Patience

Well. This week I found out Heavenly Father definitely has a sense of humor! Just when I was thinking to myself, "Wow, Hermana Porter, you have actually become a more patient person! Good job!"  .........

- My curling iron broke halfway through curling my hair yesterday, about an hour before church...the little metal coil under the handle broke, so now there's no spring to keep it closed! And my comp didn't have a curling iron... and my hair is too short to pull into a bun....can anyone say bad hair day?

- The missionary email system got shut down for a few hours this morning and we couldn't get on until just now.

Like I said, Heavenly Father gives you... opportunities, to develop Christlike attributes when you pray to develop them. And you just have to take em as they come and be grateful--no matter how hard it is!

This week was quite the trial for me. On Tuesday I went to the doctor because I was feeling a lot worse and showing signs of bronchitis (Ain't nobody got time for that! Especially a missionary!!!). I had an upper respiratory infection that would've turned into it had I let it go any longer. They put me on antiobiotics and prescribed "rest", but I didn't want to rest! I wanted to work! But then the next day we had interviews with President & Sister Brough, and they ordered me to rest. So that's what I did for two days. It was so hard and frustrating for me. The sleep felt nice, but it was frustrating because I told myself I was going to work harder than ever this transfer. The first two weeks were going great, and then I crashed. I just remember breaking down frustrated, saying, "I don't want to end my mission like this!" But then I remembered that sometimes God has a different plan than we do. We need to learn to be ok with it, come what may.

I've been focusing a lot this week on how we need to make God's will and plan, OUR will and plan. Like they said in the Women's Conference on Saturday evening, "If it's God's plan, it should also be our plan." We can't change God's will or plan no matter how much we may want to, and we shouldn't try to force our own. That's what Satan tried to do. Heavenly Father knows better than we do. We have to be humble and prayerful enough to learn it and accept it. Honestly, we're a whole lot happier when we do!

Luckily I am feeling better now and back to normal. Thank you antibiotics and priesthood blessings! I am ready to serve hard and work hard these next two weeks. April is coming up this week, but I'm trying not to think about it. We have been seeing a lot of success with some great people we're teaching and working with, and I'm going to keep working hard with them til the very end. I just love Kentucky and never want to leave!!!! (Spring in Kentucky is BEAUTIFUL. Just sayin!)

Well, my friends, have patience. Trust God. And believe in Him! Also, watch this video and share it with EVERYONE!!!!!! That's what we're doing! #BecauseHeLives

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-shares-because-he-lives-easter-initiative

Hermana Porter

Lifetime of Learning

It never ceases to amaze me how much I am learning each week. So many things have happened this past week...where do I even begin!

We went out of town for two days on a couple of blitzes in Evansville and Owensboro. Because of some things that happened there, I learned 3 very important lessons:

1. I finally learned the meaning of charity. I'm not perfect at applying it yet, but I had an epiphany of sorts this week. We need to havecompassion on each other. Having charity means having compassion. This means giving each other the benefit of the doubt and not focusing on each others' weaknesses and bad qualities. Focus on others' strengths! We wouldn't want others to focus on our bad qualities! And just be nice!

2. EXACT obedience is key! It's not enough to be kind of obedient or to kind of follow the rules. Follow them with exactness; don't look for loopholes; and be responsible! You will earn God's respect as you show Him you are worthy of it. In everything you do, think of Christ. You can't stand before Him confidently and say you truly love Him if you aren't even willing to obey His commandments with exactness. Show you deserve His trust and revelation by your acts of obedience. EXACT OBEDIENCE BRINGS TRUE HAPPINESS! And you can never be too obedient!

3. This kind of goes along with the last one. It's a quote from Preach My Gospel that I wrote down on the final day of my planner: "The attitude you have toward your mission experience is a reflection of your love toward your Heavenly Father and His Son and yourrespect for the priesthood." I love my mission. I haven't served perfectly, but I have tried. I am trying my hardest to show God that I truly love Him and am truly thankful for my mission experience. I love my Heavenly Father. I love my Savior. I'm not perfect at showing it, but I'm trying to.

Although this week was kind of rough, I know that the experiences I had helped me have those little revelations. Like I said, I'm amazed at how much I'm still learning!

I've been sick most of the week, and last night I finally got a blessing. But I woke up today feeling a lot worse. It started off as allergies last weekend, but this weekend it turned into a phlegmy cough. My whole body hurts, and I feel absolutely drained. It's a little frustrating because I really wanted to work hard this final transfer. I was working the hardest I ever had the first two weeks, but this last week really slowed me down. I want to work! I want to find! But I was reminded in my blessing that I need to rest too. Meh. Ok.

Last thing: Nancy is AMAZING! She is our little miracle! She has come to church every Sunday since we met her, has been reading in the Book of Mormon every day and praying, and this last week she informed us that she quit watching CMT on Sundays and started watching BYUTV instead! haha. She also said she drove to Crestwood the other day and tried to look for the temple but didn't quite get there. She is such a gem! This week we're watching the Women's Conference with her and having her over to a member's home to teach her a lesson. She is teaching ME so much!!!!

I love life. I love my mission. Hope it never ends.

Hermana Porter

[ No Subject]

What a week it's been. I don't even know where to start!

Hermana Graham went home. I miss her dearly!! It was SO different when she left....made me pretty sad for a few days. She's a tough presence to fill! But it's ok. I'll see her soon! I just miss her so much! She's really inspired me to be better and to make this last transfer the best.

