We have seen miracles this week! I love every second of my missionary work right now. On Friday we decided our efforts for finding people, which consisted of mainly morning finding, wasn't as effective as we had hoped and we decided to move our efforts in another direction. Our Area Book is huge because it has so many former investigators, but it is EXTREMELLY unorganized. We spent virtually the entire day on Friday taking it apart, going through the formers and organizing it, throwing away people who had moved or placing them in a pile according to their area of the city. After we had 4 piles, for the 4 English area's of Odessa, we went to work calling them! I called probably more than 100 numbers. Most of the numbers were incorrect, didn't exist or had since changed, but SO many amazing things happened from this effort!
I called a guy, Juan, who had investigated the church 9 YEARS AGO. When he answered the phone I asked him if he remembered talking with missionaries so long ago, his voice lit up and sounded real excited when he asked me if we were from the Catholic Church. I assumed he was hoping we were, but when I told him "no, we're the Mormons" (I had previously stated the true name for the Church) he got even more excited! It turns out that 9 years ago, when he met with missionaries he loved what he heard, but for some reason he had lost contact with the missionaries. Now here we are!! We set up a lesson to go bytomorrow night and we have real high hopes for the lesson.
Another miracle that happened is just now beginning to unfold, literally, as we speak we have a text from this kid! One of the very first numbers I called, looking for a 60 year old woman named Maria, a kid named Andy answered. I was a little confused so I kinda awkwardly announced that I was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and that we were looking for service to do. He told me that because he was young enough, he could do all that his family needs, but he was curious about what kind of service I answered because he knew some people who could use some help. I told him that as a missionary, my main purpose was to teach about Jesus Christ, in hopes to bring a few people to the level of knowledge and happiness that I have, but that we also offer all kinds of services. He was so pumped!! He wasn't interested, but he said he had a whole lot of friends who could use our help and that he would call us if some people to try by. This morning we got a text at 9:00 asking for me. He just told us, 20 minutes ago, that ever since Friday he has been thinking about his situation in life, he said that as he's thought, he's realized that he needs Jesus now, more than ever before in his life. He is begging to hang out with the wrong crowd and is becoming worried for the salvation of his soul. He told us that he thinks the call on Friday, the wrong number call, was a sign from God that he needs to take! I am so so happy to be a tool in God's hands in this missionary work!!!! I won't be able to teach Andy, because he is English, but I am confident that he will accept this Gospel and make the appropriate changes in his life.
I still love the crap out of Odessa, it is a great place full of great people. It is becoming easier and easier for me to love the people and therefore we are becoming more and more effective missionaries.
We have Zone Conference this week and I don't have to do anything for it!! That is real nice:) I do get to see Elder Nelson, though! If you don't remember, he's the missionary I trained. Anyway. I love y'all to bits. Have a real great week and I love you so much!!
Love,
Elder Porter
More streets (rivers) of Odessa
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