Sunshine In My Soul!

This past week has been wonderful! I hope you all had a fun Memorial Day! We decided to change our Preparation Day to today as more people would be home yesterday. We were able to contact a lot more people! 

As many of you know, I have been going through a pretty rough time the last few weeks, but this past week has been fantastic! I am so grateful for my leaders and for the comforting words of our General Authorities and scriptures. The gospel is so true! 

Well, the week started off well with a nice "hike" on Monday for last preparation day. (Virginia has no mountains!) We had a nice time walking through one of the local neighborhood forests. I am loving the nice weather! 

On Tuesday afternoon we had our once-a-transfer Zone lunch provided by the Stake President. Always great to meet all the new missionaries in the zone with the start of a new transfer! My last District Leader, Elder Page, is now one of my Zone Leaders! Pretty fun! That day we also got a new dishwasher installed! Yay! No more washing dishes all by hand! :) ha. In the evening we had a nice visit with the Knight family and the kids are back on date for baptism on June 6th! We're excited! 

I had one of the most amazing experiences at District Meeting on Wednesday. We discussed the importance of bearing bold testimonies. The best moment during DM was when we did practice teaching. That is one of the things I have been trying to find a love for... It's not my favorite thing in the whole world to pretend teach to another Missionary. ;) But I have been learning to love it! I had the opportunity to practice teach with an Elder who was just in our District Meeting for the day. *I'm sure it was no coincidence in the eyes of God!* After I taught, he gave me the best feedback ever. He told me that I had the most loving and sincere testimony ever. He told me that as the investigator, he could feel the charity I had for him. He also gave me some pointers on what I could do better -- that was the best part! It was exactly what I needed to hear! He told me that if I will keep eye contact with the person, I will be given the words to say in the moment I need them. The eyes are the window to the soul. -- It was as if Heavenly Father were telling that to me! It was an answer to my prayer. I have been struggling to know how I can become more confident in my teaching, and as I have applied that counsel I have felt so much more self-assured. God loves and knows each of us personally! 

As I have been struggling during this harder time on my mission, I have had the chance to receive so much revelation and light during my studies. One talk I came across was "Come What May, and Love It" by Joseph B. Wirthlin. It is amazing!! Elder Wirthlin gives such great counsel. We must learn to laugh when we are tempted to groan. (This is hard to do!) We must seek for the eternal and remember that these trials are only for our good. We must know the principle of conservation, and remember to always trust in our Heavenly Father's timing. My favorite line in his talk is: "Adversity, if handled correctly, can be a blessing in our lives. We can learn to love it." These difficulties I am going through have undoubtedly been tough, but I have come to see many blessings as I have endured. 

Friday was a special day. We had interviews with President Riggs!! I had the opportunity to tell him everything that has been on my mind the last couple weeks. He was so grateful for the love and patience I have had through everything. He later gave me a Priesthood blessing of comfort. I am so grateful for the Priesthood and for my Mission President! Nothing was more comforting than the kind, complimentary words from him.  I can't believe it is his last transfer here! I'll sure miss him. 

Later that night we had a fun game night with the Knights! We had a blast playing Pictureka and Apples to Apples! :) We love that family!! They are hilarious. 

On Sunday we had a super fancy pre-Memorial Day dinner at one of the members' home. It was so great! She totally got all decked out for it. (You might think she's from Utah or something!) ;) Their house is also super cute. Fun night! 

Yesterday was a great day for us! We went to seek out all the potentials in our area book that we haven't been able to contact. We had a super great experience while talking to Tony. He was very upfront to us about how he is a very devout Catholic and won't ever change. Sister Thomson was super bold and even got loud with him when he wouldn't just stop talking and listen. She was awesome! I would never have the guts to yell at someone, ha! He actually smiled and seemed to enjoy the need for control she had. I didn't quite know what to do as I watched them. I stood on the porch in silence most of the time, until the conversation neared the end. I looked him in the eyes and gave him my most sincere testimony of the restored gospel and how it has blessed my family. I even started to weep! The Spirit was very strong and he agreed to research the Book of Mormon! As we left, we both couldn't help but laugh at how great of a team we make. We need each other's personalities to compliment! I need her boldness, and she needs my meekness. ;) We work pretty well together! 

