Off to Texas

Hermana Lindsey Porter

Katy, Texas

June 2010Loves her Salad!
TEXAS

Her First Apartment

One of her first discussions

Lindsey's Trainer

{Hermana Hastings}

District in Texas

Mission PresidencyLindsey with Mission President and Wife

Houston, Texas

All the Hermana's in Houston

Hermana Porter's Last Days at the MTC

Lindsey had an AMAZING time at the MTC and is now serving in Katy, Texas. She LOVES it and all the work that she is apart of!! We're so excited to hear from her every week! I know it is a picture overload, but she cannot send pictures very often... ENJOY!!

Hoping for mail...

Lindsey and Hermana Ang welcome their darling new companion

{Hermana Turnbaugh}

Classmates

Beautiful girl!

Lindsey and her companions before she left for Houston.

Lindsey: Letter 8

!Hola Hola Hola! How is everyone?! My dear sweet mother, thank you for you faithful writing and updates on everything. You're too cute and I cant thank you enough. I'm so glad to hear about Lex, Aspen, and Gentry! It sounds like they'll be busy with life for awhile. Haha, if they only knew how true that statement is. Busy, trying to figure life out. We really are quite silly if you think about it. I've done so much thinking in the past two years its a wonder I didn't develop some kind of brain disorder. I'm coming to understand the importance of just pressing on. It doesn't matter if you don't understand everything. You're not supposed to. You just be a good person, honor your covenants and keep moving. Have faith that somebody does understand, that he does know the outcome, the plan, and the way, because he is the way. Our Savior Jesus Christ has prepared the way to return back to our Heavenly Father and we need not worry about a thing when we are following him. For heavens sake I'm on a mission! Is that not proof enough that everything is in the Lords hands?! Study your scriptures, speak to your father in heaven, keep the commandments, and press forward with faith and enjoy witnessing the miracles that take place in your life when you keep an eye single to his glory.

I'm so thrilled to hear that Lance is doing so well. How else would he be doing?! This is Lance we're talking about, made into an Elder with a mantle placed upon him! I don't know that there's another option for that boy but to be great! I want so much to have time to write him and talk like we used to upon things that matter, things of eternal significance. I miss those conversations. I'm learning to rely wholly upon the lord here in Katy. He is whom I speak with about the things of my soul, my desires, my concerns. He is whom I give my gratitude for where I am, what I am, and for who I am. I'm so grateful to be here! I truly love Katy. I love the weather. I love my ward, I love the people. Everyone is so supportive and encouraging. When I say everyone I really do mean that. Weather they've heard about your church or not, they want you to succeed! They want you to speak their language and to love their state of TEXAS. haha I saw a bumber sticker the other day that read I'm from Texas. What country are you from? Oh dear, that is a statement that everyone who lives here believes in their hearts to be true. Its kind of cute. The bishop asked me from the pulpit yesterday to bear my testimony. Clearly I didn't know what he said. All I heard was my name and witnessed heads turn in my direction. I knew something wasn't quite right... Then my companion pushed me off the bench and I stumbled up to the front. Oh dear, that was the longest walk I think I've ever taken and I've been on a good amount of walks in my life. Once I got up to the pulpit I thought, this ward just doubled in the hour it took me to get up here! There were so many people! Thankfully I knew most of them and they were all just smiling and giving me the thumbs up sign and great big nods of encouragement. I don't exactly know what I said but most of them told me they understood and that it was the funniest thing they'd seen all week. Most of the youth came up afterwards and hugged me, said that they couldn't stop laughing when I was up there and then told me they wanted to go on splits with me. I love my ward:) This is a golden area. We haven't found too many people yet but I know that as we press on and keep knocking, keep calling, and keep talking we will find them. The Lord will put them in our path. I cant speak Spanish yet but I have discovered more effective ways of communicating and it is through love and that is a language I know very well. I thank my father in heaven every day for this great gift that he has given me. I don't know how effective this work would be without it! I'm so thankful for these short 18 months that the lords has given me to discover the joy in his children. To be able to focus solely on his gospel and the vision of eternity. What a thrill it is to be here! I love you all and hope that everyone is happy and doing well. Talk to you in a week!

Lance: Letter 1

Family!!! Whom I love!

Wow, the MTC is so great! There’s nowhere else I’d rather be! Everyone love’s the Gospel here! It makes me feel like I am the worst one here, but that makes me try that much harder. I know my letter is not as powerful as Lindsey’s but I assure you, I love this Gospel at least as much as her. My companion is Elder Joyce, he’s like my twin in personality but a hard worker. I love him; he has helped me so much. If I had any other companion I would be having a different experience. Ha, just joking! Seriously, I have loved every second I’ve been here. I expected it to be way hard, but it’s just been fun and not that hard. Everyone in our district (I think) is jealous of how well Elder Joyce and I get along. The food is great, I’m gonna get so fat – but that’s okay!

Yesterday Elder Joyce and I were pulled aside by our president and he told us that “Heavenly Father wants you to be the new Zone Leaders!” He said it is a huge pain in his rear, but that is what the Lord wants. Anyway, I’m writing two letters that are kind of the same because I’ve been writing at different times.

