Monday, May 30, 2011

FAMILIA! 0‏ 5/30/11 Week17

¡Hola! como estan? The accent button on this computer is broken....so i hope you understood that first little bit haha.  Anyway, how's everyone doing?  it was so good to read your emails for the week!  I'm SO EXCITED that Casey and Kari are going to have a little boy!! ¡¡¡QUE LINDO!!!!  !No puedo creerlo¡  I'm happy to hear that everyone is doing well!  this past week absolutely flew bye, so fast actually that i can't really remember much that happened....but i'll try ja.  I was able to talk with Katie on the phone this week and that was way fun!  she said she was loving Argentina, so i was glad to hear that and to hear that Preston and her made it safe.  I'm not really sure when i will get the paquete....it could take up to 2 and a half months ha, cuz they usually bring mail to us when we have zone conference....which is every 3 months!  but it could be sooner, not sure ja.  Anyway, I'll keep you posted on that and thank you so much for all the stuff you sent.  That's also awesome mom that you were able to talk with Elder Smarts mom this week!  I miss Elder Smart ja es un caposo. And yes, he is serving in Federal, but that is in another zone then me, so i wasn't able to see him at zone conference.  maybe sometime later on tho i will.  Anyway, Tiffani, felicitaciones on your choice to be a nurse!  That's so awesome! How long is the program for that? Anyway, not so much this week to report.  We have done tons of walking this past week because a lot of the appointments that we had set up fodged us....which means they weren't there ja, and it was just a little harder this week to find people that were interested in our message, definitely depressing.  but the work pushes forward and i have received so many blessings everyday!  I absolutely love the people here and i hope that I can continue growing in the desire to help them come unto the Savior.  One of our investigators, the Vasquez family, is really amazing!  The dad is evangelist, but he is absolutely loving the things that we are teaching him.  He has always believed that Christ visited the Americas and most of the things that we have taught him, especially the Plan of Salvation, he already believed and he told us as we were teaching him "it feels like I've heard all of this before..."  jaja talk about wow!  I hope that we can continue to help him progress and that him and his family can come to receive the many blessings of the gospel.  Also this past Sunday, if you remember Cristian, he received the Priesthood!  It was awesome!!  Anyway, I cant really think of anything else super exciting that happened that you'd love to hear, but i had a great week. The Spanish has kind of slowed down as far as learning goes, since i have an American companion now ha, but I'm still working hard to improve everyday. My scripture for you this week is Juan 7:17.  When we do the will of the father, we come to know him.  I can't describe how much closer i have grown to my Father in Heaven and Jesucristo over the past few months, but its been the most miraculous experience.  I've really had my eyes opened to just how miraculous the most simplest of doctrine is.  To think that we literally lived with God before we came to this earth and that he has given us the opportunity to become like him.  i couldn't express enough gratitude to him and for the blessings that he rains upon me everyday.  He has given me way more than i deserve, and i hope that i can somehow show my love and gratitude for him as i do the things that he has called me to do and labor among this people.  God lives.  He loves us so much that he sent his only Begotten son, Jesucristo to the earth to redeem us from our own errores and sins.  Jesucristo, nuestro hermano, voluntarily took upon him the sins and pruebas of every child of God so that we could return to the Heavenly Kingdom. I know that God and Jesucristo live and love all of their children.  As it says in Mosiah 28:3, I've really been coming to realize more so just how important this message is to every person.  I hope i can be the Lord's instrument as i continue to labor, for it truly is a trembling thought to imagine someone not returning to live with him.  Thank you so much family once again for giving me this opportunity.  Es un pensamiento fantistico que podamos vivir como una familia por eternidad!  I love you all and your all in my prayers everyday family and friends.  Continue on! has lo justo!  Men truly are that they might have joy.

