The Parable of the tie! (Week 24)

First things first,  Happy Mothers Day!!! Not only to my mom, but to my grandma's, and aunts, and to my second mom (sister Betz). Thank you for loving me and teaching me.

Seeing my family yesterday was awesome, especially because Gerardo, Belen and Nefi, Franko, Enzo, and Gustavo were there. Who are all the people I baptized or helped convert here in Villa Tesei. Super fun. They got to meet my family and talk to them. It was so cool. 

Also, the other Big News is we had transfer calls yesterday and as totally expected, by everyone and their dog, Elder Porter got transferred to the farm fields (campos) of Mercedes section-A. I was talking to president Robertson and he asked me if I thought I'd stay in Villa Tesei a little longer? I jokingly said "Ya, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be here my whole mission." (I've been in Villa Tesei the whole time I've been in Argentina. I've never been transferred.) He jokingly said back to me that "He thinks I need to workout those long legs on a bike for awhile." Which kind of gave it away that I'd be going to the "campos" or farm/country area, because that's the only place they use bikes. Everyone else stayed in Villa Tesei and we think Elder Rojas´s new companion is a Latino, which means now the number of yankees to latinos will finally be tied in our apartment. hahaha. Unfortunately, none of us could understand our zone leader when he called or we just weren't listening, so I have no idea who my new companion is, but vamos a ver, we´ll see, his name sounded latino, which would make sense because I've never had an American comp so far. I'm excited to see who it is. Awesome!!! Also Enzo Se Bautiso´!!!!! Enzo was baptized on saturday by his cousin Franko (my very first convert)!! It was such an amazing baptism. The spirit was so strong and Franko did the baptism perfectly. Capo! President Robertson ( our mission president) came to the baptism and he told us, "wow that kid looked really happy. I have no doubt he's going to be a future missionary." And Franko is about to put his mission papers in!!  I told Franko that no matter what, I'd fly to Argentina when he gives his homecoming talk after his mission. I can't wait. He's going to help so many people. 

So, Most of the people here live in very humble circumstances. They don't have money for things we take for granted. One of the things they don't always have money for is church clothes. All of my converts and friends I've made in this Ward and area are always admiring my ties (my mom has good taste). I knew I was going  to get transferred so I brought a bag with ALL of my ties to church on Sunday and let them all pick their favorite one to keep. It's pretty funny because Enzo wanted the one I wearing, which was actually my most favorite tie, but I was happy to give it to him. What do I care about a dumb tie anyways? It's amazing how UN-superficial you become when you're surrounded by such humbleness. It was a simple thing, a seemingly inconsequential thing to you or I, but they were so grateful and happy. It made me realize how many things I've taken for granted in my life. I've never had to go without, and I'm grateful for that. But I'm even more grateful that my eyes have been opened. That I got to learn and see, firsthand, how blessed my life is and has been.  It fills me with immeasurable joy to think of Enzo passing the sacrament for the first time in my "favorite" tie, or Franko wearing my tie on his mission, or Gerardo wearing my tie when he and his wife and son are sealed for eternity in the temple. 
Funnily, while we were skyping my family on Sunday, Enzo was just in his regular street clothes but he was still wearing my tie around his neck. My mom saw it on the screen and said "hey ren. That's your favorite tie."  Haha. (Down below is a picture of Enzo's baptism day, where I'm wearing said tie....for the last time.)

What a great week, seriously. We tried hitting some areas we don't usually work in because the work is so hard in these areas. We were blessed and able find some new people and re-find some other really awesome people. There were some days, as well, where we were looking for people for a solid couple of hours and found nothing! But I'm grateful for those moments because it made us appreciate the miracles that DID happen.  We were walking all around one day looking for some people we had planned to contact and we weren't getting anywhere. And then bam we got a lesson and then after that one we got another one. It took us all day but we managed to get 2 lessons. Those lessons, for me, were very special lessons, filled with spirit. You feel so much more gratitude for things when you have to work hard for them.  And I know that finding and teaching those people after so much walking and searching was the Lord's blessing to us for just pressing forward and not letting discouragement get the better of us. That day was awesome. 

