Choose to be Happy (Week 44)

This week was such a blast and a half my goodness gracious. So many lovely things happened and I am just so grateful for these opportunities I have to learn out here. Presidente Granja is the best man on this whole entire earth.

On Monday night I had a super good interview with Presidente Granja. I sat down to talk to him and he was like hey Elder Roskelley how are you doing are you feelin happy: and I was like no dude I'm pretty jacked up right now I need something. He started to talk to me about the Spirit and how the Spirit is what always makes us happy. He told me then that the reason I am sad is because I am not feeling the Spirit. It wasn't that I wasn't worthy of the Spirit it's that I wasn't allowing myself to feel it. Something that I have learned is that things don't make you happy, you make you happy. If you choose to be happy regardless of what's going on in your life you choose to allow the Spirit into your life. When we choose to be sad we aren't allowing God to help us out. We close ourselves off to His blessings because we choose not to help ourselves.

On Friday night we had a super lovely activity in the church. We decided that we wanted to have a little movie night and that we'd pop popcorn for everyone and slap on a nice church film. Side note, this week all of the Sisters in the Zone got sick and they were throwing up so we had to help them a lot this week hahaha. But they were all sick on Thursday and when Friday came around they came to the activity like half zombie. We had Ivo and Marly come with us and they loved the movie. After we got everything all cleaned up after one of the Sisters came and asked me for a blessing because her stomach was still messed up I guess haha. We proceeded to give the blessing and for some reason I got like super nervous before the blessing. We laid our hands on her head and gave a super nice blessing and the Spirit was insanely strong. Then after that, one of the other Sisters asked for a blessing too and so I got to give her a blessing and it was definitely the strongest I've ever felt the Spirit in a blessing. It was absolutely wild and it just confirmed to me once again the reality of this Priesthood and how powerful it truly is. After we gave the blessings I was feeling so strongly the love that our Heavenly Father has for these people it was absolute insanity. I went out back of the church for a sec alone and just took a little walk and said a prayer and just was overwhelmed by the Spirit. I felt in that moment how real our Heavenly Father is, and I felt His true parental love for me as one of his kids. I was all teary and full of the Spirit and I thanked Him for for this experience and then I felt like I should go back inside so I did and right when I walked back in I saw my companion lookin for me all frantically hahah and then life just returned back to normal. I feel so honored and blessed to have been trusted with the opportunity to have this cool little spiritual experience, and it really helped me realize I think why God gives us spiritual experiences. Our lives aren't going to be blasted with spiritual overload 24/7 it's just not reasonable. When we have the opportunity to feel the Spirit at a more elevated level, we must take advantage and remember what it's like to feel that Spirit. Life isn't always easy and it turns pretty doozy sometimes, but for that exact reason God gives us spiritual experiences. To boost us through the normal, and sometimes a little worse times.

We spent a couple lovely mornings down by the river studying and it was so freaking relaxing. I never thought I could feel so calm and at rest just skippin some rocks and reading the Book of Mormon. Heavenly Father is such a Bro for helping us find the river. GET OUT OF YOUR HOUSE AND GO DO SOMETHING IN THE NATURE.

So we have arrived now at the end. I really am craving Chicken fil A right now. And I'm definitely missin hot pilates down at Thanksgiving Point lately.

Movie night

Down by the river

Elder Bleazard

This sign says “The Porter is in Rondonopolis literally opening doors” hahaha

Howdy! (Week 43)

What's up guys this week I fell asleep 2 nights without brushing my teeth and I know you know that feeling of waking up with a nice 16 hour unbrushed mouth. Such a great way to start the day ahhaah.

This week was a little bit tough I'm not gonna lie. We tried to find new people but we are just not having a ton of luck. It's been a tiny bit of a bummer. But one day we were walking down the street and we walked in the front of this house and I saw this lady talking on her phone and I felt this tiny little feeling tell me to go back and talk to her. We walked back and I just waited until she finished her phone call and then we asked if we could share a message with her. Her name is Yasmin, and we shared a message with her about the Restoration of the Gospel. We finished up and gave her and the group of people there a Book of Mormon to read, and then she stopped us and asked us if we could bring her her own copy because she lives in a different city. We went back the next day and started teaching her more about the Book of Mormon. I told her that this book was incredibly different, and that she'd feel a difference in her life as she read it. She looked up at us and in an effort to talk found herself in tears. She told us, fighting through the tears, that since the moment she saw us walking down the road she felt something different, and she was so happy when we came back and talked to her after we had passed. She told us she knows something is different and will read the book and pray about whether or not she should follow what it teaches. I am super stoked that I had the opportunity encounter someone, at least just one person this week, that felt what I feel about this gospel. 

We had an opportunity to do a service project for a lady the other companionship is teaching. We helped her move into a new house, and then we started talking about fishing, and she told us there is a river super close to her new house, so we went down to the river and chilled on the shore for a little bit. All I gotta say is that I love nature and I miss her so freaking much. I wanna invite you guys to appreciate and enjoy the nature this week, because I love her and I promise you guys you will feel God's hand as you observe and spend time in the beautiful, undeveloped nature God has created.

I got an X-ray this week on my lungs because I thought they were jacked, but turns out they're fine and so I'm just confused, but at least I got a rad X-ray out of it. I decided to slice up my X-ray and slap it on the front of a weekly planner, so I'm gonna send you guys a picture of it. It's pretty cool.

Also we got a new pet this week and his name is Heraldo. I'll attach a pic of him at the end of the email.

I hope you guys have an absolutely marvelous week. Don't feel shy to send me an email haha it's always nice to hear somethin new. Email: proskelley@missionary.org

Love,

Elder Porter

The riverside

The dudes

The lung planner

The new pet

Plan of Salvation (Week 42)

Warning hostile units, this email might be a little lame because this week was kind of just full of sickness. I got a raging throat infection in the tiny little back of my cute throat and now she's all sad and I took an antibiotic already and it just didn't go away. I have a nuclear virus inside of my throat skin. LET'S GOOOOO BOYS

This week started out with a lovely phone call from the Sisters. They live 2 hours away from us, if we were to walk, which I find quite ridiculous. How the clam am I supposed to help them in a crisis if they live in a completely different biome. They called in a state of utter panic because the lights in their house went out and so they locked themselves in the bathroom because they were scared. At the lovely hour of 11pm this was just the call I would want. We got a member to call an Uber for them to go to the other sisters house but, and I mean freaking but, there was not, I repeat, NOT enough mattresses in their house so Elder Prado and I had to get a taxi which is more expensive than fine and fancy cheeses and meats, with 2 of our mattresses, to their house. We get to their house give them the mattresses and then the taxi just peeled out of there and so we got stranded and had to ask two people drinking in the bar to call and Uber for us. At least we got their contact information. 

Our apartment is uglier than a monkey's uncle, and smaller than his monkey step sister, so we went and walked through a house close by that we might move into. The house is so rad I'm not even messing around, I would live in it. There is this a super poppin back yard with FREAKING GRASS and oh my brother how that made me exited when i first saw it. The more grass there is the more stuntable the area becomes. Also there is a little grill thingy to do a nice barbeque so, in a week or two, if we get this new house, I think I might just stay here once my 2 years runs out. Mom, tell Sami I love her, and tell Ryker to take good care of her. (his Jeep)

I was supposed to give this super crispy talk about the Plan of Salvation on Sunday but the lady who talked before me talked for 25 dense minutes about who knows what, so the dude in the Branch Presidency told me that I'll be talking next Sunday.... but, I gathered some nice intelligence while preparing this talk that I would like to email to you. As I studied the Plan of Salvation I realized it boils down to 2 things. 1 is the Atonement, and the other is repentance. Christ came to earth to suffer for us. Without His act of profound and perfect love we would be flippin messed up here on earth. There would be no way to return to the mother ship after this life ends. One uncalled for action and we'd be toast. BUT there's good news. He didn't come here to just suffer for us, he came here to know how to counsel us and how to love us and motivate us in the perfect way, and also take our sins for us. He knows you and knows that it's hard. I have a testimony burning inside of me that He is real. That He loves me and that He is here every day to take away the pains and disappointment I feel from making mistakes. Repentance isn't, and shouldn't be treated as something we only use every time we make a super gnarly mistake. It's for the times we stub our tiny little toes on the corner of the table and let a fat word rip. It's for the simple things. Repentance is the KEY to returning home to our Heavenly Father, and I know that. I promise you guys that you will feel the greatest and most lasting happiness you've ever felt through just getting in the habit of repenting. Treating it with respect, but making it more normal. It doesn't need to be a stranger. I am truly coming to know my Savior more through repentance on a daily basis. One day we're gonna play chess together I swear.

We've got some insanely freaking money cash bills families cookin down Blessings Avenue on their way to baptism. Ivo and Marly are chuggin right along and Wellington and Vanessa who Elder Moraes and Lara passed to us have now been to church with us twice. They bought us mugs and gave them to us after we went to church Sunday and told us they are super grateful for us. We're gonna plant a calm baptismal date on them this week. Pray for them pretty please with a cherry on top. They're really getting railed by the satan man.

It was a good one folks. Bring home the bacon this week and don't forget to brush your teeth alright.

Ivo and Marly

Anti zit ISH

New roommates in the house (back: Elder Prado & Elder Decker)

A homemade Lambro

Letter of the Week (Porter's 19th Birthday - Week 41)

This week started out so good. We went to a super fancy livin Squidward style restaurant, and ate sushi. I gobbled down so much sushi my tiny little stomach was just so confused on whether to be happy or sad. Poor dude hahah. 

This week I saw one of the strangest sights I've yet seen here in the lovely land of Brasil. I was walking down the street and my comp just goes "dude what the freak is that” and points inside a church and to my complete and utter surprise I saw a lady with a freaking JELLYFISH NET collecting tithing from everyone in the crowd literally just like Sponge Bob scoops up jellies in the fields in the outer reaches of Bikini Bottom. Unexplainable.

Thursday (Porter’s 19th Birthday) was one of the best days I've had in so long. After I talked to my family for a quick sec, which was quite lovely, we ran up to Ivo and Marly's house and had a super rad lesson with them. Earlier in the day Marly sent us a message asking us if there was some way the Church would be able to help them buy a little bit of food because they're having a few problems right now. We started teaching them and they opened up to us about how they came here to Rondonopolis to find work and they aren't finding anything and it has been super hard. Ivo told me one of the most touching stories I've heard. He said that a man showed up at their gate today and asked them if they had any food that he could eat. Ivo told him no, which was honest. The dude then looked at him and was like could you just spare 1 dollar for me dude, I'm being sincere I'm really hungry. Ivo remembered the last $5 that he had in his wallet, and with much difficulty pulled it out and gave it to the dude. Ivo told us he was saving that $5 to buy cigarettes. The dude at the gate, all emotional now, told him that he promises God will double his money because he decided to be kind. With tears in my eyes, in that exact moment, I remembered the $10 that I had in my wallet. I slipped my wallet out of my back pocket and snuck the note out calling as little attention as I could, and at the end of the lesson I asked if I could leave a part in the Book of Mormon with them. I used the $10 to mark Alma 7:11,12,13 and then we left. In this moment, leaving the house of someone who, in a state of such need, decided to give to someone else, I was incredibly touched, and full of the love Heavenly Father has for His children, and I heard a thought in my mind, whose English words spoke “I love you son” louder than I've ever heard any English phrase in my life, nor has any English ever stood out from the millions of other Portuguese vocabulary words more than this. In that moment I felt the pure love that a Father has for a son, and I have never felt it so concentrated in my life. I know, without the smallest sprinkle of doubt, that there is a Person greater than we are, watching over everything, and that His perfect and infinite love extends to everyone. I struggle to express the love that I feel that He has for every person on this freaking planet... it literally confuses me. But I promise you this, reader, that if you pray with a sincere desire to feel of this love, you WILL feel it, and it will change your life.  

