David and Goliath

HELLLLOOOOO Family!

Well this week was fun and exciting. I am now getting settled into my new area Malanday 2nd in the Valenzuela Zone. It is an amazing area and the people are unbelievably welcoming and kind. I am smack in the middle of city which is taking some getting used to. We spend A LOT of time stuck in jeepneys in the middle of traffic. But its all good because it gives us time to talk to more people and they have no choice but to listen to us because they can't go anywhere :) This transfer is already pushing me so much more to talk to people, anywhere and everywhere and I love it! 

As for my new companion...Sister Baile....she is AMAZING! I love her so much and we get along so well. First of all, Heavenly Father and President Sperry must have quite the sense of humor putting us together because she is by small the smallest missionary in our whole mission and I am the tallest sister. Sister Baile likes to call us David and Goliath and the ward has started referring to us as that too :) Second, she is my first Filipina companion and our kabahay (other sisters living with us) are also Filipina so I literally NEVER speak English except for a half and hour each night to help Sister Baile with her English. It is amazing how much my Tagalog is improving and how much I'm realizing I really can do. I love it. Third, she is only one transfer ahead of me in the mission so we are learning a lot together which is pushing me a lot not really having someone to turn to and ask what to do but I love it and I'm great how much it is making me grow.

I'm learning so much about myself on this mission everyday; Heavenly Father never ceases to teach me something new or reteach me something I continue to struggle with. Something I learn this week in my personal study that I hadn't realized before I found in Preach My Gospel. On page 173 in the Study the Scriptures section it says that faith in Christ is a gift from God that comes through obedience to His commandments. I loved that! I had never thought of my faith in my Savior as a gift from my Heavenly Father, but now that I have I know its true. I love that despite all of our weaknesses and the natural man in us (Mosiah 3:19) as we are exactly obedient the Lord will expand our capabilities/capacities as well as our faith in Christ. It reminded me of a promise Elder Scott gave us while I was in the MTC. He said, "You will have peace when you feel you are stretched beyond your capacity." He went on to say that we have been called to succeed and the Lord would fit the task to our capabilities. I know that's true. I have felt it over and over again!

Well I love you all like crazy and I'm so grateful for all you do! Thank you so much for the emails, letters and packages you send. I'm sorry if it takes me a long time to respond but I hope you know how much they mean to me. I'm so grateful for all of you and your love and support! I have the best family and friends. MAHAL NA MAHAL KO KAYO!

Love always,

Sister Porter

Sister Baile and I

 FHE with the Single Adults

Bored on the jeepney ride and taking advantage of being the last ones in the jeep

Comparing our leg lengths :)

"...and the rains came tumbling down"

Hello Family!!

The time just keeps going faster and faster and I don't know what to do with myself. Sister Walker and I only have one more week together and its killing me! I love that sister and I still have SO MUCH to learn from her. Missions are full of SO many changes and I'm learning to be okay with it :)

This week was pretty slow as far as work went because we had lots of meetings but we still have fun and learned a lot and extended some more baptismal dates that were excepted. I'll let you know what happens as we get closer to their baptismal dates :)

This week I also experienced my first real flood in the Philippines...it was CRAZY!!! Last Monday we were supposed to have a typhoon or bagyo come through and were told not to go out if the wind got too bad. It ended up not being bad at all and most of the wind came through while we were sleeping. But everyone gave us the craziest looks and asked us why we were out working when there was a bagyo. Well yesterday there was no bagyo (storm) just "low pressure" as they all call it but there was WAY more wind and WAY more rain. I don't really get what they classify as a storm :) Anyways, we went to teach Kirsten (our recent convert) and her sisters and after our lesson we walked outside and there was literally a river where the street used to be. IT WAS INSANE and moving so fast! Everyone was laughing at me because I was freaking out. Supposedly it gets way worse but I was pretty impressed by it. So we just headed out to get to our next appointment. Rain or shine we work unless we're told to stop :) Kirsten and her sisters walked with us for a bit because they wanted to see me try and walk through the baha (flood). Also, I am just so glad it was dark because for all I knew the water was crystal clear and clean but Kirsten kept telling me there was ipis (cockroaches) floating in it and randomly things would just hit your legs and I'd freak out a bit. All and all my first flood was exciting and fun and I'm just glad there wasn't any damage done in our area and we could work.

