Beautiful Weather! Beautiful Week!

October 24, 2016

Hello, all!  There is lots of exciting stuff to talk about this week!

On Monday night, we taught the W family who is in the ward.  They are so awesome and their daughter is getting baptized on Sunday, so that will be fun.  Anyway, that was the first time a member had seen us in slacks and they were so surprised!  It was funny because by the time we went to the church for youth night on Wednesday, everyone knew about the slacks.  I guess it had been posted on LDS news or something.

On Tuesday we had a zone training meeting and then another exchange.  I got to teach one of the people Sister Swanson and Sister Clement have been preparing for baptism.  She is a really cute old lady :)  On Wednesday night we met with the bishop and ward mission leader to talk about calling some more ward missionaries to help us out!  That will be awesome.

On Thursday, we met with a guy named J who lives in our complex.  He wants to be baptized and we set a goal for November 19!  We also taught one of R's friends, B, who came to youth group on Wednesday and had a lot of fun!  We taught the Fs again on Saturday and Brother W came and impressed them with his Spanish skills :)  We also had another lesson with J and Sister R came.  She gave him a Restoration DVD on Sunday...because he came to church!  So did B!  It was so awesome!  That night was a farewell party for a girl in the ward who is leaving on her mission to Mexico.  It was kind of weird to see a missionary getting ready to leave!  That was me 6 months ago :)

Lastly, I just have to mention the weather.  Holy cow.  I didn't realize how bad the humidity was until it cooled down a little this week.  It feels SO NICE!  Sister Minson is cold sometimes, but I think it feels great!  It is the perfect temperature with a nice breeze.  It reminds me of spring in Rexburg :)

This week should be great.  We have the ward Trunk or Treat and a lot of people are inviting a lot of their friends.  The work is progressing in the Odessa ward!

--
Sister Porter
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Here are some pictures of my zone on Tuesday!

And we finally got a picture of the baby alligator that's just hanging out in the pond in the middle of our apartment complex...no big deal. :P

--
Sister Porter

Exchanges and Interviews and Packages, oh my!

October 17, 2016

Hello, all!  It's been a great week.

We were finally able to meet with M and M this week.  We met them in August and haven't been able to meet with them since.  We taught them the Restoration.  We met with M again later and taught him about the Book of Mormon.  He seemed to really feel the Spirit testify of its truth and wants to read it.  He also wants to stop smoking and drinking.

We taught the Ms again and afterwards I got the idea to ask K if she would ever want to come teach a lesson with us.  She said yes and we got her number.  I can't wait!  She had shared her testimony of the Book of Mormon and I thought it was really awesome.  It will also help strengthen her testimony.

On Tuesday there was another exchange so I brought Sister Clement to Odessa.  On Thursday I had great interviews with President and Sister Cooper.  That night we went to L's basketball game with A.

Friday I was with Sister Clement again while Sister Minson and Sister Swanson went to Mission Leadership Council.  It was a little bit of a stressful day.  That night I got a letter from my dad and a package from my roommates!  Best thing ever!

Yesterday was a special stake conference because of...the creation of the Odessa stake!  Crazy!  Of course, we are in that new stake.  R brought her friend B to it, and I think she liked it!  There were some great speakers.

Also, we started wearing our slacks on Saturday after some final shopping.  It was so weird!

Anyway, hope y'alls are doing well!  Here's to another great week!

--
Sister Porter
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1. me and Sister Clement!

2. all of us on Friday...stressful day!

3. package!

4. mail!

Crazy Week!

October 10, 2016

Hello, all!  I hope you all had a good week.  Ours was a little crazy...

We had an exchange on Wednesday, so I was with Sister Clement in Carrollwood for the day.  It as super fun and we taught some cool people.  One guy seemed really interested in what we were saying, wanted to read the Book of Mormon, and asked to set up a return appointment.  He even said he had to meet in public because he is married and can't be alone with other women.  We said, "Perfect!"  Haha :)

That night we received notification from the mission president that our mission, along with Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, is now requiring sisters to wear dress slacks when we are outside to protect us from the mosquito-borne illnesses.  Crazy!

