February 17, 2015

This is my city!

I want to start off by talking about the mission and a little bit of its history. In 2010 this mission baptized 702 people and since then the yearly baptisms and confirmations have gone down every year. we have a goal to baptized 854 souls and if we baptize 854 souls this year we will not only break a declining trend but set a mission record. However, to do this we must honestly ask ourselves what we, as a mission, can do differently so we can reach this goal. If we always do what we’ve always done, we will always get what we’ve always gotten. So the question is, “is it really possible to baptize 854 souls?” The answer is no, not if we continue to do the same things we have been doing. But if we rise up and act beyond the the obvious and have faith in God, we will reach this goal. First we must have a firm belief that we will baptize and then we must reach higher and be more committed than ever to the principles found in Preach My Gospel and to those things God reveals to us. This will be an uphill climb but it will definitely be worth the efforts. We need to work like everything depends on us and pray as though everything depends on the Lord. Work+Faith= Miracles

With that being said, Fort Worth is a place where Miracles are happening. This past week we were able to see 11 of our investigators attend church and 4 of them have baptism dates. We aren't teaching a lot of people but the ones we are teaching have big families and they are starting to invite more friends and family to learn. We have a baptism date set for the February 28th and  that has 3 people set for that day and then we have one for march 21st.

Something really cool what this mission is doing is we are doing is a challenge that President Ames has set for the whole mission. Its called 10,000 hearts and homes. We are expected to read to Book of Mormon in 65 days and in the process hand out 10,000 copies of the book of Mormon. this is a miracle we are seeking and to uplift this mission to higher grounds. I'm so excited to do this and the blessing of applying the book of Mormon on my life is amazing. And this is why it is called 10,000 hearts and homes. Because if we can place the books with the heart and the faith that it will changes lives, It Will. I know this challenge was from God through President Ames and I'm grateful to be apart of it.

Elder Winterbottom & Elder McAninch

Serving In Fort Worth

The Lord's Vineyard

February 9, 2015

I love this new area!! Down town Fort Worth is so cool! There is so many thing to do, see, and so many people to talk to! I love it and it is totally different then what I have previously been. The Ward is super small but the area we cove is huge and that means I'm back in a car. It feels good to be back in a car haha this area use to be very apostate because of all the thing that you could do in down town Fort Worth and previous missionaries have forgotten their purpose here. but the past like 6 transfer there have been very obedient missionaries here and they have gotten this area back in line. I have been blessed with the opportunity to reap their efforts. I came into the ward at a good time and I'm grateful for all the work other missionaries have put into the ward. Last week they had 12 investigators at church and 4 baptism dates. Elder McAninch and I are hoping to expound the baptism dates to 8. This area is super blessed! Most of the people we are teaching came from people who have recently been baptized and then invited their friends and family to lean more. Little background about Elder MnAninch. He is from O.C. California. He graduated the same year i did and is very active in sports. We get along very well. I think at heart I'm a Cali. boy cause I have loved all my companions who were from California. I'll keep you updated next week. Sorry i havent taken any pictures yet becuase I'm trying to get to know all the members and ward council members so i haven't had any time to take pictures.

Elder Winterbottom & Elder McAninch

Serving In Fort Worth

The Lord's Vineyard

February 2, 2015

Transfer update..... I am now going to be in down town Fort Worth! My new companion is Elder McAninch. He came out with Elder Hassinger so he just hit his 6th month mark.  I'm excited for this upcoming transfer. I've always wanted to serve in Fort Worth. The Area I'm being transferred into is doing really well too! they had 12 people at church this past week and 4 baptism dates. I'm a blessed that I get to be serving in that wonderful area.

The past week we have seen lots of miracles happen within Flower Mound.

Jess- we finally came in contact with her and we were able to teach her twice this past week and we rescheduled her baptism date. Her date is set for April 18th. Its a little ways away but that day has meaning to her.