Also, all the elders  and sisters in my zone had a meeting yesterday morning with the stake president, his counselors and president Robertson and it was Great. I especially liked it when one of the Counselors talked about the newly baptized youth named Enzo in the Villa tesei ward who was baptized by Franko (Hey! They're talking about my spiritual brothers! I perked up when I heard those names). But something really awesome he said, as well, was that we need to start talking to more youth in our areas, which is a great invitation. There are ALOT of youth here and they need ALOT of help. It is really hard to be a youth here in this area. There are so many kids here that are starting to drink and smoke at 13 or 14 years old and then by 15 or 16 alot of girls are already pregnant. Most kids here don't finish school and there aren't a lot of jobs, so a lot of the youth just stand around outside harassing people. It is really sad stuff to see and there is so much need for help. There is so much need for leaders. So much need for kids to join the church and leave on missions and come back and become the future bishops and stake presidents and so on. Sometimes its really hard to talk to the kids here because you're  never sure if they are serious or just joking around with you or stringing you along for their own amusement. So, I'm so grateful he invited us to do that because from what I have seen from the youth that HAVE joined the church here is that they are stalwart examples to me of perseverance and faith and they have the most powerful testimonies and such strong spirits. We need more of them because they have SO Much potential to do good and I can see that they are already so much better than me and I feel so humbled by the youth here, especially when they are the only members in their family. 

I consider it a miracle that I got sent here at this time in Villa Tesei to help people come unto Christ and by having the opportunity to see such progression and strength happen in such a seemingly short time. I'm freaked out honestly by how happy I feel just seeing someone I've come to love realize that God´s love is real and attainable and then feel the confirmation of the Spirit whisper into their hearts that these things are true. To witness the change of their countenance as they except the gospel into there lives. It makes up for all the heat, exhaustion, dehydration, frustration, sadness, and pain....a hundred fold. I'm very sad that I'm leaving this area and these people that I love with all my heart, but I am also excited to go to my next area and meet new people. Franko says it best. He said "its sad that you are leaving but I know this is God's Will for you to do this, because there are other people, like me, waiting for you.  I'm just happy you came for me too!" 

This work is true and the evidence is found in the members of this church. I know that God´s Love is real and He is a God of miracles.

Love you guys,
Elder Ren Porter

Baptism, me (with THE tie), elder rojas, franko, enzo, angel, enzo´s mom, enzo´s brother elias 

Baptism. All the same people from above PLUS  fransisco and president robertson!

me and brother omar our old mission leader. coolest guy ever! I love him alot.

W.W.M.S (What Would Mom Say) (week 23)

First let me tell you about my week and then I'll explain the title of my email. 

Bueno. Entonces. This week Elder Rojas and I killed it. We met a new family named Lorena and Maxi. They were a reference and they are golden. They came with us to mutual and we taught them the Restoration and Plan of Salvation. Lorena asks the best questions and she is studying the church so much and already has been studying Relief Society on LDS.Org and studying all the other books of scripture. Maxi has already read, in the first week, to chapter 18 of Nephi. What a capo! And he also really hit it off with Franko and Enzo. Enzo is about to be baptized this next weekend and Franko (my first convert in the mission field)!! Awesome stuff. 

