Well, this week has been great! I've started replying to individual family emails so I have less time to write this big one.....so top tens may start becoming top 5 or 6s depending on the week :)
(All I Want for Christmas just came on the radio again in the cafe......and I am openly indulging in it so I will have to repent later.....but in my own defense Sister B isn't ignoring it either......she actually just started to mouth the words. Yeah, I have the best companion ever)
1. This is definitely one of the most important things in my life......the birth of my Dad!
Dad, HAPPY BIRTHDAY on Sunday! Okay, well I hope that shows how much I love you Dad and how thankful I am for your birth! Yours definitely makes my top ten of Most Important Births in History. I am so grateful for your example of being a true disciple of our Savior. You have taught me so much. So live it up this Sunday :)
2. I know Uncle Keith and Aunt Di had birthdays and I always mix up when they are in the Nov/Dec realm so HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you two as well! I love you both so much and am so thankful for your love and support. And Abs, I know your birthday is around my Dad's so HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you too! I LOVE you! Did I miss anyone?
3. The other night we were working and the phone rang and I answered it and it was a little girl. She said, "Hi. How are you?" And I said, "Oh, I'm doing just fine. How are you?" I didn't want to make her feel bad, so I just kept talking until I could figure out who it was. After a while I realized it was a 6 yr old from a less active family we're working with. She talked and talked to me like we were besties (which obviously we are if she called us just to chat) and it went on for quite some time while I just listened as she told me about school and what she was doing and her day and how her brother broke his nose yesterday and all this other stuff.
Then after a while she says, "Oh, the Elders are leaving. They were talking to my dad and my brother cause he broke his nose."
And I hear her mom in the background say, "Hey Sophie, we're going to pray now."
And she said to me, "Oh, hold on we're going to pray."
And then her mom says, "No, tell her you need to go now, they're busy. Tell the Sisters good night."
And she said to me, "Oooooooookay, goodbye. Have a really good night." And hangs up.
One of the best phone calls I've ever had.
4. So sometimes when you're a missionary you get stressed. Who would have thought huh? Haha so we release tension by playing a round or two of Phase Ten when we're home for a break. Sister B was talking to President today and told him that we play and he said he was happy we had a stress relief. Yeah, we have the best mission president ever.
5. Today we were walking down the street and there is a sudden bundle of people and as we walk by we realize these two people are handing out free things of Simply Orange juice. Yeah, we each got two. I LOVE NYC. Who else can say they pick up free juice as they walk down the street. It's like money is falling from the sky :)
6. Please refer to Sister B's blog for this one. She sang at a member's house and we were all peeing our pants. Good times.
7. I only have about 3 minutes left but I want to share this story that someone shared with us when we were at their house this week. They have a 1 yr old boy and she said that when he was born she had no money to buy any clothes for him and she had multiples other kids that needed things too. So she prayed and told Heavenly Father that she knew He was taking care of her and that she needed clothes for her baby because she had nothign to dress him in. And a week later she got 2 huge bags of baby clothes from some friend of a friend, all that fit her boy. With tears in her eyes she told us that she knows God is always listening to every prayer that she says. Wow. I can't really express it the way she did but I felt the Spirit so strong as she testified of the power of prayer. He is listening.
Well, that's it this week!
Sister B would like to give a special shout out to the Winfield fam (she told me to write it). She said she loves you all!
Love the mish. Be the mish.
Hermana Winfield
Monday, December 6, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
HAPPY FIRST WEEK OF DECEMBER!
Hello Favorite Fam!
I love you all and it sounds like everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving! I don't know if we'll hit top ten this week, cause I'm going into this unprepared :)
1. Cheryl and Braytons! Russia? and Ukraine!? So jealous that you got to go to the temple! That must have been such a fun trip, I LOVED my time in Russia. It was like a pre-mission for me. Time to be away from the world but still living in it, time to reflect and get away from cellphones and computers and TV. Loved it! I am sure that love from the plane came straight to me. JFK is actually in my area, I could have come and said hi :) Yeah right, President would have killed me. Sounds like Thanksgiving was fun, and definitely the more the merrier! I'm sad I couldn't have been there but I'll be back way too soon as it is. Cheryl, I was actually thinking about you the other day and about all the advice you gave me before my mission about the things you'd learned on your mission and how your life changed. I really appreciate everything you told me and I have already seen a lot of it come true. I never thought I would be one of those people that would go on a mission and come back a new person, but I really can already see how the Lord is helping me to be humble and grow in ways I might not have been comfortable with before :) I love you so much and the time I lived with you all will always have a special place in my heart. I actually could use some more Cheryl-goodness when you have a minute. Maybe just some more advice and some more things you learned. I love you and pray for you always. Thank you for being exactly who you are.
2. Mal! I loved your email! I am so sorry about the snow storm, I would have been severely disappointed. Your tree looks beautiful, it can definitely be friends with my tree any day. I am so surprised that the weather man has that much power......maybe I should consider changing careers. You always were an amazing cook and I am sure the stuffing was amazing! I hope your cough gets better and I'm praying for Aubrey and baby and hope that everything goes smoothly. I cannot believe Steff did so well at bowling. I think the highest score I've ever had is somewhere around 60. So 108 is definitely award winning in my book, good job :)
3. Hermana Banaszewski says, "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU" for the package. She wanted me to express that with all the enthusiasm I can since she can't email you back. We went to the office today and got Hermana B's package from her mom and she also got your card and I told President, "Yeah, we're pretty united, my mom even writes her." Needless to say, President was pretty impressed. I also got those 3 stories! Thank you so much!!!!!!
4. Thanksgiving was so fun! Maybe I'll break this up into a couple of points cause it sure deserves it. The night before the elders called us and said, "Hey, turkey bowl in the morning! President okayed it!" Well, I've never actually played football on Thanksgiving before, I think that comes from being in an all-girl family. But I was still really excited. (side note, the music in the internet cafe just changed from Christmas to Hispanic mojo. Ew)
The next morning I forgot to look at the phone and finally at 8:30 I said out-loud, "Oh, I wonder if anyone has called" even though we weren't going to meet til 11. The zone leader had called so I called him back and he said, "We're gonna play at 9, be ready in 10 minutes and we'll come get you!" They have a car cause they live in our area but work in another area so we got there in record time. (I thought it was against the rules to drive with Elders but apparently President said it was ok) So they drove like the crazy 20 yr old boys that they are but the ZL bought us hot chocolate so we put up with it and just enjoyed being in a car.
5. Mom, probably should take this out cause it makes me look like some prideful person.....when in reality I just happen to be a woman under 60. Then we got to Flushing Meadows Park to play soccer and football. When we showed up there weren't any fields open but we finally found about 30 Hispanics finishing up so one of the Elders from Brazil said to me, "Sister, go ask them if we can use the field." So I went up and asked them in my most polite Spanish if they had finished and if we could use the field. They told me sure so I returned to our group and told the Elders to take it and as I was walking back an Elder said, "Holy cow sister, what did you say, they're all staring at you!" and then he said, "Oh, blonde that speaks Spanish. Yeah, that's their dream." So all the Elders started teasing me and I finally had to walk away cause I was so embarrassed. It's weird cause the men here will really hit on anyone thats under 70 or so. It has NOTHING to do with me.
6. We played soccer and football and got kudos from the Elders for being such cool sisters. Granted, Elder Selander (our district leader), had to keep explaining things to me cause I didn't know what to do. I'd never played football before! But I only made a few mistakes......and the rest of the time I just ran around pretending I knew what I was doing.......except for that time I tackled a sister when she didn't even have the ball.....yeah, awkward. But it was seriously so much fun and it's nice to be around the elders every once in a while cause they're a lot more carefree than us sisters. We tend to stress ourselves out.
Well, I'm out of time but we have zone conference tomorrow and I am SO excited!
Love the mish. Be the mish.
Hermana Winfield
Monday, November 22, 2010
THANKSGIVING TOP TEN!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!
This week I am not going to share experiences that have happened, although those may pop through. But this year I will be missing the traditional "I'm thankful for..." trip in the car so I've included my top ten things I'm thankful for just so I don't get left out :) *these are not in any particular order after the first 3 so don't look too much into it....or the amount I write for each one haha*
1. Heavenly Father. Let's be honest, we know Dad would steal this one first. But since I'm going first this year I win. Haha. I am thankful for Heavenly Father. It still leaves me awed that I would have someone who loves me so much and so unconditionally. I can barely fathom my earthly parents love, so my Heavenly Father's is sometimes beyond comprehension. At the times when I have felt the most alone, the most hurt, the most lost, and the most fearful, He is there to remind me of who I am and where I came from. To remind me that I have divinity within me and that I am His precious daughter. That He is watching over me and making sure I am loved and guided. How blessed we are to have a Father that will never leave us alone, even in our moments of greatest trial.
2. Jesus Christ. I think that whatever words I use would be insufficient, dull, and lacking compared with the feelings that I cannot describe. So I'll just use Nephi's instead because as I read this this morning I felt more at one with Nephi than I may ever have.
"Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me. And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep. He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh. He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me. Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time. And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me. O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever.Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God." 2 Nephi 4
The atonement of Jesus Christ is the greatest gift we could receive. To be able to be healed, repent, change. Wow. Life is hard in NYC for a lot of people, members and nonmembers alike, as I know it is for everyone around the world. Sometimes all we can do is move forward, seguir adelante. And when those times come, when we are so tired, the Lord will sustain us. He will make it possible for us to carry the burdens that have been placed upon us. He doesn't get upset when we're tired--He knows that will happen. He just wants us to ask Him for help when those moments come. He knows because He's been there. He came to this earth and lived. He too was tired, He too was hurt, He too suffered. So when we take His outstretched hand, we are being led by one who has been there. He understands.
3. Holy Ghost. We have the blessing of having the constant companionship of a member of the godhead with us when we are worthy. A partner with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. He is the Comforter, and we wouldn't be fully happy without this connection with divinity.
4. Scriptures. Sister B read a scripture to me this morning in 3 Nephi 19:3 "And after I had made these plates by way of commandment, I, Nephi, received a commandment that the ministry and the prophecies, the more plain and precious parts of them, should be written upon these plates; and that the things which were written should be kept for the instruction of my people, who should possess the land, and also for other wise purposes, which purposes are known unto the Lord." She was talking about how people today want some "how-to" book on life. Here it is! For the "instruction of [His] people". Within this book are Heavenly Fathers "tips" if you would on how His children can live their lives. Why would we not read it!?
5. Music. I feel the Spirit flow through me with music more than anything else at times. And refer to number 3 if you don't see why that is so awesome.
6. People. There are so many good people in this world and I sometimes feel like I'm surrounded by them. President Nelson. Wow. Talk about mission presidents, this man is amazing. Sister Nelson equally so. All the missionaries here. All the members. All the nonmembers that we're working with. The nice lady on the street that held a door open for us the other day. People are good, there is always hope. And don't even get me started about things from my "other" life. All of my friends, family, peers, coworkers. I have been so influenced for good by all of these amazing people.
7. Trials. Let's just say that we learn to love people and know them better when we spend time with them. And during trials we spend a lot of time with the Savior.
8. Family. I could go on for about an hour or eternity with this one, so suffice it to say that I consider myself extremely blessed to have the family that I do. I have amazing parents that love me, love each other, and love the Lord. What more could a kid ask for really? And my sisters? Oh my goodness! Let's just say our corner of the celestial kingdom is going to be the partay zone. I love each one of you individually and for exactly who you are. I will always love all of you, no matter what you do or what else in life may change. I love my eternal family.
9. Sister B. I could also spend a lot of time on this point, but I only have a few minutes left. Sister B has been put on my top 20 list of most influential people. Mom, suffice it to say that you owe a large part of my mission success and happiness in this moment to Sister B. Her faith in the Savior and faith in me have strengthened and encouraged me. I am so blessed to have such a celestial friend and companion.
10. The simple things. I love the simple things in life. Like Sister B yelling when a roach climbed all over her french toast that I made her this morning. Or me running around in my underwear and winter boots the other night trying to look for something. Or climbing up a fire hatch to go on the roof of the church building after a district meeting. Or playing hide and go seek for 20 minutes during language study cause our brains couldn't take it anymore. Enjoy every moment.
I LOVE you all and I love the Lord.
Love the mish. Be the mish.
Hermana Winfield
Monday, November 15, 2010
ENJOY EVERY MOMENT
Hello everyone!
Wow, it's weird that life seems to be going on without me. How does that happen? Haha I am so happy for Maggie (marriage) and Cait (boyfriend) and Beth (college) and everyone that has such cool stuff going on! And I am especially happy for those that have boring lives right now......that could definitely explain the last 22 years of my life before the mish :) So keep your chin up if your life seems boring right now. Enjoy every moment cause you'll miss it when it's gone!
I am also happy to hear that everyone is doing so well. Girls, way to go to your presidency meetings! I love my righteous sisters! And Bug, way to practice the piano. And Em, way to be the best mini-me ever! And Beth, way to get the college stuff going! You all rock! And Dad, keep being that powerhouse that you are. Man, what did I do in the pre-existence to deserve a Dad like him? And Mom, thanks for the love letters.....you know me, I just get a little freaked out when I don't hear from you.....and I can't text you! So I just need a little weekly, "Don't worry, we didn't forget about you, you're still my favorite bestie" type of thing :) (I haven't gotten the letters or the package yet, but just knowing they're on their way makes me feel infinitely better)
Okay, on to the top ten for this week!
1. The other day I was having a downer morning and I walked in to our study room and there on my desk was a present wrapped in a bus map. That Sister B! I opened it up and it was a shirt! She'd found it in the apartment and wrapped it up for me and everything! I got a good laugh out of that and wore the shirt the very next day :) Dad's right, it really is the simple things that make the difference.
Here's the mess!
4. The other day Sister B was extremely tired and was telling me so during companion study and she got so upset with how tired she was that she started to cry. The poor kid. I just started laughing (yeah really insensitive of me but she started laughing too). But you really are tired 24/7 on the mission. ALL the time. But you get used to it and it only hits you every once in a while really bad. Then 20 minutes later Hermana Pedraza called to give me some Mexican remedy for Sister B cause she'd had an upset stomach the night before. She felt better by the morning but we didn't want to disappoint Hermana Pedraza so we told her that she was still sick and Sister B just started busting up laughing while I was talking to Hermana on the phone. And Hermana Pedraza heard her and said, "Oh no! Is she throwing up!? I'll come over in 5 minutes!" And then Sister B is rolling on the floor and I had to make her leave the room because by this time I'm laughing so hard I can't talk and Hermana Pedraza is asking me what's going on. Wow. Good times. I still made Sister B drink the remedy and we reported back to Hermana that she feels so much better.
5. This should probably be deleted and not sent to anyone or put on the blog haha. (Deleted at Rachel's request!)
Yep, Brenna's future husband!
6. So you can see from the picture that I have found Brenna's husband. He is actually the one and only Armand, the son of Hermana Pedraza. His Mom is from Mexico and Dad from Trinidad, so I think they'll have beautiful children. Anyway, he collects rare Nike shoes and that's what he's standing next to in the picture. But the other day we went to eat dinner with a family and as we left they were starting to watch a UFC or something fight on TV for an Elders quorum activity (yeah, we're wild with church activities here) So the next morning I asked someone how the rest of the night was and she said, "Oh it was good. I think the Chinese guy won the fight." So when we saw Armand at church he said something like, "Yeah so the fight last night" and before he could finish his sentence I said, "Oh yeah, the Chinese guy won right?" And he got so mad at me because apparently he'd missed the fight because he was at a single adult activity and he was about to say how he was going to watch it the next day. He said, "Man, I thought I would be safe at church from hearing who won. And out of all people, the sister missionaries ruin it for me!? You have got to be kidding me!" I told him maybe I heard it wrong and he said, "It was against a Chinese man and a Mexican. Kind of hard to confuse them. Nice try." Anyway, I told him to just forgive me and he said okay so the wedding for you two is still good to go B'renn. You're welcome! Oh and another point for him is that he found out I liked Tim Tams (see picture) and they're from Australia and only sell them in a few places so he went all the way to Manhattan and bought us two packages of them! You guys should see if you can find some in WA. You bite off both ends and sip hot chocolate through them. Yum!
7. The Lord loves us. The other day we were in our apartment making phone calls and then a member calls us and says, "hey Sister I'm going to have to cancel the appointment we have at 4." We were a little bummed but no more than 30 seconds later an investigator calls us and says, "hey can you meet at 4 today?" Wow, miracles! The Lord's hand is in this work!
8. Hermana Dextre just moved to North Carolina and we are going to miss her and the kids so much! We have grown so close to her and I will definitely be keeping in touch with her. She is such a strong member and when we left she said she wanted to share some things with us and she shared some spiritual experiences that really touched me and strengthened my testimony. We helped her back and 3 hours later they hit the road! Life is always changing, so crazy!
9. Rosa. Wow. I don't know if you remember Rosa but we just started teaching her and on the second lesson she said she would be baptized. So she was supposed to get baptized this upcoming Sunday (the 21st). But we went and visited her last night and found out she is not actually married to her husband. That is SO common in this culture and her husband doesn't want to get married. So we had to tell her that her baptism had to be postponed because she couldn't be baptized unless she was keeping the law of chastity. She was disappointed but we told her that miracles do exist and the Lord will help her if she is doing everything she can. She said she is going to keep learning and going to church whether she can get baptized or not and she said that if she sets a good example maybe her husband will see her changing and want to get married. We love her so much and know that Heavenly Father is looking out for her. Please pray for her! Please!
10. This week's spiritual thought. First off, I just want to give a plug for the law of chastity. It is SO important. SO important. I can't even explain in words how important it is that we are chaste in thought, appearance, and action. The procreative power is such a special gift that Heavenly Father has given us as His children and we should treat that gift with respect. The law of chastity is not some hindrance or restrictive rule. Rather, it frees us from the burdens that come from the sexual impurity that the world falsely portrays as fun. When we are pure in thought, appearance, and action we are treating ourselves with the respect that we deserve as divine children of an Eternal Father. Do not sell yourself short by living by the world's standards. You are so much more than that!
