Elder Winters - past several weeks

[Dear All,

Sorry for the delay, we have been out of town and I have not had access to the email list.

Daniel is in a new mission with the following address:

Elder Daniel Winters

CA- Irvine Mission

23 Lake Rd.

Irvine, CA  92604

I am certain he would love receiving a letter!

Many thanks,

the Editor]

June 17 -

Hey everybody, it's been a good week.  The branch had a baptism this past weekend, which was great.  We met a nonmember there who also just set a date for baptism yesterday.  When I discovered where she was from (Qingdao, Shandong, China), I could only remember from my China book that Qingdao is famous for its beer.  And usually, as a white guy, I feel like I have to pull things out of the air to maintain a long conversation with a Chinese person, mostly because I've never been to China nor do I look remotely like a Chinaman.  So I mentioned the famous Qingdao beer, and then she went on about how great it was.  She also asked me if I had tried it before.  So, the moral of the story is don't mention alcohol at baptisms.  

This week was also special in that I got to attend a convert's first endowment session at the temple.  It was a heavenly occasion.  Seeing her growth in the past year has been remarable.  She has been faithful in doing the little things that builds one's testimony, such as praying and reading the Book of Mormon every day.  In the temple, we were blessed to gain greater perspective of the things of eternity.  The imprtance of temporal things seemed to fade away in the face of the things that are sealed both on earth and in heaven.  Our families, our testimonies, our conversions, and our spiritual strength will be those things taht we take with us if we are faithful and obedient.

Have a wonderful week.

- Elder Winters

Hey everyone.  I hope you all liked that great "Hastening the Work of Salvation" meeting, because I sure did.  It was awesome!  My desire to be a permanent missionary has increased.  I loved it when the prophet invited us all to exercise faith and invite others to meet with missionaries in our homes.

As a missionary, funny things happen to you.  It is simply inevitable.  One funny thing that happened this past week was when we saw a man who had been jogging approaching a mailbox.  We tried to talk to him but then he said, "I don't live here, I'm just grabbing the mail," after which he took the mail out of his mailbox and then promptly ran away.  I thought that was pretty funny.  

There have been some awesome things happening this past week.  The work is moving!  A girl that has never been to church before in her life came with a member to help her with babysitting her daughter.  She is incredibly interested in learning more about Jesus Christ.  I believe that it has come from praying for miracles.  I know that if we exercise faith and expect God to fulfill His promises, He certainly will in His time.  It's happening here.  

I know this work is true.  It is so much fun.  I love it that when we bear testimony of what we know to be true, angels in heaven record it:

"Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you."

Have a great week.

- Elder Winters

Hey everybody, what's been going on?  It's been pretty historic lately - there are now two Elder Winters with Chinese nametags on, something I'm pretty sure has never happened before, so that is pretty cool.  I love my brother, Jacob, and he is an amazing addition to the missionary field.  He'll be heading out to Richmond, Virginia, in a couple of months.  

I just want to make it know really quick that there is a newer elder in our zone from Savannah, Georgia.  His accent is incredible.  And although we're from the same state, it's sometimes hard to imagine that we're even from the same country.  I love it.  And I love imitating his accent, claiming that I've been hiding it all along to sound more like them city folk.  

This week has been stellar. We had a wonderful teaching appointment with one of our new investigators, Mandy.  She has always wanted to study Christianity, but she never had the chance to.  She was so excited and had so many questions for us.  She listened to the message, accepted the feelings she received from the Spirit, and decided to act on them.  She has set a date for baptism on the 20th!  We are so excited for her.  I thought this experience increased my testimony of the following scripture from the Book of Mormon:

16 And there was ^ano inequality among them; the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their ^bhearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming—

 17 That they might not be hardened against the word, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they might receive the word with joy, and as a ^abranch be grafted into the true vine, that they might enter into the ^brest of the Lord their God.

This work is true!  God is leading it.   It is so awesome to participate in.

Have a good one, everybody.

- E. DBW

Hey everyone, hope you all had a nice Independence Day.  We had a pretty good one - a member invited some investigators to a BBQ at her house.  I was the piano guy for entertainment and all seven Chinese missionaries sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."  I'll never figure out why the national anthem has to be in E flat, though.  And despite the influence of the Chinese all around me, I still love me the good ol' United States.  Freedom is a wonderful thing.  

We are a new mission now.  We had a big meeting to get everyone oriented and to meet the mission president.  He is amazing.  I love the spirit and the energy that emanate from him.  He wants to be here to do good - I can tell that that is his motivation.  He loves God and Jesus and his missionaries and wants to bring the good news of the gospel to as many people as we possibly can as a mission.  I want to be able to achieve the kind of character that he has obtained through consistent diligence, selfless service, and prayer.