Something cool happened to me and Elder Rojas yesterday. We decided to work in our Yellow and Orange zone which is a really hard part of our area. We call it the deadzone because there is not a lot of work done there. It's hard to contact people there and people have a little more money or are more wealthy in those areas. And for some reason this greatly effects the work in those areas. I much prefer the poorer part of villa Tesei, even though it's more dangerous. But The people are just so humble and nice. But we made a decision that we would dedicate a sunday there. So we did! We made some plans for this past Sunday and at about 7:30 all of our plans fell through. hahahaha. As expected, but hey, what can you do! But as you will see, "our" plans are not always "Heavenly Father's" plans. So we should never get discouraged. He is always guiding the ship. So we tried looking for someone we had contacted the other day to see if we could get a second lesson with her that day, we weren't able to find her. So as we're walking around, we see this guy working at a kiosk and we start talking to him. And We had a fairly good conversation, as well. And then some people interrupted our conversation to buy something from the kiosk and they were also very friendly and nice and not what I had expected for this area. That's what I get for prejudging this area and the people in it!!! So we finished our conversation with this man and left a pamphlet and continued on. We then tried to look for this random girl from the ward that the bishopric wanted us to go by and visit.  The problem with this plan of ours was that 1. I wasn't really sure what her name was 2. we weren't sure at all why we were going and 3. I had no idea where she lived haha! I know my mom is rolling her eyes right now because all three of those things are "classic Ren moves". Anyway, we still moved forward and hoped Heavenly Father would guide our steps. We started walking down this one street and I suddenly remembered that we had a reference on this street and we could try contacting them. I stopped for a moment as this thought hit me and then I realized something else! We had stopped in front of a house that I recognized because I had contacted it with my previous comp, Elder Ortolano about a month ago. So, I thought, hmm...maybe we're suppose to ask these people where the contact we were looking for lives. So we went up to the house and I had about a 1 out of 10 on the hope scale that we would get an answer. But then a man came out and I recognized him as one of the people we had contacted here the other month. We started talking with him and we said we were looking for so and so that lived on this same street. He said he had no idea where that person lived, but then he said "My wife is super sick. Will you come in and see her"?  We said "yes" and entered into his house and met his wife. She was super sick and laying in bed. Two of their friends were there as well and we were just talking warmly with all of them and we asked if we could bless this lady. We asked for olive oil and consecrated it and anointed it. And then we blessed this little hermana. The spirit was strong and it was a sweet experience. Afterwards we taught them a little of the Restoration and they invited us to come back and visit them. For someone looking from the outside in, It was really something random. Some might say that was just weird luck or a coincidence, but I know it was a miracle. Who guides this ship?? I have no doubt who! Our plans fell through for the night because Heavenly Father is aware of ALL his children. We met people at that man's kiosk who were nice and friendly. This helped change our attitudes towards this area, which spurred us on to continue walking. Our bishop asked us to contact this woman, but we didn't know how to find her so we walked, hoping to be guided. We ended up on a street I actually remembered, in front of a house I actually remembered. They opened the door to us and invited us in. And we were able to bless this man's wife, this beloved daughter of our Heavenly Father. Is this random? No. Heavenly Father and our Savior know us all. He loves that sweet little Hermana and her family. We were led to that house to bless and comfort her in her time of need. Of that, I have no doubt. 

For me, this was nothing short of a miracle and a reminder that God is directing the work and every setback or trial has a purpose. It was amazing to me and in reality I still can't really believe that it happened, but it did and I cannot deny it. I am so glad that God directs this work and that He is a God of Miracles. This work is true. 

Now, about my email title.....
Something I have really been focusing on this last month is maturity and love. To be straight forward, its this, every time I do anything lately I think about you mom. I think about what you would say to me. If I ever think about something or am wondering if I should do something or not, I would wonder about you and think to myself "What Would my Mom Say." Whether it's something dumb, like should I say this joke or not? Or if it was...should I listen to this or not? Or should I do this or not? Whenever there is a thought from satan to be disobedient or to do something unworthy of myself, I think of you and what you would tell me if you were standing right next to me. My mind always thinks, "what would mom say"! And I'll tell you what!...It has made my life tremendously easier. I haven't had to worry about whether what I was doing was good or bad because I always knew what my mom would say. "Yes ren, that's okay." or "no ren, thats ridiculous"!! I love it. Thanks mom! You are still my mom even out here. I'm so thankful for you. I'm also so grateful for all the service you had me do before I left for my mission. I know I didn't act like I liked it, but it had a huge impact on my life. Going everyday with you to serve at the child crisis center was so hard and I didn't want to do it most of the time, but I couldn't help but feel grateful for all the blessings I've been given after spending time with those kids who had nothing and no one. I am so blessed. Thanks for making me do that. I love you mom!

So, a month ago my mom said that what she really wanted for Mother's Day was for me to pray about someone I could do extra service for. Something separate from my service as a missionary. She wanted me to look around me, pray about it, and do a random act of service on my own. 
So, I don't know if this is what you had in mind but here we go. I have also been working on my charity and patience. Especially with my comp. My mom doesn't know any of this because I'm the "suffer in silence" kind of guy, but these past couple of months have been really hard with my comp! We have argued A LOT and I have been close to strangling him many times. My patience has been tried A LOT these last 2 transfers, because I was just hoping that one of us would get transferred so I wouldn't have to deal with him anymore. And I have no doubt that he felt the exact same way towards me. I'm stubborn and have many qualities that probably drive my comp crazy! Don't get me wrong though, there were days and sometimes even weeks that it was the complete opposite and we have been closer than any two people can be, but it has been a very slow progression with us.  But, after I read your email a couple of weeks ago about serving someone, I immediately thought of My comp. I didn't even have to pray about it. It came to my mind immediately and I decided to change our companionship. I knew I couldn't change him. But, I COULD change myself!
I was tired of being miserable and angry all the time and I just wanted us to work unified and be happy. So I made the decision to not care about who was right or who wasn't and to stop focusing on the things that bothered me about my comp. Instead, I would just look at the good, important qualities of Elder ****. Basically, I was trying to look at him with Christlike eyes instead of my dumb mortal eyes. As I did this, I saw, in him, a great missionary. I saw someone who has and will do lots of great things in Buenos Aires. And  I saw someone who will do great things in the church in the future. What a difference this has made! We have been such a unified unit lately and missionary work with him has been such a joy, it's unbelievable. 