Second, I was thinking about humility and pride a lot. And in Preach My Gospel it talked about pride and said, "To put things of the world above the things of God." Simple right? Well, in the Spanish program when they feed you, they feed you. So it's feast or famine here. But the feast is a little overwhelming and it's made me a little preoccupied about how I look. And normally I'm just fine and love who I am but the last week or so was a little stressful in that category. And I realized right when I read that line this morning that Satan was trying to devalue who I was and diminish my worth as a daughter of God by making things of the world above the things of God. How dare he try and tempt me and waste my time with such foolish thoughts. We are children of a Supreme Creator. How dare we label ourselves with the things of the world when we should look at ourselves as the way God sees us. And then, in such a witty way, Heavenly Father helped me to just chill when I looked up some of the scriptures PMG listed and one said, " He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat." Well, my trust is in the Lord! It made me laugh super hard and I've just decided to shut Satan up! So I really hope that this week everyone realizes how important they are individually to their Heavenly Father and just shuts Satan up!
Love the mish. Be the mish.
Hermana Winfield
Wow, it's weird that life seems to be going on without me. How does that happen? Haha I am so happy for Maggie (marriage) and Cait (boyfriend) and Beth (college) and everyone that has such cool stuff going on! And I am especially happy for those that have boring lives right now......that could definitely explain the last 22 years of my life before the mish :) So keep your chin up if your life seems boring right now. Enjoy every moment cause you'll miss it when it's gone!
I am also happy to hear that everyone is doing so well. Girls, way to go to your presidency meetings! I love my righteous sisters! And Bug, way to practice the piano. And Em, way to be the best mini-me ever! And Beth, way to get the college stuff going! You all rock! And Dad, keep being that powerhouse that you are. Man, what did I do in the pre-existence to deserve a Dad like him? And Mom, thanks for the love letters.....you know me, I just get a little freaked out when I don't hear from you.....and I can't text you! So I just need a little weekly, "Don't worry, we didn't forget about you, you're still my favorite bestie" type of thing :) (I haven't gotten the letters or the package yet, but just knowing they're on their way makes me feel infinitely better)
Okay, on to the top ten for this week!
1. The other day I was having a downer morning and I walked in to our study room and there on my desk was a present wrapped in a bus map. That Sister B! I opened it up and it was a shirt! She'd found it in the apartment and wrapped it up for me and everything! I got a good laugh out of that and wore the shirt the very next day :) Dad's right, it really is the simple things that make the difference.
2. Well, because we live alone in our apartment now, we spent forever cleaning and throwing out stuff and we're still not done! I'm sure Sister B will go into great detail about it so you could read her email for that. But yeah, our apartment is infested with mice, roaches, and now perhaps bed-buds! I was filling up a bucket with hot water in the bathroom so I could scrub the walls and something jumped from the sink onto my shirt. I thought it was a flee so I swatted it off and yelled for Sister B. When she came in I told her what happened and she said it could have been a bed-bug (she would know cause she's had them) So I immediately started freaking out and taking off all my clothes and throwing them on the bathroom floor. Then I went and grabbed permethrin and sprayed the whole bathroom down. If it was a bed-bug it didn't stand a chance. Then when we were walking the garbage down to the basement (we live on the 3rd floor) the bag broke and all the garbage fell down the stairs (see picture). We just looked at each other and started laughing cause there was a ton NASTY stuff in that bad. And then I picked it all up :)
3. Sad story but happy ending. One of the Elder's in our district has been a little rude/different the last few weeks and we were asking our district leader about it and if we could do something for him. I said, "Yeah, I feel bad for the guy. The way he's acting you would think he's gotten dear-johned or something." Then our district leader was silent. The poor kid got dear-johned! Well I don't want anyone having a broken heart so we went right to action on that. The next day when we saw the Elders we presented them with a Better Than Anything cake, or as we now call it Better Than Baptism cake. They loved it and we've been praying for him so I think he'll be alright. Man, love hurts! But he is seriously one of the most consecrated missionaries I've ever met so I'm sure Heavenly Father has someone amazing in store for him.
4. The other day Sister B was extremely tired and was telling me so during companion study and she got so upset with how tired she was that she started to cry. The poor kid. I just started laughing (yeah really insensitive of me but she started laughing too). But you really are tired 24/7 on the mission. ALL the time. But you get used to it and it only hits you every once in a while really bad. Then 20 minutes later Hermana Pedraza called to give me some Mexican remedy for Sister B cause she'd had an upset stomach the night before. She felt better by the morning but we didn't want to disappoint Hermana Pedraza so we told her that she was still sick and Sister B just started busting up laughing while I was talking to Hermana on the phone. And Hermana Pedraza heard her and said, "Oh no! Is she throwing up!? I'll come over in 5 minutes!" And then Sister B is rolling on the floor and I had to make her leave the room because by this time I'm laughing so hard I can't talk and Hermana Pedraza is asking me what's going on. Wow. Good times. I still made Sister B drink the remedy and we reported back to Hermana that she feels so much better.
5. This should probably be deleted and not sent to anyone or put on the blog haha. (Deleted at Rachel's request!)
6. So you can see from the picture that I have found Brenna's husband. He is actually the one and only Armand, the son of Hermana Pedraza. His Mom is from Mexico and Dad from Trinidad, so I think they'll have beautiful children. Anyway, he collects rare Nike shoes and that's what he's standing next to in the picture. But the other day we went to eat dinner with a family and as we left they were starting to watch a UFC or something fight on TV for an Elders quorum activity (yeah, we're wild with church activities here) So the next morning I asked someone how the rest of the night was and she said, "Oh it was good. I think the Chinese guy won the fight." So when we saw Armand at church he said something like, "Yeah so the fight last night" and before he could finish his sentence I said, "Oh yeah, the Chinese guy won right?" And he got so mad at me because apparently he'd missed the fight because he was at a single adult activity and he was about to say how he was going to watch it the next day. He said, "Man, I thought I would be safe at church from hearing who won. And out of all people, the sister missionaries ruin it for me!? You have got to be kidding me!" I told him maybe I heard it wrong and he said, "It was against a Chinese man and a Mexican. Kind of hard to confuse them. Nice try." Anyway, I told him to just forgive me and he said okay so the wedding for you two is still good to go B'renn. You're welcome! Oh and another point for him is that he found out I liked Tim Tams (see picture) and they're from Australia and only sell them in a few places so he went all the way to Manhattan and bought us two packages of them! You guys should see if you can find some in WA. You bite off both ends and sip hot chocolate through them. Yum!
7. The Lord loves us. The other day we were in our apartment making phone calls and then a member calls us and says, "hey Sister I'm going to have to cancel the appointment we have at 4." We were a little bummed but no more than 30 seconds later an investigator calls us and says, "hey can you meet at 4 today?" Wow, miracles! The Lord's hand is in this work!
8. Hermana Dextre just moved to North Carolina and we are going to miss her and the kids so much! We have grown so close to her and I will definitely be keeping in touch with her. She is such a strong member and when we left she said she wanted to share some things with us and she shared some spiritual experiences that really touched me and strengthened my testimony. We helped her back and 3 hours later they hit the road! Life is always changing, so crazy!
9. Rosa. Wow. I don't know if you remember Rosa but we just started teaching her and on the second lesson she said she would be baptized. So she was supposed to get baptized this upcoming Sunday (the 21st). But we went and visited her last night and found out she is not actually married to her husband. That is SO common in this culture and her husband doesn't want to get married. So we had to tell her that her baptism had to be postponed because she couldn't be baptized unless she was keeping the law of chastity. She was disappointed but we told her that miracles do exist and the Lord will help her if she is doing everything she can. She said she is going to keep learning and going to church whether she can get baptized or not and she said that if she sets a good example maybe her husband will see her changing and want to get married. We love her so much and know that Heavenly Father is looking out for her. Please pray for her! Please!
10. This week's spiritual thought. First off, I just want to give a plug for the law of chastity. It is SO important. SO important. I can't even explain in words how important it is that we are chaste in thought, appearance, and action. The procreative power is such a special gift that Heavenly Father has given us as His children and we should treat that gift with respect. The law of chastity is not some hindrance or restrictive rule. Rather, it frees us from the burdens that come from the sexual impurity that the world falsely portrays as fun. When we are pure in thought, appearance, and action we are treating ourselves with the respect that we deserve as divine children of an Eternal Father. Do not sell yourself short by living by the world's standards. You are so much more than that!
Second, I was thinking about humility and pride a lot. And in Preach My Gospel it talked about pride and said, "To put things of the world above the things of God." Simple right? Well, in the Spanish program when they feed you, they feed you. So it's feast or famine here. But the feast is a little overwhelming and it's made me a little preoccupied about how I look. And normally I'm just fine and love who I am but the last week or so was a little stressful in that category. And I realized right when I read that line this morning that Satan was trying to devalue who I was and diminish my worth as a daughter of God by making things of the world above the things of God. How dare he try and tempt me and waste my time with such foolish thoughts. We are children of a Supreme Creator. How dare we label ourselves with the things of the world when we should look at ourselves as the way God sees us. And then, in such a witty way, Heavenly Father helped me to just chill when I looked up some of the scriptures PMG listed and one said, " He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat." Well, my trust is in the Lord! It made me laugh super hard and I've just decided to shut Satan up! So I really hope that this week everyone realizes how important they are individually to their Heavenly Father and just shuts Satan up!
Love the mish. Be the mish.
Hermana Winfield
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Love the Lord!
Hello everyone! Another great week being a missionary, as Sister B says, and another great week to be serving the Lord!
