3:12 P.M. 100% chance of rainshowers with calm winds from the southwest. My computer here says that its January 7 today....so i´ll trust it, and say it is. Today is the final day of transfer number 7! It´s been a day of much cleaning, some "rat hunting" (he got away), and i spilled gravy all over the stove after my comp barely finished cleaning it. its been a good day.
Yesterday, my dear friend and district leader Elder Hernandez said goodbye to his mission and this country. he will be boarding the plane tonight! He was a great example to me, and he´s got quite the schedule ahead of him. He starts school the 21st of February, his family moved from California to St. George while he has been here, so he has to give two homecoming talks in California and St. George, than go to BYU Idaho by the 21st. I´m sure glad i´m not him right now :)
Anyway, we will be experiencing some changes this transfer, which i´m pretty stoked about. My new greenie (i heard his name mentioned over the telephone as Grekor or something......something interesting) and he will be coming to Gálvez where i´ve been for the last 2 transfers. As i´m training my hijo, i´ll also be district leader, which just adds responsibility to the mix :( . Haha, it´ll be a great learning/growing experience and i am really looking forward to a couple of great transfers full of baptisms.
Elder Waid will be going up to señor companion in a place called Acevedo, and he´ll be living in the same apartment that i came from in my last area. He´ll be living with Elder Tague and he will be comps with Elder Guadagnin. So basically we are swip swapping spots.
The work is going well. We are planning on having a baptism this friday, which would be a great experience for my companion, but we have to work some things out still, but i´m praying everything goes through. We also have other investigators who are progressing well and hoping that we´ll have a handful of baptisms here in February.
I read a scripture this week that i really loved in Luke 18: 27 (i think) that says something like (it won´t be a perfect translation from spanish to english)- "and he said unto them: all things that are impossible with man are possible with God". How true that is. I can´t hardly believe that i´ve been out a year already, time flies by! It has been the experience of a lifetime, and there´s lots of work for me to do before i finish, so we are going to be hitting it hard. Thanks for all you prayers and support weekly. It really means the world to me and i love hearing about how everyone is doing. I can´t think of anything else to write at the moment......but i´ll talk to ya next week!
oh by the way, i attached a picture of me playing the kinect on p-day when we went to mcdonalds. Too Much Physical Activity. for me.
Con amor,
Elder Winger
p.s. mom- i was going to send "a nice picture of me smiling" but i forgot.
p.s.s. i´m happy to hear that the talks on sunday went well!!!!!!! bien hecho. also, i´m slightly jealous to hear that dad and tiff went snowboarding, but sounds super fun and i´m glad they had a good time :)
p.s.s.s. nada más
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
oh....we´re (just about) halfway there 01/23/2012 Week 50
Well how do you do there? It´s crazy to think that I´ve just about hit my year mark in my mission. If the rest of my life goes as fast as this, i´m not sure i´ll have time to learn anything along the way....haha Qué suerte to think that you´ve only had to shovel the sidewalk two times! Now that´s what I call a winter :) Actually, i would do some pretty crazy things for an inch of snow right now haha, but I´m quite accustomed to the heat here and i´m enjoying it....mmhmm. The other day i went to the mission home for a trainers meeting. This upcoming transfer, which begins one week from Wednesday, i will receive a brand new greenie coming into the mission field. Haha, i´m pretty excited, it should be a great experience. I´ll be "having a kid" as they say. Just because it is on my mind right now, i´m going to cut to the list of things that i may want you to send in my next package "wink wink" - fire hot Cheetos, beef jerky, slippers to wear in the apartment, girl scout cookies, hot sauce, betty crocker cookie mix, some ties maybe......and just a few more garments. I think that should be all for now :) thanks so much mom, i love you! I´m excited to hear that you´ll be giving talks next Sunday in church. Best of luck! I know you´ll do great, and i´m praying for you, like always. Baptism..what an amazing topic. Also, here´s a random question. I was talking to an Elder in the mission named Elder Justin Benson from Utah who knows the Purser family, and specifically Megan. He sends his greetings and is curious to see how everyone is doing. That´s about all I have time for today, but have a great week and thanks so much for taking the time to write! I also received a little email from Savannah Ipsen with a picture from the storytelling festival. Tell her i laughed and thanks, and that i love her. Until next time, Elder Winger p.s. what mission are the Despain´s going to in the Dominican Republic? p.s.s. i´ll think about sending a picture of myself just smiling. just think tho.
one more thing
I was having lunch with a member from my ward this week, and he´s moving to Utah in February. He decided to add me on facebook so that i could keep in touch and go visit him when i got home. I helped him to find my page, and when he opened up my home page and saw my profile picture...and a few other pictures .....he didn´t recognize me. Haha that´s probably most definitely a bad thing :( just thought i´d let you know that. :)
Monday, January 16, 2012
HOLA! 01/16/2012 Week 49
HOLA!
