HE LIVES!

Hello family and friends! :) Happy week of Easter! This is such an exciting holiday! I have never loved Easter this much in my entire life. ....there is something about being a missionary that just changes everything! Enjoy every bit of this week and continue to think about the Savior and His love for you! 

This past week has continued to be slow... Not many teaching appointments. However, I do think that this week has helped shape and form Sister Johnson and I. :) 

On Monday we had a great time tie-dying t-shirts with the Sister in our Zone. It was also fun to shoot some hoops! 

Later that day, Brother and Sister Davis had some company over. There was a young couple visiting. For some reason, when I saw the wife, something hit me really hard. I had this overwhelming feeling that I was doing the right thing by being on a mission. I am supposed to be out here so I can prepare for marriage and motherhood that will come sooner than later. That was one of the moments I had the confirmation that I needed to be here on this mission. Being out here has helped me learn and grow SO much. I cannot imagine myself letting this experience slip away. :) I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father blesses me with those confirming moments. Mission life is seriously hard, but He always makes sure that I know I need to be here. 

On Monday evening we met with an inactive member. A few days before, we talked to him on the phone and were super excited to meet with this nice 87 year old man. That night we were expecting to have a nice discussion about Christ and the Book of Mormon, and get to know him. .....that's not exactly what happened. Thankfully, we brought a sweet member from the ward with us. When this inactive opened the door, I was surprised at what I saw! An intimidating, very healthy older man. He used to travel all over the world, and made maps! He has traveled to almost every country in the world! Anyway, as soon as we pulled out the scriptures and read John 3:16, he shot us down. He told us that the book of John is irrelevant and false. He was bashing the Bible! We hadn't even gotten to the Book of Mormon yet. I was so surprised to see someone (especially someone who once knew the gospel) argue about Christ and God. We were not expecting that one. He pulled out a lot of atheist literature, but the member in our ward was wonderful at continuing to bear her testimony. That's all we could do. Bear testimony. I felt so sad for that man. How could he deny Christ and our Heavenly Father? All I could do was pray for him. After that meeting, Sister Johnson and I couldn't help but cry for him. 

That is one time I will never forget. That night I felt prompted to pull out the scripture Alma 31 and read it to Sister J. I had read that during personal study that morning, but didn't quite know why I needed to read it again. Wow! It was perfect for what we were going through! Alma says the exact prayer we said for the inactive. The previous chapter is about Korihor the anti-Christ. I'm pretty sure my schedule of reading in the Book of Mormon follows my daily experiences! It's amazing! I am continuing to love the Book of Mormon more and MORE. It really does have power. Please read it daily! You will begin to feel God's hand more abundantly in your life! 

On Thursday, Sister J and I had to pack up and move to live with some other members in our ward for the rest of the week! We have been staying with the Perves's! :) The Davis' had family coming, so they needed the beds. It has been weird living somewhere else, but fun too! The Perves' are hilarious!:) Today we are back with the Davis'. Great to be home! I can't believe I could be transferred next week! I will find out on Tuesday April 7th... If I do get transferred, yesterday was my last time going to church in the Great Falls ward. Crazy! 

On Thursday it got up to be 81 degrees! Hottest it has ever been while I've been in Virginia! ...nice and humid!:) I'm nervous to see how hot it will be in the summer! 

Friday was the usual weekly planning day. In the evening, we stopped by the Suttons (members in our ward). Little did we know they would be giving us the spiritual thought! We definitely needed that! They talked about their missions and how hard things get. I totally cried... Yep. I cry a lot. ;) Sis. Sutton said, "Maybe this transfer Heavenly Father is working with you two, rather than the people in the Great Falls area." Yes! That totally feels right! I know that this has been a hard transfer, but I feel like my testimony has been strengthened so much! I'm so grateful for the ward members! 

Well, to end my note to you all, I'd like to share the words from the "Because He Lives" video that has recently come out: 

Wherever He walked, 

Wherever He taught, 

Wherever He healed, 

He changed everything. 

Then everything changed. 

The man they called Master, Messiah, Friend was gone. 

But the greatest miracle was yet to come. 

He is not here, He is risen! 

He lives. 

And because He lives...

If you reach out,

Call out, 

Cry out, 

He is here. 

Then, now, always. 

He is here. 

During the good, the bad, the in-between. 

He is here. 

No matter who you are, or who you were. 

He is here. 

No exceptions. 

No lost causes. 

At all times. 

In all places. 

He is here. 

He rose on the third day. 

He lives today. 

FIND HIM. 

I LOVE that video. He is here! He is always there with open arms. 

"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." (John 14:18)

I know that Christ is here with me, helping me along the way. I couldn't do it without Him. 

Have a Happy Easter and General Conference weekend!!! Thank you for all of your love and support! 

I love you all so much, 

❤️Sister Winterton