Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Elder Winters - March 12, 2012


Hey everybody!  I will soon be entering my fourth week of being in California.  Crazy how fast time flies.  As an advance notice, please excuse my English.  It's a weird thing here because the Chinese are somewhat scattered throughout the white people so their Chinese kind of atrophies a little, but their English is also somewhat not perfect.  And sometimes while speaking rapid Chinese they'll throw in a random English word.  I am now adopting this form of Chinglish, though I'm still going for all Chinese if I can manage it.  The problem right now is that if I say, "excuse me, please, but I have no idea what you just said," people will just switch into broken English for the white guy.  It's all going great, though, so no worries.  
Speaking of all going great, that is just what the work here is doing.  The work here in the Yale Branch is on fire.  I don't know if there are pictures out there, but if there are, I'll let them explain everything - that's 1000 words fewer for me to type.  The members here are awesome, feed us a ton, refer their friends, and teach with us.  They really take over when someone gets baptized.  
In other news, I think I may be getting struck down by the destroying angel sometime soon.  This past week I went to two all-you-can-eat BBQ buffets, Asian style.  They have a wide selection of raw meats that you just grab and cook on a little grill built into the table.  Needless to say, we tried to eat our money's worth, and are now paying the price for it.
My favorite thing so far has probably been talking with people from Mainland China.  Their stories are so incredible because they are so ready for the Gospel.  I have already taught a few people who said their first prayer, who were unfamiliar with Jesus Christ's name, and all sorts of other things.  It is amazing to witness them grab hold onto Gospel truths and find out very, very quickly that they are true.  It is my simple testimony that they are true and they are available to all who are humble enough to accept them.  They are from a God who loves us as His children, because He is our Father.  He has provided us with a way to be happy - it is just a matter of us wanting it, taking action, and following the plan He has given us.
Have an excellent week, everyone.

Elder Winters

Baptism 3/08/12 - 




Baptism on 3/11/12 - 













Thursday, March 8, 2012

Elder Daniel Winters - March 6, 2012


Hey everybody!  California is rocking and the work is on fire.  I wish I had more time, but I don't, so I'll just talk about something most guys are only interested in anyway: food.  Here is a short list of just a few things I've eaten in the past two weeks, and I hear it gets better:

Rice.  Too much. 
Lamb
Pig's Ear
A rice ball in a shriveled leaf as well as something that might have been oyster remains.
Kimchi, which is fermented cabbage.  Koreans love it for some reason.
Kimchi rice
Kimchi dumplings
A barrel of Kimchi
Some sort of soup with bones in it.  I'm not sure if I was supposed to eat those.
A bunch of seaweed.  It gives rice flavor, apparently.  All in all, not bad.
Kumquaats
And Eel.  With the skin on it.  Really, it just tastes like fish.  It seems the Chinese know what they're doing.

You all are great, thanks for your support, I'll get a longer letter in next time, and remember to choose the right.

Elder Winters
 
from the baptismal service this past Saturday: