Missions Combining!

IMPORTANT NEWS!

WE JUST ALL GOT AN EMAIL FROM THE FIRST PRESIDENCY!

THE TORONTO WEST AND EAST MISSIONS WILL BE COMBINING AT THE END OF JUNE.

I'll fill you in more next week.

January 31, 2011

The past week has without a doubt been the hardest week of my mission. We had a baptism scheduled for Sunday (yesterday). Elder Lee and I found her, and taught her everything she needed to know to be baptized. She accepted everything, loved having us over, LOVED church, was actually stoked to pay tithing, and cried more than once because of the ridiculously strong spirit we were blessed to bring with us. She even passed the baptismal interview with President Brower. Everything was set and ready to go. She asked me to baptize her, and obviously I was very excited. It makes it all worth it to see the fruits of your labors. It really does. When you see your hard work and dedication changing peoples lives for the better, it makes it all okay. Well, as the week went on, our investigator started ignoring us. We started to get scared but we assumed everything was still on because she has been so excited in the past. Time went on, and on Friday we were on a bus transfer in downtown London (out of our area) and we happened to run into our investigator! Definitely inspired, and we talked to her and everything seemed just like normal. Everything was still good and Sunday was still on. We set up an app. for Saturday night, and that evening we called just to confirm with her. She told us that she doesn't want to see us anymore, and that she is not getting baptized. That was really hard on me. How could she deny what she has felt? Everything we have taught her is to her own damnation unless she changed her mind sometimes before the judgment. It is so sad. I really love her; I've felt Christ's love for her. And she chose not to accept it. So sad.

Not only that, but our teaching pool went from 8 to 2 in 1 day. Yeahhh. Not cool. Super rough. Right now it is -27 with wind chill and everything outside. So it has been tough. It is a lot harder when nothing is showing visible success. I know my time and effort is not wasted, but it is hard to stay optimistic and positive when things are like this. I'm doing my best, working really, really hard, and trying to trust in the Lord and continue to learn, improve, and grow through activating the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Well, it is still a privilege, be it a good week or a bad week, so serve the Lord like I am doing now. Keep praying for the missionaries and I'll keep doing my best. Love you all. Next week will be better. I know it will be.

Love,

Elder Porter

January 24, 2011

Sorry it is short--

So, I only have about 5 minutes left on my time. So this will be super short.

I am thankful this week for the way that Heavenly Father leads us and guides us through experiences to become the people we are supposed to become. The whole gospel really is about the atonement. It really is. The atonement is the way that we learn, grow, and progress. As well as become clean from our sins.

We've got a baptism scheduled THIS SUNDAY! Yeahhhhhh! I love seeing my efforts change people through Jesus Christ's teachings. I love seeing the happiness that the gospel and the spirit bring to people.

I'll write better next week, some important stuff came up!

Love you all. The church is true!

Elder Porter

January 17, 2011

Missions are hard. I'm actually really proud that as many people finish them as they do. I respect RM's approximately a bazillion times more than I did 2 months ago. Oh, by the way, today is my 2 month mark! Time flies by, it really does.

Elder Lee and I have an investigator that is SUPER close to baptism. Her date was moved to January 29 because a few things came up, but the new date is looking very solid. She knows God wants her to follow through with this, and she has a strong desire to do what God wants her to. It is great to feel the TRUE and REAL joy and happiness that comes from the fruits of the gospel. It is such an amazing feeling to see and feel for the first time that my efforts are actually changing and making real people’s lives better forever. When you start to see and feel this, EVERYTHING you do that is hard becomes worth it.

My companion and a few others from my Zone went to leadership training during this past week. I was put with a Spanish Elder for Tuesday and Wednesday. His name is Elder Germann. And he is a stud. Seriously. He has been in the field for 6 weeks longer than me and he is probably the best missionary I've seen so far. He is so, so young and so good. We got along so well, and worked so well together. I was legitimately sad after those 2 days that I couldn't spend more time with him. We both learned a ton, and those 2 days were jam packed with the spirit, and effective and fruitful missionary work. I really hope I get to serve with him doing zebra work, or in some sort of leadership someday in the future.

The biggest thing that has hit me in the past little bit is the reality of what I am doing. It is hard when you go a few days in a row with not one person being happy to see you. It gets to you sometimes. You get so lonely sometimes. You really need to work hard to keep from getting too down. Everything is just intense. The highs are so high, and the lows are so low. Feeling lonely is a big tool Satan hits missionaries with. Because if you are down and lonely, you can't feel the spirit as strongly. It is a real thing. Satan knows us so well, he works on missionaries, and pounds people who are at the fork road in their life, choosing to accept the gospel or not. It is a very real thing. Being here just solidifies my testimony so much.

