Aunty Pearl's Baptism!

Hello everyone! Everything is going well in Trinidad, well, for the most part, I guess. During Zone Conference on Friday there was a small 4.1 earthquake in Arima, which isn't huge, but that's the second or third significant earthquake here in the last couple of months, including a huge flood that everyone is still working on cleaning up. Weather has been great though, it's not so hot here as it is in the Islands and more rain which I am enjoying.

Zone Conference was great as it always is. We almost have our whole MTC group together now, Elder Sessions, Elder Norton, Elder Stott, and I. The four of us haven't been together since the MTC, Elder Stott is in Guyana, but we got a picture of the other three of us together. This Zone Conference we talked a lot about developing Christlike attributes and listened to a short discussion from Elder and Sister Renlund from the mission presidents seminar. Christlike attributes aren't something that we attain just all at once, but rather, over a long period of diligent work for it. They are also things that we don't really attain by our own goodness, but they are gifts from God, and so there is no shortage of prayer and pleading that is necessary to attain them for sure. We also talked about, and I learned A LOT about, making goals and the power that goals can have when we have faith. Afterward Sister Williams fed us with the best chicken salad sandwiches I've ever eaten. haha. Something interesting though, Elder Soares is going to be coming to visit the mission in Feburary. He will be visiting Curacao to have a skype conference with all the mission except Trinidad, and then coming to Trinidad to have a meeting with the missionaries here, and the members. If I am still here in Trinidad next transfer or Curacao, it will be a great experience.

We started teaching this lady named Afeesha, who we met quite randomly while trying to decide where we would contact permanently. On Saturday we went by, hoping also to speak with her husband who also has some good questions. However, we had a great lesson with her about the Restoration. She is one of those awesome people who really listen to what we say and writes down all the scriptures we use and all the important things we tell her. The First Vision really intrigued her, but she knows that God has appeared to His prophets since the beginning. She told us "I am just looking for the true church of Jesus Christ," and was truthful enough to admit she isn't really sure where she should search for it. We testified that this is what she's looking for and left her to pray and we would come back to tell her more about the Book of Mormon. The Spirit was present and felt by all of us. Elder Hoard mentioned one of his favorite parts of missionary work is seeing the scriptures being fulfilled in front of us, and that is something I love about missionary work too. There are those out there that are "searching for the truth, but know not where to find it." Those people are out there, they just need simple invitations sometimes. She also understood that, if these things are true, that someone must show they wish to follow Jesus Christ by being baptized, so we look forward to sharing more with her on Tuesday. I love missionary work.

Sister Lopez (Aunty Pearl) was baptized this last Saturday. She was baptized into the Arima branch even though the other Elders have done most of the teaching. Her niece, Sister Fore, is the Relief Society President here in Arima. It was a wonderful spiritual service. We didn't quite have sufficient room in the Relief Society room for all the people who showed up. There were many members there to support her.

Have a great week everyone!
Elder Porritt

Aunty Pearl's baptism

Almost all the MTC amigos

Beautiful Scenery