Elder Logan Porter

October 28, 2013

Hey Everyone!

So this week started out rough but was so amazing in the end. We taught a lot of less actives this week and had 12 inactive members at church! We did a lot of service this week. We called two senior ladies from the senior center and we cleaned all the leaves out of the eaves of their roof. It was funny because when we were climbing up at this one lady's house the ladder she gave us was from the 80's... and it was broken. So instead of climbing down, we just ran and jumped and rolled on the grass. It was really funny to watch. One of the lady's accepted us to come and teach her this week. Her name is Jerry Wright. She's great.

We rebuilt a roof on a shed and replaced all the tin on it at the Shavers, a member in our branch. It was the sketchiest roof... all the boards were rotted out and we were walking on them. Good thing we replaced them. It took us about 6 hours to do the whole thing. He fed us taco salad.

The next day we went and prepped the horse shelter we are building with Bro Archembault for the tin to be put on. We will do that on Saturday. we are also helping another member, Bro Kiskan, build a shed with his non-member friend hopefully. His friend has been reading the B.O.M. and wants to hear frome us, YES!

We had a branch chapel clean and scrubbed the whole church. Elder Johnson and I cleaned out the font and it was great.

We had a branch potluck this week and it was the first good food I've had in a while haha! I did buy some progies and they are very good. Elder Johnson and I have been hitting the workouts hard this week since we have to be in by 8. We have made our own steamroom out of our bathroom. We taped the door off. So I'll sit in there with a 35 pound weight and just curl and do some dips and it's soo great.

Our branch loves us so much. I texted and called some members saying we got our transfer calls. I was messing with our mission leader on the phone. He asked me what was going on and I was like, Gordy, Elder Johnson and I are getting replaced by sisters. He was like WHAT??!! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH SISTERS? I NEED YOU GUYS! THIS CANT BE HAPPENING?? haha I was like, Gordy calm down I messing with you hahahaa. It was so funny. We're excited to get a third companion.

When I told the Emers that we got our transfer calls I texted him. All I said was we got transfer calls, and he was like uh oh. That's not good news for us. They were relieved when we told him the plan. He pulled me and Elder J. aside and he said, "I didn't tell you this but when my wife heard transfers were this week she was super anxious and getting a bit upset because she wants you and Elder Johnson to teach her friend. She doesn't want anyone else to teach them. She wants you elders." when he told us that I got the chills and didn't know what to say. I really love these members and especially the Emers family. It just makes me feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be and that the Lord is keeping me here for a reason. Kira (the autistic one) at the potluck she saved me a seat next to her and got mad if anyone tried to sit by her. haha her mom ,Sis Emers, was like Elder Porter I'm not asking you to sit here, I'm telling you to, if you don't sit here were going to have a very upset little girl haha. She actually reminds me a lot of Ivy. She's 5 years old and says the funniest things haha. She will run back to Elder Johnson and I during sacrament meeting and sit by us. the family loves it because she is super quiet when she sits by us haha. They also have a 3 year old daughter Erin, an 8 year old daughter Cami, and a ten year old daughter Emma who loves to tell us everything that has ever happened to her haha. Really great family. We ate Canadian Thanksgiving with them and their having us over for American thanksgiving as well. our mission president and his wife are friends with them so they will be there too. It's going to be great! I'm super excited. Sis Emers just made finals for a music writing thing and has to fly up to Utah to perform and gets a contract for a recording career or something if she wins. Real neat!

Bible study is going to be picking up here hopefully. We have members come and we have some great lessons and I've come close to the members that way as well. It's going to be hard leaving this area when I get transferred.

We will be having a baptism soon!! We have been teaching a boy named Howie. he is 9 years old and his mom is a member. They are Phillipino. He is a shy little kid but wants to be baptized. They phone in for sacrament meeting every week because they live about 2 hours up north from Selkirk and its way far too drive every week. Really nice people.

We've been fishing a lot and we have about 25 fish in our freezer from this week. I'm so sick of fish. I don't want to eat it that much haha. I caught about a 10 pounder this week! Biggest fish I've ever caught. I didn't grab a pic of it though... just a pic of it cooked. When I was gutting it I stabbed it like 20 times to kill it. Then I chopped off half of its head. The thing should have been dead.... then I started cutting the spine and it started freaking out! I screamed like a girl hahaha it was flopping all over the place, and it was a huge fish! So I went back in the sink and just went for it and cut the head off and cleaned it and threw it in the oven haaha. Elder Johnson was making fun of me haaha. then I ate part of it and gave the rest to Elder Johnson.

The members in Selkirk are getting real motivated with missionary work lately, giving out b.o.m. and preparing their friends. They all really trust us and are super happy we're staying. We are super excited to have Elder Gardner with us, we pick him up on Thursday, and the branch presidency is going to use us to go on splits every Wed. night to go visit inactive members and get them back to church. They have put us in charge of some names to go and visit and have made us the "go to guys" if you need a companion for home teaching since there will be 3 of us now haha. We have been preparing our apt for a third missionary and things are...different. Our couch is now in the kitchen and we eat on that haha. Our apt looks like a bunch of 18 and 19 year old men decorated it... oh wait! hahaha

I've been thinking a lot about my family this week. How every meal my mom ever made was a million times better than mine haha. Talking to Howie about the same things I used to with Carson, just trying to make conversation with the kid, I realized it was like talking to my little brother. He is the same age. haha talking to the Kiskan triplets about superheroes. haha! a pair of crazy 7 year old triplets who love us haha. Our dinner conversations with the Kiskans involve them asking which super hero would win in a fight. and they ask up about 100 different matches haha. Their dad gave a talk this week about the armour of God and he compared it to Iron man and how he wished that he could just push a button and have it attach to him haha. That's a great family haha.

Well I miss you all and I'm glad that this week was a lot better. President Thomas is proud of us for the work were doing because Selkirk is one of the harder parts of the mission. I love you all so much!

Elder Porter