We had some sisters (Sister Huber and Sister Cook) move in to our apartment complex on Thursday.  We helped them clean their apartment during the hurricane, which wasn't bad at all in our area.  The elders had left it pretty dirty.

Then we spent most of the day Saturday shopping for dress slacks with Sister Huber, Sister Cook, Sister Blanchard and Sister Brewer.  It was pretty stressful, but fun!  It will be weird to start wearing pants soon.

And that was pretty much our week!  This next week will consist of another exchange and interviews with the mission president.  I can't believe it's fall now.  It feels like spring outside.  Anyway, love y'alls!

--
Sister Porter
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Slacks and new shirts!

Conference Week is an Awesome Week!

October 3, 2016

Hello, all!  It's been getting nicer here, especially in the mornings...and by nicer I mean it's not sweltering hot :P  But it's still pretty warm.

The Zone Activity day on Monday was really fun!  We played games and hung out and ate pizza and treats.  President and Sister Cooper showed up!  We had a district meeting that night and a short testimony meeting.  The missionaries in my zone are both hilarious and spiritually strong.

On Wednesday we had an exchange, so I was with Sister Swanson for the day.  I learned a lot from her, but it was stressful being the one who knew the area and having to make more of the decisions.

Friday was an AWESOME day!  We taught the Ms and their 6-year-old granddaughter A had a lot of great questions.  She is super cute. :)  Then, after dinner, we met a super nice woman named D who had met with the elders before.  She is happy with her current church, but told us she is going through a hard decision and asked us to pray for clarity.  Sister Minson shared an experience of how she recently made a difficult decision on when to go back to college after her mission.  It really helped D feel the confirmation of her choice.  We invited her to watch General Conference because we know it helps answer questions and is a great way to receive revelation through the Spirit.  She knows a member of our church who lives down the street, Sister W, and said she would text her for more information on it.  The Ws actually drove by while we were talking!  D flagged them down and we talked for awhile.  We also talked to another of our potential investigators, and then to Sister W again who gave us a referral and wants to have one of her neighbors over for dinner with us.  What a night!

Saturday was General Conference!  For those who don't know, it is a televised broadcast of the leaders of our church speaking, including the Prophet and Twelve Apostles.  It happens twice a year.  There are two sessions on Saturday and two on Sunday.  For the first session on Saturday, we watched it at the church with some other missionaries.  Then we went to the Os for the second session, and because President Cooper gave special permission for conference weekend, we ate dinner with them!  M was applying for colleges so we talked a lot with her about BYU-Idaho, which is one of her choices.  On Sunday morning, we went to the Cs and watched it with them and R.  We had a great discussion about missionary work afterwards and they have a bunch of friends that they are going to invite to the Trunk or Treat that is in a few weeks.  For the afternoon session, we went to the Ss who had 6 little kittens!  They provided a delicious meal as well.  

I liked so many of the talks from conference, I don't even know which ones to share!  But I guess my absolute favorites were from Russell M. Nelson, Dallin H. Oaks, Neil L. Anderson, J. Devn Cornish, Juan A. Uceda, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf.  President Nelson said, "Happiness has little to do with the circumstances in our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives."  I know this is true.  I have seen people who have suffered so much get through those treacherous times through reliance and trust in Jesus Christ.  I have leaned on Him to get through hard times of my own.  He suffered all, and because of that, we don't have to.  We can give it all to Him and receive strength from His Atonement.  That is what brings the greatest happiness.

I hope you will all read and review the talks from conference, as I know the words come from God.  Also, heed Elder Oaks' counsel that "member participation in missionary work is vital for conversion and retention."  Who wouldn't want to share the glorious gospel with those who have not yet had the opportunity to hear it?  It's not all on the missionaries :)

Love y'alls!  Hope you have a great week :)

--
Sister Porter
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Fwd: Zone Activity Day and other silly pics :)

1. Awesome zone!

2. Sister Minson and I with Sister Gucake and Sister Chavez!  They are so awesome :)

3. Double bag of fruit snacks!

4. Pretty swamp

Florida - Still Hot and Sunny!

