Defender of the Faith

This picture was taken 20 months ago today.
We had dropped his luggage off
And were headed into the room where I knew we would say goodbye
for awhile.
2 years
24 months
104 weeks
730 days
17520 hours
1051200 minutes
I was walking slow behind them mentally calculating time.
trying to figure out which way sounded the shortest.
which method of counting off
would bring me the most comfort.
As I snapped this picture I realized
that no matter how it was calculated
this would be tough.
for all of us.
We were going to have to decide what type of
sacrifice we were willing to make.
And it felt that day like a sacrifice
I was not sure I could handle.
But I have....
for
1 year 8 months
20 months
87 weeks
606 days
14544 hours
872640 minutes.
And it has been a blessing.
Elder Winn would probably say that it is going too fast
this block of time.
But we Moms mark off every bit of it
As a victory and
an offering.
Happy 20 months Elder Winn
Love you, Mom

Hey everyone!

Thanks for all the emails. It-s great to hear from you.

            Well, first item of business, I don’t have a change. Elder Dunkley left to Peten, and my new companion is Elder Richardson. This will be his last change. I don’t know him really well, but he seems like he will be a good companion. I’m excited to work with him here in Llano Largo.

            This week was pretty good. Do you guys remember Julian, who I was teaching in Lomas? Well, this last week we went to Lomas to interview him for his baptism. I was pretty excited, and I took the opportunity to visit the Castillo family. Anyways, he passed his  interview, and was to be baptized the next day. So, the next day Elder Dunkley and I travel to Lomas again to see the baptism, after all he was my old investigator. When we got there the Elders there told us that he was nowhere to be found. Elder Dunkley and I went to go and look for him only to find that he went to work! That was a little frustrating. I-m thinking he might have forgotten about his baptism. Oh well, hopefully he gets baptized this next week.

            Lately we've been working with the Rico family. They didn’t come to church, which was a little disappointing, but I think they will go this next Sunday. They also have to get married, which is an added challenge.

            We are also working with another family- Carlos and Alejandra. They were looking really excited about learning the Gospel. We haven’t been able to find them lately, but we’re going to visit them tonight. They live far away, and it’s a bit of a hike to get there. Elder Richardson will have fun with that. I’ve gotten a lot more in shape here in Llano Largo.

            The leadership changed a lot here in our zone, which is a good thing. We have a lot of really good district leaders, and I think the zone will do well this change.

Let’s see, what else is new? There’s never a lot to write about the first week of the change. I’m sure there will be more to say next week.

So now it’s question time!

1. WHERE ARE YOU?? (If you have changed...give details!!)

I’m still here in Llano Largo!

2. Who is your companion?? (remember....DETAILS)
I gave all the details I had! I’ve only talked to him for about 10 minutes. Lol

 3. Do they watch American TV there?  What is the favorite TV show? (Not that YOU watch tv but does anyone talk about shows?)
Not really, mostly because they don’t speak English. They watch a lot of movies here though. Other than that I don’t really know.

 4. How many years or grades do kids go through there and is it mandatory to go to school? Is the education system very good?

It depends. I would say about 10 or 11. The education system is really bad here. School lasts only 4 or 5 hours, with an hour of PE every day. The teachers only need the equivalent of a high school education to teach, and from all the homework that I’ve seen them do it seems like they don’t do much.

I would say that the lack of a good education system is the reason this country is in its poverty.

  5. What was your favorite food eaten this week?

Elder Dunkley and I have a new diet of eating a peanut butter and jelly sanwitch, a fruit, and a pack of cookies for lunch. It’s a really tasty and light meal. I enjoy it a lot.

6. Have you mailed the letter yet to your favorite mother?

Lol, and if I fax it?  Jk I will mail it

7. How is the new bed?

Amazing. New beds in the mission are great.

8. Are my questions getting lame or WHAT?? nerent nerent nerent!

Lol =)

 Do the youth go to early morning seminary there?

Yes, and it starts at 5! Even earlier!
Do you remember any particular scriptures you learned in seminary that you are able to use in your mission?  Which ones?