1. Well, transfers are tomorrow. So let me just tell you the drama that has happened. Are you curious? You should be! So we were getting worried and I could not stand the suspense all day on Saturday (we get transfer calls Sat night). And I was really trying to focus but I did not want to leave this area and I didn't want Sister B to leave.
So finally at 9:40 ish we called our district leader (he was supposed to tell us at 9) and Sister B asked him if he knew anything. He said he still hadn't received the call. This transfer was already getting crazy because President had been calling Sister Mamon and Sister T a lot over the past two days and he finally told them he was transferring both of them and closing down that area for sisters. Crazy stuff.
So we were getting all worried and then Elder Selander finally calls and said "Have any guesses?" and we said, "No! Just tell us!" And he said, "Okay fine, you're both staying." Whew! I was so relieved. The next day at Stake Conference I saw President and just smiled and said, "Thanks" and he said, "Oh, no problem."
But no, the story isn't over. Yesterday we were walking from an appointment and I checked the phone and realized we had a voicemail from Elder Selander that said, "Hey sisters, we've had some changes with transfers so if you could give me a call back that would be great." Sister B said I had the biggest "deer in the headlights" look she'd seen and I was having a panic attack and Sister B was laughing......which is how she said she acts when she's nervous but I think she really was just hoping I'd leave jk :) So as I'm trying not to throw up, Sister B calls Elder Selander back and puts him on speaker phone. And he asks if we got the message and Sister B says yes and asks him what happened, and he says "Well......I'm just kidding!" I was SO mad at him! I love this area and I love my companion so I did NOT want to leave and out of the two of us it was more likely to be me. Whew. So the end of the story is that we are NOT leaving and we have another beautiful 6 weeks together! And we will now be the only sisters in this zone.......which is weird and strange cause it's the only zone like that in the mission. Fun times!
2. As you can see from the pictures I emailed, we were part of a CBS filming this week for the show "The Good Wife". Okay, so when I say "part of" I mean that they filmed right next to our apartment. :) I have never even heard of the show but apparently it's on primetime and they filmed right where the cops picked up that body a few weeks ago that I told you about. So we assume they were filming some murder scene or some secret drop off. It was funny cause we walked by all their trailers and everything and this guy that looked WAY too nice for the area passed by us and he looked familiar and I said to Sister B, "Do we know him?" And she said, "Uh yeah, he's famous! I think he's one of the main characters of the show." I've never seen the show so I'm assuming he's been in other things too. If we weren't missionaries I would have struck up some cool conversation with him, but alas I only gave him a prayer in my heart that he would hear about the gospel.
No parking due to filming!
Here's the scene they were filming....as close as we could get!
3. Sister B was trying to show me these hand signs to remember the 10 commandments. And when she put up her index finger she said, "Only 1 other God before me." And I said, "Uh, it's NO other Gods before me." We laughed for a long time and I kept telling her all my different choices of what my 1 other God would be. Haha gotta love the 10 commandments.
4. The other day we received a phone call from someone asking about English class and we could not hear them because their accent was weird and there was a lot of background noise. So we kept passing the phone back and forth and taking turns trying to understand them and answer their questions. When we hung up we high-fived and I thought, "Now that is companion unity."
5. This story is not for those with heart problems. From the pictures you can tell I have what Sister B calls "Hobo socks". I made them from the socks I already had and I'll tell you why. The other day I was walking and my feet were really hurting and when we got home I mentioned, "Man, my feet hurt really bad today." So Sister B looks at my feet and they're cracked and bleeding. She thought it was so horrible and is now my personal foot nurse. She makes me soak my feet every night in hot hot hot water for a long time and then I have to scrub them with one of those stone things we bought, and then I have to use some exfoliate on them, and them I have to put Vaseline on them and put socks over them while I sleep. But I feel claustrophobic that way so I had to cut the toes off of my socks. But, I am happy to report that my feet are doing a lot better :)
Feet on the mend! Hobo socks!
6. The other night we were walking and I saw my first literal cat fight. They were screaming and clawing each other and were straight up wrestling. It got so bad that we started to back away from them and go the other way. The white cat won and the gray cat ran for his life. And we were a little scared of the white cat, not gonna lie. Then a few minutes later we went to go look up a referral and the street turned into a park, but it was late and pitch-black so I was scared to go in it. But I didn't want to lose the referral so we decided to just go through the park and pray the whole way. As we entered there was a sign that said, "Exiting Safety Zone" and I thought that was pretty funny. But by the end of the walk I was terrified and I made Sister B tell me stories to keep me distracted. We got out just fine but I will NEVER go there again at night. But, in the guidance of my mother I did not break any rules so I was protected :)
7. We hadn't been getting fed very much here so Sister B in her ingeniousness suggested we put pictures of ourselves on the sign-up sheet and hopefully more people would feed us. Success! Last week we had a dinner appointment every day :)
We eat a variety of different colored carrots here!
8. Stake conference was awesome! We had it yesterday and Elder Eyring from the seventy came and spoke to us. President and Sister Nelson spoke as well and I learned a lot of things from everyone that spoke. It was held in the gym and it got so full that the missionaries all had to stand up in the back for the whole session. It's awesome how quick this area is growing! (FYI all of Queens makes up 1 stake and all of Brooklyn makes up another. That's nothing compared to the 4 stakes in little Vancouver alone!)
9. Rosa is this amazing woman that we met in English class and we LOVE her. She is from Mexico and has a 16 month old son and her husband works in Manhattan as a bus boy. The first time we went over was about a week ago and we talked about the Restoration and used a lot of things that Preach My Gospel teaches, including starting out the first lesson with something like this (I can't remember it word for word in English):
"As you accept our message, you will learn to make covenants, or promises, with God. You will learn how to make changes that will make your life more in harmony with His teachings. You will feel the desire to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and be baptized by the proper authority"
She was really receptive during that first lesson and we really felt the spirit and knew that she was someone that had been prepared by the Lord. I'm so thankful for Preach My Gospel and, more importantly, the Spirit! We went back and taught her with a member this last Saturday and talked about the Book of Mormon and the importance of it in our lives and Kenia, the member, did an AMAZING job. At the end we invited her to be baptized on the 21st of Noviembre and she accepted! I am so happy for her and the changes she is making in her life and how happy she is as she feels the spirit when she reads the Book of Mormon and prays!
10. My favorite gospel topic is the atonement. Sister B and I have both been studying it a lot lately and we had 3 specific experiences testifying of it this last week. We've talked about whether or not it would be appropriate to share them, and I definitely don't want to break any confidentiality, but we feel your testimonies could really be strengthened from these experiences so I will share them. All the names have been changed and I've tried to make the background information as broad as possible.
A. We met with Scott this week and we could just tell from his countenance that something had changed. We didn't want to come out and say it because we knew he'd close up so we asked him how he was doing and started talking. He finally admitted he wasn't doing well and that he didn't feel he could really change. He said he had done so many bad things and he didn't think he could really move on from them and become a better person. He looked hopeless and in despair. I felt the Spirit so strong in that moment as we testified to him that it is never too late to change and that there is nothing that the Savior cannot heal. We talked about how the atonement does not just mean that we try and bandage things up as best we can and live with it. It means being new, fresh, and whole. We don't have to live with the regrets of the past. We can be fully reborn and restored through the atonement of Jesus Christ. When we finished he said he felt like some weight had been lifted off his shoulders and Sister B told him that that was the miracle of the atonement and helped him recognize that the Savior was already helping him. It takes little by little and it's a process, but it is so true. The next day he told us that he was going to keep the Word of Wisdom. Miracles do happen.
B. The Smith family is amazing. We met with them and the husband told us that he had been in the armed forces and had done things that were unforgivable but that he was only going to church to support his family. His wife has a strong testimony and their children are great. He told us that he had done horrible things and that he knew that eternity for him with his family was not available for him anymore but that he would support them. His openness with us was surprising and we could see that his wife was hurting. I felt the Spirit so strong and in a moment that I know was completely through the Spirit, because I never could have done this on my own, I responded to this grown man something like this, "Don't you dare say that it's too late. It is never too late to repent. Your family can be eternal, you can be together forever. The Savior's atonement is infinite and there is nothing that He cannot take upon Him. When He atoned for your sins, He paid the price for anything that you could ever do wrong or ever will do wrong. You can't give up on this beautiful family you have, it is not all over." Sister B also testified of the reality and great expanse of the atonement and how it had changed her personally. The power of the Lord was strong in this home and we could see through her tears that his wife was being comforted by the Spirit. Here is a woman that is doing everything she can to raise her family in righteousness and her husband is being swallowed up by guilt, doubt, and despair. We feel so much of the Savior's love for them, I cannot even comprehend how much more He loves them than what we felt. We called him last night to make an appointment with them and he said they hadn't been able to go to stake conference because their family was sick, which his wife had told us the day before. He asked me how stake conference was and I said great. But he didn't stop at that. He asked me to tell him who spoke and exactly what they said. Then when we asked if we could meet them next weekend he asked if we could come over sooner, like today. So we're going over tonight and I can tell already that he has more hope than the last time we saw him. Heavenly Father loves every one of His children, no matter what they've done. And the atonement covers everything, from those that have sinned to those that have been hurt by the sins of others.
