BRAZIL!!!

 With Life Long Friend, Annika

Love Being a SISTER Missionary

 My District

FEAR & DOUBT ~ COUNT THEM OUT!!

Ola minha familia e meu amigos!

What a week! I can't believe I've been a missionary for a month now! This week was hard. No shock there, haha. But this week was extra discouraging. However, this also was one of the most amazing weeks. I've learned so much about how to live with difficult people, my weaknesses, my Savior, and life in general. What it all comes down to is patience and love. Portugues' is difficult and feeling stupid all day is not fun, but the language barrier has truly helped me to rely on the spirit fully and to focus on promptings I receive. God is so patient with each of his children, so we need to be patient with ourselves. This week our lessons went so well!! After our lesson on Saturday, my teacher took us back into the classroom and said, "Wow, you sisters are awesome. I wish I could be taught by you all day." It was such an amazing moment hearing my teacher say that. The spirit is always so powerful and it is amazing speaking to someone in a different language and them actually understanding you after 4 weeks. I have amazing teachers and lover learning and growing every day. Jesus Christ was and is the most incredible missionary and teacher. This is Gods work. I feel my Savior's love and his guidance every day. It is the greatest honor to represent him. On important truth I learned this week was that any doubt or fear doesn't come from God. If any of you fear or have any doubts, know that Satan is trying to work on you. Don't let him!! You are more powerful. I love being a missionary. The spirit and priesthood are REAL. The atonement is already done and our sins are paid for. I know that I am called of God. Brazil is where I'm going to find my brothers and sisters that are counting on me to bring them the truth that they have forgotten. We are not full time missionaries; we are full time reminders. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for shaping me and preparing me to be a missionary these past few years. We can become everything we every dreamed of and more when we trust and give ourselves to his will. I am eternally in debt to God for teaching, helping, and allowing me to be a missionary. Through him, ALL THINGS are possible. I know this gospel is true. I am a witness of Jesus Christ. I love you all!!!

Sister Alena Jane Porter

We hosted the new missionaries on Wednesday & will be hosting again tomorrow!!

My companion got really quiet when we were walking to a room to study Portuguese and then I turned around to find her like this! (cards strewn ALL over the floor)!  Laughing so hard because her flash cards couldn't have been more spread out! haha missionary life

Obrigada por the package mommy!!! muahhhh!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!!

Got a package from Grandma and Grandpa Porter!!! 

YUMMMY MANGOS

Us Brazilian sisters after a LONG day of studying....

 Ohhh we're halfway there!! OHHH!!! Livin' on a PRAYER!!!

Oi Todos,

Nossa! This week was a difficult one, but so amazing! I love being a missionary and learning how to help my Brazilian brothers and sisters come unto Christ. This week we taught our 2 investigators (our teachers acting like investigators from their mission). One of them is addicted to smoking crack and the other is a Chinese Buddhist....fun, huh? ;) Portuguese is still slowly, but surely, coming along. It is such a beautiful language!! They called on me randomly in church to say the opening prayer, and my branch president was shocked that I said it completely in Portuguese. haha We taught TRC lessons (members who volunteer) and it was amazing to hear Brazilian accents. As my companion and I taught, we felt that we needed to ask the woman what her biggest struggle was right now in her life. As we waited for a response, the spirit overtook the room. She started to get emotional and began to cry. I was amazed at how the spirit worked through us to touch her heart and help her know what she needs to do. It was so powerful testifying to her of her Heavenly Fathers love. I have seen so many miracles this week. I was having a rough day on Saturday and didn't know what to do. So much was on my mind,(any returned missionary knows the feeling). But just when I thought I couldn't take any more, my dear friend Annika Safsten, ran up to me with a huge hug. What a wonderful comfort having my eternal friend here serving with me. She is such a strength to me, and I love how Heavenly Father comforts his children in unexpected ways.   

   

I love this work. This is really the Church of Jesus Christ. I see tender mercies every day and know God knows us personally. I am so grateful for the relationship I have with my Heavenly Father and Savior. I couldn't be happier right now in my life. Being a missionary is a dream come true, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have this opportunity to represent Him here on Earth. Thank you for all of your letters, love, and support. Eu amo voces!

Irma Alena Porter

Funny moments: An Elder in my district farted and it literally stunk up the whole room for a good 30 min! we all evacuated to another room because it was that bad!!! Elders....gotta love em

My companion belts out singing like Celine Dion everywhere and we get the weirdest looks

Oh....why hello there....just doin' my laundry

 I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! 

&

I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT!!!

 BRASIL BOUND :-)

 It's all about LOVE!!

 I love my comp! 

She reminds me of Anne of Green Gables dear friend, Diana.  

 Our door...

 P-day.  Shock! - no Skirt!

 Our room….

 Letters = HAPPINESS!! 

                    MOVING ALONG FASTER….

                       

Oi de Provo MTC!!