September 26, 2016

Hello, all!  Not too much to report on this week.

The Reeces cancelled our dinner appointment because Sister R wasn't feeling well, but they ordered pizza and gave us snacks.  It was Dominoes, my favorite!

On Friday we taught a really nice woman named V who we met and set up an appointment with last week.  She is from Puerto Rico and likes to talk and dance.  She had a lot of questions and wants to read the Book of Mormon and Our Heritage to learn more about church history.  She was curious about how the next prophet is chosen.  She is neighbors with R and R's dad M helps her with yard work and technical problems sometimes.  He was fixing her lawnmower when we came over.

On Saturday night, we had the General Women's broadcast.  We had invited V, but she ended up not being able to come.  But Sister C invited us over to watch it and eat Publix Chocolate Trinity ice cream, which is everyone's favorite here in Florida.  It was so fun!  I love the Cs.  One of my favorite quotes was from Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk on faith: "The purpose of faith is not to change God's will, but to empower us to act on God's will."

Yesterday I got a surprise at church!  Brother and Sister T, who were in my branch presidency at the MTC, were there to visit Brother T's brother, who is the stake president here in Tampa.  They are so awesome!  They were excited to see me.

We have a zone activity today so that should be interesting.  We had to kind of rush to get everything done.  But we did it!  We will be playing games and eating pizza.

I hope you all have a great week!

--
Sister Porter

Another Great Week!

September 19, 2016

Hello, all!  Today we got the transfer email, and Sister Minson and I are staying in Odessa!

On Monday, we did a little shopping and then went to dinner at Steak n' Shake.  One of Sister Minson's converts from Palm Harbor works there, so we got to see her.  She is really sweet :)  We met with A again on Monday night, and tried to explain how he needs to act in faith to receive an answer of which church is true.  We think he understands that better now, but we committed him to come to church and he didn't.  We haven't been able to meet with him again yet.

On Tuesday, we had the last district meeting of the transfer.  Guess who was also at the mission office for her district meeting?  Sister Anderson!!!  It made me so happy!  I love her!

We saw K, but since the fellowshipper we wanted for her was unavailable and we hadn't had a chance to get the necessary supplies, we didn't feel comfortable doing the stop smoking lesson until we were fully prepared.  So we rescheduled it for the beginning of October.  We saw M and his daughter R again.  I can't remember if I talked about them.  They are interested in learning about other religions, but I'm not sure they are really open to finding out if something besides what they already know is true.  They said they wanted to read the Book of Mormon on their own and then have us back for dinner in awhile to talk about it.  They are really nice!

On Friday we taught O and E more about the Book of Mormon, and our ward mission leader Brother W came.  It was a great lesson!  They are planning on reading the Book of Mormon together every night.  Then we went and taught the Ms more about how they can prepare to go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead.  The Bishop came and was able to be a good friend to them and convey the important responsibility of doing temple work for our ancestors.  It was great!

On Saturday the Tampa 2 sisters had a baptism!  Sister Minson did a musical number with her former companion Sister Hunt, with Sister Felt playing the piano.  We taught R and watched most of the Restoration video with her.  We were supposed to meet one of our investigators at a restaurant for dinner, but were never able to find her and couldn't remember the name of the restaurant, only the intersection it was on :(  So we went to McDonald's. 

Yesterday we met with the J family in the ward.  They are super awesome.  They moved here recently from England.  They are great missionaries!  It sounds like they give away a lot of Book of Mormons.  Afterwards, we stopped by and were finally able to meet one of the investigators that the elders had passed on to us.  But that wasn't even the best part!  When we left, the next door neighbors the R's were outside and they are somewhat less active members that Sister Minson has been wanting to see.  They are really nice and actually moved from Utah last year.  Their son graduated from my high school the same year as me.  What?!  Anyway, we were able to set up a dinner appointment with them for Thursday!   

