Monday, December 28, 2015

Cheers! :)

This week was filled with Christmas cheer... Let me tell you! :D

This season I have learned so much about how Christmas is meant to be
simple. On Monday we were trying to make these super cute Christmas
cards (you know, the kind with the pictures and all that) but the
photo machine wasn't having it! Everything in the Photo Section of
Walmart started to shut down.. literally. After getting pretty
frustrated, we finally left. Although it is sad that we didn't get
cute cards sent out, our Christmas seemed to be a lot less about
"looks".

Our ward Christmas party was on Monday night! We had a nice bbq feast
and an ugly sweater contest. (Luckily some other Sisters in our zone
had some sweaters to share for us!) It also ended with a fun white
elephant gift exchange. It was a blast!

It was Sister Otteman's 21st Birthday on Tuesday! We had pancakes for
breakfast. In the afternoon we went to Cold Stone with one of our
investigators named Theo! Later that night we got to go caroling with
a lot of the missionaries in our zone. That was the best! It was so
fun to see people's faces light up when they opened the door. :)

On Wednesday night we got to meet with David again. He got his
Patriarchal Blessing on Tuesday! Someone interpreted in ASL while he
was given the blessing. How incredible! David is doing awesome!

Christmas Eve was amazing. We had lunch with the Parkin family (they
have two YSA's) before we drove to DC for our Mission Choir
performance! The concert was super
awesome! We had two shows - one at 7 and one at 8:30. Through the hot
spot lights and tired legs, we all sounded pretty good. ;) The Spirit
was so powerful when we sang the last song at the end of the night!
Our mission has some amazing talent. I'm so grateful I could be a part
of it! Oscar and Hector came to support us - they're awesome! I also
got to see Brother & Sister Davis! (I lived with them last year!)

Drum rollllll please..... Christmas!! Skyping with my family was the
best!! I can't believe how much deeper my brothers' voices have
gotten... haha! :) I can't believe another year has come and gone. I'm
so grateful for my family!! They're pretty much the best.

That day we had Christmas lunch at the Lewis's and then Christmas
dinner with Bishop Janzen's famliy. Party! I'm so grateful for all the
support and love we receive out here.

On Saturday we got to go help serve at the DC Temple Visitors Center!
It was awesome! My cheeks hurt from smiling. :) I had a really cool
experience! A man and his girlfriend walked up to me and another
Sister (she's from England!) and asked us a lot of questions about the
church. He was pretty intense about some of them and almost came
across as bashing, but the conversation went well. It is amazing how
the Spirit works through you while teaching. I do not know how to
answer every questoin, but I do know that God loves all of His
children. He will give us help when we need it.

I love you all and hope you have a Happy New Year!!
Love,
Sister Winterton















Monday, December 21, 2015

Tidings of Comfort and Joy!

Merry Christmas!! :D

I'm so grateful for this season!! Everyone is so excited to serve and to reach out to others. It's awesome!

On Monday for FHE we all went caroling in the neighborhood! It was so fun to brighten someone's night. ..the only weird thing was leaving the doorstep without teaching them about the Book of Mormon! (Yes, we could have, but it didn't seem like the right thing for that moment) ;)

We had an exchange with some Sisters again on Tuesday. We went to work at the Temple Visitors Center again! So much fun! I got to help usher people into the concerts that night... And got to say the opening prayer for one of them! (I was soo nervous ha!!) Such a fun experience! It was such a tender mercy to have people thank me afterwards.

On Thursday we got to have interviews with President Huntsman! He is so great! He sure does love us missionaries!

We had our Whole Mission Christmas Conference on Friday!! It was a blast!! I love how Sister Huntsman invited us to find joy in the simplest, smallest things this season. I invite you all to do the same! We don't have to go all crazy and worry about the knickknacks and the sparkles -- this is a season of peace. I am slowly gaining my own personal testimony of that too.. ;)
During our conference we also had a talent show!! And guess what?!.... I PERFORMED! Yep, you heard that right! The Sisters in our zone convinced us. Ha! We sang a cute Disney Sister missionary remix song. :) I was nervous out of my mind! But it turned out great! Everyone else did an amazing job too. We had a blast!

