Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Tracting Miracles!

What a week!

Last Monday we had a super fun Zone Activity at the Mission Home! President and Sister Huntsman are so wonderful. I especially love Sister Huntsman. :) She is so great!! She helped Sister Makowa learn how to ride a bike for the fist time!! So fun! They also had a nice BBQ for all of us. They're fantastic!!
Later that night, we talked to Matthew again! (We met him a few weeks ago tracting. He is an Atheist, but let us pray with him at the end.) This time we taught him the Plan of Salvation! The Spirit totally helped me to know what to say. He had some great questions -- and we were able to answer them! By the end, he asked if someone would still receive a lower kingdom of glory if the reason they rejected the gospel was because of the way they were raised in it. We had the opportunity to be BOLD and tell him that the reason WE come share the restored gospel is so everyone has the chance to accept it!! Basically, we are bringing it to him, so this is his chance to obtain celestial glory! The Spirit definitely touched him. We hope to see him again soon! He said we could "drop by if we're in the neighborhood". ;)

On Tuesday we had Zone Training! The missionaries we serve around are amazing. I love the power behind one of the AP's words as he testified that we are CALLED to this work. We didn't just volunteer to do this. We must rise to the call and give it our all!!
As we were tracting that evening, we talked to some very nice people from Pakistan. Their 4 year old granddaughter came up and gave us flowers she picked from the yard. Tender mercies! It's little things like that that make my day!

As we walk around, we see many different salesman knocking doors as well. I've decided that we are friends. :) They know (kind of) what it's like to get a door slammed in your face!... They just aren't trying to share something that will completely CHANGE people's lives.

On Thursday we had the opportunity to do service in the fancy old folk's home (Greenspring). We helped in the Ceramics class! Helping older people paint ceramic mugs was so much fun!! We even got to pain our own!!
That night we had a fun lesson with the Knight family. (Caitlyn and Ayden just got baptized recently). They are doing great! Lessons at their house are always entertaining.. ;) haha! Sister Makowa and I even performed for them! Sister Makowa knows a sweet missionary rap!

Friday consisted of pranks all around.. Ha!! Sister Makowa and I went to visit the YSA Sisters who live near us on our lunch break and Sis. M told them that she was going to have to go home because she found out she had cancer. Ha! Oh man. The things we do to get a laugh! They totally fell for it! ;) Also, our apartment complex has been painting the railings, etc. so there have been "wet paint" signs hung up all around. Our neighbor Bill (quite the hilarious single older guy) put some on our car. Haha! He is always trying to tell us funny jokes.

On Saturday we decided to go tract some of the big houses that are in the "boonies" part of our area. We met a 17 year old girl and her little 12 year old brother who have not grown up in any religion. They seem pretty interested! (I hope their parents are!) I love having the opportunity to bear my testimony of the Savior to kids who have not had any opportunity to know Him. Powerful!

On Sunday Bill came to church!!! Miracle!! (We went to his church a few weeks ago.) He really seemed to enjoy it. Sacrament Meeting was all about family history and even the doctrine of why we do family history. He was very interested in it! So great! Too bad he is "too set in his faith". At least he learned more! Glad we knocked on his door. 

Yesterday, Carol (our older investigator who knew some members in our ward) dropped us. So sad! She said she is too busy to read the Book of Mormon or to meet with us anymore. She is just too sweet to tell us she's not interested. Well, at least we could introduce the gospel to her granddaughter! Maybe that was our main purpose in meeting with them.
We did have a miracle last night though! We stopped by to see Jessica, a lady we met tracting last week. We met her husband Tom and he has already started reading the Book of Mormon we left for Jessica to read! And he's super interested in family history! Woo!! They are so prepared to receive the gospel. It sounds like Jessica's friend has been helping her get on a path towards God recently. She also said she wants to make us cookies!! :)

Today was wonderful! Sister Makowa and I had the chance to go to the beautiful temple with Brother and Sister Jackson. They're so great! When I walked into the temple doors, the Spirit hit me so powerfully. It was like a load was taken off of my shoulders! Nothing compares to the feelings in the temple. I'm so glad we could make it before the temple closes for a few months!

I cannot even believe this is the last week of July!! Wow!... I hear August is supposed to be SUPER hot here. Wish me luck!!

A quick food for thought.... While I was studying about inviting people to act, I found this great definition of what commitment means: "The act of obligating oneself to a course of action and then diligently following through on that decision." -PMG
I love it!! I need to remember what commitments I have made..and how I need to be diligent! Diligence really does pay off. (Tracting isn't always fun!)

I love you all so much! Have a fantastic week!! Thanks for your prayers and love!!

♥♥♥Sister Winterton

Monday, July 20, 2015

FUN in the SUN!

