Lunes 27 de Junio de 2011‏ Week 21

Hey fam!

It was so great to hear about your adventures in Florida!  Can´t wait to see some pictures!  I´m so happy that you all had a great time and it sounds like you had plenty of fun for me as well haha.  Also, first things first, i must say that the name Nixon as a possibility for the name of the baby of Casey and Kari is awesome.  I'm definitely a fan haha, so put my vote down for that one ha.  Also, I´m sad to hear that the Alien ride at the parks is gone, i can remember how scared i was of that......oh the memories ha, but that´s too bad.  Anyway, had another great week here down in Argentina.  I´m super excited for the baptism that we have coming up this Saturday!  Should be a great time.  We ate with her family yesterday and had Polenta (basically cream of wheat, except corn) and it was good.  I can´t believe this transfer is almost already over!  I´m almost onto my third transfer here and I still don´t know Spanish ;) i´ve had a couple of amazing experiences this week where the language suddenly took off during lessons and i could literally sense the Gift of Tongues in the moment.  It was a very special experience for me and it was definitely a huge reassurance of how this whole work is the work of our Savior and i´m simply an instrument.  This week I actually did a little bit more cooking as well.  Milanesas and rice. mm.  That´s about the extent of my cooking right now besides cereal and toast haha since we don´t have much time to cook, and the members feed us the majority of days, which is a huge blessing.  I don´t really have much time to write this week, but i want you to know that I'm doing great and am having the time of my life!  I see the blessings of the lord everyday, and without the gifts of the spirit and his constant guidance, i could not do this work.  My thought for you this week comes from M. Russell Ballard, which hit me like a tank and i couldn´t say it better myself "Many of our missionaries begin their missions thinking they are going to repay Heavenly Father for his goodness towards them by serving Him for 2 years.  But, before long they learn an important eternal truth: You can never do more for the Lord than he can do for you."  Honestly, I definitely started out as one of those missionaries, but I have come to know for a surety that the Lord has always done more for me than I can ever repay.  What a privilege to serve him and bear his name on the plaque that i wear everyday.  I´ve also realized the power of prayer in receiving revelation.  My scripture for you this week is D&C 6, which is an amazing seccion, but i´m just going to quote verses 14-16. "Verily, verily, i say unto thee, blessed art thou for what thou hast done; for thou hast inquired of me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my spirit.  If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time.  Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten my mind; and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth;  Yea, I tell thee, that thou mayest know that there is none else save God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart."  As children of a loving heavenly Father, and members of his kingdom on the Earth, we have the opportunity to receive personal revelation for our lives through the gift of the Holy Ghost.  I know that God hears every prayer, and I know that as we listen carefully for the promptings of the spirit, always looking to do good, he will guide our paths and as we look at where we are in our lives and the blessings we´ve received, we can know for a surety that we had been led by Him, even if we didn´t recognize it in the moment.  Always seek to follow the guidance of the spirit, for I testify that it´s companionship is real, and the Lord really does know the best for us, and will help us if we simply ask and do.  Thanks so much for your emails and words of encouragement!  I´ve been so blessed here and will continue working and striving to be "the missionary my mother thinks i am" :).  The work here in Parque del Sur has been a little slow lately, including one day where we had 45 rejections in a row haha, door to door contacting.  But i know there are people that are here, prepared to hear the Gospel.  Fun fact of the week: during lunch with Milagros and her family, they said Elder Pixton looked like the actor that plays voldemort and that I look like Lucus Gabreel or something...apparently a character from High School Musical named Ryan Evans.....anyway, officially we go by the names Elder Evans and Elder Voldemort.  haha.  Oh, and I forgot to mention that the weather is getting very cold here!  Not cold enough to snow.....but the humidity is where it gets me ha, right to the bone.  Makes getting up in the mornings a little less fun ;).  Also mom, i´ll be looking forward to getting the contacts, and also, I hope that Elder Henriksen gets his Visa soon!  He´s going to love Argentina!!  Anyway, talk to you next week, love you all!!