Last night we had an amazing Stake Concert! People around here go all out... :) They even mailed out about 4,000 invites to people in the community! There were a pretty good amount of people that showed up. The Spirit was so strong! Music is such a beautiful way of bearing testimony.

Well, our weeks consist of hunting for lost sheep (less-actives), family history searching with recent converts and planning... lots and lots of planning. It is going so well! We are working our hardest and can't wait to see some miracles happen!

I wish you all a very merry Christmas!!! I know that Christ was born for YOU. (Luke 2:11) He was born so that we can experience true happiness - in this life and the next.

I love you all so much!
Love,
Sister Winterton




Pictures:
1. My MTC group! (we all came out at the same time!)
2. My sweet MTC companion and I
3. The Sisters in our zone!
4. Us :)



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Monday, December 14, 2015

Temple fun! :)

I can't even believe that it's the middle of December! The weather has been up in the high 60's.. At least we bought a real Christmas tree! (of course a mini one) That helps us feel like it's winter time!

Last Monday we got to have another choir practice with the mission! We are getting excited to sing on Christmas Eve! That day we also got to say hello to a recent convert from one of Sis. Otteman's areas. So fun!!
For FHE our investigator named Theo did the spiritual thought! It was awesome!! The activity was a fun goodbye party for some people who are leaving off to college, etc. We should be having a lot of turnover within the next couple months. Sad and exciting!

We had a Zone Training on Tuesday where we got to present again! I'm slowly starting to get used to that.. ha! It is amazing how much the Spirit works through you. After the meeting we had a fun lunch with our District at a Peruvian place. That night I said my first prayer in ASL! Woo! Haha progress is slow but sure!

On Wednesday we got to be Temple Visitors Center Sisters!! It was SO different -- but so fun!!! We got to walk people through the crèche exhibit and show the video A Savior is Born to them. It was cool to try and pick out all the non-members there. My favorite part was meeting a guy named Vandell! He told us that he was a limo driver and just dropped off some people there. He said, "I usually go and park somewhere while I wait but I felt really strongly that I should come and check it out too! And I don't know what it is but everyone here is so welcoming and right when I walked through the doors there was such a peaceful feeling!" We ended up teaching him a little bit and got his information so we can send missionaries to him. So awesome!!! Prepared people literally come to you at the Visitors Center! It was also fun to see missionaries from our mission bring investigators. :)  

Thursday was transfers! Sister O and I are staying together! :D We are going to have a blast!! I'm so glad we're still together! I don't know how I'll be able to do this YSA thing when she leaves... I get to be her last companion! We're going to kill it this transfer!

For weekly planning on Friday we sat outside on our balcony! The weather is awesome!

We had an awesome service opportunity on Saturday afternoon with our Bishop's wife! We went and helped people "shop" at a Holiday coalition! We walked people who qualified around a warehouse where they got to choose a certain amount of toys, etc for their Christmas! It was a lot of fun to see their eyes light up! A lot of the toys were donated from Toys For Tots. :) I love this time of year!

On Saturday night we got to go to our Ward Temple night! We went with Oscar (a newer member) to go to baptisms for his first time. It was so cool! He had an awesome experience. There truly is nothing that compares to the peace you feel in the temple.

We also got to teach in Relief Society yesterday! So many opportunities to learn and be led by the Spirit. :) I'm so grateful for all of these experiences!!

I hope you are all having a fun December so far! Stay warm!! I love you all so much!

♥Sister Winterton


Pictures:
1- Our Zone!
2- We are VC Sisters! :D
3- Us and some Sisters from our District
4- Oscar's first temple trip!




Monday, December 7, 2015

It's the Little Things :)

Last Preparation Day we hosted a zone Sisters activity! It was a lot of fun! We wrote a Christmas letter to every Sister in the mission! There were a lot!! :) Everyone had a good time writing.
That night for FHE we presented the spiritual thought before everyone played quiditch! It was hilarious to see everyone running around with brooms throwing dodge-balls through hoops. The Harry Potter theme music added the perfect touch!