Something special that happened between us as well is that we were talking one night and he told me that I have been his comp longer than any other companionship throughout his whole mission, by a large amount. He also said that I had had the most patience with him than any other elder he had served with before and though we argued sometimes, he thought we had a really good companionship and that he had learned alot from me about patience and humility. I told him he was a great missionary and a great example for me and I was happy to be his companion. This is something that would've been so hard and nearly impossible for me to say a few weeks ago. But because my mom had challenged me to be of service to someone and Heavenly Father had put it in my heart that I needed to serve and love my companion, right then in that moment, saying those things to Elder ***** was something easy and a pleasure to say and was the truth from my heart. I learned a great lesson. The more you serve someone, the more you grow to love them. When you let go of pride and the natural man and try to see someone like Christ would see them, it's impossible not to have your heart and mind changed...for the better. 

Happy Mother's Day! See you over Skype on Sunday!

Love,

Elder Ren Porter

Ren's email: ren.porter@myldsmail.net

Elder Rojas, Garardo (our recent convert), Nefi (his son), and me

Pride and the "bad word" chile pepper! (Week 22)

So this week was a amazingly awesome. Like more awesome than usual!!


First, let's rewind 7 days to last Monday. We had Family Home Evening at Yolandas house. Yolanda is the coolest member in the world, she always has a reference and a cup of juice for us. And we were celebrating Elder Rojas´s birthday as well, so we invited a ton of people, but only a couple showed up hahaha. But, what we lacked in quantity we made up for with quality! We had Yamila (my first baptism), Gerardo (my second baptism) and Belen (his wife), Gonzalo, a super funny, nice member, Our old Mission leader Brother Omar, and four awesome missionaries. Me, Rojas, Schoonover, and Salmon. And what made it so great was because Yolanda knew that Me & Elder schoonover LOVE hot, spicy food. People here call us Yankees if we're from America, but they know elder schoonover is part mexican so they assume he can handle super hot food. And everyone who knows ME, knows that I put Tabasco sauce on everything eat. I've been doing this from about age 8. In fact, I was distraught to learn that Tabasco sauce isn't sold in stores here that my mom ordered 500 Tabasco packets (picture th ketchup packets you get from fast food places, only with Tabasco in them) and found a way to fit them in my mission suitcase! I get to use one a day!!!!
So Yolanda had bought a bunch of chiles, known here as Ajì mala palabra, which means the "bad word" chile, I don`t know which bad word it is, but it`s like the ******** Chile, the people here swear in the name of the chile due to the intenseness of the chile... So, everyone started peer pressuring "someone" to eat one (someone as in the yankees). The lot fell on Elder Schoonover, (usually I would have jumped on this  crazy wagon before this point but I was a little cautious of these peppers because I had already eaten two of them the day before when we went by yolandas house for our daily dose of references and juice.) So, being the mature Elders that our mothers raised, we proceeded to dare and DOUBLE DARE elder schoonover to eat a chile cause "he's mexican and can handle it". His pride kicked in and he said "GIVE ME TWO!" We were stunned, but we were still all running our mouths, and all I remember was that there was a slight argument, and it ended with Schoonover claiming "GIVE ME FIVE THEN". So he threw all 5 in his mouth  with almost no hesitation, I might add. And then we all waited. He chewed, chewed and chewed and swallowed and BAM, it hit him like a wall, his face turned red and his eyes went wide and you could see the regret and terror on his face. It was hilarious. We were all dying of laughter. Poor elder Schoonover was crying from the pain and heat and we were crying  because of laughter. This went on for about 2 minutes of straight laughing. Finally after about ten minutes Elder Schoonover regained control of his faculties and we all sat there holding our sides because we all gave ourselves cramps from laughing so hard. But it wasn't over after that, as if on cue, everyone turned on me, like sharks to bleeding prey. Boom! Suddenly I was now sitting there with 3 chiles in hand and being pummeled by peer pressure and MY pride kicked in and I put all 3 chiles in