Sister Winters - January 15, 2012 Zao An from Hualian!

(Editor's note: Rebecca arrived safely in Taiwan on Wednesday evening.)

My body's adjusting alright to the time change - we've been waking up before 6, sometimes before 5, for the past few days for various reasons, so when my companion told me that she wants to take a nap today during P-day, I probably won't stop her (or myself) from taking one... Unless I have a miraculous burst of energy instead to study some Chinese. :)

 

Okay! A little bit about everything! I got onto EVA airlines and as I was walking down the aisle, I heard this weird classical music playing over the speakers. I call it "weird" because it had this interesting Chinese twist - I couldn't tell if it was actual Chinese music, or if it was elevator music for Chinese purposes, or if it was Western music trying to incorporate Eastern themes. In looking at that past sentence, I've realized that I am still a music nerd at heart - glad that part of me hasn't changed. :) Anyway, that isn't very important - I just thought it was a funny way to start my journey.

 

I slept for a LONG time on the plane - a little over 9 hours, I think! I'll tell you one thing - the MTC really wears you out... And it only gets better! Anyway, it wasn't the most comfortable or restful sleep that I've ever had, but it was good to sleep for so long. We got to Taiwan at 10:30ish, went through customs, got our baggage (they had "quarantine beagles on duty" that supposedly sniffed our luggage to make sure we had no agricultural products - I don't know why, but I thought that was so funny!), and met the mission president! I really like President Grimley. I expressed a few fears that he seemed pretty strict, but he's so nice and friendly. He and Sister Grimley are friends with Uncle Steve and Aunt Marcia, too! That was fun. We went running that next morning at 6:30 in a place called Freedom Square in the middle of Taiwan (look it up on Google Earth or something). It was awesome - the architecture made me feel like I was in a movie set or something, plus they had all of these old people doing Tai Chi and various "martial art" dances. So fun! We also went to the dedicatory site of Taiwan - I really felt the Spirit there as I thought about early missionaries there (some of whom are still alive) and as I dedicated myself to being a good missionary for the next 15.5 months and to serving with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength. This was next to the Taiwan Grand Hotel (I think that's what it's called?), which is an awesome building. We got to take some pictures in front of it and inside of it - I'd look it up so you can see what I'm talking about. Funny story - President Uchtdorf's twin nephews both served in Taiwan (both of them are now MTC teachers), so when they were done in his month off in July, he came out here to visit with his family. As a general authority, he's allowed to stay in any hotel in Taiwan - normally they arrange for general authorities to stay in nice Marriotts or something, but President Uchtdorf adamantly stated that he wanted to stay in the Taiwan Grand Hotel. So he did! I thought that was funny.

 

Anyway, during our orientation, President Grimley kept on talking about how all of us were going to stay in the Taipei area, except one of us was going to the East coast, or "paradise," as the Taipei missionaries call it. I really felt like I was going to be the one to go to paradise - not because I'm very different from the other missionaries or anything, but just because I had a feeling that I would be leaving. Well, when we met our trainers and found out where we were serving, I was right! I'm in an area called Hualian (or maybe Hualien is the English name - not sure). It's on the east coast, about 10 minutes running distance away. I've got the beach, the mountains, the trees, and the city - I totally lucked out! It's beautiful here, and I already really like this area. I'm sorry that I don't have pictures - my companion told me that I needed my SD card, but she actually meant a USB cable for my camera, so I don't have any that I can share with you. Next week, though! And you can look up pictures until then. :) I'd especially recommend Taroko Gorge - that's a place that I hope to go to next P-day, and it's one of the most beautiful areas in all of Taiwan. My companion says that President Grimley trusts us a lot and that's why he sent us to Hualian, but I'm inclined to think that it's probably because Heavenly Father knew I couldn't handle biking in Taipei city. :)

 

Okay, next, my companion! Her name is Sister Wu, and she's from Taizhong (the other mission in Taiwan). She's actually surprisingly tall for a Taiwanese person here (I feel extra tall in this country), she works hard, she follows the rules, and she's a little blunt, as most Asians are. This is good, because I told my MTC teacher before I left that I needed to develop a more humble attitude, and this will definitely help! :) She also bikes fast, which is another blessing - I told people before I left that I wanted to good at biking fast and navigating through this city, and this is already helping! Don't worry - if she's ever too fast, I'll tell her at companionship inventory or something. :)

 

Food - really good! I've liked almost everything that I've had thus far. Scratch that - I think i've actually liked everything I've had. I almost had pig ears for dinner last night, but since it was buffet-style, I felt okay in just skipping over that plate. :) I've felt really blessed, because I just put stuff on my plate (or in my bowl, which is more common here) and eat it, no questions asked (except for the pig ear, which is why I didn't eat it). I'm sure that I'll still have some interesting stories once I DO find out what stuff is, though! I'll keep you posted.

