Megan's emails fom 11/30/14 and 12/7/14

Email from Megan Rachel Porter from the last 2 weeks: 

11/30/14 email: A week of Miracles and Frustration! (The Life of Missionary)
Well should I start with the good or the bad news??? I'll start with the bad news...
Sister L didn't get baptized. She wanted one of her friends to be there so it will be next week! But yeah, so that was kind of a bummer!! But I know she will get baptized so its okay to wait another week.

But for good news.... We had something amazing happen with Sister G! So to preface it a little bit Sister P had fasted last week that Sister G could find a way to come to church and I had fasted Tuesday-Wednesday for the same reason. Then on Wednesday night when we met with her she was like "Oh I need to tell you guys something! I can come to church on Sunday for all three hours." And we were like "what?" and she said it again in Chinese but we were still like "What!?" so then she said it in English and we were like "No, we know but like what!?!?! How!?!" And she said "I have been praying to Heavenly Father so hard asking that I could find a way to come to church and then this random worker came back to work! I'm happy cause I can come to church!!" We were like "Oh my Gosh! That's so awesome!!!!" And she was like "I know! I know He has heard my prayers for two different reasons. One was when Sister P was leaving I prayed that she wouldn't leave and then she didn't! And second, because of this, because I can come to church! And these two things are really important to me!" I almost started crying! It was such a testimony builder for me! My prayer, Sister P's prayer, and Sister G's prayer were all answered! I was soo happy! So she came to all three hours of church and she was so cute! She's being interviewed this Saturday. Last night we went over the baptismal interview questions with her and she was so great. We also read Pres Uchtdorf's talk from the General Relief Society session this last conference about how much Heavenly Father loves us and she was so smiley and happy while we were reading it. She's so prepared. I feel like I haven't even done anything to help her progress!

Other cool things that happened:

On Tuesday the Asia Area President, Elder Gong, and his wife came to tour the mission so we had like a big Zone Conference and we got to eat a Thanksgiving meal for lunch!!! It was soo good! Even with Pumpkin pie from Costco! Yum! Elder Gong and his wife are pretty cool! She served a mission in Taiwan as well, at the same time as President Blickenstaff! She still speaks mandarin. I feel like it's kinda hard being a General Authority's wife though cause you have to travel ALL the time!

We got to decorate the chapel for Christmas! It was really fun! Sister G helped us too 

I love you all! I'm so grateful for everything you guys do for me!!!!! Stay strong in everything you do and rely on the Lord!!!!

12/7/14 email: It's Getting Cold Here!

It's finally getting cold! Woo!!! I even went to a Family Mart (like a 7-11) to get hot chocolate today! And last week too.. haha! Its kinda expensive though.... Well relative to everything else... But I realized that I have like no warm clothes. And it will be especially cold if I get moved up to the Taizhong area where the mission office is.... Oh well! Oh wait, I do have warm clothes jk.. I have that one jacket we got at Burlington, but I don't have like any pullover sweaters or anything.

SISTER L GOT BAPTIZED!!!!! She was sooo cute! She was crying so much And guess what... Her son that lives in NY is now gonna look into the church!!!!! Wooo!!!! The first picture is her and her aunt Z mama who was the first convert in Pingdong! She gave a little talk and she was just saying how grateful she was that her niece could get baptized! Sister G came to the baptism and she was crying too! She is so excited to get baptized this weekend!

WE HAD A MISSION WIDE CHRISTMAS PARTY SO I GOT TO SEE MY MTC DISTRICT! It was sooo much fun!!! We went to Foguangshan which is the same place I went my first transfer here in Taiwan, but to the other side of it that has the biggest statue of Buddha! Idk if its the biggest in the world or just in Taiwan... We took buses there as Zones and then after being there for a couple hours we went to one of the nicest hotels in Taiwan and ate at a buffet there. There buffets here are really good. They aren't like American buffets! It was soo fun to catch up with everyone! Sister T and I talked a lot. We sat next to each other for the buffet so that was fun! Me and Elder S also talked quite a bit. I love them all!

I went on exchanges this week so I got to spend the day with a Taiwanese!!! My first day with a Taiwanese companion! She was so awesome! It was fun being with her! I really want a Taiwanese companion so my Chinese can improve even more. She told me that I will be a leader really soon. But I don't think so cause I would have to have really good Chinese.. We'll see! Every week I feel more and more comfortable with my Chinese. Its such an awesome language. I love it. Especially the characters! Its fun writing them cause its like drawing!