C. Sandra is one of my favorite people. The other night we were talking to her and she broke down and told us how she's feeling. Her husband left her for another woman, which happens in every family here it seems, and even though they're divorced and he has a girlfriend he still comes to see the kids and will sleep over on the couch often. She said it breaks her heart because she wanted a temple marriage so bad and now she's worried about raising her children without a father and she wants them all to be righteous. Sister B and I love her so much and I could really feel it as we told her that what happened was not her fault and that it did not diminish her value in Heavenly Father's eyes. That not only did Heavenly Father love her, but that He had many blessings in store for her as she continued faithful. This poor woman who had had her heart broken and her self-esteem ripped to shreds was not doomed to this situation forever. We testified that the atonement of Jesus Christ can heal every pain and that not only can we move on, we can be happier than we ever have been before. That even though she was affected by the agency of another, despite her efforts to live righteously, she was precious in the eyes of her Eternal Father and that we had sent His Son for this purpose, for moments like the one she was now going through. That she was of value, eternal value, and that her children would be blessed as she continued to teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ. She has such faith and the Lord truly is doing miracles in her life. We talked with her yesterday and she shared a scripture she liked and explained how she was trying to forgive her ex-husband and feel that Christ-like love for him.
The atonement is not something we just talk about it, it is something that is affecting the lives of people everywhere today. It is drying tears, healing hearts, cleansing sins, and lifting spirits. I testify that Christ lives and that He did atone for us because He loves us.
Have a great week and remember to include Christ in it.
Love the mish. Be the mish.
Hermana Winfield
1. Well, transfers are tomorrow. So let me just tell you the drama that has happened. Are you curious? You should be! So we were getting worried and I could not stand the suspense all day on Saturday (we get transfer calls Sat night). And I was really trying to focus but I did not want to leave this area and I didn't want Sister B to leave.
So finally at 9:40 ish we called our district leader (he was supposed to tell us at 9) and Sister B asked him if he knew anything. He said he still hadn't received the call. This transfer was already getting crazy because President had been calling Sister Mamon and Sister T a lot over the past two days and he finally told them he was transferring both of them and closing down that area for sisters. Crazy stuff.
So we were getting all worried and then Elder Selander finally calls and said "Have any guesses?" and we said, "No! Just tell us!" And he said, "Okay fine, you're both staying." Whew! I was so relieved. The next day at Stake Conference I saw President and just smiled and said, "Thanks" and he said, "Oh, no problem."
But no, the story isn't over. Yesterday we were walking from an appointment and I checked the phone and realized we had a voicemail from Elder Selander that said, "Hey sisters, we've had some changes with transfers so if you could give me a call back that would be great." Sister B said I had the biggest "deer in the headlights" look she'd seen and I was having a panic attack and Sister B was laughing......which is how she said she acts when she's nervous but I think she really was just hoping I'd leave jk :) So as I'm trying not to throw up, Sister B calls Elder Selander back and puts him on speaker phone. And he asks if we got the message and Sister B says yes and asks him what happened, and he says "Well......I'm just kidding!" I was SO mad at him! I love this area and I love my companion so I did NOT want to leave and out of the two of us it was more likely to be me. Whew. So the end of the story is that we are NOT leaving and we have another beautiful 6 weeks together! And we will now be the only sisters in this zone.......which is weird and strange cause it's the only zone like that in the mission. Fun times!
2. As you can see from the pictures I emailed, we were part of a CBS filming this week for the show "The Good Wife". Okay, so when I say "part of" I mean that they filmed right next to our apartment. :) I have never even heard of the show but apparently it's on primetime and they filmed right where the cops picked up that body a few weeks ago that I told you about. So we assume they were filming some murder scene or some secret drop off. It was funny cause we walked by all their trailers and everything and this guy that looked WAY too nice for the area passed by us and he looked familiar and I said to Sister B, "Do we know him?" And she said, "Uh yeah, he's famous! I think he's one of the main characters of the show." I've never seen the show so I'm assuming he's been in other things too. If we weren't missionaries I would have struck up some cool conversation with him, but alas I only gave him a prayer in my heart that he would hear about the gospel.
3. Sister B was trying to show me these hand signs to remember the 10 commandments. And when she put up her index finger she said, "Only 1 other God before me." And I said, "Uh, it's NO other Gods before me." We laughed for a long time and I kept telling her all my different choices of what my 1 other God would be. Haha gotta love the 10 commandments.
4. The other day we received a phone call from someone asking about English class and we could not hear them because their accent was weird and there was a lot of background noise. So we kept passing the phone back and forth and taking turns trying to understand them and answer their questions. When we hung up we high-fived and I thought, "Now that is companion unity."
5. This story is not for those with heart problems. From the pictures you can tell I have what Sister B calls "Hobo socks". I made them from the socks I already had and I'll tell you why. The other day I was walking and my feet were really hurting and when we got home I mentioned, "Man, my feet hurt really bad today." So Sister B looks at my feet and they're cracked and bleeding. She thought it was so horrible and is now my personal foot nurse. She makes me soak my feet every night in hot hot hot water for a long time and then I have to scrub them with one of those stone things we bought, and then I have to use some exfoliate on them, and them I have to put Vaseline on them and put socks over them while I sleep. But I feel claustrophobic that way so I had to cut the toes off of my socks. But, I am happy to report that my feet are doing a lot better :)
6. The other night we were walking and I saw my first literal cat fight. They were screaming and clawing each other and were straight up wrestling. It got so bad that we started to back away from them and go the other way. The white cat won and the gray cat ran for his life. And we were a little scared of the white cat, not gonna lie. Then a few minutes later we went to go look up a referral and the street turned into a park, but it was late and pitch-black so I was scared to go in it. But I didn't want to lose the referral so we decided to just go through the park and pray the whole way. As we entered there was a sign that said, "Exiting Safety Zone" and I thought that was pretty funny. But by the end of the walk I was terrified and I made Sister B tell me stories to keep me distracted. We got out just fine but I will NEVER go there again at night. But, in the guidance of my mother I did not break any rules so I was protected :)
7. We hadn't been getting fed very much here so Sister B in her ingeniousness suggested we put pictures of ourselves on the sign-up sheet and hopefully more people would feed us. Success! Last week we had a dinner appointment every day :)
8. Stake conference was awesome! We had it yesterday and Elder Eyring from the seventy came and spoke to us. President and Sister Nelson spoke as well and I learned a lot of things from everyone that spoke. It was held in the gym and it got so full that the missionaries all had to stand up in the back for the whole session. It's awesome how quick this area is growing! (FYI all of Queens makes up 1 stake and all of Brooklyn makes up another. That's nothing compared to the 4 stakes in little Vancouver alone!)
9. Rosa is this amazing woman that we met in English class and we LOVE her. She is from Mexico and has a 16 month old son and her husband works in Manhattan as a bus boy. The first time we went over was about a week ago and we talked about the Restoration and used a lot of things that Preach My Gospel teaches, including starting out the first lesson with something like this (I can't remember it word for word in English):
"As you accept our message, you will learn to make covenants, or promises, with God. You will learn how to make changes that will make your life more in harmony with His teachings. You will feel the desire to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and be baptized by the proper authority"
She was really receptive during that first lesson and we really felt the spirit and knew that she was someone that had been prepared by the Lord. I'm so thankful for Preach My Gospel and, more importantly, the Spirit! We went back and taught her with a member this last Saturday and talked about the Book of Mormon and the importance of it in our lives and Kenia, the member, did an AMAZING job. At the end we invited her to be baptized on the 21st of Noviembre and she accepted! I am so happy for her and the changes she is making in her life and how happy she is as she feels the spirit when she reads the Book of Mormon and prays!
10. My favorite gospel topic is the atonement. Sister B and I have both been studying it a lot lately and we had 3 specific experiences testifying of it this last week. We've talked about whether or not it would be appropriate to share them, and I definitely don't want to break any confidentiality, but we feel your testimonies could really be strengthened from these experiences so I will share them. All the names have been changed and I've tried to make the background information as broad as possible.
A. We met with Scott this week and we could just tell from his countenance that something had changed. We didn't want to come out and say it because we knew he'd close up so we asked him how he was doing and started talking. He finally admitted he wasn't doing well and that he didn't feel he could really change. He said he had done so many bad things and he didn't think he could really move on from them and become a better person. He looked hopeless and in despair. I felt the Spirit so strong in that moment as we testified to him that it is never too late to change and that there is nothing that the Savior cannot heal. We talked about how the atonement does not just mean that we try and bandage things up as best we can and live with it. It means being new, fresh, and whole. We don't have to live with the regrets of the past. We can be fully reborn and restored through the atonement of Jesus Christ. When we finished he said he felt like some weight had been lifted off his shoulders and Sister B told him that that was the miracle of the atonement and helped him recognize that the Savior was already helping him. It takes little by little and it's a process, but it is so true. The next day he told us that he was going to keep the Word of Wisdom. Miracles do happen.