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Well, to close I want to share a part of Ether 6 that I love! I read it during my study yesterday and found a treasure. In this chapter, we read about the Jaredites' journey to the promised land. They are sailing in barges that they built. Verse 5 states: "And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind." When I read that, I realized that God *pushed* them to the promised land. They tumbled and they tossed through the sea, but they were on their way to happiness! I know that the trials and hardships we face are just God's way of pushing us to our promised land! "Joy always comes after sorrow" (President Eyring). 

Another quite insight.... Elder Pino's talk this past General Conference goes so well with this topic as well! He describes the tv show his kids liked to watch: "I remember that on one occasion they were watching that program and it showed something very close up that looked very ugly to them, even repulsive; but as the image widened, they realized that it was a very appetizing pizza. Then they said to me, “Daddy, buy us one just like that!” After they understood what it was, something that at first had looked unpleasant to them ended up being something very attractive." 

If we were to have the opportunity to look into the future and witness the challenges we will have to go through, I'm sure most of us would be disgusted and displeased. Just like the children in his story, at first glance we would not be very excited. As we widen our image of the circumstance and begin to see the eternal scheme of things, we will begin to desire that experience! We too will ask our Father to give us that blessing. 

I know that in the beginning of this new area, I would have never asked Heavenly Father for the challenges I would undertake. Now that I can look back on some of it, I am SO grateful to have had this time to grow so close to my Savior, Heavenly Father, and the Comforter. 

Sorry for the novel this week! ;) I hope you all have the best last few days of school!! 

Thank you so much for all of your support throughout the week. Your words of encouragement have kept me going! I love you all so much. 

Love, 

Sister Winterton 

♥♥♥

Picture:

Me on the "hike" :)

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Mercy Moments!

I hope you've all had a great week!

The past seven days have been difficult for me. I'm grateful for the peace and comfort the scriptures give to me as I go through hard times. I am so thankful for the little tender mercies I find throughout the week that make life so much better!

On Tuesday we were able to visit with a very less-active woman in the ward. Missionaries in the past have had a very hard time getting ahold of her, but we were able to find her watering plants in her garden!! She broke down in tears when we talked to her. She is going through a very hard time and is planning on moving soon. We had the opportunity to comfort her and pray with her. That was a miracle! I'm so grateful to have been able to help her feel peace. I truly have been able to feel the love the Savior has for each one of us as I serve others out here in Virginia.

The next day we were able to teach the Restoration to a potential investigator we found in the Areabook. He was so cool! He had a nice New Jersey accent and had a bunch of funny questions. When we asked him if he would read the Book of Mormon, he told us: "I'll read it to find the gold! There must be some clues in there!" (the gold plates). Ha!! We couldn't help but laugh. We finally got him to agree, but he told us he'd have to cover it with a different cover, such as Tom Sawyer, so no one would know he was reading it. He was quite the character! That was a great lesson! :) ....Too bad he decided to drop us last night. :/ He tried to return the book, but luckily he agreed to keep it. We can only pray that he will be more prepared some time soon!

On Thursday we had the opportunity to visit with another very less-active woman. She was a little more hard, but by the end we softened her up a bit. ;) She was sweet! It is so sad to hear all the things that happen to some people and what leads them away from the church. I'm so grateful for the comforting words of our modern Prophet and Apostles. As we shared the talk, "Come join with us" by President Uchtdorf, I could tell she was feeling the Spirit and had a better desire to change.

Saturday was a very hard day for me. In a nut shell, it is HARD to be breathing someone else's air 24/7! I have learned to rely more on the Lord and to turn to the scriptures for peace. I am so grateful for the way Heavenly Father communicates with us. The scriptures are amazing!! Prayer is absolutely incredible. As I prayed and pleaded for comfort and strength that night, I could feel the Savior's arms wrapped around me. I know that Heavenly Father loves me. He is always there to give us peace! One of my favorite scriptures right now is Ephesians 3:13- "Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. The rest of that chapter is great too! I know that God gives us trials for us to become glorified like He is. We can do hard things!! People are right when they say, "My mission was the hardest thing I have ever done, but it was an experience I will always cherish!"