There were a ton of changes in the Zone this week. 10 out of 20 missionaries are leaving this area hahah, including Elder Lara and Moraes, the fools that lived with us. I'm gonna miss those goons. Elder Moraes always convinced us to stay up late playing Dungeons and Dragons with him and I may or may not feel some fault in that haha. Also I got the call that I'm gonna be District Leader. Time to put on my big boy pants and start being more serious about everything.... NOT hahah were gonna have such a hoot. I'm stoked for this next transfer.

This week was quite lovely, all thanks to my lovely mother and family and all you folks who made my Bday so great!

Sushi

I burned my big toes playing futball on hot cement. It was a bore to walk this week.

Food donations

The raddest weekly planner you’ve ever seen.

Happy Memorial Day (Week 40)

This week was quite an interesting one. I really had kind of just an interesting week. It wasn't bad, there were many glimpses of good, but I wouldn't consider it great haha. It was kind of like a shake weight. It looks like it won't make you strong at all, but you buy it anyway. It shows up at your house and you start using it and you realize it was a horrible investment, but every time you use it, it makes you laugh. Even though you are not strong, and you are now poor because of your shake weight investment, you are happy. That is how my week was.

We had the opportunity to go to Cuiabá this week and have a nice little reunion with the Area Seventy, Elder Bassett (he taught us a ton about sacrifice which was nice), and good ol Presidente Granja. It's impossible not to love the dude. He's just such a quality dude. The conference was great, but something Presidente focused on a ton was the true desires of our hearts. He told us that Heavenly Father counsels us on the true desires of our hearts, and if our desires are bright and rad, so will our path be, through life. Pretty clean stuff Presidente always lays down on us. 

I had the opportunity to just dive into some lovely American cuisine this week. There's this store that sells cans of Dr. Pepper, only the finest of liquids in all the lands, for like $3, and my taste buddies literally exploded when I took a hefty swig from my can. First slurp in 9 months, it was indescribable. Also I forgot McDonalds makes apple pies so when we stopped by to get some knock off American food I inhaled 2 apple pies and it made me so freaking happy. Heaven have mercy on my tiny tastebud souls hahahah.

I'm not gonna lie this week was a little bit tough. It was cool to see though how the Lord was still being a bro even when everything was falling through. It was very evidently shown, His hand in our lives this week. I got home Sunday night from a nice long day, and my tiny foot bones were all pooped. I was about to go pee when I got a feeling that I should ask for a blessing. I asked Elder Soares and Elder Moraes (elder nerd) for a blessing and it was truly exactly what I needed. The comfort and true lasting peace that was brought through a blessing really re-energized me for this next week. I am ever and so lastingly grateful for everything our Heavenly Father has given us to give us guidance and peace in this life. He doesn't want us to suffer or be sad. He loves us so much, and I feel that so strongly. I am so so grateful for the priesthood and its influence in my life. I am incredibly honored and feel so blessed to be a priesthood holder.

There's a ton of Venezuelans arriving here in Rondonopolis and they only speak Spanish and it struck the desire in me to learn Spanish. Yo estoy aprendiendo bien hahah so if everything goes right I'll come home speaking Spanish too. I just have no clue if I spelled that Spanish phrase right. Elder Lara from Mexico has been helping me out. He told me he is a Trump fan so I'm all hands on deck with this guy hahah. 

That's about it for this week. Also I got to see KEV BONE CASTRO at conference hahah he's still such a goob. Also Elder Bleazzard, the bro who I met at the Christmas conference a few months back, is buddies with Gib Kroft haha. Gib was my Chemistry partner a couple life cycles back at Lone Peak High School. What a small world right folks?!

Thanks to everyone for the birthday love! (:

Love,

Elder P Roskelley

the KEV

the PEPPER

the CAKES

Week Another (Week 39)

I literally got my chicken fritters frozen off this week and I don't even know how it felt so cold. One night it got down to 60 degrees and I had to wear a sweater to visit our people and then had to sleep with a hoodie when I got home. Our shower doesn't heat water so I was just a piece of cubed ice after I showered haha. I've never had 60 degrees feel so cold in my entire life.

On Tuesday night we went to this one restaurant that has this deal where you buy a bread bun for 6 Reais, which is like $1.50 and then there's like a ton of meat and toppings and you can just put whatever you want in the bun. I woke up Tuesday morning with the most sour gut and just absolutely upchucked the freak out of this hotdog. It was horrible hahaha and then I literally just laid in bed all day until 5:30 pm. It was a horrid experience, and it was super cold all day hahah. Such a hose job all around.

This week I really realized something super incredible. I am here away from the people and things that I love the most, helping people who are here in Brasil. What's kind of crazy is that after these 2 years I'll go back home and continue on with my life, driving fast cars with hot chicks, and eating some huge A hamburgers, but there are people here whose lives are literally obliterated. Some people literally live in houses the size of my bedroom and they're struggling to find happiness. I know it's an insane sacrifice to being out here but I can't even comprehend how little my sacrifice is compared to the pain and sadness that so many people feel here in Brasil. I am so freaking glad for the opportunity to help these people and help them become truly and everlastingly happy through the knowledge we have of our Savior Jesus Christ. I just wanna tell you guys how sacrifices always come around to benefit us. Every single sacrifice we give ends up helping us way more than we thought. Whether that be going out of your way to visit a bro, or leaving your house for 2 years be a missionary, we will never be able to weigh the effects of our sacrifices in the lives of others. Don't ever be afraid to sacrafice what you have, and love, to benifit others. God will take care of you. <3

Just as a closing driplet I'd like to note something super quick. As I continue to serve here 100000 freakin miles from my house, I notice more and more how much I love my family, and how much they love me. I find it incredibly interesting that an increase of physical distance brings an increase in the love. We don't have to be right next to those we love to show them we really love them. It's the demonstrations of the love that do just that. I feel like it's the exact same thing with our Heavenly Father. It doesn't matter how far away from us He physically is, we can feel the love He has for us as much or as little as we desire, based on our actions. I promise you guys if you do the little things to pull yourself closer to God, you will feel his love, and your relationship with Him will grow immensely. I promise you the thing He likes the most is hearing about your day. Say a prayer and talk to Him about how you're doing. He gives pretty good advice if you listen.

Shout out to Caleb Johnson, love you bro you're gonna be an incredible missionary.

Elder Porter

After I hurled and we left the house in the 60 degree weather, and I got sleepy.

Pizza

I got up on the roof of the Chapel

Yew Week 38 Letter

What's up dudes. This week we walked like the dickens and my tiny little legs are a bit tiwed. I hope you all had a marvelous week and Mother’s Day!

After church this week on Sunday one of the Sisters asked me to give her a blessing. We proceeded to a different room and I started to give her a blessing and felt so clearly the Spirit guiding my every word. I hadn't even asked her what was wrong or what she was struggling with, and I had unmeasurable certainty that exactly what was coming out of my mouth was what she needed to hear. It was really insane and I've never had that feeling before. To have such certainty that what was coming out of my mouth was from God and that she needed to hear exactly what I was saying. After the blessing finished she looked up at me and just had one little tear in her eye haha. But after the blessing I was truly humbled to be the person that was allowed to bless one of Heavenly Father's kids in such a special way. I know that the Priesthood is real and that Heavenly Father blesses his children immensely through the Priesthood. I have such an incredible testimony that blessings are real, and that I truly was being used by our Creator to bless one of His struggling daughters. It was truly one of the most humbling experiences I've had out here in the mission and it was so simple. I love my Heavenly Father and I can truly say without thinking twice that He loves every single one of you. I cannot express how strongly I feel that in this moment.

I also had such a rad Fasting experience with Fasting this week. On Wednesday Soares and I decided we were gonna do a Fast for personal reasons, and we didn't ask each other about what we Fasted for. We're walking down the street Thursday night and in the neighborhood that we were in, is normally super quiet and dark because it's a super dangerous area, but there were people out walking and sitting in front of their houses so we just talked to everyone. Everyone was like insanely receptive which was just so odd I'm not even teasin and I just turn to Elder Soares and I'm like dude, I can't freaking deny the power of Fasting now because yesterday into today I Fasted so that we could find people who are needing the gospel in their lives and just everyone is letting us in today, and he just looks at me and goes “Brooooooo you're freaking kidding I Fasted for the same thing" ahhaah and then I just got so amped and I was like WHAT'S UP hahahahah then we just had one humongous high five and just were so stoked on the gospel. It's so wacky how things like this get me so stoked. Like before the mission hot girls and motorcycles, and sometimes the combination of the two got me more stoked than anything, but now not eating for 24 hours to find people that want to talk to me in Portuguese is what gets my fancy. I freaking love being a missionary more than anything hahahha.

I just wanna tell you guys that I love you all a lot. Really. And I am truly grateful for those of you who read my letters. It really does mean a lot. I am incredibly grateful for this mission that I have to serve people for 2 years. It is super duper incredibly humbling to see God's hand so profoundly in the lives of others, and my own, every single day. I bear testimony to you guys that everything is possible through a willing heart and love for your Heavenly Father. I hope you guys have the best week on the earth and know that if you ever need anyone to talk to I am here. For reals. 

Love you guys.

Elder Porter

Some nice blue sky.

The return of the nuggets.

We lost our keys so we had to get new copies and I attached my Lego to the new copy.

Rondonopolis! (Week 37)

Yowdy dudes. This week wasn't a super rad week in any sense. It actually was just a normal week. I got here in Rondonopolis on Tuesday morning and the freakin missionary that I took the bus with overnight thought it was freakin rad to like wake me up every couple hours to try to talk to me haha. I tried to be nice and tell him to just buzz off in a mannerly tone, but after he woke me up the third time to look at the sunrise I kind of just had enough and a half hahah. 

The Rondonopolis district had a super big activity way outside of the city on Wednesday and we got authorized to go and hangout there for the day. We get out there and the sun was just a total brute. My skin got pulverized hahaah. They had beach volleyball set up and so all the Elders got together and made some teams and we were out playing for like 6 hours. One of the members when he saw me just yelled so loud "this white boy is BURNED!” hahahah and his voice had a little flamey tone to it so I just died laughing. Then another little kid came up to me after we finished and was like "woah you're a little redster” hahaha and it was just so odd the way he said it. Wednesday was the day I met like all the members so everyone thinks I'm just a fried fish stick now because of how burned I was. It happens...

This week we had Zone Conference. I got to see Elder McBride (MTC companion) and it was fun to talk with him a little. Presidente Granja gave a talk that really marked me. He told us about the best missionary that he had ever met in his life. This short ugly illiterate kid. He told us that this kid learned to read in the mission from reading the Book of Mormon. He told us how with all of his difficulties and issues he learned to trust in the Lord to truly make his weaknesses into strengths. I truly feel like some missionaries think that the mission is like a "how epic you are" fest. So many missionaries think these 2 years are like an Iron Rod measuring contest or something hahah. Presidente then went into the thing that really stood out the most. He started to get overcome by emotion which is really uncommon, and then he told us why this short kid really was the best missionary he'd ever met. He goes “This kid loved God. He loved the people he was serving. He was just a good kid. He wasn't the raddest, but he was just good. The reason you guys are out here as missionaries is to just be good kids. Just be a good person. Just be good.” and I really got so emotional as I thought about the simplicity in his words. The Spirit spoke to me so loud in this moment and I really realized that I don't have to be perfect. Nobody has to be perfect. We just gotta be good. As I thought about this it sat so well with me and I felt so calm and the Spirit really testified to me how true this really is. When we get so worried and caught up about everything we should or shouldn't do, or everything others think we should or shouldn't do, we don't feel happy. I know for a fact when I think and stress about every freak nagging rule on the mission my white keester gets all frazzled and I can't feel the Spirit. When I choose to just chill my pill and be a good person I feel the Spirit really helping me out. Guys I know it's not easy to just forget about all the do~s and don't~s, but I promise you guys your lives will improve incredibly. Just forget about it, whatever it is that is bugging you, and stop stressing about it. Be a good person. Be who you know that you're capable of being. Allow God into your life through being a good person. It's so heartwarmingly simple.