It was another great week.  I hope you all had a great one, too.  I love and miss you all!                                             

--
Sister Porter
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Pictures:
District Meeting Pics! :)
Look who I found at the mission office!

The rest is just my silly district.  They're pretty great.  Elder Thomas, Elder Laub, Elder Smith, Elder Keppner, Elder Harper, Elder Durrant. Elder Ellsworth, Elder Stevenson, Elder Hale, Sister Blanchard, Sister Brewer, Sister Minson, me, Sister Felt, and Sister Swanson.

Another Crazy Week!

September 12, 2016

Hello, all!  It was a great week.

On Monday we had a lesson with the Ms again about temples and family history work.  Sister M wants to get her family to the temple.  She and K, the oldest daughter, have been to do baptisms for the dead. K loves learning about her family history and was making a FamilySearch account before we left!   They had ice cream sundaes for us.

On Tuesday, we met an elderly woman named K who wants to stop smoking.  She says she actually used to be a member of the church.  We have an appointment for tomorrow to start the stop smoking program with her.  We read it over yesterday and it is really cool.  I am excited to help her!  We just need to find a member who can help and support her through the process.

Wednesday was interesting.  We taught O, R's mom, with Sister W who was great to have there.  Then we met up with A to come to a lesson with A, who wasn't home.  So we went to see M, and after a minute, his dad came out and said they already belong to a religion and aren't interested.  We were able to answer a few questions and clear up some misconceptions about our beliefs.  He realized that our beliefs aren't all that different.  But we won't be teaching M anymore.  He didn't realize that baptism meant joining our church.  Whoops.  After that, we taught the Ms again and Sister B came.  Their granddaughter drew pictures of us :)  Then we had dinner at the Cs!  It was really good, but they gave us too many leftovers and Sister Minson isn't eating them because she thinks she is allergic to something.  Finally, we got to see O and his wife E again.  We taught the Plan of Salvation because O's mother has recently passed away.  They really felt peace and comfort from it and shared experiences that confirmed what we said.  It was awesome!  We had pretty much back to back lessons and members were at most of them.

On Thursday we had a zone training meeting.  President Cooper decided to remove some of the limitations that missionaries in our mission have on exercise, music, and studying.  We now go mainly by the missionary handbook rather than having extra rules.  This allows us to follow the Spirit and exercise our agency more, which gives us a whole lot of responsibility.  He also encouraged us to find any service opportunities we can, whether it be for members or the community.

On Saturday, we taught a less active member, Sister G.  She is really sweet.  She is a flight attendant, so has a crazy schedule and is taking care of her sick mother.  But she felt the Spirit pretty strong in the lesson and said she would definitely be at church the next day.  And she was!  Lots of members seemed to remember her and went up to greet her.  5 minutes before sacrament meeting started, the bishop came up to us and asked if one of us could give a talk on keeping the commandments.  A couple of the people who were supposed to speak were sick.  Well, it turns out our lesson with Sister G had been on the blessings of obedience, so I volunteered.  It actually wasn't that bad!

We had a meeting with the bishop on how to increase missionary work in the ward.  We shared a few things we learned from Elder Foster and came up with some great ideas.  It was funny, because after we came in from the meeting, the bishop asked his daughter if she would invite her friend to a youth activity.  She said, "No."  He asked why not.  "She's a school person."  What?

After church, we found a voicemail from a man named R who the elders had taught that we have been trying to reach.  He has been coming to church the last few weeks!  We never saw him!  We called him back and were able to set up an appointment.  We had a great conversation and he wants to be baptized!  We set a date as a goal for October 29, and he said he would read the Book of Mormon on the plane today as he was flying out for a business trip.  Yay!

Anyway, there are good things happening in this area even though it may not be as fruitful as other areas.  I am excited to see what happens as the members get more involved!  Hope you all have a great week.

--
Sister Porter
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Pictures:
1. Wendy's frosties!

2. Pretty scenery

3. This one is old...I don't remember when we took it, but I thought it was cute. :)