Elder Ian Gatchell is here and has been so awesome. He gave me a note in a fireside telling me about Mike’s (Sharp) call and I was so happy to hear it! It was nice of him.

Please know that I love you all so much! Thank you Mom for letting me stay in your home for all those years and for feeding me and just loving me! Dad, you have a gift and that gift is charity and I love you so much! Ryan, you are my hero! If I was as good at sports like you at your age, I would have been the future of high school. So that’s gonna be you! Make sure you always remember that you have something almost no one else has . . . .The Gospel. That’s what sets us apart from the world. Never forget ‘who you are’ and ‘who you were meant to be’ . . .a son of God! Please Ryan, be sweet to Mom and Dad . . .but especially to Mom. She gave you life and still gives it today. I love you all!

Elder Porter

Elder Porter enters the MTC

Please write to:

Elder Lance Porter

California San Jose Mission

Provo MTC

2005 N. 900 E.

Provo, UT 84604

Lindsey's Address

This is the Place!
Hermana Porter's first area is Katy, Texas.
Please feel free to write her at:

Hermana Porter

2002 South Mason #1222

Katy, TX 77450

Lindsey: Letter 7 {Welcome to Houston}

HOLA HOLA!! I'm here! How is everybody doing?! My word I feel like I haven't heard from anybody in quite some time. ! Pero esta bien! I'm sure everyone is quite busy with their lives, however, I would ask my sweet mother to fill me in on a few things if she has time. How are my grandparents doing? How did Grandpa do on his talk? You may be asking which one because I'm sure that is a more than weekly occurrence, pues that being the case... I want to know about all of them! What about Gentry, Alexis, and Aspen? Ah! They're all getting so old! I'm telling you, time flys!

My first area is called Westgreen 2 in the beautiful city of Katy. I cant tell you how much I love it here. I stepped off the plane loving it and those feelings have only progressed as I've had the opportunity to get to know some of its residents. What amazing people! They don't know it but they truly are.

My Mission President and his wife are the very sweetest. President Hansen is an incredibly inspired man and I found that out the second I met my trainer. Great things will happen here in Katy as the Lord works through both of us to bring to pass his glorious and perfect plan. What a great time to be on the earth! To have front row seats to so many miracles. They may seem like small things to those that don't understand how the spirit works but to me they couldn't be more spectacular and each one has strengthened my testimony of this work and my Savior Jesus Christ.

They first day I arrived, bbefore meeting my trainer Hermana Hansen, I had the opportunity to go tracting with a couple of sisters who are getting ready to go home. They had set up an appointment with a family that has been inactive for years and didn't have a whole lot of desire to return to the church for whatever reason. The sisters told me before we went in that they visit this family occasionally just to see how they are doing. We walked in and they were all sitting in the family room. The mother was holding the most beautiful little baby boy, about Logans age. The dad was holding a little girl about Lucy's age and then sitting in between them was another darling boy about 4 years old. We hadn't spoken a word to each other but this position they were in hit me to the very core and I was overcome with the love Heavenly Father had for this sweet family. We sat down and one of the hermanas started teaching them of the plan of salvation. She had little laminated pictures so of course the kids hopped right up and wanted to come play with the "little people". After one of the sisters was teaching about the celestial kingdom and eternal life there was a lull and I couldn't hold back what I'd been thinking since walking into their family room. I looked at the father and said, Hermano, Look at your beautiful family. Tears started to fill my eyes. I said this is the most beautiful family I have ever seen. I know you love them. Don't you want know that you cant have them beyond this life If you aren't sealed in the temple. I wasn't sure he understood what I was trying to say but he understood enough because he too started to cry and he said Yes, I want them forever. The spirit was so strong and I know it was telling him exactly what Heavenly father wanted him to hear. I started to cry more! I couldn't stop smiling! The heremanas took over again and they made a plan and list of things that could help him get ready to take his family to the temple. What a miracle! I am telling you there is work to be done here! My companion and I walked down to a little strip mall to put pass along cards in the stores and met some of the greatest people. Granted... most of them wanted nothing to do with the gospel. I was warned by one of them that reading the book of Mormon would lead to my destruction and that Jo Smith was possessed by the devil. He told me he would pray for me:) Yes, there is lots of work to be done here. There was a man getting into a van and I ran over and said !Hola Hola Hermano! ?!Como Esta!? I don't know why but my mind went blank and I didn't remember a word of Spanish. I just smiled and started some form of sign language. I was trying to describe the pass along card. He kept laughing at me and I laughed and we just laughed together. It was too great! Haha. He gave me his phone number and address and told me I had a beautiful smile. I'm so happy to be here! What a beautiful place I have been led to. It is beautiful because the people are beautiful. I love all of them! Even those that think I bring destruction. They will see one day how wrong they are. This is the lords work. I love each of you with all of my heart. I truly wish there was a human way of expressing it. Know that you can feel the extent of how true it is if you will kneel down and sincerely ask your father in heaven how he feels about each of you. You will know how I feel about each of you. Thank you for your love and support. Your prayers are truly heard and indeed answered. The gospels true!