This morning when we were cleaning the house I dumped some water onto the plants from our window on the 2nd floor hahah and then this mega old lady came out with her walker and started yelling at me haha. I talked to her from the window and I was just trying not to laugh so hard. She was like "you kids are always making such a ruckus and before I know it you guys are gonna cause the building to fall down” and I just was dying haha. She was the most stereotypical old lady I've ever seen in my life.

Here are some photos! Love you guys

My comp made Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet

Last photo with Thompsinho

President and Sister Granjinha

Elder Soures (native Brazilian)

Apartment in Rondonopolis

Elder Soares crocheted me a rug and painted my name on it hahaha!

Love you nerds (Week 36)

Alright so I had a thought that boggled me while I was studying this week. Lately I have really been trying to improve my prayers and make them like a real conversation. I was thinking about how prayer really is rad. Like we are actually talking with God. I started to think about how I would talk to like Donald Trump if he was in front of me, or like Post Malone. I would be 100% focused on them because they are freaking rad people. Then I started to think how rad God is. The dude literally created freaking galaxies that's actually insane. As I started to think about that it really became real to me how special and important prayers are, and the insane opportunity that it is to talk with the most powerful being in the existence of existence. That is absolutely wild. I have such a different outlook on prayer now and I wanna challenge you guys to really try to talk with God, and respect him as your Father but also talk to him as the person who loves you more than anyone. Changing your prayers will change your life. It's changing mine.

Yea so every freaking person except for one that we teach told us that they don't want our visits anymore. On Wednesday night I got home and set my bag down and just looked at my comp and yelled "nuts dude” hahahah and then we kind of just freaking did freakin nothing hahaha freak. Sometimes stuff happens. I have been praying for the Lord to help me truly encounter and help his prepared children and the harder I pray for that the more people are just absolutely rejecting me hahah. It's more black and white now which is super nice. Like the other day I tried to stop this lady and say "hi my name is Elder...” and stuck my hand out to shake her hand and she just didn't even look at me and said “no” hahaha and I literally involuntarily laughed so hard. I mean I guess I am getting what I am asking for hahahah. Thanks Heavenly Pops.

On Thursday it was kind of a crumby day. I'm not gonna lie I just really wanted a hug. We got home and I decided I was gonna buy a hamburger. I got this one burger with bread, homemade mayonnaise, a nice meat slice, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, an egg, ham, and lettuce and BBQ and I literally never had such happiness enter my body. I literally just inhaled this burger and like I can’t even explain how good it was. I called the restaurant after I finished and just was like "I just wanna tell you guys thank you for making such kick A food” and then the dude was like "well my man I just wanna thank you for appreciating our kick A food, and just know we're always here for you man." This burger actually strengthened my faith. I freaking love Brasil hahaha.

Just to wrap it up, Tiago totally got married this week haha. He called us and was like “Yo Roskelley, I got married bro” and it was the raddest call ever haha. I got the opportunity to baptize him and it was absolutely beautiful. Immediately when we started the ceremony for the baptism the Spirit was noticeably there. As I walked around to the font entrance with Tiago it was just us 2 and the Spirit was so sweet. I felt a genuine care and love for him. We entered the cool, but not cold water, and Tiago was super nervous haha. I won't ever forget the image of the guy underneath the water in that font on Saturday April 27. I have never seen such a change in my entire lifetime. It was so quiet and peaceful during the baptism and I just get emotional thinking about it. He told me he just never wanted to leave that water. I don't know how certain words in a certain order and dippin someone under the water can make such a difference in someone's life, but maybe that's just the beauty of it. To my carnal mind these things don't make sense, but in the moment after I baptized Tiago my heart told me that it doesn't need to make sense, because the feelings that the Spirit brought into us are far denser than any logical answer ever could be dudes, I love this gospel, and I cannot deny the love that I have for my Savior. I know without the smallest doubt that he loves each one of you. He doesn't freaking care how much you mess up. He loves you. I wish I could express to you better, and in person these feelings that I am having right now but I just want you guys to know that Jesus loves you so much. He is real and the love that I feel he has for you isn't something just spiritual. I feel it physically. I love this gospel and this is the gospel of change. The gospel of becoming better, the gospel of overcoming the gnarliest of addictions. This is the way you guys and I know there is no other way. I love you guys so much.

Last thing, I got transferred to Rondonopolis. I’ve got an 8 hour bus ride ahead of me at midnight tonight yew! My companion is a Brasilian and it's gonna be my first native companion hhaha. Should be rad. I'm exited to see what comes next. Love you guys here's some photos.

Me on a horse

This leaf bug flew in our house so I caught him

The hamburger

Tiago’s baptism 4.27.19

Letter yes! (Week 35)

Hey you guys I am actually like so freaking stoked this week it was one of the best weeks ever. I am sorry about my recent letters I know they were a little bit lame I was just kind of emotionally charbroiled. But I’m back homies!

So I am not even going to lie I am one of the happiest, if not THE happiest missionary in all of the lands. I don’t know if you guys have heard yet but my mom, yes, the reddest of heads, and the loveliest of Lynda’s sent me a package, and inside this specific package I discovered Chick-fil-A sauce. Upon the sight of such celestial nectar my companion and I decided we need to buy some form of chicken. As we entered the super market we found chicken nuggets, and then scurried back home to stimulate our taste buds. I have never been so influenced by a sauce in my entire life. After the first 27 nuggets ran out, we decided we must go back and buy more, so we went back and bought roughly 8 more boxes of chicken nuggets. I would like to dedicate this email to the most special lady in my life, my mom. Mother I love you very much, and not only because you send me sauce. <3

With all the sauce festivities and taste buds becoming taste buddies, we also were able to do some missionary work. Tiago’s baptism didn’t work out this week because he was not able to find time off of work, but we were able to have a super special lesson with him on Thursday. He and I talked a lot and he just told me how much he has noticed that, even though his life is so much more difficult and he has so many more things stressing him out, he feels like he has more love in his family. He feels like he has more peace and comfort in his life and he feels like he is just happier. He then went on to tell us how grateful he is for our work and how much he admires what we do. He starts talking to me directly and just goes, "you have no idea the influence that you are making for good in the lives of people. I know it is hard for you guys to see the outcome and the benefit in people’s lives because you are always moving, but I want to tell you that I notice the difference." I was so touched by his words and it really helped me truly realize why I’m out here. It’s super cool to have baptisms and all that jim jam, but to see the changes and the little joys that this gospel brings into people’s lives is really why I’m out here. Helping them encounter lasting love in something that has true structure and base, even the gospel of Jesus Christ, is what just warms my little heart. I love this gospel so much and I am so grateful for people like Tiago that teach me more than I could ever teach them. It is really interesting for me to see that the more I immerse myself in this gospel and focus on others, the more I see myself being taught and blessed by the Savior through those same people. It’s the most beautifully and perfectly organized thing in the world. I love this gospel and I love being a missionary of Jesus. Nothing is better than that. I also gave Tiago a Chick-fil-A sauce packet hahaha.

One of the raddest things happened this week... Elder Stevenson from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came to visit our mission and gave a devotional to us. The sweet spirit that he brought really touched my heart, and I knew in that moment that we have modern day Apostles and a living Prophet. Even though we only got to watch the devotional through the TV I felt incredibly grateful for all that he told us. The thing that struck me most that I would like to share with you guys is this… Elder Stevenson told us we MUST STAY EXCITED and HAPPY in our lives, because when we become discouraged our faith weakens. He literally used those exact words. An Apostle of Jesus Christ. Dude, that is freaking crazy. In our difficulties we are not meant to feel discouraged and sad all the time, God isn’t planning your difficulties to discourage you and weaken your faith and make you feel like a deuce, in fact He plans quite the opposite. He gave his Only Begotten and Perfect Son to this MESSED UP world to take upon Himself all of our pains and afflictions. He has planned for you to have a perfect Counselor and a perfect friend in your hard times, and I promise you as a missionary of the only true and living gospel on this earth that Jesus Christ will comfort you, will love you, and will help you to KNOW that everything will be okay. I beg you to come to Him.

Along with that I would just like to close with my testimony. Guys, this week I have felt my Savior’s influence incredibly strongly. I just want to tell you guys that I know that He lives. That He loves you… you in specific. You! That he literally felt physically what you feel. It’s not a freaking imaginary thing... it’s incredibly REAL. He knows exactly how you feel. Jesus Christ is our literal older brother, and He loves you. I know that my Savior lives. 

I love you guys so much <3

Elder Porter

I caught a lizard and named it Carlton and he stayed on my shirt for 15 minutes studying with me.

Saucy Tiago

Nugget stack

Weekly email number 30 something (Week 34)

Another week another dollar folks. the time is flying out here I am just absolutely buckled down. I've never had a week that I walked and worked more in my entire life. Like I told you guys I got a haircut last P-day and I decided to shake it up so I asked the dude to give me a fade and he just gave me the most wicked fade ever hahah. The back of my head hadn't seen the sun in a while so now its just completely crisped. It's pretty bad. I ended up having to put sunscreen directly in my hair and it was just so unpleasant. Geez. 

But on the bright side Emerson's baptism happened! (: Sadly Tiago's fell through because a couple months ago when he was moving to a new house and someone stole all of his possessions out of the moving truck so he has been working like 13 hours a day to try and get some money back. He didn't have any time to get married. But back to Emerson. So the baptism was just awesome! We tried to invite a ton of members and people but not really anyone ended showing up and turns out that was exactly what Emerson wanted hahah. He asked the Bishop if he could baptize him and the Bishop is like 5 foot 4 and Emerson is like 6 foot 2 and he looks like Elvis so it was quite funky in the font haha. But after Emerson got dunked his just stayed in the font running the baptismal water over his arms and hands and then he just looked up and gave a speech chillin in the font hahah it was so rad. He just goes “Firstly I'd like to thank the Academy for getting me here” hahaha nah just kidding he just stood there for like 3 minutes though telling all of us how grateful he was for our influence and how happy he was to be a part of this gospel and it was actually really nice. He's changing so much and it's making me so happy. He just seems so much happier and that's just such a testimony builder to me. This gospel, simple and sweet, is the true source of lasting happiness through our Savior. It doesn't need to be complicated. I promise every single one of you as you simply just let Christ's love fill you through his simple and perfect gospel, and do your best to not fight or complicate the process, you will encounter a greater happiness than you've ever felt in your life. 

Something that I have really been learning lately is that there does NOT have to be a reason for everything. Sometimes things are just how they are and they must not be more complicated. For example... I know that God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. I know that truly. How high they were standing off the ground, or where exactly were they, or how long was Jesus' hair does not matter. What matters is that is happened. It truly happened. One day we will have the answers to all that our heart desires, but for now simple and sweet is all that I need. 

