So Sorry

Elder Caleb Porter

1600 North Sunset Ave #3

Fort Stockton, TX 79735

I'm so sorry I couldn't email you before!! We didn't have any time
when I got out here and one of my companions was throwing up all day
on p-day (Monday), so we didn't get out of the apartment.  I wrote you
a letter, but I'm sure this will still get to you first.  I love all
of you, don't worry.

SO.  I got out to Lubbock last Monday, we had 1.5 days of meetings
about learning how to be a missionary for real.  It was pretty
intimidating and way way WAY boring haha.  On Tuesday morning we got
our assignments.  I am in a little baby town called Fort Stockton!
Population just under 8000. My address is 1600 N. Sunset Avenue #3
Fort Stockton, TX 79735. So now you can all write me;)  I have two
trainers, Elder Greenman and Elder Moyer.  I get along really well
with them both, so I lucked out.  We are the only 3 missionaries
around here.  Our area is huge, but its just a ton of small cities, so
we stay in Ft Stockton for most of it.  We all three are Spanish
speaking missionaries, but since we are the only ones around we just
teach everyone.  Right now most of the lessons are in English and most
of the street contacts are in Spanish.  It's gonna take me longer to
learn Spanish all the way, but its whatever.

I freaking love it.  Remember how ugly all those pictures of Lubbock I
looked up were?  Well its worse.  Haha it's exactly what I pictured it
would be.  Half the people we talk to don't have teeth, they are all
religious (Bible belt, duh), and all drunk.  I've been collecting
different beer bottle caps so, I'm pretty excited about that.

We serve in a branch, there is no ward.  Both English and Spanish go
to it and the Branch President and his wife are missionaries from
Saint George.  There are about 15 active members.  It blows my mind.
There were 15 teachers in my teachers quorum at home...its a BIG
difference!  I'm the ward pianist...I hope that gives you an idea
about how things are! Haha, but for real, I love it.

We are super busy every day, lots of teaching appointments, so that's
really good.  We spend a lot of time working with less active members,
doing whatever we can to get them to come back out.

Whenever we contact people we go HARD!  We pretty much invite every
person we see to be baptized.  It never works because they always have
already been baptized and refuse to accept the whole "authority"
issue.  All day, non stop, we are testifying of Joseph Smith.  You
know, I've always known that he restored Christ's true church, but I
don't think I actually realized like how big of a deal that is!  We
talk a lot with the JWs.  They just yell at us and stuff, its a dream.

I can't help but smile.  All day long.  It blows my mind that I have a
message that can will change peoples lives.  I get pumped about it.  I
wave at every body I see, I have always done that, to an extent, but
out here people wave back!! EVERY TIME!  I really love how kind the
people are.

Anyway, I don't have a lot of time, since we're just squeezing this in
on a random day.  But I love you so much.  I miss you all every single
day.  I love it here.  I love being a missionary.  Church is true.  Be
baptized.  Write me.  And...LOVE YOU!!