Tuesday, November 23, 201

Hello everybody! Things here at the MTC are going great. It is Tuesday, which is my P-Day every week. I can only write emails and letters on P-Day, so this is pretty exciting time. My companions name is Elder Nash, and he is from IRELAND! He lives on the Dingle Peninsula (mom please fix my spelling). He has a pretty thick accent and everything, so it is wayyy awesome. He is a really good worker, which is exactly what I wanted. I made sure to pray really hard for a companion who wanted to work and do a good job, and not mess around at all or waste any time. A lot of missionaries here just don't get it yet, and waste way too much time. It is really discouraging sometimes to see that not everybody cares. We are both leaders for our district, and we really do set a good example for everyone. My companion was called as District Leader the second day here, so that’s good. We do work and make a really good team. We both have learned to teach by the spirit in the first week! So we do really well during the practice investigators and stuff. I love teaching, and I feel like I am going to be great once I get into the system in Canada and everything. Exciting times!

Our schedule is unbelievably packed. We have class almost all day, and then personal and companion study times. You don't even have time to think of home or feel bad for yourself, which is really nice. I have been praying real hard to be able to realize the responsibility of my calling, so I can have an unstoppable desire to focus. And guess what...it worked! I have been able to focus great. My homesickness and missing people doesn't matter, because the Lord has simply blessed me to not think of them during the day. It is all working out wonderfully. It is so great to hear from my close friends and get letters from family. Make sure to keep sending them! It really makes your whole day when you receive a letter or a package. You asked if the schedule is tiring...and yes. It is absolutely exhausting. You don't have ANY extra time at all; your whole day from the time you get up to the time you go to bed is packed. Which is good I suppose. Mother, you asked if I hung up all my suits, and the answer is yes, haha. They are all hung up. And if I may say so myself, I am a super attractive missionary! Haha my Euro Suit is freakin good looking and I love it to death. I'll try to send pictures once I get everything figured out. Our Saturdays are just like any normal day. The schedule is exactly the same I believe. And yes, we get to go to the temple on P-Days. This is my first P-Day, and we have them every Tuesday. So I can respond to everything on Tuesday. And luckily we do get enough time to respond to most things. I even had some time to write some real quality decent sized letters, so that helped relieve some stress for sure. You asked about the food, and it is sometimes super good and sometimes super bad! It is all you can eat, and I have gained 6 pounds already. So that is interesting, haha!! On Thanksgiving we just have a bunch of extra firesides and service and stuff I believe. I'm not really sure.

So the first week here has been pretty good. The first few days were extremely lonely and long. Things are getting WAY better though. The days all blend together, and the days are going way faster. I'm already wanting to get out there in Canada though...I feel like I have learned tons already! Elder Nash and I are both going to the same mission in Canada...so that is nice. Maybe we will even be companions again someday! Well, time is running out, so I'm going to get going. Tell everybody that I love them, and make sure they keep sending letters! Haha, they really are soooo exciting to get.

Love you all! Thanks for all your support

Elder Porter