"Run with Patience"

Hello Family!!

I hope you are all doing great. Sister Ayub and I had a fantastic week!! We saw so many miracles and definitely felt strengthened by the Lord. Her back pain has been gone, which has made a world of difference. I am so proud of all she accomplished this week. We went on splits with the ward missionaries and she did fantastic taking charge. Then yesterday in one of our lessons she was throwing out so many new Tagalog words. I couldn't stop smiling; I felt just like a proud mama as she taught. Random adventure that happened to the two of us...Sister Ayub was frustrated with on of the other sisters who was singing during language study so she went to our room to study and when I went up to check on her she had fallen asleep sitting on the floor with her head on her books spread out on her bed. I shook her to tell her it was time to go eat and she just tipped over but didn't wake up. I tried everything to get her to wake up and nothing was working. She was breathing normal and everything she just wouldn't wake up. The other sisters and I tried EVERYTHING we could think of to wake her up and NOTHING had any effect. She we talked to our district leader who called president and apparently it had happened before and we were supposed to just wait it out. So I went downstairs to keep studying and 3 hours later she came downstairs and just said, "Why didn't you wake me up?" It was the weirdest experience.

This week was full of sacred experiences and miracles. The last few weeks I had let myself sort of slip into a hole of self-pity where I felt inadequate and incapable. No matter what I did I just couldn't seem to pull myself out of it. But this week Sister Ayub and I did it together with the help of the Savior. There were a few times where I could feel myself slipping again and suddenly felt strengthened and encouraged. Something told me that that strength came from the prayers of loved ones at home. Thank you so much for your examples, love, support and prayers. It means the world to me and is felt everyday. 

We also saw so many miracles in the work itself. Doors seemed to open that weren't before and we simply felt very guided. The bishopric is doing amazing things in furthering the work of salvation and placing responsibility on the shoulders of members, ward missionaries and full-time missionaries as a united force. I am so grateful for this area and the people the Lord and placed in our path. We are beginning to see the fruits of our labors in using the work of salvation to teach members. 

After district meeting last week we were asked to focus on a Christlike attribute. I chose faith and hope. I am so grateful I did. The Lord has taught me so much this week. As I was studying faith I was brought back to the scripture President shared with us awhile back from Hebrews 12:1-2. I know that as we "run with patience" the Lord truly does become the author and finisher of our faith, expanding our capabilities and welcoming miracles into our lives. A women we are teaching who constantly constantly tries to Bible bash in the kindest way with us has asked us a few times, "What is the good news?" I have been thinking about that a bit and I am so grateful for the knowledge that we carry the good news. Our message is the gospel of Jesus Christ which brings all hope, peace and happiness. We know that through Him all things are possible. I love this work and I love all of you!

Love always,

Sister Porter

Filipino Fun Fact:

This week is another Pakistan fun fact because it is so funny to me. The other night during nightly planning Sister Ayub suddenly says in her broken English, "I want to see a real American." I just sort of stared at her and then stuck my hand in her face and said, "Guess what I am one!!" Haha she just started laughing and said, "NOOOOO. Babies. I never to see a real American baby. They are so beautiful." She explained that she has only seen them in movies and wants to see one so bad. Haha I invited her to America to my baby someday in the future when that happens. Life is never dull with her.

 The elders in our ward and crazy Tatay Bong.

I got to see Sister Sia this week!!! All the foreigners in our whole mission had to suddenly meet to take pictures and fill-out some things for immigration so we got to see lots of missionaries. So fun.

 The sisters that work with us every week. They are amazing and preparing for missions.

"...may the peace of God rest upon you..."

Hello family,

So, this week was hard. Super hard. Sister Ayub's back has really been troubling her and it has thrown everything into a bit of ciaos but hopefully we have that figured that out and things will calm down a bit this week. It was frustrating to see so much of what we have been working on reverse in a few days. However, these last few days the pain has been gone and she has been doing so good. On Sunday she gave a talk in Tagalog and the whole ward has been complimenting her on how much she has improved which motivates her to keep going. She really has improved so much. It is amazing it see and be a part of. Her Tagalog still isn't really understandable but she speaks it instead of English in lessons, which is so far from where she was coming from. We have been preparing her for splits with some amazing ward missionaries this week, something that really helped me progress when I was new. I am really excited for her!