B. The Smith family is amazing. We met with them and the husband told us that he had been in the armed forces and had done things that were unforgivable but that he was only going to church to support his family. His wife has a strong testimony and their children are great. He told us that he had done horrible things and that he knew that eternity for him with his family was not available for him anymore but that he would support them. His openness with us was surprising and we could see that his wife was hurting. I felt the Spirit so strong and in a moment that I know was completely through the Spirit, because I never could have done this on my own, I responded to this grown man something like this, "Don't you dare say that it's too late. It is never too late to repent. Your family can be eternal, you can be together forever. The Savior's atonement is infinite and there is nothing that He cannot take upon Him. When He atoned for your sins, He paid the price for anything that you could ever do wrong or ever will do wrong. You can't give up on this beautiful family you have, it is not all over." Sister B also testified of the reality and great expanse of the atonement and how it had changed her personally. The power of the Lord was strong in this home and we could see through her tears that his wife was being comforted by the Spirit. Here is a woman that is doing everything she can to raise her family in righteousness and her husband is being swallowed up by guilt, doubt, and despair. We feel so much of the Savior's love for them, I cannot even comprehend how much more He loves them than what we felt. We called him last night to make an appointment with them and he said they hadn't been able to go to stake conference because their family was sick, which his wife had told us the day before. He asked me how stake conference was and I said great. But he didn't stop at that. He asked me to tell him who spoke and exactly what they said. Then when we asked if we could meet them next weekend he asked if we could come over sooner, like today. So we're going over tonight and I can tell already that he has more hope than the last time we saw him. Heavenly Father loves every one of His children, no matter what they've done. And the atonement covers everything, from those that have sinned to those that have been hurt by the sins of others.
C. Sandra is one of my favorite people. The other night we were talking to her and she broke down and told us how she's feeling. Her husband left her for another woman, which happens in every family here it seems, and even though they're divorced and he has a girlfriend he still comes to see the kids and will sleep over on the couch often. She said it breaks her heart because she wanted a temple marriage so bad and now she's worried about raising her children without a father and she wants them all to be righteous. Sister B and I love her so much and I could really feel it as we told her that what happened was not her fault and that it did not diminish her value in Heavenly Father's eyes. That not only did Heavenly Father love her, but that He had many blessings in store for her as she continued faithful. This poor woman who had had her heart broken and her self-esteem ripped to shreds was not doomed to this situation forever. We testified that the atonement of Jesus Christ can heal every pain and that not only can we move on, we can be happier than we ever have been before. That even though she was affected by the agency of another, despite her efforts to live righteously, she was precious in the eyes of her Eternal Father and that we had sent His Son for this purpose, for moments like the one she was now going through. That she was of value, eternal value, and that her children would be blessed as she continued to teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ. She has such faith and the Lord truly is doing miracles in her life. We talked with her yesterday and she shared a scripture she liked and explained how she was trying to forgive her ex-husband and feel that Christ-like love for him.
The atonement is not something we just talk about it, it is something that is affecting the lives of people everywhere today. It is drying tears, healing hearts, cleansing sins, and lifting spirits. I testify that Christ lives and that He did atone for us because He loves us.
Have a great week and remember to include Christ in it.
Love the mish. Be the mish.
Hermana Winfield
Monday, November 1, 2010
Happy Halloween
Well everyone, another great week serving the Lord!
I sent a million pictures today that can better express my week then I can (are you putting those on the blog mom?)......but I'll still do a top ten just for fun :)
1. Sister B and I are now back to normal functioning health. But, last week when I couldn't sleep because I was coughing so hard, I looked at the clock and saw it was about 1:30 am. Then Sister B started coughing above me. After a moment of silence, she says, "Want a cough drop?" I said yes and her hand flops down with a cough drop. Then I said thanks and we went back to sleep. The next morning we were peeing our pants laughing about how funny it was that in the middle of the night we just knew each other was awake and had a cough drop swap and then went straight back to sleep. Haha loves it.
2. The other day we were having companion study and I started to share something personal with B (yes, it may be disrespectful to not call her by her full name, but I'm just expressing my love for her this way), cause that's how we roll. And then I pulled out this piece of paper that I had taped on the wall behind a picture....aka a hidden compartment. She looked at me with the funniest face and said something like, "Wait? Did you just pull out a secret paper from behind a picture?" Haha we were laughing so hard. For a long time. But yes, I do hide things and I'm not ashamed to admit it. But now B knows all my secret places.
3. Hermana Rodriquez (the one that got sealed a few weeks ago) is hilarious. We went to her house to ask her about some in-actives (about 60% of our ward is inactive) and every time she saw a name she'd say, "Oh I don't know about them. Let's just call." And then she would call them and say, "Hi, this is Hermana Rodriquez from the church. We're just worried about you and we want to know why you haven't been coming to church. When can we come visit you?" Haha and it works. I was seriously laughing so hard. We're going to visit someone with her tomorrow that she bullied on the phone. I LOVE the members here.
4. Wow. Again on the amazing people here. Sarah* (*name changed), who I have told you about, seriously blows my mind. We went and visited her this week and we were all crying. Her life is so hard yet she is one of the strongest women I've ever met. And as she sat here in this tiny NY apartment, she told us she was trying to save any extra money she had so that one day her children could all serve missions. We found out her husband has other children living in their country from his past life before he joined the church and they call him and beg for money and he tries to give them all he can. And they have 5 children from this marriage so they already have a lot going on. And here she is sharing her testimony with us and cooking food for us, when she hardly has enough for her own family. And to her, she only cared about her kids being strong in the gospel and serving missions. It really just made me grateful for everything that I have and also made me realize how easy I have it. My life absolutely rocks and I have it better than probably about 99.9% of the people on this earth.
5. I LOVE sister mamon. My surgery has healed nicely and I haven't had any weird side effects......yet. But another Mamon story of the week is that on Friday they left for District meeting (they're in another district than us) and they came back inside after 2 or 3 minutes. So I said, "Oh, that was a fast district meeting." and Sister Mamon tops me with, "Yeah, it was such a good district meeting that we ended up finding 10 new investigators during it.....and they all have families! And they all asked to be baptized! So yeah, it was a good time." Haha maybe you had to be there but it was so funny. Sister Mamon rejuvenates me every day.
6. Sister B and I are so united we dream the same things. The other morning I was telling her about my dream and I said, "B, it was horrible. I was sent home early. And everyone in my family was all excited and I HATED it. I didn't even know why I was being sent home and I felt so out of place and I kept crying that I just wanted to go back (probably a 18 month flash forward ahah)" And here I am expecting her to feel bad for me and she says, "No way. I had a dream you broke a mission rule and were in HUGE trouble. I know why you got sent home." She finally told me why and lets just say I was laughing. I would NEVER break this rule but it was funny nontheless and we laughed for a bit about it. The dreams here are killing me!
7. We went to the kid's Halloween party and it was super fun. I decorated my heart out and B killed many brain cells blowing up balloons. We had 2 investigators there and it was awesome. Until the music started to be really good and I was tempted to dance. In real life I don't even like dance so I knew it HAD to be Satan haha. So B and I looked at each other and said, "We have got to go!" Overall, good times. We dressed up as missionaries.
8. NY is awesome. The other day someone gave me change back and I ended up with 10 pence instead of a quarter. Cool huh? I am so cultured :)
9. We went to Brooklyn. This number will be the longest because this is going to be a snapshot of my day yesterday. But I know you'd like to know this kind of stuff Mom so here goes: At church yesterday we had 5 investigators! That's huge for this area, let me tell you. So we were SO excited. But we had to leave right after sacrament meeting to head to Brooklyn for the baptism of Isabella (someone B taught last transfer). So we assigned ward members to each investigator and said a prayer!
It took 3 trains and a little over an hour to get to Brooklyn. The best part of the trip, besides the dog-sized rats running on the tracks, was that we got to enter Man-Zone. (side note: "Train", "Metro", and "Subway" are all the same thing. There is a train and it goes under and up ground and there are buses. Two things, that's it) Man-Zone is where only the Elder's can serve because it is too "dangerous". Of course, B grew up in Chicago and she said she lived in man-zone type areas so it's nothing, but we're still not allowed. But we had to go through it to get to Brooklyn and I felt pretty cool. The train windows had more vandalism and there were more black people and less asians and hispanics but besides that it seemed like Richmond Hill.......but I still sucked in as much dangerous-man-zone air as possible.
Then we got there and the area is SO different from Queens but it was fun. We hung out with Sister Unga and Sister Reed (see picture) and Sister Unga said to tell you that she loves you Mom and tell G-ma love and hello too (I used to read her grandma's letter every week and she misses it).
Anyway, it was an awesome trip but I am so grateful for where I am now. I love Richmond Hill, Queens!
10. Well, my spiritual thought this week is actually kind of a special-highlight. We can learn so much from those around us and we never know how someone else's life is or may have been, so we have no right to judge. Sister B is seriously one of the most amazing women I have ever met and I love her so much. We have really similar personalities and so sometimes there's just too much of our similar strengths and weaknesses floating around :) Thankfully we have the spirit so I can honestly say we've actually never fought, which again shows how Christ-like she is because we know how feisty I can be :) But I've really learned so much from her as we've shared challenges we've both gone through and how Christ has helped us. Everyone is carrying their own rocks and we can really learn so much from them if we give them a chance. I love Sister B and I know with a surety that the Lord's hand put her in my life this transfer. She has been one of the biggest blessings from the Lord for me personally. It is my testimony that the Lord will never leave us alone. He will never forsake us and He is always waiting to comfort and strengthen us. And He uses His righteous children to strengthen those that are weak. This week I am especially grateful for His righteous daughter, Sister Banaszewski, and the amazing person she is. How blessed we are to have friends, family, and loved-ones!