 

Weather - really similar to Florida, probably. This means that I have 80's hair every day, but it's great - I think that it's so interesting that it gets some people to stop and ask me about it, which will hopefully lead to more contacts! :)

 

Language - it's as good as it can be right now. President told me that I would have a really tough time at the beginning, but everyone does (even people who have studied Chinese for a long time). I can understand what's happening in lessons that we're teaching, and I get some stuff out of church and contacting, but the regular vocabulary is a little hard. Just keep praying for me! Everyone's so nice about it - the district president (Hualian is one of the few areas that has a district and not a stake, so pray for that too) spoke yesterday after I bore my testimony and said that I was a "qiji," or "miracle." It'll be really great for my Chinese to have a "Bundiren," or a native, as my companion. She also talks extraordinarily fast (and I've listened to natives speak before this, so I really can say that she's fast even in comparison to them!), so if I can understand her, then I should be able to understand most people, I think (as long as they don't have a really thick Taiwanese accent, that is). I have hope for the future, because the other missionaries in my district didn't take Chinese before, and now their Chinese is really good. They and President Grimley said that if I can speak this well now, I'll really catch on. I'm not sure if they were just practicing the Chinese custom of "giving face" or not, but it was comforting all the same.

 

What else has happened? The branches that we serve in (we cover two) are really nice. Most of them are converts themselves, so they really, really love the missionaries and help them in whatever ways they can. They're really nice to me, and I'm trying to give back (Dad, I said in my testimonies yesterday that I really want to help in whatever way I can; I didn't get to talk to the branch presidents, but I will! Thank you for that advice). Hmm... as far as crazy stories go, I've been rejected by an investigator with a giant buddha in their house, I've talked to an old man on the street for five minutes without realizing that he was deaf, I've been told that my eyes are so big and so beautiful that I look like I'm a comic book character, I've told a man that he was beautiful on accident, I've had some hard times, and I've had a lot of peace. We've already seen some miracles here in Hualian, and I know that more will come. Please pray that they will happen - I know that your prayers will help!

 

Last thought - most of you know that one of my biblical heroes is Paul. I love Paul. Well, I was reading in 1 Thessalonians 2 about missionary work, and I noticed that Paul said something along the lines of "I spoke to you not as a pleasing man, but as God, which trieth the heart." It's sort of hard for me to ask for people to pull over so I can tell them about the gospel, but when you think about it, Paul was kind of bothersome too! And he says later that he "not only imparted the gospel" to them, but his "whole soul." I hope to do that as I work and labor in this area. We've already seen a lot of success - we have many members with baptismal dates - and I know we can see more. Please pray that I'll have the courage to open my mouth and that I'll find people! This week we're going to try and use my violin for contacting - we might have to do it on the weekend, though, because people are always working here. Oh, and Guonian (Chinese New Year) starts this Sunday all through next week, so you'll get to hear about that in the next email!

 

Thank you for your love and your constant prayers. I LOVE you all so very very very much, and I miss you. But, I also know this is where I'm needed the most, and I'm happy to serve. Please continue to pray for me! I'll do the same for you.

 

Love,

Becca

 

PS - Sorry this is so long! I promise that I'll try and make it more "readable" next time.

PPS - I'll be writing at about this time every week.

Sister Winters - January 3, 2012 Mama ma ma

Dear All,

Thank you for all of the letters from the family last week! I loved them - they were awesome. In answer to your questions I am STILL finding things to entertain and amuse you (I'll talk about a few of them later in this letter). I hadn't really been able to talk to Daniel much - companions were making things a little difficult, but then I was able to talk to him quite a bit for the past couple of days, which was fantastic. I think he's really grown up a lot. I kind of strictly chastised him yesterday about something he said that all of the other elders say too, but he took it very well and promised that he'd stop. His Chinese is SO great, too! Both of us bore our testimonies on Sunday (I also said the closing prayer), and I was so proud of how perfect his tones were. I think he felt the same way about me, which was almost equally delightful.

 

I also want to let all of you know that I am SO EXCITED TO GO TO TAIWAN!!!!!! Really, I can't wait. We got our travel plans, and here they are:

 

I leave the MTC on 1/10/12 at 6:00 AM. My flight from the SLC airport is at 9:45 AM. I arrive in the LAX airport at 10:50. Then at 3:50 PM I fly from LAX to Taipei. Two awesome things about this travel plan. 1: I get a direct flight from LAX to Taipei! 2. I have a super-long layover and I'll get to talk to you! Oh, and fun fact - we arrive in Taiwan at 10:35 PM the NEXT DAY because of the time difference! I think if my calculations are correct without the internet to help me out, it's a 16 hour time difference from Georgia. That'll make things fun on Mother's Day and Christmas!