We had a really sad experience with Sister Evelyn (the less-active I smiled at and began attending church again) this week. I won't explain all that happened but she was abused by her husband and left searching for somewhere to turn. We were with her during and after this experience and I have never felt so helpless. We helped her get in contact with the bishop but have since lost contact with her. Please pray for her. She is so special and searching for happiness. It is amazing to see the difference in her life and the life of all her loved ones she left in Bacalod who are active, return-missionaries now married in the temple. She told us that her dad calls her every Sunday to ask if she went to church and he has been so happy to finally hear yes for the past few weeks.This message has the power to change lives, even those who have lost their way and left the path for a time. There is always hope! You can always come back!

Our ward is so involved in the work and wants to see its success but have been struggling to find a solution for the lack of referrals and progress. As leaders and missionaries of Malolos 1st ward we met and organized a ward wide fast this coming week for the Work of Salvation in our area and we are excited to see the fruits of their faith and trust in the Lord. I love this ward and want so badly to help them. I feel like miracles are just waiting around the corner for them and the people of Malolos.

These last few weeks have definitely been a refiners fire for me and I feel as though I might still be in the middle of it, but I am already eternally grateful for this time. Never at any point in my life have I become so utterly dependent on the opportunity to pray to my Father in Heaven, my Savior's enabling sacrifice and the power of scripture study. I know that as we are obedient and do all that He asks, "the peace of God [will] rest upon [us]." I have felt it. I know that the message we carry is true and that our Father's plan is perfect. We may not see the answers or have the experiences we expect but His plan is infinitely better-- always. I know that He has called us all in our weaknesses and that He always qualifies those whom He calls. I am so grateful that He has called me and each day gives me the opportunity in some small baby-step-of-a-way to overcome my many weaknesses. I am so grateful for all of  you. I love you and miss you!

Love always,

Sister Porter

Filipino Fun Fact:

This is one of my very favorites. So Filipinos are VERY superstitious people and believe in a lot of myths and stories. I have people ask me all the time if there are really vampires in America and if Abraham Lincoln really is a vampire slayer? Haha they are being 100% serious when they ask that. So one of the mythical creatures that they believe in here are called Duwende. They are supposedly tiny elves that are too small to see. They make little homes that look like ant hills (they definitely actually are ant hills) and you must NEVER kick or step one their homes or they will curse you. When I asked what happens to you because of the curse they said it depends on how mad you made them but you could even possibly die from it. So in order to avoid all that, when passing a Duwende home or ant hill you say, "Tabi po. Tabi-tabi po." which means "Please move to the side. Step to the side please." That way they have time to get out of the way of your big feet and not get squished :) So there you have it. This is all very serious. The other day when we were working with our ward missionaries Sister Ayub put her foot up against one and they starting FREAKING OUT at her and she was so confused and scared because she didn't understand what they were saying haha super funny and we all laughed after I explained it to her.

Playing Filipino games with the ward missionaries on P-day.

Leaving Valentine surprises for the other sisters.

Finding surprises from them.

I love these sisters! P.S. That mattress we are laying on is my bed :) 

Maraming ang mababago sa inyong sarili dahil sa gawain nito

Magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat! (said in a deep Filipino preacher voice)

How are you all? Is it really time for transfers again. That blows my mind. I really have no idea what will happen. I am torn in a lot of ways I feel like Sister Ayub and I have another transfer together but I could also see one of us transferring. I guess we will just have to wait and see. Whatever happens I have complete and total trust in President Sperry. I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity I have to serve under that man. He truly is called of God. Having said that...

This is a transfer I will never forget (not that I will forget any on my mission) but this is one I will forever be grateful for. Coming into it I really was scared to death. I didn't know what to expect or even where to begin. This transfer has taught me to rely on prayer and the enabling power of the Atonement. I can say now without any shadow of a doubt that our Father in Heaven lives, hears and answers all our prayers in His perfect way and timing. I can also say that I know I have a living Savior and Redeemer who strengthens us constantly giving us capacities far beyond our own. I have seen it so many times in others and experienced it myself.

