Wow, como vuelan las semanas

The days are like weeks, and the weeks are like days. One of the truest statements I have ever heard concerning the life on the mission.

This week was good :) 

Tuesday we had this super awesome member present with Jessica and the Relief Society president. I love member presents! The spirit was so strong and the President was crying and she bore her testimony. But sadly Jessica still didn’t come to church this week, so she no longer is on a date to be baptized :(

Then we went to mutual with the young men and women. We went to the corn maze (sorry forgot my camera) Karina (English class) and her 2 kids came as well. It was an awesome activity to help fellowship Karina. It’s really interesting teaching her, because she isn’t open really to have us meet to talk about the gospel and the church, but she is interested. So we just slyly sneak in lessons and doctrine and stuff. So she is an investigator without knowing it.

Then another miracle in the corn maze. We wore our church clothes to the maze for some reason. During the activity I was wondering why we wore them. But as we were walking to the cars, a girl came up to us and asked if we were missionaries. Then she asked if we knew some of the other elders in the zone. They had been teaching her family. So we asked them and they said that they had been trying to get in contact with them for forever. So we were able to get her number, and they have an appointment this week :)

This week has been good with English class, they have improved so much and it is really starting to show! Love English class!

Funny story: We were at lunch with a member, and they were asking Elder Haris about his family. He was trying to tell them what his dad does for work. He tried to say "my dad works for a coal mine," but instead he said "my dad works for an a** mine." I was just dying!!!!!!!!! Some of the things trainees do are so funny.

Then on Friday we went on exchanges. I went back to Goshen with Elder Blood. Man was that just a blast!! So much fun being with Elder Blood again. Saturday we had dinner with Antonia, Cesar, and Julio and it was just awesome to see them again! 

Sunday: AWESOME. So Karina (from English class) and her three kids came to church and liked it enough that they said they would come back next week :0 AWESOME! Her daughter was singing all the primary songs and enjoying it. And Fransisco came to church too :)

Pic: a selfie when we rode our bikes forever to an appointment, and then couldn’t find their house, and they didn’t answer their phone. So I guess the blessing is that I burned calories from the long ride ;)

Love ya’ll

Elder Porter

Ya hace frio :(

It’s starting to get cold here :( I don’t like the cold here in Indiana, too wet and no skiing. but its only one more winter here so that will be fine :)

So on Tuesday we went on exchanges, I was with elder Ebeling in Goshen. We did lots of tracting and stuff.  It was pretty fun. But the highlight was when we took a quick stop at a car dealership called "THE TOY BARN" which is this car dealership for exotic cars (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mclaren) and they let us take pictures with the cars! Super sick!

On Wednesday we had a cool chance to help the cub scouts out with a project they were trying to do. They couldn’t figure out how to do one of their activities in the book, so we were walking by the room and they asked us to help them. It was super fun! 

This Saturday we had a super fun branch activity, we were celebrating "Hispanidad" which I don’t know how to translate, but something like "Hispanicness" or "Hispanicity" it was super fun and cool! Karina from English class came with her kids and loved it, and the members invited her kids to come to mutual, so they are going to go this Tuesday. Maria the (was) super solid lady with the glass eye came with her daughter, and a former named Jairo came. It was super fun! And then the members had a dance after the party, and watching all of them dance was super cool! When the "cha cha slide" came on though it was really hard for me not to go out and do it. :( 

So yesterday we were sitting in correlation meeting, and I realized that they had asked me to speak in sacrament, and I had totally spaced it! But God is merciful and he had been preparing me for a couple weeks with a whole bunch of verses that I had found in Alma. SO I gave a pretty good talk on the spot. But man was it scary! But the branch president liked it so that’s all that matters right? haha.

Love you all!

Elder Porter

Fun at the Car store

Me and a viper - sorry Britt!

Esta semana fue una montana rusa

First of all my ponderize scripture this week is Alma 38:5.

And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

 I found it yesterday during personal study, and it was so good I just had to choose it. Especially in light of how hard this week was at moments. It is so true though that as we put our trust in God, we are helped. 

I was talking to some of the young women in the branch after church yesterday. And I was asking them why when 3 of their siblings don’t come to church, they still chose to come to church, even when they aren’t forced too. They said that what they see happen with their siblings is that as they go through hard times, they don’t seem to be able to cope with it as much. But when these girls go through hard times, they are able to cope with it better. 

So this week was good, and bad. 

We taught Jesica on Tuesday, and we got her to commit to baptism on Nov. 7! So we are super stoked about that. But she promised to come to church, and we even stopped by and reminder her before it started, and she still didn’t show up. So up and then down. We are still hopeful that she progresses. We fasted for her yesterday.

So Wednesday we had a ways to bike from a less actives house, to Choba's. And half way there, my bike tire popped again. So I was just like whatever, and locked it to a street sign and started walking. Then some nice member from the Chicago mission gave us a lift to Chobas. Then we called the Elders Quorum President to help us out with the bikes cuz he has a truck. He picked us up and then we went for the bikes. Then we got to the bike shop and it was CLOSED! Ugh. So ya. But then he gave us a lift on Thursday morning to the bike shop. I just replaced the tube and the tire cuz I was sick of repairing it. It was like the 10th flat this past month! So hopefully I don’t have any more problems!

So I have loved teaching English class, but at the same time we haven’t gotten any investigators from it, so I was wondering if it was a worthwhile effort. But this week one of the students that really wants to learn texted us and told us that we have really helped her draw closer to God again through our example. So that was awesome! So example is really strong! Even though we only share scriptures with them at the beginning, and then share English grammar and words. We can help people increase their faith.

Saturday was probably one of the hardest days I have had in my mission. We drove out to Bristol which is like 10 miles away, and the lesson fell through. So we started tracting and no one answered. Then we had a good lesson with this lady named Laura, she could have some potential.  Then there was absolutely nothing for the rest of the day. We tracted and no one answered. Tried going by potentials and less actives, no one answered. It was just awful! But I got through it, and it is over so that’s nice. 

Yesterday was good, we had dinner with a less active, and she made this twist on mole which was good. I really enjoy less actives. But even better was the fact that they said they are coming to church this next Sunday!!!!!!!

Also yesterday one less active that was like completely not interested in the church just showed up! So we got an appointment with her :) 

Love you all!

Elder Porter

Studs at the Lake

Potted dog anyone?

Out for a treat

Yum!

With Juan - the Branch Mission Leader