In our last Zone Conference, President taught us about how we all placed our faith and trust in Christ once before this life when we chose to follow him, and didn't let us down when he accomplished the Atonement and submitted His will to the Father for us. Now we have to exercise our faith in Him again and it is our turn not to let Him down. I love that I get to spend 18 months helping people remember the trust and faith they once had in their older brother. I love this work! The Lord amazes me with His tender mercies and blessings everyday. I love you all and pray for you always!

Love always,

Sister Porter 

I wore jeans for the first time in 4 months and probably won't again before I come home haha because its so hot but it was super exciting.

Our Kitchen- Sister Walker is teaching me how to cook :)

Sister Vanessa (ward missionary and I

A really awful picture of the flood. That is in the middle of the street. I promise I was not being disobedient and playing in a pond.

Floods

Just riding in a tricycle on the way to church :)

Till I die, I will not remove mine integrity

HELLLLLOOOOO Family!!

Siempre, I love and miss you all like crazy. It has been another great week. This transfer is absolutely flying!

Here of some highlights of our week:

- Trying to be exactly obedient Sister Walker and I went tracking among the middle class. After being rejected over and over again we were walking down a random street trying to decided where to try next when I saw this women through some bushes, behind her gate just smiling at us. I decided to go over to her and ask if we could ask her a question and just got talking with her. She got all excited and just took us across the street to her friends house to share with her and her daughter. It didn't end up being a very effective lesson but they were all so nice just SUPER talkative. As we were on our way out she said she wanted to take us to her daughters house so we decided to go with her, meet her and maybe set a return appointment. Well we got there and the sister we found had been SO prepared by the Lord. I have never felt the Spirit so strongly in a lesson or been so guided. The gift of tongues is so real! I don't know what will happen as we go back and teach her but I am grateful Heavenly Father's hand in our work that whole day and that even if we just planted a seed we got to be a part of it.

- This week was stake conference so our church attendance was WAY down because the stake center is pretty far. But the Pramoso family came and they are SO excited to prepare for the temple. Also, Maricel Pedral who I told you about last week came despite having every reason not to--- no money and difficulty walking--- AND her less-active mom, Merly, came. She is the sassiest lady who I love so much and I completely freaked out when I saw her walk in. She has been teasing us for 3 months that someday she would surprise us and come to church, unwilling to actually commit to come. Heavenly Father is so amazing! And they were both able to meet the bishop and had a great experience. 

- Also, I ate dugo (blood) this week......luckily it was at the Pramoso's house so they weren't offended at all if I just had a tiny bit. They just prepare it with vegetables and of course eat it with rice. It actually was good you just have to get over the fact that its blood and most likely horrible for you health. Don't worry I only had like two bites so I should be fine right? Haha hopefully I don't come home a mutant. This week I'm planning on finally eating balut....I'll let you know how that goes.

- So you know how in America if you are sitting next to someone and pat them on the leg it means like "Good job." or "I love you." So, I was sitting next to Sister Plame, she is a Filipina, on the jeepney and I just patted her on the leg... well, she turned to me with the craziest look and her fits up like ready to fight me. Haha she did not understand the gesture and I'm not sure what she thought was going on but we got a good laugh out of it after I explained it to her.

Well this work is amazing and there is nothing else I would rather be doing. I still get homesick and frustrated with the language sometimes but nothing compares to the feeling that comes when you see those you are teaching coming closer to Christ. It makes it all worth it. I just feel so humbled by all that God is able to accomplish in this work despite all of our weaknesses and imperfections. I was studying about hope this past week and found Job 27:5-6 that reads, "5 ...till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. 6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as live." I am just so inspired by the conviction of Job that despite every trial he faced he knew that above all he had his integrity, righteousness and knowledge of his Savior. I am so grateful that I have been blessed with the same knowledge Job had and that I get to share it in the Philippines. I just hope that I remember and live all that I preach and testify of daily. I want to always remember my Savior and covenants, repent and progress daily and maintain a "perfect brightness of hope" that can only come through Him.