Espero que ustedes se tengan una semana maravillosa,

Elder Winger

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

hey fam! 05/24/11 Week 16

Thank you so much for all of the emails and updates that I have received!  I´m so glad that everyone is doing so well!  Thanks mom for getting all of that stuff together to Katie and Preston to bring down here.  I´m bummed they aren´t able to come visit, but oh well!  So, today is Tuesday...not Monday.  Sorry for the confusion that this may have caused, but when we have transfers the schedule changes a little bit.  Yesterday morning at 5 AM my companion Elder Techeira "Died".  He´s off to see his fam in Uruguay!  It´s crazy how fast my first transfer went, but i´ve definitely learned SO much over the past 6 weeks, especially humility and patience ha.  I have been in a trio for the last couple of days with the other Elders in my pension Elder Tello and Elder Pixton.  It has been a great time!  They are closing the area of those Elders after this transfer, so we spent all of yesterday basically saying goodbye to members and investigators.  Anyway, i found out who my next companion is going to be and where i´m going......I´m staying in Parque Del Sur with Elder Pixton as my companion!  I´m super excited ha, we get along very well!  He´s been out for a year and a month now i believe and he´s from Sandy, Utah.  I´m super excited to get to work with him starting tomorrow, and we are really going to hit the pavement!  Anyway, Elder Tello is going to another part of the mission, so it will be only me and Elder Pixton living in our 4 man pension, so we definitely are spoiled with space ha.  Anyway, this week has flown by, but a couple of the highlights were, first of all i had my first zone conference! I got to see the president again and about 35 missionaries or so that are in our area.  Including Elder Stromberg from the MTC, and he´s doing well.  I also met up with Elder Petersen from North Logan!  He graduated in 08 at Sky View and was really good friends with Nate Heaps and some other people, so I knew him at least a little.  He´s a way nice guy, and he just finished his mission as well, so he should be getting home probably today or tomorrow.  If you somehow run into him....tell him hello for me! Also this week, I had lunch at a members house and the mom....oh my, reminds me of Alison Henriksen exactly!  She´s soooo funny and super happy all the time!  The only difference between her and Alison is that she speaks spanish haha.  Anyway, thought you might to hear that...for some reason.  Also, i was riding in a taxi the other day...and the driver was around 23 years old i would guess and looked like a hardcore type of guy if you know what i mean....but when we got in the taxi, he was listening to Shania Twain haha.  What else.....oh, the spanish has really been picking up this week!  I´m so grateful to Heavenly Father because he has definitely been aiding me.  I wouldn´t say i´m a good spanish speaker by ANY means, but i´ve definitely been so grateful for the gift of tongues and all that i´m able to understand and say.  Anyway, things are going absolutely amazing here and I´m having an amazing experience serving the Lord.  Also, Riley Reeder wrote me an email this week, and I want to answer his questions before he leaves!  Will you tell him that I absolutely LOVE Argentina!  The MTC was an absolutely amazing experience, but I must say the field is even more so!  Will you also let him know that I´m in Parque Del Sur in Santa Fe, his dad wanted to know where i´m serving right now.  I´m so grateful for all my friends that are serving and that are preparing for service, ¡CAPOS! I have never made a greater decision or been given a greater opportunity than to serve a mission.  We work hard everyday, and it´s not easy by any means, but the blessings have been spectacular and i hope that I can follow the spirit at every moment so that I can be lead to those that the Lord has prepared.  This week, in the area of Elder Tello and Elder Pixton, one of the members children was playing around the stove and spilled Scolding water all over themself.  I'm not sure of the age, but the burns are quite gruesome from what I´ve heard.  Anyway, we visited him yesterday and shared with him a scripture that i´d like to share with you.  If there´s anyone that´s having a difficulty in life right now, i hope this scripture can help you find comfort and strength!  It´s 2Corinthians 12:9-10.  I absolutely love it.  It´s in the moments that we are weak, that because of our Savior we can be made strong.  Anyway, it´s good to hear that Nate and Shan love their new apartment!  I´m so excited for them and their child!  and Casey and Kari as well, that is such a blessing, and i can´t wait to see them one day ha.  Also, i´m excited to hear how the Mount Rushmore trip goes, that would definitely be an amazing sight to see!  Once again, I want to thank you all family and friends for your support and prayers.  I testify that this Church is the kingdom of God on the Earth and it was restored through the prophet Jose Smith.  My eyes have been opened to just how important this message is that we share.  Every person that we pass on the street is a child of God that made the decision to come to this earth to be tested.  I´ve realized how urgent it is to share this message because unless a person can accept our message, they are not able to receive Eternal Life.  There´s no other way but through Christ and his Gospel. What a blessing to be a member of the church!!!  Thank you so much everyone for your examples to me and for all that you do.  I pray for you constantly and I pray that you will continue to find joy in your life everyday!  Keep me updated on things at home and how you are all doing, because I´m not really a fan of being out of the loop.....even if i am on a different Continent.  Love you all!  Take care this week!  Tenga un buen dia!  ¡LES AMO!

Elder Winger

p.s.  to my friends that have written letters.....i´m trying to make time!  i´ll get you a letter ASAP!

