Dream

WEll!  I told y'all about the goal we set for Morning Finds last week, 400 as a zone.  So let me follow up!  Man, it was a really hard week.  Well, it wasn't actually hard, we just worked really hard and I was exhausted, but it was so sweet.  Elder Martin and I started off the week by making a competition with the Sister Missionaries in Carlsbad to see who would get the most morning finds by the end of the week.  The loser makes brownies. We went so HARD!  We didn't drive, just biked or walked so that way we could talk with more.  By the end of the week we, meaning my companionship, had 116.  I'm convinced that that has to be some kind of record.  I didn't want to see another person ever again! hahaha.  Anyway, we kept in close contact with the sisters, to monitor the work we needed to do.  On Sunday morning we were up by 1. We had 13 finds that day, so we thought for sure we'd win.  I called them last night and said "if you got 14 then we tied" and they just started to scream.  They had 15...which means they had 117 for the week, which means they beat us by one....GAH!  Oh well, it was fun haha.  The zone had 550 total.  I am really proud.  Everyone worked so so hard! Hopefully some good new investigators will come out of this!!!

 

Zone training went real well.  I taught about Member Presents using Alma and Amulek as the perfect example.  I also shared my experience I had being the member present with Panzy when he was meeting with the missionaries.  I am really grateful for that experience I had.  It prepared me a lot!  The spirit was really strong and things went good!  So it  was a good first Zone training!

 

I want to tell y'all about a dream I had:  Isa Heckert had just gotten called on a mission to Lubbock, and when she got into the field she got put in Hobbs to be trained, I was her Zone Leader.  Isa, for those of you who don't know, is one of my favorite people on the planet.  She was a huge example to me all though high school and I just love her to death.  Anyway, so she was being trained here and was having a really really hard time with like home sickness and anxiety, so she wanted a blessing.  She asked me to do it since we were pals.  I had to get special permission from President, since that is generally frowned upon, but I got it and we went to the church so I could give her the blessing.  She had perfect faith that it would fix her problem, calm her mind and all that. Nothing doubting, it was amazing to see.  When I put my hands on her head and was fixin to give her the blessing, I couldn.t do it. I didn't feel worthy to use that amazing gift and responsibility I have.  I wanted to help her so bad, but I couldn't do it.  Then I woke up.  THAT WAS THE WORST DREAM I HAVE EVER HAD!!  I have never felt so crummy in my life.  God has put so much trust in me... I have the RESPONSIBILTY to receive revelation for all the missionaries in my zone, for all the Spanish people in Hobbs, and for my self.  In a few years I will have the responsibility to receive it for my wife and kids.  I never ever EVER want to be in a situation like my dream.  Gah.  Always be worthy for the Priesthood and for the Holy Ghost.  Deal?  I'll do it too. 

 

Anyway, that's all I got this week.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!  It's pretty neat that my mom is younger than my oldest brother huh?  Real neat.  Anyway, I hope you have an amazing week and know that I LOVE YOU ALL THE WAY TO HEAVEN!!

 

Love y'all too, no worries:)

 

E. Caleb Porter

Look what I cooked! Mexican beans, mexican rice and marinated pork chops!

Life

We were biking around town this week and we passed a house that had PERFECT grass. Well, as close to perfect as you can get in East New Mexico. It was all brown, but it was cut perfectly and there was no dirt in sight!  I was so impressed!  I went and knocked on the guys door just to compliment him. He turned out to be a really really cool guy, he's not too interested in the Gospel, but he agreed to let us come over and teach him a lesson if we would let him feed us! Deal!! It's the English Elder's responsibly, but we're gonna teach the first lesson to see how it goes!  Moral of the story...I'm not sure.  Keep your grass looking good, it might just bring you Gods only true Church!

 

We went to Carlsbad yesterday for a stake correlation.  There are 2 wards and a Spanish group down there!  It was HUGE!  I couldn't even believe it.  Who woulda though Carlsbad would be a gold mine of members?!  The correlation went really good and we are hoping we pumped up the members and Ward Mission leaders to help us out some more.  President Reber, the stake president for the Roswell stake (my stake), is SO cool.  He's just a soft spoken guy, but he is a power house.  A champion and showing love. His first counselor is unreal too.  I don't know his name, but I think he might be John the Beloved so...it was cool to talk with him.

 

Elder Martin and I set a goal for our Zone for this up coming week, to get 400 Morning Finds. A morning find is contacting someone in a way other than knocking and teaching a principle, testifying and inviting them to do something.  Our zone usually gets like 190, so this is gonna be UNREAL!  We KNOW it will happen.  I'm so pumped!  Pray for us all so that we can have the FAITH TO FIND!  :)

 

We had a baptism on Saturday, Hector and Denise.  Missionaries have been working with them since October, but they finally decided to make the step! It was a really cool service.  Straight Spanish, no English, it was so cool! The members helped out so much too! It was cool to see fellowshipping actually happening. Mexicans are the laziest people around, so it was sweet they did something for once!  Hector bore his testimony and just kept saying "I feel so good.  This feeling is amazing."  It was WAY NICE. The spirit really was so so so strong.  Baptisms are good.

 

That is all from me!  I did want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAY DAD, though.  Read Proverbs 20:29:) I love you so much, thanks for being my Dad!  I am extremely blessed:)

 

Love you all so much and I'll talk to ya later!

