Missionary Mom Sisters

I have made some really special friends through the network of missionary mothers online.

Women that I have never met but feel as if I've known forever.

Maybe I have.

I asked Jack to get a picture with their sons.

And lo and behold...he did!

What a wonderful surprise.

(I am use to getting more grief when I ask for favors like this...but no, not even a murmur and done within a week)

In August I get to meet my good friends.

I will take a picture with them to match.

 I can't imagine any finer or better looking sons!

Hey everyone!

                We just got back from a pioneer day activity. It was pretty fun. We had a devotional about pioneers, and we ate hamburgers, and we played some games. This time it wasn’t as big as the last one was, so I didn’t get any good pictures, nor did anyone dress up. Sorry mom. =)

 (last years Pioneer celebration complete with costume. Jack's cost like 75 cents. Can you tell?)

                This week was excellent, and challenging. We had a leadership training seminar in the mission office everyday this week. It was a great conference, but the challenging part was getting there. Usually we take a taxi, but in an effort to save the Church money this week, we decided to take a bus there and back. In a taxi it´s about a 40 minute drive. In a bus it is a 2 and a half hour drive, usually standing up, crammed with a bunch of people, some of which don’t bathe, and being in bumper to bumper traffic all morning. It was miserable, and we had to leave at 5 30 AM. It was worth it though because the conferences were excellent. We talked a lot about how the job of a missionary is to teach the people, not the lessons. I was able to take a lot out of it, and I wish I would have had it earlier in my mission, because we have changed our teaching style, and it seems to be very effective. We also got really good food, like Subway and Quiz-nos, and Wendy's.

                This week was also great because we found a family. They are the Gonzalez Family, and they are looking really positive. When we got there, we felt prompted to teach them the Plan of Salvation, instead of the Restoration, which is the lesson that we usually teach to begin. They really liked the lesson, but most importantly it helped them a few days after when the sister of the mother of the family passed away. I believe God sent us there to teach them that Plan, because it would help them in their loss. Sister Gonzalez is sad, but she said that she will do what it takes to obtain a testimony of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. She asked us how we could be so sure that Christ conquered death. My answer was the Book of Mormon, because that is where my testimony of Christ comes from. She committed to read it and pray about it. Then, we asked if we could help them, and they did need help making tamales and helping around the house. The next morning we went to her mother’s house to help the family out, and there was a lot of work to be done. It was a great blessing to serve, because I think the family saw our true desire to help them. The great part was that in the house we did the service, there was about 15 other members of her extended family, all of whom we are going to teach tomorrow. I feel really good about that family. I hope they can progress.

                Lets see. One of the missionaries that I knew, Elder Pratt, and his parents came to Guatemala this week. They were less than prepared. We had an interesting experience with them. We were walking home at 9 at night, and we saw them. I thought that was a little weird, because I wouldn’t ever take you guys to my area at 9 at night.  The offered to buy us tacos at a taco stand, and while doing it they locked their keys in the car, in the middle of zone 18, right on the side of the highway. The car was pretty nice too. So then, the father pulls out his blackberry trying to call someone! In the middle of zone 18! That’s an invitation to get robbed and shot.  So, it was a mess. We hired a gangster looking guy to break into the car, and he couldn’t. So then I told his parents to get in our house, because it was not safe at all for them.  Finally I found the number of the car rental agency, and I convinced to guy to bring an extra set of keys. I thought that was pretty crazy. Not the kind of experience that we want when you guys come. =)

                We also worked in our area with President Torres. It made us a little nervous, but it was a great experience. He taught us a lot.

                Leonardo´s kids went to church this week. That was good. I think they are going to get baptized. We had a really good lesson with him and his wife, but he is still a little difficult.

                Well, I think it is question time!

1.     Whatever happened to your companion from the CCM? Do you ever see him?

He went to the Quetzaltenango Mission. I haven’t heard of him. My companions in the MTC, Elder Fincher went home early for a knee problem.