Elder Winger

and the times keep flying 06/20/11 ‏Week 20

Hola familia,

¿Cómo anda?  How´s everyone been doing this week??  I hope that you´ve all been having a blast in Florida, and if you find the time I would love to hear all about it!  It´s crazy that I´m already writing another email, the time just never slows down.  Anyway, this week was pretty good!  We´ve been teaching a girl named Milagros that is 15 years old, and shes going to be baptized on the 2nd of July, and I´ll keep you updated on that.  Also, to Dad, I want to wish you un Feliz día del Padre!!!  It was Fathers day yesterday in Argentina, and I wasn´t sure if its the same day there as well....but Happy Fathers Day!  I hope it was amazing, and I would´ve given you a big hug if I could, but I guess this will have to do ha.  Did you all do anything fun for the holiday?  Also dad, I want to wish you a very very very Feliz Cumple!  Happy birthday Pops!!  ¡the big 50! Your life is only a 1/4 of the way done +   ha, yes.  Hope you have a amazing one.  So, as I´ve been reading my Patriarchal Blessing and praying for guidance within, I´ve been impressed to ask you Mom and Dad more about your pasts.  I wish I knew more about your childhoods and life growing up, and more about things like that.  So, if you find time, I´d love to receive a little blurb about your lives growing up, activity in the church, memories, etc.  I know I should´ve asked more about things like this a long time ago, but I´m asking now.  Thanks mom and dad.  Anyway, I´ve really been figuring out who I am the last 10 weeks.  As I continue to study the words of God and given the opportunity to teach the message of the Restoration, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Plan of God for us has really been brought into a new life.  My testimony has grown exponentially and I feel like I took a lot of the blessings of home, the church, friends, and the simple blessing of the gospel in my life for granted on occasions.  I´m so grateful for all that God´s given me and for putting me into the family that I´m in.  I have the best family in the whole world and I can´t imagine spending any less time then eternity with you.  Anyway, my blurb for you this week has to do with "Quality of Life", something that I´ve found fascinating and I´ve been thinking a lot about. There´s an amazing portion in "Our Search for Happiness" that Elder M. Russell Ballard talks about how our choices affect our Quality of Life "The Quality of our Lives.  It´s an interesting phrase.  I suspect most people think of this concept  in terms of the comforts and conveniences they enjoy.  But I prefer to think that the quality of our lives has more to do with substance than style.  A quality life is one that positively influences others and makes the world around it a better place in which to live.  A quality life is one that is constantly growing, expanding its horizons and enlarging its borders.  A quality life is one that is filled with love and loyalty, patience and perseverance, kindness and compassion.  A quality life is one that is based on eternal potential and not confined to this life only.  A quality life is a life well-lived."  It seems like the days fly by faster and faster, like a blur.  For me, I´ve recognized that it´s important to fill our lives with the wholesome things that are going to transform us.  Every minute matters, and it´s our choice on how we use all of them.  I know that if we fill our lives with these wonderful things,  using our time helping others achieve a better quality of life, we will be blessed.  This life is for us to be happy, to learn and progress.  I know that Jesus Christ set the perfect example for us.  And as we study his teachings in the scriptures and strive to live in the manner that he did, we will receive more joy in this life than we could ever imagine by ourselves.  And overall, as we prepare in this life for eternal life, to become like God, we have the atoning sacrifice of our Savior to lift us from our own weaknesses.  I testify that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and how glorious the day will be when he comes again, and we can stand before him and know that we did our best.  That we made our life a quality one.   This is my thought for you this week, enjoy every minute of life and always give gratitude to our Father in Heaven. 
In other news, the Spanish is still coming along!!  I absolutely love the language, and I´ve been so blessed for how much I´ve learned!  It´s quite the task, but i love a good challenge ha.  Also, yesterday we went to a conference that was for all of the Young men and Young women yesterday, where Elder Aliaud (or something) from the area 70 came and talked.  He gave some amazing guidance, and i especially enjoyed the parts i could understand ;).  Then, all of the missionaries from Santa Fe and Santa Fe Norte walked to the front of the chapel and sang Called to Serve.  It was amazing ha.  Then, Presidente Villalba and his wife gave their testimonies, since they only have 2 weeks or so left in the mission as President.  I was able to give Presidente Villalba a hug after, and the first thing he said to me was "¿un poco mas gorditoto no?  yes, you read it right.  I have been called fat.  My face is apparently puggifying.  Maybe when i come home I can be the official mascot for "Pudgie´s Lucky Buck" hahaha.  Anyway, i also got it mentioned by another Elder.....so, there´s my first experiences of getting called fat. twice. :)  haha que seol.  Anyway,  i am still having an amazing time here!  Just doing my best and trying to overcome my many weaknesses to serve the Lord.  I testify that he lives, and I know this is where I need to be.  Hope to hear at least a little from you all soon!  I need a little more to read during this hour so that I don´t spend the whole time typing ridiculously long emails that nobody wants to read because you all have lives to live.  Anyway, love you all!! ¡MUCHISIMO GRACIAS POR TODO!  ¡BESOS POR TODO USTEDES!

Con Amor,

Elder Winger

¡FAMILA! 0‏ 6/13/11 Week 19

¡HOLA!   WEEEEEEEEHOOOOO.  I´m super happy today, I´m so grateful to be serving the Lord!