During the baptismal reunion Vanderline's kid was watching a little show on his dad's phone but he turned the volume way up like right in the middle of the meeting so I just reached up to the bench in front of me and turned the phone off and he just turned around and looked at me with such rage I have never seen and just says "I am going to kill you alright” ahahah and I just lost it laughing and the thing that's even better is the Bishop heard it too and couldn't help laughing hahahah. This kid is a wild one. I'll take a picture of him and send it to you guys next week.

Last thing. This week my older brother Drakey taught me one of the most valuable things that I will treasure forever. When I was emailing him last week he told me to be more grateful in my prayers. Like for example don't ask God to bless you with a good day, Tell him you're thankful for the day, and go make it a good day. That really hit me and this week as I tried to do that I noticed the incredible difference I had in my life. I truly felt happier, I felt like my week went smoother, I felt like I had more energy, I literally just saw my whole life go smoother. I wanna challenge you guys to firstly, if you don't say your prayers start saying at least a morning or night prayer thanking God for what you have. It will change your life. If you already pray then this week try your hardest to really focus on thanking Heavenly Father for what is already in your life. I promise you blessings and happiness will fill your life. The difference is humungous.

Welp the end has come. Thanks to all of you who still read these giant things. I love you very much. Even if you're one of those dudes who just skips to the end and reads this part and looks at the pictures I still love you too. 

Also a bird deuced on my sheets while they were out back drying. Extra sheety sheets. So unfortunate. Also Tiago said that he is literally going to do everything he can to get married this week because he really wants to get baptized this Saturday. (; 

Weekend baptism under the lights (Emerson)

Me wolfing down a post baptism slice

I made hot cakes for Elder T and a member who did some visits with us.

Week 33 I think! Love you guys

Alright you guys this week was the freaking best week ever I love being a missionary more than anything on the planet.

First off I met a dude this week named Adobar. We were walking home on Wednesday and he was walking in the middle of the street and I yelled GOOD EVENING DUDE haha and then he just looked at us and came running over to us and was like having a really hard time and was super drunk but like just so sad so we just chatted him up. We talked to him for sec and I just felt so strong that God loved this dude so I gave him a big old hug and felt like I should say a prayer with him and Elder Thompson right there on the street. We did that and after that finished we just told him to come to church and started walking the other direction and he just went walking up the hill with his stray pet dog. As we were walking I felt like I needed to run back to him and ask him if he was hungry so we just sped walked to where he was. I asked him if he was hungry and then he just looks at me and goes "so hungry” and I was like let me get you some nice Burger King haha and then he just got so emotional and was like “thank you so much, is it okay if I split it with him?” and then pointed to his dog. In that moment I was just kind of shocked. This homeless dude who was just starving was so ready to give something he wanted and needed so badly to something else. It really touched my heart to see how much love he had for his dog. When I brought him the food he just started bawling and was like "God loves you so much” and I just was so touched by this dude. I gave him another hug and told him I loved him. It was already super late so we didn't have much more time to talk to him because we had to head home, but in that moment I felt Christ's love for Adobar.  Homeless and drunk and without food or water didn't mean anything when it came to the fact that the love of Christ extends to all people. I love Adobar and I know one day I will encounter him again.

Things are all lined up for Tiago's baptism this week, that is if the bus that marries people for free comes to the city again when it's supposed to on the 9th. He's so exited to be baptized and just doing everything he can to stay away from his old addictions. A couple of days ago we had just gotten home and I got the feeling freaking strong that I needed to call him. He's been having a super hard time with money lately and he's been super stressed out and we haven't been able to meet with him as much as we like because he lives 1.5 hrs on the bus away from us so its been hard with him. When I called him he kind of just answered all bummed out and was like "dude today was some booty, I really had just a sucky day" hahah and we just started talking and he was like "I'm gonna be honest with you I literally almost went and bought cigarettes because I was just dying today but then I watched a couple of old talks from the Apostles and that helped me a ton", and I was like that is so RAD. This weekend he had to work Saturday and Sunday all day and he was so sad he couldn't make it to Conference but we're gonna go to his house another day and watch some of the talks with him. It's wild to see his testimony of the Church, and specifically of the living Prophet grow and give him strength to overcome addictions he's brawling with.

This week was an incredible thing for me. I read this talk called “If You Don’t Like It, Change It" I think is what it's called, and it just talked all about how if we aren't diggin somethin too much in our lives we gotta change it:  https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/carrie-roberts_if-you-dont-like-it-change-it/ Shout out to Elder Micah Brown for sending me the talk link and changing my life. Love you bro. But I really just got thinking and praying about how I could be happier and more full of love for the people who are around me. I had been waiting for some magical like fairy or some cheesy ish like that to come and make me happy and make me love these people, and I was pretty TICKED OFF it wasn't happening hahah. This week I really realized the importance of CHOOSING to be happy. Choosing to love people. Choosing to do whatever the freak it is that you want. Being happy really is a choice, and everyone says that but it's so true. In every single lesson this week I just wanted these people to know how much Christ loves them, and I wanted them to know that life doesn't have to suck eggs. In 2 Nephi 2:25 we read that the whole purpose of our life on this earth is to freaking have joy. It's so simple. When we choose to be happy and choose to let the Savior fill us with His love for others, life becomes just a ball. If you aren't happy, choose to be happy, change what needs to be changed, and let the Savior give you a lovely hug. hahahahaha

I am going to get a haircut today. Should be nice. Hope all is well with you guys wherever you are. I love you guys so freaking much. I just remembered that it was Spring Break last week for you guys so I hope that was good. We should have 2 baptisms this Saturday. . . please pray for our friend Emerson that he’ll be able to keep away from smoking his FREAKING cigarettes!

Love, Elder Porter

Me with Adobar

Me with Tiago

Squad (my district)

Hello week something email something email yes (Week 32 - 8 months!)

So this week was super duper tough for me. This week was super duper hot and on Friday afternoon it was like 105 degrees and we were walking to lunch and I got so much freaking sweat in my eyes and was trying to wipe it out with my shirt and wasn't looking where I was walking and I stepped off the curb and rolled my ankle super bad hahaah like it was the wimpiest thing ever and Elder Thompson just laughed soo hard at me. I felt so stupid and just tried walking it off but after we ate lunch it just freaking swelled up SO bad bahahah and I was super nervous it might be broken so we went to the doc and I was saying a ton of prayers while the doctor was looking at the X-rays and when he came back in the room I was sooo relieved when he said April Fools day suckers hahahaha. Got ya!

But if I were actually being real this week was pretty hot hahah. We worked like some pack mules teaching some lost sheep of the Lord and it was a super satisfying week. On Friday I started a little Fast to know how we can help José. I really was just having a super hard time with him because every time I just am so over his crap the Spirit is like "dude just hold on a little longer” so I always just keep the trust. After I started the Fast we went and visited him and I felt like I needed to just ask him "alright you old fart what are you really feeling about the Church and our visits and all this goodness because we really love you and are here to help you and will do whatever you are needed” and he kind of just looked back at me and was like "dude to be honest with you like i just don't really feel like I wanna change my life right now like I'm just gonna keep waiting for God to come and pull me out of the sadness I'm in", and the second before I started telling him the same old thing like "we need to act if we want blessings” the Spirit just came to me and was like “it's time to let him go, you planted a seed with him” and I like got all emotional and teary and it was super hard for me to actually cut him for real. Like I was kind of fighting with the Spirit and just talking and telling Him I'd do whatever it takes to help José and then I just had the feeling like it would be all okay if i just trusted in the promptings I was getting so we ended up cutting José loose. It actually like kind of made me pretty bummed. I was thinking about the moment after and I was like, today I started a Fast thinking about our grump-ball José and what we could do to help him, and the complete opposite thing of what I thought would happen happened. It kind of just showed us that it's not up to us to decide God's timing for people and I have no ounce of doubt in my body that one day José will come around again. It's just sometimes hard to accept God's will sometimes but something I've learned is that it always ends up alright if we do so, even when we don't know why we have to do so. Never thought I'd miss someone complaining so much hahah but I do.

On Thursday night we had a super epic family night with Tiago and Vanderline's family and Vanderline's child who likes to cuss and Tiago's little wingnut of a child just loved each other I've never seen 2 groms bond so quickly. But we talked about Eternal Families and it was a bummer that Tiago's wife was working so we weren't able to have her there but during the Family Night the Spirit was just pile driving Tiago and I could tell he really was realizing how real these things are. That he can actually have his family forever, which is actually so rad. I don’t know if you guys have ever really stopped to think about that because every Mormon talks about eternal marriage is the goal and all that cheese, shoot sorry... I meant every member of the Church of Jesus Christ, not Mormon hahah I don't even know what Mormons are... but really it is something so profound. No matter what happens on this earth, if we lose a mother or a loved one we literally will see them again. Like how we saw them before they passed away. We'll be able to touch their hair and hug them and help them put socks on or something random like that. Like these things are real. These things are true. Watching other people become truly converted to these things is really converting me. It's helping me think deeper and realize the simple beauty in the Church of Jesus Christ. I love this gospel so much and I know that God loved us so much He gave us a way to have eternal happiness. Freaking happiness FOREVER with those we love… we must just think about that for a second. It's incredible. 

So I like really didn't wanna share this with you guys but I feel like I should so were just going peanuts to the wall again haha. Recently I've been having some really profound doubts and difficulties that run through my head that have made it really hard to continue every day being a missionary. The thing that has gotten me through every difficult moment is, and I'm not even kidding, a simple testimony. A simple knowledge that my Heavenly Father loves me, that Jesus loves me and knows what I'm feeling, and that His Church is restored here on this earth. I cannot explain to you guys the gravity and the relativity that this simple testimony had in keeping me on the right path. As I passed through some of the most profound difficulties in my life over the last 2 months the thing that kept me going was a simple testimony. It wasn't knowing every freaking scripture reference and using big cool words to talk about the gospel that got me up every day, it was the simple testimony I have about the true love that my Heavenly Father and My Beloved Brother have for me. I know that They love you, you, you, you, you with everything that I have. I know the love that They have for you is infinite, that it is perfect, that it is deeper than anything you've ever felt. I challenge you to gain a true and lasting simple testimony, and continue to fortify and strengthen it every day through talking to God. A simple testimony really is the hidden gem that everyone looks over. I am a living testimony that the simplicity is what's up. This week when you listen to General Conference I want you to focus on the Apostles' and the Prophet's testimonies, and notice the simplicity of their words.

I don't know how to end this email so I'm gonna end it now. 

Elder Tom Tom didn't like his study chair so he upgraded to a plastic supermarket chair, but we had to walk 30 minutes back home with the chair. Here is a photo haha.

After we told José we won't be visiting him anymore I wanted a picture so we went back and I got a picture.

Service!

Weekly eekly (Week 31)

How are you guys. I got a package from my mom and it had Mac and Cheese in it and I was so happy to eat Mac and Cheese. It was even the spiral kind. (:

This week was a lot of HARD work and I am freaking as tired as Gary the Snail after the snail race when Sponge Bob like works him way too hard. I feel like Gary. But really things are going so freaking well here for me and Elder Thompson. We are seeing the fruits of our hard work and it is really paying off. We'll start off by talking about Marcello and Cristine...

