[No Subject]

Helloooooo World!

Sorry I'm emailing a day late! They switched our pday today because we are going to the TEMPLE today!!!!!!!!!! Woo!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited! Bring on the revelation!!!!!!!!!!

SO! It's freezing cold! It snowed this weekend when I was in Louisville on an exchange (I was in Hikes! My old area!). That was quite the interesting day because we literally walked all over town for about 4 hours...WHILE it was snowing. But hey, can't complain; at least I'm not serving in Minnesota or Alaska.... My companion is getting quite the kick out of me being from Arizona. She's keeping a quote book of all the things I say about the cold. For example, the other night it was about 45 degrees out, and we were cleaning the windows of the car and I asked, "Is this going to freeze?" :P You never know!

We have experienced some pretty awesome miracles this last week. We are teaching these two elderly sisters here in Shelbyville whose daughter/niece in Ohio just got baptized two or three years ago and is now being a great member missionary (from afar). It's great! Their names are Mary and Nancy, and they are both so receptive to the gospel. It's amazing! And then we met this other new lady, Hortensia, on the street the other day. I felt like we should walk from the library to the Mexican restaurant where our next lesson was going to be, and we ran into Hortensia and her two kids. She had investigated about 5 years ago for quite a while, and now she's so receptive. Her first question to us was, "How does the Spirit work? And how can I recognize it?" Well well well let us tell you!! There's a whole chapter on that in Preach My Gospel! ;) She's Pentecostal, so she's got a VERY different perspective on how the Spirit works, but she's open and wants to know!

One thing I've learned as a missionary is how church will be as a mother someday. Goodness, Sundays are not a day of rest out here! We have to wrangle in the investigators, and some of recent converts happen to be kids, so we have to make sure they stay OFF the tables in Primary and stay INSIDE the building at all times. It's a workout!!! I have a new-found respect for mothers.... Phew!

Well, time sure is winding down. I don't know whether to panic or just stay calm...problem is, I try to stay calm, but inside I'm freaking out. Oh well. Life keeps going on! I'm enjoying every second I have out. Although I've really been doubting myself lately, especially my ability to follow the Spirit, I know I can keep moving forward and working on my weaknesses. I love being a missionary. It's the best thing I could've done. EVER. I love my life right now. Cherish every moment, even the hard ones!!!

Read your Book of Mormon yall! Keep on truckin'! Love yall!

Hermana Porter

[No Subject]

Hello everyone!

Can I just say I am so grateful for life? Sometimes I just wonder why Heavenly Father is so wonderful and giving. Even in hard times, He's so merciful. We just have to notice His tender mercies everywhere we look.

We had a great week! Eric got baptized on Saturday. It was a small but beautiful service. I think he thinks we're not coming back to teach him cause he was freaking out on Sunday about when we're coming back to visit him haha. His mom really felt the Spirit at the baptism. We're working on her next. I'm just so happy Eric is baptized now. He's going to be such an example to his family. :)

We finished up our exchanges this last week. There are two companionships of hermanas in Lexington, so we exchanged them both last week. I love Lexington! Wish I could've served there! I just miss being in the city where there's tons of people to talk to outside, whether it's hot or cold. I am so grateful that I get to work with so many wonderful hermanas. I learn so many things from their examples, and I'm grateful I get to pass on some "wisdom" to them before I go. It's been humbling and inspiring being a leader and getting to help the hermanas catch the vision and become the missionary and people Heavenly Father needs and wants them to be. We have the BEST mission.... I will take on anyone else who disagrees. ;) haha. I really do love my mission. Go GKLM!!!

Today is transfers, but we didn't go because Hermana Graham and I are staying together another transfer!!! WOO! I am SO grateful for that. Hermana Graham is my soul sister!!! I know we were meant to be friends. We just get each other, and I can't thank Heavenly Father enough for letting us be companions. We learn so much from each other every day. It's inspiring and motivating. I love her to death!!! She goes home in 6 weeks, so I'm just grateful I get her for her final 2 transfers.

