Planes, Trees, and Road-kill OH MY!

Hello from Virginia!!! :)

WOW!! This past week is FILLED with amazing new experiences!!! I don't even know where to begin!! I can't believe I'm out of Provo...out of the MTC!

Well, we left the MTC at 2:30am to drive over to the airport!  (That was the fastest drive to Salt Lake that I've ever experienced!)  We only got about an hour of sleep before that... I wasn't too tired until we boarded the plane! Luckily I got a little bit of sleep there. It was so fun flying with all the missionaries!! I did sit by a man who served a mission, but looked like he wasn't active in the gospel now. I hope he was able to remember how he felt being a missionary! He was nice! I also sat near a lady who asked me why we don't have cellphones! (She noticed all of us calling our families on the payphones) Because what teenager doesn't own a cellphone these days, right? It was my first experience telling a complete stranger what missionaries do! Kind of nerve-racking, but AMAZING! It is so cool to share my testimony and talk about Christ with everyone around me. Now that I'm OH SO experienced (wink wink), I wish I could go back and talk to that same lady --I would have so much more to say! ;) Anyway, after our layover in Minneapolis, we were on our last run to DC!! That time I sat next to missionaries. (There were 21 of us going to this mission!! And 4 more that came from the Mexico MTC!) Flying into the DC airport was AWESOME!! Seeing the Pentagon and all the other memorials from the sky was so cool!! (I also took an awesome picture from the plane.. I'll be sending it!) Then seeing President Riggs and his wife was the greatest feeling. He knew each of us by name and I knew that I was sent here so he could be my President! They are both so nice! We all got to have a mini tour of DC before driving to the President's home. It was so nice to have a dinner not made for thousands of missionaries. ;) That night the Sisters slept in a hotel! (Because there were so many of us) That was different! It was my last night having Sister Malufau as my sweet companion.  I miss her! But my trainer is so wonderful! Sister Cordner from Pleasant Grove and Nephi Utah! She amazes me every day in all that we do!

Now that it's just us and the world, it is pretty weird! I'm used to being surrounded by teachers and other missionaries! But I love this so much!! We are SUPER busy all day everyday.  We are covering TWO wards! Which is out of the ordinary around here. It's a LOT to remember and keep straight. Two wards means 2 Bishops, 2 Mission Leaders, twice the amount of members to work with, and twice the amount of dinners provided...which is a plus ;) But Sister Cordner has got it all under control! It's a good thing she was already covering these two wards before (but last time she was in a tri-panionship).

 Anyway, I'm just rambling on... Yes life is super busy, but it is so good!!  I love being so busy! It makes the days go so fast, and no room to think about anything besides the wonderful missionary work! I cannot tell you all how JOYFUL missionary work is!!! A couple days ago it was my first time knocking on doors! The people were so nice and one man from Saudi Arabia (there are people from ALL OVER here) was so excited and told us he'd call! :) That is quite the lucky first experience I think.. It has also been so amazing visiting all the less-active members and strong members. It is just so cool how I have nothing else to worry about besides these people! I can just talk to them and comfort them and not have to worry about getting homework done, or heading to school the next day, etc.

SUNDAY. Well! Two wards also means double ward council meetings and sacrament meetings! I was of course asked to pray for almost every meeting in classes, etc. I guess that's what happens when you're fresh! ;) I was also asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting for the Great Falls ward in two weeks!! Hahaha! It'll be great! It is a mission farewell. Also, it was so glorious to see a soon-to-be member in church!! He has been meeting with missionaries for over a year now, and is scheduled to be baptized on December 6! I hope everything goes well. He's been kind of hard, but looks like he's ready! :) Sister Cordner says that I'm a miracle! There has been so many people that haven't been home or have been busy, but since I've been here and met them at the door, they have been open! I just love being a missionary. I have never felt so much love for others!

Also, I cannot believe

Well, just some background on what I'm seeing over here in Virginia! This area is very rich, and almost everyone lives in a mansion, or city apartments! The houses are beautiful!! The Stake President (in the Great Falls ward as well) has a beautiful home where all of the missionaries in the stake had breakfast on Saturday! They are so nice! Sister Hall even had mini stockings with treats for all of us!)

There are TONS of trees here!!! The city area and big streets are filled with tall buildings and cars, but once you turn off of those roads, it feels like you are driving through the canyon! I can't wait for the spring when all the leaves come back! There are also tons of animals everywhere! Every morning I can hear the birds singing! --Literally singing! You can see deer and squirrels running through the trees everywhere too! And with lots of animals, trees, and roads.....you get lots of road-kill! Within 5 minutes, I saw a raccoon, deer, and three squirrels on the side or middle of the road..pretty sad. But it really is beautiful here ;)

To answer some of my mom's questions.. :)

1. No, I haven't gotten my package quite yet. It is still in the Mission Office, but I will be getting it tomorrow at our District Meeting.

