awesome. 

Some of our investigators are having a hard time keeping their commitments and progressing, even thought they know it's true. Keep them in your prayers. 

Please don't forget what a privilege it is to be a member in the Lord's kingdom and a missionary at all times! I'm so grateful for my dad in being an awesome example of missionary work to me all of my life. He has never hesitated to talk to someone about the gospel or leave a pass along card. As Father's Day approaches, I am filled with gratitude for not only an amazing earthy father, but also my Heavenly Father. I want to honor Him with all that I am. I am so grateful to know that I am a daughter of a King, and that I have infinite potential in his kingdom! And for as much as I believe in Him, He believes in me so much more. He is yearning to bless us, comfort us, and guide us by the hand as we humble ourselves and recognize our place in this marvelous work. Don't give up! Just look up :) 

I love you all! Have a splendid week!

Love, Sister Porter

QUOTE: 

"I sought my soul, but my soul I could not see. 

I sought my God, but my God eluded me.

I sough my brother, and I found all three."

(6-08-2015)

Hi everyone! 

Wow. What a week! The Lord is building up His kingdom here in Henderson, NV, and I get to be a part of it! 

We've continued meeting with Ivan, and he is just the best. His baptism will be this Saturday! The ward has been very involved in helping since his baptism will be a little unorthodox (since he is missing his legs). It's been awesome to see everyone pitch right in and be willing to do whatever needs to happen. Ivan has so much faith. I swear, he's the one teaching me every time we go there. He got the Gospel Principles book last week and reads it whenever he's not reading the Book of Mormon. He's almost finished. 

Tiyannah and Al were baptized and confirmed this weekend! They are amazing youth with a determination to serve the Lord. Both of them are already planning on serving missions! 

We met a referral from the mission named Brandy this week. We got to her door and she said, "How did you know to come see me?!" She was pretty excited we were there. He mother just passed away, so we had an amazing lesson on the Plan of Salvation. She is determined to read the Book of Mormon and find out more! We'll see where it goes! Thank you, member missionaries!

On Saturday night we were leaving Si'i's apartment after teaching a new member lesson, and we ran into Sister Bench who lives in the same complex. She said, "Hey, Sisters! You want a missionary opportunity? Follow me!" So, of course, we followed! She introduced us to a young single mom who lives there also. Her boyfriend just went to jail, and she's feeling very alone. Her name is Bre. She said she was raised going to an LDS church, but she was never baptized. She wanted to come to church and meet with us as soon as possible! We played it pretty cool rather than dancing the victory dance we felt like doing! That took place in the car as we drove away :) Once again, thank you, member missionaries!

Yesterday we had an awesome missionary musical testimony meeting all focused on Christ. Our zone had such a good turn out. We had a less active member from our ward go, the Perez family, and Ivan and his daughters. It was so good! I really needed it. I was filled with such reverence and awe for the Lord, my calling, the faith of the members and investigators we have, the life experiences that have made me who I am, the people I hold dear in my life, and eternity as a whole. I am so grateful for an eternity to know that I am a daughter of a King who loves me and will help me succeed! I'm grateful to have an eternity with the ones I love! To grow, to learn, to love, to serve. Having this truth gives me so much confidence in my purpose!

I can't wait to someday take what I'm learning here and implement it in my own family. I want my family to be a full-purpose ward builder family! I want them to know who they are and why they are here. I want them to be like the sons of Mosiah, who could not bare the thought of another soul suffering without the gospel in their lives. I want them to have charity, and the courage to share God's love with everyone. I hope I can cultivate and retain all of these things in my personal life and be who God intended me to be, forever being a missionary. I love this work with all my heart, and I won't ever stop. 

I love you all! Have a blessed week! Look for the miracles. I promise they are there!

Love, Sister Porter

QUOTE: "Our commitment is supposed to be a test, it's supposed to be hard, it's supposed to be impractical in the terms of this world." -Hugh W. Nibley

First week of transfer numero dos! (6-01-2015)

Hello, all you wonderful people! 