So a good while ago we were walking down the street and Marcello and Cristine were walking down the street and we were on the other side walking the opposite way and the Spirit was like "go chat those dudes up” and I was like "but dude I'm scared” and after this little conversation they had already passed us but I was just like dang it and ran to the other side of the street and was like "uhhhhhh can I get your address?” and then they were like "sure we live here". So a couple days later we returned to here and found them at home and taught them a little. They have been liking our messages and Marcello is really really smart. He's been reading a ton in the Book of Mormon and really been diggin it. On Saturday we had a nice Spirit filled lesson with them and then I was like "so who's ready to go to church tomorrow” and Cristine was like "oh we don't have enough money to get an Uber there, and then I was like no problem lady we'll have a member pass by and grab you guys and she was like “listen Elder, I appreciate your efforts but were just gonna wait til we get our next check because I hate going to new churches and if there's something that I don't like in your church I'm not about to wait until its over to leave” hahah and I was like what the freak... then I looked at her right in the face and was like "alright here's what were gonna do. A member is gonna come to your house at 8:30am and you are gonna go to church. But let's say you just absolutely hate it, have no desire to stay and never want to return, I will pay for your Uber to leave and you won't have to worry about a thing.” haahah then Marcello was like "Ooooo he's got you now” and then she just looked at him with the "shut the cuss up” face and was like fine well go hahah. So they ended up going and Marcello absolutely loved it so incredibly much. He was like givin some nice input in the lessons and it was so rad. Cristine said that she thought it was very different and that she liked it but she still doesn't believe that there's a prophet alive today hahah but at least they liked it. We've been really working with them and clearing up their doubts and it's gonna work out perfecto in the end. Sometimes you just gotta pay people to come to church to get the ball rollin. Maybe I'll start offering money more hahah.

So I really do love José but he literally complains about everything. It is actually impressive how good he is at complaining. I have never had my patience tried by another human being more on this earth. He complains about everything from the microphone not being loud enough to the grass in front of his house to the words being too small in the Hymn book to us showing up as soon as he's about to leave to why he can't drink coffee. But the thing that he complains about most is his freaking house. He hates his house and I love it because it's made of wood and every freaking building here is made of bricks haha. But we show up at his house on Saturday and I was like “what's up young man how are you doing” and he just looked at me and was like "the day I am able to leave this house I will be happy” hahah so I just looked at him and was like "it's your lucky day you old hag, tomorrow we have church at 9am so looks like your dream will come true tomorrow.  You'll finally get to leave” and he just looked at me and just started laughing and I was like yea that's right you old man keep laughin hahaha. We're really trying to get him to stop drinking coffee because he always complains about how he doesn't have enough knowledge to go to church and how he feels like he never retains anything in his brain so I'm always like "well bro you know that one of the promises of the Word of FREAKING Wisdom is that we'll have FREAKING wisdom right?! and he's just like "yea but my house is so old and made of wood so I have to drink my coffee because I'm old and don't have a car” or something like that, which just doesn't make sense. The Holy Ghost keeps telling us to go back, and even tho my patience is really being tested by this old goob, we're seeing progress. My future wife is really gonna be grateful for José one day hahaha. Patience.

So this week we ended up having 11 investigators in Sacrament meeting which was so so freaking good, and one of the people is Maria. I don't know if I already told you about her but she just is so unique. In the middle of Sacrament meeting, like the part when we take the Sacrament she stood up and grabbed some Hymn books and started to just explain in an outside voice how to read the Hymn book for her ancient parents that she brought to church. We had to like calm her down and tell her to use her inside voice hahah but in the end she just went and sat back down with her husband, who doesn't want to get married and is very clear about that with us. But we will get them married and they'll get baptized. There are some strange people in this world. haha

This mission has been really really good for me and has really been testing my faith and helping me gain a true love for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Lately I've been having a really hard time truly leaving myself completely behind and going to work. Like sometimes I wanna take a freakin nap or sleep in or go home early, but deep down I really just wanna go to work. It's been a real hard fight and Satan has really been getting on me and getting in my head and I felt like I should talk to President Granja about my problems so I did at Zone Conference. I was like listen man, this mission is so rad but I am really struggling to just leave all my little wants and problems behind and just become the raddest missionary. I really need some help. What he told me was so profound and honestly the last thing I was expecting which was kind of a huge wake up call to me. He just looks at me and was like "when was the last time you studied about Jesus Christ…” and I just thought about it for a sec and I was like it's been a minute dude…” and he just looked at me with the most sincere look on his face and was like "studying our Savior's life and studying his characteristics and trying to become like Him will cure your difficulties” and I was just shocked. It was so simple. He gave me some places to study and sent me on my way, and throughout the end of the week I dove into a study about my Savior. I can honestly say that I never thought it could be so simple. Never had I thought it would be so easy and so simple to gain such happiness and motivation in my life. I noticed that my testimony was stronger in the lessons, I was able to speak better and clear up doubts more easily. I was able to work without rest and be happy. It was simply because I studied about Jesus Christ. About how much He loves me, about how much He does for me, about how much He cares about me. I started to realize how real He truly is again and started to want to help others realize the same. I love my Savior so much and I know without a shadow of a doubt that as we study Him, as we get close to Him, and we do our best to know Him, He will come close to us, He will let us know who He truly is. I cannot express the immaculate love that this dude has for every single one of you, and every person here in Brasil, and I will work tirelessly to make that love known to all of you guys back home, and this people here in Brasil until He stops me. 

One super lovely scripture that I found is super lovely. So I will share it with y'all. It's Alma 7:11 and it talks about how Jesus would come to earth and suffer pains and afflictions and temptations of every freaking kind. The Savior of the world, who was actually perfect, experienced every type of temptation, and every type of affliction, and every type of pain. It didn't matter that he was perfect he still had pains and difficulties, and the old devil tempted Him more than any other man will ever be tempted in history. Sometimes we think God is punishing us with pains or afflictions or difficulties because we are sinners, but all these things are just part of life, and how we learn for ourselves. What is important is that there is Someone who knows what it feels like to feel the exact ish that you feel, don't be afraid to ask Him for help. 

Last note, Tiago won't be getting baptized this week because he couldn't get marriage all worked out... which sucked... but a bus that marries people for free is coming to town on the 6th of April so... baptism here we come baby hahahah. God provides a way for those who wanna do the right.

Last thing for real. I want to tell all my friends I love them so much. Special shoutout to Lukey White for getting his mission call and joining the squadrant on April 16. Love you bro.

Elder Porter

**Note from Mama Lynda. . . I got an email from one of Porter’s best friends today - Elder Micah Brown, who is currently serving in the Missouri St. Louis mission.  Since he refers to Porter’s letter this week. . . I just had to include what he wrote. . . it is SUCH A SMALL WORLD. . . check this out. . . 

“Hi Lynda, So I'm chillin here with my best friend in the mission, my Zone Leader that I've been with for my whole mission, Elder Farley. He goes "dude my friend got 11 people to church on Sunday" and I was like oh dang that's sick.... wait.... my friend got 11 people to church too... where is your friend?" He goes “Brazil” I'm like "dude, same, who is your friend??" And he goes “Elder Thompson” I'm like "DUDE HOLY COW THAT IS MY BEST FRIEND ELDER ROSKELLEYS COMPANION!!!!!!" And he's like "DUDE NO WAY ELDER THOMPSON IS MY BEST FRIEND" hahahhaha, it's so cool, it's such a small world! Even though we are thousands of miles away from each other we are still so close! Love you Lynda! Here's a pic of Elder Farley and I.” -Elder Micah Brown

Isn’t that AMAZING?! I just love how the Lord keeps these sweet friends connected, who are serving together throughout the world. . . Brothers through and through!!

I made French toast

The reunion with the Fartinez

My mom sent me Mac and Cheese and I've never loved a noodle at this level.

Elder Brown and Elder Farley - Missouri St. Louis mission

Week something with email words (Week 30)

Hello people back in the United States I hope that you are happy and good and that the weather is warming you up and making your skin warm again haha. I really realized this week that my English is just level 46 retarded now so I really hope that these emails make sense because I read some of the things that I write in my journal and some of the things I say just don't make a lot of sense so we're just gonna send it YEWWWWWWW.

Alright so something that happened that just sucks is that Tiago found out it's a lot more expensive and takes way longer than he thought to get married so he won't be getting baptized this week. He was pretty flustered and so was I. It'll all work out how it should, but something I forgot to tell you guys last week that happened in Sacrament meeting with Tiago that was super funny is that this one lady in the ward got up and was giving a talk about how the Spirit affects our lives. Every time we go to Tiago's house he's always like "today I punched my punching bag for like 30 mins because I really was just wanting to punch someone today” ahah it's just the oddest thing, but this lady is giving her talk and I kid you not out of the blue she goes "you cannot feel the Spirit of God when you are wanting to punch someone” and I just looked at Tiago and he just started laughing so hard and then I just started to giggle hahah and then we both just started laughing so hard and I was just like "dude, God may or may not have just verbally slapped you in the face hahah” and then he was just like I think you might be right man” hahahaha!

So about José. Man I absolutely love the dude but he really is just old and doesn't have a lot of friends and so every time we show up he just complains about everything and like I really do love the dude but it is hard to just listen to an old guy rattle about the same problem over and over haha. Yesterday in church I was just chillin with him and we were talking and he was like "listen man this church is cool but I need way more time until I wanna be baptized” just out of the blue and I was like.... okay then hahaha. We wound up going to his house and chitty chatted with him a little bit and he was watching some good ol~soccer and so we watched like 20 minutes of soccer with him and then got him talking about soccer and then shared a message with him and he just like didn't complain at all it was such a miracle. We're getting toward the end of the lesson and I just go "so my man, why are you wanting to keep coming back to the church every Sunday, there has to be a difference you notice in your life” and then he just got so emotional and was like "listen I love the church and I love you guys and I really feel so loved by the people there in the church which is the best thing ever, but every time I go to the church I feel so incapable. I feel like I can't respond to any of the questions that are being asked and I feel like I'm just a deadweight to the church” and Thomspon and I just went full mom mode and were like "no dude you're so awesome you make everyone so happy” hahah you know all that cheesy goodness and he just wasn't havin it at all. In that moment I got a little prompteroonie from the Spirit and he was like "share this scripture with him” so I shared that scripture with him and it talked about how in the resurrection our bodies will be restored to its perfect state and then I bore my testimony about that and was like listen man, I know it's frustrating, but I know you like this church and I know that you feel loved here, and I also know that everything that you once had will be perfectly restored one day, but you can't let what you had in the past affect what you can have now, and we really feel and know that you are ready to get baptized and we really just wanna help you” and he got all emotional and thought for like 30 seconds and I just went into hyper speed prayer mode and launched up some quickies and was like help this dude just say yes, and then he responded and was like “I will really think about it” and so I was like SO THAT MEANS YES RIGHT?! and then he was like "yes I'll think about it” ahahah and so I freaking take that as a yes! Nothing that we would've been able to do in that lesson would've been accomplished without the Spirit's little promptings. The Spirit is essential folks and if you don't have Him in your life I promise you that the decision to get him back into your life will be one you will never regret. He's such a homie hahah!

I think the best unspiritually related thing that has happened to me out here in the mission happened this week. We left a lesson in this one neighborhood and I heard the song Sandstorm playing in one of the bars and looked over at the bar and there was just a dude dancing in the front of the bar and i just had to go meet this dude. We get over there and the dude stops dancing right when we show up so I went and talked to him and was like dude, will you dance again so I can film you haha and he didn't even say anything eh just launched into full dance mode and it was way to rad and then his homie came and started dancing and the urge to dance rushed into my Elder bones and so I handed my companion my camera and went and danced with these dudes and everyone was like yellin LET'S GO AMERICAN or like I FREAKING LOVE MORMONS or just a bunch of random stuff and then like 4 dudes came and stopped me and just like shook my hand and wanted to meet me and there were like 30 drunk people surrounding me and it was just the most incredibly interesting and exhilarating thing I've experienced in my few short months out here hahah.