MAHAL KO KAYO!!!!!!!!!!!

Love always,

Sister Porter

Pictures:

1- This is our friend 'taba (fat). He lives in our house (actually I think he is more likethey. I'm pretty sure there are at least 3 of them). We have tried getting rid of them but they always come back.

2- 'Taba

3- These are my new kabahay. Sister Criste (far left) is now training Sister Plame (far right). They are great and I just feel like a giant 24/7 :)

Change

Hello Family!!!

Oh my goodness I love and miss you all so much. I have so much to tell you about that I don't even know where to begin, but here it goes...

First, we had a baptism this week. It was SO special and it will be a day I will always treasure. It was perfect, but what was perfect about it was that it wasn't perfect. Kirsten was late to the baptism (that was stressful) and the program was pretty disorganized but the moment she entered the water I was so overwhelmed with how perfect this gospel is. I was totally overcome by the fact that the very ordinance being performed was the one our Savior, Jesus Christ was baptized through, the very same one! I am so excited for Kirsten and the change and progress that has come over her as she comes unto Christ as well as her less-active step-sister Mika who has changed and progressed along side her (she now comes to church every Sunday and is now enrolled in seminary!!). One thing that ended up being pretty funny...the elder preforming the baptism I guess got a little overeager or something and Kirsten didn't fully plug her nose so she came up coughing and gasping haha but she was still all smiles and it was a great day!!

Second, transfers... dun dun dun... I am staying in Deparo and my new companion will be Sister Walker!! The crazy thing is Sister Walker was trained by Alexis Bird :) so fun! I am so excited! I have already had the chance to work with her before because she was a sister training leader and we had exchanges. She is amazing and I know I have a lot to learn from her. Also this will be her last transfer before she goes home! While I am so excited for the changes my heart totally breaks at the thought of leaving Sister Yagemai. That sister is seriously SO special and I love her SO much. I can't express to her, my Heavenly Father or anyone else how much she and the time I got to spend with her means to me. She is now opening a new area and follow-up training a sister from my batch from Pakistan who doesn't know English or Tagalog yet. So she has some challenges ahead of her but she most definitely up to the task!! She asked me to say hi to the fam also :)

I'm just so grateful for a Heavenly Father who has such a perfect and beautiful plan for ALL of us. I'm so grateful for the 18 months He has given me to be a missionary. I am quickly starting to see why so many RMs tell me to enjoy the time you have because it flies! I know this church is true with all of my heart. I love the Philippines. I love these people. I love Tagalog and I love being a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am also so grateful for all my friends and family who are faithfully serving, recently got home or served in the past. You are all such great examples to me!

I love you all so much!!

Love always,

Sister Porter

P.S. Mom you asked about the language. It really is going great. Of course, its a slow process but its finally speeding up :) Sister Yagemai and I made this whole deal thing and part of it was me speaking Tagalog at all times outside of our apartment. So I was talking to her about something I don't even remember what and said brokenhearted because I had no idea how to say it in Tagalog and she made me try and translate it the best I could so I could keep my end of the deal. So I sat there and thought for a minute and then blurted out, "Sirang pusa" TRANSLATION: Sira means broken, ng added onto a word links it to the next word, pusa means cat unlike puso which I meant to use that means heart. So I instead said I had a broken cat. She got quite the laugh out of it and so have all the other missionaries and members she has told haha all a part of the learning process :)

 Before her baptism :)

 

 After

 The best day :)

 

 

Crazy People, Dogs and as always lots of Pananampalataya

Madandang tanghali pamilya!!