So, this week has been good! The Fairview ward is on fire! Since Sister Unsted got here we have found 7 new investigators in that ward and we had a total of 31 lessons this week! Calico Ridge is struggling a bit... It is made up of a lot of gated communities which we are not allowed to proselyte in, so that makes it harder. Our only really way to be successful is through the members. So hopefully our enthusiasm for the work will spread a little bit and we can find more souls to bring unto Christ as the ward helps us out a bit. Our vision as a zone is to be full-purpose ward builders! 

We were teaching a recent convert, Chris Cooper, this week, and he just is so fun to teach! He was very impressed by my talk last week, and he brings it up every time he sees me now. So we were teaching him and something was said about how no one is perfect, and he stopped and said, "Except for Sister Porter! She is as close to perfect as it gets! She's the Mormonest Mormon there ever was!" I was dying laughing! Probably just because of the "Molly Mormon" label I've carried a lot of my life. But I am NOT perfect. At all. I'm just a sinner who keeps on trying (Nelson Mandel). I've created a little reminder for myself... "AAA"... triple A... "Apply the Atonement Always." Anytime I get a little down or frustrated, I remind myself of this. "Triple A, Sister Porter!" It works :) 

Another funny moment from this week... The other night we were on the phone with a man who was a referral for us. We were setting up a time to meet, and he said he just wanted to ask us a quick question. His question was why we now observe the Sabbath on Sundays rather than Saturdays as was the tradition of the Jews when Christ was on the Earth. We explained a bit about it being because of the Resurrection, how Christ was raised from the dead on Sunday, and with his atonement the law of Moses was fulfilled. We told him God has revealed that the Sabbath day is to be on Sunday, and he said, "Does God have the authority to change that day?!" I lost it! My body was shaking in silent fits of laughter as Sister Unsted answered, "Why, yes, he does!" It was pretty great. We will be meeting him in person tomorrow, so we will see how it goes! 

This Saturday Tiyannah and Al (Edwin and Angela's children) will be baptized! I'm so excited! They are so ready. Al (12) can pretty much teach the lessons to us at this point! And Tiy (13) really wants to be a missionary! They are the neatest! 

We have also started teaching Ivan, a double amputee from Belize! He will be baptized next week, June 13! He is probably the most golden investigator I will ever find. He is so convinced that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that this is the Lord's true church. I'm so grateful for humble people who are so willing to listen to the Spirit!

I'm striving to be more humble in all I do. Satan is sneaky, and pride is how he truly gets us! I've been praying to be more humble, and I know he's helping me! Thank you for all your prayers! I love each of you so much!

Love, Sister Porter

QUOTE: "Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It's thinking of yourself less." C.S. Lewis

Reading Sherlock Holmes prepared me to read Jesus the Christ. (05-25-2015)

In reference to the subject line, I'm sure that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and James E. Talmage would have been best friends! The complexity of their writing is fantastic!

Ok. I have like no time to write today. We have to get to a hair appointment for Sister Martin. 

BUT! We had such a great week! Not a lot of progress in the work, but we had several meetings and trainings that were very uplifting and inspiring. We had a meeting with Elder Clark of the 70 to prepared us to receive iPads to the mission soon, but the focus was really about our choices and eternity. It was amazing. I wish I had time to type all the notes I took! 

So, Sister Martin is getting transferred tomorrow! Sad, but good. It will be a chance for more growth! My new trainer will be Sister Unstead and I'm excited to get to know her. 

I spoke in church yesterday about missionary work, and it was so encouraging to see the members response! Several came up to me to compliment me and tell me that got them excited to do more missionary work. That was a good feeling. 

One of the members said, "You have to be the happiest person on the face of the planet!" and he told me my smile is contagious. That was also a good feeling :) 

Ok I've got to go. I'm sorry. I love you all! Have a good week!!!! Pray and smile always!

Love, Sister Porter

QUOTE: "It's hard to serve people you don't like, but it's harder not to like the people you serve."

Last week of transfer #1... What?! (05-18-2015)

Hello! 