2. I'm not quite sure why there were so many missionaries coming out at the same time.. But there were about 20 that left that day too! That was so cool to hear their testimonies at the Transfer Meeting! I wonder what I will be saying that day.

3. My address is 1444 Crowell Road Vienna, VA 22182. We live in a members' house!! Brother and Sister Davis (85 and 65 year olds) are the sweetest people!!! Brother Davis is a convert to the church and LOVES missionaries. Brother Davis is famous for his chocolate ice-cream sodas, and homemade biscuits!! (SO yummy!)

4. Sundays are pretty crazy! OH! And I saw the flyer with my picture on it!!!!! Hahahah!!! I took a picture with it :)

5. One of the many funny stories include:

We met with a non-member Ms. Murray last week. Her son is a convert and has schizophrenia. They are Hispanic, and Ms. Murray is about 4'6"! Very tiny, sweet older lady. :) She just talks and talks and talks and loves to go on about how God gives her everything she asks for (even two new cars!) :) She has amazing faith! She is a faithful Catholic, and is verrrry slowly but surely coming around...hopefully. Anyway, the funniest thing is that she says things and it makes me think of Nacho Libre!! Ha!! Sister C and I just can't help but giggle when she's talking, and while her son is chatting away at the same time. But anyway, there are so many funny people that we talk to. It's interesting to see what people tell missionaries! They tell us EVERYTHING :)

6. For Thanksgiving we are going to eat with some members in their home. They are so nice!

7. My straightener is working great! No need for a new one! :D

8. I don't have anything on my Christmas list... haha! I really have everything I need and want! If I think of anything, I'll let you know. Thank you so much! :)

I cannot believe Kale might have broken his wrist!! I hope he gets better for basketball! And how cool is meeting and hearing Elder D. Todd Christofferson at our stake fireside!!! That must have been amazing!

Well, I just want to tell you all that being a missionary is definitely the most amazing thing I've ever been!! Yes, I am very tired, but doing this work is so exhilarating! I would encourage all of you to look at everyone around you and see how you can help. Think of someone who just needs someone to listen to, or who could use a kind note :) Because there aren't as many members here in VA, the members in the wards are AMAZING at all they do for their neighbors! Sister Parker in the ward goes around walking each day and has found countless people to share the gospel with. The members help find people for us to teach all the time. Last week we also got to meet a lady from Latvia! She is an older lady and is living alone now. Her husband passed away and didn't have children. Sister Parker is her close friend and invited us to come visit her.  We helped her fix some light-bulbs and talked with her. She gave us some Danish cookies and we were able to pray with her. She was very hesitant and didn't want to at first, but we did it! She even got emotional --which she told us was because she missed her husband. I could feel the Spirit there and I know she felt it too. I just find so much joy in sharing the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and how much Heavenly Father truly does love each of us individually. 

I cannot wait to see the future unfold!

I want each of you to know that God, our loving Heavenly Father knows you. He loves you! We are His children! Children of God. In Romans 8:17 it says, "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." How amazing! We are truly heirs of God and we can be joint-heirs with Christ by suffering with Him. Think about what that means to you. How can you suffer with Christ that you may be glorified with Him? I know that by relying on Him and utilizing the Atonement daily, we will each be glorified infinitely!

I love each of you so much! Thank you for all of your love and support. I feel it!

Love,

Sister Winterton ♥

P.S. Wish me and Sister C luck tonight as we teach a member of the Seventy! (He's a member in our ward! --We teach member lessons daily!) I'm excited! It is Elder and Sister Gerard.  :)

I MADE IT!!! :)

Hey family!!!! I am here in Virginia!! I can't believe it! It is so
unreal. Last night all the sisters stayed in a hotel instead of the
mission home! The last night with Sister Malufau, Davis, and Moore.
The flight here was awesome!!! Cool to see DC from the sky! Anyway,
just emailing you to let you know everything is fantastic!! My trainer
is Sister Cordner from Pleasamt Grove/Nephi Utah! :) She's so cute and
fun! I love it here!! So many trees!
Here's the house address I'm living at is:
Sister Kyra Winterton
1444 Cromwell Road
Vienna, VA 22182
It's the home of a sweet sweet old couple! I love them so much.
Talk to you Pday!
Love you SO much! Night! :)

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My adventures at the MTC are coming to an end!