The work is moving here.  The kids we're teaching are just loving church.  It is wonderful to see how spiritually sensitive kids are.  I think that's why the Savior made them a part of His teachings.  I know if we can be as humble and as loving as they are, we will go far.  

I am loving the work.  I know it is true.  I know God is directing us by His Spirit to help the work move on.  And as we all pitch in and reach out to our neighbors and friends, the work will move on like it never has before.

Have an awesome week, everyone.

- Elder Winters

Elder Daniel Winters - June 10, 2013 Whoa!

Hello everybody, and Happy Belated Dragon Boat Festival Day.  It's another one of those traditional Chinese holidays, and apparently its origins are as strange as other traditional holidays like St. Patrick's Day and Halloween.  Apparently, there was a famous Chinese poet who got depressed and threw himself into a river and drowned himself.  And then, in order to placate any fishes with the desire to nibble on his body, the village people threw elaborately-made rice cakes into the river.  And that's why we race dragon boats on Dragon Boat Festival Day.

Despite its strangeness, the festival was a lot of fun, and it was a great missionary opportunity as well.  There were a ton of nonmembers there that all seven of the Chinese missionaries just blitzed and talked to to help them feel the love, as our branch president always says.  The "dragon boat racing game" turned out to be four people, all lined up, each sat on a skateboard and used two toilet plungers to propel him or herself across the gym floor.  I don't want to brag here, but I won the race between the missionaries.  My secret: grab the only board that doesn't wobble.  

In spiritual news, there is a woman that we're teaching that sincerely wants to know that what we are teaching her is true.  We missionaries always go to the Book of Mormon to answer this question.  It truly is the keystone of our religion - it holds it up, and it is the evidence of the restoration of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith.  I know for myself that the Book of Mormon is true - I came to that knowledge by reading it and asking God Himself about its truthfulness.  I also do know that every sincere person with a desire to know if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdom on the earth can know by reading and praying about the Book of Mormon.  So that's my invitation to every one - read in the Book of Mormon, and pray.  Regardless of whether or not you have received an answer in the past, you can and will receive another one.

This work is true, it's amazing, and I'm glad I can be a part of it.

Have a good week.

- Elder Winters

Elder Winters - June 3, 2013 Back in the Chinese program

Hello all, and welcome back to the Chinese version 2.0 of the weekly
email.   That's right, I'm back in the Chinese progrum.  Program.
It's been stellar in the English program, I've really loved it, but my
time is up now.  I've learned a ton, and I am grateful for the
experiences I've been blessed with.

Not a ton to report -  I actually have to go in about one minute, so
I'll keep it brief.  This past Saturday Brtoher Zhou, the man Elder
Walker and I ran into a few weeks ago, got baptized.  He was
absolutely ready for the gospel.  I just want to testify, as I have
done in the past, that if we are living right the Lord will put us on
the path that He needs us to be on.  He will lead us by the Holy
Spirit, and a lot of the times we will not even notice.  I am so
grateful that the Lord is willing to let me be an instrument in His
hands to do this great work.  I love this work so much; I know it is
true.

Have an awesome week, you guys rock.

- Elder Winters

Elder Winters - May 21st and May 28th 我超喜歡宣講這個福音！

Hello all, and happy late Memorial Day.  It's wonderful to live in a country that enjoys all the freedoms that we do.  It's been a great week, including a zone conference.  I'd have to say that the highlight of that was either our mission president's talk or the mission president's wife teaching us all how to sing Peter Pan's "Never Smile At a Crocodile" as a reminder to get away from temptation.  

So, we went on an exchange with an assistant to the president this week, and that was super cool.  We knocked on one door and this family of four opened and received our message (the mom said the First Vision was "awesome") as well as dates to be baptized on the 23rd of June.  Naturally, we were super pumped to drop by their house at 10:30 AM to remind them about church, except we found a note that said "Not interested. We like our Lutheran religion.  Take back your books please.  Enjoy today."  I'm not sure how we were supposed to enjoy Sunday after receiving that note, but it's all good.  Things like that happen, but all we can do is press on with faith.  

As for a success story this week, if you remember that Chinese guy that we invited to church, it turns out he's getting baptized this Saturday. Man!  That made us incredibly excited.  I guess despite how hard I work in the English program, I'll always be drawn back to the Chinese program.   

Simply put, I know this work is directed by God.  The Holy Ghost will continue to bear witness of the divinity of our message as long as we strive our best to live according to it.

Have an awesome week.

