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!!!