This transfer has flown by! On Saturday we will be finding out if we are staying or going. Sister Martin has been here about 6 months, so she's feeling ready to move on. It's not super common to have more than one trainer (training lasts for the first 2 transfers/12 weeks), but a lot of people are thinking I will. I really don't know! 

So this week was...... interesting. Some eventful parts include a phone call that came Tuesday night around 10 after we had planned for the next day. A 47 year old investigator of ours sent a text saying, "Sister Porter, can you call me I have to ask you a question." As I was reading the text, the phone started ringing, so I answered it and put it on speaker phone so Sister Martin could hear also. This gentleman was calling to proclaim his love for me and ask if I returned his feelings! I told him I only had the most pure, Christlike attitude toward him and that I had no more feelings than that for him. He said that made him sad because he was really hoping that I loved him too. He went a little crazy after that, so we are no longer teaching him. HOWEVER, through him, we met Keith! Keith is this SUPER awesome 17 year old who absolutely loves the gospel, and we have set a baptismal date for him in June! The Lord works in mysterious ways!

Another interesting thing happened with a referral we had received... We were on our way to find this referral when we saw a woman walking in the apartment complex parking lot, so we started walking with her and talking about what we do, when she stopped walking she was in front of the apartment door we were about to go knock on! She was our referral! She told us she had been waiting for us to come for the past 2 weeks and she would love for us to come back! What a miracle! This woman seemed golden. Then we went back for the appointment and there was no answer. We left a note, texted her the next day (no reply), went back the next day (no answer), went back the next day (no answer even though we knew they were home)... then we went back a few days later and there was a sign taped to the door along with the card we had left her that said, "DO NOT DISTURB! NO THANK YOU!" I wanted to cry.

So, yes, this week has been a little discouraging. We are trying to get the members more involved in our work since we know that is the key! Please, remember the council of Elder Bednar! He said that the missionaries are to be full time teachers, and the members are to be full time finders! It would be amazing if we could just teach all day instead of feeling like we're wasting the Lord's time by going to return appointments where we just get stood up all day. Something that occurred to me this week is that in D&C section 4 when it says, "If ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work," no where does it say anything about being between the ages of 18 and 26, being single, being a life-long member, or any of that! And then I read in the section heading, and realized that this was a revelation given to Joseph Smith Sr., a member missionary! So cool. This is an admonition to anyone who wants to serve God, and you can do it right where you stand. So do it!

Also, I read a talk this week by President Uchtdorf given in the April 2014 Priesthood session of conference entitled, "Are you sleeping through the restoration?" He talks about how it seems like everyone has the idea that the restoration is already over. The truth is back on the earth, we have the Priesthood back, we have the Book of Mormon, everything is good, right? NO! The restoration is not complete until the Savior comes again! The restoration is a restoration of bringing souls back into God's presence, and that is not complete until EVERYONE has heard the true gospel and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done! Isn't that what the gospel is for? Giving us access to God?

Something awesome from this week is that Si'i called us wanting us to come over and answer some questions for her about the restoration. We weren't sure what kind of questions she would have, but when we went over she said, "Sisters, how do I tell other people why I believe what I believe? How do I share my testimony about the restoration?" AHHH! So cool. She's the best. We need more people like her! 

Also, Edwin and Angela's kids, Tiyanna and Al, are going to be baptized by their dad in June! They are such an awesome family! I love teaching them. 

I love you and miss you all! Please help the work move forward wherever you stand! God needs us on His side!

Love, Sister Porter

QUOTE: "Today is the oldest you've ever been, and the youngest you will every be again." #deep

You know you're in NV when...(05-11-2015)

You know you're in NV when... you do yard work, and it just consists of moving rocks, and you start to think, "Oh those are some nice looking rocks!", or when you think, "That's a really nice shade of brown!"

Hello friends and family!

So, this week felt kind of dead. We have a LOT of new investigators, but we're struggling with getting them to progress. We are also trying to get in contact with all of the referrals we've received, and that's a chore all in itself! But it means we stay busy!

