Wow, una gran semana!

This week was super awesome! 

So two weeks ago we knocked into this lady (Jessica) who said her husband met with the missionaries before, so we set up a return appointment for Sunday and it went well. Fransisco told us that he was found first in Arizona, then he moved to Indiana and was taught by an Elder Mancilla. Then he went to Texas and was found again. Then he came back to Indiana and tried to get the English missionaries to refer him to Spanish, but it didn’t happen. He opened up the lesson with a prayer saying to God, "Let this be the final time that I go through this process with the missionaries." Then on Wednesday we went back with the branch mission leader and met with Jessica and Fransisco again. It was a great lesson on the Book of Mormon and they committed to read 3 Nephi 11. Then as we were leaving we mentioned the baptism that was going to happen on Saturday and Fransisco said, "Hey we will go to that!" So they showed up 15 minutes early, and waited for an hour for it to start because it was delayed and lots of stress. But they loved it and said they were imagining themselves in the people’s place. Then we gave them a church tour after and told them to pray about when God wanted them to be baptized.

Then Sunday they were the first ones to church. He told us that they were going to start "utilizing the Book of Mormon." And she told us that she loved it! He again told the men in priesthood that he hoped this time was the last time and that he could stay.  So ya we have had some cool miracles!

It’s been a great week! 

Love ya all!

Me enctanta estar con el Elder Baird otra vez

This week was super great! I love Elder Baird so much! And it is great because I haven't had the getting a new comp depression like usually happens.

So this week was kind of slow to start off with. We didn't have too much success proselyting wise. But the end of this week was awesome! First of all; we got to go to the temple with a less active Maria de los Angeles and a recent convert Catalina. It was such an awesome experience! And then we went to the baptism of Rosendo Molina, the son of the Molina’s that I taught last time I was in Indy. It was such a cool experience!

Then yesterday was great at church because Celso showed up at church. He says he is back from Ohio and is staying in Indianapolis for good! It was so great to see him again! 

Love you all

Elder Porter

Una semana de menos activos

 (This is last week's letter - January 25th - the server was down and no emails went through)

So, transfer news, I will be staying in this area, and I will have a new comp, ok not really, a comp that I have had and will be having again, ELDER BAIRD!!!! So excited! And what’s funny is it was in January of last year that we were put together. But I’m also sad that Elder Shepherd is leaving. He is so great.  

This week has been really good. We have worked a TON with less actives this week. We had 11 less active/recent convert lessons.

We are preparing a recent convert, Catalina, and a returning less active, Maria to go to the temple this Saturday to do baptisms for the dead.

So we had a super cool miracle with this one less active. There were just too many coincidences to not be a miracle. We had all of our plans fall through, so we were stopping by this one less active. An older white lady answered the door. So we just asked anyways if Hno  Ramirez lived there. She said yes. So come to find out he hasn’t been visited in like 4 years. He usually works nights, and he just happened to have that time off that day.  He is an ex missionary and a high priest. He is also an ex bishop. So we talked to him. I just immediately felt a love for him and wanted to help him so bad! So we set up a return appointment and the Branch President and 1st Councilor came with us. We had such a powerful lesson and were able to testify to him of the love that God has for him. He was really touched. And another miracle is that from the time we met him to the return appointment, he had changed jobs and probably doesn’t have to work Sundays! So we are stoked for him and to help him come back to activity! 

I think my true passion in missionary work is for less actives. I just really feel a love for them and want to help them.  I also have gained such a strong testimony of the power of home and visiting teaching. If everyone did it, there would be no one like Victor who hasn’t had someone contact him from the church in 4 years. It is such a small thing, but it makes such a big difference. 

Yesterday we also gave the Portillo family, less actives, a church tour, and it went super well and they were able to feel the spirit. It was kind of scary because it was the first one I had ever done.

This week we had a super cool broadcast from Salt Lake with the general authorities and the missionary board. We were so uplifted and inspired. It was great! 

So lately I have been noticing that I do not notice that people use a certain word, until after I learn it. And then the use it all the time. And then let’s make this spiritual. That is why we need to read and study the scriptures every day, because there are things in our life that change and make us able to see or feel of a new point of doctrine that we hadn’t considered before. That is why it is important. 

Love you all!