How´s everyone doing?  Can´t wait to hear all about the Florida adventure!  I know you´re all going to have an amazing time.  The work continues forth here in Parque del Sur.  This week was a little bit of a roller coaster, and we didn´t get as much done as i planned, but we continue on.  On Thursday, Elder Pixton got sick, so we couldn´t get out and work much...so i spent a lot of time just studying and just trying to stay sane inside the pension haha.  But this past week a couple of awesome things happened!  First of all, i got the package that you sent for me with all the goodies!  Thank you so much, definitely was an amazing treat for me....and Elder Pixton since I ¨"have to share" with him jaja.  Anyway, i was a little saddened though....i think you might have forgotten to put my contacts in box. oops.  Oh well though, two months of contacts can easily last 20, no worries :)  Anyway, also this past Sunday we had Stake Conference.  It combined about 10 wards, which was probably equal to 1.5 Utah wards ha, and we all met together at the centro de Estaca.  Anyway, Elder Pixton and I have had trouble getting people to commit to coming to the church on Sundays, but we managed to get a mom and daughter to come along with us this week!  They are so amazing!  But anyway, we got to hear from Elder Civic from the Quorum of the 70, Elder Anderson and Elder Packer from the Quorum of the 12!  They did a broadcast to all the stakes in Argentina, so it was very cool.  I didn´t exactly understand everything that they said, but I definitely felt the spirit super strong and took away some very powerful teachings that i can apply in my life.  Anyway, it was a little bit of a rough first impression for our two investigators....we sat towards the very back and were surrounded by families with lots of little, young, little, kids.  Stake Conference = 2 hours...time span of children =27.3 minutes.  Entonces, it quickly got quite loud while we were trying to listen to the talks, and our investigators looked a little weirded out as a little kid sitting behind us kept nudging all of us and laughing....but it was a great experience ha.  Its hard for me to remember everything that happens from week to week haha, i can´t believe how fast the time is flying.  Anyway, one of my embarrassing stories for the week is that we were riding on the colectivo one day (bus) and i had gotten some change from a man at a kiosco, since on the colectivo you can only pay with change and not bills.  Anyway, Elder Pixton and I got on the bus and as i began to pay i realized that i only had 4 pesos worth of change, and the colectivo costs 4.60. uh oh.  So to make a long story short, i ended up causing a huge line behind me, a lady that was a good Samaritan gave me 60 centavos eventualmente, and finally after i dropped about half the coins, picked them up, apologized to the bus driver and the line, i finally was able to take a nice comfy seat on the bus.  it was fun.  Also, as you can imagine, I still make some pretty funny mistakes with the Spanish.  Yesterday i was talking to a family and i asked where the husbands wife was.  Well the word for husband is esposo or marido, and the word for wife is esposa.....but i clearly made the connection that wife should also be marida...with an a.  Logical right?  Anyway, when i formed the question ¿Donde está su marida?  i had guessed wrong, and never really figured out what marida actually meant...or if it meant anything....but everyone just laughed ha.  Anyway, the Spanish is coming along very well obviously ;) and I'm just having a blast and doing the best i can to be the Lord´s instrument.  It´s crazy that 8 weeks have already passed by, and i still i have SOO much to learn, but I've been having the time of my life.  My thought for you this week comes from Alma 7:7-16, talking about the everlasting Atonement of our Savior.  Anyway, I want to read you a quote that I absolutely love from Bruce C. Hafen in the Apr. 1990 Ensign, addressing all members of the church.  "Some Church members feel weighed down with discouragement about the circumstances of their personal lives, even when they are making sustained and admirable efforts.  Frequently these feelings of self-disappointment come not from wrongdoing, but from stresses and troubles for which we may not be fully to blame.  The Atonement of Jesus Christ applies to these experiences because it applies to all of life.  The Savior can wipe away all of our fears, after all we can do....the Savior´s atonement is...the healing power not only for sin, but also for carelessness, inadequacy, and all mortal bitterness.  The Atonement is not just for sinners."   Jesus Christ is our Brother, Savior, and best friend.  He´s overcome every obstacle and defeated every enemy.  It is through him that we can experience the healing power for any test in our lives, big or small.  I experience the blessings of the Atonement everyday in my life, and as i have my fair share of carelessness, inadequacy (definitely), and shortcomings, it is the love the Savior has for me and every one of us that can give us the strength to climb the wall of misery.  He lives, and he will come again.  So my message for you, always keep an eye single to the Savior.  Our realistic objective in this life is simply to do the best we can to obey his commandments.  Beautifully simple, simply beautiful.  I hope you all are doing well my loving family and friends.  I pray for you everyday, for the strength to continue on in FELICIDAD :) ;) now and forever.  Another week gone by, and I know the next one will fly by as quickly as the last one went.  Enjoy every minute!  I love you all so much.  Don´t have to much fun while i´m gone ;)  Take care, and for all my friends that have written me....i´m working on it k haha, i know i´m a terrible friend, but i´ll send you a letter as soon as i get the time.  ¡Ciao!