This has of course been another great week.  I just don't know what I did to have two such incredible companions right in a row--I must have really needed some straightening out:) I am just learning so much Sister Walker and 6 weeks is going way too fast.  This week I have just been filled with so much gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of this work--something that Sister Walker is constantly teaching me through her example and by always noticing the tender mercies of the Lord everyday (Sister Bird I have a hunch that comes from having you as a trainer haha).  As I was sitting in the temple yesterday I was just overwhelmed by the love Heavenly Father has for each of us.  His plan is so perfect and beautiful.  I can't relieve al the experiences, answers to prayer and blessings He gives me everyday.  Preach My Gospel (pg. 10-11, A Successful Missionary  says, "You should not become discouraged...discouragement will weaken your faith."  I am learning how true that is.  We have no reason to be discouraged if we are doing our very best.  It goes on to say, "YOu can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when you feel the SPirit of this work.  We are so lucky!  When we put our trust and faith in HIm all things are possible (Moroni 7:33/Ether 12:6). 

This week we were punted (meaning we had an appointment and it fell through for one reason or another) A LOT but we both feel that our work has been so much more effective. We are getting punted but that is because we have decided we don't want to take the easy way out and continually go back to the same houses that we know will always let us in. We are trying to grow and strengthen our teaching pool and hopefully find some investigators who are ready and prepared by the Lord. Each time we are punted I just have to laugh a little to myself because it seems like Heavenly Father is trying to keep me humble and remind me that this is HIS work and it is all done in HIS timing.

Sister Walker and I are having a BLAST!! I seriously don't know how I got so lucky. This week we had just finished our personal study when we got a call from President. He was asking for directions to our house because he and Sister Sperry were on their way to have companionship study with us. AHHHHH. That does NOT happen everyday haha good thing we are obedient and all I had to do was comb my hair a bit to look presentable. It ended up being so fun. I love President and Sister Sperry so much and I feel so blessed to serve under them. President told the APs after that he would like us two to be the next APs haha oh gosh! Then a few days later we had district meeting and I mentioned before that the mission office is in our zone. So after district meeting we stopped by the mission office to get something and then President came on over and ate lunch with us at McDonalds haha that definitely does NOT happen everyday haha it was fun to just talk and laugh for a bit with missionaries and see President outside of meetings. 

Funny moment of the week (it's impossible to pick one): Sister Walker and I have been teaching this less-active/part-member family and they have a HUGE husky (which is completely unusual for the Philippines because it is so hot) named Dubi. Well every time we go the dog is crazy and jumps on us and he is so big no one can control him, anyways, this time Dubi was especially hyper. We walked in and he just went crazy and jumped up on me and somehow got his paw stuck in my skirt and as they tried to pull him off my skirt came off with him...embarrassing. Luckily I got it pulled up really quick and there were no men around... tender mercy? haha Well then we finally get inside the house and he follows us in and this time decides to pick on Sister Walker. He just starts chewing on her bum and no one is doing anything about it and I am laughing too hard to help her. Well anyways, eventually we got it all under-control and a lessons was taught :) We have fun. I just have to add one more... We were just walking down the sidewalk on our way to our next appointment when all the sudden a man just comes running towards us holding a paintbursh and starts rambling off to us in English. He was talking about ALL kinds of crazy things and Sister Walker kept misunderstanding him haha at one point he was asking if were single but Sister Walker thought he was asking if we had seen Jesus and started trying to respond to that. Then he started explaining to us what he was painting on these stairs in front of a tindahan (little stores everywhere here that sell snacks) that was not his. It was all about "divine laws" and had random crazy equations. He just kept on talking and we just slowly started walking away. Oh the Philippines!

Well this ended up being a very long email but I love and miss you all crazy! You are always in my prayers. Salamat talaga para sa inyong mabuting halimbawa sa akin. Namimiss ko kayo lahat. Paki-tuloy pagiging astig at steadfast kay Jesucristo. Mahal na mahal ko kayo!

Love always,

Sister Porter

  Just living and loving it with Sister Walker

 We had FHE with one of my very favorite families (the Pramosos) who was less-active and is now preparing to enter the temple!! They let us wash the dishes after dinner which NEVER happens so we were excited... they thought it was hilarious and started taking pictures and filming us because I kept hitting my head on the ceiling.

  

Baby Anthony he is SO cute and the youngest of the Pramoso family

 TEMPLE DAY!

