Spiritually Sensitized

Hey everyone! 

This won't be a big email. We're super busy and we've got to go soon. 

We didn't have a lot of lessons this week but it was still a really good week. Elder Jessop is still recovering so It was me and Elder Garbutt for a lot of the lessons. We tried to get a lot of members involved which turned out really cool. We invited one member who's never come with us before and after the lesson he was super pumped. He talked about it at church and how it really motivated him and how his faith was strengthened. It was amazing to see how how the Spirit works in Missionary work. 

I read a lot this week in the Old Testament. It's crazy to see how disobedient the Jews were. They were shown so many signs and wonders and yet they just couldn't believe. Its kind of like a talk an apostle gave. We grow spiritually desensitized and its hard to recognize the spirit when we feel it constantly. For example, the other day we were teaching a couple and they both started crying because they felt the spirit and felt so much peace, but I didn't feel it. I've grown accustomed to the spirit so its harder for me to recognize. I want to work on my abilities to feel the Spirit and to be affected more by it. I don't want to be spiritually desensitized. I want to be spiritually "sensitized"!!! 

I love you all!! Talk to you next week!

Elder Porter 

Me, visiting elder Gouttin. We got to visit him in the hospital last Monday. He has something wrong with his leg.

Me, Elder Paxman and my old comp Elder Warren at the Farepiti concert.

New comp and new bike seat!

So this week was interesting. Tuesday Elder Jessop and I were out teaching and proselyting when we got a phone call from the assistants. We were told that we were recieving a new comp. His name is Elder Garbutt and he's from Tahiti. He's supposed to go to Australia on his mission but he's waitng for his visa. So he's gonna stay with us till he gets his visa. It was actually very fortunate that he showed up because Elder Jessop got a really bad infection. 3 weeks ago he got an operation for his ingrown toenail. However, it got really infected. The day Elder Garbutt arrived is the day it was hurting him the worst.  Elder jessop has to take it easy for a week or two till it starts Healing normally again. So Elder Garbutt and I have taught a lot of lessons this week and it's been awesome working with him. His English is really good so we speak English to each other so he can practice for Australia. 

        Also, I seem to have the worst luck with bikes!!! I broke my bike seat on tuesday and I called the         couple in charge of bikes and they came to get me a new one...but while they were on their way to get one for me they stopped by their house and they were moving something and they found a perfectly new seat exactly like mine behind a box...​so i thought that was pretty cool.

We had just one interesting lesson this week. We have been teaching two sisters named Orinella and Vaiata. They both have a testimony that this Church is true but they have a hard time letting the things of this world go. So we had a lesson with one of the sisters, Vaiata. We asked her how she was doing and the first thing she told us was that " I have chosen the world"....and I was like "what?" and then she said..."you guys told me that I can either chose God and Christ or the world and Satan. I choose the world and Satan. I am using my free agency"...and then I told her that in choosing the world she forfeits the help and blessings of heaven and that her life will get harder. She understands but she's just too lazy or scared or prideful to let go. We didn't really know how to help her so we asked for one more lesson with her and her sister and we invited President Bize to come. We are going to see if he can help us make a difference in the way they think.

This week I studied the Old Testament Institute study book. It was awesome. I loved reading about the symbolism in the Mosaic law. It showed me that all things point to Christ. It drew deep symbolism from the sacrifices at the altar to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. One part talked about what the "mercy seat" means in hebrew. It means "where mercy happens or where the Atonement happens or where the sins of man and god meet". And then the book talks about how Christ is a mercy seat and that Christ is where the sins of man and the Love of God meet to form an Atonement. I'm grateful for the Atonement and the chance it gives us to start again. I love you all!!!

HAve a great week!!!

Orometua Porter

Air Conditioning and French Walmart

Hey Everybody!!!! So life is good here in Pira'e. My new comp is Elder Jessop from Fielding, Utah. He's so awesome! So this week was pretty much just me getting used to city life. We are pretty much in the equivalent of downtown Phoenix. We are just outside of Papeete. There are so many cars and so many buildings. We live next door to the French version of Walmart. Its pretty much the same thing and everything is so cheap!!! I love it! There's also a Mcdonalds in our sector! But a big mac is like 10 bucks. The house is awesome too. IT has air conditioning! I sleep with a blanket again!! 

So we had some pretty cool lessons. We taught a couple named Dorinella and Thierry. They have a son who's on a mission that I actually knew at the MTC. They were super nice. They are going to pray this week to find out if they should get married. I'm really excited. 

Last night we had a giant missionary concert. We went to the town hall in Papeete and sang. All the missionaries on the island of Tahiti came. It was awesome to see some of my good friends who I haven't seen in awhile. The concert was cool too. There was a not too bad of a turnout. There will be one once a week until the middle of August. We are going to visit each stake. 

I don't really have a deep spiritual thought for this week. I'm just glad to be serving the Lord and I love working and doing missionary work. I love you all!!! Have a good week!!

Ma to'u here,

Orometua Porter

My last day on Rangiroa. Me, my comp Elder Polumbo, and his new comp. We're at the Rangiroa airport getting ready to fly back to Tahiti.

Aerial view of my new area and that little icon is where my new ward is. It's the Pira'e 1st ward.

Another view of my area, while riding my bike. That's the back of Elder Jessop's head.

Missionary concert on the steps of the Papeete town hall.

View from my zone leaders house. 

Last day in Rangiroa

Hey everyone! So This will be my last email from Rangiroa! I'm a little sad but I'm excited to go to Pirae. This week was slow for us lesson wise. There are a lot of people who have left on vacation. This week I got to say goodbye to all the members and the investigators. It was sad to say goodbye but also happy to see that through me, the Lord was able to bless a few people here. I'm very grateful for the chance I had to serve here. 

I was sad to hear that Elder Packer died. He was always my favorite to listen to. It was shocking to hear because all this week, I've been reading a book with just talks from Elder Packer. One thing he says more often than anything else is that 
"The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is to see a husband and his wife and their children happy at home, protected by the principles and laws of the gospel, sealed safely in the covenants of the everlasting priesthood." I love this quote because it simplifies everything. It explains why we do everything. I'm very grateful for my family and I'm grateful for a mission and the chance I have to make myself into someone who will be a good and worthy priesthood holder, husband,  and father.  i love you all and I hope you all have an amazing week! 
I have to go hop on a plane back to Tahiti now! Bye!

Love,
Elder Porter 

A pic of me and my "fancy" beach cruiser I've been using to get around. I'm pretty sure it's 8 different bikes pieced together to make one bike...

One last view....