Hey everyone!

Can't believe it's been a week since I last wrote!!! But at the same time I totally can... Ha! There's so much to say..like always.. But this time I have a list of awesome things that happened each day so you can have a glimpse of what's happening here at the Happiest Place On Earth!! ;) 

Starting with Saturday... we went to the temple grounds!! It was so fun to be there with a ton of missionaries! It is pretty weird that it's my hometown, but so fun! Everyone thinks it's hilarious that I live down the road.. I tell them that it's like I haven't even left yet! It's going to hit me hard when I leave on Wednesday morning at 2:30am!!!!  Sunday was fantastic! Very cool experience to have sacrament meeting with my zone! Luckily I wasn't chosen to give a talk (it's a random pick each week!) but we'll see about this Sunday! For Relief Society all the Sisters here at the MTC gathered and watched Music & the Spoken Word and then got to hear an amazing talk by President Bonnie L. Oscarson (the General Young Womens Pres)! Sister Johnson (going to my same mission-- but not in my zone) sang a beautiful solo for everyone. I'm excited to serve with her! Everyone thinks I look exactly like her...some people even came up to me and said "You did such a great job singing! It was beautiful!" hehehe...I should just thank them ;)  I can't believe that this Sunday will be my last here! Time seems to be going faster these days...

Monday was so fun! I was in class and all of a sudden got called to go to the health services. I arrived and found that I would be leaving in ten minutes to go get a new impression done for a retainer!! (Thank you mom!!!) It was such a fun experience!! Sister Malufau and I had a nice relaxing time driving out of the MTC and sitting in the waiting area of the dentist (where we both had a hard time refraining from dancing to the music playing....) It was also very cool to hear "Hey Sisters!!!" from random strangers in the building! We've been hearing that all week from other missionaries, but what a different feeling it was to hear it from others outside of the MTC! Our training investigator is Lawanna from my ward!!! How lucky is that?? ;) Sister M and I had a great experience really teaching through the Spirit. I never knew that I would be able to have that here. We both believe that Lawanna was just for us. It has been a blessing to all three of us this week! (It's also been nice to receive some delicious homemade pumpkin cookies from my mom!) :) 
Gym time has been so fun! I have been able dominate in Speed with the elders and sisters in my district :) Haha! Monday night was also crazy because the sisters in our zone left!!! So crazy!!! That will be me so soon! Sister M was so sweet and gave them all leis as we said our goodbyes. They were such great examples and helped us feel comfortable here! We just welcomed a new district in our zone on Wednesday! They seem younger...so weird! I'm pretty sure the MTC definitely ages us by at least a year... 

On Tuesday we got to have our service activity! Sister Malufau, Moore, Davis and I (roomies) all got to put up the flags outside!! What a cool experience!!!! I've always looked at those flags from the outside and never knew the missionaries raised them. We were so lucky to have that experience. The Tuesday night devotional was wonderful. Bishop Dean Davies (2nd counselor in the General Bishopric) spoke! He shared a really cool story about his previous job that I would like to share.  Bishop Davies job was to find new temple locations around the world! (Pretty cool right!?) He worked with President Hinckley.  Bishop was searching the different places in Vancouver and found the perfect place. After months of consideration, they presented it to Pres Hinckley. They agreed to go look at the location just to be sure. As President Hinckley walked around, he agreed that it was wonderful. He then told Bishop Davies that they should go drive around just to check out all the other places there might be. As they pulled up to the top of a hill, President Hinckley told him "This is where the Lord wants His house." After researching the land, Davies found out that that specific piece of land was owned by three people (from Canada, China, and America!) and that it would be difficult to build on. After months of planning they were finally able to buy the land and figure all the details out. Bishop Davies told us that even though you might think you have the right decision in mind, you must consider ALL your options before coming up with a conclusion. The best choice might not be the easiest, but that is what the Lord wants you to choose. This really hit me. We really do need to make comparisons before we decide! For me, this applied to what I need to teach investigators. Now that I have this perspective, I study different lessons and topics before I just choose one I THINK the investigator needs. What we think is almost always different from what the Lord knows. He knows what is best for us. We need to give Him options, and He will help us decide which direction to take.

Wednesday was awesome! I got the best package everrr :) "What day is it? What day is it?! MTC Hump Dayy!" HAHA!! I loved it!!! I still haven't found the time to actually eat the really-yummy-looking cupcakes my mom sent! I can't wait... :) I didn't even realize that it was my MTC "Hump Day" until I got that package! Anyway, it was fantastic! Made my day!!