2. Are your shoes going to make it to the bitter end? They better. I still have the Eccos.Those have a lifetime warranty right? Because if they do they are going to give me some new ones. =)

2.     Should I be bringing you any clothing and shoes to Guatemala?

No, but the lady we live with, Sister Cristy, really wants one of those Hallmark candles. She has been really good to me. One of the nicest people I know here.

4. Do  you think that you would be interested in taking that class about Guatemala at BYU?

Yes! That would be awesome. Guatemalan Culture is fascinating.

5. Doesn't your awesome mother think up really awesome questions?Yes. Lol she only has 9 more emails to think up questions. =0

6. What was the best/worst thing you ate this week.

Best was the Quiz-nos. The worst was tamales again. =0

7. What is the size of the ward that you attend? Do you ever have to fill in any callings? What do you do on Sundays during the three hours?

About 150 people. It is the largest in the stake. Here we don’t fill in callings. I teach the Principles of the Gospel class every once and a while though.

8. Any advice for Lauren preparing for her freshman year?

Study! Don’t be like me! I didn’t study much. And now I regret it, because I need to play catch up now. Treat school like an 8 hour job. Class only takes 3 hours a day, but go somewhere to study for the other 5 hours.

Well, thanks for the emails! I have 9 weeks left in my mission, and they will be a great next few weeks. I love being a missionary, and I love helping people here.

Love,

Elder Winn

I know they are waiting for me.

I bought tickets last week to go to a place
I NEVER thought I wanted to go to.
Before May of 2008 I could not have identified it on a map.
I could not have given any facts or information about it.
I was not even sure how to spell it.
Now I am flying there in 10 weeks.
I cheered when their Olympic team of 2 entered the stadium.
I look for and buy bananas that are grown there.
I know the local time and weather at all times with a widget on my computer screen.
Pictures of it adorn my house.
A nativity set made there sits on my piano year round.
I ask everyone that I suspect could be from there where they are from.
I care about the people who live there.
I dream about this place on a regular basis.

 and 10 weeks tomorrow I will board a plane and fly there.
As far away as it has seemed it is actually closer to my home than Salt Lake City.
The flight 10 minutes shorter.
What an adventure this will be.
Guatemala here we come....

and we will be looking for this young man.

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the emails. It is great to hear from you.

                Well, this email may be a little short because I am going to try and give as much commentary about the travel plans as possible. I am getting pretty excited about this trip. You guys are going to love Guatemala. This country is beautiful.

                Well, this week went well. We were able to teach a lot of lessons and find some investigators. Only the Flores family went to church though. We had an interesting lesson with them yesterday. We invited them for the 50^th time to get married and baptized, but no matter what we do or say Ivan wont really budge. He says that we don’t understand because we are too young. I think he is making the whole marriage thing into a problem that is a lot bigger than it really is. We talked to Meri, and she has told us that there isn’t really a problem. He just doesn’t really want to get married. We are going to schedule an appointment with the Bishop for them. I think he may be able to help a little.

                Luis told us this week that he doesn’t want to talk to us anymore. That was a little disappointing. He knows that the Church is true, and he tries to disprove it to himself. He has fear of changing his life to be able to keep the commandments. Cases like his are sad, because he knows the truth, and is denying it because he just doesn’t want to change. I hope someday he accepts the missionaries again, and changes his life to be able to receive his salvation.

                Who else, Leonardo and Aracely didn’t go to church. We aren’t really sure if they want to . Right now we are focusing on their son, Miguel, who is 17. He really likes the church and our teachings, and told us that he is willing to be baptized. He didn’t go to church this week, but he has before. He is looking like our most positive investigator.

                All in all we just need to find new people to teach. At of all my areas this has been the most challenging, and I have been here for the most time. I like it here, but it is very hard for me to help these people understand. I have been through dozens and dozens of investigators here, but they all seem to fall away.  

                Even though it’s tough here, we are determined to find the families that are ready to hear the Gospel. I know that the Lord is preparing people, and I will diligently search them out. We have a very strong desire to find these people and help them.

                I am excited to find these people. I know they are waiting for me.

1.       Which of the days do we spend in Peten?

The same ones that you planned.