I guess my greatest fear after leaving the mission is not being able to feel the Spirit as much as I do now. I am constantly aware of how surrounded I am by the Spirit all the time because I can feel the stark difference when it leaves. I want to be as close to the Spirit as possible after my mission. It's worth anything to keep by me at all times. Help a sister out yall!

Well, I am going to get heading out since we don't have a ton of time today. Just know that I'm happy, content, and peaceful about everything right now. I love everyone and everything!!! It's a peace that can only be found in the Gospel. I love it. :)

LOVE YOU!!!!!!

Hermana Porter

[No Subject]

Hellooooooooooooo todos!!!

My goodness it is cold! But it's ok because I've discovered what Biscoff is, and I'm in 7th Heaven. Mmmm :)

This week went pretty well! We had two exchanges with some wonderful hermanas. I learn so much from every exchange I go on. What a privilege! Everyone is so different, and I've seen how my experiences have been able to help some of the hermanas. I even got a thank you note from one of them the other day! :) I just love being an STL. Plus my companion is amazing! I really don't know what I would've done if I wasn't her companion! I am SO grateful for her. Gah! Hermana Graham rocks!

This week was really busy. On Monday evening we went to a mall (my first time ever on my mission...weird) before going to the mission home. All the STLs (8 of us) spent the night in the mission home and helped Sister Brough with dinner and taking down the Christmas decorations. We even got to sit at the dinner table and talk to President about some issues the mission is facing. It was so great! Then the next day all the Zone Leaders came for our Mission Leadership Council, and I felt like I was sitting in a the hall of Greats. It was ridiculous but wonderful. I was kind of wondering, "Uh, what am I doing here?" But it was an amazing 7 hour meeting. I was very inspired and motivated to help and improve. Both President and the APs trained us. The AP training was my favorite. We talked about how we can help self-motivate other missionaries. Then they gave us STLs a talk entitled "The Belief Window" by Hyrum W. Smith. WOW. It has changed by LIFE! You can't find the audio online, but I'm going to have to copy it and bring it home for yall cause it's amazing.

So that was fun! We then had an exchange with the Hurstbourne hermanas, and then we had another exchange on Saturday with the Paris hermanas. It was pretty fun! :) We also had to do a training in a Zone Meeting, so that was crazy. We trained the zone on how to drop investigators who aren't progressing. It was pretty funny and spiritual. :)

OH! And we're having a BAPTISM this Saturday!!! Eric is a 9 year old we've been teaching, and he's so ready for baptism! His sister Brianna (11) got baptized in November. It's going to be great! I feel like a proud mom! :) He knows it all! And just when you think he's not retaining much, he blurts it all out and you realize, "Yep, he's definitely ready." haha.

I just love the mission. I really really really do. I feel so lucky and privileged and blessed. I am so inspired and love the Spirit. I just love this Gospel! I just want to give it to everyone!!!! Everyone within reading distance of my email, GO ON A MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!! It'll be the best thing you ever do!!!!!! I am just filled with too much love and happiness and inspiration. I've gotta go share it!!!!!!!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!

Hermana Porter

[No Subject]

Hellooooooooooooo todos!!!

My goodness it is cold! But it's ok because I've discovered what Biscoff is, and I'm in 7th Heaven. Mmmm :)

This week went pretty well! We had two exchanges with some wonderful hermanas. I learn so much from every exchange I go on. What a privilege! Everyone is so different, and I've seen how my experiences have been able to help some of the hermanas. I even got a thank you note from one of them the other day! :) I just love being an STL. Plus my companion is amazing! I really don't know what I would've done if I wasn't her companion! I am SO grateful for her. Gah! Hermana Graham rocks!