Just to end things on a tender note... these last few weeks have been a tiny bit tough out here. I was having a ton of doubts and thoughts that were really challenging my testimony and it was making it really really hard for me to preach the gospel. I was being really put down by everything and I turned to some major prayer and studying to try to figure out how to ditch these doubts. This week we encountered a family super duper rad, but they really have so many questions and need things explained very clearly for them. On Saturday we had a lesson with them and they were just railing us with questions and somehow I just knew the answers to so many gnarly questions they were asking us. I felt the Spirit strengthening everything I was saying and as I was teaching I realized that a ton of the doubts and super tough things I was thinking really lead me to the studies and teachings that I needed to help these people out. It was incredibly humbling to me to see how the difficulties that were truly putting me way way down turned out so helpful. These doubts were in the end such a great blessing to me and my testimony, while in the moment seemed like the exact opposite of something a missionary should ever have. I know that God gives us weekness and doubts and questions and difficulties only to grow. I felt like as a missionary I was the one who needed to be raddest and have the strongest testimony, but I learned so quickly that missionary or not, there is always room for progressing, and we can't be the ones to decide in which areas God is to strengthen us and which areas are fine. Super humbling experience. 

So my brown shoes that i think are super rad were getting a little bit dirty and Elder Thompson asked me if he could shine my shoes for me and my shoes just soaked up his shoe shine and now my shoes are like 3 shades darker haha. It's good for a change every once in a while.

I hope you guys had as lovely of a St Patrick's Day as I did. (: Have the loveliest week ever. 
Elder Porter

I made the most lovely stack of hotcakes ever!

I was talking to this one dude on the side of the street and some other dude pulled up in his car and gave me this plastic hat.

Hello! This week's letter - Week 29

Alright so I don't know if I've already told you guys about Tiago, I think I have. He's this dude who we met 5 weeks ago right when I got here. On Tuesday night I had I think my favorite lesson I've ever had on the mission. So when we first encountered Tiago he was smoking 2-3 packs of sticks a day and literally loved violence ahaha and told me he lost faith in God a long time ago. Like this dude grew up without parents basically and loved fighting people. Like bare knuckle gnarly ish, and when I asked him why he likes hurting people he told me the feeling he gets when he punches people in the face is the most beautiful feeling and it makes him feel close to God. It literally freaked me out so much to be around him he would like have little spaz attacks and have to get up during our lessons and just go punch his punching bag. Over these last few weeks I've seen a change in this dude that is literally like nothing I've ever experienced in my life. He's been coming to church the last 3 weeks and that's really when things started to change. On Tuesday when we showed up he invited us in, all calm and had a super nice chat with us about Brasilian politics haha and then we bounced into a lesson about the Gospel of Jesus Christ I started by asking him about faith and he started talking about what he feels when he goes to church and when he talks to us at his house and he was like "it's crazy because all these feelings I'm having are making me want to change and be better” and I was like holy this is not happening dude. Then I asked him what kind of changes and he was like “I just wanna repent my past away and move forward going to this church...like I haven't told you this yet but I haven't smoked for a month", and I was like holy freak dude. He started to get super interested when I told him the second step in the gospel of Jesus Christ was repentance because he realized he had just used the word “repent" to describe what was coming after his faith and so he was just like "well what's the third and fourth and fifth steps dude” and I was like “baptism and confirmation and enduring to the end and dude I am feeling the Spirit so strong right now and have never seen someone so ready to be baptized and I know this gospel is real and true and will change your life so how do you feel about being baptized on the 23rd of this month” and he was like "let's freakin do it boys” and I was so emotional I didn't wanna cry in front of him but I was so overwhelmed by the Spirit. If any one of you reading this can explain to me how in 5 weeks someone changed from finding God in beating the sap out of someone's face, to wanting to be baptized I will give you 5 Reals which is like $1.50. I cannot explain the realness of this gospel in words. Nothing that is worldly or temporal will ever have the potential to change someone’s life faster than the love we receive from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His Church. I don't care if you are a member, non-member, less active member, or literally hate the Church of Jesus Christ nothing you can say will ever justify in a worldly manner the change that I saw in Tiago. This gospel is real this Church is true. Jesus lives and he is ready to accept all of us, whether you go to church every week or completely erased religion from your life it does NOT matter. I promise you literally with everything that I have that our Savior is real, he lives and he breathes. He is physically and emotionally mourning for every single one of us. He has a body, he has feelings, he cries when he sees you suffering and smiles and laughs when we're happy. Nothing in your past can keep Him from wanting you back. This gospel is for every single one of you and don't you ever let anyone tell you you have to be perfect to join, or come back, or stay in this church. This church contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it will change your life in any form you allow it to. Please come to the Savior and see the “impossible” change in your life come true too.

When we had our meeting with the leader of mission work in the ward (I don't know how to say it in English) [*ward mission leader*] and his name is Vanderline. We finished up our meeting and we're drinking some juice and the Vanderline's 3 year old son spilled strawberry juice on his white undies and just hurled the s-word from his mouth and I literally almost fell out of my chair I couldn't find enough air to breath I was absolutely dying from laughter hahaah and then this little kid started to just die with laughter and I couldn't help it hahaah. His mom then looked at him all grumpy and was like “John you cannot say that word” and he just looked at his dad smiling so freaking big and goes "dad is the one who taught me it, he says it all the time” haha and then Vanderline just looked at his wife and she had the most upset face I've ever seen and then he looked at us and I starting to just grin a little bit and then he just started dying laughing too hahaha so we all just lost it. After that he took us home and who knows what happened when he got home!

Alright so on Wednesday we were taking a nice night stroll to José's house and we get there and the old dog wasn't home. We didn't really know what to do so I was like yo let’s say a prayer, why not bruther, and then Thompson was like ok. We walked to the other side of the road and parked ourselves under a tree and said a little prayer for some guidance. When I finished the Spirit was like "walk down the street you just came from” so we went walking and then I see this old man walking down the other side of the road and turns out it was Jose and I was like let's freaking go! The Spirit is such a homie. We had this nice large and detalied lesson planned for Jose to help him understand some gospel stuffs and we sit down with him and the Spirit was like "bro, just give him a blessing” and I was like wut.... and then He was like "you heard me foo” so I was like alright Jose, let us bless you hahah (not actually like that but ya know) and then we gave him a blessing and he came out from it just so teary. We gently tossed out a baptismal date for him and the Spirit was so strong and I was like "this time he's gonna accept this time he's gonna accept” and he looked at us with tears in his eyes and just goes “no” and I was like alright dude where's the freaking prank cameras like someone's gotta be bustin my chops. I tried to start convincing him about how the Church was so rad and that the baptism would change his life and the Spirit was like "chill on him” so I was like “alright dude” and just let my companion talk. As I sat there my comp just kind of talked to him about some stuff and then we ended and I was thinking about the lesson. I noticed when I was trying to teach the lesson and not let the Spirit teach, Jose was a little more closed off to us, but when I, or my companion invited the Spirit and let Him teach is when Jose was the most open. After the prayer we talked to him for a little bit and I let him know how much we love him and the Spirit was there in those last moments before we left and as we were walking out of the door he goes "you know, I'll really think about the baptism” and I almost yelped hahaha. I was taught such a valuable lesson. This Holy Ghost deal doesn't just apply to missionary work, but in our personal lives at home also. When we have a kid, or a friend or a parent who we think is just the worst we want to force the change on them through our own will. I am really learning that the Spirit really is the only true teacher of all things. If we want true or real change in our lives, or the lives of others around us, invite the Spirit to pass some time with you, try to show those around you that you love them. The change will come so much faster than you think.

Finishing up I totally forgot to tell y'all that we had a baptism planned this week. This kid named Alan who has been taught by the missionaries forever was really having a hard time putting his past in the past and wanting to move forward, and we've been working with him over the last few weeks and he finally felt ready to get baptized (: we had one of the Priests in the ward baptize him and it was so cute the kid was so nervous it was his first baptism and when I called him to ask him if he wanted to baptize Alan he was so exited and it was so amazing to see the Spirit seal that special moment that they had in the font. They're becoming such good homies and it's so rad to see kids around my age, coming to the gospel and seeing the fruits that come from doing what’s right. 

Last thing. We ended up going to throw the frisbee around a few days this week and it was so freaking funny ahhaah Thompson was talking so much frisbee trash talk and I was just fueling his fire and he was getting so worked up it made me soo giggly hahaha. Gotta love a good heart felt devoted Ultimate Frisbee player.

Love, Elder Roskelley

Some nice deep dish pizza

The only nature in this whole city (Campo Grande)

The spiritual smiles shining through hahah

SEVEN MONTHS! Week 28

Pip pip da doodly doo another week passed and I have muchly things to talk about hahha. 

First off were chillin in the house of one of the members with her cousin and we get a phone call from the mission office and turns out Elder Woodson got transfered to Alta Floresta which is like a 31 hour bus ride North hahaha and so he was a little bummed out. I am not even gonna lie it was a little bit of a bummer becasue we were finally becoming homies and he was starting to work more and being less of a cotton-headed ninny muggin, but can't do anything about it now hahah. My new companion's name is Elder Thompson and he is from West Jordan, Utah and it's pretty wack having a companion from the same state as me hahah. We got talking about stuff before the mission and he asked me which school I went to and I was like Lone Peak and he just got the sourest face I've ever seen and was like I hate Lone Peak hahahahahah so I started dying laughing and asked him why and his answer about murdered me. He goes "your Ultimate Frisbee team always beat us and they're so stuck up and always bully everyone and like push and shove so I hate Lone Peak” hahhah and I about passed out from laughter hahha. Freaking Ultimate Frisbee. I felt kind of bad I laughed so hard at him so I promised him I'd throw the frisbee around with him in the park today. It's always good to toss the plastic disc with a well educated disc tosser.

So this area I'm in is one of the biggest in the mission like I've already said a couple times and we were walkin down a street and I had absolutely 0 hints of a clue where the cuss I was, so we decided to get on the bus and go to the bus terminal that I recognized and so we get on the bus and about 25 seconds after we get on I realized the street we were walking down lead right out to where we were trying to go and I felt like such a dunce. Literally if we would have walked 40 more steps I woulda known where we were. We get off the bus at the terminal and I was all frazzled because we waisted money on the bus and I felt like such a moron we started walking back down the street toward where we were and passed a couple people on the street so I decided to take advantage and make some contacts. We ended up getting some super special contacts with some people who I can already see will be changed by the gospel, and this little experience humbled me a bit. It was interesting how our Heavenly Father used me being a lost impatient young sap to bless the lives of his other children who are looking for something larger in their lives. It made me realize how the smallest little things in our lives, even sometimes the flaws that we think are so annoying about ourselves, are the things the Lord uses to help us complete our purpose here on this earth. Prreeeeeetyyyyyy coooooooolllllll huuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh.

