Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Our last Leadership Training!

What a great group of Elders and a few Sisters were there as well! There are such exciting things happening with missionaries that it is very hard to leave! We must keep in mind that we are never released from missionary service--we are always on duty! It is who we are--we are representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ and we are here to gather his elect wherever we might be! It is truly evident to us that --No unhallowed hand can stop this work from progressing--it will go on boldly, nobly--till the Lord says it is done!(paraphrasing of course!)

4 comments:

Carla said...

Thank you for all you have done for Elder Handy. You have been such great teachers and examples for him. Our love and prayers go with you. The Handy Famiy

Ann said...

President & Sister Porter - you are going to be missed terribly.

We have been privileged to have had you visit our stake so often that I'm sure some of us can be excused for thinking that you were members of it!

Thank you for this amazing journal that you have painstakingly kept. It has been a joy to access; to track "our" missionaries, to see how thin (or not) they have been getting, :) to find out what's been happening in the mission, and of course to be uplifted by your words of wisdom. The pics & vids have also been cool.

I'm sure the families of all the missionaries who have been honored to have had you as their mission parents, will never forget you. We, here in Panmure Stake, would never forget you either.

We have felt your aroha for your NZAM - the people, the land, and of course your beloved missionaries. (Oh dear, I think I'm gonna cry!)

He mihi whakamutunga ... Ma te Atua kourua e tiaki, e manaaki i nga wa katoa. Arohanui rawa atu.


You don't know me by name, but we have a mutual friend who lives in Linden, Utah. I'm 'the handbag lady' - Shame!! ;)

Safe journey home, & Hurrah for Israel!!

Only Girl said...

Dear President & Sister Porter,
Kiora!! (I learned that from my uncle who served in New Zealand and loved the Maori people so much!)

I'm not sure if you'll remember us or not, but we were in the Colorado Springs North Stake in Pine Creek and 9th wards for 3 years while President Porter (and you, Kerri!) served as stake president. Our good friends are John and Susan Leavitt amongst others in the stake. Ringin' any bells? You were in Glen Eagle ward if I remember right. My friend Sandie Nixon was in that ward with you for a while. She now lives in Idaho Falls. Wonderful woman and friend.

Anyway, the reason I am writing is 1)To support some missionaries(YOU!) and 2)to tell you how small the world really is. Here's what I mean by that...you have an Elder Moss in your mission who's parents happen to be our very dear friends. As we were comparing our missionary sons' pictures on their respective mission websites (our son, James Peterson is serving in the Japan Sapporo Mission) both Mark and I recognized you and President Porter on your website! Elder Moss' parents are very grateful to you for teaching such a wonderful, missionary minded work ethic to their son. We told them that that is the way the Lord inspired President Porter to lead the Saints in the Colorado Springs No. Stake. I know we are very grateful for the loving leadership we felt while in that stake. I also know Aaron's Camp was a great influence on our missionary son. He loved the "Warriors of Light" song and the cool "Army of Helaman" coin to help him remember who he is and what he learned at the camp.

Sorry this is a novella, but I was so excited to make the connection and wanted to send you a note. I hope you remember us! We were leaving for my husband's USAF tour in Japan (where I served my mission--YAY!) right when you were reporting to the MTC. We can't believe how fast the 3 years went by. It wasn't quite 3 years for us because we evacuated with the state department/department of defense after the March 11th earthquake/tsunami/nuclear meltdown. I wasn't very happy to leave early and felt so sad for all the missionaries in Sendai and Tokyo missions who had to leave their missions a little earlier than expected. I loved my mission so much that I wanted to savor every second! I'm sure you feel the same way, too =0) We just were transferred to the Washington DC area shortly after we evacuated. It's a new adventure living in the Nation's capital and the members here are wonderful! We miss the Springs and our friends and ward/stake family there, but we still have our house! Mark has 3 years left until retiring from the AF so we could get back there. It all depends on a job!!

Okay, I'm signing off--finally! Thank you for listening to me! May the Lord continue to bless you in the last few weeks of your mission. I know you'll cherish every second and will love New Zealand forever! That's the power of the gospel and the Lord's plan for His children.

So glad the world is so small and hope our paths will cross again!

Love,
Terri & Mark Peterson

epoltester said...

Kia Ora Sister Porter,

I'm the Relief Society president for the Palmerston North ward, here in New Zealand. A recent convert moved here by the name of Philippa Brewer, who was baptized in the Rotorua stake end of last year. After baptism, she says she received a letter of welcome from the Mission president. She wondered if it were possible to get a copy of that letter, if at all possible.

I see that you and your husband are possibly at the end of your service? If you haven't already left the country, is there any hope of a reply to this comment? My email is epolte@hotmail.com.

What a great blog site :) I sincerely hope that your time has been most wonderful here in Aotearoa.

Best regards, Evelyn Hauck