 

Oh, one favor I have to ask - I've finished my Mormon.org profile, and I need you to put a picture on it for me (choose a good one, please! No 13-year-old Rebecca on the internet). My username is rwinters404 and my password is the usual. Thank you!

 

Speaking of mormon.org, I have become almost obsessed with that website. It's just so great! I get inspired whenever I hear other people's stories about their lives. We recently discovered some Chinese/Taiwanese members and LOVED watching those - we could even understand a lot of what they were saying! My two favorites (yes, you should look them up even though there aren't any subtitles) are Kaiping the Taiwanese tour guide and this girls named Shi Ling? Something like that. She's a food and travel reporter in Taiwan and her "about me" says that she's "an extremely happy person." I can't describe how excited I am to serve the Taiwanese people! They seem so happy and polite and wonderful.

 

So, you might be wondering what my subject heading is all about. I learned a Chinese tongue twister (more like a way to demonstrate different tones): "Mama qi ma. Ma man. Mama ma ma." It means: "Mom rides the horse. The horse is slow. Mom scolds the horse." You need the tones to get the full effect (I've been practicing so I can say it to you next week), but isn't that crazy? It all sounds the same/looks the same, but the words all mean something different! More exciting news: I got my Chinese name! It's Wei (my last name) Bei Jia - translated it means "Bud" (like rose bud, or I like to connect it to the 'last flower falling' in Mulan) "Beautiful, good, happy, wonderful." Obviously I couldn't compain with a translation like that! The fun thing is that my teacher tried to match it up with our English names. So "Becca," "Bei Jia." Get it? I especially like that my whole name, "Wei Bei Jia" sounds like "Rebecca." It's just too perfect! Oh, funny story about my name really fast. When my teacher wrote my name on the board, she wrote the translation over it. The only thing is when she wrote "bud," it looked like "loud." I kind of ask a lot of questions and am a little talkative in class, so I got really worried for a second! But then it said "bud" and it was all good. :)

 

I really am doing so well - life is good in the MTC, and I have a feeling that life is going to get even better in a week! I'm still working on being more selfless - with okay results. I accidentally had a little Freudian slip last week with my teacher - she's switching districts because of her new class schedule, so I wrote her a note from the whole district. She loved it and explained that she would put it in her scripture case to remind her of us. My companion wasn't sure about what she had said, so I explained: "She's putting it in her scripture case so when she looks at it she'll be reminded of me.... I mean 'us.'" Oh, well - I've still got a while to work on that, right?

 

My other teacher, Mao Laoshi, said that we should work our hardest this week so we could "hit the ground running." I loved that analogy - I feel like I relate my experience with running and XC a lot to the mission - all about enduring and "no regrets." So, pray for me this week that I'll "hit the ground running!" I'll pray for all of you in return. Love to you all, and I'll talk to you next week!

 

Love,

Wei Bei Jia 

Sister Winters - December 27, 2011

Christmas here really was wonderful. I told you most of what went on in the email I sent a couple of days ago, but there are still a few things that I left out. It's a REALLY good thing that you and the family has been sending food, because Christmas Eve dinner was a hilarious disappointment - leftover pizza. I topped it off with some cereal afterwards. Even though it was kind of pathetic, I couldn't help but laugh - I feel like that night's dinner was just preparing me for whatever Taiwan will have in store for me a year from now. Monkey brains? Squid on a stick? Raw eel? Blood pudding? We'll just have to see. That night for our "prelude music" for our Christmas Eve devotional, we sang "The Twelve Days of Christmas - Missionary Style." It was super-cheesy, but also really fun - I made sure I wrote down the verses so I could share them with you:

On the first day of Christmas a missionary needs: a copy of the Book of Mormon
Two Heavy Bags
3 Meals a day
4 Referral calls
5 golden contacts
6 bowls of ice cream
7 sessions planning
8 teachers teaching
9 sisters singing
10 prayers of blessings
11 elders preaching
12 apostles speaking

Anyway, the verses were kind of funny, but the real hilarity came from the lady who was conducting - she was acting all of the verses out, and soon we couldn't help but act out right along with her. My companion always gets embarrassed really easily about these sorts of things, so of course I had to act out everything in a very exaggerated fashion and try and be as obnoxious as possible (again, maturity level isn't what it used to be) - she laughed, though, and we had a good time.

On Christmas after I wrote you, we watched an old MoTab concert with Syssel. It was good and she really does have a lovely voice, but I think she chose all of the slowest songs in the Christmas carol repertoire. By the end of it we wanted to settle down to a long winter's nap. I ate a quick sack dinner, and then got out my violin and played for a little bit! It was WONDERFUL. It had been too long, and I loved going through old pieces that I had played as well as running through some of the new Jenny Oaks Baker arrangements that Grandpa and Grandma had sent (thank you! They're wonderful!). We had a Christmas fireside with Elder Allen, one of the people in charge of Mr. Kreuger's Christmas, and then watched.... Mr. Kreuger's Christmas. I really do love that movie (even though the thought of a friendless and lonely old person makes me really sad every time), and the scene with the Christ child was particularly meaningful to me this year.