Mom and Dad, it sounds like you had an amazing adventure in Mexico!!!! I was pretty stoked to hear all about it, thanks for letting me know how it went. It definitely sounds like it was a big testimony builder. What could possibly be greater than having huge testimony strengthening experiences....while on vacation??? jackpot.
Today, for p-day, we made a journey once again to the Rosario. We saw the flag monument again, but quickly moved on to see the river Paraná (the big river that we saw on the map before i came out here).....it was beautiful, minus the brownish brown water and nothing to really look at. it was fun to see anyway. We also went to a restaurant called las tinajas, which is an all you can eat place. My fellow missionaries of the apartment were startled that i had never heard of this place. it was a taste of heaven on earth. After many weeks of rice and pasta over and over again, imagine yourself walking into a Chuck-a-Rama on steroids. They had everything from asado to chorrizo, amazing types of meat, to chinese food, empanadas, ice cream, and fruit....and seafood. As always, i stuffed myself over the top, and the food that they supplied to us didn´t mix well.....especially an octupus dish mixed with peppers, onions, and weird juices......but i ate it :) that was a good highlight of the day.
This week, i had the great privilege of having a family home evening lesson with a family of my ward that aren´t all members, and the Mission President and his wife accompanied us. It was so cool!! They have such a special spirit about them and I learned so much from the manner that they taught and the spirit they carried. The power that I felt in that lesson I realized is something that I should be feeling in every lesson, without fail, always striving to allow the spirit to guide what we teach. it was a fun day. We are looking forward to a few baptisms this coming month, at least 2, with 4 or 5 that should be definitely going through (including the family Zapata that can´t make it to church still due to health problems....but things are looking brighter!! The mother of the family asked me if there was a church program that she could donate a bunch of unused shoes to..and i was like "why of course." haha, they are so funny and so ready for the gospel...."dry members" as i would call them.
since the phone call that i made to you, i told you that we had a "bucket shower" where we had to wait for the warm water to warm up, which i despised quite deeply.....i have been humbled.....it broke. for the past 2 weeks or so, i have been bathing myself in water that came "straight from the glacier" as a fitting description. I try to make the most out of my morning workouts so that a freezing shower is something i can kind of look forward too haha.
I love the work, and I have loved reading the adventures of all my friends through the missionary newsletter. I couldn´t have asked for more blessings in my life with the family and friends that I have. The lord continues to pour more blessings out than I can receive. I know this is the Church of our Savior Jesus Christ. He helps me through everyday. I hope that I can use every ounce of these next 13 months to do what he´s asked of me..which is nothing compared to what he´s already done and continues to do in my life and the life of all of his children. I was reading a scripture today that is found in Jacob 6:4 where it says "y les extiende sus manos todo el dia" or in english something like "and he extends forth his hands all day." God is ALWAYS working to bring forth the salvation of his children. Those times when I´m sleeping, i´m eating, i´m on "break" during p-day, the Lord continues to labor in his vineyard. It gave me a new motivation that striving to be a missionary in all times, all things, and all places is what the Lord expects of me. Thinking back to a phrase we used to always say during soccer "leave it all on the field" - it applies to each of us - missionaries or members- of the church. I love this work. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, i´ll talk to you next week :)
Con amor,
Elder Winger
Mom and Dad, it sounds like you had an amazing adventure in Mexico!!!! I was pretty stoked to hear all about it, thanks for letting me know how it went. It definitely sounds like it was a big testimony builder. What could possibly be greater than having huge testimony strengthening experiences....while on vacation??? jackpot.
Today, for p-day, we made a journey once again to the Rosario. We saw the flag monument again, but quickly moved on to see the river Paraná (the big river that we saw on the map before i came out here).....it was beautiful, minus the brownish brown water and nothing to really look at. it was fun to see anyway. We also went to a restaurant called las tinajas, which is an all you can eat place. My fellow missionaries of the apartment were startled that i had never heard of this place. it was a taste of heaven on earth. After many weeks of rice and pasta over and over again, imagine yourself walking into a Chuck-a-Rama on steroids. They had everything from asado to chorrizo, amazing types of meat, to chinese food, empanadas, ice cream, and fruit....and seafood. As always, i stuffed myself over the top, and the food that they supplied to us didn´t mix well.....especially an octupus dish mixed with peppers, onions, and weird juices......but i ate it :) that was a good highlight of the day.
