Feliz Navidad

This week I said adios to my companion Elder Barron and sent him off to be a big assistant to the president. And I got my new comp Elder Mccormies, who is from Arizona. He has been in the mission for about 6 months, a month and a half more than me. He is a pretty awesome dude.  We both speak Spanish a pretty equal amount, but we have been able to make it work with our teaching and I can actually speak a whole lot better than I could before this last week.

This week hasn't had a whole lot of craziness besides the transfers, but it is definitely a lot more stressful when you are in charge of the area. But it has been good. We have done quite a bit of finding this week through tracting. I can tell you that the Lord really does guide missionaries in the things they do. There was one experience where we were walking down the street back to our bikes and I had seen these Hispanics outside of their house chilling and partying to music.  I had thought to say hi to them on the way back out, but when we were leaving our appointment and walked past them I thought, nah they are busy and won’t want to listen to us. But then, without even thinking I yelled out to them and they told us to come on over. We talked to them for a while and shared just a little bit about the word of wisdom, since they asked if we drink beer.  By the end of us talking to them 3 of the 4 invited us to come and visit them in their house later on this next week. It was super aweome! I can’t believe that Satan was almost able to convince me to just leave them alone and not talk to them.

I realized just now that I have never born my testimony in Spanish to y’all so I will do that now:

Yo se que la iglasia de los santos de los ultimos dias es la verdadera iglasia en este mundo, y que es la iglasia de jesucristo mismo. yo se que dios envio su hijo para que podriamos regresar a el. se que si nosotros usamos la expiacion podremos vencer todo nusestros tentacions, dificualtades, y sentiremos paz, consuelo, y el amor de dios. yo se que si seguimos los sussoros del espiritu santo cerceremos en nusetro propio testimonio y ayudaremos aquellos que estan necasitando nuestro apoya. este iglasia ha cambiado mi vida completamente en el nombre de jesucristo amen 

I love you all and hope you have a amazing Christmas!

Elder Porter

Transfers are loco!

Hey children.... adults.... whatever,

I just got the news that my companion Elder Barron is being transferred and is become one of the AP's for the mission! He is going to do awesome. And now that makes me the senior comp of my area and it is going to be awesome! I can’t wait to meet my new comp (I’m not training so he will actually speak Spanish... I think) and get the work going!

We had a very spiritual, amazing experience this week with one of the families we are friends with out here, but don't actually teach. Their names are J.. & L….  They are a super sweet elderly couple from Texas who are in NOLA since J had to get a liver transplant and the hospitals here are awesome. So we visit them now and again to check up on how J is recovering every now and again. But anyway this last week J finally made it out of the hospital only to fall and hit his head on the concrete and get sent back in with more serious injuries than before. He comes in and out of consciousness but can’t respond more than opening his eyes and squeezing your hand. The doctors are unsure what is going to be happening, but are hopeful he will get better. And this is where the experience starts. Sunday night we are texting their son who is a member and asking if there is anything we can do to help and offer to give a priesthood blessing. The son says that they would be ok with that so we go over and explain to them what we are going to do, (since they aren't members) and then proceed to give J a blessing of healing and L a blessing of comfort. In the blessings they were promised that they would grow through these experiences and that hope would be given to L and the family that he will get better and that he is still fighting. The whole time we were there he didn't open his eyes or show any signs of wakefulness; but 2 minutes after the blessing when we were about to leave L goes to him and says "J the missionaries are leaving but they will visit you again." At that moment he opens his eyes and raises his arm a little bit in order to shake our hands and starts mouthing words to us. It was amazing because he hasn't been able do most of that at all for the past week.

From this experience I would love to share my testimony with y’all about the power of the priesthood. I know that God loves us and that he always wants what is best for us; and that he has given worthy men the ability to act in his name with his power to bless the lives of his children. I know that the priesthood really is a powerful, and real manifestation of Gods power and will on this earth today, and that if we act in His way and follow His promptings it can be used to bless the lives of others in miraculous ways. I know that this church is true and that this same power guides and directs the Church through revelation given to leaders who hold the keys to the priesthood.

I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!

Random Alligator Santa

An investigator

El Fin De Mi Capacitacion es Cerca

Hey everyone,

This is it.... the end of my life of a trainee.  In one week I will be officially released as a trainee and possibly be put in charge of my area.... crap. Ha ha- that is a big responsibility to have soon but we will see how it goes. Pray that I will be able to do well with Spanish and that I will be able to take over the area well too! But you know the scriptures promise that all things are possible with Christ so we don't have to worry too bad about the Metairie area (;

Ha ha just kidding guys I’m not to terribly worried about taking over the area, yes it will be an adventure and a half but I know it will be great and an awesome learning experience. And this area is the best! It’s going to be so great to be able to try to take the lead in teaching all the awesome people here.

So let’s get into the blessings of the week. Last Sunday we ran into a man named Enrique who is from Panama who is super amazing! Last week we taught him three times because he just keeps wanting us to come over and teach him. He still has some struggles but I’ve never had anyone so willing to have us come over, and also, someone who searches through their house for nice clothes and cuts their hair to come to church-comes to church- and commits to baptism all in one week! It is truly a huge blessing.

The other great experience this week is with our investigator M___. He has been struggling a bit as of late since his dad is opposed to the church completely, and he hangs out with some pretty crappy friends. He has been struggling with drugs for a while, and after we visited him on Saturday and asked him to come to church, he said that he would but a little after he said that if he doesn't come it’s because he doesn't feel worthy because of the drugs. At this point Elder Barron and I were feeling worn out because of all the problems of the day, so we were at a loss for a second.  But then I began to testify to him about how church is there for people who are not worthy and how it will help him overcome his problems. I told him that he cannot wait, he has to stop now and how church and prayer will help him to overcome all of the things that he struggles with. It was super spiritually charged and I know that what was said was what God wanted him to hear, and the next day he came to church and brought his sister with him. It was so great to see the spirit work in him, that is the best part of the mission, seeing the Lord change the people you work with.

I love you all and hope you have a fabulous Christmas season!