This week's shout-outs go to: Mom, Dad, Grandma, Laura and Jackson (I LOVED the card. And I am so jealous you get move to England! Whoa!), Em, Bug, Cheryl (wow, LOVE you so much. Sometimes I wish I could call you up and vent to you! Haha or just eat ice cream and laugh! Give everyone a hug for me!) and never least, Aunt Di!
Love the mish. Be the mish.
Hermana Winfield
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Wow Moomie....
Goodness! Well, I won't even lie, this last week will not be hitting the Hermana Winfield hall of fame. It was good, since I'm on a mission and the Lord loves me, but it was a rough one.
First off though, can I say Mom that I LOVE your hair. I am not exaggerating when I say it is the best haircut I've seen on you. You look amazing! But of course, you are the most beautiful mother I know. And going to Seattle for 2 days? Dad, keep her on a tight leash.
And, Grandma, are you out there?! I didn't get an email from Grandma this week so I would just like to make sure she's okay.......maybe it's cause they're redoing the carpet upstairs? I sure hope so! Love you ga-ga!
1. One of the main reasons last week was not my favorite is because Sister B got sick. Poor thing. I felt so bad and there was nothing I could really do for her but pray and insist she take it easy, being the workaholic she is. She's feeling somewhat better but then......I got sick! Of course our companionship unity would go that far, we just can't help but share everything! So then I had to try not to be a hypocrite and take it easy myself......which was hard. Who wants to be in bed when you could be out preaching the gospel!? So one morning in the middle of this death, we looked at each other during companion study, completely exhausted and sick, and started laughing at how horrible we both looked (see #2 for evidence). But, we're both feeling a lot better and the Lord loves us so we'll be fine!
2. During my sickness on Saturday, we went to a baptism for the English ward and tons of missionaries were there and I had been so dead that morning that all I did was blow dry my hair......that's right, no makeup. Which I didn't think would make that much of a difference cause I only wear mascara and sometimes eyeliner. Well, I thought wrong. When we walked in the first elder that saw me, Elder Deony, immediately said, "Well hello no makeup!" Of course he tried to explain his way out of it and say, "No you don't even need makeup, I like the natural look better anyway." I just told him I was sick and that I wasn't here to turn heads anyway :) So then we sat down and in walks President and Sister Nelson. Of course, they would. And I had just painted my nails aquamarine (the mission rules changed and painting nails is okay......but who knows about aquamarine). And of course Sister Nelson would come sit right next to me. She realized I was sick and started finding drugs for me, she has a Marry Poppins bag, and then I apologized to President and told him I was sick and that I normally do get ready. So I sat there for a while wondering if they were worried I'd gone apostate. But President, knowing what Deony had said, turned to me during the baptism and said, "Sister Winfield, are you not wearing any makeup?" I just started laughing and Sister Nelson, not knowing the story, defended me and said, "Oh, she's so pretty she doesn't need makeup. Don't listen to him." After assuring President I had put on deodorant and brushed my teeth, the subject was dropped. I don't know why I just rambled on for this long about my personal hygiene, but in case anyone was wondering, I am wearing makeup today :)
3. The Mite baptism did not happen. Sad right? But we're hoping that they'll be ready by this Sunday or next. I love them so much and I just want them to be an eternal family!
4. We had a bunch of ward activities this last week. It's interesting cause growing up I never really saw the missionaries around but here in NYC, the church is still REALLY young and so the missionaries end up doing a lot of work with the wards. Which is fun, just different than I thought it would be. So we had Dia de Los paises.....aka Hispanic heritage day and everyone has been talking about this day for a long time......well, since last year's party. So people took off work to cook food from their country and we made hot dogs and cupcakes to rep USA. People laughed but our food was the first to go. There were some new investigators there and they really loved it so it was a hit! We also had the young women yearly personal progress thing and that was fun. Except for the girls and I had been practicing a song to sing and that was in the middle of my sickness so I could barely talk, let alone sing. Haha good times.
5. Last night something hilarious happened....but maybe you had to be there. I have these two moles on my shoulder/arm and Sister Mamon in her crazy Russian-ness asked me if she could cut them off. Uh, no thank you, I don't want you doing cosmetic surgery on me in our dirty, cockroach infested NY apartment. But she's been begging me for a while so I finally said yes last night. She told me to scream before she did it so I wouldn't cry as much. So she did the first one and it went fine..,.....the screaming did help. Then she did the second one but couldn't cut it all the way so she was trying to pull my skin off......so of course I'm laughing/screaming by this point. Then the phone rings and it's our district leader calling for this week's numbers. So I answer the phone as calmly as I can and walk to hand it to Sister B. But apparently he still heard some noise and told Sister B it sounded like we were having too much fun. And Sister B said, "Oh no, just Sister Winfield and Sister Mamon. They're doing surgery." Of course he asks what kind of surgery, and she tells him she's not allowed to tell or I'd hurt her. She should of just told him cause now he probably thinks we were doing liposuction with straws or something in our apartment. Gross. But, the spots have stopped bleeding and now I have 2 less moles on my shoulder :)
6. We have a mouse. Or maybe 2. The other night we're walking up the stairs and we open the apartment door and there is Mamon in the kitchen freaking out, spraying Raid on the microwave. The mouse was out running around and we tried for a while to catch it, including Mamon throwing a flashlight at it. Then it went into the stove and we turned the stove as high as it would go and waited in our study room by a hole I've seen it come out of behind the stove. It didn't come out and we finally gave up. But we all did get some good screams out of it and I had to pray kneeling in my chair that night.....just to be on the safe side.
7. You always hear missionaries say that there are some people that you were meant to meet on your mission and that it just feels like you were prepared to help them. That's how I feel about Hermana Pedraza (member in our ward) and her 28-yr old son Armand. They are SO amazing and I love them both so much. And we went and visited them last night and after we left Sister B and I were talking about how much Heavenly Father has helped us help them. I know they are one of the reasons I was called to NYC and I am so glad I can help them in whatever little way possible. There are so many good people here.
8. Yesterday we went and had lunch at a house where this one family lives and they make up about half the ward. The Mom, Hermana Rios, is about grandma's age and she has a daughter, two sons, and 1 daughter-in-law (divorced but still hangs with this fam) that live in the ward. Hermana Rios is the RS Pres, her daughter is the YW Pres, one son is in the Stake Presidency, and the other son just got called as the YM Pres I think. Anyway, I LOVE all of them and they all have kids and the house is crazy on Sundays. It felt like home and I loved being there. We had the best guacamole EVER and don't worry Dad, they told me they'd teach me how to make it.
9. Last Monday we went and played soccer with our zone. And I put on my Brenna attitude and went out on that field to win. You should have seen it, it was crazy. I headed a couple of balls and beat my district leader on a ball fight. I also got a ball kicked right in my eye, my legs, and my arms. And my district leader kicked me in the shins.......we got a little competitive. I think that's why they tell you to take it easy when playing games on the mission. But we won and I definitely held my own. We were going to play again today but some of the Elders were "busy" aka chickened out so some of us are going to graffiti park after emailing instead.....stay tuned next week for pictures.
10. Well ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the spiritual thought of the week. This week I thought about how I just wish I could be better and I was really focusing on all my weaknesses. So this morning I had a President Hinckley moment and thought, "Forget yourself and go to work!" Gosh, sometimes I'm so self-centered! And we all know that the best way to feel better is to stop being so selfish, so I thought about 3 ways I can work harder and stop being selfish. Here they are:
(1) Gratitude. This is SO important. Almost all bad days can be fixed by getting on our knees and thanking Heavenly Father for what we do have and not asking for what we don't. D&C 59:7 says "Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things." A few things? Some things? Sometimes? Some days? ALL things. Everyday. My goal this week is to recognize what the Lord has blessed me with, because it is a lot, and stop worrying about what I don't have. President Monson is right, "We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues." It my testimony that we can and should fight against ingratitude. Choose to have an attitude of gratitude.
(2) Service. It's really hard to worry about yourself if you're thinking of others. Two Mondays ago I was having one of those self-centered moments. That night we went to a members house to have FHE with them and I was looking at fish in a fish tank with their little girl. She is so innocent and young and said, "Aren't the fish so fun?" As I knelt at this fish tank, I realized how many beautiful things there are in this life and how many times we miss them because we're too busy focusing on ourselves. The spirit really spoke to me in that moment and told me where true joy comes from--treating others as Jesus would treat them if He were here. Choose to be God's helping hands among His children.
(3) Share. For me, this came more with speaking to others about the gospel. I really only have such a short amount of time to be a set-apart servant of the Lord but we can share what we have with everyone around us. It may not be some big preaching in the grocery store for the rest of you, but it might be a simple and heart-felt hello to someone on the street, a nice-note to someone you don't usually pay attention to, a pray for someone you don't normally pray for. Heavenly Father has given me so much and sometimes I selfishly keep it all to myself. Choose to be more of a giver, and less of a taker.
I know the gospel of Jesus Christ will bring us back to our Heavenly Father if we will follow its precepts. We can be better today than we were yesterday. I echo President Eyring when he said, "Hard as things seem today, they will be better in the next day if you choose to serve the Lord this day with your whole heart. Your circumstances may not be improved in all the ways which you desire. But you will have been given new strength to carry your burdens and new confidence that when your burdens become too heavy, the Lord, whom you have served, will carry what you cannot. He knows how. He prepared long ago. He suffered your infirmities and your sorrows when He was in the flesh so that He would know how to succor you."