On Tuesday night we had an awesome lesson with our investigator named Jean Luc! He is awesome! He was investigating the church a few years ago off and on.. And this time he came to us! He is ready to change. We're excited to start teaching him!!

Our District Meeting on Wednesday was very powerful. We had a testimony meeting for the last half hour. The Spirit was so strong! I'm so grateful to be a part of this mission and to be strengthened by all the missionaries out here. We get to be a big part of God's plan -- and it's awesome! I know that what we share is true. God loves each of us so much! He knows us and He knows our needs.

That night we had a lesson with David! My sign language isn't doing so hot for now.. Luckily we got permission to download an ASL app on our iPads! Hopefully it will help me. :)

On Thursday we had an amazing meeting!!! ..It lasted for about 7 hours..but it was so worth it! All the leaders in the Mission (and a select few) got to attend. President Huntsman, Brother Gonzalez, and Brother Donaldson (former Mission President on the District episodes!) spoke to us. They did a lot of good training on effective planning and teaching simply. I feel so good about it! It only took me a year to realize that I don't have to be so uptight while teaching/contacting... haha! Better late than never. :)

Missions are full of ups and downs, but no matter what God takes care of it all. When lessons don't go quite as planned, or you can't seem to find any lost sheep..  I know that when we pray sincerely and with all our hearts He will give us peace. He also sends loving people in our path! On Saturday when we walked into a Wallgreens a woman ran up to us and yelled, "It's the missionaries!!!" and gave us both a big hug. The tender mercies of the Lord are all around us!

I love our Heavenly Father! I love all of you!

Happy December everyone :)
Love,
Sister Winterton
♥♥♥

P.s. I'm so excited for this week!! We get to be DC Temple Visitors Center Sisters for a day. :) Woot woot!!











Monday, November 30, 2015

Heart Full of Thanks

I hope you all had a super duper amazing Thanksgiving! I'm so grateful for all of you. :) I had a blast!

Last Monday I had a pretty crazy preparation day. We did an exchange with Sisters so that others could go to the temple.. So I got to be with Sister Makowa again! The sort of sad thing for us was that we had to go take our car in for a safety inspection...which took ALL day.....literally. But we made the most of it. ;) She is so funny!

On Tuesday we did another exchange -- this time with the Cotoctin/Hamilton Sisters! Sister Willes spent the day with me here in Shenandoah. She was a blast! I feel like we are the same people. Our adventure consisted of... a super awkward and long "pass-off" lesson with some Elders, contacting people near NOVA campus, cancelled appointments, annnnd getting PULLED OVER by a cop!! Yep. My very first time! Silly me.... I got pulled over because I didn't move into the center lane when there was a cop with his lights flashing on the side of the road. Whoops. Pretty much my heart was racing! We explained that we were missionaries from UT. Luckily (after sweating in my seat for what seemed like forever) the cop came back and said, "Well, normally I don't let people off with things like this, but since you're doing God's work I'll let you off with a warning." Next thing you know, I'm handing him a pass-along card and inviting him to watch a video. :) Whew! What an experience! Sis. Willes and I had a good time!
It was such a tender mercy to know that we got our car inspected the day before..just in case something was out-of-date, etc. Blessings!

Our Thanksgiving was awesome! We had brunch with Hector (recent convert) at Bob Evans - where he works. Lucky that we could spend his break time with him! Working on a holiday like that must feel like a drag. He's so happy going though!
Later we went to have a feast with our Relief Society President Alison and her family! It was fun to see little kiddos again. :) David (another convert) came as well! Alison's deaf cousin was there so it was cool to see them signing! Everything worked out well! I got to do some cute little crafts with the kids and a girl from our ward named Brigi (she's from Hungary). So fun!

On Friday we went to eat Café Rio with some Sisters before we had a mission-wide (optional) choir practice!! We are preparing to sing at the DC Temple Visitors Center for Christmas Eve! We are practicing 7? different songs! It should be an amazing performance. We are so lucky to be a part of it! Also, I got to see some members from my first area when we were at Café Rio!! Tender mercy. Crazy to think I was with them a year ago! I also got to see Sister Hansen at the choir practice..love her!