While I was on an exchange with one of the Zone Leaders, Elder Hassinger stayed in our area and worked with two other missionaries. And he got a prompting to go and visit a lady named Trina. She has been investigating off and on and stopped coming to church because she felt the pressure to stop smoking and couldn't. Well on this exchange he meet with her and talked about how much God has blessed her and she feels like she needs to give back now and committed to another baptism date. She is set for March 7th. She was super happy and is so close to quit smoking.

Dan- we were unable to meet with Dan this week. He is currently in California helping a friend she just suffered a death in the family. We are texting him and seeing how he is doing but we still have a lot of faith that he will be baptized.

 

 

January 27, 2015

Surprise!!! We had to change our temple day around due to some events that are coming up. and sorry that I'm not going to be sending any pictures the email of the temple because I forgot the cord that goes with it. so next week I will send them. We went with some of our district, Elder Hiler and Matheson, Sister Oshinski and Taylor and then Elder Hassinger and I. We also went with a young man in the ward who just got his endowment out last week. He is going to be serving in Paraguay.  It was so cool to be there with all the people around our age.

So a little update on the people we are teaching.

Liz- she is great and so amazing but she dropped us. She didn't agree with the Bible and the Book of Mormon to contain the full truth and the she doesn't believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet. She love the Mormons and still thinks we are great people but she would fill guilt if she was wasting our times because she doesn't think she will ever believe.

Jess- this is disappointing.... we try calling he all the time but her inbox is full. we try to text and no response back. her little girl hasn't been to church since the last time Jess went. Jess still talks to us and says she will come to church but nothing...

But this is a cool experience. this past week we made contact with someone Elder Vaoga and I were teaching. we had initially dropped him because he was mad and upset with me for no reason and we weren't going to take that. well Elder Hassinger want to at least meet him before the end of the transfer. Well we meet with him and I still feel like he is made at me but Elder Hassinger and him got along pretty well. And during the lesson I felt that we should invite him to be baptized but I wasn't going to ask him cause he still seems upset with me. Cool thing was Elder Hassinger got the same impression and asked him. And I'm glad he did cause he accepted it. now he has a date for March 7th.

I hope this Email was a great surprise for you!

Elder Winterbottom and Elder Hassinger

Serving in Flower Mound

The Lord's Vineyard

January 21, 2015

 

Becoming a Dallas Fan!

Sorry for the late email. We weren't able to email on Monday because of Martin Luther King day and then on Tuesday we had Zone Conference with President Ames.

Zone conference was great and they always inspire and uplift me. President Ames purpose and mission is to oversee us has missionaries and see that we build our faith and grow in the gospel and there is no better way to do that then applying the principles that we learn in the Book of Mormon, Bible, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. President Ames says that He would go his whole mission without a baptism if it means that all the missionaries that he oversees remains active in the church. Can you feel the love and pressure that comes from that saying. He wants us to live up to our full potential. and the only way to do that is my applying what you learn into your behavior and your nature. Joseph Smith even talks about this principle in the introduction of the Book of Mormon. “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”  I have been studying about being a consecrated missionary and there are two talks about that, that I absolutely love and that is Becoming a consecrated missionary by Tad R. Callister and the four missionary by Unknown. but I have studied those lately and There are thing that I need to change and can become better. I love Zone Conferences because they make me reflect on myself and see the change I have made and What I can improve on. One of the comments that President Ames said was that you have the same title as prophets, apostles, and the Seventy. They have chosen you to represent the Lord now act as if we are companions with them. I love this mission and I know that this is where I am suppose to be! Im in the area I'm suppose to be in. I'm serving with the person I'm with. And I know that President Ames is the Mission President I have been called to labor with and I know he is call of God!