In further news, I'm officially leaving the MTC in two weeks from today. How crazy is that? I can't believe it! I'm trying to have an "English fast" every day and speak Chinese as often as possible - it's difficult and sometimes we get a little lazy, but the thought of not being able to express myself in two weeks is so terrifying that I'm resolved to work hard and make that not-being-able-to-talk-at-all period of time as short as possible. That being said, I'm really excited about going to Taiwan, and I'm really excited to go out and serve the people. And even though my Chinese isn't very sufficient in terms of fluency in the language, I know that I can teach and that I can bear my testimony of Jesus Christ and of His Church, and that's what's important, right? I'm also learning to really love the language as well - it just makes a lot of sense. For example, we found out the word for doughnut yesterday - it's tiantianquan, which literally translated means "sweet sweet circle." Then again, there are some things that don't make as much sense, such as the translation for owl, which is "cat head eagle." Terrifying.

Okay, spiritual thought time - this is from Elder Bednar's talk (and sorry if my notes on that were somewhat disjointed last email - the timer on the top righ-hand corner of this computer screen really is unnerving). He read from Matthew 4:2-12. , when Jesus was tempted by Satan. He fasted for forty days, and then was tempted over and over again by Satan. Exhausting, right? Then it says in verse 11 that angels came and ministered unto Him. I think that's reasonable - He must have really needed the support that they could have given Him. Well, there's a footnote in verse 11 that leads to a JST which tells us that "Jeseus knew that John was cast into prison, and he sent angels, and behold, they came and ministered unto him (John). " I never knew that! It was incredible, actually, to think of a time when Jesus would have most needed comfort, He sent angels to go and minister to John, because He knew that John was in trouble and needed help. I love that the Savior has given us such a perfect example - He always turned to help others when they needed it, regardless of His own needs. I know that He still does that today with our needs - that when we most need Him, His help is there. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Thank you everyone for your continual love and support! Have a great week - until next Tuesday!

Love,
Sister Rebecca Winters

Sister Winters - December 25, 2011 "It's a Christmas Miracle!"

Hello everyone, and Merry Christmas! It's been a fantastic day thus far - you'll hear all of the good stuff later in this email. First, though, I need to say thank you for all of the wonderful letters, home-baked treats, and presents that I received!  Dad, I'm just like you - I woke up somewhere between three and four this morning (5 or 6 Georgia time, so I think I'm still on my Georgia Christmas clock in that regard) super-excited about Christmas. Thankfully I was able to calm myself down enough to go back to sleep, but still... I love Christmas. The MTC was extremely nice and didn't schedule anything official until 9:30, so we pretty much had all morning to open presents, reminisce with roommates about Christmasses past, say a few prayers, and enjoy being alive. We also got to watch the MoTab broadcast this morning - they closed with the Hallelujah Chorus, which I feel like was a tender mercy just for me. I love that song so much, and it just made my morning to hear it with the organ, orchestra, and choir!

 

And now I'm emailing you! I thought that I'd be writing a letter, so this is much better than I expected! It's what my roommate would call "a Christmas mircale!" I've been trying to take account of the "Christmas Miracles" I've been having lately, and so I thought you might like to hear about twelve of them (in honor of the 12 days of Christmas, of course!):

 

1. Did you know that if you combine a package of cake mix with a can of diet coke and put it in the microwave for 8 minutes, you get a fluffy, homemade cake>? If you put chocolate frosting on top, you can't even tell the difference. THAT is a Christmas miracle! Dallin, thank you so much for your awesome gift - I loved the whole thing so much, but I think my roommates might've enjoyed the 8-minute-cale the best. :) I took it out of the microwave and it was like Christmas came early! It was so  incredibly thoughtful of you, and we really did love it so much. You're great - Merry Christmas (and I can't wait to hear about Jason - I've been praying for him )!

2. I was able to take out the seam of one of my two pairs of pants and then hem it with some non-sewing iron-on material. THAT was a miracle. :) My pants are so much longer now - I feel like I got a new pair!

3. Speaking of seams, I was wearing my lovely red coat in honor of the Christmas season yesterday. I love it, except there aren't any pockets - they're fake. Well, I put my hands up to the pockets and saw that part of the seam was coming out - I stuck my finger in, and there were pockets! I quickly took the whole seam out, and enjoyed keeping my hands warm in my new-found pockets. That was a Christmas miracle. 

4. At service yesterday, the person in charge was missing - we couldn't find him. So we went to work and started folding rags for about 20 minutes. I got to do my favorite service job on Christmas Eve! It was a Christmas miracle.