Monday, May 16, 2011

familia! 0‏ 5/16/11 Week 15

hola otra vez!

Estoy muy animado por este oportunidad  que yo tengo para escribirles a ustedes otra vez!  Yo no puedo escribir....o hablar muy bien en castillano pero....estoy intentando jaja.

how´s everyone doing?  so.....i´m pretty sure that my Spanish above isn't all that great, but i´m trying my best haha.  hows everyone been this week?  it´s sounds like you've been doing pretty good from the emails that i´ve gotten!  first of all, i´m sorry to hear about the rain out? or whatever at health days.  but i´m sure it was a fun time anyway.  and i hope that you all had an amazing mothers day!  it would've been fun to be able to join you at grandmas to play some farkle and be with the family!  so a couple of events from the past week were pretty amazing...first one was last Tuesday i think, but me an Elder Tello were together for the day because we were doing companion exchanges, but as we were walking down the street, suddenly a man started yelling "hermanos hermanos" to us.  he came over to us, and i couldn´t completely catch everything that he said, but he said that he knew our church was true right off the bat.  he told us that 8 years ago he had a dream about 2 missionaries walking down the street, and then he ended up seeing two missionaries the very next day...but i guess he didn´t want to change until now or he didn´t act upon it? no se.  pero, by luck we were right next to a church, so we decided to teach him a little bit inside.  we taught him the first lesson, gave him a book of mormon, and set a baptism date for him 10 days later haha.  he totally loved everything we told him and he already knew most of the doctrine.  anyway, it was really a testimony builder that the Lord is constantly preparing people for us to teach!  anyway, also this week an amazing thing happened......remember that story i told you about Eugenia and the kids?  Well, on Thursday Cristian, the dad, was baptized!!!!!! He went back to the house and they figured things out! so now they are back together with the kids and all, and he was baptized this past week.  Then yesterday, both of them were confirmed in church!  it was an amazing experience to say the least ha. anyway, today has been a fun p-day!  this morning we went and visited the colon cancha, the big soccer team of this area, and we got to walk around inside the stadium and stuff and take some pictures.  our ward mission leader works construction there, so that's how we were able to get in haha.  but it was way cool.  as far as pictures go, i haven´t been able to make a cd yet......but i´ll try to get one made before Katie and Preston come.  maybe a couple more things to add to the package...if possible.....haha sorry!  maybe some more contacts?  i wore some for the first time today, and i might want more than two months worth.  plus i hear that it´s actually safer to wear them here versus glasses.....cuz someone might come and punch you in the face and break them just because. i´ve heard of it happening haha.  so i don´t really want to be blind for 21 months, so if its possible to get more of those that would be great.  anyway, also today i got to play futbol for the first time!!  we played with some other people in our zone and it was way fun!  we just played at the church, but we play on cement instead of grass.  while we were there, some random guy started talking to us through the fence...in English!  his name was Austin Dent from Kaysville, and he´s here to do some schooling with the university of Utah. anyway, he got here last night and doesn´t know hardly any Spanish....anyway, he needed to find a different place to live and we were able to help him out.  but it was fun to speak in a language that i can actually talk in :).  i also got to test out some translation skills and communicate with him and the elders.  anyway, everything is going good here!  i´ve really had a humbling experience since i´ve been here and i love the people, language, and the work.  I have a ton to learn still, but i´m doing my best everyday.  I'm starting to fit in here and just doing what i can to help out the wonderful people here in any way i can, sharing the gospel, or simply giving acts of service.  I hope that you are all doing well, and I'm so glad that i got to here from you once again this week.  and i agree that it was a real treat to be able to talk to you last week!  anyway, i can´t really think of much else to tell you except that i love you!  i pray for you everyday, and i´m so grateful for your prayers as well cuz i´ve definitely been receiving blessings from them.  my scripture for you this week is one that i´m sure your familiar with Mosiah 4:27.  it says "and see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength.  And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order. i´ve really been able to apply this in my life out here, and i wish i would've applied it more before my mission ha.  We all have a lot of things to do throughout each day, and sometimes we try to cram them with so many things that eventually we get stressed out or we end up doing the things that maybe weren´t the most important.  King Benjamin counsels us here to do things in wisdom and order. Time never stops, so its important that we utilize this time effectively, being focused on the things that are most important.  the gospel of Jesus Christ can help us in all aspects of our lives, and i´ve started to realize that.  in a hectic world today where everything is go go go, remember the words of nephi in 2 nefi 31:3 my soul delighteth in plainness, for after this manner doth the lord god work among the children of men.  as we focus on the things most important in our lives, let us continually have our eyes and heart on the savior and do his will.  this is the manner by which we can receive happiness and peace in our lives.  don´t run faster than you have strength, but look to the Lord and walk with him.  ha, i hope that maybe this can help you out a tiny bit....just been on my mind today.  but i wish i could share scriptures and my feelings like this in Spanish hahaha :)  i´m just having a grand old time, trying to be the missionary that the Lord wants me to become now, and the person that he wants me to become for eternity.  i love you so much family, and i´m so grateful for this gospel that you´ve raised our family upon.  The Lord lives, and this is his Gospel.  Anyway, i want to hear more stories about how you all are doing back home and about the rest of the fam!! oh, and i can´t wait to hear about the our new members of the family (hijos de Nate y Shantra y Kari y Casey)  in the coming months!  love you all, and hope to hear from youi again soon!

