May 19, 2014

Challenge week

     This week Elder Bowman and I have been doing all kinds of challenges... We tried the sprite and banana challenge, coke and mentos, and we have eaten jalapenos and today we are going to eat habaneros.... The sprite and coke challenge sucked!!! I felt bloated for the whole day. Those two challenges are suppose to make you puke and then the jalapeno are just hot!! My mouth was on fire for like 30 minutes and then had a stomach ache the rest of the day.... Yes, I am week when it comes to hot stuff. Even as a missionary you do stupid thing during your lunch and dinner. Boys will always be boys.

     This week we are preparing for (bill) baptism. Its going to be on the 24th of May. He is so excited for it and so are we!!! He had is interview yesterday and past. He has a strong testimony on tithing and the sabbath day. He said, "every time I miss church I feel like my week doesn't go as smooth and the week goes by slow. Tithing I know is a huge blessing and even though I haven't payed yet I have seen the blessings that come from others paying tithing. (his girlfriend that moved out. She is a member) We are excited to see him take his first ordinance and to make this covenant with God!

     We also have 4 other dates and they are: (Jim) set for July 19th. (Sarah) and (Kay) are set for July 19th as well. And (Tina) is set for June 30th. I love this people and they are doing great! I'm glad I am apart of their progression in come closer to God. I am so thankful to serve in this area and to meet all these wonderful people. We also plan on setting tow more dates this week. Thank you for the prayers and the support.

Love,

Elder Winterbottom & Elder Bowman

Serving in Hurst

The Lord's Vineyard

May 12, 2014

May 5, 2014

Be Bold!!

This week I had the honor for being able to go a sit in on a DLC (District leader Council) meeting and listen to what it happening in the Mission and things that we can improve on. I have learned lots of thing that have hurt my soul and have caused me to mourn for our district and on a bigger scale, our mission. We as a mission are doing well but there is diffidently room for improvement!! This is the biggest eye opening I have had so far and I am grateful for it. I have diffidently felt the need to humble myself before the Lord and be a tool in his hands (Jeremiah 18:6). President Ames has just revised the standard of excellence this week. He expects us to be bold!! We are NOT missionaries but representatives of the Lord, Jesus Christ. What was Christ purpose? (Matthew 9:13) we represent the Lord and we are called to preach repentance. We are to be bold and find those who are truly seeking the Lord (Proverbs 28:1) i am still trying to concentrate myself and walk the path that Christ walked. It will be hard but it will defiantly be worth it.

This week was also Stake Conference and we had Elder Stoddard from the quorum of the seventy, President Ames and the temple President come and speak to us. It was an amazingly inspiring and he is pretty funny. He focused on the youth and had them share experiences on what they are doing to share the gospel. I didn't realized that the youth have lots of chances to share and bare their testimonies and their beliefs. I don't think the parents realized that their kids were having those opportunities either and hopefully it will inspire the parents to start doing the same. I pray that everyone looking for their own missionary opportunities. Even if its barring your testimony to others. Testimonies are written in haven't and is an act of repenting. I hope that, that will inspire you to go forth and share your testimonies.

Love

Elder Winterbottom & Elder Bowman

Serving In Hurst

The Lord's Vineyard

April 28, 2014

Bind the Lord

This week the Hurst South zone was the top zone in the mission, Elder Bowman's district was the top district, and Elder Bowman and I were the pace setters for the mission! This area that I get to serve in has been a real privilege. I know that this week was not possible without the Lord's help and guidance. Something that President Ames talked about in his letter this week was the different kinds of obedience.

Telestial obedience is the result of a desire to avoid punishment. We choose to obey because we want to avoid the consequences of disobedience. For example, some obey their parents because they don’t want a spanking or to be grounded. If we look more heavenly on the question we see that some live the word of wisdom because they don’t want to get sick. Some live the law of chastity because they want to be safe. Some obey because they are afraid of the judgments of a just God. This type of obedience requires no faith. It is self-serving and self-motivated. It is a very secular view. Even a godless society can live this level of obedience. It is “having a form of godliness, but [denying] the power thereof.” This level of obedience, while not the best, is still good because it at least helps us avoid sin, but it will not make us holy and it will not save us. It makes me think of the servant that buried his talent and did nothing to increase what the master had given him. As a missionary, this level of obedience brings no change in our personal life and our success as a missionary will be limited and perhaps their success will be the result of the faith of others.

The next level of obedience comes from a very terrestrial motivation. We obey because we want to be blessed. This level of obedience at least acknowledges there is a God because we want to find His favor and receive His blessings. It is much like being obedient so our parents will be happy with us so they will pay us our allowance, or let us have the car for the weekend, or give us some type of desired privilege or reward. In a spiritual sense, this type of motivation results in living the Word of Wisdom because we want to “run and not be wearing, walk and not faint.” Chasity is important to this type of obedience because we want the peace that comes with being pure. We are obedient because we want to merit the favor and blessings of a just God. The problem is, this level of obedience will not make us sacred. This level of obedience will limit our vision and prevent us from seeing miracles. It too is, playing it safe with our talents; not so safe that we don’t grow, but certainly God cannot magnify us. In short, we have our reward.

Celestial obedience, the level of obedience that has power to change who we are and make us holy, is obedience because we love God. It is like Joseph of Egypt who ran from Potiphar’s wife, not because he was afraid of being caught, or wanted to be blessed, but because in his words, “how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God.” (Genesis 39:9). It is a “nevertheless not my will, but thine be done” attitude. (Luke 22:41-42). It is obedience because we love God and want to do his will regardless of the consequence. This requires humility and obedience that makes us joint-heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:16-17). This is having an eye single to his glory which will qualify us for the work. (D&C 4:5).

Doctrine and Covenants 82:10 I know this to be true and I have seen the blessing that come from this scripture this week. I pray that we will all strive to keep Celestial obedience and see our love in God and Christ increase and then let the blessing follow. We as missionaries must be lost in the work and members of the church must be lost in keeping our covenants and remember the saving ordinances we have done.  We should all strive to bind the Lord with our obedience. That is the most important thing that you will ever learn. Bind the Lord!!

Elder Winterbottom & Elder Bowman

Serving in Hurst

The Lord's Vineyard

April 21, 2014

 

 

Holidays take a whole new meaning

When your away from the real word and the commercial part of the holidays you truly understand the real meaning behind holidays. Growing up I knew what Easter was but I truly didn't know what it meant. I was so caught up in the commercial part that I forgot what Christ did for us. Alma 7:11-13 and John 3:16 Explains the true meaning of Easter. I love my Savoir and he is my Friend! I would not be where I'm at today without him. I know that God is my creditor, Christ is my mediator, and I am the debtor. God has given me this life and no matter what I do I will never be perfect, I will never be able to pay back my debts (my faults, mistakes, and sins) I owe. But thought Christ, my mediator, I can be forgiven. Christ has payed my debt and I am so grateful for that! I know that he has payed my sins personally. Christ know exactly how each and everyone of us feels. I also know that when my time is over that I will be resurrected and that I will have a perfect body just like Christ. I know that Christ died for us and I know that he lives!! Easter is an amazing holiday and the talks given in sacrament this week opened up my eyes to what I have in this life and how much I have been forgiven and been blessed with. I love the church video called Because of Him. I love that video and I have taken it dearly into my heart. I pray that y'all will search and ponder what Easter is really all about. I pray that y'all will understand the meaning of the atonement and what it has done for you or what it can do for you. I know Christ is my Savior and Redeemer and my Mediator.

April 14, 2014

Another transfer down

The big news is always transfer days. got a call about 7:30 tell Elder Bowman and I that we are staying the same. Every companionship is changing in our district except Elder Bowman and I. Elder Bowman and I have 4 of our investigators with baptism dates. We are also planning a wedding for one of the investigators as well and then they will be baptized. Pray extra hard for them and pray that they will receive guidance and make righteous decisions. We have faced a lot of trials with investigators agency. I now know how our Heavenly Farther feels about agency. Its hard to see someone you love so dearly make wrong decisions.  But without agency we wouldn't learn for ourselves and we wouldn't grown. Agency has been apart of the plan for the very beginning and so has another principle, the atonement. Both of this things are meant to better us has humans and  come closer to our Heavenly Father.  Both of which help us grow. Has we chose righteous decisions, our faith and knowledge in this gospel are strengthened.  But has we chose unrighteous decisions we fall short of his glory and we do not grow but we do have the atonement. The atonement is their us to change our ways and and get back on the path. This principle is also a way that we are strengthened. It is a hard path to go down but has we do so we will grown. I know that both of those principles are for us. We have a loving father that loves us dearly. I pray that we will remember our covenants and keep the commandments.

Love
 Elder Winterbottom & Elder Bowman

April 7, 2014

Conference Week
What a great week to hear from the Prophet and Apostles! I love hearing the testimonies and the witness of Jesus Christ!  The most important thing I understood about General Conference was that conference means nothing if we don't act and let it change us. These sessions our for our own benefit and learning. But again we have to let us change us. Everyone is not perfect and there are plenty of opportunists to change and become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ.  The road to Discipleship will be hard! In order to be a disciple we have to walk the road Christ walked and we all know that that was not an easy thing to do! It will be hard, it will be painful, it will be an enduring challenge but it will be well worth it! We have a quot in the apartment that says "I never said it would be easy... I only said it would be worth it."  I also learned a lot about the Priesthood in the Priesthood session and how I can strengthen my authority. I so thankful for the opportunity to serve in the name of Jesus Christ, to proclaim repentance to all and everyone, to bring forth the blessings of heaven and share them with others. I know that I must be equally yoked with Christ. I strive to be obedient to the commandment and covenants I have made and I know in the end we will be exalted on high. I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father. I know that Christ is the way and through him we are saved. Christ is my Savoir, my brother and my friend. A true friend will lay down his life for another (John 15:13) I am so grateful for him and his atonement! I know that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ!

Love
Elder Winterbottom & Elder Bowman

Serving In Hurst

The Lord's Vineyard