Mangwanani! :) (That means "good morning!" in Shona - Sister M's African language)

Wow! I cannot even believe another week has gone by. The time is seriously picking up speed! Sister Makowa and I are having a BLAST together! :) I love her so much! We are having plenty of great memory-making days!

While tracting last Monday evening, we had the funniest moment! We knocked on a door and soon enough we see an old Hispanic wrinkly man push the curtain on the window aside...and he is SHIRTLESS! Ha! I was praying that he had pants on! Luckily, he did...but he wasn't very interested..(he has read some anti- material). Sad. But we got a great laugh!!
Later, we met a girl who was holding a darling newborn. She said she has met with missionaries in the past at her friends house and told us we could come back to teach her! We're so excited!

On Tuesday afternoon, we had the opportunity to do service for an investigator! The Luna family was investigating the church with the Sisters who were here right before me, but lost contact soon after I came. We haven't been able to teach them, but the mom asked us to come help her organize her basement COVERED in craft supplies! That was a lot of fun! We are hoping to teach them soon.
Later that night while we were out tracting, we talked to a couple teens who were throwing a Frisbee. I'm so grateful for our iPads because we can just whip them out and show them a video that brings the Spirit so powerfully. Love it!

Wednesday afternoon was spent chatting with our new investigator Carol, who is in her 70's (guessing). Her 18 year old granddaughter was also there and is excited to learn more and be at our next lesson with them! :) It is such a miracle that we are teaching Carol and her husband. They know the Morses who live in our ward! (They have known them for a very long time!) We're hoping to have them come with us to the next lesson in one week.

We continue to see miracles as we diligently tract the night away! On Thursday, we found Rodrigo!! He said that he had been contacted by missionaries not too long ago, and that he just accepted the pamphlet they gave him to be nice. He didn't seem to interested, but we boldy testified and promised him that this will bless him... and he accepted the Book of Mormon and asked us to come back! We have a lesson with him this Wednesday! Sister missionaries pretty much rock.

On Friday, we taught the Restoration to this HUGE guy on his door step. He totally took up the entire door frame! We poured out our souls to him, but sadly he rejected it. It's so sad to see people reject the BEST thing they can get on earth! Maybe in a few years he'll see..

Saturdays are great because more people (most of the time) are home in the afternoons...so we were tracting. I'm tellin ya, I have had to tell myself to keep doing it even though we hadn't been seeing SO much success from it. I knew that diligence brings blessings. SO, we saw a HUGE miracle soon after! We found Dana!!! She let us in out of the HEAT and we got to know her. Her 22 year old daughter got baptized within the last couple of years! She LOVES the church!!! Everything about it! She has even read the missionary handbook!! ...since when do you find that!? haha! To make a long story short(er).... She invited us to have dinner with her soon, and promised to read some of the Book of Mormon before she studies/works! She also has a strong connection to Africa, so Sister Makowa is perfect for her! :) Man, that was a MIRACLE.

I have so much more I could talk about... but I'll leave it at that. ;) Sis. M and I are just having so much fun and seeing so many miracles around here! I love being a missionary!!!! The work is going so well.

I'm so grateful for this opportunity I have to bear my testimony of the Savior every single day!! (Even when some people don't believe us "Mormons" will make it to heaven...) I know with all of my heart that this church contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel and that it is directed and guided by a living prophet!  We are so lucky to have it.

I love you all so much!
Thank you so much for your faith and prayers! We are feelin them! :)

Much love,
Sister Winterton
♥♥♥

Picture: "What just happened???" after meeting a HILARIOUS guy tracting.

 

Monday, July 13, 2015

Motherhood :)

This has been quite the week!!

Sister Makowa and I have been enjoying our tracting adventures. :) We love to sing and skip along as we go. Some people smile at us :)

 On Tuesday we stopped by a potential we had met the previous week. She let us right in! Carol is an older lady and is just as sweet as sweet can be! Her husband Mike also came in and spoke with us as well. She is Methodist and he is Catholic. They are both very open! After chatting for a while about their family, Mike said, "let them share their message now" softly. :) Gotta love it! We taught them the message of the Restoration, and Carol loved it! She is so excited to start reading the Book of Mormon! When we got up to leave, Mike almost tried to hug us, then handed us a $20 bill and told us to get something yummy. :) How nice! We were so excited when Carol asked us
if we'd come back again. That night when we were out tracting, we met a chill guy sitting on a chair in his driveway. It was so interesting to see his countenance change as we talked to him. He was pretty stiff when we started, but by the end he had a nice grin on his face. It's amazing how powerful the Spirit is! After we prayed with him, he wanted to talk even more with us even tough he "wasn't interested". I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to bring the joy of the Spirit into people's lives! It's moments like these that make me cherish this calling.