For exercise on Saturday morning we ran outside and watched the sunrise!! It was absolutely beautiful. Wish I had a camera! ;) That day we had a lesson with Theo (our investigator). He has basically been taught every lesson..just won't commit to be baptized. The ward is doing a great job with him. He is awesome!
That night I had the most awkward moment.... Let's just say I'm getting used to YSA life... When street contacting a guy, he started out all normal and friendly and then asked if we could help him when he needed comfort. My naïve self said "Yes!!!" Wow.... hahahah so embarrassing. Sister O and I couldn't stop laughing afterwards!

Anyways.... are you guys excited for Christmas or what!? I'm super pumped!! Seriously the best time on a mission. The Spirit of Christmas is so real. I'm already starting to feel it! I'm so grateful for our Savior. I know that He was born for us! I would definitely recommend reading the December Ensign article "Be at Peace" by Elder Christofferson. I know that as we sit in stillness and ponder on Christ's birth we can feel peace.

Happy December this week!! The weather is finally starting to get colder over here..

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers.

♥Much love,
Sister Winterton





Monday, November 23, 2015

Let the Holy Spirit Guide!

Seriously. The weeks keep getting faster. I was just barely sitting here! Haha, well there are plenty of cool things that happened this week.  

Last Monday for FHE we had the coolest activity!! We played live Hungry Hippos!! It was super fun!..and kinda dangerous in a way ;) We had 4 teams - each team in a corner of the gym. We had to get balloons from the center of the gym by sliding on skateboards on our stomachs! We had to grab the balloons with baskets. Our team would then pull us back with a rope that is hooked up to the board. So fun!! YSA life = awesome. :D

On Tuesday we had a lesson with David! He was baptized a year ago. I am working on learning ASL so that I can actually understand him and talk to him. I'm slowly starting to get the hang of it! It is a lot of fun! David is awesome!!
That night while out trying to find a less-active, we street contacted a guy and his daughter. Sister O loves to play the ukulele, so we sang for them! It was so sweet. :)

We had the opportunity to present at our Zone Training meeting. Not as much pressure as Zone Conference because it's only our zone there. It was really cool because Sister O and I really focused on following the Spirit as we taught and asked questions. The discussion was so great! The promise in Luke 12:12 is so true: "For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say." I know that we can do anything with the guidance of the Spirit!

After the training, we went on exchanges again! This time I went with Sister Manalang in the Goose Creek area. She is from the Philippines! She is an amazing artist and is hilarious. We had a great time! We saw some cool miracles that night as we talked to everyone we saw! We ended up finding a referral for the Spanish Elders!

Overall, this week has been AWESOME. Sister Otteman is in the process of figuring out college classes, etc (exciting!), we are teaching some cool Muslims.... One guy likes to ask a LOT of questions and wants logical answers. We hope that he will learn to have a soft and willing heart. It is the Spirit that will answer him in the end.

Our ward had a super awesome talent show on Friday night!! There were some amazing talents shared! :) Sis. O did an amazing job with her ukulele and singing voice! The YSA's here are just hilarious. We sure know how to have a good time! Our investigator Theo even played his electric guitar! It was awesome!

On Saturday night we had so many cool Spirit-led experiences! Too many to tell.... But one of them was talking to 4 fifteen year old boys (they reminded me of my bros!). We ended up showing them a video and the Spirit was so strong! They even participated in the conversation! We walked away feeling SO happy! Nothing beats feeling like you are fulfilling your purpose as a missionary.

Yesterday I had another really amazing experience in ward council! We walked in right before the opening prayer was said. Once we sat down and listened to the prayer, I had a strong and quick impression to prepare a spiritual thought of some sort that I might have to share that day. Annnnd right after the prayer ended, Bishop asked me to share my testimony! I was completely prepared for it! And it was amazing to see the Spirit use me to say what someone in that room needed to hear. Everything that came out of my mouth was not mine. I am SO grateful for the opportunity I have to be so close to the Holy Ghost.

Being a missionary pretty much is the best thing that ever happened to me!!

