Elder Winters - July 30, 2012

Hey everybody.  Welcome to another week in the mission life.  I was just at the grocery store and this very old Taiwanese lady walks by us, reads my nametag, and in very broken English says, "You..you...you...can...." and then my companion cuts her off and says "Yes, he can speak Chinese" in Chinese.  Then she asks what church we're from.  I say, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."  She goes, "Oh.  I'm Christian. My least favorite church is the Mormons." Me: "We are Mormons."  Her: "Mormons don't believe in Jesus Christ."  Me: "We believe in Jesus Christ." Her: "Mormons don't believe in the Bible." Me: "We believe in the Bible."  Her: "My least favorite church is the Mormons." Me: "Do you like us?" After which she cackles just like the old lady in the scary Avatar: The Last Airbender bloodbending episode and then walks away.  THAT was funny.  In actuality, I think she did like us.

Anyway, aside from talking with old Chinese ladies, there have been some fun and awesome stuff going on around here.  One of them being we found an amazing investigator!  Guo Tongxue.  She's awesome.  She made it through three hours of church like a pro and the branch was super helpful in making her feel at home, as always.  We found her while contacting her at UCI, just as we were about to walk over to our car.  Lesson learned is don't give up, even when walking over to your car (or bike).  I like to think that I've been being blessed with boldness lately (I'm just trying to become like my sister Becca).  In our first lesson we had with Guo Tongxue, she said she didn't believe in God.  I said, much to my own surprise: "Well, Heavenly Father is there, whether you believe in him or not."  At the end of the lesson, she was so willing to say a prayer.  She even set up a baptismal date!  Awesome stuff.  We were incredibly blessed to find her.  Great stuff is going on, and prayers are being answered.  

In even more spiritual news, we had a cool lesson with a recent convert family.  Their eight-year-old son has been reading scripture like a maniac.  He's even been reading a lot in the Bible lately (and I'm pretty sure it's got to be at least equally as hard in Chinese as it is in English).  I asked him if he liked reading scriptures, after which he nodded his head very rapidly.  Then I asked, "Why?" It took him a little while to answer.  Finally, he said, "Well, this is Jesus Christ's Church, so we should do the things Jesus Christ says."  Such a simple but powerful answer caught me off guard.  I almost got a little teary-eyed from his answer and received a better testimony of why Jesus Christ taught that we should become as a little child in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Amazing.  Simply enough, I know that what he said is true.  And Jesus Christ said to preach His gospel, and that's what I'm doing.  It's the best!

Have an awesome week.

- Elder DBW

Elder Winters - July 23, 2012

Hey everybody, sorry to disappoint, or for some people, I'm glad I can cater to your desires for a shorter letter from me, because that is exactly what I am going to have to give if I can't learn how to type more quickly.  Things have been great this week.  Things like me parking in really dumb spots but the incredibly long walks that result from it lead to us finding someone cool makes me know that I have a Father in Heaven who gives me spiritual impressions, even if I do feel really dumb in the interim.  (Sorry, that last sentence is a nightmare; interpret it if you can.)  Also, things like Chinese dads asking their American born kids why their Chinese can't be as good as mine make me feel that my Chinese might possibly be improving.  So my spirits are up, and there was even a huge sale on Easter candy today at the store to boot.  Wow.  It's great to be me.  

Well, the work right now is moving along, as it always will be when we think about Who is behind it all.  I know this is Heavenly Father's work for His children.  That alone makes me feel honored.  It's crazy, exciting, challenging, and spiritual.  And there's no other place I'd rather be.  Have a great week, everyone.

Elder Daniel Winters

Elder Winters - July 16, 2012

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a macabre Friday the 13th.  I sure didn't, mostly in part because I forgot, and the Chinese don't care anyway.  Actually, the Chinese are all afraid of the number 4 because the character for 4 looks similar to the one that means "death," so somehow that means 4 is unlucky.  I will have to be very short today, but I won't apologize because that may actually come as a relief to some of you.  I will just leave you with the part that you should't be annoyed with, and that is my testimony.  I know by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that Heavenly Father is there, and that they both love all of us with a love that is incomprehensible.  I know that I am doing the Lord's work now.  Nothing could make me happier right now.

You all are wonderful - have a great, lucky week.

Elder Winters

Elder Winters - July 9, 2012

Hello everybody.  I just got my hair cut and I'm feeling fine.  Seriously, the weather is getting up to a record 84 degrees over here, so this was much needed.  Today is transfer day, so after much biting of the fingernails, we found out that the Asian zone is staying the same.  Actually, our zone leader called in and said, "Elder Winters, you're getting transferred to an English area."  It took my mind about five seconds to realize he was joking.  A very long five seconds.  No worries, my heart resumed beating and I'm still in the Chinese program.  Our temporary Elder Wang gets released tomorrow, so it'll be six more weeks with myself and the other Elder Wang until Elder Li from Japan arrives.  Very few surprises here, at least when it comes to transfers.  

On the other hand, there are a ton of surprises when you're out finding people to teach.  For example, yesterday we were out knocking and we happened to knock on the door of this Taiwanese lady.  She opened the door with one hand and had about 5 or 6 "full" diapers in the other. She said, "Uh, I'm a little busy right now.  Maybe next time would be better."  It was hard to not start laughing before she closed the door.  Aside for that, one dinner this past week I got a fortune cookie with a rather startling fortune inside: "Love is around the corner."  I certainly hope not.  Unless it is talking about Christlike charity, which I have no problem with.