I know that everything I have been able to accomplish here is all from the Lord. There are times when I really start to ponder and I think "How the heck do I speak Chinese!? Where did this come from?" And then the people that we were given to teach, like Sister G and Sister L. They were already so prepared when we met them. The Lord is hastening His work. He knows all of His children. Very personally. It's amazing. I love this gospel. I love Heavenly Father and His Son and everything that they have done for me in my life.

I love you all so much! You mean the world to me!
Love forever,
Megs  

Megan Rachel Porter's 8/18/14 email: "Wow! What a change it is going to Taiwan! Holy Moly...! It is a very big culture change. Its really hard to explain the cities! Like they look dirty on the outside of the buildings, but on the inside they are nice! I wonder if it's because of the humidity and maybe smog? I don't know! But being at the mission home was fun! We worked out really hard and I got SOOOO sweaty! Yeah, I just sweat all the time here. The Blickenstaffs (Mission President and his wife)are amazing! I already love them! They took us all out to eat a couple times while we were there. They're just so real and really nice. The APs were also really nice. They helped us out a lot and helped us feel welcome. I'm actually sleeping well! I didn't have a lot of jet lag, which was great! I think its because we woke up two days in a row super early at the MTC!
So on Saturday we got to know who our trainer was and where our area was! I'm with Sister H and I'm in the Pingtung area! It was like a 3 hour train ride down there from Taichung City. So its almost the most south mission which means its one of the most hot areas haha! YAY ME! We live in an apartment on the 13th floor of a building (the top floor). It's just us. But we have a bedroom, study room, living room, and another room that we use as a changing room. And we each have our own bathrooms. The only problem is that there is only AC in our bedroom. So when we study its kinda hard for me to focus cause I'm so hot! But nothing too bad to complain about! Pingtung has a big city and then some rural areas. We spend most of our time in the city.

The members are great here! I still don't understand what anyone really says.... But its okay! Haha a lot of them actually speak pretty good English. Which is good sometimes. Like for example, I woke up Sunday morning (the morning after I got to Pingtung) with this weird bug bite looking thing on the bottom of my foot! Then it spread and like a line across the bottom of my foot! It hurt to put pressure on it and it itched so I still don't know what it is. But this one lady that has really good English gave me a couple of her essential oils to put on it! Everyone is so willing to help here! Its getting a little bit better. I can't feel it as much so that's good! But last night (Sunday night) we went to the C family's house. Before that to be honest I was having a really hard time. Mostly because I was like "crap, I can't understand what anyone is saying" and I felt like I didn't know what I was doing cause its so different from being a missionary at the MTC. I was just soooo overwhelmed... And I wasn't eating much just cause I never had an appetite and I'm still not used to the Taiwanese food, but going to the C family's house helped a lot. We had some weird food, but just being normal with them and the other four elders that are in our ward (oh yeah, there are three companionships just in our ward!) was awesome and it helped me have a better attitude. So I was thankful. I'm a lot more homesick here than I was at the MTC... Its just hard. But I'll get better! I'm feeling better today. I'm definitely leaning on the Lord. I know i cant do it by myself.

Lets see... We have a couple investigators, a lot of Less Actives, and a couple Recent Converts we all have to meet with! Hopefully things will turn out well. We have one girl that is a less active. She talks soooo fast so the whole time we were meeting with her I was just kinda staring off into space! Hopefully I'll be able to understand more sooner than later. I just wanna help people. but I can't if I don't know what they're saying! Ohhh well...

The Food I've eaten so far::::
-Duck brain
-Fish eyes
-at the c family house I don't even know what I ate, but I did eat a whole fish.... haha
-noodles
-dumplings
-wraps (like the one we had at that Taiwanese restaurant in SD)
-and a ton of other stuff
The food takes a little getting used to... It still makes me feel a little squeamish. A little sick, especially the member's food. Eating out isn't so bad! And everything is super cheap too! Which is great!

Its already rained twice here in Pingtung and I still don't have my luggage and my bike. It will probably come today, tomorrow, or Wednesday. I don't have all my stuff! Its just all at the mission home because I couldn't take all the luggage and bike on the train. I've been using this other sister's bike and she was a lot taller than me so after the first night I was sooo sore. Haha! But I've been learning how to ride better! Its definitely a work out... So yeah, I sweat a lot.

I'm liking the city more and more every day which is good. I'm starting to like Taiwan more. Its not the same as America, but its all good haha Its crazy how everyone drives! Especially the little scooter people haha sooo many people ride scooters and its kinda scary! But we're staying safe! Oh yeah, something else weird here is that the trash trucks play REALLY loud music! Like that is how everyone knows when to take the trash out so you'll see a ton of people on the streets when the trash trucks come. And its super stinky too when we ride by on our bikes. But the music is sooo loud and its like ice cream truck music! haha!