Yo espero que ustedes tendran una semana buenisima! Con Amor! Dios Vive!

-Elder Winger

Monday, May 9, 2011

hola familia 0‏5/09/11 Week 14

hey!!
So I want to start out by saying i was so happy to be able to talk to you yesterday!  But, not gonna lie, i had a rough go yesterday after our call cut off 2.5 minutes early.....i felt terrible that i didn´t get to say goodbye...so here goes the rest of what i wanted to say ha.   mom, i hope you had the absolute best mothers day in the world.  you've done more for me than i can ever repay you back for.  so, happy mothers day-yesterday mom, i love you much.  The phone call definitely got me even more motivated to share this message, even though i had to pay the price of getting a little homesick as well ha.  i miss you all so much and i´m glad everyone is doing well.  thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to serve, i´ve been having the time of my life here.  i know this church is true and i see the hand of God in my life every day.  i´m so grateful to be a representative of his son Jesus Christ.  Anyway fam, it was awesome to get to talk to you yesterday.  also, today marks 3 months! pretty crazy ha, and i´m sure it´ll only start flying by even faster.   anyway, i also forgot to tell you yesterday that i´ve been rockin the comb over haha, everyday.  i should be getting a haircut today though, but it was quite the site while it lasted. also, i´m note sure if i mentioned to you that i could use reloads for the pentel scripture marking pen.  i know i´ve already asked for a million things, so don´t worry about it if it´s going to be a hassle.  let me know what president villalba says to Preston and Katie as well and if they are going to be able to come visit.  the transfer should end 16 days from today, and my comp leaves in 14 days...so i´m not sure what i´ll be doing for the two days in between ha, probably just join the other companionship in our pench. Elder Techeira says that i should probably be staying in the same area for the next transfer, so we will see what happens with that.  Also mom, thanks for sending the hallmark e-card!  I'm not able to view it because the internet and computers are old-school, but it´s the thought that counts :)  oh, another thing i didn´t mention yesterday was that every week we do a service project...and this past week we went to a persons house and pounded bricks with hammers. yeah, pretty manly.  he randomly had a ton of bricks from who knows where, and we just would pound away at them haha, it was very random.  Also saw a scorpion at their house, so that was kind of cool, Elder pixton who has been out a year says he hasn´t ever seen one so it was quite the treat. anyway, i thought id share a couple of escrituras with you now that have helped me and that i really enjoy.  the first one is Alma 29:9.  I have really recognized my nothingness without the Lord in my life, and so i really enjoy this scripture that says: "i know that which the lord hath commandem me, and i glory in it.  I do not glory of myself, but i glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps i may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."  my next scripture is found in 2peter 1:3-8.  as you read it, you can recognize it as the basis for the young women's theme haha, naming attributes such as faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.  in verse 8 it says that if we have these things within us, then we shall not be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  I have a personal testimony of this principle.  I know that when we live the gospel of Jesus Christ and seek to follow our Savior each and everyday, God opens paths for us and makes his will known through the Spirit and through opportunities.  We can better come to know Christ by living his Gospel and studying, pondering, and praying about his teachings contained in the scriptures.  anyway, i think that´s enough preaching for one email, but i hope you can somehow apply these in your lives :).    i should be getting a cd made of pictures today as well.  anything else you would like me to do? anyway, i think that is about all for this week!  i love you so much family and friends, thank you for all the support and love.  and for those that i´m not able to write back on email...i´m working on letters whenever i find time haha.  the church is true. God lives and we are his children. ¡ciao!