5. We got back from service and found out that gym was cancelled, thus allowing me to work on some things (such as Christmas miracles #2 and #3) and finish planning our lesson which we were previously not completely prepared for. The lesson went well, and both that and the extra time we had to plan it were a Christmas miracle.

6. When I went to get my favorite soup for lunch yesterday, I looked into the cracker bin and saw only ONE package of crackers left - it was like it was left there just for me! Another Christmas miracle.

7. We haven't been able to listen to music here, but we can go on lds.org. I was online yesterday and saw that there's a link off of lds.org where you can stream the "Mormon Channel" Christmas music! It was on lds.org, so I thought it was okay. I was a little disappointed at first that I hadn't done that every day of December, but when my productivity of my language study declined as I happily listened to Christmas music, my attitude changed and I was grateful that I was productive during the month of December. Still, finding that extra bit of music on Christmas Eve was a Christmas miracle.

8. The ribbon that came with another elder in our district's bag of popcorn that someone sent him perfectly matched the wrapping paper that I'm using to make my Chinese Book of Mormon case with. :) Christmas miracle.

9. The Christmas Eve devotional we had last night was in the same format and style of the ones we have at home, which was really nice. They also had someone play a Jenny Oaks Baker arr. of Silent Night, which soothed my soul. :) We got to watch A Christmas Carol (which was surprisingly good and slightly creepy in some parts) and then read that book, Christmas Day in the Morning - it's by Pearl S. Buck though and we read it each year, about the barn) with my roommates! Our branch president's wife had it and let us borrow it. The whole evening was so nice, and such a Christmas miracle.

10. I had sacrament meeting with Elder David A. Bednar from the quorum of the twelve apostles today. THAT has been one of the greatest Christmas miracles of all. He talked about the character of Christ - how Jesus in every instance of anguish or sorrow, He fought the natural man impulse to turn inward, and instead turned outward. He always did this - that's why it was part of His character (character needs to be consitently lived in order for it to be part of your character). It was an especial delight to hear Elder Bednar refer to the natural man as the Cookie Monster and do impersonations of him over the pulpit - he definitely got his point across! Elder Bednwar also talked about conversion - that conversion is CONSISTENTLY being true to what you know. He said that we need to pay the prioce to obtain our own conversion. Conversion is turning away from the natural man -it's having the character of Christ because you're converting to Him. He promised us that we'll notice that we're converted in our own service when we quit worrying about the natural man. "Repent" can be replaced with "turn to the Lord" - so when we're calling people to repentance, we're asking them to turn to the Lord, to be converted in Him. Pretty cool, right? I also gained some more very clear insight on questions that I've been thinking about for the past few weeks. Losing yourself in the service = having the character of Christ. The grace of Jesus Christ enables us and allows us to do good and to become better. However, you can't focus on the blessings that you want to receive, because if you do, you won't get them. You need to lose yourself in order to find yourself. And with the help of the grace of Jesus Christ, we'll eventually be able to develop His character. Very gradually. It was a beautiful, beautiful talk - one that I know I'll always look back to as one that's changed my life. It was a Christmas miracle.

11. Having lunch with my brother, being there with him and opening our stockings together was a little miracle - I loved it. I think my favorite part was having both of our eyes well up with tears as we tried to express the things that both of us had learned from an apostle of the Lord earlier that day. We knew that even though we missed our families, we wouldn't have been able to hear that fantastic talk unless we were missionaries. And we knew that's where we were supposed to be.

12. The greatest Christmas miracle of all is the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I love Him and I am so very grateful to be His personal representative every day, every hour, and every minute for the next 16 months. May we all strive every day to look to Him, to become more like Him, and to recognize the "Christmas miracles" that we receive every day - be it big or small - because of His birth, His life, and His Gospel.

 

Love,

Sister Rebecca Winters

Sister Winters - December 19, 2011 Christmastiiiiiiiiiiime is heeeeeeeeere!

I'm very, very excited for Christmas. We got our schedule - it looks like we'll be watching a couple Christmas movies (hopefully It's A Wonderful Life!), watching the Syssel/MoTab broadcast, watching Music and the Spoken Word, having a devotional, and having sacrament meeting with a general authority! Can't wait. Oh, and we also get to write our families on Christmas, so you can expect a couple of letters from me this week! Hooray. The snow is finally starting to stick here, so it's even starting to look like Christmas - pretty fun! You asked about the music - still a little bit of a lack of Christmas music, but I watched the Music and the Spoken Word broadcast this past week and it was awesome! I especially loved listening to Jane Seymour recite the Christmas story - it reminded me of watching The Scarlet Pimpernel. :) Oh, Daniel and I were also able to bring in the Christmas spirit by SINGING IN DEVOTIONAL this past Sunday! It was so much fun to sing with him - I didn't even get very nervous (although both of our hands were really tingly and we couldn't feel anything afterwards)! It was a little weird to be performing with my voice as opposed to piano or violin, but it was great. And SO wonderful to be doing it with Daniel! When the person conducting announced that we were brother and sister you could just hear the titters throughout the whole audience - so fun. Oh, and it's been a huge confidence boost afterwards, too - people will literally yell at me across courtyards to tell me that I did an amazing job at the fireside! This past week I hit a little hump with Chinese, so don't worry - the pride and humility is equalling itself out. :) One more thing about the fireside - they sang "A Child's Prayer" for the opening song - Daniel and I were singing our family's harmonies when everyone was singing together. I LOVED it! It was like singing with the whole family again. I love you all so much.