This week was really busy. On Monday evening we went to a mall (my first time ever on my mission...weird) before going to the mission home. All the STLs (8 of us) spent the night in the mission home and helped Sister Brough with dinner and taking down the Christmas decorations. We even got to sit at the dinner table and talk to President about some issues the mission is facing. It was so great! Then the next day all the Zone Leaders came for our Mission Leadership Council, and I felt like I was sitting in a the hall of Greats. It was ridiculous but wonderful. I was kind of wondering, "Uh, what am I doing here?" But it was an amazing 7 hour meeting. I was very inspired and motivated to help and improve. Both President and the APs trained us. The AP training was my favorite. We talked about how we can help self-motivate other missionaries. Then they gave us STLs a talk entitled "The Belief Window" by Hyrum W. Smith. WOW. It has changed by LIFE! You can't find the audio online, but I'm going to have to copy it and bring it home for yall cause it's amazing.

So that was fun! We then had an exchange with the Hurstbourne hermanas, and then we had another exchange on Saturday with the Paris hermanas. It was pretty fun! :) We also had to do a training in a Zone Meeting, so that was crazy. We trained the zone on how to drop investigators who aren't progressing. It was pretty funny and spiritual. :)

OH! And we're having a BAPTISM this Saturday!!! Eric is a 9 year old we've been teaching, and he's so ready for baptism! His sister Brianna (11) got baptized in November. It's going to be great! I feel like a proud mom! :) He knows it all! And just when you think he's not retaining much, he blurts it all out and you realize, "Yep, he's definitely ready." haha.

I just love the mission. I really really really do. I feel so lucky and privileged and blessed. I am so inspired and love the Spirit. I just love this Gospel! I just want to give it to everyone!!!! Everyone within reading distance of my email, GO ON A MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!! It'll be the best thing you ever do!!!!!! I am just filled with too much love and happiness and inspiration. I've gotta go share it!!!!!!!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!

Hermana Porter

[No Subject]

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can I just shout it from the rooftops?! :D I seriously love my life. I really really do. I just want to be a missionary forever!!!

This last week was quite eventful! Maybe I'll just write it out day-by-day:

Tuesday, I was in LaGrange on a exchange (haha that rhymed) all day. It went so well! They had some investigators there that I really clicked with. I shared a lot about my conversion story, and I totally empathized with one of the girls they are teaching. At the end of the lesson, she said, "I really need to do my reading. I need to read the Book of Mormon!" It was great! Then when we exchanged back that night, Hermana Graham filled me in on some mission drama that had happened since I'd been gone. It was CRAZY. It's weird to be on the inside circle....

Wednesday was New Years Eve. I had a breakdown on Thursday morning, realizing that is was 2015 and the mission is ending soon. I was a weepy mess. Hermana Graham and I have both been so up and down lately with emotions. It's quite the sight haha. I just felt so sad realizing that it's the year I go home. On one hand I'm excited to see everyone again, but I also feel a lot of panic inside knowing I have to go back to normal life. It's just hitting home. I just got permission to go online and pick out my classes at BYU. AH. I don't want to have to think about this stuff yet! Ugh! Then to make matters worse, I hit a bird on Wednesday, and I'm pretty sure I killed it.  

But anyway, I'm not turning this into a little crying-sesh for yall. haha. Aside from my little late-mission-crisis, it was pretty good week. We are teaching some great families and seeing miracles all over. Our exchanges were pretty fun! I got to go back to Hikes for a day! That was fun!! They are working with some great people. Hikes is the area I was in for just one transfer. My greenie that I trained is there, but I worked with her companion, Hermana Magalei, this time. She's from Hawaii. She's so fun and loving! I also got to stay in Shelbyville with Hermana Graham's greenie, Hermana Farris, all day Friday. It was pretty great!

I love going on exchanges and working with all the hermanas! Sometimes it's crazy because I miss my own companion haha but I learn a lot from everyone. It's such a blessing! I love the GKLM!!!!!

 

Also. Bradon sent me a magazine about sheep. I have to admit, it was pretty funny. My comp and I were on the floor laughing for a good while. But I still hate sheep!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep movin forward yall! Pray for miracles and read the scriptures and eat some tamales, and all will be well!!!!!!!!! :)

Love from the GKLM!

Hermana Porter