My new companion is Hermana Hopwood. She's sweet! She's been out for about 11 months, and this is her third area. She just came from Lexington. She's from Colorado. Nice girl!

The day after Hermana Graham left, a HUGE snow storm rolled in. We got about a foot of snow, and all day Thursday we weren't allowed to use our car. So we walked around, as far as we could go, in a foot of snow to try and find people to teach. It was good! The only thing that frustrated me though is that we couldn't go to the other half of the area we took over from the Spanish Elders. I was feeling really frustrated that we couldn't go meet all the investigators and less-actives they've been working with; I felt pretty stuck.

We spent the first few days organizing the two area books, going through formers, organizing like crazy. You know how I get when I get to cleaning and organizing stuff. My poor companion probably thinks I'm crazy haha. When I get doing something my way, I get a little lost in it. But we have most of it all organized and cleaned up, so I feel a little better. Eventually we made it out of the house and got to use the car again, and we finally met all the new people. We have been talking to people like crazy and meeting people all over the place. So many Hispanics!!! I love it!!! There is PLENTY of work to do here these next few weeks!

Guess what! I went on an exchange with the Lexington Hermanas, and one of them is the brand new Hermana Imlay! :D She and I talked about Hurricane a bit. She told me when she met you, Mom haha. She's great. :) She'll be just fine out here. I'm excited to see where her mission takes her! I'm glad I got to work with her once before I go!

The work is really on fire here, and we're excited about it. Nancy came to church for the third time yesterday, and her daughter and son-in-law came to visit from Ohio. It was fantastic! Please keep her in your prayers; she's struggling to quit coffee, so we're working hard with her. We also are working with lots of other wonderful people. I'm excited to see what else happens this transfer.

I've really determined not to think about the end of this transfer. I'm working hard, giving it all I have and giving the Lord whatever else I have left to consecrate. Hermana Graham really inspired me, and I'm excited to work hard and give it what I have these next few weeks. Lots of hard work coming up, but I'm ready for it! Here we go!

Love you all! Read the Book of Mormon!

Hermana Porter

[No Subject]

The Big News

Well, here's the transfer news! My greenie, Hermana Gamett, is training!! I'm going to be a grandma!! She's going to do so well! :) We also have 3 other hermanas training. President Brough is also closing the Shelbyville Spanish Elders' area, so it's combining with ours.... That's going to be huge. Our area just got a whoooole lot bigger. Well, at least we'll have plenty of work to do my final transfer. One zone got dissolved, and lots of areas are getting rearranged...should be an interesting transfer meeting tomorrow! Plus we're losing 26 missionaries and getting 10 new ones. AH!

Also....we're getting a new car tomorrow. I hope it's a new Corolla. Those things are niiiice.

I think that's about it for big news!

The Funny Stuff

We saw a duck get hit by a car on Friday. It just planted itself in the middle of the lane, and all of the sudden we see this big hunk of duck go rolling down the street, feathers everywhere. Ugh, it was horrible. We saw it just relaxing in its final moments.... It was a good, solid duck too!

The Spiritual Stuff

Ok, now for some miracles. Last Saturday (the 21st) I had stepped into a huge slushy pile of cold water and snow, so Hermana Graham and I decided to go buy some Little Caesar's instead of cooking because we were so frozen. As we were walking out with our pizza, a middle-aged man with two teenage girls stopped and he said, "Look, it's the sisters!" We were confused because we'd never seen him before, so we stopped and talked to him. Turns out he's a less-active from Minnesota and has lived in Shelbyville for a while, but he's never come to Church. Last night we stopped by to see him and his family, and he told us that about how he converted, how he used to be the YM's president for a while, and why he fell away. Then he told us, "That day I met you at Little Caesar's, I had told myself just 3 hours before, 'If I ever run into the elders or the sisters again, I know it's time to come back to the Church.' " And sure enough, that's when we ran into him! Isn't that a miracle?! And to make things better, he has two daughters who want to get baptized!! What a miracle!

Nancy is doing fantastic too. She came to church on Sunday for the second time and just loved it. Axel also came too. We had quite a few Spanish members there! They reorganized the Bishopric yesterday, and it was also fast and testimony meeting. It was probably the most spiritual sacrament meeting I've ever been in. I learned so much from the testimonies that were shared and from observing the young families and wonderful members we have here in Shelbyville. My heart was full.

My dear Hermana Graham is leaving me tomorrow. It hasn't been hitting her, but it finally did when we woke up at 6 am to do our deep cleaning this morning. I just listened to her and hugged her as she cried. I'm going to miss her so much. Of all the companions I've had, she's affected my life and my future the most. I don't know how I'm going to do 6 more weeks without her! She's inspired me beyond my mission. My life goals and aspirations are hire because of the things we learned together. She's one of the closest friends I've ever had.

Well. I'm going into my final transfer. It's been weird being with Hermana Graham and just being a transfer behind her. She's been so focused on the work, that it hardly seems real. I've been watching what's going to happen to me. Honestly, it scares me. It hit me on Sunday, March 1st, that I'm finishing. This next transfer is going to be extremely busy with combining areas, MLC, 10 exchanges, General Conference, and 2 baptisms...but it's inevitable. It ends! I can't focus on it. I'm going to finish strong and focus on the here-and-now. I'm going to give God whatever it is I have left to give and leave the mission a bit stronger than it was before.

It's happening! Here we go GKLM! Stay strong, work hard, fight hard, love hard y'all!

Hermana Porter