So no more funny service moments this week, but I do have a story that's somewhat related. There's a new gym at the MTC that's opened up, so my companion and I went over there to check it out. It was pretty nice - a bunch of machines with TVs that play church movies and conference talks. Well, I went to wipe it down with some spray and paper towels that they had, and guess what? It was the POISON stuff! Again, kills AIDS and every other virus you can think of, and you're supposed to wash yourself for 15-20 minutes if it gets in contact with your skin at all! I'm pretty sure that the MTC staff doesn't read the labels, because there's no way that we should be handling that stuff without gloves.

Shout-out to Anna - happy birthday this week, my friend! You're awesome and I love you.

A couple of you have mentioned that I haven't talked about my companion lately. Don't worry - I love her more than ever. I wrote this little entry in my journal last week that'll hopefully give you a better idea of what she's like and why she's so loveable. Disclaimer: she would have me tell you that she's really not as crazy as she seems in this, but these are indeed direct quotes:

"My companion really likes clothes. Loves shopping, loves clothes, and as she walways says, she goes with 'quantity over quality,' because she easily tires of her outfirst. It's been fun to see her on a mission as she's already gotten sick of her clothes, so not she puts together more... unusual... outfits. She knows that she looks a little unorthodox, so she's compensated by making som hilarious descriptions/personalities associated with some of her more original ones. Here are som of my favorites:
-*Middle part with two small braids going back/ruffly blouse*: "Jiemei, I look like such a medieval princess right now."
-*Bright yellow cardigan/bright red skirt*: "Man, you need condiments with that? Get your ketchup and mustard right here!"
-*Pink blouse, pencil skirt, and red scarf with white polka dots:* "Jiemei, be honest with me - do I look too much like a stewardess right now?"
-*Same outfit:* "Well, I feel like a Disneyland museum tour guide right now. 'Hey everyone, you can call me Minnie! *wink*"
-*Blue denim blouse/Indian wap skirt with crazy fish patterns on it:* "I feel like a 40-year-old woman in New Mexico who's obsessed with Southwestern art..."

She's SO funny! She always says the most bizarre/awesome things. One more example: we were walking outside and it was super gray and misty, and she said, "Man, it's like dementor weather out here..." So you can pretty much rest assured that I'm having the time of my life with her. I really hope we're companions in the field.

Okay, last thought and then I have to go. Sorry that it's a little bit of a repeat - I promise I have some more different ideas about it. Anyway, it's more about losing yourself. I think one of the ways to lose yourself is to focus on the moment - you can't focus on the future (even things like leaving the MTC or your future investigators too much) and be focused on the NOW simultaneously. And you need to focus on the now in order to really show people that you love them and to teach them effectively. Now this doesn't mean that I don't have to plan like the rest of the misssionaries - I know that planning is indeed central to the whole mission process, but I'm really trying to focus on the now. So Mom, you asked me if I'm getting antsy about the MTC and want to leave - my answer is that I'm trying not to. :) I'm really trying to focus on what I can do now, on making every day my best. Because it's when I do that that my future will be awesome, because I'll be prepared to be the best that I can be by doing my best every day. I was talking with a couple of the sisters the other day and we talked about some of our "perfect moments" we've had - whether it be doing something really amazingly fun like a surprise trip to NYC or whether it's doing something you love, like talking to your friends and your family. Well, all of these perfect moments had something in common - they all came from just focusing on that moment. In order to make my mission the best that it can be, I'm going to try and better focus on every moment! One last thing about this, then I really have to go - the Savior talks about this as well. I was reading His Sermon on the Mount today (love it), and He tells us not to take any thought for the morrow. I didn't really notice that before - I think that instead of meaning for us not to plan our future, He meant for us to focus on the now, so that we can enjoy the beauties of life now, and be better equipped for the future.

I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior, and I love Him. I'm so grateful to be able to wear His name for the next year and a half and to take this time to celebrate His birth and His entire life. I love Him and I love all of you - Merry Christmas!

Love,
Sister Winters

PS - I came up with a sprirtual analogy that's totally general authority status. It'll have to wait until next time.