I had such a rad experience this week again with my communist friend Ricardo. He stopped drinking and smoking and finally was able to get baptized and so on Saturday he asked me if I would baptize him. I asked the Sisters if they had an extra white jumpsuit for me at the church and they said yea and when I showed up, they gave me the extra white jumpsuit and it was so small and tight ahahah. It's a blessing that it was a tiny bit extra roomy in the nether regions haha or I woulda been cooked. But when Ricardo and I entered the water he was so exited and so nervous and so was I and to make things worse is name is super long, it's like Ricardo Alves Oliviera Pireira Junior or something like that and I literally botched his name like 5 times in the font haha so he ended up just repeating each name with me one by one like a Primary kid haha and when he popped out of the water he was just beaming and his Mom was just bawling and he gave me the biggest hug ever. Everyone was so happy and after we changed our clothes we went back into the chapel and the Sisters sang a nice little song and it was so beautiful the Spirit was so strong. Everyone was crying and I won't even lie I shed a manly tearling or 2. After the baptismal reunion ended we had a little bit of cake and Ricardo goes "this is how you know that something really is true, when you have a feeling like you've never had before in your life” and I was like let's freaking go Ricardo is already getting it! I called him the next day on Sunday and was talking to him about his confirmation and he was like dude I just feel like a different person, like before the baptism I had such a desire to drink and smoke and I am now receiving strength like I've never received before, and what makes me so happy is that he's noticing the Church of Jesus Christ is different. I know without a doubt that this Church is true exactly for that same reason, it's different. Being different is not something that is bad, in fact it is the freaking best thing on the earth. Every time I leave the house in the morning I look at my sunburned American face with my white shirt and tie and little plastic name tag and think I probably look so freaking weird when I'm walking down the street and there is nothing more bad a than having that feeling. Being different isn't a bad thing, it's the  best thing on this earth. It's so beautiful to see that even the newest of members of this Church notice the difference of love and happiness and strength they receive for being different from everything else. I know that it is super easy to chill in the world and eat white bread all day or whatever worldly things you enjoy doing, and there is nothing wrong with eating white bread (unless you ask my mom) but something I have really noticed out here is that if you're sad or feeling down and you are looking for a different feeling in our life, you have to act different. Don't be afraid to be different.

Lately I have really been trying to listen to the Spirit and follow all the promptings I get, especially when we are out contacting. It's very interesting how I have been noticing the Spirit leads me to the scariest people hahaha. Like I'm always just horrified to talk to the people I'm lead to. On Saturday we were walking back from lunch and I saw these three absolutely enormous meathead dudes who were drinking outside of a store and they were absolutely massive haha. I have no doubt that every single one of them would be accepted into the salty splatoon. I get talking to these guys and my companion Elder Thompson was all scared of them so he stood like 5 feet behind me (like a good 15 frisbee diameters) and so I emotionally wrestled these 3 jock bags off their high horses and at the beginning they had no interest in talking to me and after some nice persistence they ended up getting super duper interested. I got the address of of one them and he is actually super anxious for our message and I am so grateful the Spirit is leading me to the scariest people because 1. normally they are just acting scary because they are trying to hide up how soft and emotional they truly are and if you can crack them they're the ones who become the strongest testimonies of the love Christ has for them, and 2. I literally have no problems talking to normal people now haha it's like a breeze. I talked to 16 people on the street yesterday and got 12 addresses and it really humbles me how in the beginning I would talk to the Spirit in my mind and be like "what the freak bro why are you sending me to the gnarliest dudes I've ever seen in my life” hahah and now all I'm thinking is "thanks man” so it's just interesting to see how when we choose to obey the little things the Spirit tells us no matter how nutty they may seem, we end up being grateful and seeing the blessings. I have such a firm testimony of that very thing and know that sometimes Heavenly Father uses us for something so much greater than we can imagine. Don't be afraid to listen to the Spirit when He comes into your head and heart, and if you're not feelin his presence go kneel down and ask God to bless you with his broship again because I may be young, sunburned, hungry, American, and full of zits but something that I know, literally know. Like don't just feel, actually know folks, is that without the Spirit in my life I would be nothing. I am not out here inviting people to come unto Christ because every baptism I receive a bonus check of 400 dollars or something like that, i just wanna help people realize how much happier and better their lives are with the Spirit passing the days with them. I invite you, reader person, to start trying to live your life in a higher manner so the Spirit can chill with you more often. I am not inviting you to do so because it's the right thing to do, or because your parents would be proud of you for making good choices or some cheese like that (although those are good reasons too) but I just want you to notice how much of a difference the Spirit makes in your life when He's with us. I want you to feel of the love Christ has for you and I want you to feel full of purpose and happiness because you don't have to be sad.

Love you guys don't be shy to write me some words. (proskelley@missionary.org)

Elder Porter
p.s. I have no time to respond to you guys this week because I used my time FaceTiming my girlfriend (mom) but I promise I'll respond next week <3

Picture with Jackson and Karini

Ricardo’s baptism

My new comp haha

Week something of awesomeness (#27)

This week I realized something super duper important that I had been praying for, for a very long time. On Wednesday we had divisions with the Zone Leaders and I went and worked in a different area with Elder Cambé. After we left the house and went to work we just started talking to everyone the Spirit directed us to. We were walking down the street as we passed this one little alley way and saw a chick who looked to be 25-30ish just sitting there. We walked up to the gate at the front of this little alley and called her attention and she came and let us in and we walked back through this little area and it opened up to a tiny humble house and there were like 4 kids just chillin back there. Two of them were her kids and two of them are kids she takes care of. We started talking to her and she opened up to us super quick and was telling us she feels pretty sad and overwhelmed by life and then Elder Cambé asked her "when was the last time you prayed"and she kind of just looked at us and was like it's been a really long time. We gave her a simple little lesson on prayer and then gave her a Book of Mormon and it was such a calm tender setting and the Spirit was testifying of everything we were saying. She continued to open up to us more and tell us more about how she wants to get a better relationship with God and as the Spirit increased so did the understanding and hope in this chick. At the end of the lesson we invited her to pray and it took some convincing haha, like 5 minutes, but she finally offered a little prayer and it was incredibly spiritual to hear her offer her first prayer in years. I felt that our Savior was at our side and already started to lift this extremely overwhelmed mom because of a 15 second prayer. I know that everyone always tells you like in Primary or whatever that you have to say your prayers and that kind of stuff, but in this little moment I gained the strongest testimony of sincere prayer. I found that through the shortest, but ever so needy prayer of this lady, the Spirit rushed in and filled her heart with relief and happiness and we felt it too. It's so incredibly simple dudes. We have the opportunity to talk to the Creator of all things, literally our Heavenly Father, and sometimes we pop a quick prayer off at the end of the day like "yo wuddup Pops I'm good thanks for that cute blonde chick that said hi to me today, Amen” and like I'm guilty of it too. I know, and confirm with all my heart that our Heavenly Father is waiting for you to tell Him your struggles, tell Him about that kid who said something mean about the color of your socks, or that other kid who said he thinks your backpack is ugly. He is here to listen to whatever it is that you are struggling with whether it's with an addiction to drugs or the desire to hurt yourself or wanting to be someone completely different than you are, or something as simple as not liking the color your room is painted haha who knows. But one thing that I do know is that it doesn't matter how stupid it sounds to the human ear, nothing you are struggling with is stupid to Heavenly Father. Talk to Him and give Him your struggles through prayer and He will lift you.

I met this one dude this week named Filipe and I told him I'm 18 and I'm American and I like to eat popsicles ahahah. Then I was asking him where he's from and if he has kids or a wife and he was like oh dude I was born here in Campo Grande and I've never moved out of the city and I have 73 years and all this jazz and I was like that's rad and then we got talking about prayer and he told me he didn't know how to pray so I was trying to teach him but he literally cut me off like every 15 seconds to talk about his freaking pastor so I finally was just like dude alright we have to go but it was a pleasure to meet you God bless you and your pet dog and then we left the house and when I was like 12 meters from the house he yelled at me and was like "wait are you a Russian too” and I was just like heck yea dude how did you know, and he was like "no way dude I'm Russian too, I could tell by your accent” ahahahh so I just started dying laughing hahah and then I was just like "that's cool man see you later” and then when we were walking away I was thinking and like firstly, I told him I was American like 3 times and secondly he told me he had never lived outside of Campo Grande and thirdly I really hope I don't sound like a Russian hahah. Like is Russia sending spies to Brasil for some reason: you meet some wack people in the mission hahah.

This week I was all amped up on spirit juice and so we were walking in the street on Friday night and we had already knocked doors for like 3 hours and only one dude let us in and it was that Russian dude so I was just bound and determined to find someone haha so were walking on the street right and I see this old dude on the other side of the street so I just yelled "whats up young man” and ran across the street because I saw he was laughing haha and I almost got hit by a car hahah so he just started laughing harder. I started talking to this dude and he let us in and he lives in a wood house and it smelled like Cam Clarke's cabin and it made me so freaking trunky hahaha. But we get talking to this old sap and he gets talking and he gets super sad and started to tell us about his son who passed away 3 years ago who was his best friend and the only person on the earth that he truly felt cared about him and I literally started to cry at the pain this dude was having. As I told him a little bit about the Spirit world and that his kid is still living and hangin out with other angel bros I realized something insane. For three years this dude suffered and cried and struggled and hurt over the death of his son because he thought he was completely dead. There are so so many people in this world who have so many struggles and are so pained every day by a mountain of struggles that can be so easily cured through the knowledge that we have because of the Church of Jesus Christ. That gives me all the motivation in the world to find those sad people and slap a smile on their faces. As he found out that he will see his son again I saw a different light enter him. We invited him to come to church and he denied and denied and denied and so finally I was just like bro, I will show up at your house at 8:30am on Sunday whether you wanna go to church with me or not and I will ring your doorbell until you wake up and you're going to go to church with me and sit next to me and sing with me and feel the Spirit with me hahah and then he just looked at me and was just like "alright young man I'll go to church” hahah. I sat with him the whole time during both hours and he loved it and I freaking love José. He's already being so changed by the love that is being felt from Jesus.

Whenever I cross the crosswalks I always hop on the white lines and it's so funny because everyone who is waiting for the light to change always laughs at me until I look at them and then they try to stop hahahah its so funny!

Last thing. This week I really learned about the importance of hard work. When I was working even when people were telling me they couldn't understand my Portuguese or that they don't like Americans or that they just didn't want to hear anything I had to say I wasn't sad at all because it either made me laugh or proud to be an American or something like that. Hard work is the key to everything and if you are feeling like an absolute brick, find something to do and work hard at it. Whether it's going to the gym or coloring coloring pages or making paper airplanes, just do it with passion and you will find so much happiness.
Love you guys.

Elder Porter

We burned some stuff for my 6 month date in the mission, but it was super lame so we ended up just playing around with bug spray

Tried to get a pic with Pres and Sis Granja

These animals called Capivaras that live in the park in the front of our house

Week something I think 26ye

*Unfortunately Porter forgot his camera cord so he couldn’t upload any photos - bummer! He promised he’d send them next week.

**As a side note… when you read Porter’s opening sentence, you need to know that he wrote his letter BEFORE he got my email telling him that HE WAS ACCEPTED TO BYU PROVO!! HOORAY!!  When he saw that, he immediately wrote me and said "HAHAHAH YOU'RE GONNA DIE WHEN YOU SEE HOW I STARTED MY GROUP EMAIL THIS WEEK. It's a sign hahah! I literally wrote my group email before I saw this you’re gonna love it!” Needless to say. . . he’s THRILLED to have the opportunity to attend BYU when he returns from his mission. . . Fall Semester 2020!🙌🏻 (yes, he’s deferring his enrollment one year.)**

What is up Cougar fans, I hope this week was absolutely lovely for you guys.