Last night we had another major miracle!! Throughout the day, we went to try and get in contact with a potential investigator from Lebanon. He said we could come back to give him a Book of Mormon in Arabic. He didn't answer the door until the 3rd time we went that day! Persistence pays off! As soon as we showed him the Book of Mormon in his native language, his eyes went wide and he invited us to come in! I could feel the powerful feelings of the Spirit as we sat down and talked about the book. He was so excited! When we showed him a specific chapter that would be great to read, he told us that he would actually like to read the whole thing!! As we talked more about church, he was excited that members from the congregation get to speak on Sundays, and he asked us if he could speak!! He wants to share his story of how he fought for his faith back in his country. How cool is that?! :) Bishop is going to get a kick out of it! We are so excited to continue teaching him as his schedule allows. It was amazing to see the change in him from the first time we talked to him on his door step last week. He went from devoted Catholic to a yearning Book of Mormon reader! What a cool night! We are hoping his wife will have the same desire as him. :)

I am so grateful to be a missionary! Even through the hard times, it is the best experience of my life!

I wish you all the best this week!
Much love,
Sister Winterton
♥♥♥

Picture: journal time!

P.s. Sorry I don't have very many pictures!! I need to remember to take more! ;)

Mother's Day Fun!

Happy Mother's Day a day late!!!
I'm SO grateful for my amazing mom. She is fantastic!! She is my best friend!!

I hope you all have had a great week -- I know I did!! :)

On Tuesday we had a Half Mission Conference! It was great! As a mission we are focusing on being BOLD. (That's exactly what I need to work on, so it was perfect!) I'm excited to be working on the bold goals I've set! I can't believe this week is the end of another transfer. My Mission President, President Riggs, is going to be released next month! It will be so sad, yet so exciting to welcome a new President. The conference was also great because I got to see previous companions! I always cry when I see them.. There's no way around it! ;)

On Wednesday we got to go do a service project at the Methodist church!! We helped make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the homeless people in DC. That was such a cool experience to work with people of other faiths. So much fun! Later that day we had the opportunity to visit our stake Family History Center! Sister Thomson and I are having a blast with it!! I have found so many cool stories about my ancestors. One of my great-great-grandmothers worked in the house that Joseph Smith used when he translated the Book of Mormon. She couldn't help but notice the light in their countenances as they came down the stairs after being up in the attic for hours. It was this experience that brought her to be baptized! How cool! It strengthens my testimony of the Restoration. It is so much fun to find treasures like that! I encourage you all to do a little family history! Who knows, you may even find someone who hasn't had the chance to complete their ordinances! They're waiting for you! :)

Thursday was great! We went to do service in a luxurious assisted living resort!! Seriously...it's amazing. We helped some cute ladies get on the campus shuttle and escort them to the art show. They were wonderful! I took a selfie with Christine. She was so sweet and kept complimenting my smile. I love doing service for them! We even saw a couple members of the church there who were visiting their mom! They happen to live right in the same area as Sister Thomson! Such a small world. It's days like these that I see and feel the tender mercies of the Lord. Christine brightened my day!!

After having dinner in the park on Friday, we street-contacted into a woman named Robbin. She was hilarious! She wouldn't agree to going to church on Sunday. She told us that she believed everything we taught, but did not believe that she had to go to a building every Sunday to be saved. No matter what blessings or promises we made, she still denied us. We were bold with her! We didn't let her go! All she could do was smile and disagree. With the Spirit's help we finally got her to agree to pray about what we taught her. She even told us she might not like the answer she receives. ;) I'm so grateful for all the opportunities I have to share my testimony! We're excited to follow up with her next week!

....The moment you all have been waiting for..... Sunday!! Mother's Day!! Best day ever!!! It was so wonderful to see my family!! I miss them so much! They are amazing!! I cannot even believe it has been over 6 months since I have seen them in person. Wow! Time is really going fast! (Also, who knew Kale had such a low voice???!)  ;) I am so grateful for this time I have to dedicate to serving Heavenly Father. I need to enjoy this time while it lasts! Before I know it, it will be gone! I'm so grateful for the resources I have to keep in touch with all of you. I wouldn't make it without all of your love and support! Thank you!

