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Monday, June 2, 2014

The Fourth Missionary

I love my mission with all of my heart. I love serving in the Great Kentucky Louisville Mission! I love my area. I love my companion. I love this time God has given me to learn, grow, and most of all, to change. A year ago, I was just finding out I'd be spending the next year and a half here. It's so unreal to think that I haven't been here forever!
My companion gave me a talk to read this last week and it changed my whole mission, my whole life. It's called "The Fourth Missionary" by Lawrence E. Corbridge. I believe he's an Area Seventy now. It's a long talk about four different kinds of missionaries. The first is disobedient and goes home early, either by his own choice or because he's sent home. The second is disobedient but stays his entire mission, and it benefits him nothing. The third and fourth missionaries are very similar. But the only difference is that the third does everything the fourth one does, except he doesn't give his heart or his mind to the Lord during his service. The fourth gives up everything--heart, might, mind and soul. The third missionary can work with all his soul and might, but without his head or heart in the work, it benefits him nothing.
I can't get over this talk and how much it has changed things for me. Being here in Hikes has been a refreshing new start for me. I'm excited to set goals, to change, to become better at things I've been lacking. This talk has really helped me see how I can do that. The only intelligent way to serve a mission (or to live life) is to give it everything: not only your might and soul, but your heart and mind. The Lord gives you everything: breath of life, food, shelter, families, talents, challenges, gifts, your body (might) and your soul. What can you give back that he hasn't already given you? The answer: your heart and mind. He can't take away your agency or ability to choose. You can go through the mission (or life in general) working with all your might and soul, but what does it benefit you if you don't put your mind and heart into it? Why do it at all? It's not intelligent. There's no point. You may do a lot of good, but for what?
I could go on and on, but I'm telling you, this talk has changed my whole mission! My whole life! I want to be the fourth missionary! That's my theme now! I'm going to be the fourth missionary, and when I go home, I'm still going to be the "fourth missionary" in everything I do: school, work, family, marriage, everything. (I tried to find the article online, but it isn't online anywhere. Must be just a mission-exclusive article.)
Alright, with that in mind, we had a really good week. I love my companion so much! She's the best! We get along great, we laugh a lot, we work well together, we trust each other, good communication. I could say a million great things about her! And we are learning so much from each other. I love it!
This week we saw some pretty great things happen and some not-so-great things as well. We got to go to the temple on Wednesday, which was amazing. I love the temple so much. Then we had an amazing lesson Friday night with our investigator Jose, who's getting baptized in a few weeks. We brought a member with us, and they hit it off right away. It was so fun to watch them just jabber on and on! We left after the lesson, and an hour later we saw them still talking in the parking lot! The member called us later SO excited that he was getting baptized. He was saying how he'd never met a friend like Jose before and that he was so excited to see him get baptized. :') Oh these people! Unfortunately we didn't have anybody in Church even though three said they would definitely be there. But there's always this week! :)
Also, a Puerto Rican lady told me I had an Italian accent last night.... That's not really the accent I was going for, but it'll do!
I have a million more things I could share, but that'll do for this week. :) I feel like I have changed so much from being out here in the mission. It's something my companion and I talk about all the time: change. Change is a good thing! I hope I come home a completely different person from the one you knew before. Be ready!
I love you all! Read your scriptures!!!
Hermana Porter
P.S. Did you all see the "Because of Him" video they released around Easter? If not, watch it! It's AMAZING! Gives me chills every time! https://www.lds.org/youth/video/because-of-him?lang=eng

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