On Wednesday we had interviews with President Huntsman! He is wonderful! His wife is so fun too. :) Afterwards, we did a mini exchange with our Sister Training Leaders. They are so fun! I went to their area (a YSA Ward that covers my old area)! We had a great lesson with a guy who is wanting to come back to church! We had the lesson at the church building I used to go to. I even got to see a few members from my last ward. :) Fun! Thursday night kind of through us through a loop. We met an older guy named Jay while out knocking. He liked to talk! He had some interesting views and questions for us. At the end, he did something super not cool. He told us he could tell I was the experienced one and knew how to talk with people, and that Sis. M was new. He tried to come across as nice, but it didn't work out too well. So the rest of the night was tough because Sis. M was frustrated. She has a hard time with accepting the fact that she needs more practice. (We all need it!)

That experience made that night and the next couple of days pretty hard. She didn't speak to me on Friday and Saturday and made me do everything because "I know everything". Ugh. That was rough. I pushed through and tried my best to stay positive. It felt like a lifetime! Living in silence is no fun. I tried everything I could to help her feel happy. Nothing really worked, so I kept President Hinckley's quote in my mind: "It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out."

On Sunday it was like a light switched on! All of a sudden Sis. M was back to her smiling self. :) Woo! We are back to having a blast!! All these experiences help me learn what the true meaning of patience is. :)

We got invited to do a "church swap" with a guy we met tracting on Saturday night, so we attended Immanuel Bible Church on Sunday morning. ...what an experience!! They had a lot of guitars and drums and lights! Haha. The Pastor (more like performer) spoke about how to make heavenly investments... Anyway, it was...interesting. Going to our church felt so much more special yesterday. I'm so grateful to be a part of Christ's restored church. The sad part is that the guy who was going to do the swap with us didn't even show up at our church.

For Gospel Principles class, the Elders were asked to teach last minute, so they taught the Restoration. The Spirit was SO powerful. There were a few nonmembers attending, so it was wonderful. Sis. M and I had the opportunity to share our testimonies at the end. Wow! The Spirit was amazing! I know that Christ is our Savior and that He lives. I know that the Book of Mormon is true with all of my heart. I know that it was translated by the power of God through Joseph Smith. I know that this church is the Lord's kingdom once again established here on the earth!

Yesterday's mini miracle: a former investigator texted us and asked if we could come over to help her organize and teach her more about our message! So exciting!

I love you all and pray for you all daily.
Thanks for everything!!

Love,
Sister Winterton


Monday, July 6, 2015

Red, White & Blue!

What a fun-filled week!!!

I hope you all had a fantastic 4th of July!! I know I did!!

On Monday we met a super cool guy named Hunter!! He was a SELF referral from Church Headquarters! That means HE signed himself up to be taught by missionaries and learn about the Book of Mormon! He is in his 20's and lives with his super nice family. (I think his dad is a preacher from another church.. We haven't met him yet). Anyway, we taught him a great lesson and we're looking forward to meeting with him again! He had so many great questions. The thing is, we'll probably have to hand him off to the missionaries in the Young Single Adult ward. Still exciting!!

Throughout the entire week, Sister Makowa and I did a ton of tracting!!! On Tuesday, we ran into some pretty funny/mean/awkward people! The first lady was not interested, but once we started walking away, she ran back outside and asked us if we wanted water! She has some great LDS friends, so she thought she'd be a little nicer. ;) So great!  We also met a few more young single adults. They weren't all that interested, but it was fun to chat with them and pray with them. Who knows, maybe that was their first prayer! Sister M. had her first "creepy person" experience that night as well! This lady answered the door, and after introducing ourselves and asking her name, she stared at us blankly and said"What do you want from me." ..Let's just say she was unhappy. She asked us if anyone was kind to us. After telling her yes, she said "I don't believe you." We quickly walked off of her "private property"! Definitely some bad vibes there!

On Wednesday, Sis. M had her first District Meeting! We have a new DL, and a few more new missionaries. It'll be fun! During lunch that day, I also discovered that Sis M is an awesome rapper!! Wow!! We had fun singing and dancing around. ;) She is hilarious! She is also quite afraid of dogs....which is not a great fear because here in VA, EVERYONE has a dog! Sometimes I have to talk to people by myself because of their dog. ;) Haha she'll get used to it someday.. There was one dog we met that was HUGE. Biggest dog I've ever seen! It looked like a bear! It was super nice and friendly though. I can't believe people want that living with them though!

On Thursday morning, we all got to meet our new mission president, President Huntsman!! He and his wife are so sweet!! When he walked into the room where our Zone was, he had tears falling down his cheeks. He is so great! He is so excited (and overwhelmed I'm sure) to be here. His kids are all so cute! I'm so excited to get to know them all better!
For lunch that day, we had our Zone lunch! We got together and took a great 4th of July picture!! So much fun!