my mouth and I chewed and chewed and chewed and swallowed and I sat there. I Waited and I waited some more. Nothing. I was Dumbfounded. These things had destroyed me the day before and now I felt nothing? I thought hmm...I must be more manly than I thought. Feeling pretty high of myself I looked at everyone around me who were in turn looking intently at me and I said "nothing happened." There were groans thrown out by the pack of hyenas gathered around me and I thought...."hah! That's what they get for doubting my yankee abilities!" They started looking for their next victim and I continued to sit there. Suddenly I felt something growing from the back of my mouth. It was NOT a pleasant feeling. I felt it creep up slowly and slowly and spread. And then this feeling started getting more powerful and more powerful and I started to realize, by and by, that this uhhh... this hurt, like Hurt hurt!!! That's right. Those bad word peppers had a delayed reaction. And they were coming at me with a fiery fury!!! I was looking all around me, looking for an escape route from this horrible mistake, but all I succeeded in doing was drawing the attention of those whom I had once called my friends. The first to notice my panic was Belen who pointed and exclaimed loudly "It Worked!!" All attention was now on Elder Porter and they had found me at the peak of my internal pain. They wasted no time in laughing at my expense as I sat there, face beat red and at the edge of oblivion. As my tongue slowly melted inside my mouth, I looked left and right for a hint of compassion from these my fellow servants and found none. Just pure enjoyment and mirth. Karma! I am grateful that I was able to give these people such pleasure in their lives. After I quenched the fire of death from my face, they immediately began looking for another victim. The dare then went to Elder Salmon, Gerardo and Elder Rojas. It took a lot of coaxing but we managed to make them eat a chile as well. Gerardo was first. He ate his Chile bravely, but he is a full grown man so he wasn't bothered to much by it. Then elder salmon went into the ring of fire and came out a little charred but unscathed. Finally Elder Rojas put the chile shaped Death in his mouth and it was almost the end of him. He is REALLY not accustomed to hot food and as the magma chile started fulfilling it purpose in Elder Rojas, I thought, for almost a moment, that we had just killed my companion. He reacted horribly and we may have traumatized him for life!  It was Hilarious. I was dying of laughter and so were my fellow cohorts as we watched Elder Rojas cling to life. It was HILARIOUS. After wards when we had all recovered and mentally proclaimed never to eat  a chile again. We shared a scripture about the importance of families and left before they made us eat something else crazy dumb. 

I'm sorry i don't have time to write about much else this week but I want to share my testimony about the danger of pride. Pride is the opposite of humility and humility is neccessary to allign our will with Gods will. We all need to remain humble at all times so that we can be ready to perform Gods Will. Pride will only lead to fiery, painful eternal fire and regret. 

I love you guys. 
Elder Ren Porter.

P.S. Great Object lesson, No?

Elder schoonover in the grips of "bad word" chile pain.

Our little group at Yolandas house. I'm in the very back, looking like a creepy stalker.

This lovely graffiti is an american eagle being shot at by the nice people of argentina, next to it we observe a vulture painted like the american flag above the vein of central america, which connects to a giant heart, which is south america! Should I be more scared of this area than I am?

Zone conference

Me and some missionary friends

More Baptisms (week 21)

Okay so this week. 

Gerard was baptized, confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints and recieved the Holy Ghost and Diego was baptized, confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints and recieved the Holy Ghost. It was super awesome. They were such Eligidos (elect). A really cool experience. I was so grateful and happy that I got to baptize Geraldo. He is such a cool guy. Gerardo told me before the baptism that he had been waiting for more than a year for this day and I told him "Wow, this is a good day then." haha! Oh how I wish I knew better spanish than "Wow, que bueno"!! They were such insufficient words to express how proud I am of him and how proud I know Heavenly Father is of him.  Also he told me he found 2500 pesos on the ground the other day. So, yah he's definitely getting blessed already.