Best Week Yet

This week goes down as one of my very favorites in the mission so far. It was incredible. I can't even explain to you the difference focusing on charity made in the work. Sister Yagemai and I had a blast and somehow taught more lessons each day then ever before. The language totally flowed. So many people promised to attend church this week and didn't show, which is always the case but this week I REALLY thought they were going to be there. However, this Sunday was still incredible. Our new bishop is amazing and so inspired.  I just feel like the Deparo Ward is getting ready to soar. The members are becoming more involved and the meeting on Sunday are becoming much more reverent. We also had many members attend the Worldwide Leadership Training and hope that they were as inspired by it as we were. I can't wait to see this ward and the wonderful people in it continue to progress. We also got up enough courage to tract among the middle class We were painfully rejected but I have no doubt we'll knock on the right door soon :) We've been challenged to not just teach among the poor because they are easier to find and less intimidating, let me tell you the middle class is totally intimidating--- they have huge gates gates surrounding their huge houses haha.

HAPPY 4th of JULY!! Thinking about it makes me totally homesick. Fireworks, family, hot dogs & burgers, POTATO SALAD & CHIPS, parades and celebrating America BUT I have been thinking about it and how blessed we truly are to live in America. I just can't believe that out of all the places in the world I got to grow up in America WITH a knowledge of the gospel in a happy and safe home. WE ARE SO BLESSED!! One of the things I have realized I take for granted is how much hope we have. We get to dream big! And more often then not those dreams become a reality. Ah, I love America. Put your hand over your heart for me will ya :) but I'm also so excited to be here. I love the Philippines!

Love you all. You inspire me.

Mahal ko kayo!

Love always,

Sister Porter

Sister Yagemai is a braiding wizard and did all of our hair for church :)

 The Camarin Zone bowling for P-day. Do you love our zone t-shirts? That was the first time Sister Criste and I think some of the other Philipino missionaries had ever been bowling and she ended up killing us ha

 Sister Yagemai just being great.

When it rains...IT POURS!

Hello Pamilya Ko!

Hope you are all alive well and loving summer life. You are always in my prayers. This week was as always another great week!

We had another temple tour and I got to see Sister Loo again. So great! And we were just talking about how crazy it was that we were in the exact same situation 6 weeks ago...time flies when you're having fun and working HARD. We got to take Michael and Geroldin. They are both 12 years old, cousins and recent converts. Their grandma Sister Villante came with us as well. She was baptized in the 90s but has recently been inactive. It was great. On the was home crammed in the jeepney everyone was so tired and poor Michael fell asleep so when we slammed on the brakes in traffic he went flying. It was pretty funny but he was super embarrassed :)

Last night right as we said amen to the closing prayer of our last appointment the biggest clap of thunder and brightest flash of lightening I have ever heard/seen went off. It was pretty funny and little old Brother Capule was joking that it was God saying, "Amen". Well as we started walking home it started to rain, I mean REALLY rain. Basically we were walking home in a river and the river was EVERYWHERE. Luckily it never went higher then just above our ankles but its still not like anything I've ever seen before. I flagged down a tricycle for the rest of the way home which was a total adventure. We tried to take one route home but a little boy come running up going crazy and telling us that it was too flooded so we turned around and tried another way and made it home safe and sound. At some points when there was a dip in the road or at the bottom of the hill it felt like we were in a boat more than in a tricycle haha. Everyone just keeps telling me wait for the rainy season and then you'll know what rain is...and I just keep thinking this isn't it? Seems pretty rainy to me :) Fun fact: We always know when its going to rain later on because it will get hot, like super hot, like you might as well just get inside an oven. It great, we don't even need a weatherman. 

But its not just the rain that's pouring down, honestly its the blessings. This work is amazing and it really is rolling forth. I loved the talk in conference- "Catch the Wave". It is frustrating and hard but it is His work and He is in every inch of it. Sometimes it feels like we are facing impossible odds and its easy to get discouraged but I'm learning more and more, over and over again, how incredible it is when we align our will and perspective with His. I love being a missionary! 

I love you all so much!! Mahal na mahal ko kayo! Ingat!

Love always,

Sister Porter

 Michael, Geroldin and their grandma at the Manila Temple

This is Sister Yagemai every morning. Her hair is my favorite! It totally explodes. She wears that face mask every night because it gets so light at like 5 in the morning.