Now for Sister Ayub... oh my goodness I love that sister SO much! She has taught me so much and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to be a witness to her growth and progression. She has come so far and I am so incredibly proud of her. This Sunday we had a fast together for those we were teaching to have the strength and desire to attend church...and nearly no one came...AGAIN! We have really struggled with progress in our area this transfer no matter how hard we have worked and how much we have given these people. When they didn't attend church AGAIN I was so frustrated and as the sacrament started I was trying to hold back tears. I just began praying for strength and understanding of his plan. As individuals began bearing their testimonies Sister Ayub leaned over to me and asked me how you say, "In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen." in Tagalog. I gave her a quick response because I didn't want her to notice I was struggling. Then a few minutes later she asked if she could get past me to go up to the front. I was shocked. She never wants to speak in front of anyone, especially in a crowd that big because she is still working on Tagalog. I couldn't stop from smiling as I watched her walk up to the front and was filled with complete peace as she bore the very best testimony she could IN TAGALOG for the first time in her whole mission voluntarily. She thanked the ward, bishop, me and the Lord for all they had given her. It was such a sacred experience and one I will never forget. I am so proud of this sister and all the hard work she has put into this transfer. She is an amazing missionary. I have no doubt that our Father in Heaven is perfectly aware of each and everyone of his missionaries and children throughout the world. 

I am so grateful for all that this mission is teaching and the depth and understanding I am beginning to develop. Thank you so much for all your love, encouragement, prayers and advice. I am continually learning more from your examples! Love you all.

Love always,

Sister Porter

Filipino Fun Fact:

Yet another jeepney fun fact...when you pay on the jeepney you just say, "Bayad po." meaning this is my payment and stick your arm out then someone ahead of you in the jeepney will take it and will be passed down until it reaches the driver. He will then ask you how many of you there are and where you are going and then pass you back any change you need the by sticking his hand back and the people will just pass it down again until it reaches you. I was absolutely amazed by this when I first got here. One, because of the honesty that no one is policing any of it. It is just expect that everyone will pay when they get on and that no one will steal the money as it is passed around. And two, because the driver has a whole jeepeny full of people passing money to him at one time while driving and starting and stopping because people are getting on and off but somehow the whole time he keeps track of it all and gets everyone their correct change. 

Boodle Fight with the zone. All food is eaten with your hands and laid out on banana leaves.  Squeezing coconut with Sister Cestona for our chicken curry.

 

I am serving in Paradise :) It is breathtaking here!

Siya nawa

Hellooooooo Family.

This was a great week. My mind is sort of blown. Lots of crazy growing experiences.

On Tuesday at district meeting one of the elders came up to me and asked if President called me. I was like, "No....why?" I have been planning on going home two weeks early for school as well as this elder and he said President asked him to go home a transfer early in order to accommodate the new mission president in July. When I heard that my heart dropped. I'm not ready to go home! If I was asked to go home a transfer early that would mean I only have 6 months left...WHAT. That would day I was super overwhelmed. Before going out to work I just prayed for peace and an assurance that whenever I was asked to come home I would be prepared and just focus on the time I have now to learn, grow and teach. I went out that day to work and just wanted to talk to everyone I saw haha and use every minute. The next day at zone conference (which was amazing...one of my very favorites so far!) I got the chance to talk with President. He told me that instead he would send me home in the middle of the transfer on August 14 with none other than...SISTER LOO...one of my companions in the MTC who I flew to the Philippines with. I couldn't have gotten better new. Heavenly Father is so aware of each and everyone of my children. I know it. I've felt it and I see it EVERYDAY in this work. 

On a funny note. I have lost my voice the last few days. Considering that Sister Ayub still can't speak Tagalog it has made lessons very interesting haha but maybe this is just Heavenly Father telling me to be quite and giving Sister Ayub the opportunity to push herself even more.