2.       Do you want to spend a night in antigua or just drive there and then drive back to the capital the same day?

Well, that depends on how much time you guys want to spent in Antigua. To be honest, I don’t remember it too much, but I remember that it was cool.

3.       Is there a hotel in Flores that you have heard the people talk about that is nice?

Theres the one that President stays at. I have heard it is pretty nice. Its really close to Flores.

4.       Would going to see that place that is famous in Coban be a possibility? Can't remember the name but you sent some beautiful pictures. Would you want to go back and see it?

Semuc Champey would be awesome to see again. I think it would be possible, but we we would have to be in a bus a lot. Well, not too much, but a decent amount of time. Some if it maybe at night.   But semuc Chapey is very cool.  

5.       Do you have any interest in Lake Atitlan?

Yes, I think that would be cool.

6.       Who's the best travel agent/mom in the world?

Lol, nerent to her.

7.       What am I going to eat there????

McDonnalds, unless you want me to have the members prepare you pig face stew. lol

8.       What was the best thing you ate this week/ worst?

The best thing was Smores! I made them with the chocolate you guys gave me! Thanks! The worst thing I ate was a drink made from boiled corn starch and sugar. It was gross.

9.       Can or should I bring my laptop?

Well, if you want to. Im not sure I would. This is the most dangerous country in the world. =)

10.   Can we buy two cheap cell phones to use while we are there?

Yes, they are about 10 dollars each, and they come with 10 dollars of air time, so they’re basically free.

How did you and Elder Vasquez do on your goal to find 3 new families to teach this week?  I have been praying that you would meet your goal.  How did the zone do?

Well, we tried really hard, but we just found one. We had a lot of zone stuff to do this week, so we didn’t get as much time as we wanted to to work in the area, but this week I think we will be able to find more families. In the zone we increased our baptismal dates by 350 percent, which was a really awesome achievement. We are very happy with the zone right now.

Is this the first time for Elder Vasquez to be a zone leader?

Yes. I am training his as a zone leader. He is a really good companion though, and we are getting along well.

Well, time is running out. Sorry the email was a little short. I love you guys, and I love my mission. I am excited to continue working for the Lord this week.

Love,

Elder WInn

Action Heroes; Defenders of the Faith

 Sometimes I miss Jack so much
that I forget what he is really doing in Guatemala.
An adorable little boy two rows in front of me on Sunday reminded me
of what Elder Winn is accomplishing.
The strawberry blonde named Phoenix, gripped in his hand an action figure,
moving it along the back of the pew.
An action hero.
With a white shirt and a name tag.
Side by side with the other action figures
Captain Moroni,
Nephi,
Ammon
and I realized that Jack is doing what they did.
Giving up his former life to serve God.
His letters and the letters of his fellow Guatemala North missionaries
read just like the scriptures,
testifying each week of Jesus Christ and
loving the people they serve.
It brought tears to my eyes to see the representation of all of our sons
clutched in a future missionary's hand.
Action heroes they are.

This is Phoenix and his brother Landon...future missionary action heroes. Aren't they adorable.

Hey everyone!

So today I am using a good computer, which is good, because it seems like all the computers here are missing pieces. I guess that’s understandable here in this country.

                Today we had a district leader meeting. I think it went well. Here in the zone we´re struggling with putting baptismal dates, so we are putting a lot of focus on that. We have two new district leaders, and they are trying hard to help their districts.

                After that we played capture the flag again which was fun. Our team won.

                Thanks for all the emails. It sounds like the garage sale was a success, well, at least you all were able to get rid of some junk. I bet that was fun.

                This week has been a great week. I really like my new companion, and we are working hard here in our area. We have been working with our three main possibilities. The first is Luis. He has come to church 3 times now, but he is very confused about how to know what church is true. He has prayed to fund out, but he says he hasn’t gotten an answer. I think a lot of times people get an answer, but they don’t know how to recognize it, or they think that God is going to give some miraculous answer. We’re trying to get him to accept a baptismal date. I think he knows that the church is true.