I can't believe that it's Thanksgiving this week! I'm so excited!! There are so many things to be grateful for. I know this may sound a little crazy, but I challenge you all to make a list of 100 things you're grateful for! You'll be surprised at how easy it will come. :)

I love you all and wish you a Happy Happy Thanksgiving! Eat lots!
♥Sister Kyra Winterton

Pictures
1-2: Exchange with Sis. Manlang!
3: Crazy boys at the talent show
4: Me on exchange right now with Sis. Makowa! (her comp is going to the temple)

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Monday, November 16, 2015

"He showed not himself until after their faith"

This week was JAM-PACKED. It feels like it was a year long... Yet I still can't believe it is Monday already.
It has been pretty warm around here lately! I can't believe it has snowed in UT! We probably won't get to see snow until late January.

I feel that my faith has been strengthened greatly this past week!

Last Monday night was so much fun! For FHE we played dodge ball with all the YSA's! I love being with all of them -- it makes me feel like I'm truly one of them. :) Serving here is pretty much the best. I can't wait for the activity tonight! We also had a pretty cool miracle last Monday night as well. During the activity two teenagers (17 and 19 yrs) and a dad came into the church thinking it was a library. They ended up staying and playing with us! At the end the dad accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and is excited to attend church sometime. So cool!

On Tuesday Sis. O and I served in a thrift store called "Good Shepherd". All their money is donated! It was fun to help organize the clothing racks. We also got to share the gospel with people who came in!
That night we had a lesson with a former investigator named Jean Luc. He called US last week wanting to meet with missionaries again! Tender mercy. He is from Rwanda and has some great potential! We're excited to meet with him again. After his lesson, we met with Tom and talked about temples! The Spirit was so strong during that lesson. It was such a cool miracle to have met Tom outside the Family History Center last week.
After those lessons, we got to make a cute Christmas craft at the Relief Society activity. Fun! (I know, Christmas already?) ;)

I got to go on exchange with Sister Makowa on Wednesday! It was so cool to be serving with her again -- in a completely different area! We had a great time! Sister Makowa is hilarious. We got to teach her 17 year old investigator who is getting baptized at the end of this month! So exciting! He was a referral from a member in their ward.

On Thursday Sister Otteman and I got to go to the Chiropractor! He is a member in our stake. Our Relief Society Pres. works for him. It was SO nice to get adjusted! I feel like a new person! After our appointment, we went to Walgreen's to pick something up real quick. Our cashier told us Elders knocked on her door years ago but never came back! She wants them to come back so we got her number. So many miracles!
That night we had Institute. Brother Hall taught and was amazing!... It is amazing how much one person can know about the scriptures.. :)

On Friday we said goodbye to one of our potential investigators who is from Germany. She is the sweetest! Her name is Steffie. She came to church and activities. We will miss seeing her!

Saturday was the craziest day..... We had a super awesome Zone Finding Fest! After a pump-up meeting hosted by the ZL's (that included a hilarious home-made video) we split up into 2 groups. As a group, we went to different areas to tract and find people to teach for the missionaries who covered that certain area. - Hard to explain..sorry. ;) We would switch areas every hour. One area was particularly interesting. All 5 companionships of missionaries pull into this apartment complex to go finding. We switch companions to make things fun. Long story short(er)..... Two older men end up threatening Sis. Bennett and I to get in our car before they called the Sheriff! My response was giving them a pass-along card and telling them that God loved them and that's the message we shared. We ended up leaving, and that also caused a whole different story. But typing it up would just take way too long.. ;) Looking back I wish I would have told the guys "Go ahead! Call the Cops!" but that would've gotten us nowhere. I'm SO grateful for the guidance and peaceful assurance from the Spirit! Being a missionary rocks!

Yesterday we had an new investigator named Wahab come to church! He is from Afghanistan. He has so many questions. Hopefully the Spirit can help answer all of them. We continue to find amazing new people to teach!  

I am continuing to see the Lord's hand in my life out here in Ashburn. I know that He lives! Through faith we can see many miracles! (Ether 12:12)

Thank you all SO much for your love and support. You are all amazing!