 

Elder Caleb Porter

ps

The doctor just told me he has no Idea because he hasn't been trained. As far as he could tell, it was fine, but all he could check was movement and stuff.  It's really up to y'all if I go to the doctor in Lubbock or not. I'm basically just done with it haha. I love things a lot, so I don't want to hear bad news from a doctor.  I basically just have a deal with the Lord though, when I'm working it doesn't hurt too bad, as long as I am working hard, so I'm fine:) Love you

Hector and Denise

Beatles

I want to start off quoting a song that I know Dad loves from the Beatles....emphasis added.  "Oh yeah I, tell you something, I think you'll understand.  Well I, tell you something....DAYLIGHTS SAVING TIME SUCKS!!!!"  I think that's how it goes, right?  I don't get to bed till 12 sometimes, because of calls or something like that, so on Sunday when 6:30 came and it was actually 5:30, that was killer!  We took a real nice nap during lunch AND dinner.  I didn't eat that day, other than snacks, but sleep was much more important haha. 

 

We have been teaching this guy named Henry.  He's a card (that's Texas for "he's real neat").  He's gotta be like 65, we aren't sure though.  We have taught him 3 times and it took us until the last time we taught him to figure out weather or not he is accountable.  He is slow, mentaly, but he can read and understand with ease, so we decided to continue on.  It is sweet to be teaching so simply!  It's like teaching to a child, and he understands like a child, but its a dream!  It has helped my Spanish a lot too! Henry came to church though, it was cool!  He enjoyed it a lot, so I'm pleased:)

 

Elder Martin and I decided to do SYL.   SYL stands for speak your language, its where you just speak Spanish.  It is really hard to do that in America though!!!!! Whenever I have tried in the past I last no longer than an hour.  WE MADE IT 24 HOURS without speaking English!  It was a dream!  It made me realize something though...I really really love English hahahah.  Spanish is cool too, but English? Mmmm.  I gave my first Spanish blessing yesterday, that was a trip.  Real neat experience that I am grateful for!  During elder's quorum there is a member named Temo who always brings candy to pass around to everyone, it's pretty nice.  Then they fed us some TASTE Pasole after church yesterday!  Spanish Culture is pretty i'ght.

 

I got to go on my first exchanges as a Zone Leader with...my trainer Elder Greenman!!  It was SO nice to work with him again. Our teaching is still pretty fluid and it is just so much fun!  Kind of really weird to be his "teacher" this time though!  I was supposed to be helping him become better, but he taught me 90% of the things I know!  hahahaha.  He's a really great guy though, I enjoyed that opportunity.

 

We had MLC this week in Lubbock with all the ZLs and Sister Training Leaders.  President Augustin taught some sweet concepts we get to teach to the Zone next week for Zone Training, I'm excited for that!  I always though MLC was a big executive meeting with all types of human sacrifices and things but I guess I was wrong....hmm..oh well. 

 

ANYWAY.  I love you so much!  Enjoy life.  Run a mile.  Play in the Snow. 

 

Love,

Elder Caleb Porter

Hobbs

Hobbs is a freaking DREAM!  I love love love love it!  I used to think that I would hate serving in a big city, I couldn't imagine having to deal with all the people but so far I like it a lot more!  A good Super WalMart, PAWN SHOPS, and even a Wendys!  It is so sweet!  It feel like I'm back home in Orem.  I think Hobbs is still smaller than Orem, but in all reality I have no idea haha.  It's kinda cool here too to speak mostly Spanish, that is a big change!  When we go out finding we talk to everyone we see (which is like 20 people more than what I am used to) and give all the English Potentials to one of the other sets of missionaries here, there is a set of sisters and a set of elders.  It is a dream. We only teach Spanish!

 

Church was pretty cool for me for 2 reasons: 1. The Hobbs Ward (ward!!!) meets right before the Spanish branch does, so I got to meet a lot of the members.  There was actually NORMAL people in a BIG WARD!  Gah, it blew my mind! I'm used to a handful of  people and that's it!  The Church is still true. 2. I went through an entire church service, including 2 hours of meetings, in STRAIGHT SPANISH!  It was so cool!  Hymns and all the stuff.  I kinda like being in a Spanish area haha.  The Branch is solid, a lot of cool people with strong testimonies.  It is kinda cool to live in America too, cause they will randomly spit out English words in their sentence.  "Espero que ella pueda join y'all for that lesson.  Vaya bien" gooood stuff!

 

Being a Zone Leader is a lot of fun too, so far I love it!  We are expected to be an example for the Zone, which means we work really hard in our own area in addition to all the other responsibilities.  It is pretty sweet, keeps my mind on the obra!  WE have to get numbers every night, which means we talk to the district leaders on the phone and then report those numbers to an AP.  It means bed time is an hour later, but I enjoy t

alking to everybody, so its cool.  Elder Greenman and Moyer, my two trainers, are in the zone too!  Haha it is kinda weird to supposed to be teaching them now! hahha.  We have a 2014 Nissan Frontier, we drive it a lot.  I LOVE HAVING A CAR AND DRIVING IT!  Well, truck I guess:)   Elder Martin is so so cool.  So far we get a long really well.  He's from bountiful, so we kinda know a few of the same places (thanks grandma/pa Porter! haha).  He's a runner, so guess what that means...I run sometimes!  Kinda.  He's also really clean, so guess what that means...I clean sometimes! Kinda.  Hahahah.  REally though, he is a great teacher and I am pumped to work with him.  I feel extremely blessed:)

 

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!  BE SAFE AND BE HAPPY!:)

E. Port