- Elder Daniel B. Winters

From last week:

Hey everyone, how's it going?  Welcome to another week in the life of an English missionary.  The work has been going really well over here, everything is rolling along and picking up speed.  It's still something of an adjustment contacting English-speaking people, but thankfully my companion is patient with me, whether it be coping with my ineptitude or waiting for me while I go out of the way to contact a Chinese person instead.  I still got to see the Yale Branch when they got let out of their meetings on Sunday, and everyone appears to be doing really well.  As an added bonus, there were a ton of nonmembers there as well - a lot has happened in the four short weeks that I've been gone.  

As far as spiritual things go, we had a zone conference this week in which our mission president talked about repentance.  I guess he was calling the entire mission to repentance, but when the principle is understood correctly, that is a wonderful thing.  Repentance, at its core, is simply change.  A change from an action or belief or behavior of our own will to what God would have us do or think or believe.  And the more we make that change with the Savior's help, the happier we will be, because we will have greater access to the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the merciful forgiveness only He can extend.  So, I'd invite you all to think of something to repent of, and then do it.  I've been trying to do so with greater zeal since I heard that talk, and I have felt the results - they are real.

The work is true, have an awesome week.

- E. Winters

Elder Winters - May 13, 2013 It was awesome seeing you!

Hey everyone, welcome and happy belated Mother's Day.  I just want to make it known that I have the best mother of them all, and she has made me who I am today.  

So, this week I had my first experience as a real missionary, AKA a missionary that has to ride a bike.  It was, in a word, fun.  Though I would suggest to the missionary from whom I borrowed the bike to get a more comfortable seat, because spending two years on that things seems intolerable to me.  Anyway, the experience did make me appreciate biking missionaries and our car a lot more.  So I will not come home being a brat, I hope.

We had a fun experience contacting this past week.  We started talking to this girl and she seemed somewhat startled because of us.  We attempted to talk to her in a very non-menacing manner about the restored gospel, and then invited her to learn more, which she responded, "I don't know."  We then asked what her name was and she gave the same answer: "I don't know."  And then my companion said, "It's OK, if you don't want to tell us, that's cool --" and then she interrupted him, saying, "I don't remember...." with a look of seriousness as sincere as any as I have ever seen.  I guess my companion just has that kind of effect on people.  

As far as spiritual news goes, I'm not trunky or anything, but it was great talking to my family yesterday.  That was my fourth and last time doing that, so here comes the final stretch.  As a spiritual aspect, I know that families can be eternal through the ordinances of the temple.  That is the final goal of our work here - helping people making and keeping covenants to bring them and their families together to live in Heavenly Father's presence forever.  Isn't that wonderful?

The work is true; have a great week.

- Elder Daniel Winters

Elder Winters - May 6, 2013 阿得可厲害咖更換新版

Hey everyone, I have to be quick.  Happy Early Mother's Day, because next email won't make it in time and early is always better than belated. Unless it's something like a birthday party six months in advance.

Well, it's been pretty awesome here in the English program.  It's quite something getting used to talking to white people all the time.  Although one would think that it would be comfortable and familiar, after over a year in the Chinese it's been a pretty strange transition.  Weird, right?  Well, I'm making the most of it, so it's all good.  

Let me see, something spiritual for this week....let me share a scripture.  Matthew 10:39!

 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

I just want to testify of the truthfulness of this teaching of the Savior. It's a sheer joy to throw yourself in the work of the Savior.  Whenever I feel crummy, it's probably due to me feeling selfish. Of course other people may use their agency in negative ways, but there's always room for improvement, there's always room to grow.  And that's not something to be disappointed about, but we should be happy for the opportunities given to us by our Savior Jesus Christ.  As Elder David A. Bednar put it, "In the strength of the Lord, we can do and endure and overcome all things."

Have a great week, everyone.

- E. DBW

Elder Winters - April 29, 2013 English!

Hey everyone, welcome to the English version of the weekly reader.  It's been amazingly awesome, no lie.  It's been non-Chinese, but I feel home here as well.  We are just so pumped to preach the good news in English!  It's quite the relief being able to understand everything I'm saying.  I miss the Chinese branch, but I am committed to making the most of my time here in the English program.  

Sorry for the shortness of this email - my sister Rebecca got home this past Saturday so I've spent a good chunk of my time on talking about family stuff.  It is so nice to have her back after she successfully filled her mission.  

Well, cool thing - we tracted into a Muslim woman the other day.  It was incredible to see the effect the Holy Ghost had on her as we testified of the truthfulness of a modern-day prophet and of the restoration of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith.  So cool!  We're teaching her this week.  I love being a missionary! 

The work is true, don't ever forget it!  Have a good one!

- Elder Winters