Much love,
Sister Winterton




Pictures---
1. Goodbye Steffie!
2. Exchange with Sis. Makowa!
3. Sara and I. She is leaving for a mission to AZ this week! We look alike. ;)
4. Briggi (from Hungary), us and Hector (recent convert)





Monday, November 9, 2015

Now Let Us Rejoice!

Hello again!

Last Preparation Day (Thursday) was great! Sister Otteman went to the temple with another Sister in our area. I got to hang out with my old companion Sister Makowa! We had a fun time catching up. It's cool that I get to be her Sister Training Leader! That afternoon we had a zone activity where we played volleyball. Fun fun! I try not to scream when Elders spike the ball at me... ha!
That evening Sister O and I went to Chick-Fil-A to celebrate my one year mark!! My sweet family also sent me flowers. :) I can't believe it has been one year! Time just keeps flying. I never thought I'd get to this point and never thought I'd grow this much! I'm so grateful for my Heavenly Father's guidance and strength throughout this year. "For with God nothing shall be impossible." (Luke 1:37)

On Friday we had Zone Conference! *Yes, this past week was FULL of meetings* It was wonderful! Sister Otteman and I got to present! We talked about the Spirit: pray for it, learn to recognize it, and rely on it!! Because this past week was so busy, we didn't have much time to prepare..and we didn't make it a big priority compared to other things (like finding less-actives). So the morning of the conference we were pretty stressed out. We learned our lesson... Never procrastinate. :) BUT, I do have to say it all turned out pretty well. I prayed earnestly for peace and with the words to say. God answers our prayers! I have never felt so comfortable and peaceful standing in front of the zone, and President and Sister Huntsman. It was amazing! The Holy Ghost truly is the Comforter. 

Oh and during lunch at the conference I got President Huntsman out during our game of Speed! We have a good time. :) It was his Birthday too!

Throughout the week we have been having a good time with all the YSA's. They're so nice and take us to dinner sometimes too. Yesterday, our investigator named Carter came to church! We're excited to follow up with her soon. After church we had a quick lesson with a recent convert named Hector. He's awesome! The Spirit was so strong there. I love how teaching YSA's feels like exchanging testimonies with close friends.

Fun fact.... I am in the same ward as one of my good friends from Middle School!!! Laura Williams! She walked into the chapel and I was in shock! I haven't seen her in years. It was so fun to get a hug and talk a little bit. She's so great! She moved out here right before High School. I'll admit, it was a little weird to see a face from home, but it was also very comforting! Tender mercy! What a small world. :)

Sister Otteman and I having a blast! We are seeing miracles daily.
I'm so grateful for the things I am learning out here in the Shenandoah ward. The Bishop and leaders here are amazing! I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to work with them and share my testimony with them. I know with all my heart that God knows each of us. He knows our desires and knows our weaknesses. As we humble ourselves and put our trust in Him, those weaknesses can become strengths through Christ's grace. His grace is sufficient!

I love you all!
Sister Winterton

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Friday, November 6, 2015

WOW

Hello all!!

WOW. This past week and a half has been quite eventful. :) I got transferred to the Shenandoah YSA Ward with Sister Otteman!! ...YSA life has been pretty different! I have been humbled beyond compare. We are having so much fun though!

I have no idea where to even start... I already know there is no way that I will be able to tell you all the amazing, stressful, miraculous, life-changing things that happened. I will say that I have learned SO much about relying completely on the Spirit. Without Him I would have not been able to survive this past week.

Saying goodbyes to all the Rolling Valley people was weird. It was almost like leaving my ward back home! I have loved getting to know all those amazing people! They will always be remembered. It is crazy that I'm not there anymore!

Last Thursday we had transfer day. Sister Hansen was so sad to say goodbye. She is the sweetest!! I miss her so much. I know she is in good hands though! She is now companions with my MTC companion Sister Malufau!! Annnnd companions with another Sister! Rolling Valley has a trio now! That should be a ton of fun! I feel a lot better about leaving Sis. Hansen now that Sis. Malufau is with her! :) I love them both a bunch!!

