Fortnight

August 28, 2013

Great news!  Just less than a fortnight left in the MTC!  I'm so excited to be a real missionary!  On Tuesday night after devotional it was pouring rain, so we got to walk back in the rain.  It was A DREAM!  I have waited my whole life to be a missionary, reppin a suit, and walking through the rain.  I love it.  Kinda weird though, I've only been a missionary for just over a fortnight, I feel like it's been much longer than that!  (In Australia a fortnight it a unit of measurement they use all the time, I assume all ya'll know it means 2 weeks.)

Now, I have come up with a list of things I have learned from the MTC:

1. Ranch tastes good on everything.  Every main meal needs something more to it and, for me, that thing is ranch dressing.  I love it. 

2. You can not expect to maintain your weight when adding ranch to everything you eat.  I work out pretty hard, but I'm still gaining weight.  It's whatever though, I don't care.

3. There are some outstanding similarities between the MTC and Spirit Prison read through D&C 138 and see if you can find more than the list I am about to share.

• There is a lot of learning.  So so so much learning.  But no progression.  We are all stuck here.
• There are missionaries everywhere.  In our case there are only missionaries, but its still similar.
• When thinking about leaving the people rejoice.  I still have a fortnight left and I can barley even control my joy.

4. Disney songs can cure every sad emotion and enhance every happy one.  Ab, that's why I needed A Whole New World.  We actually spend most of our free time making new lyrics to the songs to make them be about baptism.  So like...Abby?  Or someone else...will you send me the lyrics to a few more songs?  I was thinking Make a Man Out of You from Mulan and some Tarzan ones.  Thanks!:)

5. Every stereotype I have formed in my head about black men is true.  Elder Collins is the perfect black man.  Dad, Kam, and Joe, if you wanna see the future of BYU running backs look up DINO COLLINS HIGHLIGHTS.  He's from Wyoming, if that helps you find it.  He said he's talked to the BYU coaches a few times and he's planning on walking on there post mission.  

That is pretty much the extent of what I have learned here!

Every day someone tells me that I need to shave and every time it happens I get PUMPED because I shave every single day.  That means I'm finally growing up, mom!  I'm planning on doing "The Summer of the Nazarene" when I get home.  Growing out the beard and hair until I have to return to school.  I'm looking forward to that so much.

Once a week we do this thing called TRC.  It's where we teach a member of the church a short, spiritual message.  In Spanish of course. This week, instead of teaching somebody here at the MTC we Skyped with someone from a different country.  Elder Lammi and myself taught some lady from Ecuador (Hogie's mission). We got in the lesson and it was going pretty well, then I asked her if she had had any experiences where the Book of Mormon has helped her find answers and if she'd be willing to share.  She just started to haul.  Talking faster than should be legal.  I honestly don't know what she said.  So when she finished me and Elder Lammi just looked at each other and I said "uhh....bueno" and carried on with the lesson hahah.  She just kinda laughed and carried on.  In reality I am learning so much.  I guarantee I could write a letter and it would be perfect as far as grammar is concerned.  But I can't think fast enough to speak it.  I imagine that will come with time and practice though, so I'm not too worried.  

Elder Neil L. Anderson spoke at devotional yesterday.  It was so so good.  He said some things that were really exactly what I needed to hear.  First, he said that if we are good boys and girls, the Lord will bless us.  I just really like to hear that cause it means I don't have to be perfect, just be as good as I can.  Then he told a story about when he was a mission president.  He said the advice he would give to the missionaries was to forget the word I!  If a missionary was sad, or homesick, or real sick, or in pain, or had a bad day, or whatever, he would tell them to forget yourself.  Stop thinking of yourself and thing of your Father in Heaven, your Savior Jesus Christ, and your brothers and sisters you are serving.  That is something I have really been trying to do while I've been here, just focus on serving the Lord.  I know that i fI focus the Lord will have my back, in every sense of that phrase.  I'm happy to have learned that:)

Anyway, thank you all so much again for your prayers and fastings and letters!  I have definitely felt the blessings from it.  

I love you all so so very much!!

Elder Porter