I love you all and I miss you all!"

The District

"Wow, it has been crazy here at the MTC (Missionary Training Center), as I said last week! But, it is slowly getting better. We are finally getting into the swing of things and our schedules are more regular now. So I'll just give you an overview of what has been happening since I have more time now!

So on Wednesday our teacher Sister O (or Xia Laoshi) spoke to us ONLY in Chinese for 3 hours!!! I felt so lame because I knew like nothing!

Our District is super awesome!!! On Thursday night we decided to all get to know each other more so we talked for like an hour taking turns talking about our families and whatnot. So our District is Elder M (he's from Alaska and he graduated high school when he was 16 cause he's super smart), Elder S ( he's from Texas. He and I get along really well!), Elder C (He is from Wyoming and was in the Air Force Academy. His Dad works in China), Elder D (He's from Utah. He's kinda quiet but he's funny!), Elder N (From Oklahoma. He's been a member for like 3 1/2 years. He just graduated high school but he's sooo funny! He's always laughing like me), Elder U (He's our District Leader. He's from Utah and is also super cool. I like him a lot), Sister C (from Utah. She has an adopted brother from Korea! Which is really cool.), Sister T (She's from Utah. She's funny) and Sister M (From Oregon, she's HILARIOUS!). Everyone is just great! And we're all going to the Taizhong mission!!! So we'll be together for 18 months!

But I was nervous the first couple days, but now I think I'm better. I had to give the closing prayer in sacrament meeting on Sunday! All in Chinese! I was so nervous! But I did it! And people said I did well! We had a Devotional on Sunday night that was super good! Sheri Dew spoke to us. She wrote biographies about Pres. Hinckley and Pres. Benson and is the CEO of Deseret Book. I learned a lot listening to her!!

My branch Presidency is cool too! Two of them speak Mandarin and the President speaks German. They always talk about how obedience brings blessings but EXACT obedience brings miracles. I don't think I have problems with that though! The hardest thing for me is that I feel like I should be studying the language instead of the scriptures or whatever... But I've been trying to even it out so I'm growing and learning spiritually as well as learning the language. Anyway, we only have an hour so I'm sorry if this is short! Bye family!!!!

Wo zhidao Jesu Jidu shi Shen de Erzi. Wo zhidao women shi Tianfu de haizi. Wo zhidao Shen he Yesu Jidu ai women!!!
(Translation:I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I know we are children of our Heavenly Father. I know God and Jesus Christ love us!)"

Zai Jian!!!
Bo jie mei!

                                               Here are my books for the next 9 weeks!

Bo Jie Mei (Sister Porter) sent her first email!

Wow... Can I just say that this is such an overwhelming, but cool experience! It's kinda scary at first. Well... really scary. My tongban (companion) is Sister C (Bi jie mei). She's from St. George. My District is great! There are three companionships of Elders and two of sisters. We all get along! I've learned so much already and I've only been here three days! I know how to pray, bear my testimony, say where I'm from, say my name (Bo jie mei) (The Bo is the Chinese version of Porter, well of Po, and then Jie mei means sister) all in Mandarin!! It's crazy fast and amazing how cool it is that we can learn so fast! I know it's not just us, but it's the Lord helping us! I felt kinda behind (well still kinda do) because all but three of us have taken Mandarin or know some Mandarin. I'm trying not to compare myself to them but its hard. And guess what!? Today we already had to teach a fake investigator for 20-30 minutes!!! In Mandarin!!! It was sooooo scary! My tongban spoke the most because she had already taken some Mandarin Classes. I was so lost the whole time. I didn't know what they were saying! All I knew was that I could bear my testimony and I could say the closing prayer so that's what I did!  I probably bore my testimony while they were talking about something else super random, like introductions and family and stuff!!! hahaha

Anyway, Gotta go!!!  LOVE YOU ALL!!! 

Love

Bo Jie Mei!!!

    She is off on her Mission to Taiwan!                  

                         Megan started her mission in the very early hours on June 11th!

She flew to Salt Lake City where her sister, Aimee, picked her up to take her to lunch before dropping her off at the Missionary Training Center in Prove, Utah. Megan will spend the next 9 weeks studying Mandarin in order to serve the people of Taiwan. She is scheduled to leave for Taiwan the middle of August.  We will miss her terribly but we know she is serving our Heavenly Father by teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Taiwan.  Megan will grow so much during this experience. Megan, you will be in our prayers!

