Spooktacular Week!

Wowza this week flew by.

Last Monday we had a great time in DC!! We decided to experience the Holocaust Museum. ...It was really interesting to go through, but I wouldn't choose to go back anytime soon. We had a bit of a hard time having happy hearts for the rest of the day. Luckily we were welcomed by teenagers from Utah on the Metro! Nothing beats that celebrity feeling. ;)

That night we had fun bringing a sweet member who recently had surgery some ice cream. It makes my day to make someone else's! :D

On Tuesday night we had another fun sleepover experience!! The Braddock Sisters got locked out of their apartment (apparently it's a thing) so they braved the night on our recliner couch. I love those Sisters!

We had District Meeting on Wednesday this week. It is always our favorite day because Elder Ma prepares the best District Meetings!! ....At the end of the meeting they decided to do a closing song. After the first verse, they switched it to the Birthday song!! Surprise! They sang Happy Birthday to me and brought in a cake with candles all over it! Wow!! I have the best District! They crack me up. All the Elders are hilarious! The Birthday partying never ceases..

On Wednesday afternoon we were finally able to get our apartment back in order! The apartment maintenance people supposedly fixed all the mildewing problems and now we're sleeping back on normal beds! Woo! ..The things you take for granted.

Thursday morning we had the Return and Report meeting for trainees and trainers. That is always great! Sister Hansen enjoyed seeing all of her MTC buddies again. I loved seeing President and Sister Huntsman. They are the best!! I also love having the opportunity to shoot a basketball after lunch.. ;)

On Friday Sister Hansen and I finally got to chat with the Knight family for a little bit! We haven't had any good luck with them for the last transfer. We brought cookies with us this time. :) They seem to be doing great! We're excited to set up another visit soon.

On Saturday we had the COOLEST service opportunity!!! Our Zone Leaders invited us to come help with a member's Halloween party! Us and a lot of other missionaries spent the entire day helping. This member has moneyyyyy. First of all, they live in a mansion. They put on this party every year for their two little kids. At the party they had everything you can imagine.... Live entertainment (small bands and an orchestra) a Jack Sparrow impersonator, a magician, a Dracula on stilts, a petting zoo, horse rides, a climbing wall, blow-up obstacle courses, a raffle for big prizes, hay rides (I got to go!), Baskin Robbins Ice Cream catering, Afghanistan food catering.....and many more treats and goodies. WOW it was amazing. And all free! Sister Hansen and I stood at the entrance of the driveway and gave out goodie bags, raffle tickets, light sticks, and pirate rings with some other Elders. We had the best job! Greeting everyone as they came in and out. It was cool to have people ask about where we were from, etc. It's amazing what free stuff can do! What a great missionary opportunity. Sister Hansen and I had a blast!! :) It was also fun to see all the different costumes. I had so much fun! We got to go through the cheesy spook alley near the end which ended the night off well. I will forever remember this night!

Yesterday was such a wonderful Sunday! We had the Primary Program which was absolutely amazing. The kids are just so cute!! Our ward has some serious talent. There were a few quartets and duets! It was adorable. The Spirit that comes from children singing is just beautiful. Tears are inevitable. ;)

I'm so grateful to be serving as a missionary in the Rolling Valley ward! I'm so so grateful to be companions with sweet Sister Hansen. We are having a blast! This week is transfers again and we are really hoping to stay together!

I hope you all have the best week. Love you all!!!

♥Sister Winterton

1. Beautiful Fall

2. Cool decked out house we saw while out and about.

3. The Birthday cake the Elders got me!

4. Me shooting a hoop at the Thursday meeting. :)

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Birthday Happiness!

This past week has been super fun!! Although Sister Hansen hasn't been able to fully recover from the sickness, we have found the little things to keep us happy. :)

Today my email will have to be a little short because today we are going to DC!! :D Woot woot!

Last Monday we had a great time exploring a little bit of Old Town Alexandria. There were some super cute shops and houses that lined the streets. ...We may or may not have accidentally crossed the bridge into the DC North Mission while trying to get back home. The highways here are seriously insane.

On Tuesday we were finally able to get in contact with our investigator Jessica. She is doing well! She is just super busy with school and baby. Her husband is also gone a lot so it makes things a little more stressful. Before we left she told us, "I will leave one thing with you before we go.. I just can't get over the whole 'no coffee' thing. I don't think I can do it!" ...We can totally work with that. :) Hopefully we can get another visit in with her this week.

Alexandra (the less-active from Switzerland) called us on Wednesday and asked us to come over. Poor lady. She has a lot of stress and anxiety about different things. I'm so glad we can help her out just a little. Later that night she called us and thanked us for the prayer. She tells us we are her angels. :) Being a missionary is the best!