Nossa! Wow! I cant believe I've been a missionary for 2 weeks now! This week went by way fast. So many things happen in one day and I don't think I've yawned this much in my entire life! This week was tough, but strengthening. I already feel like a changed/updated person. This work is amazing and so true! This week, we finished teaching our investigator, S. He became our new teacher, and has taught us so much! Definitely one of the best teachers I've ever had. Our teachers told us that our district is moving faster with the language than any class they've ever had. We are learning things in Portuguese that most districts don't learn or do until their 4-week mark. So that was a shock! I still feel like I don't know much. But, our teachers have been moving fast with us. We made street contacts early this week and taught the entire 1st lesson to investigators. Without any notes or guides :) It was amazing seeing how words just come when we do our part as missionaries and study effectively. Some lessons are way hard. This week was very overwhelming and stressful. But my Heavenly Father and Savior have comforted me. My companion and I have had some hard times this week and have been talking a lot about how we can improve. But we always help build each other up and remember that these hard experiences will only make us better instruments in Gods hands. We are called to the work.

Things I learned this week:

-In Portuguese, coco=coconut & cocó=crap.....I hope I don't mix that one up in Brazil. haha

-God takes care of you when you take care of his children

-We are nothing without Christ, but we are everything with him

-How many times does the Savior think of himself? Never.

-If missionaries don't rely on the spirit, they can't teach

-Alma 36:27-28

This is truly the gospel of Jesus Christ. HE LIVES! I am so happy I am here as a representative of him. Through him, all things are possible. Weaknesses can truly become strengths; I am a witness of that. I am grateful for the relationship I have with my Heavenly Father and Christ. They are my everything and I love them with all of my heart. I feel my Heavenly Fathers love for me every day and see Christ guide me in all things. We are all so blessed. I hope each of us will try harder each day to come closer to him! I love you all and am so grateful for your support. A Igreja è verdadera. Eu amo você!!!  

Sister Alena Porter

 MY DISTRICT

 LOVE MY SISTAS

ONE LABEL THAT I WILL ALWAYS CHERISH!

MY BRAIN IS ON FIRE

~ FIRST WEEK IN THE MTC ~

February 3rd, 2015
Oi! Bom día meu família e amigos!
I am LOVING the MTC!! This place is amazing!!! I can't believe my dream came true and that I'm really Sister Porter now! Tons of missionaries everywhere, studying all day, classes, and huge headaches! YAY :) I am seriously in heaven. The spirit is so strong and powerful here. This is definitely the hardest thing I've ever done though. I totally understand what missionaries mean now. I have never studied or concentrated so much in my life! I was nervous to see who my companion was on the first day, but when I read her name, I was overwhelmed with joy to see that it was a girl I had talked to on Instagram before my mission! We talked for a while and hoped we would be companions. Her name is Sister C. from Murray, Utah. She is serving in the Brazil, São Paulo Mission and is sooo hilarious! We literally die laughing every day; I love her so much and lucked out big time for having her as a companion. We are like sisters already. My district is awesome. There are 4 of us sister missionaries and 8 elders. They are all so funny and we get along really well. We are all going to Brazil and are all visa waiters. My zone has all Portuguese missionaries going to Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, and Capo Verde Africa. They are all such strong missionaries. I love them already. It is so amazing walking around the MTC and being with so many missionaries everywhere! Being here has truly been a testament to me that God is hastening His work here on Earth. I love seeing missionaries from foreign countries and seeing how we are all here for the same reason. I will always cherish the moment when the entire MTC stood and sang, "I know that my Redeemer lives!" or "We are NOW the Lords missionaries to bring the world his truth!" The spirit is everywhere! I am in HEAVEN. I was born to be a sister missionary.
Even though this place is amazing, it is SO HARD. I write down quotes that my companion says daily. They are hilarious but so true! Sister C.- (after giving a lesson in Portuguese) "My brain is on fire! I have absolutely no clue what he just said. I felt like I was scraping the corners of my brain to know what to say. I am losing it. Completely losing it." :) hahaha we are always dying laughing at how our brains are going to explode. My teachers are Irmao Cr. and Irmao Wn. They served in southern Brazil and Mozambique. We have taught 3 lessons to our investigator, S. IN ONLY PORTUGUESE!! We gave our first lesson to S. the 3rd day we were here in the MTC and we hardly knew any Portuguese. I have felt very overwhelmed and discouraged at times, but I know that those feelings don't come from God. Yesterday was a hard day. I felt like I wasn't understanding anything Irmão Cr. was teaching us in class. We were going to be teaching our investigator again that night and we both were so unsure of what to say or do. My companion and I prayed super hard that our lesson would go well and that we would know what to say to S. The lesson was AMAZING!! Words literally came into my mouth and I pieced Portuguese together. The spirit was so strong. I used an object lesson that Jacob told me he used during his mission in Mexico. I was so amazed at how the spirit took over my words and how the gift of tongues really is REAL. I am a witness of its reality!! The lesson ended strong. I was so overcome with joy that my Heavenly Father helped and comforted me. Anything is possible through him and I have seen his hand in my life constantly so far on my mission. I am shocked at how much I understand and how fast I am learning Portuguese. I have realized that my Heavenly Father sent me to the Brazil, Santa Maria mission Portuguese speaking because he knows I can do it and handle it. He knows that the most powerful testimony I can bear is in the Portuguese language. I am so grateful to have the honor of representing Jesus Christ. I love him with all of my being. He is my rock and my everything. This is truly where I am meant to be. Em tem um bem ralacionamento com meu Pai Celestial. Eu sei que o evanghelo de Jesus Cristo e verdadero. Eu amo vocês!!

Sister Alena Porter