Good luck Sister Porter and may the Holy Spirit guide you for the next 18 months!!!

Some Cool Experiences

I had these two experiences a while ago, while I was still in Provo, but because of my hectic last couple weeks of the semester and being home, trying to get stuff done for the mish, I haven't uploaded them yet! Here they are!

Cool Experience 1:

I had been trying to use a language learner audio book thing to start learning some Mandarin. I was overwhelmed thinking, "How am I going to be able to do this!? This language is nothing like anything I had ever heard before!" And in another missionary blog for missionaries that had served in the Taichung mission this one sister RM commented, "I never really picked up the language." When I read that I felt like I was doomed! But a day later I decided to read my Patriarchal Blessing. There are a couple of lines where it talks about me being a missionary. One sentence in those lines specifically said, "You will be able to communicate well with the people you come in contact with." This was just what I needed to lift my spirits. It was a little booster that encouraged me to have more strength and more confidence in myself.

Cool Experience 2:

So I had to get a temple recommend interview with a member of my Stake Presidency here, in Provo. I had never met any of them personally before so I was excited to meet at least the one that would be interviewing me. One of them comes out to call me in to have the interview. His name is President Woodruff (cool right!?). Anyway, I sat with him in a small room and we started chatting about my mission and my call. He then proceeds to tell me that he is on the missionary committee, so he gets to sit in with the Apostles and look at the projected faces of future missionaries and decide where they will be called to serve. Well I just thought that was like the coolest job ever! He then said that he remembered me and that he recognized my face and my call! It felt so amazing that he was there when my call was assigned! He also asked me if I had taken any language classes in high school. I said yes, that I had taken Spanish for three years. He followed my response with, "Well now you should know that your call was truly inspired by God because it's around an 80% chance that people who had taken Spanish classes go to a Spanish speaking mission!" Wow. They knew that I was supposed to go to Taiwan. It would have been simpler just to send me to Texas, Spanish speaking, or to Chile or any other Spanish speaking mission, but they are sending me to Taiwan. I am so grateful that he shared those things with me because it has helped me have a greater knowledge of how much mission assignments are truly called of God. 

In less than two weeks I'll be in the MTC! It is so crazy to think about! I have been waiting so long. I am so excited, the nerves haven't kicked in yet, but I know that I will be so shocked once I get on the plane to go to the MTC, or when I actually enter the MTC! It's is going to be such an amazing experience and I cannot wait to start it!

THE OPENING

Opening the mission call was such an amazing, yet terrifying moment. Trying not to see the call before you read it is actually quite difficult. I tried to be sneaky and make it seem like I didn't see the call (but I did, it was completely on accident! I was mad at myself!) 

THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR... (But not really because you already know where I'm going) THE OPENING!!!!!!

As I started reading the first line of the call, the "Sister Porter, You are hereby called as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" I wave of emotions flood over me. "Oh my gosh, this is really happening!" "Here it is! The thing that's gonna change my life forever!"Not only did I have these crazy emotions but I actually read the sentence wrong so I didn't really end the sentence soon enough. So I played it off by saying "Oh my gosh" pretending that it was my crying voice that made me pronounce the word "Saints" wrong (you will be able to hear it in the video). Here I am, about to go on a mission and I can't even read! Anyway, back to the call. The next line was such a shock to me: "You are assigned to labor in the Taiwan Taichung mission." WHAT THE HECK!?! I thought I was gonna go Spanish speaking in the States or something, just because I had taken three years of it in high school and my sister, brother, dad, and many relatives all speak Spanish. But no, I'm going to the other side of the world where I bet there is not a lick of Spanish anywhere! As I read on, "Provo MTC June 11th" - cool, cool "Mandarin Chinese language" - whaattttt???? 

 Yes, I knew they spoke some sort of Asian language in Taiwan but to actually read it out loud made me more aware of that fact. What is this foreign language? What does it sound like? Am I going to be able to learn this language!? This was something I had never expected in my life!

For the remaining 7 hours, until 2 AM (where I spent all that time doing homework that I was too worked up to do previously) I was just in a state of shock. Pure shock. I was shaking. I was staring blankly at the walls. Playing through my mind over and over again was the "Mandarin Chinese language" phrase. I'M GOING TO BE SPEAKING DANG CHINESE! To be honest, it still shocks me to this day, more than a month later! The next day at school, still shocked. The next day after that: still shocked. I think I was shocked for a week, maybe longer! I don't know what it was, but eventually I learned that Taiwan is supposed to be where I am going to serve. A calm feeling came over me. I felt so happy. Not that I wasn't happy before, because I was! But I was just more sure of it.