2/29/2024

Cold again!?!?

Yes it got cold again. It doesn’t help that I’m on a bike but there ya go.

 

Monday

Very typical P-Day. We spent a lot of time at the church so I just played and practiced the piano. That’s it. Just shopping and relaxing at the church.

Tuesday

Super solid day. Almost all of our contacts went through. We had dinner with the Bucio family. They are super fun and the dynamic there is not like I have seen before. Super fun. Brother Bucio is a recent convert to the church so it is just fun getting to know him and the family. 

Wednesday

It wasn’t as good as Tuesday. However we did have a pretty good constructive District Council. The whole district was really united which is always great to see. We then had to drive all the way to the stake center to have our interviews with the Mission President for the transfer. The stake center is really cool. It has a real pipe organ. The chapel is super cool because of that. Interviews went great. After all that we then went out to do our contacts and not as many people answered the door. So that was unfortunate. My legs were super tired after that day.

Thursday

I had a great exchange with the other Mac G Elders. I was with Elder Biggs and my MTC companion Elder Child! While biking we heard a guy call us over. He was at a barber shop. We went over and the guy getting his haircut wanted to talk to us. Turns out he was a Pastor at the University of Houston. He just bashed us so we stood strong and then moved along. Right before we were going to go back for the night another guy walked up to us and then started bashing us. Not a bible bash. It sounded like he was completely anti to all Christian beliefs. After leaving that I for sure was not in a good mood but I got over it over night as I went on another exchange with one of the Zone Leaders Elder West in the Memorial Park 2nd area.

Friday

It was a decent day. We had lessons. We had finding time. It was balanced. There was one person they were starting to teach. He kinda softcore bible bashed us. It wasn’t like he was trying to make us trip over our words or anything like that. He just had his beliefs and many questions about what we were saying. We couldn’t even get halfway through the lesson of the Restoration before we ran out of time. It was probably a waste of time but it's ok. We had a big lunch then in the evening had 2 unplanned member meals. We showed up for our planned lessons and then they were like “The food is almost ready”. We were not ready for it. It was a great evening nonetheless. One of the members lives in a massive apartment complex that has a 6 story parking garage. The guest parking was at the top so we got an awesome view of the city with daylight and then with it lit up at night. 

Saturday

Great service day! We helped some members move. They are moving to another ward and we just helped move everything out of their last apartment into the parking lot to the U-Haul stuff. It was really cold while doing this. The cold literally came out of nowhere and so I was not wearing the right jacket for it. After helping the members move we had to go to a baptism interview for one of the Sisters friends. It was at an outdoor mall that was very peaceful and quiet but still really cold. Sister Simpson had a Ukulele. I was able to find a chord chart for the Ukulele and play the lava song. I learned it in 6th grade over 6 years ago. Crazy how time has flown. After the interview we got asked by Brother Siepert if we could help him move a dresser into his house upstairs. Of course we accepted. He came to pick us up. He lives on the west side of downtown. It was so cool driving towards downtown and through it to the other side. They live in one of the super tall thin houses. Theirs is 4 stories tall and the top has a roof-top patio. The view of Downtown there is one of the best I have seen. It was really cool. The members here are really cool. 

Sunday

MacG is always pulling through with getting people to church. I actually have to split up from my companion in Sacrament meeting so that we can be able to sit with different friends to help make sure they understand everything. The 2nd hour we had all our friends in the room. They were contributing to the lesson and having great questions. During the Sacrament meeting we learned that the MacG ward mission leader has gotten a mission call. He is going to be a Mission President in one of the Brazil missions. I am barely getting to know him and he is leaving already. It was a pretty good day. Our friend Angela will be getting baptized this Saturday so we are really looking forward to that. She is super solid with her testimony. I am really warming up to this area even if it is cold outside. 

Wow! That wasn’t as much as I thought. I want to give a small thought. This past week I read a book written by President Gordan B Hinckley. It is called "Way to Be". In the book it lists 9 things to do in your life to have a good life. I just would like to list them. If you see anything you want to improve I encourage it.

Be Grateful

Be Smart

Be Involved

Be Clean

Be True

Be Positive

Be Humble

Be Still

Be Prayerful

I can promise that as you try to BE these things, your life will be brighter. You will have more appreciation for the things and people around you. It will help you grow closer to God and be more like him.

Well that's it for this weeks weekly addition of “The life of Elder Portlock”