I've been studying a bit about personal revelation lately.  It's interesting to me when Nephi points out that if you "receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do."  Also, if we are careful to pray often about the things we do, God "will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."  I have also heard from Elder David A. Bednar that the majority of spiritual promptings that we receive will just come out of efforts of trying to be a "good boy."  Some may even go unnoticed by us.  I know even if I receive a prompting to be at a certain place knocking on doors at a certain time and all we get to do is talk to a lady holding half a dozen diapers, that work will still be consecrated because it was exactly where the Lord wanted us to be.  If you look at where you are in life and see that it's hard, ask yourself if you're doing what the Lord wants you to be doing.  If the answer is yes, you have nothing to worry about.  Just press on with that confidence, and that work and those trials will be consecrated for you as you become the person Heavenly Father wants you to become.  The mission is awesome, you all are awesome, and the gospel is awesome.  Have an awesome week.

- Elder Winters

(Editor's note: If you want to see his new haircut he was tagged in a photo on Facebook - Elder Daniel Winters)

Elder Winters - July 16,2012

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a macabre Friday the 13th. I sure didn't, mostly in part because I forgot, and the Chinese don't care anyway. Actually, the Chinese are all afraid of the number 4 because the character for 4 looks similar to the one that means "death," so somehow that means 4 is unlucky. I will have to be very short today, but I won't apologize because that may actually come as a relief to some of you. I will just leave you with the part that you should't be annoyed with, and that is my testimony. I know by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that Heavenly Father is there, and that they both love all of us with a love that is incomprehensible. I know that I am doing the Lord's work now. Nothing could make me happier right now.

You all are wonderful - have a great, lucky week.

Elder Winters

Elder Winters - July 9, 2012

Hello everybody.  I just got my hair cut and I'm feeling fine.  Seriously, the weather is getting up to a record 84 degrees over here, so this was much needed.  Today is transfer day, so after much biting of the fingernails, we found out that the Asian zone is staying the same.  Actually, our zone leader called in and said, "Elder Winters, you're getting transferred to an English area."  It took my mind about five seconds to realize he was joking.  A very long five seconds.  No worries, my heart resumed beating and I'm still in the Chinese program.  Our temporary Elder Wang gets released tomorrow, so it'll be six more weeks with myself and the other Elder Wang until Elder Li from Japan arrives.  Very few surprises here, at least when it comes to transfers.  

On the other hand, there are a ton of surprises when you're out finding people to teach.  For example, yesterday we were out knocking and we happened to knock on the door of this Taiwanese lady.  She opened the door with one hand and had about 5 or 6 "full" diapers in the other. She said, "Uh, I'm a little busy right now.  Maybe next time would be better."  It was hard to not start laughing before she closed the door.  Aside for that, one dinner this past week I got a fortune cookie with a rather startling fortune inside: "Love is around the corner."  I certainly hope not.  Unless it is talking about Christlike charity, which I have no problem with.

I've been studying a bit about personal revelation lately.  It's interesting to me when Nephi points out that if you "receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do."  Also, if we are careful to pray often about the things we do, God "will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."  I have also heard from Elder David A. Bednar that the majority of spiritual promptings that we receive will just come out of efforts of trying to be a "good boy."  Some may even go unnoticed by us.  I know even if I receive a prompting to be at a certain place knocking on doors at a certain time and all we get to do is talk to a lady holding half a dozen diapers, that work will still be consecrated because it was exactly where the Lord wanted us to be.  If you look at where you are in life and see that it's hard, ask yourself if you're doing what the Lord wants you to be doing.  If the answer is yes, you have nothing to worry about.  Just press on with that confidence, and that work and those trials will be consecrated for you as you become the person Heavenly Father wants you to become.  The mission is awesome, you all are awesome, and the gospel is awesome.  Have an awesome week.

- Elder Winters

Elder Winters - July 2, 2012

[Editor's note: For those of you who get Rebecca's emails this is such a stark contrast in length from hers!  It just struck me as funny...]

Hello everybody, and happy July.  It's been weird to see signs here that say, "Happy Independence Day!!!!!!" in Chinese.  I'm not exactly sure what the Fourth of July will bring, so we'll see how that goes.  People are currently putting up their American flags that say "MADE IN CHINA" on the stick part, meaning that we may be involved in one way or another.  

Besides national festivities, many crazy things have been going on here, including Jehovah's Witnesses knocking on our door and teaching us about the earth inheriting its paradisaical glory , yours truly cleaning our bathtub for the first time since Merriweather Lewis discovered it in 1806, and Korean people giving us fish heads to eat.  This last incident occurred when myself and Elder Wang were on an exchange with one of the Korean elders in our district.  We went to a very-Korean restaurant with one of the members from their branch.  The best part was him announcing to the table, "You elders are so lucky.  I just ordered six lovely salmon heads for us all to eat!"  The expression of disbelief on my part was drowned out by the excited cries of the other elders at the table.  Sometimes it's hard for me to believe that I'm still in the United States.

Outside of crazy stuff, there has also been a lot of spiritual stuff happening.  We've had some great lessons this past week and some prepared people put in our path.  The Spirit has been with us and we've felt His presence as well as His help.  This past week I've felt an increased awareness of our Father in Heaven.  He really is there, He really does love us, and He wants us to follow His Son's example.  We're out here to lead people to know how to do just that, so that we can all live together, as families, in Heavenly Father's presence.  What a supernal thought.  And I know it's true.

Have a great week, everyone.

Elder Winters