July 27, 2015

Coming Back Home

It's great to be back in the Killeen zone! It feels like coming home. I love Killeen and I forgot about the culture of the military style life. I'm slowly working myself back into the yes sir and yes mam. I have already been able to see some of the members when I served in Lampasas. The high council man for our Ward was the elders quorum president when I was in Lampasas. His oldest boy that would come out on exchanges with us now has his mission call and is getting ready to serve his mission. He has grown spiritually a lot.

Elder Fowles and I have had a great week already! The elders here have been teaching this little girl off and on and we went over on Thursday and talked with the family and set a game plan for her to be baptized. We asked if she would be baptized and she said yes, I would like to be baptized on my birthday. We said great when is your birthday? she said the 28th. of this month? yes. Well if you look at when that was it was 4 days away from when we talked about it with her. So we have been busy the past couple of days trying to get ready for a baptism that was unexpected. 

I also had a experience with my father in heaven last night. I was chastised by him in my pray. it was well need experiance because it made me realize that I need to lose my pride and listen to what others have to say. Yesterday was just super stressful for me with new zone, new area, new ward, new investigators and just everything new. Well one of our district leaders had been bugging us a tone about a car issue. There is a car sitting in the zone not being used for right now because a couple of elders don't have driving privileges. I came up with a solution to the problem that I thought was pretty good but the district leader dint think so. So we talked about it for a while and I was just to prideful to change. and while this conversation was happening I just kept losing respect for this Elder and was just super negative towards him. when we got home I just felt bad the whole and I could fix it with what ever i did. We i went to say my pray last night I was chastised about my pride. and the whole time I was praying I felt that I need to say I'm sorry and actually listen to what my zone has to say. After that I was able to feel a lot better and going forward from here I promised that I would listen to the zone and hear what they have to say before I make a decision. Sometimes we all need to be compelled to be humble and I needed this one.

Elder Winterbottom & Elder Fowles 

Serving in Killeen

The Lord's Vineyard 

Arlington 6th Ward Members

Picts with Arlington East

July 20, 2015

 

The ZL's from Arlington West and East

Elder Petersen and I have been able to see a lot of miracles this week with finding. This week we got a referral from bishop saying that there was a family moving into our ward that were taught by other missionaries in a different mission. They moved in Saturday and we helped out for about 6 hours. At the end she said thanks for helping and if it weren't for us they would still be at the uhaul place. She is always home and welcome for us to stop by. So that is a good potential. 

So for my last transfer I am leaving Arlington.... But great new is that I'm going back down to the Killeen zone! I'm not headed to Lampasas but I will be able to check up on the Torres family. I'm hoping to go and visit them and a couple of the members I really miss on one of my preparation days. I'm super excited for this up coming transfer. I loved the Killeen zone when I was there and right now the Killeen zone is on fire with lesson being taught and their teaching pool. I'm not sure on how far away I am to the military base but I'm sure I will pick up on the military mentality. I don't have the address because there have been lost of moving around in the mission and they don't have all the correct addresses. My new companions name is elder fowles. He is from delta Utah. Not sure how long he has been out. 

Elder Winterbottom & Elder Petersen 

Serving in Arlington 

The Lord's vineyard 

Arlington West Zone

Both Zones

The Boyz!

July 13, 2015

Happy 7/11 day

Elder siniscalchi and elder jackson hit their one year mark.  Best looking elders in Arlington west and east zone. Ate out with east
zone leaders and Spanish elders.

July 5, 2015

 

Mansaray Leaving

4th of July week

This week was a pack week full of service. We were able to help out at a food pantry on Wednesday. This food pantry thing happens every first Wednesday of the month. this moth just happened to be the 10,000 time they have don't this so it was a big deal and the mayor came and thanked everyone that was apart of the great work. We as missionaries do a lot of the grunt work because by the time the people go all the way through the line they have a ton of food that a lot of the older people cant care. I love helping out there because you are able talk to them one on one for a little bit and they express how much of a blessing we are for them. This last week we had someone stop us after we dropped off their food at their car told us thank you and said a pray with her. at the end of the pray she was crying. I could just feel how grateful she was for us and what a blessing we were to her. I love providing service because for that split second you are able to feel some of the love that our father in heaven has for all his children. 

We also helped out at the biggest parade in Texas, the Arlington day 4th of July parade. and 3rd largest in the US. There was about 60,000 that attended and 6,000 in the actual parade. The wards in Arlington play a huge role in making everything run and a lot of behind the scene work. Each ward is in charge of different parts in the parade and Elder Petersen and I were to set up chairs for the mayor and the judges and make sure they had a good time and then to take down after it was all over. some of the other Elders were on crowd control and watch out for weird looking stuff like bombs haha and then some were on traffic control. we also got to take all the trophies to the winners of different floats after the parade. It was a lot of fun and felt like I was apart of something this holiday. At the end of the week we hit a total of 20 service hours combined Elder Petersen and I.

Have a happy rest of July!! 

Elder Winterbottom & Elder Petersen 

Serving in Arlington

The Lord's Vineyard 

The flag down the main street of the parade.

It was the 50th year anniversary of the parade

University of Texas was there and the Martin High school was there ( got that one for mark and Tracy)

Exchange with one of our District Leaders

The guy in the middle is on the ranger's team and in our ward!!!