Elder Winger

p.s.  Attribute for the week: humility (Mosiah 4:11-12)

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

¿que tal? 0‏5/02/11 Week 13

Hey everyone!

So once again, i was only able to skim some of your emails, so hopefully i can answer to some of the things you said ha ha. First off, i want to ask for some things to add to the things that Preston and Katie are going to bring :) i ask for a lot i know. but i need an adapter so that i can charge stuff, the set that i have doesn´t work.  The plugs are shaped with two holes side by side.....i´m not sure how to describe it ha, but maybe ask Preston what kind i need. if i find it here to buy within the next week i will just buy one.  an elder in my pension has one that's called Travel Safe that works perfectly, so look into that. thanks!  also, i´d like pictures of you family!  everyone asks if i have one, i say no, and tell them my family doesn´t love me enough ;)  but yeah, it would be great to get some photos!.  what else....oh, i´d love some more of those little pictures of the Jesus Christ picture that Traci Douglass drew!  i love that picture ha, and i´d love to give it to people that i meet on my mission.  also, i didn´t bring my Spanish textbook from the MTC to learn the language because i didn´t have room....so i might need one so i can learn this language ha ha.  the one that's really good is called The Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice.  also, it might be sweet to find a book of Spanish verbs with the conjugations.  what else.....oh, maybe the book Way to Be by Gordon B. Hinckley or a similar book to read.  I could use a uplifting boost in the mornings, cuz sometimes i´m a grouch :)  anyway, that should be all, make sure to pack some love into that package too k_?  anyway, this week went by fast!  do i understand when people talk? hardly.  but i´m having a great time and just working my hardest everyday.  unfortunately, we weren´t able to have the 2 baptisms for Cristian and Eojenia (don´t know how to spell it) on Saturday because he had work...bleh.  But, they got married on Friday and i was able to attend that!!  it was a civil wedding, so it was just in a little room and there were 10 of us there or so....and some lady blabbered on about marriage for a while, while the couple sat in front of her desk...i didn´t really pick up on everything said, but suddenly they started signing papers and we all cheered and clapped like it was cinco de mayo.  it was enjoyable.  so, hopefully the pictures that i want to send of them will upload in time.  anyway, their family is way awesome and nice!  they have 4 kids that are just precious.  so anyway, they have their fjkldsajfd don´t remember.....interview! today for baptism and we should be baptizing them tomorrow.  I´m super excited and it will be an amazing experience.  A couple of days ago there was a baptism for a chica in the ward that was turning 8, so we went to that too and i was able to participate in the confirmation, which was a very powerful experience. fun fact of the week : caballos de basura.  garbage horses.  So , twice a week the garbage gets picked up and i was always wondering who picked it up.....i found the answer.  they have these carriage things that someone rides around and collects it all!  you have to be here to witness it, i like it.  Anyway, this week was full of quite a few fun and crazy experiences, but i´m too lazy to type them...so i´ll show you them when i get home, cuz i write them in my journal :) everyday:)  anyway, i´m finally starting to get used to things here, except being able to talk to people without sounding like a stuttering stanley, but it´s fun.  a couple more funny things is that my name gets pronounced like a million different ways here, so whenever someone makes an attempt at it, i just say perfecto!  ha ha like winher, winjer, william.....yep. william haha.  also, its funny to see how much American influence there is down here.  everyone wears shirts that have English on them and have no idea what they mean haha.  also, we were visiting a member family the other day and one of the girls brought out a poster of Hannah Montana and i almost puked.  anyway, people always ask if i know famous actors......and one family yesterday called me Dennis the menace.  i stick out like a sore thumb being the gringo of the streets, but maybe it helps me be more interesting to talk to?  anyway, i know that this church is the true church of God.  it is an amazing thing to see the spirit literally work inside of someone, help someone pray for the first time, and to bear testimony of our savior Jesus Christ everyday.  one thing that my branch president in the mtc would say is Attitude defines Altitude, so i try to apply that every hour of the day.  this time is going to fly by, so I'm going to enjoy every second of it.....even the hard parts, and enjoy the humbling, honoring experience of being a representative of Jesus Christ.  love ya fam and friend!! thanks for all the support and emails.  can´t wait to talk to you next Sunday!! our phone number is 435 563 4102 ? hope so haha.  anyway, CIAO!!!! 
PS.you sold my car? didn´t get to kiss it goodbye :( haha just kidding, but the scripture for the week is Mosiah 5:8. All blessings come through obedience.