On Thursday we had quite the experience!! We got SUPER lost while following the (accidentally) wrong address... We ended up getting on the crazy spaghetti bowl highways and then on the EZ-Pass lane!!! (Toll Road that is impossible to get off of until it's too late!) It totally doesn't help that we have the Tiwi devices that track your speed.. Wow that sure was stressful. Good thing I have a companion who can laugh at my craziness. ;) Good thing I only had to pay $5 for that ride.

Friday was my Birthday!! That was so fun! I told Sister Hansen that she is the best birthday present ever. She is the best! That morning I got to open the fun packages from my family and friend. So much fun! A sweet member in our ward, Sister Johnson, took us out to lunch at Café Rio! My favorite. That was so nice of her! Throughout the day I got different calls from missionaries who sang "Happy Birthday" to me so that was pretty special. :) Later that night right after dinner we got to go have cake and ice-cream with the Carey family!! They are the best! Their daughter Samantha has the same birthday as me and she is out at BYU-I so I got to blow the candles out on her cake for her while she Skyped in! That was so cool. What a neat experience! :D

That night Sister Hansen and I made sure to knock 20 doors in honor of 20 years. :) That was nice of Sis. H to do that with me since she wasn't feeling too well. What a fun day!!

On Saturday we had one of the Elders' investigators get baptized!! That was so exciting!! He looked SO happy and shining! That was so special to get to be a part of that. He is 39 years old and is married to a less-active in our ward. He hit a time in his life where he was searching and decided to refer himself online at Mormon.org. Now, just a few weeks later, he is baptized and looking forward to receiving the Priesthood. I love this gospel and I know that there truly are people out there searching. Being a missionary is the best!!

I'm so so grateful for all the love and support from each of you! Thank you for all the birthday wishes!! I love you all so so much.

Love,

Sister Winterton

Blessings!

This past week has been full of sick days. :P Sister Hansen and I both
haven't been feeling our best. Sister Hansen has had this
cold/headache/nauseousness since the MTC. I had had a headache for
about a week and a half but was positive it would go away soon enough.
Our mission nurse had Sister Hansen go to the Medicare on Saturday.
After she got checked out by the cute little old Greek doctor, she
checked me too. Turns out we both have sinus infections! No wonder! So
she gave us both prescriptions and we went on our way. The antibiotics
are not my favorite things in the world... Made my stomach go crazy!
Pretty much Saturday and yesterday (Sunday) were spent at home.
Luckily we were able to go to church! I loveeee church.

The work has been pretty slow, but we were still able to find tender
mercies throughout the week.

Last Monday we had a lot of fun learning how to bake bread with our
Relief Society President Sister Jensen!! She is so sweet. She just
loves us so much! Brother Jensen calls us his "daughters" ha! That
fresh wholewheat bread was delicious! Mm mmmm! Once we brought our
loaf home we sat down and literally ate the entire thing in one
sitting. No need for dinner that's for sure! Nothing beats fresh
homemade bread.

On Tuesday we had Zone Training! We have pretty great leaders in our
Zone! I love how strong the Spirit is during those meetings. After the
training, Sister Hansen and I both got Priesthood blessings from our
District Leader for our sicknesses. It was the most amazing blessing.
I have never felt so much love from our Heavenly Father. He knows us
perfectly. He loves us perfectly. That was much more than just a
blessing for my horrible headache. I am so grateful for the
Priesthood! I know that it is God's power on the earth. Sister Hansen
and I felt so happy after that! Nothing on the earth can bring greater
joy than feeling the peace and reassurance from the Holy Ghost. It is
the best! On the car ride home I couldn't help but sob tears of joy.
:)

The next morning we had a blast making more sandwiches for the
homeless at the Methodist Church! While we were making some nice ham
and cheese sandwiches, we were approached by an older woman who said,
"you two aren't the ones who knocked on my door a few days ago when I
was getting ready for my colonoscopy are you?" ....Yep! Pretty
hilarious! That night when we were tracting she came to the door and
nicely shooed us away and told us she was busy sitting on the toilet
preparing for her colonoscopy. Hehe. Super funny that we ran into her
again! We had fun chatting with her. That service activity is super
fun!

On Thursday we had another fun service activity over at Greenspring.
:) The ceramics class is the best! This time the cute old ladies were
painting ceramic angels. I love helping them! It is a lot of fun to be
with them and to serve with the Braddock Ward Sisters as well.
That evening we had a fun activity with the Laurels in our ward. We
took them to go "heart-attack" one of our investigators named Laura!
Laura is 17 and her step dad is a member. The surprise turned out
great!! Laura was super surprised to see about 10 girls on her porch!
The girls invited her to mutual and she went! Sounded like she had a
great time!:)

I'm so grateful to be serving here in the Rolling Valley ward. I've
been able to see many changes not only in the area but in myself as
I've been here. Missions are the best. Being sick isn't. But the work
continues! :) During my personal study a couple of days ago I found a
super great scripture that I'd like to share. In Alma 60:23 Moroni
says, "Now I would that ye should remember that God has said that the
inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel
be cleansed also." It hit me that in order for me to physically feel
well, my inward attitude must first be cleansed! I tried it, and it
worked! I focused on having a positive attitude all day and it was
almost as if my sickness level went down a few notches! Scriptures are
great! :)

I'm SO grateful for my sweet companion who continues to love, cheer
and lift me up daily! We have a lot of fun. Friends for life!