This week I really became so humbled. I had so many incredible moments where the Spirit spoke to me and helped remind me that there is a purpose to everything. One of them that was super special happened on Saturday. I won't lie these last 2 weeks have been really hard for me. This area is freaking massive and we're having problems finding people and I have just felt incredibly inadequate these last days. So, just like normal when I find myself all sad and watery I always end up in the bathroom haha. I knelt down and was like Heavenly Father, I am so so sad, I really need something man. I am trying to talk to everyone I see and trying to find people to help but everyone is just denying the cuss out of me. Please dude, just give me anything. I finished up my prayer and left the bathroom and went and sat next to my comp and he just goes how are you dude, and I just dropped a bag of emotions on him haha I was like dude I am so freaking sad I don't even know what's up dude. He started to just talk to me and we sat there talking for such a long time. He told me something that really changed my perspective on everything. He looked at me and was like listen, in these last 2 weeks you have taught me more about love than I have ever learned in my life. In these last 2 weeks I think I have learned more with you about just loving people and having the desire to do good than I have learned in these last 19 years of my life. You are not failing out here, you are doing the exact opposite. You are changing my life dude. And then I just started to shed a couple manly tears and felt so humbled. I was so quickly reminded that the reason I left my house to come on this mission deal to help people feel of the love that Jesus has for them. We as little humans cannot start to realize the potential we have in the hands of God to help other people. As I struggled through these 2 weeks I now realize I was focusing so much on the success through the numbers and the baptisms and all that shim sham, that I was blinded to the fact that Heavenly Father was using me for something so much grander. I know that this mission is not easy, and that at sometimes it feels like we are completely failing. It's so easy to listen to the little things that satan puts into our minds just to confuse us. I promise you guys that when you feel like you are absolutely useless, when you're completely down in the dumps and wishing everything could be going a different way, the Lord is there with you. You are that thing that someone is needing in their life. You have no clue how much our Heavenly Father is using you to bless other peoples lives, and if you could just start to see all the differences you're making you'd be so humbled.

Last Monday I had a super cool experience with this dude named Ricardo. The sisters in our district are teaching him and he is gonna get baptized super soon which is super exiting. We started talking and I soon found out he loves communism hahah. Being a young American sap I was pretty confused on that so we started to talk a little bit and it was super interesting to hear his view points on why he thinks Karl Marx is a bad a. He then started to ask me about the mission and the Church and all that goodness and so we had a super good conversation. I started talking to him and I was just completely real with him. I was like listen dude, I know this church is true and I know that you are feeling that right now. As you prep yourself to get baptized you're gonna be having some of the best feelings you've ever had. I don't want you to ever forget those feelings because you're gonna get down the road in 2 or 3 years and you're gonna have some doubts, and these doubts are gonna freaking consume you if you don't remember why you joined this Church, if you don't remember the love you felt of our Savior in these first moments. After I told him that he looked at me with a crowd of tears in his eyes and just said “it's so beautiful... I know this Church is true and your words changed my perspective on everything. Thank you!” and it was just pretty cool to see how a young Brasilian communist and an incredibly patriotic American lad bonded through the love Jesus has for us.

On Thursday night Elder Woodson and I had such a special experience with this dude named Valter. He's less active and his dad passed away a month ago or so. We felt prompted to go to his house and visit him and so we headed up to his house and sat down and just started talking to him. Since his dad passed, Valter just kind of chills at home and works and when he was explaining to us what he's been going through I started to really feel for him. He started talking to us about how he has been reading the Bible a ton and then the Spirit rushed into me and was like "Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon” hahaha so I was like alright I'll talk to him about the Book of Mormon. I was like dude when is the last time you read the Book of Mormon, and he was like I'm not gonna lie its been a really long time. He went on and was like I have a super hard time understanding it and I just don't really have a super huge desire to read it. Then the Spirit came into my head again and was like bro, share your testimony, so I was like bro, ok hahaha. I started to bear my testimony and I got pretty emotional pretty quick. I looked at him and said "listen, I have no clue what it is like to lose a parent, and I can't even imagine the pain you're dealing with, but I know what it feels like to lose a loved one. I know without a shadow of a doubt that in those times when I felt lower than I've ever felt in my life, when all I wanted was to have my loved ones back, I would turn to prayer and the Book of Mormon and that's what would keep me moving. I promise you that no book on this entire earth will bring you closer to your father as you read this book you will feel of his presence, you will feel that he is so incredibly close, you will feel like there is hope and that without a doubt you will see him again. I know this book is true and I know that it has something about it that will change your life if you choose to start reading it because it changes my life and gives me purpose every single day.” Then he looked at me so so teary and was like "you have no clue how much this means to me. This love and care that you guys are showing me is helping me feel better than I've felt in a super long time. I know that God is listening to our conversation and that He sent you here to help me restart reading this book” and the Spirit was so so strong in the room it was incredible. He then flipped a random page open and then just looked at me and was like "holy freak look at this” and he had opened up to just a random page in Alma and the verse said "And I didn't have a great understanding of the words that were spoken so I searched for the understanding” or something like that I didn't get the exact reference, and then Valter just broke down and was like I know this book is so so true and I know that God is listening to us right now. I know that if I start to read this book it will change my life. I am gonna start coming back to church and changing my life up because God is showing me right now this is what i need to do” and the Spirit was just so so heavy and tangible in the room. Dudes I have such a testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know that Joseph Smith translated it through the power of God, and that this book has the power to change your life if you just put a little bit of time into it every day. If you are feeling completely lost and lonely, feeling super sad because you miss a loved one who already passed away, feeling like you don't have purpose here on this earth, I promise you guys that reading the Book of Mormon will cure all of those wounds. I love you guys and know that this Church is true and that God is always taking care of us.

To close I wanna talk about the scripture Alma 29:14 that says "but I do not joy in my own success alone, but my joy is more full because the success of my brethren, who have been up in the land of Nephi.” I just wanted to say I love you to all my homies who have already served, or who are out here serving the Lord with me. Seeing you guys change lives and reading your stories makes me happier than anything else. I am so proud to be a missionary and know the service we're doing is worth it!

I love you guys a whole bunch and we're gonna keep trekking through the hard times. Keep being yourselves and I'll do the same. (:

Love,

Elder Roskelley

Week 25er email

Sweet heaven so much changed this week its crazy. Tranfers are pretty crazy, I'm not gonna lie it was a little hard to say bye to Kevin. Gonna miss that cute Peruano. My new comp is an American and his name is Elder Woodson and he has a super big fear of feet hahahah. When I showed up at the new house and pulled out my Legos to reconstruct them, I found out that he also likes Legos and has a Lego dinosaur  hahahaah so now we put all our Legos together and it's pretty cute. 

On Monday when I was saying goodbye to everyone in Primavera do Leste it was pretty sappy. Salete literally melted my tiny heart geez that lady. She hugged me and I just couldn't resist the love I was feeling from that lady so please call me a sinner, I hugged her. She told me that she will for sure get married and baptized and I told her I cannot wait til the day of her temple sealing, and that she can expect me there. Balbino literally nuked my feelings and so did Pedro. My sweet sensitive heart just took way too many blows for one day hahahah. I gave Balbino a $10 bill and he just started leakin and then I gave Pedro a tie with my name and his baptism date written on it and then he just took off the gold cross he always wears and gave it to me and then it just went full tear fest hahaha dude it was a brute. I freaking miss those guys so much. I feel so blessed God gave me the opportunity to encounter such influential people here on the mission that changed my life more than they will ever know. It's so crazy how my purpose as a missionary is to help people encounter true change through the love of Christ, but the more I try to help them encounter that love the more I feel that same love changing me.

This area is super duper flipping big. We live in the center of Campo Grande, the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, and it's a super rich city. The thing that is a total doozy is that the areas that are possible to work in are either 1.5 hours walking to the north, or 1.5 hours on the bus to the east hahah so it's kind of a lot of walking. We have to work super close to the members' houses because the church is kind of far away so the members always give rides to the people who don't have a way to get to church. It's super different than Primavera, but it's super rad being in a new area meeting new people, having new experiences. my poor little heart still misses Frank tho. <;3

On Sunday we had lunch with this one member named Mauro and this dude just kills me haha he's so funny. So his son in law, Moroni is one of the raddest dudes I've ever met in my life, and we ate at his house a few days ago and he asked me after we ate "yo Elder, do you have room for dessert” and I was like "dude I've always got a nice dessert shelf saved” and he was like "then eat more” and I was like "that was a horribly tasteless joke” and he was just dying laughing haha. So when we were eating at Mauro's house he goes "hey Elder, do you have room for dessert” and I just looked at Moroni and then all the pieces came together and I thought I understood where he got the joke from so I just stood up and went "I'm not falling for that joke this time old man, I don't want your dessert” and he just got so confused and was like "alright then man whatever floats your boat” and then Moroni just exploded laughing and then his wife brought out this insane dessert and I just felt so freaking stupid hahahhaha. I was like you have got to be kidding me I am such a moron hahah. After I explained myself Mauro just started laughing so hard and then told me he forgives me and that I can eat dessert with them. 

I'm not gonna lie its been pretty hard to change areas. It was kind of eye opening to see how hard change truly is. All day every day I am trying to help people change their hearts so that they are able to feel how much Jesus loves them, but I had forgotten how hard change truly is. I forgot how lonely it gets sometimes and how easy it is to retreat to what you know and how it's so uncomfortable to be undergoing changes and it really gave me a new perspective. I am still trying to figure out why the Lord needs me here in Campo Grande with an American comp who is 1.5 years in the mission and is kind of burned out, but I know the Lord can see things that I cannot, just like how I as a missionary can see the potential the love we feel in the Church of Jesus Christ has, to truly change people as long as they continue to move through changes with faith. It is very interesting to be the one in the middle of the changes for the first time in several months, but I have no doubt that my incredibly undeveloped brain cannot see the blessings that will come through this change. Just gotta keep movin.

So there's a few problems with this house here. 1. the clothes lines for drying clothes are out back of the house, and it rains a favorable amount here. 2. the sink doesn't drain water so we have to wash all of our dishes and everything in a different room in the house and 3. our toilet is leaking water hahahahaahh. I'm not stressin tho because the mattresses are bigger here so I'll take wet clothes and toilet floor anyday. 

In closing, my friends, I'd like to talk about something. The old AP, Elder Dayton was such a homie to me, and he finished his mission this Tuesday. On Friday night he just showed up in the front of our house here and it was so rad. He was staying in the hotel across the street from our house visiting his areas with his parents and so on Saturday he came and did studies with us. He brought up a super rad topic, which is recognizing the Spirit. I feel like satan sends so much ish into our minds just to confuse us, and it's so freaking annoying. I feel like it gets super frustrating because it's hard to determine which thoughts are from the good side and which are from the bad side. As he was explaining stuff to us, he started to show us a few scriptures which were rad, and one that I loved was in Moroni 7:16 and it says something like "everything that makes you happy and feel warm and makes you want to believe in Christ is sent forth from Christ” which I thought was super cool. I know it's still hard to know what things are making you feel temporarily rad, and permanently rad, and that's why we have the ability to pray and ask God to help us discern between what's good and bad. I am really trying to better my ability to recognize when God is trying to help me out, and when Satan is just being laaaaaame. I find myself searching and analyzing the really strong feelings I feel from the Spirit, and when the not so strong feelings, more like whisperings come into my brain, I find it easier to know what's going on.

 I know that in this life we all have changes, some more uncomfortable than others, but nonetheless they're all changes. I know that for some people a change may be losing a brother or a best friend, and for others it may be watching a loved one getting railed by addictions which all suck so bad. I know that these changes are so uncomfortable, and sometimes they just get you in the jimmy. Something that I also know is that there is a method to all this madness. There is a dude, named God, who is orchestrating all of these sounds and noises into something that is, at the moment incomprehensible to the human mind. Sometimes the only way to get used to these changes is to just get accustomed to missing your best friend who is up there with God, and that's just part of life, but the one thing that I have learned through every change in my life is that something good always comes from it, and that an infinite amount of love is waiting for you. Don't be mad at God for these changes, because you're gonna reach the day when all you're doing is thanking him for all you've learned from them.

That's it for this week. Sorry it's nothing special, I'm still trying to figure out my life here I'm a tiny bit disorientated. I didn't take a lot of pictures so here are some pictures haha
Love, Elder Porter

Me and agent K

Legos

Pedro's cross, and the real silver Virgin Mary and Jesus my neighbor gave me before I left.