This week, i had the great privilege of having a family home evening lesson with a family of my ward that aren´t all members, and the Mission President and his wife accompanied us. It was so cool!! They have such a special spirit about them and I learned so much from the manner that they taught and the spirit they carried. The power that I felt in that lesson I realized is something that I should be feeling in every lesson, without fail, always striving to allow the spirit to guide what we teach. it was a fun day. We are looking forward to a few baptisms this coming month, at least 2, with 4 or 5 that should be definitely going through (including the family Zapata that can´t make it to church still due to health problems....but things are looking brighter!! The mother of the family asked me if there was a church program that she could donate a bunch of unused shoes to..and i was like "why of course." haha, they are so funny and so ready for the gospel...."dry members" as i would call them.
since the phone call that i made to you, i told you that we had a "bucket shower" where we had to wait for the warm water to warm up, which i despised quite deeply.....i have been humbled.....it broke. for the past 2 weeks or so, i have been bathing myself in water that came "straight from the glacier" as a fitting description. I try to make the most out of my morning workouts so that a freezing shower is something i can kind of look forward too haha.
I love the work, and I have loved reading the adventures of all my friends through the missionary newsletter. I couldn´t have asked for more blessings in my life with the family and friends that I have. The lord continues to pour more blessings out than I can receive. I know this is the Church of our Savior Jesus Christ. He helps me through everyday. I hope that I can use every ounce of these next 13 months to do what he´s asked of me..which is nothing compared to what he´s already done and continues to do in my life and the life of all of his children. I was reading a scripture today that is found in Jacob 6:4 where it says "y les extiende sus manos todo el dia" or in english something like "and he extends forth his hands all day." God is ALWAYS working to bring forth the salvation of his children. Those times when I´m sleeping, i´m eating, i´m on "break" during p-day, the Lord continues to labor in his vineyard. It gave me a new motivation that striving to be a missionary in all times, all things, and all places is what the Lord expects of me. Thinking back to a phrase we used to always say during soccer "leave it all on the field" - it applies to each of us - missionaries or members- of the church. I love this work. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, i´ll talk to you next week :)
Con amor,
Elder Winger
¡11 meses ya! 01/09/2011 Week 48
hey!
Welp, 11 months today! pretty crazy, time has definitely has flown by.
Today was a fun week of work...combined with a whole lot of heat. Today it is supposed to hit 41 degrees Celsius, or around 105 degrees Fahrenheit, so i´m expecting a solid tan/skin fry by the end of the day. Also this week, we have been teaching a older couple named the Zapata family that are just awesome! 2 of the most humblest, faithfulest people i have met on my mission. We have taught 3 lessons with them so far and they are accepting everything :) they are reading the book of mormon everyday and tell us "we take them everywhere with us. if we are going to enjoy a nice time on the back patio...boom, books of mormon firm in hand." The bad news is that they both have pretty serious health problems. Mrs. Zapata just recently had surgery to remove a cancer tumor and Mr. Zapata just visited the doctor for some problems and is hardly able to move due to pain. They told me that they want to start paying tithing this month, even though they can´t be baptized. what faith. we are going to visit them tonight with the bishop to introduce them to each other and help them fill out their first tithing slip. It has been a humbling experience getting to know this wonderful couple.
Also this week, we went over to a member´s house and made pasta from scratch and homemade alfajores. I forgot how to do everything already.....so i won´t be able to "show you how it´s done" when i get back home, but i took pictures :)
Now, time for the scripture and/or quote of the week and gave me an added motivation to serve with all my heart, might, mind, and strength in my calling of the Lord:
Referring to Jacob 1:19
"President John Taylor said on one occasion, speaking to the brethren of the priesthood: ´if you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsable for those you might have saved, had you done your duty.´
"This is a challenging statement. If I by reason of sins of commission or omission lose what I might have had in the hereafter, I myself must suffer and, doubtless my loved ones with me. But if I fail in my assignment as a bishop, stake president, a mission president, or one of the General Authorities of the Church - if any of us fail to teach, lead, direct, and help to save those under our direction and within our jurisdiction, then the Lord will hold us responsible if they are lost as the result of our failure." - Hugh B. Brown, Oct 1962
For me, this was a powerful statement and gave me a newly added perspective to the importance of each of our callings in the church. If we magnify our callings of the Lord, not only will we be blessed, we will be helping our Father in Heaven in the sacred work of saving his children. There´s nothing more important.
