JUST HOW I LIKE IT!

Hey everyone! 

(I didnt' take any pics 

this week because I was a 

little sick. So I took a selfie 

to send something 

to my mom haha )

I hope you all are happy and well. I bet you didn't believe the news (of the earlier return date) I got last week, Huh? It is still so crazy to me. The time will go by way faster now. It's insane! The mission is so great....Hard, but so great. I loved seeing all of the pics of the week last week from home. You all look so happy. This week was a tough one here on the mission. Opening an area is super tough. But we are working hard and meeting so many people. It's like a never ending cycle of searching, serving, teaching, and dropping/or continuing as a missionary to search for the ones prepared to make covenants with God and change their lives.  We divide the work in the branch with the elders. So, they have one side of the city and we have the other half. The city is small, but it's just how I like it :-). We saw some miracles this week. We were contacting the addresses that we had written down and we passed by a house that we already tried before. The woman who live there told us to come back another day and so we tried again. Her daughter answered the door this time and let us in. She is a 23 year old mom and was super welcoming. Her name is F. We started talking to her about what we do as missionaries and began to speak about the Restoration of the Gospel. She was so interested in everything. Her mother showed up, and her younger brother too, and we got to teach all of them. The lesson went so well. The spirit was so strong. They were interested in how there are living prophets and apostles on the earth today. We truly are so blessed to have this blessing. We challenged them all to be baptized and they all accepted. It was so cute because my companion gets so nervous teaching and about died when I give her the look, "It's your turn to invite them to be baptized."haha But she is such a powerful missionary and is so sweet with her words. What made the lesson so incredible was how the mom already has been going to a different church and was planning on being baptized there, but changed her mind as we helped her to understand more. The family has been looking for the truth for years. Especially F. who has so many questions and doubts. It was a very neat experience to see how Heavenly Father knew we needed to find them.

We had another neat experience with an investigator named R.  She is a young mom who suffers from depression really badly. She has a huge desire to be baptized, but needs to get married first. Literally no one gets married nowadays, it's sad… And makes the work so much more difficult. Satan really loves attacking the family in so many ways. But she is so amazing and meets with us every day to learn more. My companion and I arrived there this week on Wednesday and she told us that she had been thinking about killing herself. My companion got wide-eyed ...poor girl. But I loved being able to talk to her, and for some reason, the words just came into my mouth. It was so neat to see how this truly is the work of the Lord. He guides us, and helps us to know when and where we need to be. He is in charge. I know I say this a lot, but I LOVE being a missionary. Yes, I am beyond tired. Yes, this is the hardest thing I've ever done and yes, sometimes we feel alone or discouraged. But, it is the most amazing work in the world. It gives us missionaries an indescribable happiness that will stay with us forever. I'm trying to give my all these last couple of weeks working as a missionary and to do all that my Heavenly Father wants of me. How grateful I am for all he has done for me. May we all remember to do our best and give Him the time and service that He deserves from us who have everything because of Him. His love is truly real and for us all.  

Vai com Deus! 

Sister Alena Porter

Hahaa we were eating lunch &

 were dying laughing because....

 the Teddy Bear has FEET!!!!