I cant say I remember a lot from seminary, but I remember the scripture mastery scripture in Doctrine and Covenants that talks about obedience. We use that one a lot here.

We saw some pictures of you on the Pres. & Sister Torres' website.  It looked like you all were eating lunch in the gym of a chapel.  What was that meeting? 
That was for a zone conference that we had with Elder Fallabela. It was a really good conference.

I saw basketball goals in the ward meeting house.  Looks just like our chapels.  Do the kids down there like to shoot baskets on youth activity nights like they do here?

That was a the stake center, and it’s the nicest one in the mission, and the only one with an indoor basketball court. Most of the chapels have outside ones. And yes the youth get together frequently to play soccer. Basketball isn’t really big here.
Have you gone on exchanges with the ward members lately?  Have you had any good experiences with going on exchanges with members?

Not exchanges. We have been leaving with a future missionary. He likes to work with us, and does pretty well at teaching.

Well, it looks like that’s all for this week. Thanks for the emails, and the Line of Authority. That’s pretty cool. Well, the Church is true. I frequently get the chance to defend it here, and I love being able to teach the truth. I really like in the mission packet towards the end where it says that we are to be Defenders of the Faith. I like that title, and hope to be worthy of it these last 4 months of my mission. I love you guys. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Winn

We seem to shovel dirt a lot!

After waiting and waiting yesterday for an email
and not getting one.
It was like going to bed hungry....starving.
I wasn't worried this time though because of the support of my missionary mom
friends who reassured me that it would come and the other moms in Jack's zone
who had not heard from their sons either.
And let's face it...
the old adage is true,
Misery loves company...
and I had the BEST of company.
My patience was rewarded with an email that made me both cry and laugh.
I had to laugh when Jack answered the question about service.
"Yes, we helped a lady shovel dirt and put it somewhere. It’s something we do alot here in guatemala. We seem to shovel dirt alot."
That is classic Jack for two reasons:
Obviously he doesn't think that the shoveling of dirt is productive and
he uses the word alot......A LOT!
I wish I had taught him that there is not word "alot" before he left for Guatemala.
If only I had known he would use it for descriptive purposes A LOT!
(Hey I am sorry it is the school teacher in me. He also likes the word "quality". I love seeing the bits and pieces of Jack in his emails. I like that "alot")
The part that made me cry was his description of the temple and how it is the place that is the closest he can get to feeling like he is at home.
Thank heavens for temples.
It really IS the closest we can get to being "home".

 Jack's first temple trip at Mount Timpanogos Temple. He wanted to go for his first time to the Houston Texas Temple but it was closed because of Hurricane Ike. When he comes home we will go there ASAP.
 

Hey everyone!

Thanks for all the emails. Today I got alot of emails, which was nice. It’s great to hear from all of you.

So today i’m writing on Tuesday because today we went to the Temple, which means we take pday on Tuesday. Going to the Temple is always a highlight, and today we went with the Area Presidency, which was also a cool experience. Elder Dunkley and I had to organize the bus, which was a little stressful, but we were able to get everything running smoothly. I like going to the Temple. It is a refuge from all the base of this world. Particularly here in Guatemala, it’s very refreshing to be able to be there. It’s the closest i can get to feeling like i’m at home.

                This week has been great. It started a little rough, because i woke up on Tuesday morning with a pretty heavy migraine. That’s the third i have gotten here on the mission, and they get pretty bad. I know how dad feels now. I finally got to sleep though, and was able to work in the afternoon.

                This week we’ve been focusing on finding families. We’ve found a few, and now we’re working on keeping them as investigators. That’s always the hardest part, getting from the first lesson to the second. Many times people will invite us in once, and tell us to come back, but then look for excuses to not listen. We’ve been working with the members, and we got a reference of a less active man and his wife that is not a member. They are the Rico Family. The husband is a little reluctant to listen to us, but we watched a video with them last Sunday, and we had a quality lesson. They then asked us to give their baby a blessing, and it was a pretty uplifting experience for them.