                We are also working with Leonardo and Aracely and their son Miguel. They have been listening to the lessons for some time now, but they haven’t come to church. They didn’t come this last week because their grandmother was sick, or something like that. I think they might be able to progress, and we are going to continue working with them.

                We also hare working with the Family Flores. We had an interesting lesson with them yesterday. We explained about the spirit world, and that the Gospel will be preached to the people who have not had the opportunity to accept it here. Then we explained about procrastinating the day of our repentance. The father, Ivan, was very interested, and was writing down all the scriptures we cited. Then, I think he got scared for the welfare of his soul. He recognized that the opportunity to accept the Gospel is now, and they there might not be another. We didn’t get him to decide to get married, but he says he’s going to seriously consider it. We were in the lesson for about an hour and a half.

                Well, those are my investigators so far. We have more, but they are progressing so well. We have been putting a lot of focus in the zone on finding families to teach, and it is our goal to find 3 families to teach this week. Pray for us so we can reach that goal.

                This week went be really quickly.

Okay it’s question time!

Are there giant banana farms down there?  And are they owned by large corporate farms?  Or are there small independent farmers who grow bananas and such?

I know that bananas are the major export of this country, but I have never seen a banana farm here! Only bean farms, and cabbage farms, and corn farms, and lots of tomato farms.

I was talking to Brother Vanegas, and he said he owns a tomato farm in El Salvador.  He says Salvadorans love tomatoes, and they grow a lot of those down there.  Do you see many tomatoes in Guatemala?

There are tons of tomatoes here, and Guatemalans love eating tomatoes. They use tomatoes in about everything the cook with.

Does Elder Vasquez speak any English?  Do you feel like it is helpful to your Spanish skills to be assigned to him?  Do you two speak only Spanish?

He speaks very little English. I think he can understand a little bit. Elder Vasquez is very intelligent. We only speak Spanish. It helps me a lot with my Spanish skills. That is why I was hoping for a latino companion.

Tell us a little more about Elder Vasquez.  Is he pretty friendly?  Does he like to work hard?  You mentioned that some of the Central American missionaries come from pretty humble circumstances.  Do you think this is the case with Elder Vasquez? 

He has been a great companion so far. He is from some pretty poor circumstances, but he did go to college and a degree in computers, or something like that. He is friendly, and we are already pretty good friends. He likes to work. He is 22 years old, and is about to be 23, I think.

What was Elder Vasquez doing before his mission?  What are his plans after his mission?  Will he have an opportunity to go to college?

He was studying and working. He is going to go back to college. He has an associate’s degree right now, and he is going to go back for another two years to get a degree in computer engineering. He is a pretty bright kid.

Do you ever hear of people down there participating in the Church's Perpetual Education program?  I think it's a pretty neat program to help church members get educations and training with job skills that will help them provide for their families.  Do you know of any people in that program down there?

Yes, a lot of returned missionaries use the Perpetual Education Fund. I convinced my companion Elder Obando to use it when he got back home to be able to study. It really helps people here get higher education, and if you have education here it’s the difference between eating beans everyday and living in a tin house, or living in a decent house eating more than beans and rice.

How has the weather been down there?  Hot?
Pretty temperate. Not hot or cold. It rains a lot. It is rainy season here until the end of September.

Is the Flores Family making any progress?  Who else should we pray for?

Pray for the investigators that I listed earlier. I thin they can all be baptized soon.

1.       Have you eaten ALL your chocolate bars yet?

Not yet! There are a lot! I made some dark chocolate chip pancakes the other day. They were amazing.

2. What did you think about the socks with the color on the toes and heels? Now they will be harder for you to leave.

I really liked those socks. The laundry lady thought they were really cool too. Now I wont lose them. =)

3. Did the belt fit ok?

Yes, I am wearing it now. My other belts are in pretty bad shape. Thanks for the replacement.

4. What is your companion like? (I think that Dad asked a lot of questions about him so I will let you answer his with the details)

He is cool. =)

5. I got another debit card for you in the mail so I am going to have to mail it to you and then activate it after you tell me you get it. I can't believe that they have issued another one.....NERENT!

