KPT Life

This week was CRAZY! Arriving in Honolulu and being completely shocked at the absolute chaos this place is! Elder Klaassen is AWESOME! He's only been in our area for 6 weeks so thank goodness for maps so we can get around when we need to haha! When I arrived I found out that a Samoan speaking missionary is in the zone so they were giving our Samoan Ward to them and so we would only be covering one English ward. That was news, don't have to learn a language and only covering one ward... that's awesome! Our first 3 days were nuts! Everyone and their dog was needing something and stuff was going wrong so we ran around crazy it felt like. Things slowed down and were able to breathe now. It was a cool and fun experience looking back and realizing we did a good job of gathering everything, prioritizing, then getting stuff done! This is a neat area with lots of different cultures and so we get to learn lots!   

Elder Klaassen and I went over to see this LA aunty in our ward. It was our first time for both of us meeting her. We went and knocked on her door. She answers and says "Hello come on in I have 2 people for you to talk to." We went in and she had 2 people at her house that were staying with her for the day that had questions about the church. We had a wonderful lesson with them and are looking forward to this next week when we can meet with them again. It was just so cool to see that the Lord is truly directing his work and preparing people to receive this wonderful message. I am so grateful for my knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and this week was a testimony to me that this is HIS work and HIS church, truly the same church he had organized 2 millennia ago. The principles are simple but bless our lives sooo much as we live them. The principles are precious and true. I would invite each and everyone of us to find out what God wants us to do in this life. We can do this as we humbly pray and ask him. I know they are true, because I did this very thing and the personal experience is one that I could never deny. I pray for peace and joy in each of your lives, but also know that the gospel and learning and living it is going to be the way it can happen. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week. Look up and see what you can do to smile and prepare to meet our Heavenly Father some day!

Elder Porter

Honolulu, HI

Taking members out to lesson

Guava

Egg

Teaching Elder Klaassen

So far up

Fa'afatai Lava

This week was good! Not a whole lot of big things, but nothing to complain about. The weather was good all week, it's just getting so hot! We were able to attend a ward camp and eat dinner there, attend a 1st birthday which is a huge event here. They go all out for their child's first birthday. Father's day was fun to see everyone at church and see all the beautiful Leis that everyone made for their fathers. We got news about transfers and I will be leaving North Shore and be headed to Honolulu West stake to the Moanalua Samoan ward. I'm excited to learn Samoan and to learn more about their culture and way of life! My companion is Elder Klaassen, who I went to the MTC with, so it's going to be awesome! A huge change from the country life here in Kahuku, but I'm excited for all the many new adventures to come. 

This past week we finally were able to eat a dish we have heard lots about among the Tongan people, one I have been trying to have but one that is a little different.... and it happened!!! We got fed Horse this week!! and before everyone starts hating on it let me tell you it was amazing!! One of my favorites! It sure does give ya some horsepower the resta the day too! Working Hard!

Elder Dorrough gets used as a human napkin. It's so funny to watch, Father's day was a prime example. There was a huge feast and the kids would be by me talking and making a mess of themselves and then as they were playing they would make their way over to Elder Dorrough and it would end up all over him lol. From Otai and Juice, to shrimp and pig. Hahah it always happens to him. It was quite funny as everyone was teasing him about it. lol Thank goodness for washing machines! Elder Dorrough took it like a champ too hahah!

Today we were able to go on a hike. It was beautiful!! Sunset pillbox! It was a workout and I'm realizing how outta shape I am! but man it was fun and the views were awesome!!

Sunday, the wards sang Aloha Oe' to me as I'm leaving the area. Meaning until we meet again. It was awesome, beautiful and heart touching! It made me think of how our Heavenly Father feels and how he must of sent us down here longing for the day we return more mature, stronger, and successful. I think as we are away from him physically but still getting help spiritually we must think ahead to the day we meet him again and prepare ourselves for that amazing moment. I know I want to be worthy and ready when that day comes! Have a wonderful week smile lots and remember who you are!

Elder Porter
Honolulu, HI

For Fathers Day, this is the pic Elder Porter had a sweet member send home. 

Elder Dorroughs starting to show...

 Britney our hair cutter

 Pics from our hike

Elder Lybbert came back to visit..

Ricky Chatterton is a beast.

The Pagadors 

The Wassons

 Horse meat

Pig head

Some fun pics from members in Hawaii

(Where we live)

 The family we live with.

What means the most..