Thursday was In Field Orientation!! (The WHOLE day!!) We were taught so many great things! I now feel more confident in how to approach random people I will soon be meeting on the streets of VA. I learned how to contact by talking about family history! I never thought about that before! It is a great conversation starter, and everyone loves family, right? :) 

Today has been great! We got to go through the temple today. I felt more peace and comfort there today then I ever have previously. I know that the temple is the House of the Lord. Visit as often as possible! 

Well, I can't believe I will be leaving here soon. I am so excited to go out into the field this next week! Thank you all for your love and support! This has been one of the hardest things I've ever done. I know that through Heavenly Father's help we can truly overcome anything!! He is always willing, and is ALWAYS there. He love YOU!! And so do I! 

Until my next P-Day in the field, 
Sister Winterton 
♥♥♥

Dork Dot!!!

I LOVE THE MTC!!!

Family and Friends!!!

I don't have much time.... But I hope I can express to you all the love and joy I feel here at the MTC!  It is already the best experience I've ever had.  (And everyone is right! It is so cool to be on the other side of the fence!)  

My companion's name is Sister Malufau from Oahu, Hawaii!!!!! Right when I saw her name on my paper (before I met her) I knew she was sent here for me.  The second I saw her I felt so much comfort and peace! We really do love each other so so much. (We think we are the best... ha!) She is hilarious and we have a ton of fun! We also enjoy reading the scriptures and studying together.  We have felt the love of the Savior and Heavenly Father so many times! Yesterday we began to teach an investigator... Pretty nerve-racking for the both of us, but it went very well!  After teaching him we had this overwhelming feeling of joy! We couldn't help but cry.  We are so similar :)  Being a missionary is the best thing I could ever do!! That experience really opened my eyes and helped me know that there is nothing greater for me to do right now.  

The teachers here are wonderful! They give the best lessons and teach with the Spirit so powerfully.  I am so grateful for their examples! I'm trying my best to be confident and participate in every class! I'm getting better by the hour! I cannot believe how much I have grown within the last 2.5 days! It feels like it's been a week....! 

My district includes me and Sister Malufau, Sister Davis and Sister Moore (our roommates!), And four elders that are headed to Canada on their missions! They are fun, and it's been very cool to get to know them slowly each day.  We all have grown so much as a district! My calling in our Branch is the Online Coordinator! It is great so far! 

Well I would like to share with you an experience Sister Malufau and I had this morning.  We both were preparing to teach our investigator again, and had a hard time finding what he needed to hear. We found out that he was not going to show up today, so that was somewhat of a relief, but we knew that we needed to figure out how we can better prepare for next time.  While studying the topic "Teaching People, Not Lessons" we found our answer! The perfect answer from Heavenly Father! We read 3 Nephi 17 1-9 together and truly felt the Lord telling us individually that we cannot possibly understand all of the words that He is giving us at this time.  This is an overwhelming experience, but I have never felt so much direction and comfort in my life.  Ever since that experience, Sister M and I have been stronger than ever! 

Last night we met our Branch President. He told us something that I will never forget.  It went something like this: "Some missionaries have a hard time with inviting the Spirit in.  Some may not try, but others try too hard.  When this happens, the missionary is pushing that door so hard, and the Spirit is trying to push the door from the other side. There is no way for the Spirit to come in unless you step aside and let Him come when He is ready."  (Sorry if that doesn't quite make sense...) That statement was exactly what I needed! I know that I was trying to BRING the Spirit in, but I did not take a step back and LET Him in.  I would invite you all to reflect on your relationship with the Holy Ghost and try to make adjustments to LET Him in.  I know that He is there for each of you at all times!  I am SO grateful for His influence.  Without Him there would be no way to communicate with our Father --which would make it impossible for me to know how to help bring His children back home.  The Spirit has blessed me here at the MTC so much!

My eyes are tired, my legs are sore, but my heart is FULL. I wish I could go on and on and tell you all things I have learned (because there is a LOT more I could share!!!!) but my time has now come to an end. 

I love you all so very much and feel your support! 

From the words of a great teacher, "Come unto Him & be TRANSFORMED". I know that Heavenly Father loves each of us individually and can speak to us! If we come unto Christ we can be transformed into who He wants us to be --and who we're destined to become! 

♥Sister Winterton

P.S. I have seen about TWENTY missionaries here from Timpview! Woo! So much fun! Also... I don't think I can upload pictures on this computer.. so hopefully I can figure it out for next week!!

The Temple Is Amazing!