Elder Winger

P.S.  Frase de la semana por Elder Pixton y yo:  I am a man......and i can change.......if i have to......i guess

Good Morning! 0‏ 6/06/11 Week 18

¡FAMILIA FAMILIA FAMILIA FAMILIA!

Hello.  It´s so good to hear that everyone is doing well!  Except mom....I'm super sorry about the pink eye, that's definitely a bummer.  but i´m glad to hear that it´s getting better.  I´m also super excited to hear that you all are getting prepared to go to Orlando this week!  Que Cosa!  that surely going to be a blast!  You´ll have to email me some pictures of the trip.  This week for me was good, but a little slow as far as the work goes.  We continue to work hard everyday, but some days are just contact after contact, and lots of walking, but i know that as i push through these days with an upbeat attitude, looking for those prepared, the Lord will bless us with the opportunity to help his children.  This week has been a little crazy!  Last Wednesday my companion had to suddenly go to Buenos Aires to renew his Visa, so I got a new companion for the rest of the day.  His name was Elder Luna from Mexico.  We got along super well, and i think he was exactly what i needed at this time.  Someone who didn´t speak any English haha.  But I want to tell you a little about Elder Luna, even tho i knew him for only a day, he was such an inspiration to me and an example.  Elder Luna has been in the field for 9 months.  He had been a member of the church for exactly 1 year when he entered the MTC.  pretty crazy huh?  Also, he is the only member of the church in his family and he lived with his 104 year old great grandma before he came.  Random yes, but crucial info ;).  Anyway, when i asked how his family was doing, he said he didn´t really know.....his family doesn´t really email him all that often, and his mother refuses to talk to him.  He hears sometimes from one of his 5 sisters, but that's it.  But this Elder had no doubt for why he was here in the field and he kept that attitude of hope always.  I know when he bore his testimony, to me and investigators, he meant every word of it.  He was an amazing Elder and I´m so grateful for the opportunity i had to serve with him and meet him.  He also helped me a lot with Spanish haha.  Anyway, that was one of my amazing experiences this week.  After Elder Pixton returned, we had divisions (Thursday afternoon) where I served with an Elder from Honduras/Guatemala.  His name is Elder Argueta, and he speaks very good English, and knows more English slang than i do haha.  He was awesome to work with to, and he´s only in his 3rd transfer, so we had a good time as you can imagine haha. He is exactly like Mason Cardon, Latin-edition.  If you get a chance to talk to Kylie or someone in her family, mention this to them haha.  He was so funny, and it was a great experience working hard with him.  Anyway, we were able to find some new investigators this week, and i´m hoping that we can continue to help them progress.  Also, to answer Dad´s question, we do more contacting then we do with referrals.  It´s really hard to get referrals from the members in the area, and i´m not exactly sure why.....maybe i just need to do a little more sweet-talking ;)  anyway, I hope that I´m doing the will of the Lord every moment that I'm here.  I trying my best to overcome my many faults and weaknesses so that God´s children can come to know the truth of their Father.  I´ve fallen on my face more than once, actually i´m probably on my face more than off of it, but I continue forward in the faith that this is God´s work.  God lives, and Jesus is the Christ. My scripture for you this week is in Alma 37:37.  It is a pretty common scripture i believe, but its really had an effect on me as I´ve applied it more throughout my mission.  It simply says, "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good."  The Lord knows each and every one of us more personally than we know ourselves.  The will of him is for us to be happy and return to live with our Father, which is the reason he gave everything of himself for us when performing the atonement.  If we can simply take the time every morning, every night, and go to him for all of our questions, decision making, and gratitude, he will direct us into a far more glorious path than we could ever pave ourselves.  Entonces, I hope that this can help you.  It has helped me so much to be able to kneel before our Father and ask him for guidance and direction.  I receive blessings every moment, and I know he answers my prayers.  I love you so much family and friends, for your love, support, and prayers. I assure you that I´m receiving them, more abundantly than i could ever deserve.  The work of the Lord presses forward, and I hope that each of us can continue to shape our loves to conform with the attributes our Savior gave through example.  These are the Last Days!  If you see an opportunity to serve or share the gospel, do it! Everyone needs it :)  Have a great week, and if you read this far through the letter, here´s an A+ for dedicated reading through my boring rambling.  ¡Cuidense! ¡Les amo! ¡Tengan una semana linda!

Con Amor al fin de semana ocho en Argentina,

Elder Winger

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

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!

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