Aloha Friends and Family,

I hope each one of you had a wonderful week! Mine was good and fun! It started out with a Fun time at the BYU-H game room after emailing last Monday. We went bowling, played Ping-Pong, and even Air Hockey. It was a good time! Lots of Laughs! My Name stayed in First Place for the bowlers of the week all week haha!

We got some new direction and our emailing time has got cut back and now we even have less time. So these might be rushed some times. I also apologize in advance if I don't get back to your personal emails that same week!

This week I was able to go on Exchanges with Elder Hansen my MTC companion. It was good fun being back together. I want to share an experience we had. We met with this girl named Sky, she's in her young  20's and has just come in contact with the church for the first time in her life. The second she saw us she told us of her experience that morning. She told us about how from the time she has read the Book of Mormon she has known it was true. She always felt a little guilty asking Heavenly Father if it was true because she already knew it was. Her Friend had challenged her to ask anyways and she did. She said she was sitting on the beach early this morning all by herself and she prayed to our Heavenly Father to ask for a reconfirmation. She expressed how she was filled with warmth and tears filled her eyes and she knew again it was true. The reason I share this is we should never be afraid to ask again. No matter how true you believe it to be, continue to ask. Ask you keep your witness of the Book of Mormon current your testimony will deepen. I invite each one of you who believe the Book of Mormon to be true to pray and ask again. I also invite all of you who don't know, regardless of your faith, religion, or beliefs to read and pray to know if it is true. I promise our Heavenly Father will NOT lead you astray. If it is not true then you will know... but if it is true you will know and it will change your life as it has changed mine and thousands of thousands of peoples around the world.

I am absolutely loving the mission, the people in Hawaii, and the beautiful scenery I have every day. I am loving the time I have to spend learning about and teaching about our Savior Jesus Christ. I know he lives, I know he had suffered and died that we can overcome our weaknesses and be rid of our guilt. I love each and every one of you, and because I do this is why I share this, it is so precious to me and I would love to see the blessings and joy it can bring to your family as well. I hope you all have a wonderful week and smile a lot! 

Mahalo Nui Loa,

Elder Porter

Honolulu, HI

Bowling

At The Visitor Center

 kissing fish

Our puppies

 The kids we live with.

 Ridding Polu like a bull.

Weighed down by the world

This week was an exciting one. Thursday we had a baptism. It was such an amazing experience. Tapu is such a good kid! You can definitely see how it went, by the difference of pictures before and after. He was so happy after and he told me "when I came out of the water I looked at my mom and her eyes looked a little wet." His mom is a non-member and the spirit was so strong no one in the room could deny it. It was a very small and precious baptism, few people made it due to the time, but it was something I will never forget. Sunday was awesome as well. The confirmation was just as powerful. The spirit filled the room as well as the hearts of everyone there. Such a special few days with him.

So we were doing this spiritual message at this party. They had a fire pit and so we were doing the "magic" trick with the friction pen and teaching the Holy Ghost. Elder Dorrough was using the fire to remove all the sin we just drew. This caught the paper on fire. Naiyah, the girl, had just drawn herself on the paper, her drawing burnt. Everyone started laughing and saying "Good job Elder Dorrough, you burnt Naiyah" hahah it was funny. One of those things we joke about happening and then it actually happened haha. Good funny memories! 

There is this guy we met with yesterday. He has such a good heart and intentions. He often gives us anything he happens to have and "always makes time for the Mormon missionaries." He is a member but has his struggles. It was painful to visit with him. It was painful because he sat with his son in his lap telling us his desires and wishes but then expressed he can't achieve them. He is so weighed down by sorrow, sin, and addiction that it controls his life. He expressed how he wants to change, but it's so hard and he would do anything to go back and stay clean from the beginning. Friends and Family, what's holding you back? Let us truly consider cutting that rope now rather than letting it drag us down further. I wish none of us to ever be weighed down so much by sorrow, sin, and addiction that we can't move. It starts from our choice to let it go today! Our Savior Jesus Christ died and suffered so that we can overcome any struggle, temptation, and sin. Let us choose this day to give it to Christ and let the redeeming power of the Atonement free us from that thing. I hope you all have a wonderful week and don't forget to smile and find joy in every day!

Elder Porter

Honolulu, HI

 Baptism Day

 Our group

 Elder Dorrough decided to add to the mess on the door.

What we made because we had no other food. lol wasn't bad.

Lobster tacos!! So yummy

 Elder Dorrough practicing his soapbox preaching.

Our bike rides home. 

 Pics sent home from members in Hawaii this week. <3

 Great lesson today, that was taught by our missionaries!! Elder Porter and Elder Dorrough.