Sister Ayub and I had a good week. However, It seems that no matter how hard we work and pray we can not get the people-- investigators and less-actives-- to attend church. That has been frustrating but we did see a few miracles this week with individuals attending church. Sister Evelyn the sister who attended church after I smiled at her has now come 3 weeks in a row. We are so excited for her! Now if we could just start teaching her non-member family. We found a Book of Mormon her husband has that the missionaries gave him in 1998. It was so cool and one of the first translated copies. He still hasn't read it, but he will soon!

I know I've talked about this before but I am again just so grateful for the Lord's tender mercies. This morning I read "The Lord's Tender Mercies" by Elder Bednar. In the talk he said, "The Lord's tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness, obedience and humility invite tender mercies into our lives, and it is often the Lord's timing that enables us to recognize and treasure these important blessing." Love it! One of my favorite things that my companions and I do each night before falling asleep is each say our miracle for the day. There ALWAYS is one, usually many. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this work and witness and experience His tender mercies.

I love you all!

Love always,

Sister Porter

Filipino Fun Fact:

The traditions at a death are very different here. After someone has died they are prepared for burial and placed in their casket then left at their family's house in the living room or outside for about a week. During that time family members and friends will come and visit from different provinces and cities. There is usually drinking and karaoke involved...basically a must for any gathering in the Philippines. Then on the way to the cemetery the casket is usually pulled in a glass type carriage thing behind a truck (I don't no how to describe it ha google it) but the kicker is music will be blasting from the car carrying the casket. Anytime of music but most times rock n' roll. Also as a side note, just like in America you usually wear black to funerals but you CAN'T wear red. Red is worn for parties, especially birthdays, and would be VERY disrespectful.

Jeepney ride to zone conference. We left super early so everyone was way tired. Also, it was cold, well more of like a little brisk, but I wore a sweater for the first time in a year ha.

This is our view on our morning walks...its breathtaking. Too bad I took it right after the rice was harvested, usually it is a SUPER vibrant green but now its just brown.

Trying to teach yet another one of my companions to do a push-up haha so much fun!

Ang balis ng panahon!

Hey Family!

'Musta na kayo? Namimiz ko kayong lahat kaso sobrang masaya ako dito sa Philipinas. Gusto ko talaga ang buhay ko dito, lalu na bilang isang misyonero ni Jesucristo. Napakaswerte ko na ito ay yung plano ng Diyos para sa akin.

Ok...I today I have been on the mission for 10 months...WHAT? Time is flying and sometimes I get a little panicked that I am starting on the downward slope of my mission. I love being a missionary. I love this country. I love these people. I love the experiences I am having here. I love my Savior and Heavenly Father and the opportunity to respresent them.

Sister Ayub and I have see so many answered prayers this week. I have been amazed by the directness and at times almost instant responses of our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for this transfer. I feel as though my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior are growing in ways I didn't think were possible. At times I feel a little as if I am drowning by the responsibilities and growth I feel like this area is waiting for, but those feelings are always swallowed up by an overwhelming feeling of love and appreciation for the work, area and my companion. 

Sister Ayub is doing so great! I really am so in love with this sister. She constantly keeps me laughing and continually puts my needs before her own. I am learning so much from her example. Sometimes it is a little overwhelming how much she doesn't know or understand, especially considering we are batch and should be at the same point but one thing I have noticed is how much she wants to learn when given the opportunity. I think in the past everything has been done for her in the work so she hasn't taken the time to learn it. Last Friday she lead our weekly planning for the first time in her entire mission. It was EXTREMELY long but she did great and we both learned a lot. She is working so hard on her Tagalog and grown so much. I am so proud of her. Everyday I can't stop smiling as we teach and work because of the progress she has made. 