I know that God is real. He knows each and every one of us. He knows our weaknesses, our strengths, our downfalls and our triumphs. He wants us to succeed and come unto him. He is a God of simplicity, not of confusion. He has provided a simple, easy way to come to know him. Many people don't believe he is there because it is so easy. Just go with what you feel when you pray, read your scriptures, and strive to come closer to him. It is impossible to not feel something.

My mission has been far from the best times of my life far. But there is no time of my life where I have learned, grown, and changed more than I ever have. I wouldn't trade these past 2 very hard months for anything in the world. I can hardly imagine what the next 22 months hold in store. I can't wait. Keep praying for the missionaries. We cannot do it without you. Seriously.

Love you all, don't do stupid stuff!

Love, Elder Porter


NOTE FROM MATT'S MOM: 
  I think this would be an excellent time to send him a letter!!!

January 10, 2011

Hello hello hello.

Jeeze. This week has been super up and down. Being a missionary is unreal. The highs are pretty high, and the lows are pretty low. There came a time this past week where I was about at my breaking point. My companionship was having some problems, we were working long past our expected hours and having no success, it was very cold and wet and we were tired and hungry and discouraged. I'm still new so I am stuck not being fully adjusted, and things were just tough. I had a thought that we should go seek advice from a man in our ward who is a straight up stud. He has been a councilor to the Mission President for the past 2 Presidents. He is so solid. We went and visited him and he instantly knew something was wrong with us, so he simply offered to give us blessings. I know the power of the priesthood is so real. The blessing turned around the whole entire week. I know I am working my hardest and that is simply all that the Lord expects. As a missionary, I am simply here to act as a voice of warning and invitation. It is frankly none of my business weather the people I talk to accept my message or not. I know my personal progress is moving along as it should, but I wish it could move faster. I wish I could learn faster, catch on quicker, and be more effective. Arg.

So this week is the last week of my first transfer in the mission field. CRAZY. Time goes by so fast when you are focused. In one week from now, I will be exactly 1/12 of the way done with my mission. That is crazy. It makes me wish I had longer here. The time really is so, so short. It makes you want to do better and be more motivated while you can. I can feel the prayers; they honestly, honestly help so, so much.

I am very blessed here to have a SUPER obedient mission. Elder Ballard was here a few months ago and told us this is one of the most obedient missions in the world. There are almost zero problems because of obedience issued. The worst thing I have heard in the past 5 weeks is a missionary getting on facebook for a few minutes. Haha, so we are for the most part all where we should be. We are receiving blessings for it, and miracles happen across Western Ontario every single day.

I love you all so much, thank you for everything.

With much love,

Elder Porter

January 3, 2011

January 3, 2011

This week was hard. It was cold and wet and long. Nobody was out because of the holidays, and the bus schedules were messed up so we ended up walking everywhere. The temperature was hovering around freezing, but it was raining for some reason. New Years day was horribly difficult. We had 7 finding hours. I was wet and cold and tired and hungry and got a little bit sick from it. I hope someday I get used to always being horribly cold.

The good thing is that our investigator is still on track to be baptized on January 15th! She came to church yesterday, and the first thing she said to us was "I've decided I'm going to quit drinking!" So that is wonderful. We hadn't really taught the Word of Wisdom yet, so we are stoked about that. We just mentioned it last time we met. She is super sold and on track and willing to change her life. It is such a testimony strengthener to see complete strangers to the church feel the spirit, and just decide to change things. They say it just seems like the right thing to do. Once your heart feels the spirit, you won't ever be the same. The gospel truly, truly does change people, and change lives and alters the eternities for people who accept it.

Last time I wrote, I was on travels with Elder Call, my district leader. The day ended up going awesome. I learned tons by seeing a different missionary work, and he is super solid. He's going home in 8 weeks. Wierrrrd.

So the on Wednesday, I got a surprise call from one of the Assistants to the President, Elder McKee. He informed me that we were going on "surprise travels". I was actually kind of nervous, which is stupid, but it’s true. He is such an AMAZING missionary. So ridiculously powerful. So good at teaching and street contacting. The day was just super solid and I learned more than I can say from him. He's a perfect missionary to try to strive to be like. He said some really nice things to me at the end of the day, which is nice to hear after days and days of people hating you. Things get discouraging sometimes. It’s all just a test. No matter how hard things get always be willing to keep your faith in Christ and Heavenly Father, and it will all work out. He may simply be trying to push you to your limit, so you can grow stronger.

Keep missionaries in your prayers please. We could not do half of what we do without all the spiritual support. It’s impossible to explain, but you can literally feel the prayers making you stronger. There aren't words to explain it. But it’s real. I can't deny my testimony and what I know without a doubt to be true. Love you all so much. Do what’s right! Be good.

With much love,

Elder Porter