Saturday was Si'i's baptism! It was absolutely beautiful. As she went down into the water, my companion and I were at the top of the stairs of the font waiting with her towel. I couldn't help crying. She is the most beautiful example of pure faith and love for our Savior, and she truly loves this gospel. 

Since Sunday was Mother's Day and we cover 2 wards, I heard a LOT about mothers and families! It made me so grateful for such a wonderful mother and such a supportive family! I love you all very much! I can't wait to be a mother and have a family of my own someday. Si'i was sitting with us in sacrament meeting, and her girls were all cuddled up next to me. They love us. Eventually they both fell asleep on my lap, one on each side. As watched them, I started to cry because I thought of how their lives will be different now since their mother has accepted the gospel. These 3 beautiful girls will probably go on to be baptized, live the gospel of Jesus Christ, be married in the temple, have callings, and raise families of their own. I was overcome with such love for these girls and I thought, "Father, I know you loves these girls so much. Thank you for letting me love them too." That's how I feel about each of our investigators, and how I know I will feel about my children someday. I'm just grateful for the love in my life, both that I receive and am able to give! 

The gospel is a gospel of love. Love is the motivator for everything we do, because it's the motivator for all Christ does for us. I have a quote that says, "Love is the great power to influence this world," and it's so true. Do all things with love. Without charity we are truly nothing. 

I love my Savior. I love finding others to share that love with. The Lord said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15) If we are ever tempted to vary from that which we know the Lord has set for us to do, we just need to ask ourselves how much we love the Lord. Do we love him enough to graciously accept the gift he has given us as he has paid a debt we could never hope to pay? And do we love him enough to accept him as our creditor? And follow the terms he has set? And still be rewarded beyond measure though we stand as helpless servants? It boggles my mind, but I'm ever so grateful!!! The gospel is the atonement, and it is real. I love it so much.

I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!

Love, Sister Porter

It's windy here, and we wear skirts. (05-04-2015)

Hey friends and family!

Well, it's been another week already! I can't even believe it! Friday was my 1 month mark for being a missionary! What?! Craziness. It's already flying by. We are so busy! We don't even have time to try to find more investigators because of the ones we already have and all of the referrals we get every day! It's great! 

We are also having fun. Last Preparation day our district went to a chocolate factory nearby,

so that was good! I really like my district. Then today a member took Sister Martin, another set of sisters, and I to the Hoover Dam. It's good to get a change of pace every now and then! 

Being myself and still being a missionary!

I've figured out how to be myself and still be a missionary, so that's good. Up to that point was kind of stressful. But I've figured out some new outlets for stress and I've been able to incorporate my sense of humor, which just makes me a much better missionary! 

We got to go to the temple on Friday with President and Sister Snow! We go as new missionaries together, and then we get to go  quarterly. It was so wonderful! The temple is gorgeous here! Afterwards we all had lunch together and took pictures. Then Saturday we had Zone Training Council, and that was so great! I got to know my zone a bit better and we had some really constructive discussions. We want to become a Zion Zone, or a zONE! Clever, huh? 

The Poulo Family!

Edwin and Angela Perez were baptized on Saturday and confirmed yesterday!!! Woohoo!!! They are the coolest couple, and they have an awesome family. The next step is to teach their older kids (11 & 13) so they can be baptized too. They are on fire with the gospel! I hope I continue to find people just like them all through my mission. Peter was drunk again 2 of the times we went to see him this week :( It's so sad. He's been drinking since he was 9, and his body just can't handle the withdrawals if he stops. Si'i Poulo is going to be baptized this Saturday! And her husband, who hasn't been very interested, came to church with her yesterday! They have 3 gorgeous girls who are 5, 4, and 2. They love church. They were running late to the meetings, but we had saved them a spot on the pew next to us. Then another family who was recently baptized came in and took the spot we had saved... we looked around and there was literally no where to sit. The chapel was so full because a couple in the ward was blessing their baby that day and there were tons of people visiting. We didn't know what to do! The baby blessing happened, and the Poulo family still wasn't there. As they came in we looked at them afraid we wouldn't have anywhere for them to sit, and lo and behold the bench behind us had opened up! A family who had been sitting there left as soon as the blessing was over. Miracle! Miracles happen every day. God is pretty awesome like that. 