I wish you all the best this week!! Enjoy the nice Fall weather while
it lasts! :)
Thanks for your love and prayers!

Love,
Sister Winterton

P.s.  Sorry I don't have any pictures this week! With the libraries
being closed I can't get them off of my camera. Next week will be
better! :)

Rain, rain, go away...

What a WET week!!

It has been raining non-stop for the past week! Drenching rain! Today it has finally gotten dry. Yay!!

Last Monday Sister Hansen and I got our hair trimmed by one of the sweet members here! That was fun.

That night while tracting we met SO MANY kind people!! We didn't run into one mean/mad soul! Miracle! We basically went to every house and got compliments! Everyone just kept complimenting our happiness and cheerfulness! :) They all couldn't help but smile. I love my companion! We have a lot of fun!

On Tuesday we had exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders!! I got to go with Sister Davis (I was in the MTC with her!!!) in the Fort Belvoir area!! ...I have never served in such a humble area my entire mission. It was amazing! Everyone was SO open to talking to us and having us come back to share more! Not gonna lie.. I got kinda jealous of those Sisters in that area! They have 5 people on date for baptism.. I got to meet two of them! Their names are Salifu and Mabinty and they're from Sierra Leone! Salifu is going to be a member of the Seventy someday. I'm already calling it! He is so amazing!! Basically he taught US. His testimony is solid!! I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK. There truly are people out there who are searching for the gospel -- and finding it!! I'm so grateful I could go to that area and meet those wonderful people.

We also got to go on the Military base to visit a less-active!! We had to give them our SSN and everything. Wow! That was really cool. It was like being in a movie set! That would be interesting living there.

Exchanges were so much fun! I loved spending time with Sister Davis! We still can't believe that we've been away from home 11 months.. And how much we love being missionaries! :)

Getting back together with Sister Hansen on Wednesday was great!! I just love her! She was wonderful and helped remind me that we ARE successful missionaries even though we may not have 5 people on date for baptism. It is so true. We just have completely different challenges within our area. We are finding the success in sharing our testimonies and joy with so many well-off people! ;)

On Thursday we had a blast helping the cute ladies at Greenspring paint their ceramics. Totally my favorite service opportunity.

That night Sister Hansen and I had quite the cool experience.... So I may or may not have locked our keys in the apartment again.. We were locked out of our apartment with 2 plates of cookies, towels and water-bottles in the cold misty-ish weather. We had gone to our apartment to get the plates of cookies to take to people, and the towels were for protecting our car seats just in case it poured again. Luckily the Office Elders went to get the extra key.

Now this is where the miracles come in.

We had the option to go get the key with the Elders in the warm car, but I had a prompting to stay and go walk to an area to tract. I knew that if we were diligent we would see miracles. I had a distinct feeling that we would see some! I had already tracted most of the area closest to our apartment complex..but we went anyways. After knocking a cul-de-sac, we decided to go back. Then... I saw a house I had previously knocked on that had no answer and knew that we had to try again! And guess who we met!? A woman named Patch who looked super happy to see us!! She was a former investigator!! Miracle! We are hoping to meet with her soon. At the moment she was busy. But hey hey! Diligence pays off! And God will do funny things to make sure you're in the right place at the right time. :)

Last night Sister Hansen and I had another funny thing happen. We totally got carried away after our nightly planning and were just chatting away...and moving our beds into the front room (we have a little bit of flooding in our bedroom--not horrible) that we forgot to send in our key indicators to our District Leader! And our phone was on vibrate in Sis. H's bag.. So basically he and our ZL's were trying to get ahold of us all night... So we got a check-in visit from some Elders in our apartment complex around 10:20pm.. Embarrassing! Well, it's good to know there are people making sure we are alive and well. :) Haha! Sis. H and I couldn't stop laughing!

Anyway... I'll keep the rest of this short.

I LOVE GENERAL CONFERENCE. I love members who take care of us. I love our beloved Prophet. I love our Apostles. I KNOW that they are men called by God. I know that their words truly are God's words. I'm so grateful for the answers I have received from them!

I love you all and hope you'll take on the challenge of "ponderizing"... ;) haha don't you just love that?

Love,

Sister Winterton