It Has Been ONE YEAR! (Week 52) — Called to Serve in Cuiaba

My friends and family, this week was an absolute boogie. I hit one year on Wednesday and I am forgetting how to like express myself in English ahahha it's such a sham. I tried to talk with one of the American Sisters in English and my English was just a doozy haha. I felt like a goober.

But Wellington and Vanessa holy smokes my Brethren and Sistren of God they are so rad. Their baptism was so good and just the level of pure happiness that is visible in their lives is such a beautiful thing to see. I am truly touched and seeing how useless I am without the Spirit in my life haha. I have seen changes in people's lives that literally don't freaking make sense hahah like 0% sense at all. There is something so physically different in a room or in a conversation when your emotions are elevated by the Spirit of God. It's so rad. But Wellington and Vanessa are now members of The Church hahahah sooooooo sick, when Wellington was entering the font he slipped and almost bailed to the Spirit World early hahah. They both just didn't stop smiling the whole night hahahha it was so sick. I'm gonna miss all of them so much I freaking love them and their 3 kids.

Something that made me extra happy inside my little missionary heart was to see how my problems have come to benefit my life, and the life of others in this last year. This week I had 3 missionaries who were feeling super crappy come to me and ask me for advice and magically they all were going through the same things I have gone through. I'm so freaking grateful Heavenly Father has given me these experiences, and also helped me overcome them, so that I can help other people with the knowledge I have gained. It made me feel so grateful for every hard time and just showed me how worth it every hardship really is. The crappy feelings are drowned out 10 fold by the feelings of joy and happiness from helping others. I am eternally grateful for the way God is prepping my life. He's a total bro.

Every Saturday we decided as a Zone that we were only gonna study about Jesus Christ. I gave a nice look at a rad story in the Book of Mormon that talks about when Jesus came to the Americas. In 3 Nephi 11 right after Jesus came down from the heavens everyone was like OH SNAP, that's Jesus, and everyone fell to the ground. 2 verses later in verse 14 after Jesus saw everyone in the group he says "arise and come forth unto me.” I just think that's the raddest ish on the planet. Everyone was all grounded and Jesus told them to come unto Him, and feel the marks in his side and hands and feet. He invited them to arise, and to come unto Him. I was super touched by this and I realized how that is constantly what Jesus is inviting us to do. To arise and come to Him. Every time we fall down, for whatever reason, we can expect the Savior to come and if we arise, if we go to Him, He will give us the comfort and the love we all truly need. I have the strongest testimony that He truly exists. That the man called Jesus Christ is real, and that He was resurrected, and that His love can fill us and make us feel so good when we get up and do what we are asked to do. My worldly brain cannot make sense of how all of this works, and for that I am incredibly grateful for the confirmations from the Spirit that these things are true. Prayer is real. It is how we receive answers to our most profound questions. Be honest as you talk with your Heavenly Father.

Coming to a close, a super cute cat was meowing at our door for like 10 minutes to we took her in and gave her a bath and milk hahaha and gave her the name of Elle. Elder Soares thought that was a good strong American girl name hahah, so now we have a cute cat living in the front of our house drinking our milk.

Here are pictures of this week.

With much love my friends,

Elder Porter

All of the freaking houses are the freaking same in this one freaking neighborhood. Reminded me of Tentacles Acres hahaha that one community Squidward moved into.