Elder Winterbottom & Elder Hassinger

Serving in Flower Mound

The Lord's Vineyard 

 

 

January 12, 2015

   This past week when we meet with the Zone Leaders and the first thing they talked about was Mormon 9: 9-13 and 15-20. This conversation brought the spirit because we were able to look back and ponder on the week we had. We were able to see the hand of God in our life and the miracles that He blessed us with. Then we were able to look for the miracles in the upcoming week. One of those experiences was late Friday night and we were trying to get in contact with Jess. And at this point we hadn't made any contact with her in over a month.. so we went over to her place and at first I saw lights on in her place and but I felt like we shouldn't knock. Elder Hassinger was really trying to get me to knock but I wasn't felling it. So we were walking to another investigator's house and has we were walking I got the impression to go back and knock. And at this Elder is mad at me for not knocking and now I had to swallow my pride and go and knock haha well we knocked and no one answered and I was thinking why did I have this impression that the Lord want us to go back for nothing. And has we started to walk way from he house she pulled up. Now that was a miracle because if we had knocked the first time we totally would have missed her and if I hadn't listened to the spirit we would have never known the out come. It was so great to talk to her again and she had told us that she has the managers spot at were she works and her hours are from 11 am to 9 pm. now we know why we haven't been able to get a hold of her. The Lord blesses us everyday! but we need to look for His hand in our life and then thank Him for those blessings and has you do that you will continue to feel the love that He has for us! I have defiantly felt it this week and I encourage you to do the same and see the miracles that come your way! 

   We also had this cool experience with a potential investigator we had this week. Her name is Liz. She first came in contact with a teacher that was out doing fast offerings. She asked if he was Mormon and then talked about how she knows a couple and they are really good people. She isn't looking to join but wanted to know more because she has heard some crazy stuff and just wants to know first hand. We have meet with her twice since that visit and she loves us! We were teaching the plan of salvation.  During the lesson she said this sounds so familiar but I don't think I've heard this anywhere. At that moment we referred her back to the very beginning of the lesson. and she said, "when you said that everyone on the earth knew this before coming here. I had a tingling feeling go through my whole body." We then pointed out that it was the spirit teaching and testifying that these thing are true. Then several times afterwards she would tell us whenever she felt those feelings. That lesson was 2 hours long because she asked so many genuine questions. That was a great lesson! At the end she said maybe I am closer to being Mormon then I thought. She is great! the only problem is her husband... He thinks she is wasting her time and thinks its stupid that she is meeting with us... We would have to over come that problem for baptism. I know that the Lord is Preparing people! The Lord's Work will move Forward.

Elder Winterbottom & Elder Hassinger

Serving In Flower Mound

The Lord's Vineyard

January 5, 2014

The last time I had an experience like this story I'm about to tell was in Lampasas and it was with the Torres family. We have this amazing family we are working with in the ward and their goal is to go to the temple and be sealed together as a family. But they have some challenges to over come and it will be an uphill  battle but we will be there the whole way with them. We meet with them late last night and we brought Brother Law, who is the second councilor in the bishopric. And we are so glad he came with us cause he loves the Spear family just as much as I do and he is well respected in the ward for his guidance and love. He is very bold and got right down to the problem and showed love while doing it. He talked about the blessings and how we need those saving ordinances to live with God again and not only that but live together as a family in the next life. He talked about a chain and how they are all a link in the chain and if they aren't sealed, they are taken out of the chain. That hit each one of them hard. The parents, the two boys, the two girls, and even Elder Hassinger and I. At this point everyone is either teary eyed or crying.  The spirit was so strong and it bore to every single one of us the importance of temple sealing. Each of them talked about this goal and what they can do to get there. Three of them are all ready to go though the temple but are just waiting for the other three. I haven't felt the spirit so strongly since the Torres family and get things happened after that!  I probably will be out of the ward when they go to the temple but I hope that they will request me to go to the temple with them. I know that God Loves each and everyone of us. He has placed us in Families for reasons and I know that families can be together again. What a great blessing we have! I am thankful for my/ our savior! And only through him and his grace can we be saved. I know that Priesthood authority is a must to bind on earth in in heaven.

Elder Winterbottom & Elder Hassinger

Serving in Flower Mound

The Lord's Vineyard