I love my Savior and I know that He lives. My prayer is that you can all feel that truth more in your lives this next week.
Love the mish, be the mish
Hermana Winfield
First off though, can I say Mom that I LOVE your hair. I am not exaggerating when I say it is the best haircut I've seen on you. You look amazing! But of course, you are the most beautiful mother I know. And going to Seattle for 2 days? Dad, keep her on a tight leash.
And, Grandma, are you out there?! I didn't get an email from Grandma this week so I would just like to make sure she's okay.......maybe it's cause they're redoing the carpet upstairs? I sure hope so! Love you ga-ga!
1. One of the main reasons last week was not my favorite is because Sister B got sick. Poor thing. I felt so bad and there was nothing I could really do for her but pray and insist she take it easy, being the workaholic she is. She's feeling somewhat better but then......I got sick! Of course our companionship unity would go that far, we just can't help but share everything! So then I had to try not to be a hypocrite and take it easy myself......which was hard. Who wants to be in bed when you could be out preaching the gospel!? So one morning in the middle of this death, we looked at each other during companion study, completely exhausted and sick, and started laughing at how horrible we both looked (see #2 for evidence). But, we're both feeling a lot better and the Lord loves us so we'll be fine!
2. During my sickness on Saturday, we went to a baptism for the English ward and tons of missionaries were there and I had been so dead that morning that all I did was blow dry my hair......that's right, no makeup. Which I didn't think would make that much of a difference cause I only wear mascara and sometimes eyeliner. Well, I thought wrong. When we walked in the first elder that saw me, Elder Deony, immediately said, "Well hello no makeup!" Of course he tried to explain his way out of it and say, "No you don't even need makeup, I like the natural look better anyway." I just told him I was sick and that I wasn't here to turn heads anyway :) So then we sat down and in walks President and Sister Nelson. Of course, they would. And I had just painted my nails aquamarine (the mission rules changed and painting nails is okay......but who knows about aquamarine). And of course Sister Nelson would come sit right next to me. She realized I was sick and started finding drugs for me, she has a Marry Poppins bag, and then I apologized to President and told him I was sick and that I normally do get ready. So I sat there for a while wondering if they were worried I'd gone apostate. But President, knowing what Deony had said, turned to me during the baptism and said, "Sister Winfield, are you not wearing any makeup?" I just started laughing and Sister Nelson, not knowing the story, defended me and said, "Oh, she's so pretty she doesn't need makeup. Don't listen to him." After assuring President I had put on deodorant and brushed my teeth, the subject was dropped. I don't know why I just rambled on for this long about my personal hygiene, but in case anyone was wondering, I am wearing makeup today :)
3. The Mite baptism did not happen. Sad right? But we're hoping that they'll be ready by this Sunday or next. I love them so much and I just want them to be an eternal family!
4. We had a bunch of ward activities this last week. It's interesting cause growing up I never really saw the missionaries around but here in NYC, the church is still REALLY young and so the missionaries end up doing a lot of work with the wards. Which is fun, just different than I thought it would be. So we had Dia de Los paises.....aka Hispanic heritage day and everyone has been talking about this day for a long time......well, since last year's party. So people took off work to cook food from their country and we made hot dogs and cupcakes to rep USA. People laughed but our food was the first to go. There were some new investigators there and they really loved it so it was a hit! We also had the young women yearly personal progress thing and that was fun. Except for the girls and I had been practicing a song to sing and that was in the middle of my sickness so I could barely talk, let alone sing. Haha good times.
5. Last night something hilarious happened....but maybe you had to be there. I have these two moles on my shoulder/arm and Sister Mamon in her crazy Russian-ness asked me if she could cut them off. Uh, no thank you, I don't want you doing cosmetic surgery on me in our dirty, cockroach infested NY apartment. But she's been begging me for a while so I finally said yes last night. She told me to scream before she did it so I wouldn't cry as much. So she did the first one and it went fine..,.....the screaming did help. Then she did the second one but couldn't cut it all the way so she was trying to pull my skin off......so of course I'm laughing/screaming by this point. Then the phone rings and it's our district leader calling for this week's numbers. So I answer the phone as calmly as I can and walk to hand it to Sister B. But apparently he still heard some noise and told Sister B it sounded like we were having too much fun. And Sister B said, "Oh no, just Sister Winfield and Sister Mamon. They're doing surgery." Of course he asks what kind of surgery, and she tells him she's not allowed to tell or I'd hurt her. She should of just told him cause now he probably thinks we were doing liposuction with straws or something in our apartment. Gross. But, the spots have stopped bleeding and now I have 2 less moles on my shoulder :)
6. We have a mouse. Or maybe 2. The other night we're walking up the stairs and we open the apartment door and there is Mamon in the kitchen freaking out, spraying Raid on the microwave. The mouse was out running around and we tried for a while to catch it, including Mamon throwing a flashlight at it. Then it went into the stove and we turned the stove as high as it would go and waited in our study room by a hole I've seen it come out of behind the stove. It didn't come out and we finally gave up. But we all did get some good screams out of it and I had to pray kneeling in my chair that night.....just to be on the safe side.
7. You always hear missionaries say that there are some people that you were meant to meet on your mission and that it just feels like you were prepared to help them. That's how I feel about Hermana Pedraza (member in our ward) and her 28-yr old son Armand. They are SO amazing and I love them both so much. And we went and visited them last night and after we left Sister B and I were talking about how much Heavenly Father has helped us help them. I know they are one of the reasons I was called to NYC and I am so glad I can help them in whatever little way possible. There are so many good people here.
8. Yesterday we went and had lunch at a house where this one family lives and they make up about half the ward. The Mom, Hermana Rios, is about grandma's age and she has a daughter, two sons, and 1 daughter-in-law (divorced but still hangs with this fam) that live in the ward. Hermana Rios is the RS Pres, her daughter is the YW Pres, one son is in the Stake Presidency, and the other son just got called as the YM Pres I think. Anyway, I LOVE all of them and they all have kids and the house is crazy on Sundays. It felt like home and I loved being there. We had the best guacamole EVER and don't worry Dad, they told me they'd teach me how to make it.
9. Last Monday we went and played soccer with our zone. And I put on my Brenna attitude and went out on that field to win. You should have seen it, it was crazy. I headed a couple of balls and beat my district leader on a ball fight. I also got a ball kicked right in my eye, my legs, and my arms. And my district leader kicked me in the shins.......we got a little competitive. I think that's why they tell you to take it easy when playing games on the mission. But we won and I definitely held my own. We were going to play again today but some of the Elders were "busy" aka chickened out so some of us are going to graffiti park after emailing instead.....stay tuned next week for pictures.
10. Well ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the spiritual thought of the week. This week I thought about how I just wish I could be better and I was really focusing on all my weaknesses. So this morning I had a President Hinckley moment and thought, "Forget yourself and go to work!" Gosh, sometimes I'm so self-centered! And we all know that the best way to feel better is to stop being so selfish, so I thought about 3 ways I can work harder and stop being selfish. Here they are:
(1) Gratitude. This is SO important. Almost all bad days can be fixed by getting on our knees and thanking Heavenly Father for what we do have and not asking for what we don't. D&C 59:7 says "Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things." A few things? Some things? Sometimes? Some days? ALL things. Everyday. My goal this week is to recognize what the Lord has blessed me with, because it is a lot, and stop worrying about what I don't have. President Monson is right, "We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues." It my testimony that we can and should fight against ingratitude. Choose to have an attitude of gratitude.
(2) Service. It's really hard to worry about yourself if you're thinking of others. Two Mondays ago I was having one of those self-centered moments. That night we went to a members house to have FHE with them and I was looking at fish in a fish tank with their little girl. She is so innocent and young and said, "Aren't the fish so fun?" As I knelt at this fish tank, I realized how many beautiful things there are in this life and how many times we miss them because we're too busy focusing on ourselves. The spirit really spoke to me in that moment and told me where true joy comes from--treating others as Jesus would treat them if He were here. Choose to be God's helping hands among His children.
(3) Share. For me, this came more with speaking to others about the gospel. I really only have such a short amount of time to be a set-apart servant of the Lord but we can share what we have with everyone around us. It may not be some big preaching in the grocery store for the rest of you, but it might be a simple and heart-felt hello to someone on the street, a nice-note to someone you don't usually pay attention to, a pray for someone you don't normally pray for. Heavenly Father has given me so much and sometimes I selfishly keep it all to myself. Choose to be more of a giver, and less of a taker.
I know the gospel of Jesus Christ will bring us back to our Heavenly Father if we will follow its precepts. We can be better today than we were yesterday. I echo President Eyring when he said, "Hard as things seem today, they will be better in the next day if you choose to serve the Lord this day with your whole heart. Your circumstances may not be improved in all the ways which you desire. But you will have been given new strength to carry your burdens and new confidence that when your burdens become too heavy, the Lord, whom you have served, will carry what you cannot. He knows how. He prepared long ago. He suffered your infirmities and your sorrows when He was in the flesh so that He would know how to succor you."
I love my Savior and I know that He lives. My prayer is that you can all feel that truth more in your lives this next week.
Love the mish, be the mish
Hermana Winfield
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