Lol that’s not a question, but that is crazy. Is this the third or the fourth?

 
6. Did you do anything fun on your ACTUAL birthday?

A member family bought me pizza, and we had some tasty pizza. That was fun.

7. Doesn't your wonderful sainted mother really know how to fill a flat rate box?

Yes she does. Nerent to her.

8. Best thing you ate this week/worst? (I know I ask that every week but it is one of my favorite questions.)

The best thing I ate was definitely the chocolate chip pancakes. The worst think I ate was some expired ice cream. No wonder they were selling it for so cheap.. =)

Well, looks like that’s all for the email. I ran out of time. Thanks for all your love and support. The Church is true, and I love the opportunity to be able to represent Christ in His work here in this county. I love you guys, and I hope you have a great week!

Love,

            Elder Winn

I will give you my testimony....

This week on Tuesday was Elder Winn's birthday.
For some reason it is the toughest day for me...
His being so far away.
Before he left I thought that it would be hard on the big holidays,
Christmas, Thanksgiving, Mother's Day....
Even Halloween my favorite,
since Jack is the only one of my children to have the same passion for pumpkin carving.
But as it has turned out,
it is his birthday.
I think because it is the day that I focus solely on Jack.
And I remember what a privilege and blessing and sacrifice it has been to be his mother.
And I reminisce about the day that it all began.
I put it all in an email....
but it was not as good as being with him.
I spent his birthday flying home from Utah,
where I had had a whirlwind long weekend of family, fun and gorgeous weather.
I knew from the previous July 6th that I might feel a little melancholy so I guess it was fitting
that I was flying home alone.
I usually fly a straight through but since it was a one way ticket I flew Frontier which stopped in Denver.
Denver; beautiful city....bad bad airport.
It seems like everyone has been stuck in Denver at least once in their life.
My four hour flight home became a 12 hour flight home.
Lots of time to think about what a wonderful ride Motherhood is....
And what an interesting experience to mother a missionary.
It has crystallized and made more precious the simple joys of being a mother.
A smile....a laugh.....a inside joke.....a hug and for the last two years..
an email.
I think that Heavenly Father prompted Jack to send me another tender mercy.
The day before his birthday he sent his usual email but also added
a bonus.
This.....

It's my mother's day letter.
He took a picture of it. (Winn's are not known for their prompt mailing abilities)
And even though it was not the mothers day that the world celebrates...
It came just in time.....
the day that I recognize as the day I became Jack's mother and
then
he gave me the greatest gift of all.
His testimony.
What more could a mother ask for.

Happy Birthday Son....I love you more than words can express.

P.S. I got another little gift as well. As I flopped into bed at 3 a.m. after the long day of travel, I had a dream. Jack just showed up with his mission finished and I hugged him. It was a hug that seemed to last and last. And then I woke up. Gotta love those dreams.

Hey Everyone!

                Thanks for all the emails! And for all the birthday wishes. Happy birthday to MEEEEE! Well, it’s not until tomorrow, but we can celebrate today.

                Thanks for the package. I haven't opened the wrapped gifts yet, but i really have been enjoying the multitude of dark chocolate, and the m&ms and the almonds. I opened it in the misión office and everyone was shocked that there could be soo much chocolate in a package. (I sent him 60 dark chocolate bars, enough for one a day until the end of his mission if he ate one from Monday to Friday....even though I know they won't last that long. lol)  I will enjoy it for quite some time.

                Well, today was change day. I thought i was leaving my area and going to Peten, but I am staying here in Llano Largo as a zone leader. I am now the oldest zone leader in the misión. After this change I will have had almost a year being a zone leader. I enjoy the opportunity to serve. And I like being in my area. I feel like I still have work to do here. I still hope to go to peten for my last change, which I think will happen. I am glad though, that I have some more time here. There are some families that I would like to see baptized.

                Elder Richardson finally left. He was pretty ready to leave. I think that last week was pretty hard for him.  He was a good companion though, and I learned a lot from him.