My new companion is Sister Otteman! She is from Mesa, Arizona! She got baptized when she was 18 years old and then came out here pretty quick after that! She is amazinggg. I look up to her so much! She has a gift for recognizing promptings from the Spirit. She has helped me so much in this transition. She has one more transfer left after this one on her mission. I hope to become more like her!

With this new area I have been called to serve as a "Sister Training Leader". Sis. O and I go on exchanges with all the Sisters in our area and help support them in anyway they need. We also help train the Zone in Zone Conferences, etc. (We have one tomorrow and I'm kind of freaking out. Except not really because I know for a fact that the Spirit will help us!) So this is a LOT of change for me.. it is a lot to take on. I am learning so much!

Learning how to be social with YSA's was nothing that I really expected! I didn't realize how much of a change it would be. We really have to get down to their level.. if you know what I mean. We don't have to be all professional -- like expected in a family ward. Anyway, it's been a little hard, but I'm liking it more as the days go on! Also, being in a YSA ward, we get to have a "munch n mingle" activity after church every Sunday! This past Sunday the Bishopbric wives prepared pancakes, etc. Also we get to attend Institute on Thursday nights if there are less-actives or investigators there. So fun! On Mondays we have FHE! This past Monday we watched them do line-dancing. :)

This area is rockin compared to what I'm used to!! We are working with a ton of recent converts! They are amazing. One guy named Hector is 19 years old. He is so hilarious! We also have a recent convert named David who is completely deaf. Which means I have to learn sign language on top of everything else I have to do! It's pretty fun to talk with him! Super funny guy.

OH. On Halloween we got to watch the movie "Cokeville Miracle" with our Zone!!! It was amazing!! Highly recommend it. That was fun to get together with everyone! Sis. O and I put together quick little goodie bags for the Sisters. Everyone also brought a ton of treats! We also played games that night. Toilet paper mummies, basketball, and other random things. ...I love beating Elders in "Speed"... ;)

The reason why we switched preparation day was because we had Elder Anthony D. Perkins from the Seventy come to our mission this week!! We had a 1/2 Mission Conference with him on Monday. He is amazing! I love how he taught us to have a simple, powerful first lesson with everyone we teach. He also talked about how we can make every meeting a 'revelatory experience' if we come with a question. Let me tell you - it works! I invite each of you to try it this Sunday before going to Church. If you write down a question or two beforehand and go with real intent, you will receive an answer. I feel so blessed to have been able to meet and learn from Elder Perkins. Something cool-- Sister O and I were asked to practice teach (role-play) the first lesson in ten minutes in front of the entire audience! Pretty nerve-racking if ya ask me! We weren't perfect or anything, but the Spirit was there so that's all that matters!

Being a leader in the mission, we had another meeting with Elder Perkins on Wednesday as well! That was also really cool.

We have been talking to everyone we meet on the streets and have been seeing so many miracles! We are teaching a lot of lessons to less-actives and converts. We have one super solid investigator named Carter who is amazing! She is asking US what scriptures to read in preparation for the lessons before we can give them to her. She has such a strong desire to be happy and learn about the gospel.

One super cool miracle-- One night we had no idea where we needed to be. Unlike being in a family ward, we don't go tracting. We said a prayer and Sis. O asked if we needed to go to the church. I had the strongest feeling that we did. We drove there annnd there was one car in the parking lot! We went up to the car and introduced ourselves to a guy named Tom. He was waiting for the Family History Center to open. He ended up being a non-member who has been going for about 8 years!! Once it opened, we went in with him and talked to the women who serve there. They didn't even know he was not a member! We now have scheduled a time to go next week and teach him about temples. Pretty amazing!! ;)

Annnnnyway.... Sorry this is so long and so scattered! Too many amazing things happening lately! I love this work. I am so so grateful for the guidance of the Spirit. I'm so grateful for all of you! I wish you a happy week! 

Love,
Sister Winterton



Pictures--
*Eating at "Melt" with some members! HUGE burgers.
*YSA's on Halloween night
*New comp Sis. O :)
*Bye Sis. H ♥