Well, the work moves on! We are working hard! I love it! I'm bracing myself for the heat. Our car said that it got up to 109 degrees this week, but I'm pretty sure it's off. In any case, it's getting hotter. Pray for me! 

I love you all!!! 

Love, Sister Porter

Week of Miracles! (04-27-2015)

Hello friends and family!

This week has been CRAZY! Just to share a few experiences...

I taught the restoration at a man's door step in 7 minutes and he invited us back. That was cool. 

I did a street contact through our car window to a man sitting in his car at a stop light. That was cool too!

My companion and I went to teach Peter, a middle-aged man who has been receiving the lessons for the past 3 months and is so ready except that he can't kick the alcohol. When we (and the 2 members we had with us) arrived, he was wasted. He spent the whole time crying and yelling. It was an adventure to be sure! Pray for him. 

I went on my first exchanges with one of the Sister Training Leaders. It was so fun! She really showed me what it means to work hard and have fun at the same time. I hope I get to serve with her someday. We had a lot of success! We did meet one man, however, who would not let us get a word in edgewise. He had some awful misconceptions about the church, and wouldn't let us clarify or correct him at all. All we could do was say, "We're sorry you feel that way," and walk away. It was sad. I think I've given at least 20 speeches to myself as to what I would have said if he would have let me. 

We made a break through with Danny and Erin! Erin is a member, Danny is not. They've been living together forever and have 2 kids. Erin hasn't been active for most of her life, but they've become very active together in the past 3-4 months. Danny wants to get baptized so badly, but he can't until they get married, and Erin is afraid of getting married because of a past divorce. It's so sad! And it's pretty selfish on her part, in my opinion. But we had a lesson with us last night where we invited one of the bishopric members, and we taught about the priesthood. We talked about having the priesthood in the home, and what a blessing that would be to their family. We encouraged them not to hold themselves back from the blessings that they could have. Then we offered that they could receive a priesthood blessing right there from Brother Hills, and Erin had actually been thinking about asking for one. It was perfect, and very powerful. The Spirit was so strong! I hope they have the faith to move forward soon. 

Yesterday in church we were singing the sacrament hymn, and there were 2 extra verses that never get sung. As we were singing I thought about how I would love to sing those verses. I had a YW leader in MN who hated it when we didn't sing all the verses to the hymns, and I ended up adopting that same pet peeve. You don't get the full meaning of the song if you don't! But I thought we probably wouldn't, and then we did!! Also, I like to read sacrament hymns to myself while the sacrament is being passed, and I came upon "Jesus, Once of Humble Birth," which is one of my favorites, but we seem to only ever sing it at Christmas time. I knew they choir was singing that day, and I thought, "It would be so awesome if they would sing this!" and then they did!! Heavenly Father knows me! And He gives me tender little mercies to show me that He's aware of me. 

Si'i's husband joined us for a lesson! Hopefully he continues to join us. She wants him to accept the gospel so badly. 

The theme for church yesterday in both wards we attend was tithing and fasting, and all of the investigators who came to church with us had had that same lesson just this week! That was a miracle. Quote from Sacrament meeting, "Fasting and missionary work are kissing cousins." Haha!

Being here is hard. I won't lie. There are dogs outside our apartment who bard all hours of the night. I'm tired a lot. My companion and I aren't clicking like I would like us too. The weather is bi-polar! I freeze and sweat several times in the same day. Getting up at 6:30 every day is not always fun. I miss all of you! But the blessings far outweigh any sacrifices I feel I'm making! I am stretching and growing like never before! (Thankfully not physically... I'm determined not to gain weight! They will not make me fat!) There is work to be done, and I am here to do it. I am loving being a missionary. I want all of my efforts to be consecrated to the Lord. Thank you for your prayers! I feel them every day. The Lord is behind this work. He give strength to those who follow Him! Keep on keeping on! I love you all!

Love, Sister Porter

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"It's okay to be a glow stick... sometimes we have to break before we can shine."