April 25, 2016

Wow! Thanks Mom for everything!  I’m also getting super exited to talk to you all on Mother’s day!  Its truly a blessing and also its weird to think that I’ll be calling for the last time, then after a few weeks I’ll be home(: Elder Laurel is getting pretty nervous and exited to fly home. He will be leaving the area to visit his areas of the mission next Monday, and then on Thursday he will fly home! Wow! Pretty soon I’ll be doing that! I’m thinking about my last Monday, I’ll ask President George if I could travel to Tonalá on Monday to visit my converts and some members and I’ll stay the night with the missionaries, then on Tuesday I’ll travel to Tuxtla and visit all my converts and members there. I really want to visit Las Aguilas (: then at night I’ll have to report to the mission home.  On Wednesday, President will take us to the temple and then after we’ll have our last orientation and interviews with President George and the last supper, and then on Thursday I’ll come home.  (: it’s crazy to think but it’s going to happen soon! I really liked what you said about how when I started the mission I didn’t know anything! hahaha and now I’m mentoring all the others(: I don’t feel like it but I guess it’s true!   And like what 2 Nephi says, "And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done?  Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.  Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father:  Ye shall have eternal life." It’s so true! I’ve gotten into the path and I’ve gotten the hang of things, now I just need to keep it up and endure to the end. It can be hard sometimes; the mission is like the ocean! It’s full of waves, waves of excitement, joy, sadness, being stressful, being  focused, being distracted, hard, easy, tired, hot, cold,  haha but mostly HOT! I love the mission! This week I’ve been studying the bible! hahaha I love it sooo much! I have an institute book that explains a lot of cool things! hahaha To be honest, I like studying more in Spanish! I understand it better! I know the gospel better in Spanish than I do in English haha. But during Genesis it’s talking a lot about covenants! And I think a lot about my covenants that I made in the temple.  I feel like learning about Abraham is like trying to figure out who I am and what I stand for.  (: The whole plan of salvation is to overcome our natural man and become subject to the spirit in all things. This concept is very interesting.  (:

 HAHA we got to church this Sunday and we were waiting for our investigators and none of them showed up. And we were talking really quietly saying.¨ I don’t know if “P” is gonna come.¨ and then Elder Stewart said¨ Ya,  he’s not coming, it’s because he always complains that he can’t walk because his arm hurts. Like he needs to walk with his arm.¨ then, immediately after, “P” walks through the door all happy and ready for church, it’s truly a miracle haha.

Well this week has been a great week and we’re ready for the next.  (: How have you all been?  (: I love you all and hope that you’re happy and having fun. Love Elder Portlock

Service project

This lady is making tamales.  We ate them for dinner.  mmmmmmmm.

In Cacuatan

This is the division line between Mexico and Guatemala!!!  It's a river!  And people just walk over it day and night.  I finally got to see Guatemala.  And no, we did not go across.  Haha.

I think it's noni?????

This is Elder Lainez and I on the beach a year ago.

This is a moto taxi.

Who wants to go to this middle school?

Sister George cut Elder Chaves' hair during interviews.  hahaha.

A little bit of walking

My shoe finally broke!!!!!  hahahahaha.  But I had someone fix it.  I feel very proud of myself.

April 18, 2016

This week we have been super busy day by day, helping the zone out with all the little needs.  We had a few baptisms in the zone and several of baptismal interviews (:  Also we have a 13 year old boy named Kenen, who’s gonna get baptized the next week (: we are super exited for that (: hahahaha.  This week Elder Stewart had an in-grown toenail, so he went to the foot doctor to get it taken out, and they gave him a pedicure hahahaha.  (:  It was super funny!  Elder Laurel is finishing his last 2 weeks of the mission, so he’s getting a bit anxious haha WOW!  Also we had a reference from a member this week and we went to visit them.  We showed up at the door and a lady said, Elders, perfect timing, please pass in the house. So we started to talk with her and she said that her and her two kids are refugees from El Salvador and they have been fleeing from the country for lots of safety reasons, I guess there’s a war going on. So she said that she’s a member and she really needed us at this time, so the Relief Society is gonna help out a little bit with the food for this week. Wow! The things that go on here, it’s truly a miracle that we have the church all over the world (: I hope you all do great this week (: Elder Portlock

This is my backyard, MANGO TREES!!!

We are throwing rocks up at the mangoes so they will fall down, hahaha these kids are teaching us how to do it.  :)

Our study room

I'm making a voice message for my family.

Our bedroom

April 11, 2016

Dear Mom and family! This week has been pretty busy! I’ve been focusing a lot on the work here and having a lot of fun (:  This week we baptized a little girl named Valeria, she is 8 years old. Her mom had an accident years ago and can’t walk.  So we helped her and brought her to the baptism in a wheel chair (: it was such a great experience (: We also have a few more investigators that are progressing so that’s good (: I have also been doing divisions with a lot of missionaries here so I hardly have time to be in my area, but we’re doing it little by little (: I can’t believe that I have 2 months left! The mission goes by so fast! This week I haven’t even been thinking about it until I started writing (: hahaha I love the church and I know its true (: Well family, what can I do to end good?  (: What are some things that you would like to see in me when I get back? Stay true.  (: Love Elder Portlock

On Tuesday all the district leaders came over to our house because on Wednesday at 3 in the morning we traveled to Arriaga, about 5 hours to go to the super conference of mission leaders, it was super great and fun!  We learned lots of things about working with the ward council and the importance of it.

This was a cool activity that represents the ward council.  hahaha :)

This was our zone conference this week

Going to the baptism

The baptism

Having fun with the district leaders

A huge spider crept up on  me when I was washing dishes.  :)

This is my ward's church.  The wards are called estacion, or in English, "station".

This is called a burgeroni!  A hamburger inside of a pizza  :D

My last 2 companions

Haha this is a weird fruit!!

We're at Puerto Madero.  We had to come to Puerto Madero to clean a house of the elders that lived here before.  Their house is 2 streets from the ocean!  Wow!  There were shells everywhere!  And Taxi bikes.  :)

The house of prayer in Huixtla

When I was in Tuxtla, area Paraiso, we helped this little girl out with her baptism.  Well, after a year I saw them again.  ;)  It was really special!!

Elder Laurel and I switched scripture cases  :)