Jellyfish Potatoes

Well well well, another week in the life of Hermana Porter!

This week was interesting... weather-wise. Tuesday it was 80 degrees out. 80!! We were out contacting, having a grand old time, loving life. Then Wednesday it all dropped back down, and yesterday it snowed a bit. Not enough to close the library though! ha ha!

Ok, so three main things happened this week....

Jellyfish Potato Guy: We were just getting home one night around 9, and when we pulled into the apartment, there was an older man (about 60-65) by his car next to us. Perfect opportunity right? We started talking to him about the weather, etc. And then he found out we were missionaries... This guy... I don't even know where to begin!! He started asking us questions about the Holy Ghost, quizzing us on the Bible, who-said-what, yada yada. But then he started getting all conspiracy theoretical, and I just went bonkers in my head. I felt the Spirit leave because he was not saying any sort of correct doctrine. He kept saying stuff about how it wasn't Adam and Eve, but Adam and Lulleth. He also started using our doctrine of the three kingdoms of glory against us, saying that "I don't know what God's going to do with you all and your gold plates, but I know I've made it into your Celestial Kingdom with God." He then started talking about why the sun is so bright, that all of our food is poisoned from the radiation in the air, that GMO's are in the potatoes (he was telling us some farmer in Idaho crosses his potatoes with jellyfish, so if they glow, he knows they need water....), that the trumpets are already going off around the world.... We were stuck talking to him for an hour and a half. I mean, he wasn't mean or anything, but he just thought he'd take it upon himself to teach us everything he says he knows about religion and God.... I just remember going into the apartment and saying in my prayers that night that I was SO SO grateful for the sure knowledge that I have of God's plan, who He really is, who Jesus is and who the Holy Ghost is, etc. I just can't imagine living a life where I don't know these things for a sure fact. There's no guessing with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We know through modern revelation and prophets of God what the true doctrine of Jesus Christ is and everything else we need to know in order to progress in this life and make it back to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father again someday. It's all there. Small and simple. By small and simple things are great things brought to pass!

We had interviews with President this week and a training from the AP's. That was fun. Except we had to do teaching role plays in English, and I realized how much I fail in English now. I have a hard time teaching in English. I'm so used to teaching in Spanish now that I don't have the words for English. It sounds weird. My interview with President went well. He talked to me a lot about 2 Nefi 4 and how to recognize when Satan's being a jerk, basically. It was what I needed to hear. Hna. Lawrence and I both have a feeling that she'll be leaving this next transfer and I'll be taking over Corydon. AH. I don't want to think about it. Hna. Lawrence is just too awesome.

Josue's baptism is still a-go on the 29th!!! PRAY that it all goes as planned please! We're working our butts off trying to get him 100% ready and excited. He talks a lot about his baptism now, so that's awesome. He even talks to other people about it. They'll be talking to him at work, telling him not to get baptized, that it's stupid, and he'll tell them, "I don't care what you think. I'm getting baptized." I wish you all knew him! I wish I could package Josue into a box and send him to you all so you knew exactly what I am talking about!!! I can't explain him! He's had such a miraculous change in his life from what he used to be. I actually wish you all knew Corydon like I do.... I can't do it justice. I'm going to miss these people when I leave. I can't imagine being anywhere else. D:

Hermana Lawrence and I were talking last night about the mission and how a year ago we never imagined being where we are now. I didn't even know a year ago that I was going to serve in Kentucky! The mission really prepares you for everything else in life. And the things you experience on a day-to-day basis on the mission are things you can't explain to anyone else. It's impossible. I can already tell I'm going to have a hard time going home and trying to share with you all what I experienced these 18 months. I just can't! The longer I'm out, the more I learn, the more I experience.... I just can't do it justice trying to explain it to yall. I can try, but unless you've served a mission and experienced the heartbreak, the joy, the exhaustion, the happiness that you experience only on a mission, it's not something I'll ever be able to share. Meh. I don't want to think about it. I'm on a mission for the rest of my life.

One last thing. We were talking to Elder Earl, one of the English-speaking Elders here in Corydon, about the new family history program we're getting started here in Corydon, and somehow we all started talking about missions, being missionaries, and especially about the age-lowering of missionary service. Hna. L and I both said that if the age hadn't been lowered, we probably wouldn't have served--which is weird since we couldn't imagine being anywhere else. And he said something that really hit me: "Can you imagine what's coming in the future if God is needing 2-Return Missionary-Parent Households?" Gave me chills! Most children born into the church in the future will have parents who both served missions. The work is definitely hastening! The Lord needs parents who focus their children on missionary work and sharing the Gospel.

I love you all!

Hermana Porter