Sister Winters - December 13, 2011 Healthy helpings of humble pie

Okay, so this week's highlight.... DANIEL CAME! It's been so awesome having him here - I love it! It was all I could do to wait a few hours for when his class had a break on his first day so that I could go and give him a huge hug. We've been doing that pretty frequently - even in the lunch room! The MTC is working its magic, though, because I feel awkward pretty much every time - I keep on telling myself that I won't be awkward when I get back, but at this rate, it'll definitely happen for at least a few days (sorry in advance). Oh, anyway, Daniel - it's really funny because the MTC has tons of rules about boy/girl interaction (of course) - normally I think those are a good idea, but it's been a little more irritating when you just want to spend time with your brother but you can't... we had to get permission to run together on the track in the gym, for crying out loud! Speaking of the gym, I thought it was myself who was perpetuating the idea that I'm more immature in the MTC... wrong. Daniel and I played 4 square together for the first time (for me) yesterday, and someone dove for the ball, and... they took the ball away because someone dove for it! I officially have gone downhill from feeling like I'm in high school and now feel like I'm in kindergarten again. :) Oh, one more thing about Daniel - THANK YOU FOR THE PACKAGE YOU SENT WITH HIM! It completely made my day to see all of the awesome stuff you sent (we even had nutella in our room to go with the bread - yum!), and I felt so, so, so loved. Thank you.

 

Okay, now about this email's title. Just a disclaimer - this is not supposed to be a "pity me" email in any way, shape, or form. This is just a funny thing that's happened this week and I want to share it with all of you. So the new missionaries came this week... and they all speak Chinese way better than me! I'd say a year on average (college-level, too) - it's a disaster. And it's my fault, too! You want to know why? Because I've been praying to be more humble AND more charitable this week - and then these guys were all sent over here to test me. It's working, but I'm happy to say that there have been at least a couple of instances where I've come out on top. Both of these experiences involve a certain Elder F. He's taken THREE YEARS of Chinese, and delights in using phrases that I don't know at all. He also has this wonderful expression of smugness and self-satisfaction that clearly indicates that he KNOWS that he's using words that I don't know. Example: I'm the ward music coordinator, so I was visiting all of the new missionaries to see if they played anything. Elder F said "Datiqin" with a grin on his face. I THANKFULLY had studied musical terms only the week before, so I calmly said, "Oh, cello? Awesome." For a brief instant the mask of smugness was gone, and in its place was a look that expressed his frank surprise (and, I imagined, disappointment) that I knew what he was saying. Obviously I haven't quite reached my goal of patience OR humility quite yet, but I feel proud of myself for resisting the impulse to point and yell, "HA!" after I foiled his little plan to make me look dumb (just so you all know, I'm exaggerating a little bit. But only slightly.).

 

I've only got three minutes and I need to write about my spiritual thought! Okay, Sister Dibb (President Monson's daughter) came and spoke to us at RS - she talked about her dad for most of the time, and it was so sweet. I'll send you stuff about it in my letter to you. Main spiritual thought - yesterday I was doing an activity in PMG for personal study under "using time wisely" about where I want to be at the end of my mission. One of the questions in "What do you want to have become?" and I answered, "lost in the service of those whom I teach and love." Now Mom, I know that you've always told me how that's been the best part of your mission experience, but "losing myself" has honeslty always scared me a little bit. I like who I am, and although I want to improve and become better, I'm scared about the personality I know and love and that it'll change (thanks for your letter about that - it was great to hear your comforting words). I also feel like my family and those that I love are an intrinsic part of who I am, and I don't want to lose contact with them in order to "lose myself!" But as I pondered the meaning of those words, I got a little bit of inspiration about it... at least inspiration for me (you all probably knew this and it took me a long time just to figure it out). Here's an excerpt from my journal about it. "I think I've always thought of losing yourself as losing your identity and losing those you care about in order to serve, but I don't think that's it. It's more like becoming so good and so obedient that you become a complete instrument in the Lord's hands, so that He can use you for whatever purpose He wants to. So it's not like I'm losing myself, Rebecca Winters, and all other personality traits and loved ones associated with that name. Instead, I'm Rebecca Winters, and BECAUSE of my distinct set of personality traits, talents, and people whom I love, I'm more equipped to become even better, to lose my SINGLE self in the work as I work WITH God to bring people closer to Him. It's like that scripture - "He who abaseth himself will be exalted," or, in my case, "She who will humbleth herself and tries to become more Christlike as she follows God's will exactly will be made greater and even better as God works WITH her." Or like Ammon says when he boasts in God, he knows that it's WITH God that he can do all things. He's lost himself by working with God, but he is now greater and can accomplish more. Awesome."

 

Okay, way over time, but I just loved learning about that! I feel so blessed, and so happy. I hope you all feel the same. I love you!