How is my wonderful brother doing!? Don't send this to him he wont have time to read it and respond back. I will write him personally in a letter. Love you Love you! I hope to hear from you soon!

Lindsey: Letter 6

Oh my sweet family I'm so sorry for the delay of email. I got up this morning to start writing you and found that the computers would not log us in. Haha it was quite the seen. All three of us started panicking saying things like OH NO! WHAT WILL OUR MOTHERS SAY! WE'VE GOT TO FIX THIS! MY MOM IS GOING TO BE SO WORRIED! Ha. Too funny. Well here I am. Sitting for my last time in the computer lab writing my last email from the MTC. Sad but glad! I'm so glad to hear that Lances farewell was a success. I knew it would be! I dont have words to express my love for that boy. He knows how I feel and so do all of you. I have known from a young age who is really is, what he is really capable of and who he one day will become. He's my very best friend and I cant wait to see all the lord is able to do through that one. It will be powerful and all because he has a strong testimony and love for this work and the gospel. With the Lord he will bring many to the waters of baptism recieving the gift of the holy ghost, they will continue on to the temple and make those sacred covenants that allow us to be together as a family forever. To become just as our father in heaven is. It will be perfect and he will be forever blessed for it. What an amazing person. What amazing parents we have. My sweet mother and father. Will I ever be able to thank you enough. I truly dont think so. But I will continuely work and strive to bring others to the waters of baptism and through that I can show my gratitude and absolute love to my Heavenly Father for allowing me to be raised in this life but two of the greatest people I know. Thank you for teaching by example. For raising all of your children to have burning testimonies of the Saviors work on the earth and beyond this life. Oh how I love the temple. What a miracle to know that what is bound on earth is bound in heaven. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be here. To be leaving in just a few short ours for the my home for the next 16 months. In my opinion its just simply not long enough but my opinion means very little and if thats how long the lord called me than I will wont waste a day, I wont waste a minute in this short time. Thank you for allowing me to serve my wonderful parents. Thank you for everything. I love all of you with all of my heart and want you to know that this gospel is everything to me. If I felt this way before I came to the MTC It has only expounded ten times and I know that it will begin to enlarge as I walk, talk, and bear testimony of the reality of our Loving Heavenly Father and our savior Jesus Christ. I will be in the airport calling you around nine or ten in the morning. Hopefully you're there!:) oh, and heather, I have some packages i need you to pick up if you would. I think they'll call you. Love you Love you!

Lindsey: Letter 5

June 1, 2010
Hola mi querida familia! Como estan!?
My apologies for the inconsistency of emails. Hopefully I will get it down by the time I leave the MTC. What is this thing called time!? Did you not just drop me off a week ago?! I asked my maestro if time goes this fast in the mission field and he said it goes much faster! What!? How can this be!? Is there anyone that feels the way I do? Mi querido Hermano Lance, Ame Cada Minuto! Me intiende? Este es muy importante!

Well I have absolutely loved this MTC. I'm so excited to go serve the Lord in Houston TX but I'll admit I don't want to leave this place. It will be a bitter sweet experience but I know they've taught me all that is necessary to be a succcessful disciple of Christ for which I will be forever thankful for. My memories of the MTC are dear to me and I will never forget them.

How is everybody! Are we all happy and thrilled to be on this earth doing the lords work?! Doing exactly what we were sent down here to do. Have Joy and rejoice in our Lord and our God. Helping others figure out what their purpose is. Reminding them of where they came from and where we all want to end up. What a blessing it is to be alive at such a time as this! I cant say the least of how I feel. What an amazing blessing and opportunity to be called of a prophet to wear my saviors name on my chest and represent him in every way that I know how. To be literally set apart from the world for a season and dedicate my every min to him that sacrificed all for me. I'm so thankful to be serving in Houston where more than once I have felt a strong connection to those people who I have not yet met on the earth but know that I knew some of them before my being sent here. The MTC is miraculous in every way. The spirit is strong and I hope that Lance will feel the protecting hand of the lord as he enters this place in just a few short weeks.

I wish I had more to say! The gospel is true! Me encanta espanol! Estoy muy agradecido por la profeta Jose Smith! Me encanta el libro de mormon! Me encata Alma y Nefi, Moroni y Ammon y todas las profetas en el libro de mormon! Son me ejemplos mejores, pero jesucristo es me perfecto ejemplo. Estoy agradecido por este evangelio. Por mi salvador Jesucristo, por la expiacion en mi vida, Estoy muy agradecido por last frutas de arrepentamiento! por la opoortunidad tengo cambiar y convenir un persona muevo atraves Jesucristo. Estoy muy agradecido por la oportunidad sevir me senor y mi dios. Yo estare agradecido eternal por la profeta jose smith y su orba in la tierra y su relacion con el padre y jesucristo.

I love you all! My time is gone. I apologize for my poor spanish but I will get better. I love you and I love this gospel!