Tuesday, March 14, 2017

What!!! A Month Out!!

'Musta!!!! 

I can't believe I've already been out here a month! It kinda freaked me out, this 18 months is going to go waaaaay too fast and I am not going to waste a minute of it!!
Less than 2 weeks I'll be in the Philippines!!!! I should get my flight itinerary tomorrow so I'll keep you posted!!! I'm so so ready to go! I still have a lot to learn here, and I love the MTC, but everyday I just get more and more excited to LOVE the people of the Philippines! It's super hard to explain the feeling here unless you've been here yourself, choosing to dedicate all of your time and talents to making people HAPPY! I know God wants us to be happy. Today was the warmest day since I got here at the MTC, so we finally got to spend time outside, and I was seriously the happiest missionary on campus. Everyone could hear Sister Fahina and I yell across campus: "I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!" 
Not pretending like things are perfect though. Learning a language is frustrating and we aren't perfect people. We make mistakes and don't have perfect capacities. But I know that God loves everyone equally and incomprehensively (Acts 10: 34-35). He loves the Filipinos so so much! He wants them to be happy! Doctrine and Covenants 100:4-6 really hit me today: the Lord has "suffered me to come unto this place; for thus it was expedient in Him for the SALVATION OF SOULS." If I "lift up my heart unto the people; speak the thoughts the lord shall put in my heart," then " it shall be given me in the very moment, what ye shall say." I have no idea how this is going to happen, because God doesn't just automatically make me fluent in the language or be perfectly outgoing or have perfect lessons. God called me, an imperfect 20-year old girl, to go to the Philippines. He knows my heart and desires to learn, and He is going to teach me about His love, His Spirit, His Plan, His Atonement, His grace, His knowledge. I basically get an internship with God! I get to be a representative of Jesus Christ! I don't know exactly how everything is going to happen, but I hope with all my heart that He is going to help me be Filipino! I want to master the language as best I can and embrace them so I can love the people more and have the Spirit. I want to be closer to my brother and Savior Jesus Christ. I know he loves all of you and has a specific plan for you in this life. TRUST him and work hard and miracles will happen!

Tagalog word of the week:

Maaalaala (I will remember)

Ingat po!!! Mahal ko po kayo!
Sister Porter



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