Mele Kalikimaka

This week was awesome! And not only because today is Christmas! Well I'll start off by saying MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you all have a marvelous day! What a fun time of the year, I hope you all enjoy your time and make many happy memories! 

This last week an investigator we have been working with got married so he can be baptized and continue to follow the example and commandments set forth by Christ. It was such a cute and little wedding! It was done at the Church house and it was awesome! Afterwards Vince, our investigator, gave thanks and bore his testimony about the importance of changing to follow the commandments and how he can't wait to go to the temple and be sealed a year after the baptism. It was an amazing day! 

Due to it being Christmas I don't have a ton of time, but I did want to share my love for our Savior, Jesus Christ. What a blessing it is to celebrate His birthday each year. It means something else for me now being on a mission. His birth started a life time of dedicated service to his father. In our lives we have the opportunity to give thanks and show appreciation for Christ through our actions. It was nothing but a privilege to give every last minute of my 2017 year to him. Each day was spent serving the same people he sacrificed himself for. Each day was spent teaching and sharing of that sacrifice to those who maybe had never even known or considered it or believed it. Each day was spent struggling and having burdens so I could have just a tiny taste of what Christ went through for me. But each day was spent with a smile on my face knowing that I am where God wants me to be... I am proclaiming his gospel to his children. I am grateful for Jesus Christ, not just to know about him... But to know him. As we come to an end of yet another wonderful year I would challenge you to share with your family what Christ has done for you and in what ways you have shown your appreciation with your actions this year. Share with your family and friends and even on your social media page. Then take time to ponder how you will continue to improve and serve him and love him even more this next year. I promise that our lives will be more joyful, we will see a greater purpose in life, and we will feel the love of our savior more in our lives if we do. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year! I love you all, have fun, and don’t forget to smile!!! 

Mele Kalikimaka

Elder Porter

Honolulu, Hi

 Merry Christmas

Our White Christmas...  

Our Christmas tree...

our tire isn't happy......

Vince and Kimi's wedding... 

and Elder Vea thinks hes bigger than me...... haha

CHRISTMAS already?

What a special week this was! We found out one of our investigators, after talking with bishop, finally decided to get married and not only that but is getting married this Thursday!!! And then baptized the first week of January! It was such exciting news! We also had the whole family come to church again and had another wonderful experience!

We participated in an Interfaith Christmas Concert. There was a dinner and then 7 different Churches sang and talked about Christ. We finished off the evening with a big choir! It was so awesome and fun too! 
After a long morning of no one answering or wanting to talk to us, we decided to take a walk down to a beach park where people tend to hang out and enjoy their time. We got there and no one was there!! We took a few seconds and headed back to the car a ways up the road. As we walked around the corner we met this lady named Corvette. She was super sweet and nice. We were able to share a lesson and invite her to church it was good to have a tender mercy! 

I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy the last week till Christmas! Christ's life was one full of love, service, and sacrifice. As we pattern our lives after his we will become the person our Father in Heaven wants and needs us to be! I hope you have a wonderful week! Embrace the Christmas spirit but even more embrace Christ. Smile and do what he would do! MELE KALIKIMAKA, have a wonderful week!

Elder Porter

Honolulu, HI

 Older pics:

Sickness, Sacrament, and Santa

Crazy week of the first transfer! Elder Eborn is my new companion and he’s awesome! Super excited to see how things go this transfer! Our Zone got plagued with sickness. A few missionaries got super sick, a sister that had emergency surgery due to Appendicitis. Elder Eborn and I have managed to stay healthy and just going around giving blessings.  

What an exciting week we had at Church! We have been working with the Yokotake family and everyone else that lives there. They ALL came to church! We had an entire row just for them it was awesome such a special day!! They loved it and plan to come every week and work towards baptism!!

Our ward had our Christmas Party, our Santa was the most Agile Santa I have ever seen, he was dancing and doing toe touches! I wish the video wasn’t too long to send! It’s sooo funny! Everyone had such a great time!! Hawaiian Santa’s are great!

The work is moving wonderful, the Area is beautiful as always, the food is amazing, just too much sometimes, the memories are unforgettable, and the experiences are priceless. I know that this is God’s work, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the way to light the world. It is the way to return to live with our Heavenly Father again and joined in our family units. It is a marvelous plan and all it takes is to do our best to learn and live. I hope you all have a wonderful week and don’t forget to smile!!!

Mormon.org #LightTheWorld

Elder Porter

Honolulu, Hi 

CRAAZYY WEEK

So this week we were in a parade where we handed out just under 3,000 pass along cards with candy canes taped to them. We had MLC where Elder Stanfill of the General 70 came and spoke to us. We had an Island Conference with 160 missionaries with Elder Stanfill again! It was a crazy story with the parade, we built the world, twice this week but it all worked out. So many miracles and the weather ended up being great! Good times here in Kaneohe! Today we went on a hike and played basketball for the last time. Transfers are this week so I will be getting a new companion tomorrow and today is crazy trying to get everything in, I apologize for the lame email. But one great principle I learned this week rather than sharing I will invite you all to read 3 Nephi Chapter 11 and I will share next week what it was. I hope you all have a wonderful week and have a smile for the week!

Watch #LightTheWorld on Mormon.org Great video!

Elder Porter

Honolulu, HI 

Missionary conference with Elder Standfill (quorum of the 70's).

Kaneohe Christmas Parade 2017 #Lighttheworld

 Today's hike

 This guy right here... is Big man Rob