                So this Sunday I had a a quality experience. We spent all Saturday trying to get people to church, and i was pretty excited for Sunday morning. We woke up early to search for people, and to my disappointment we found that everyone wouldn't or couldn't come. I went to church slightly defeated, because i had prayed alot the night before that someone would come to church. To my surprise in the middle of the meeting i saw a recent convert come in with her sister who isn't a member. My prayer had been answered, maybe not in the time i was waiting for, but it was answered. When i came up to talk to them, they told me that at 9;00 when church started, they felt a strong impression that they should go to church. I am grateful that God always answers our prayers.

                Well, it looks like it’s question time!

1.       Do you pinky swear that you read ALL of Dad and I's boring emails? (remember you are a missionary and cannot tell a fib)

Of course i read them all. And i like them all!

2. Do you have any advice for me on how to strengthen my scripture reading as it pertains to the book of Alma and the wars?

Well, something interesting that i have learned in the mission is that the war chapters are important in testifying of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The person who compiled the book of Alma was Mormon, who was also a military man, so it would make sense that alot of his writings have to do with the wars and contentions of his people, because that was what he was interested in. Anyways, i found that interesting. There’s a reason that there’s war chapters in there. Also, you can think of the physical defenses that they make in preparation of their enemies, as a type of spiritual defense that we have to build. Lots of interesting things there.

3. What condition is the bed you sleep on? I saw Elder Smiths bed and it looked nice.

We got new beds this week! So it’s awesome.

4. How come your living conditions always look a little..um....how shall we say....."that lived in look"? 

Remember mother that i live in a third world country. =)

5. What area where you in when you lived in the nicest place in your mission? the worst?

Nicest was Lomas, and the worst, as far as living conditions, was Peten.

6. What did you eat this week that I would not want to eat?

Ceviche! I love it. It’s raw shrimp in tomato and onion and lots of lime. I don't think it would fall too well on your stomach though. =)

7. Who has the BEST mother in the whole Guatemala mission? hint hint wink wink nudge nudge

Nerent to her!

8. What kind of souvenirs should I think about buying when I come?

That's a good question. You’ll have to see them all! =)

Do you need anything?  Let us know if we can send anything to you.

No, i am doing great now.


Have you helped with any service projects lately?  What were they?

Yes, we helped a lady shovel dirt and put it somewhere. It’s something we do alot here in Guatemala. We seem to shovel dirt alot.

What's your favorite lesson of all to teach?

I like to teach about the Book of Mormon, because i think it’s one of the greatest things we have to offer, and it was written for these people.

Well, i would love to write more, but my time is up. Thanks everyone for your love and support. I love you guys, and pray for you often. The mission is great, and my testimony of the Church is strong and firm.

Love,

Elder Winn

Fancy Towel Technology

I had to chuckle at Jack's final email to me today.
Since I didn't have too much to say,
since we talked quite a bit yesterday.....(heavenly)
my email was extraordinarily boring.
It was the MOTHER of all boring emails
and trust me I have sent some doozies.
I was racking my brain to ask him questions.
I decided to ask him what every mother does
when she wants her missionary to know that he is loved
and she still desires to take care of him
(even though the Lord is doing the majority of that now)
"Do you need anything?"
"Can I send you anything?"
"How about towels...those new microfiber ones that the other cool mothers are sending their sons"
"Would you like some of those?"
Here was his reply,
oh, i am good on towels. i don't need any fancy towel technology
lol
well have a great day!
i hope you had a great mothers day
thanks for the pizza!
i love you!
jack
I laughed out loud.
Laughing is always good for us missionary moms.

Hey everyone!

Well, it was great to hear from you guys! Calling home has always been some of the days I most look forward to. It was really nice talking to you guys, and it’s sounds like everything is great at home. I talked to Megan too, and she is doing well. We’re still in a feud though. Lol mln

The only bad thing about the phone calls, particularly the Sunday calls, is that i don’t have much to say now! =) But that’s okay. Elder Dunkley and I spent the morning cleaning and reorganizing the hose. We don’t like the idea of scorpions living with us. We deep cleaned the refrigerator and the stove, which took awhile. Last night we watched the Restoration movie with a less active in our ward. I like that movie a lot.