Random other quote: "Temples are built.... to be used!" -President Gordon B. Hinckley.
I hope you all have a great week, and it was fun to hear from you on Christmas. Hope everyone makes it safely as they travel. Mom and Dad, hope you´re having fun in Mexico! Now if you just keep going south......you´ll "accidentally" find yourself in Argentina ;)
Also got an email from Brady Hanks! Tell him thanks for me and that I love him and am thankful for the service he gave in the mission field. Will you ask him what his plans are? I´d like to know.
Hasta que venga el próximo lunes. con amor,
Elder Winger
Welp, 11 months today! pretty crazy, time has definitely has flown by.
Today was a fun week of work...combined with a whole lot of heat. Today it is supposed to hit 41 degrees Celsius, or around 105 degrees Fahrenheit, so i´m expecting a solid tan/skin fry by the end of the day. Also this week, we have been teaching a older couple named the Zapata family that are just awesome! 2 of the most humblest, faithfulest people i have met on my mission. We have taught 3 lessons with them so far and they are accepting everything :) they are reading the book of mormon everyday and tell us "we take them everywhere with us. if we are going to enjoy a nice time on the back patio...boom, books of mormon firm in hand." The bad news is that they both have pretty serious health problems. Mrs. Zapata just recently had surgery to remove a cancer tumor and Mr. Zapata just visited the doctor for some problems and is hardly able to move due to pain. They told me that they want to start paying tithing this month, even though they can´t be baptized. what faith. we are going to visit them tonight with the bishop to introduce them to each other and help them fill out their first tithing slip. It has been a humbling experience getting to know this wonderful couple.
Also this week, we went over to a member´s house and made pasta from scratch and homemade alfajores. I forgot how to do everything already.....so i won´t be able to "show you how it´s done" when i get back home, but i took pictures :)
Now, time for the scripture and/or quote of the week and gave me an added motivation to serve with all my heart, might, mind, and strength in my calling of the Lord:
Referring to Jacob 1:19
"President John Taylor said on one occasion, speaking to the brethren of the priesthood: ´if you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsable for those you might have saved, had you done your duty.´
"This is a challenging statement. If I by reason of sins of commission or omission lose what I might have had in the hereafter, I myself must suffer and, doubtless my loved ones with me. But if I fail in my assignment as a bishop, stake president, a mission president, or one of the General Authorities of the Church - if any of us fail to teach, lead, direct, and help to save those under our direction and within our jurisdiction, then the Lord will hold us responsible if they are lost as the result of our failure." - Hugh B. Brown, Oct 1962
For me, this was a powerful statement and gave me a newly added perspective to the importance of each of our callings in the church. If we magnify our callings of the Lord, not only will we be blessed, we will be helping our Father in Heaven in the sacred work of saving his children. There´s nothing more important.
Random other quote: "Temples are built.... to be used!" -President Gordon B. Hinckley.
I hope you all have a great week, and it was fun to hear from you on Christmas. Hope everyone makes it safely as they travel. Mom and Dad, hope you´re having fun in Mexico! Now if you just keep going south......you´ll "accidentally" find yourself in Argentina ;)
Also got an email from Brady Hanks! Tell him thanks for me and that I love him and am thankful for the service he gave in the mission field. Will you ask him what his plans are? I´d like to know.
Hasta que venga el próximo lunes. con amor,
Elder Winger
Thursday, January 5, 2012
And so begins 2012 1/02/2012 Week 47
Happy New Year!
I can hardly believe that this year has already come to an end, but what an amazing year it was. I hope that you all enjoy your New Year´s festivities!
Yesterday the Lord blessed us abundantly in the work, and I have really gained a stronger testimony about a principal of the book Preach My Gospel that says, "Talk with Everyone."
At District Meeting on Tuesday, my district leader Elder Hernandez told us about an Elder that he once knew. This Elder, he told us, talked with EVERYONE that he met while walking the streets. It didn´t matter what the person was doing, fixing a tire, cutting the lawn, spending time with family on the front porch, whatever. Because hearing the message that we have to share is more important that whatever other thing a person could be doing. Many days in the work, i have found myself walking past people, on my left, on my right, due to thinking "they are too busy right now, maybe another time." I decided to put that to a stop yesterday.