Almost just as cool was when a less active family, Familia Acevedo, we have been working with and who I think is the coolest family ever, came to church and we didn't even expect them or anything. It was a great surprise to see them there and it made my spirit so happy! They are super cool because they are super nice and I just love being with them. I can't even explain why. I just love them. They are an awesome family and I want them to get reactivated already!!! They need the church so bad in their lives right now. But, as much as I want that for them, I know I can't force them, I just have to pray for them and love them and teach them and let the spirit guide them. 

Also a youth in the ward is leaving for her mission this coming week. And right in the middle of sacrament, Elder Rojas turned to me and asked if I could play the hymn "God be with you til we meet again"? I said yes and he got up and told the bishops wife, so me and her switched places and I got to play "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" for the last song. It was super Powerful!! The ward here is such a unified group. I felt like they were almost shouting when we hit the last verse. This ward is such a great little family and I'll be super sad if I get flashed out today or tomorrow which is what me and me companion are both expecting.

In other news....it's been rainy and it's starting to get colder here in Argentina. We have our winter while you're having summer back in AZ, so all the pics I send home in the next 6 months are gonna show me freezing, but in my mind, I know it's hotter than heck in Gilbert Arizona!! The work has been a little slow this week because Elder Rojas´s back has been acting up again. But, I utilized alot of that time and cleaned the apartment a hecka ton. I decided to clean because our zone leader had a division with ELder Schoonver this week and he chastised us a little bit about the sorry state of our living space. I thought...okay, por fin, let's clean! So I cleaned!!! I think even my mother would have been proud of my work, I mean, I cleaned places that one could justify as being unnecessary. I was  really proud of myself and then the rest of the day I listened to MOTAB. Not proud of my inactivity at that point. 

Today is Elder Rojas´s birthday so Elder Salmon baked him a cake  and we didn't have candles so I took a Q-tip and cut off one of the ends and lit the other side on fire and made him blow it out hahaha it was awesome. Super Good cake as well. For some reason It didn't really rise but I thought it was delicious and I'm going to eat it for breakfeast with elder Salmon for the next week. You Know, because we´re trying to be healthy and everything!!!

I can't really think of anything else to tell you. But hey, thanks for reading my report.
Love you guys,
Elder Ren Porter

P.s.
I realize some of the Super COOL Awesome stuff I write about might seem like I'm grasping at straws. But for me....all this stuff IS super cool and awesome haha. 

P.s.s
I'm sending you some pics. As stated last week, elder schoonover cut my hair and I would like to say...
It's okay mom! It looks bad on camera but its actually very comely in person!!! haha.

It's rainy

Gerardo's baptism. I'm sorry the picture is blurry. The man I asked to take the picture didn't know how to use a camera. 

Argentina Rules (week 20)

Hi,
Okay, so this week was awesome. Me and Elder Rojas have been killing it here in Villa Tesei. Elder Salmon and Elder Schoonover have been doing some great work as well. We have had some great progress with many people that we've been working with. We had a zone meeting this last Tuesday that really hyped us up to work more with the less actives in our areas, at least I got super excited. We`ve been putting alot more focus on working with the members this last week and hopefully into the coming weeks as well. We have 4 baptismal dates right now. Gerardo y Diego this Saturday, Isabel on the 31 of this month and Enzo for next month and Gerardo, Diego and Enzo are all practically in the water. Gerardo had his interview this week with a Zone leader while elder Rojas and I and the other zone leader acted like cement in the front. He passed!!! Diego is a capo and pretty much his entire family and friends are super active and in the church. Enzo has come to church on his own already four times and he wants to get baptized and the best part is that we haven't even taught him any lessons yet hahaha!! He is so COOL and we are going to start teaching him this next week. Isabel is a little harder because she has some health problems but we are working with her and we are going to be really patient with her. The other Elders in our apartment have one of their investigators practically baptized as well. All in all its really cooking down here. But..... I'm a little scared as well, because Elder Rojas told me that he has never had a companion more than a transfer and a half before and if I stay this next full week and continue onto next week than I will be the companion that has been with elder Rojas the longest, ever in his mission!!! Then I started  thinking back on my other companion elder Ortolano and how he was flashed out after the baptism of Franko (my first convert) and I'm scared the same will happen to me after the baptism of Gerardo and Diego. I had just been hoping and praying that I would stay this last transfer  so I could participate in the baptism of Gerardo which was the same situation with Elder Ortolano. Plus, President Robertson told my comp. that I'm probably leaving this next transfer. I'm also scared because the area has totally spoiled me and I know if I get flashed (emergency transfer) I'm going to be sent out to the campos (farms). Pero all well, right? 