I am absolutely in love with Malolos 1st Ward. Can I just serve the rest of my mission here? They are so excited about the work and doing everything they can to help it progress. We have members working with us nearly everyday. They have ward mission goals and plans that they are sharing with us. It is so exciting to be a part of the work here!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a representative of Jesus Christ and serve Him for 18 months and the rest of my life. This week I learned how even the simplest of actions as a missionary and a member are important. My companions and I have always talked about the importance of representing Christ at all times the moment we walk out the door. This past Sunday I saw a women I didn't recognize at church and began to talk with her. She said that she had seen us walking near her house the day before and as we passed I had smiled and waved at her. I didn't remember her or that moment. As we continued to talk she told me that she was raised a member of the church in Bacolod (different island and part of the Philippines). Six years ago she moved here, married a non-member and has been going to random wards on and off since then. After she saw us she decided to come to church this week and guessed what time we would be meeting and came to church with her 11-year-old non-member daughter. She said we are welcome anytime into her home and will be going back this week to teach her family. I am so grateful to wear this name-tag and do all I can to honor His name and the miracles we see everyday as a part of this work. This last week I read 2 Nephi 25:17 that calls this work a "marvelous work and a wonder". I feel it! I think the whole world feels it! 

I love you all so much. Thank you for your examples, love and encouragement!

Love always,

Sister Porter

Filipino Fun Fact:

The Filipino people are some of the most loving people in the world! I am in love with it. One of my very favorite thing about them is what they use to refer to friends, neighbors, siblings and complete strangers... ate (sister) and kuya (brother). It is my favorite! They really treat each other all as if they are all family and thus the fact that they regularly call each other brother and sister everyday is perfect! 

 Sister Ayub threaded my eyebrows...it was the most intense experience. I felt like I was in surgery haha

Sister Rasmussen got her toenail removed so Sister Ayub and I bought her a cake that said "Goodbye Toe". The lady at the cake shop was super confused haha and asking how to spell the "name" and if we wanted pink or blue frosting and asked if it was a boy or a girl haha you never know it could totally be a name here. They have the craziest names. In my last area for those of you who have read Twilight there was a baby blessed in the ward named Renesme (or however you spell it).

 Our area is beautiful and this is not a good picture of it. I will send better ones.

Birthday Party at a members with the elders in our ward.

Ngek

Hey Family!

I have no idea where to even start because I don't even know what has happened in the last week.

One minute I was saying goodbye to Sister Sia (so hard!) and the next I was on a jeepney with Sister Cestona and all our luggage headed to Malolos and ever since I got off the jeepney has been a complete and total blur haha I have never been so mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually EXHAUSTED but I love it!

So I am now in Malolos, Bulacan. This area is SO difference from my last two. It actually reminds me a lot of Logan. It is what they call province or country. There is fresh air!! So much green and life is just quieter but you can also easily get to city just like downtown Logan. The Tagalog is blowing my mind here. It is SO deep! Which just means they are speaking pure Tagalog without all the Taglish mixed in. There are also a lot of words you can say in Tagalog a lot of ways some of them are deeper and older Tagalog and that is what they are using here haha I LOVE it!

My new companion Sister Ayub is fantastic! We have already had so much fun with each other and I can't wait to spend the next 6 weeks with her. Like I told you before she is from Pakistan and we are actually batch, meaning we entered the mission the same transfer, which is super fun. At this point Sister Ayub knows broken English and little to no Tagalog. That hasn't already made for a lot of adventures haha and lots of patience from both of us. I have been so impressed with her these last few days and her improvement in the language. She wants to learn it so bad and has finally started to speak as much as she can in the lessons and studying diligently. I am so impressed with her and excited to see her just continue to get better. One struggle with her not being able to understand much of what is going on around her is that she doesn't remember who anyone they have been teaching here are and where they live...so as of now we are basically on open area mode and just going from one adventure to another. I feel so blessed that we have been assigned to the Malolos 1st Ward. They have been incredible in working with us and have completely inspired me to be a better missionary. I have never seen such and organized and excited ward to help the missionary work progress. As of now our teaching pool is literally at zero so we just keep telling each other we can only go up from here! As we have fasted and prayed together we have already begun to see miracles and can't wait to see more of what the Lord has in-store for this area. 

These last few days have had been praying and relying on my Heavenly Father more than at any point in my life. I am just so humbled to see how He prepares us perfectly for the tasks He will ask of us and I am just so grateful for the comfort and answers that come through seeking Him. I am amazed by the miracles that come as we rely on our Savior when we don't have the strength, patience or love necessary for the task. I know this work is HIS work and I am just so grateful to be a part of it here in Malolos!

I love you all so much!!