                My new companion is Elder Vasquez from El Salvador. He has 13 months in the mission, and is a pretty cool guy. I don’t know that much about him, but from what I hear he is a really good missionary. I was hoping to have a latino companion so I could work on my Spanish. For the last 6 months I have been with gringo companions. I am excited to be his companion.

                They made our zone a little smaller, which is a good thing. Now there are 21 missionaries in the zone, including 5 sisters. Every companionship had a change, which was another really good thing. Now the zone has a lot of new missionaries, and they usually come really excited to work in their areas.

                We have a pretty interesting investigator names Luis. He is a reference from that one lady who was rude to us. He has been to church 3 times now, and I have invited him a few times to baptism, but he doesn’t accept, yet he has the desire to go to church. Two weeks ago he came to church in a suit, which is something rare here in Guatemala. Last week he came in street clothes. I think he is really confused. His family is Catholic, Evangelical, and Jehovah´s Witness. That’s presented some problems. They all try and get him to go to their churches. When we teach him, he pulls out different doubts and doctrines that come from those religions. It’s been an interesting experience with him. I think he knows out church is true, because that’s the church he chooses to attend. Keep him in your prayers.

                Today in the bus I sat next to an Evangelical pastor. It was a long bus ride and we had a very interesting conversation. He explained to me the doctrines of his church, and I explained and testified of the restoration of the Gospel. Then we began to talk a lot about the organization of the primitive church of Christ. I was able to testify of our modern prophet and the twelve apostles. He wasn’t really convinced, but maybe someday. He was a really nice man though, and I really enjoyed our conversation.

                I really love being a missionary. It has been such a great experience for me to be here in Guatemala, working with these amazing people. I have learned so much and I have received a countless number of blessings. I love my mission.

                So, last week we went to the rich part of town a few times, to go to the mission office for zl council and Elder Richardson’s last interview. I noticed something interesting. As we were walking down the streets I noticed all the people walking with their name brand clothes, their expensive cell phones, their laptops, and their fancy cars, drinking their expensive coffee and eating their expensive muffins, and as I watched them I was filled with a sense of almost contempt. For a moment I looked at them all with disdain, thinking to myself, how is it possible that people can live like that, while other people barely survive off of tortillas and beans. Then I thought that my life in the states was pretty similar. Anyways, there’s nothing wrong with having money, but having lived with the poor for almost two years now has really inspired me to be more generous. I never knew how lucky I was to have grown up in the circumstances that I did. I felt very uncomfortable in the rich section of town, and I was happy to get back to zone 18. My mission has taught me a life lesson. We need to be a more charitable and generous people.

                Well, enough of my rambling. =) Question time!

4. Is your release date really the 30th?? Why the change and do you think it will change again?

Yes, it is. That was a surprise. I hope you guys didn’t buy the tickets yet. The Area Presidency changed it for all missionaries for some unknown reason. But yes, it is the 30^th.

5. Was it hard to see Elder Richardson go home. Did you see his parents? Was that hard?

Not really. It was hard for him. I didn’t see his parents. Remind me to tell you guys the funny story about his parents a breakfast at their hotel.

6. Is it raining a lot there?

Yes. It is raining right now. It’s rain season. It rains every day.

7. What was the best thing you ate all week? The worst?

I went to Wendys for my birthday celebration. We had to leave the mission so we took the opportunity to go.  The worst was tamales! Someone made them for me for my birthday. It was very nice of them though.

8. Where are you going to eat on your birthday? Dad and I are buying!!!

I already ate Wendys! It was tasty!

9. Did you buy your Spanish set of scriptures?

Yes! Thanks! I love them. I am reading them and using them everyday.

10. Isn’t it great that your awesome mother gave birth to you 21 years ago??

Yes, and nerent to her.

Thanks to Megan and Lauren for their emails. I couldn’t respond personally today, because I ran out of time. Thanks to everyone for wishing me a happy birthday. You guys are great.

Thanks for keeping me in your prayers. I love you guys, and I pray for you often.

The Church is true. I know it.

Love,

Elder Winn