February 28, 2011

I have successfully completed my second transfer here in the mission field! It amazed me week after week how fast time goes by. The time we have to serve our master as full time missionaries is extremely short and limited. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have been blessed with to learn how to do His work in His way.

The mission received transfer calls last night...and my good companion has a new assignment! He has been assigned to Leamington, which is east-ish of Detroit. In his place, I will receive a new companion tomorrow, his name is Elder Williams. He is actually in my Zone, but does not serve in the city of London. He has been serving in Tillsonburg and will be coming up to serve with me in the great London 2nd ward area. I will be here either 6 more weeks, or 3 more months. Either is realistic, and we won't know until the transfer calls come next transfer. I am very excited to learn from an experienced Elder, and to learn all the lessons that my Heavenly Father has in store for me.

Today I feel like I should share a quote by Henry B. Eyring that I got a hold of yesterday. It is called ....

"The Fellowship of the UNASHAMED"

I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, color-less dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the cause of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear....

I just really love that quote. I love it so much. Especially the last-ish part. Hard stuff happens. Even as a missionary. We're being tested, refined, and doing our best to grow here. The growth missionaries go through is not done without the sacrifice that it would take any regular person. And I am so grateful I can go through every single hard thing I have gone through, am going through, and will go through so that I may be slowly refined to whom I am to be. I love my Lord and Savior, and I will work until he stops me.

Love,

Elder Porter

February 22, 2011

I am amazed week by week and day after day by how mindful the Lord is of His children.

I know that our Heavenly Father hears our prayers, and that He answers them in His own timing. He knows what is best for you, and he will put you through hard times, and stretch you just to your limit before he jumps in and lends you His helping hand. I have seen my prayers be answered this week as I'm doing my best to continue to battle through that hard few months of my mission. I am learning and growing, and doing the best that I know how to do.

This week we had lots of finding out in the cold. The whole London Zone seems to be going through a big test of faith during the past transfer. We're all working very hard and trying our best. The Lord obviously has something he needs to teach all of the missionaries serving in this part of His Kingdom. I am happy, honored, and excited to be a part of this great and marvelous latter day work. I am humbled more and more day by day by how merciful the Lord is to us. He loves us, and knows exactly what we are going through.

There aren't many to teach right now because of the cold. Things will pick up next transfer, I'm sure of it. I'll have more to report next week. Next week is actually the last week of my SECOND TRANSFER! Man, I will have been out in the mission field for 3 months at the end of this coming week. I'll probably know who my next companion will be, so I'll update you then.

LOVE

Elder Porter

February 14, 2011

Heyyy. This is Elder Porter here.

Honestly, I don't have much to report this week. Not much at all. Lots of finding hours. Quite a few member lessons. I'm sad to say, but hardly any investigator teaching. Not much going on. Elder Lee and I are doing all we can. Our faith is simply being tested at this point in time. It’s hard to remember that the Lord is in charge. It’s hard to remember to simply do our best, and strive to do His work in His way. It’s easy to get greedy and try to force things, and make things happen before they are there, or before they are ready.

Most kind of work, you get a pretty direct correlation of how much you put in, to how much you get out. With missionary work and direct results from your work, it is not the case. You can spend 25 hours out in a Canadian winter talking to literally probably 90% of all people you lay your eyes on, and not have one person stop for more than 5 seconds. That happens some weeks. Weeks like this past week. But you've just got to remember that the Lord is very pleased. You can know that when you feel the spirit working through you. It’s a real thing. I know the Lord is pleased with me. Our faith is being tested right now, that’s all. I'm happy, I love my mission, and I'm working hard. In the BOM in Ether12:6 (I believe) it says "faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." That scripture is SUPER true. Our goal is to get 3 new investigators a week. Lots of weeks we get it. In fact, most weeks we do. But I can tell you that almost every single week (I kid you not, completely serious), we get 1 investigator early on in the week, and the last 2 people we talk to on Sunday evening end up being our last 2 expected investigators. After we work hard all week. After we don't give up. After we went out of our way for the 100th time. And after the trial of our faith. It is funny how that always works. The Lords work will go forth at the Lords pace. I have a testimony that it will.

Love you all lots

Elder M. Compton Porter

February 7, 2011

Man, sometimes I still can't believe that I am on my mission! My life is actually happening, ha!

Things are going well here. The work is very slow, but I am catching on. I'm close to "getting it" I think. I can talk to people comfortably now without hesitating at all. I almost always know what to say, and I'm getting lots better at listening to what the spirit tells me to say. I can honestly say that I love being on my mission, and I am sad that I only have 21ish months left.

Our missions are combining at the end of July, so that is VERY exciting...3/4 of my mission will be spent with the missions having been combined. I hope I get to work in downtown Toronto someday, that would be a whole different experience.

The work here is slow. Especially in a walking area during the winter. It’s real hard to find people who are interested. And people aren't usually too good at using their agency. Super, super sad to see people reject the gospel of Jesus Christ after they have an experience where they should know it is it true. I'm starting to reach that spiritual level a good missionary should be at. I know I am getting closer because when people reject our message, I really do feel sad for them. Not for me, but for them. I honestly feel sad that they are actively choosing to go unaided throughout the rest of their life without the gospel. The teachings of Jesus Christ and his infinite sacrifice will benefit anybody.

I feel like my motivation to be a better missionary has really increased in the past week. After seeing a good investigator whom I was pretty close with randomly decide to reject our message, something switched in me. I don't like to see people go through life without the help of the gospel. I ran into this quote by a past AP here in the Canada Toronto West Mission the other day...

"If great joy is the reward of saving one soul (D&C18:15), then how terrible must be the remorse of those whose timid efforts have allowed a child of God to go unwarned or unaided so that he has to wait till a DEPENDABLE SERVANT OF GOD comes along."......Huh. Who wants to slack off or waste even 1 second after taking that statement to heart? And through the short, short 2 months that I have been in the mission field, I have come to understand in my heart, not just know in my mind, but really know, in my heart, that the source of never ending motivation is understanding the Atonement. I am super imperfect, and so weak without the help of the Lord. I really am nothing, I couldn't be what I do if I didn't have His help. And I have been able to progress like I have and learned what I have learned so far because of the Atonement. It is such a REAL thing! It makes me happy even thinking about it.

Anyways, this coming week will be even better than this past week was. We're going to make something happen with our unstoppable faith, I know it.

Love you all!

Elder Porter