Love always,

Sister Porter

Filipino Fun Fact:

Most people have the babies sleep in little homemade hammocks. I think it is seriously the coolest thing. Some of them are made out of woven rope but a lot or just made out of sheets they tie to the windows or whatever else works inside the house. I attached a picture of the cutest baby in one at Sister Laude (a less-active women or returned to church) house.

Baby Helaman (they are members haha) in the hammock.

Ninoy's Baptism

 Sister Sia and I :)

Our Christmas fireplace...missionary in the Philippines style.

Reading the Christmas Story together on Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning. Sister Sia surprised me with matching shirts!

YSA of Malanday Ward!!

Sister Sia and I sneaking a picture when no one was around.

Cooking our Christmas Ham hahahahah

Matching shirts!

Manigong bagong taon!

Happy New Year!!

I hope you all had a great New Year's Eve. Mine was insane. There is no possible way to describe New Year's Eve in the Philippines. They love it! The one word I would use to describe it is LOUD. We went out to teach a few lessons in the early afternoon because we had an early curfew for safety. The streets were filled with stands selling any kind of firework you can imagine, homemade and not, as well as every kind of noisemaker, also homemade and not. You could already hear fireworks going off and music blasting EVERYWHERE-- Filipinos love their karaoke. By about 4:00 pm the noise level went up a notch and the fireworks started even more. We went to Bishop Dela Cruz's for our last dinner before transfers and then rushed home before curfew. By about 6:00 pm the noise level was intense and in America the police would have been called hours earlier. We cleaned the apartment, started packing for transfers and then I set-up the Porter family traditional fishpond for the other sisters. I gave them stickers, stamps, letters, candy, noisemakers, etc. Then they surprised me and said they had some for me ha then Sister Sia just started sending a bunch of Sister Jenkins things for the sheet ha and I could hear Sister Jenkins complaining in the backgroud haha so fun. Sister Domagas did give me a bamboo bank which I am super excited about! Then we all got ready for bed and had another sleep-over with Sister Jenkins telling us stories. Then came 11:30 pm and World War III began outside our wind. There was SO MUCH NOISE. I can honestly say I know what it feels like to survive a bomb raid haha the sky was flashing and there was every kind of firework you can image going off. It was so much fun and definitely a night I will never forget.

To rewind a little bit, this past week Sister Sia and I saw so many answers to prayers in our area. We found the Turla family, former investigators, that are so prepared. I already love them so much and I am so excited for the happiness the gospel will bring them. Brother Dionisho and his son came to church again without his wife because she was sick. I am so excited for that family as well. We talk Brother Ninoy about baptism for the dead and temples. He is excited to prepare to go! He told us again that this is the truth he has been looking for. Brother and Sister Pernia came to church again. We aren't sure what will happen with Brother or if we will make it to baptism in the near future but Sister is attending church regularly and so involved in all the activities. We are excited for her! I have been so grateful for this area. I struggled a bit in the beginning to love it and adjust to the change of leaving my first area but I have absolutely fell in love with it. I have seen the miracles that can come as we patiently wait AND work for the Lord's timing. I am so grateful for all I have learned here and will never forget the Malanday ward. I am also so unbelievably grateful for Sister Sia and the opportunity I had to train her. I feel like I learned FAR more from her and the Lord as a trainer than I taught. I love her so much. I feel like I gained another little sister. 

So, to begin 2014 I will be transfering to Malolos. I am so excited and of course sad to say goodbye to this area. My new companion will be Sister Ayub. She is from Pakistan-- I have mentioned her in emails before. I am so excited to work with her and love this sister so much already but I won't lie I am pretty nervous. She still struggles with both English and Tagalog and has faced some difficult challenges in the last few transfers. I am grateful for all I have to learn from her and the opportunity we have to grow together.

I am so grateful for the experiences and opportunities our Heavenly Father gives us in this life to change and grow. I am constantly being reminded of my weakness but also given courage to overcome them through my strengths. I am grateful for my Savior who makes all things possible and the hope we each receive through Him. I can wait to continue to grow and change in this next year and see what the Lord has in store!

I hope you all and hope you are all happy, healthy and safe!

Love always,

Sister Porter