On Friday night, Sis M and I met a guy tracting who has reads the Book of Mormon, has read all the pamphlets, and watched a ton of church videos! He said he wasn't interested in converting though. ...But later that night, he came out and ran up to us with the Book of Mormon in his hand and said he was going to come visit our church!! What a cool moment!! :) ...too bad we didn't see him at church... Maybe next week!

The 4th of July was AMAZING!!! President H didn't want us out proselyting after dinner, so we got to have a party!! Sis M and I went to hang out with the YSA (Young Single Adult) Sisters and some members from their ward! So fun!! (The members were a little bit weird.. but it was still so fun!) We went out to dinner, then went to one of the local High Schools for an AWESOME firework show!! There were TONS of people there. We were lucky to find a nice spot in the very front of the pavement! While we waited for the show to start, we played Go Fish. The fireworks were absolutely amazing. Just as great as the Stadium of Fire back home!! And this was at a High School! Sister Makowa was having a BLAST!! Her first big firework show!! And her first 4th of July!! So FUN!

Yesterday was a great Sunday! We stopped by a potential guy who we met last week, and taught him again!! We are so excited! We are praying that he reads the Book of Mormon and recognizes the Spirit. He is so ready to receive the gospel!
Church was so fun! We helped out in one of the 4 year old Primary classes and told them about being missionaries. :) They are so cute!! And crazy! One of the boys said, "How do you live with the LIONS??" after Sis M told them she was from Africa. Ha!! Everyone in the ward is so excited to get to know Sister M! What a blessing to have even more support from them than before!

Wow, what a week. It has gone by so fast!! It just keeps getting faster and faster...

I'm so grateful for this time I have to share the gospel with so many people! Right now, many are rejecting it, but the few who accept it are SO worth it. I know we will find those people somewhere around here.... ;)

I'm so grateful to have been able to experience the excitement and Patriotic feelings here in VA/DC area! I'm so grateful for the freedoms we enjoy!

I love you all so much and wish you the best this week. ♥

Hugs and prayers,
Sister Winterton






The Day I Became a "Mom"

What a week!! :)

Last Monday night I got a call from the Assistants telling me that I have been called to train a new missionary!! I was so excited and so nervous! I kept thinking about my experience when I was trained and tried to remember how I felt as a new missionary. Wow! I can't believe I have been out this long! It's amazing how much I have changed. I haven't even realized how much I truly have changed until I sat and pondered! Missions are amazing things! I feel so much more confident in the Spirit and in myself!

On Tuesday we had our last District Meeting before transfers! We had a great District! Sister Thomson and I made cookies the night before to bring for everyone. Fun! It was great to reflect on the goals we set at the beginning of this past transfer. Time to repent and work even harder!

Wednesday was a fun day..and a sad day! Sister Thomson and I both had a little anxiety about transfers (as usual). I helped Sister T get all packed up and ready to go for the next day. She also got to say some goodbyes to some families in the ward.

Thursday Transfer Day!! I showed up early in the morning to attend the Training Meeting before transfers. It was fun to see so many Sisters that came out with me! We all became "moms" together! Haha! Later in the meeting, all the new missionaries entered into the room and waited for President Riggs to call their name, and then their trainer up! (It feels like just yesterday that I was the new missionary waiting to hear who my trainer would be!) Annnnnnd, my new companion is Sister Makowa!! She is from Zimbabwe!! She is so wonderful! We hardly get missionaries from out of the U.S. so it is so awesome to have her!
The Transfer Meeting was great! It was also very sad, as President and Sister Riggs gave their departing testimonies/talks. There was a lot of tears. We will miss them so much!

I love Sister Makowa!! She is so dedicated and willing to learn! We are having so much fun learning from each other. She is adapting well to the culture here so far! (It is her first time in America!) I am teaching things I never knew I would have to teach: how to download things on an iPad, how to send text messages, and how to use a Debit card. So fun! She is doing so well! We are also having a great time tracting a TON. We are in search for more investigators!

On Saturday we met a few nice people while tracting, and are hoping they will meet with us soon! It has been amazing to see the Spirit work through me as I am now the leader. It was as if a switch was turned when I got a new companion! I know what to say and feel so much more confident in my teaching abilities than ever before. I'm so grateful for the guidance of the Spirit!!

Yesterday was such a great Sunday! During my personal study I found a really cool insight. I was reading 2 Nephi 9, and found a gem while reading verse 39! Jacob is testifying and tells the people: "to be spiritually-minded is life eternal". If you look at the first letter of each word, it spells "s.m.i.l.e."!! We are truly happy when we put God first and have an eternal perspective. I know this to be true with all of my heart! I promise that if you focus on the eternal perspective of things, your days will be filled with joy!

I wish I had so much more time to write, but sadly I have to end here.
I am SO excited for these upcoming transfers! I see many miracles coming!

Thank you all for your prayers and love!

Love you all and wish you the best this week,
Sister Winterton