OH YAH so I forgot to tell you, SOMEONE forgot to pay the gas bill a couple of times and so we haven't had gas for our stove or hot water for a week now. Shower time is Death time!!!! 
Also, the fridge is the saddest thing to look at in our apartment because it is full of food that wants to be eaten but we can't cook it and put it in our bodies!! Sad Stuff. But you know...Missionary Life! hahahaa. 

Some other news here is that two of the families we had been working with separated, the husband and wife, and we have been working alot with the ward for help with this. It was So sudden and random we didn't see it coming and it was equally frustrating that we couldn't really do anything about it. But i Still Feel secure with this area even though there have been drastic set backs like this. It is still paradise here. The members are amazing the people are receptive and they don't hate americans to much here hahaha. I haven't been robbed lately, BUT The prices for buses doubled, but thats okay I guess. We`ll just walk more and stay more healthy. Take that Satan! 

Anyway, that is what is happening here in Villa Tesei. We had interviews with President Robertson this week as well and he gave me some good advice. He said "Remember Elder, the work is not about you its about the people here who need your help and when you just continue to give more and more of yourself, you will start to grow in great ways and the Lord will Prepare you more for the work here and for the work in the future." I know that what he said was true and this is something we can all apply in our lives because its such a powerful lesson. Serve others and give more of yourself and once there's more of you out in the world, you will be able to see yourself more clearly and know more fully your purpose here on the earth. WE are Children of God and we have divine potential and we have infinite capabilities and marvelous potential to help those around us, the only person that stands in the way of God achieving this in you and me is ourselves. We have to take ourselves out of the equation and just let God Work. I love you guys! I Love your emails as well! Argentina Rules! 

PS. I didn't have time for pics this week. Sorry mom! Plus, elder schoonover cut my hair again and I need a week of growth before I send my mom a picture. Haha

Love, 
Elder Ren Porter
Email address: ren.porter@myldsmail.net

Conference (week 19)

Hey everyone,

So this week was something cool. Because of ConfErEncE (accents on the "E" because is was Excessively awesome this year). We were able to snag a projector from the office this week so that we could watch conference in our home ward instead of at the stake center. So we got the projector and Elder Salmons blanket and some duct tape I had and taped his blanket onto a wall and the members and investigators totally watched conference like a movie theatre experience. It felt like you were actually there and the sweat on the Choirs foreheads was so much more glisten-y than normal, At least for the people who spoke Spanish, because us yankees went into the Church office and watched conference from a members old computer screen.....in english of course. That was a blessing because I definitely wanted to be edified this weekend and laugh whenever Utchdorf told a joke. And I'm just not quite to the point where I can understand all of general conference in Spanish yet. But, I'm happy to say that I did laugh yesterday. And I felt the spirit so strongly. It was awesome. 

On the food front, I had the delightful experience of eating "cow utter hamburgers" this week. And yes, it's exactly what it sounds like! I rank it right up there with "blood sausage" that I had a few weeks ago. And that's all I'm going to say about that! 

On a happy note, Elder Schoonover figured out how to make hot sauce, so we've been experimenting with different foods and adding hot sauce to them. This little gift of hot sauce has brought much joy to my life and stomach! 

Also, a lot of people have asked me if we play lots of soccer on pdays. I'm sure the neighborhood kids and members would love for us to play on pdays (or maybe not me, haha, since I'm an awkward yankee with no foot skills!!!) but I don't feel like we have enough time for soccer. I feel like we should be doing other things on pday, like cleaning the apartment or doing service. 

Also Gerardo and Belen got married this week and it was a super amazing experience and now Gerardo is qualified to be baptized!!! por fin. Which was such a miracle because we were super scared something bad would happen that would disrupt this amazing event. Especially because we weren't able to visit them almost at all this week leading up to their marriage because elder Rojas got sick and we were unable to work for two days in our area. But besides all that, it was a good week. I learned that I personally NEED to be out working or else I start to regress and feel lazy. Work is so important here in the mission field. I realize that now. Now I know, that for me, Satan´s grasp becomes like smoke and nothing to me. It can't hold me down and deter my progression. It was a blessing in this way. I was able to know for myself the importance of getting up and working and doing. 