                Oh, I told mom yesterday, but the nephew of Ana Garcia, and her brother received the Melchizedek Priesthood yesterday. That was pretty exciting. Her nephew, Jesus, is getting ready to go on a mission now. That makes me pretty happy. That will fulfill a goal I have on the mission, which is baptizing a future missionary. Now I fell like what I am doing here will last another 2 years. Anyways, it’s great to see converts receive the Priesthood, because when they have that they can serve a wider variety of callings and leadership positions, and they are less likely to inactivate.

                Here in the area we continue to look for families to teach.

Oh, so Saturday they established a new church 3 doors down from our house. It’s pretty annoying because they blast everything on loud speakers and they have a keyboardist who plays the same 2 chords over and over again. And they cry and scream a lot. The churches here are very different than what they are in the states. It’s almost frightening. Anyways, we’ll see how long that church lasts. They usually don’t last very long.

Well, the mission is great. I still have a lot of time here, and I plan on using it all wisely. Thanks for the emails and it was great talking to you. The next time I talk to you It will be in person! Okay, have a great week!

Love,

Elder Winn

 Jack tried to send pictures but couldn't because of the slow internet connection. So I thought I would post a picture of the beautiful table runner he sent to me at Christmas. It is hand done by a lady that was in his ward in Coban.  It is the pattern of her village (not sure if that is the correct terminology). I guess each village has their own distinct pattern. He said that when he told her it was for his mother so said that she would need to make it extra nice. He said that it took her two full weeks of all day sitting on the ground stitching. It is flawless. It is amazing to me.

Which thought is scarier? Scorpion or Fire?

(random bug picture Jack took at the beginning of his mission but not a scorpion)

Today the last line in Jack's email was:
"Oh, yesterday while we were about to go to bed, we found a giant scorpion! Then we spent about half an hour trying to kill it by fire and looking for other ones. I don’t like scorpions."
I don't know which part of that statement troubled me more....
That there was a scorpion in their living quarters 
OR
That they tried to kill it BY FIRE?
Both seem kinda disturbing...
and yet,
I had to chuckle

because this is how he probably looked during the scorpion escapade....

Because in spite of all the wisdom and maturity they are gaining..
Despite all of the testimony building, faith enriching experiences they are having..
They are still our boys.
And boys will be boys......
Chasing a scorpion around with fire.
(I guess using a hard whack with the back of a shoe would have been too easy)


Here is Elder Winn's latest epistle:

Hey everyone!

Thanks for the emails. It’s good to hear from you.

            This week has been pretty eventful. We had a zone conference with President Falabela from the 1^st quorum of the seventy. It was a great conference. We talked about the need to build up the church here in Guatemala, and the only way to do that is by baptizing families. It made me think a lot about how the Gospel is always focused on the families, and that the only way to truly receive our exaltation is through our families. Sometimes it’s hard to find families. We can pretty frequently find single mothers, or mothers whose husbands don’t want anything with the Gospel, but it’s hard to find families. The men here are usually not very receptive, but we’re trying to be able to find the ones that are. He also pointed out that we should only be working with the people who are ready to hear the Gospel. A lot of people aren’t ready to hear, and even though they let us into their houses it  is a waste of time if they will never progress. Elder Dunkley and I have been working a lot on that this week. We’re looking for families, and future priesthood holders. We’ve had to pass up a lot of potential lessons to find them. Even though it’s more desirable to be teaching people than contacting, we have to make the sacrifice to find these people.

            Oh, happy anniversary by the way! Congratulations.