We began our morning yesterday by walking an area that we had not yet tracted. With this principal of faith in mind, we began searching for those chosen children of the Lord. Yesterday we ended up having 7 lessons and over 15 new investigators, 4 of which have accepted baptismal dates. One experience in particular was when we were walking by a family of 10 people or so sitting on the front lawn, drinking mate, taking in the sun, enjoying time together. Almost having a second thought to just walk by, i began talking with them, and they seemed more than willingly to hear our message. The Lord really does put people in our path.
Anyway, I learned a great lesson :) Today, we went and bought some choripanes and some good grub for the mini celebration that we are going to have in the apartment. All 4 of us. Haha, hope you all enjoy your holiday!!!! Stay safe, and i´m expecting pictures :)
Welp.....here´s the scripture of the week and a quote from Spencer W. Kimball
2 Nephi 25:23
Spencer W. Kimball said-
" One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ is all that is needed for salvation...However good a person´s works, he could not be saved had Jesus not died for his and everyone else´s sins. And however powerful the saving grace of Christ, it brings exaltation to no man who does not comply with the works of the gospel...of course we need to understand the terms. If by the word "salvation" is meant the mere salvation or redemption from the grave, the ´grace of God´is sufficient. But if the term salvation means returning to the presence of God with eternal progression, eternal increase, and eventual godhood, for this one certainly must have the ´grace of God´ as it is generally defined, plus personal purity, overcoming of evil, and the good works made so important in the exhortations of the Savior and his prophets and apostles."
Until next week :) I love you all!!
Elder Winger
p.s. hope you enjoy the picture i took this morning in the bathroom.
I can hardly believe that this year has already come to an end, but what an amazing year it was. I hope that you all enjoy your New Year´s festivities!
Yesterday the Lord blessed us abundantly in the work, and I have really gained a stronger testimony about a principal of the book Preach My Gospel that says, "Talk with Everyone."
At District Meeting on Tuesday, my district leader Elder Hernandez told us about an Elder that he once knew. This Elder, he told us, talked with EVERYONE that he met while walking the streets. It didn´t matter what the person was doing, fixing a tire, cutting the lawn, spending time with family on the front porch, whatever. Because hearing the message that we have to share is more important that whatever other thing a person could be doing. Many days in the work, i have found myself walking past people, on my left, on my right, due to thinking "they are too busy right now, maybe another time." I decided to put that to a stop yesterday.
We began our morning yesterday by walking an area that we had not yet tracted. With this principal of faith in mind, we began searching for those chosen children of the Lord. Yesterday we ended up having 7 lessons and over 15 new investigators, 4 of which have accepted baptismal dates. One experience in particular was when we were walking by a family of 10 people or so sitting on the front lawn, drinking mate, taking in the sun, enjoying time together. Almost having a second thought to just walk by, i began talking with them, and they seemed more than willingly to hear our message. The Lord really does put people in our path.
Anyway, I learned a great lesson :) Today, we went and bought some choripanes and some good grub for the mini celebration that we are going to have in the apartment. All 4 of us. Haha, hope you all enjoy your holiday!!!! Stay safe, and i´m expecting pictures :)
Welp.....here´s the scripture of the week and a quote from Spencer W. Kimball
2 Nephi 25:23
Spencer W. Kimball said-
" One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ is all that is needed for salvation...However good a person´s works, he could not be saved had Jesus not died for his and everyone else´s sins. And however powerful the saving grace of Christ, it brings exaltation to no man who does not comply with the works of the gospel...of course we need to understand the terms. If by the word "salvation" is meant the mere salvation or redemption from the grave, the ´grace of God´is sufficient. But if the term salvation means returning to the presence of God with eternal progression, eternal increase, and eventual godhood, for this one certainly must have the ´grace of God´ as it is generally defined, plus personal purity, overcoming of evil, and the good works made so important in the exhortations of the Savior and his prophets and apostles."
Until next week :) I love you all!!
Elder Winger
p.s. hope you enjoy the picture i took this morning in the bathroom.
FELIZ NAVIDAD!! 12/25/2011 Week 46
Had the opportunity to skype with Elder Winger for 2 1/2 hours. He is doing Awesome!
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