 

Love,

Sister Winters

 

PS - Morgan Crockett, you were awesome in Men's Chorus! I loved the concert and totally made a fool of myself trying to get you to see me. That's all.

Sister Winters - December 6, 2011 Happy St. Nicholas Day!

So, as the title suggests, we still celebrated St. Nicholas day here in the MTC! It's made me happy that even after leaving home four years ago, I've still been able to bring a little more Christmas joy into my friends' lives by that simple tradition. Yesterday one of the Hermana roommates was having a rough time, but when she found out about St. Nicholas day and how St. Nicholas had stopped by the store earlier that day to buy a few Christmas treats for the shoes, she was delighted! So fun. I took some pictures to commemorate the event - hopefully you'll enjoy all of those. :)

Chinese! Chinese is going well. I'm still pretty nervous to be the "older generation" starting this week (my companion and I said we'll just say "Ni hao" really fast to impress the younger generation... except for Daniel), so we'll see how that goes. I hit a rut last week with memorizing words, so I decided to memorize the baptism commitment instead. It went really well, so I ended up memorizing the First Vision account instead! It's still quite slow with a lot of "uhhhs" in between, but I've got it! Kind of fun. Since it was only our generation in church last Sunday, we all ended up bearing our testimony with some time still to spare! I think I made a pretty bad mistake - I'm pretty sure I said "I'm grateful that we celebrate Christmas so we can FORGET Christ's birth" instead of "I'm grateful that we celebrate Christmas so we can REMEMBER Christ's birth." Whoops. My branch president didn't say anything, so either my Chinese was so bad that he couldn't understand me anyway, or I didn't say it after all.

Winter is officially here and it is COLD! It's good, though - definitely wakes me up whenever I have to go outside. Like I said before, I'm really glad that we were able to watch the Christmas devotional - thus far, I feel like the MTC presidency has kind of been like, "Christmas? Huh? What are you talking about? We don't celebrate Christmas this early, or else you'll be trunky!" But the fireside was great. I think one of my favorite parts was listening to President Uchtdorf talk about his story with the candles - I laughed so hard! I was also reminded of our beauutiful candles on our tree at home, which made me happy. It's also been fun to think about Jerusalem memories over again when I think of Christmas and the life of Jesus Christ - I'm so incredibly grateful that i had that experience.

Okay, saving the spiritual things (aka the best things) for last. SO, I read a super-amazing talk (actually several talks, but this one was my favorite) last week by President Eyring called "Rise to Your Call." It definitely applies to all callings, but I loved reading it while thinking about missionary work. Here's one of my favorite passages: "The Lord will not only magnify the power of your efforts. He will work with you Himself. His voice to four missionaries, called through the Proophet Joseph Smith to a dificult task, gives courage to everyone He calls in His kingdom: "And I myself will go with them and be in their midst; and I am their advocate wih the Father, and nothing shall prevail against them." Because the Savior is a resurrected and glorified being, He is not physically with ever one of His servants at every moment. But He is perfectly aware of them and their circumstance and able to intervene with His power. That is why He can promise you: Whoso recceiveth you, there will I be also, for I will go vefore your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

So powerful, right? I loved it. Something else in my remaining 7 minutes - last night we had an awesome lesson on teaching with the Spirit. We learned about the central role it has in conversion and then tried to really follow it when we taught each other last night. Mom - thank you for your insight about "teaching with the Spirit." I shared it in class, and it fit in perfectly with what we were talking about! Anyway, teaching. Normally, we immature missionaries try to be as obnoxious as possible when we're the investigators. Thus far I've been a Southern baptist who complains about not being able to listen to rock n roll music or shouting "Hallelujah!" or "AMEN!" in the "Mormon church," a pagan who worships the gods that allow her to plant her crops, give her rain, etc., and a Messianic Jew who believes that Christ was the Messiah, but never really broke away from my Jewish ways. Other examples from other missionaries include those who have only read 1 Nephi ch. 1 verse 1 every day and someone who is 20 and recently divorced "with no kids... thankfully." Our teacher asked us to be a little more reverent this time so that we could really try and listen to the Spirit. Well, it worked! Both my companion and I felt the Spirit directing what we were supposed to do when we taught each other last night - it was very powerful. Then my teacher shared this insight about this scripture that I wanted all of you to hear: it's 1 Nephi 10:19. "For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost..." I've always thought of that scripture applying to me, but my teacher pointed out that we as missionaries are supposed to teach the elect, those that are "diligently seeking," and we aren't teaching them ourselves, but "by the power of the Holy Ghost," and then "the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them" as we teach. So cool, right?! I loved it.

I know that this church is true, and I know that I'm supposed to be a missionary right now. I miss all of you and love you so much, but I really do know this is where I'm supposed to be. Have a wonderful week! You'll be in my prayers, as always.

Love,
Sister Winters