Today I got a haircut! It feels so nice. We also spent a lot of the day cleaning our apartment! It feels so good to have a clean house. :)

Well, I am excited to see what happens this week with transfers! I hope you all enjoy your last few weeks of school! Let the count down begin...

♥Much Love,
Sister Winterton


Pictures:
1&2: Enjoying the beautiful Virginian parks
3: An awesome sign at the Methodist Church parking lot!
4: Christine and I. ♥
5: Skype fun!! :)

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May has arrived!

Happy May everyone!! :)

I don't have a lot of time to write to you all today, so bear with me!....

This past week has been pretty good! Poor Sister Thomson has been pretty sick, so we haven't been able to get out a super lot.

On Tuesday we had a Sisters Conference! (All the Sisters in the mission!) It was so fun to see my old companions and Sisters from my previous Zone. Sister Johnson told me that our investigator in Great Falls (the lady from Iran) had Lehi's dream!!! Yes! She literally dreamt of eating the fruit of the tree of life! And her Farsi Book of Mormon doesn't even include that chapter! (The book isn't completely translated for some reason). How cool is that!? She was hoping she would receive an answer by a dream! That was just amazing. I hope she continues to keep coming to church and follow commitments. :) I'm so happy for her!

On Wednesday we had District Meeting, and I taught one third of it! It's pretty funny how I've been asked to do so many presentations lately.. It turned out great! I have decided that I like teaching more than giving a talk because you can ask other people to talk. :) Anyway, I taught about how the Book of Mormon draws people nearer to God. It was amazing to hear all the stories everyone had about how the Book of Mormon was the key factor in their investigators' conversion. Preach My Gospel states that it is the "springboard to testimony and personal revelation". The word "springboard" literally means something that lends assistance to a particular action. The Book of Mormon helps people ACT. As we read from the Book of Mormon we will want to do good! I just love the Book of Mormon. :)

On Thursday we had dinner with the Knight family, but there are no updates on when they can get baptized. We are praying that it can be soon!

Friday was a sick day for Sister Thomson. It was nice to rest as well. It was fun to make her soup and even a chocolate cake mix that we had! ;) Haha. One of the members in our ward was so nice and brought us dinner! (It was Pho! I had never had it before, but it's pretty good!) That evening we had fun watching church movies and resting. It's hard being a sick missionary!

On Saturday we had a Skype lesson with one of Sister Thomson's friends from back home! It was so cool!! I'm amazed at how much her friend must have changed ever since she has been having lesson from Sis. T. So great! Technology is so cool!! We talked about how we need to remember to pray and read our scriptures --even when we are living a happy life! Don't just turn to those things when you're going through something hard. I love it! It's so true that we kinda forget to do those things when life is going smooth, and we're happy. It is important to continue to do those things in the good and bad times! :)

Yesterday was pretty hard. Sister Thomson had a very difficult time, but everything worked out in the end. I'm SO grateful for the Sacrament. I feel so close to our Heavenly Father each time I ponder during the meeting. My prayers were answered directly through the scriptures as I read them as the Sacrament was being passed. God knows each of us and loves us so much!!  

Today we had a Zone Activity at the park! We had a fun BBQ lunch and played lots of games. I of course loved beating some of the Elders in basketball! So much fun!! It is so hot today! In the 90's! I should have put on some sunscreen! ;) I am loving the warmer weather!

THIS SUNDAY is Mother's Day!!!! I'm SO EXCITED to talk to my family!! Wooo!! :) ♥ I hope you all have a Happy Mother's Day!!!

Much love,

Sister Winterton

♥♥♥

Pictures:

1. Beautiful Virginia!

2. Gorgeous rainbow! And look at all those blossomed trees! They are everywhere here!

3. Me excited for Mother's Day!!!

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Fun Zone Activity!!

Sister Thomson and I at the Zone Activity today!