I smell like bacon! 1/26/10

Another wonderful week has come and gone!
Ok I just had to start off by sharing some fun things about my companion. Soo.... she makes Bacon for atleast 2 meals every day, to go in her Japanese food. So we were walking to the square after dinner and she looked at me and said "you smell funny" haha I about died laughing!!! Sometimes my scarves seeps in the bacon smell.. so now I smell like bacon.
- A few day's ago we had just stepped on an escalator in the North Visitor's Center when a sister above us asked me a question. So I hurried up a few steps back to ground to talk to her. A few seconds later I looked down to see my companion running up the escalator after me!!!! I can't even describe how hillarious this scene was. She was so determined to catch up. I told her "no no just go down!" ha she almost fell like 3 times, so she just went down. That just show's how well she follow's me :) te he-
So every day for about an hour we are in the West Gate Booth to help visitor's who come. When visitor's leave she always yells to them "thanks for coming!" they rarely understand her so she get's embarassed when they come over to ask what she said. So cute though that she is trying so hard! -
Yesterday she was praying before we left our apartment and all of the sudden she was just silent, I thought she was thinking or something and about 30 seconds later she say's "sister porter amen!" haha I guess I didn't understand that she had already said amen... haha. too funny. -So we have funny moment every day and I LOVE! She is the cutest thing ever and she just want's to keep working so so hard.
So the highlight of my last week was Zone Conference... seriously so incredible. The focus was on Christlike Attributes. I came away feeling like a new missionary, I was so excited to go to work! One of the main thing's I realized was how precious this time is for me. Sometimes I feel like I will be on a mission forever, but then I realize that it will come to an end quickly. I want to use this time well! President taught about Dilligence and how we should be anxious to keep finding people and obtaining referral's up until the very last minute! I totally agree with him, but sometimes it's easy to forget that. I love the scripture in Moroni 8:16-18 when he talk's about preaching the word and how our perfect love casteth out all fear. Sometime's it is sooooo hard to talk to people! Especially because they probably already talked to other sister's. But we have to be bold!! I also love in Alma 38:10-12 Alma teaches Shilblon to use boldness but not over bearance.... so key to Temple Square. We are the face of the church here and we would never want them to leave with a bad impression.. never.
So a few experiences. Yesterday we met Dylan, a kid who lives in SLC and has had a really hard life. After talking with him we could see that he is searching for truth in his life, he want's to over come his trials. I told him I had a scripture for him so I opened my Book of Mormon and started looking... I could NOT find anything!! I was thinking, "what in the world? I can alway's find a scripture!" THEN I looked at my companion and she was standing there smiling with a scripture all ready to share. She started talking and new exactly what to share. I was AMAZED as she bore a powerful pure testimony and I was humbled once again by her desire to follow the spirit. We also took 4 Stanford business student's on a tour on Sunday. They were all so awesome and had great questions. 2 of them referred to recieve the Book of Mormon and we were so excited! It was so neat to see how prepared they were. What was surprising was that the two who referred were actually the 2 who seemed less interested.. alway's interesting.
I had some great experiences in the referral center as well! I spoke with a women minister who lives in New Jersey and she had a TON of question's about the Book of Mormon. I love how my heart beats so fast as I just pray that I will be able to answer her next question.. she was talking really loud and I was feeling like she was going to get mad or argumentative, but then I would answer her question and she would just say "oh ya, that makes sense". Sister Watanabe next to me is trying so hard. She get's sooooo nervous to call people because her English is still so little. But she alway's does soooo well and we alway's celebrate after she get's a referral.
Last week I was talking with a new Sister who is from India. Her name is Sister Vupadda and she is incredible. Of course my love for India has drawn me to her and I just want to know everything about her life. So she joined the church 5 years ago, shortly after joining her father passed away. Last September, her brother who was preparing for a mission, also passed away. When she told me this my heart just broke and I got teary eyed. I was just reminded of all the sweet sweet people I know and LOVE in India. This Sister has gone through so much and sacrificed so much to be here on her mission. It was such a special moment for me to recognize once again my blessing's and also to see how significant it is to have sister's that are here from all over the world. So humbling.
Another sister who is going home shared this in her talk last Sunday. She said that Elder Perry came and spoke to our mission last year she shared that during his talk he suddenly looked up and said "The Temple Square Mission is the most powerful missionary force that has ever been assembled", then he went back to his thoughts. I think about this and am overcome with gratitude that the Lord trusted me, Carly Jo, to come here to this mission. I am working hard ever day to do the Lord's work, so that I can give my best to one of the most powerful mission's in the world. I thank you for you love, concern, and prayer's.
Love you all!- Sister Carly Jo Porter
Mosiah 4:27