Apollo Beach: Week One!

April 17, 2017

Hello, all! What a crazy week! But it has been really good. Apollo Beach is great and so is Sister Lesuma. It was not a hard transition at all. Heavenly Father has his plan, and it is always better than what we think!

So let's see. Transfers were on Wednesday and because Sister Lesuma and I were waiting for something at the mission office, we got to eat lunch with Sister Swanson and the other trainers and trainees! It was super fun. Then we drove to Apollo Beach and had dinner and I got mostly unpacked. We had a lesson with an investigator named J and had members coming, but we got there and he said he wasn't feeling well and couldn't meet. We still had an awesome discussion at the door, though. The Hs, the couple who came with us, were very good missionaries and friends for him. We have an investigator who is preparing for baptism, but I haven't been able to meet her yet and we have stopped by and texted her and she has not responded. The last thing she said had to do with being sick and something about the hospital, so we hope she's ok.

On Thursday, we got a new car! A 2017 Chevy Malibu! It's great, but it doesn't seem to have a CD player, which is a real bummer. But it has 3 months of free wifi. Everyone who sees it keeps commenting on it. Sister Swanson got a new car, too, 4 months after we hit the deer. 😂 We also taught an English class and a scripture study class at the church that night.

On Friday we taught a recent convert named T who is 17 and super awesome. He is planning on going to the temple for baptisms by the end of the month. Our apartment complex was having an Easter egg hunt and we asked if we could help. They were really appreciative and had us hide the Easter eggs.

On Saturday, we had the ward Easter egg hunt. So we hid more Easter eggs. The members here seem super awesome and it was really fun. Then, here is the coolest story ever: we stopped by a lady who is listed as a member but has no connection to the church and hasn't been baptized. We think she somehow got mixed up with someone who has the same name. But she was really nice and let us in to show her the #PRINCEofPEACE video. Then her brother walked in, and we were able to teach them both a brief overview of the Restoration and they both wanted Book of Mormons! Super cool. After that, we taught the Ls and asked them to think of someone they could share the #PRINCEofPEACE video with. Sister L thought of their neighbor, so we'll see if anything comes of it. They seem to be really good at missionary work, though.

Then, yesterday was Easter. What a beautiful day to remember our Savior and the gifts He has given us! The church service was wonderful and some members invited us over. We went to the Vs and were only expecting to share a short message, but we got a 3 course meal! It was delicious, too. Then we went straight to the Hs for another meal, and then to the Hs (different from the other Hs who came to a lesson with us). The Hs live on a boat right now and are going to move to the Virgin Islands in a few weeks and give boat tours. They are really cool. So we ate on a pavilion near their boat and it was really nice.

I found this really cool scripture this morning. It is in the book of 2 Nephi, but it is Nephi's brother Jacob quoting Isaiah.

2 Nephi 8

11 Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

12 I am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you. Behold, who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of man, who shall die, and of the son of man, who shall be made like unto grass?

He is the way! And we don't need to be afraid. Also, isn't it so cool that the people in America around 600 B.C. had some of the scriptures that were written across the world? And all because one young man (Nephi) followed the Spirit on how to get the record from Laban. God loves his children!

Have a great week!

-Sister Porter
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Transfers and Easter!

1. Transfers! Sister Lesuma is in the back with me, and Sister Swanson and her trainee Sister Graff are in front.
2. We got these in Relief Society.  Cute!
3. Our view from Easter dinner. We ate on a pavilion overlooking the bay :)