Also a talk I really liked was the talk that spoke concerning the less actives and being patient with teaching because that is such a powerful lesson here in argentina where less actives are a huge part of the work. I appreciated his testimony and the spirit that he brought to the meeting that day and there was lots of doctrine taught that I can easily use in the mission here. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a Prphet of God, I know that the Quorum of the 12 are Really called of God and are servants of the Most High. This is His Work and His Glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man because He Loves us and I know it. I love you guys (whoever reads this stuff). I'm always bragging about how cool Arizona is to the people here (though they usually ALWAYS seem really bored when I do)!

P. S. Tell Riley congrats on her mission call to Peru!!

Love,

Elder Ren Porter
Ren's email address is :
ren.porter@myldsmail.net

Me, Elder Rojas, Gerardo and his bride getting the marriage certificate.

Not sure how Elder Rojas ended up with flower bouquet.....or why he's holding it like that, but he makes a beautiful bride (in my opinion) haha!!!

Gerardo, Elder Rojas and me.

Scripture power (week 18)

Hey everyone,

This week was super awesome. My comp got to go to the temple this week because some of his old investigators from his first area were getting sealed and they wanted him and his old companion to join them. So he went and me and the companion of the other Elder went on a quick round of divisions. His name was Elder Cobb. It was super fun because Elder Cobb was younger than me on the mission, haha, he's only been out 7 weeks. It was a super fun division. We just talked about how weird it is to be a newbie in the mission...fun stuff. 

We had one dinner appointment this week, with the other elders, and me and my comp were at the families house waiting for the other elders because they were a little late and all of the sudden the 11 year old son of the hermana came running into the house saying "the elders are coming, the elders are coming"! I looked out the door and saw that they weren't just coming, they were running! They were being chased by a big dog! It was hilarious! Stupid dogs! 

Besides that, this week was pretty normal, at least superficially, because on the inside I was freaking out with anticipation about transfers this week and what was going to happen because it's impossible to guess what will happen. But the verdict is......I am staying in Villa Tesei for another transfer and my new companion is Elder Rojas....Again! haha, that was definitely UNDER-dramatic haha but yah, I'm super excited! This area is kicking right now. We have a wedding next week and a baptism and one of our investigators finally came to church yesterday and countless other small miracles are happening right now and its amazing. 
I really loved this week. We`ve had many wonderful experiences and not just me and elder rojas but elder salmon and elder Schoonover as well. They have told some crazy amazing stories about some investigators they have and all-in-all it is Awesome here with a capital A. 

Something I would like to share though is that God really knows us perfectly. I know this because, Earlier this week I had one of those days where I was just feeling weighted down and I didn't know what to do and I was trying to think of how I could lift my spirits. I thought "I need some consolation" haha so I grabbed my scriptures, flipped them open and started looking for some consolation. I was flipping around looking for some scriptures I thought would help but i couldn't find anything, so then I kind of just gave up a little bit and sat back thinking. But then my eyes were drawn back to the page I was on because I had marked them long ago for some reason and I read the part that was marked and the things expressed in the scripture helped me feel better right then. But....I was still not feeling wholly myself. So instead of giving up, I turned back to my scriptures, searching for some "super scripture" to save the day and BOOM I found it. The perfect scripture to make me feel completely better again. oh man it was amazing. I felt like a spotlight flicked on inside my heart and I was feeling like a million bucks! I know that it was Heavenly Father who guided me to the exact right scripture that I needed at the exact time I needed it. I bear my witness that God knows us each perfectly. He is always there, waiting for us with open arms. He wants us to be happy and find joy in his service. He will show us the way if we have faith and we do our part. 

It is awesome here in Villa Tesei  and i Love you guys. 

Elder Porter

Pictures below:
1. our new pinch. Elder salmon on my left. Elder schoonover with the shades. Elder rojas and me
2. Elder rojas Humberto and me (humberto is a investigator we have been working with)
3. Hermano Ganzalo and i. He's a member and he is awesome. I love that guy! Me and him are always joking with eachother.
4. Hermano Gustavo and I. He is a recent convert of the other elders and he is a great guy. I love him alot as well.
5. Franko and I, my first convert. He is the best!!!!
6. The family of Hermano Gustavo. the dad is a hard nut to crack.
7. Family vice. we had dinner with them last night super nice people.
8. took that today because I thought it was awesome!
9. another picture we found that was super cool and I liked.