            We also had a zone leader council with President Falabela. That was a pretty intense day. Funny story actually. Elder Dunkley and I were positive that it was going to start at 9, so we left early, because it takes about an hour with traffic to get there. We ended up getting there at 7 30, and we hadn’t ate breakfast that morning, and the fancy restaurant at the office building had a 2 for 1 deal, so we decided to eat breakfast. Well, we took our sweet time eating a tasty Guatemalan breakfast, and we got to the office at 8 30 only to realize that it had started at 8! It was pretty embarrassing. The best part was that when we were eating I was telling Elder Dunkley about the story when Megan and I were eating at that restaurant thinking we had all the time in the world when we were actually supposed to be there for our final exam. It was pretty funny.(Megan and Jack took a class together their freshman year and had the best time. Their last final was the class they had together and was right before they were to race to the airport to catch a plane flight home for Christmas. They decided to celebrate and have a fancy breakfast at the top of the Wilkinson Center and then wait outside the classroom for the final. They had a marvelous time and were patting themselves on the back for arriving a half an hour early to the exam. When they got there they noticed that the classroom was full and that is when they found out that they had the wrong time and only had 20 minutes to take a 2 hour test.....an essay exam! They scribbled something down. Megan said that she couldn't even read her writing through the tears.  She called me sobbing afterward because she felt she had let down her brother and now they would both fail. Jack was so worried what his Dad and I would think.  I felt sick for the both of them. Thankfully we can all laugh about it now.)

            Right now we’re working with a family that we’re having a hard time bringing to church. They are Fransisco an Julia. They agree with all of our teachings, and are reading the Book of Mormon, but they wont cone to church. It’s hard to get people to church here, because it’s a little far away. Elder Dunkley and I are thinking of giving piano lessons to try and get non members to at least enter the church and see what it’s like. The church here is beautiful, and we want to get people to enter it, even if it’s not for sacrament meeting.

            Okay, it’s question time!

1.THE CALL!
When:?

I’ll probably do a pre-call on Wednesday, and I will call Sunday after church. Like at 1 or 2
How?(who calls whom)?

I will call you guys.
How long can we talk?:

President Torres hasn’t said anything yet. =0
Are you excited??:

YES! =)

2. Did your debit card work at taco bell? I assume that it did. Have you had any other problems with it?

Yes, and it worked this morning at McDonal…… lol never mind. It works. =)

I’ll be taking money out to by minutes this week though.

3. You said that you wanted to go to some places that I hadn't heard of. What is Livingston? What is Puerto Barrios?

It’s an island that’s supposed to be really pretty, and it’s where rio dulce is. I’ve heard it’s pretty cool.

4. The reason I said to fly to Peten is that it would save time and give us more time actually in Peten. They sell packages that include hotel and shuttles and entrance fees to Tikal. I just thought that it might be an option. How scary are the buses that drive all night. Are they pretty creepy? (we will probably rent a car in Peten)

I think it would be cool to fly. I know a hotel that I’ve stayed in, that’s pretty alright, that charges 20 dollars a night. And I can get into Tikal for a lot cheaper. The entrance fee is about 12 dollars for foreigners and about 2 dollars for me. Just be careful with the tourists people up there. They will rip you off. The buses aren’t really creepy to me, but it would be cool to fly as well. (Something tells me that I do NOT want to stay in the 20 dollar hotel that Jack has found. lol)

5. BTW the whole Vanegas family won't be there. Only Sister and Brother Vanegas. All of their children will be attending BYU at that time. So no problem with that. Wait...this isn't a question at all....oh yea I know....isn't your mother really really great? (remember to answer carefully since it is so close to Mother's day!!)

Yes. Nerent!

7. Cow hoof and spinal column....mmmmm mmmmm. What was the worst thing you have eaten this week?

Yeah, it was gross. This week we’ve eaten pretty normal food. Th best thing was lasagna that Hra Torres made for council.

9. How was the zone conference and zone leader council?

It was very good.

11. Healthy??

Yes!
12 Do you need anything??

No =)

And I think I have lost some weight, so nobody has called me fat lately. I stopped drinking soda and eating sugar in an effort to be healthier. I haven’t lost a lot, but I’m getting a little thinner.

Oh, yesterday while we were about to go to bed, we found a giant scorpion! Then we spent about half an hour trying to kill it by fire and looking for other ones. I don’t like scorpions.

            Well, I am excited to be able to call you guys. I am grateful for everything you do for me, and I know that I am always in your thoughts and prayers. I love being a missionary, and I know that this Gospel is true, and that we are children of God, with many blessings in store for us.

Thanks for everything!

Love,

Elder Winn