Serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Tuesday, March 26, 2013




well, i dont really feel like emailing this week but here it goes.

hey family,

well this week has not been much better then the last one. i am trying to turn over a new leaf in my mission. that on top of coming into an area where we don't know anyone, have two missionaries move into our apartment and make the living conditions less bearable and having to worry about if we are going to eat from day to day. im just going to say it, I have not been having fun. I really feel like shiz..... at the end of the book of ether. As though everybody is out to get me.

Anyways, my companion and i have nonetheless been working hard with the one family we have here that lets us come over and we now have two awesome investigators who are the nicest and most attentive of all my investigators yet. They already said they want to get baptized and we are just starting to work with another of their family members, so it is going great. I guess you could consider that the silver lining.

We went to the natural history museum yesterday and got to see all the giant dinosaur skeletons and other stuff so it was nice. I have been trying to find all the stuff we can do on pdays for free so i can let off a little stress by walking around and exploring. I will send some photos.

Monday, March 18, 2013

hey there family and friends!

It always makes me so happy to hear the news from home. i know a lot of the times my letters don't have all the responses to your questions or comments but i still read and enjoy them. :)

this week has been a crazy one. we have been trying hard to get the work in our area going but due to some things happening in the mission we had to go up to the mission home a bunch, so we haven't had much of a chance to work. I should be going up again today for the last time, president just wants to ask me some questions. soo, because of all that we have been kinda stressed out and decided today we needed a little break. We went on a field trip to the California science center! it was tons of fun and really did feel like a field trip some times cause there were so many groups there to tag along with haha. We got to see lots of stuff including a sea life exhibit and the space shuttle endeavor. it was awesome! i made sure to take lots and lots of pictures because i almost always forget. it was really close too. just right across the road like less than a block away! admission was free but to go see the endeavor cost 2 bucks. totally worth it tho.

Anyways, we are still having a cramped house while they are figuring out what to do with the other elders so it has been tough. It has been a real challenge for the past weeks so please keep praying for me. It is a lot of stress opening a new area as well as being a district leader. These past couple days must be my refiners fire just before the final stretch. i just hope it gets easier or i get better at it soon.


My ward seems very nice, we don't have many members in our area, making it a lot of less active work and tracting.

Well, i gotta run cause i don't have much time left but i love you all and hope you have a great week.

Love, Elder Channing Winterrose

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Dear family and friends,

Well this week has been extra crazy. My new companion Elder Stinson is awesome. He is from Alabama and has been out for just a year. We are opening a new area called Cimarron. We are the newest edition to the ward with now 11 missionaries. (4 companionships and one trio) It seems like a lot for a small ward but there is definitely work to do.

My district is not large and it has us, one other companionship of elders and a pair of Visitor's Center sisters.  They seem like a great bunch and i am happy to serve them.  The area that we are working in has many challenges including not having any ward directory or map to work with, and not a lot of people to visit.  Today i don't have much time because i have to do service.

Because they were replacing palomino and me with sister missionaries, we had to get rid of a lot of stuff in the apartment and we also had to visit my recent convert for a last time, so we didn't have much time to really clean the apartment. President Baker decided to call us in to do service for our p-day instead of going back to the apartment and finishing cleaning the next day like they told us the rule was. soo long story short it is going to be a day short pressed for time.

We also had some surprises of our own when we arrived to our new apartment, as we were unpacking we realized we had no fridge or oven in our kitchen. luckily after many phone calls we had one delivered later that night. Along with that, Sunday night we got a phone call telling us that we will be receiving two new additions to our home.  The English elders. After some gang activity going on near their street, President decided they needed a new temporary place to stay.

One has been out for 6 months and is training the other who just got here. it is super cramped now and let's just say i love being hospitable but i hope this is extra temporary.  :) The experience has reminded me that if you want someone to change you have to invite and set an example and they use their agency to follow (rather than order and boss around). It helps me to keep myself in check because i never want do that. I would hate to be the district leader people remember as a tyrant.

We are going to continue working hard to find more people and get some investigators.

well, i love you all so much and i hope you keep the gospel your priorities.

Elder Channing Winterrose

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Hey family!

well this week has been a rather crazy one and i am a little short on time this week cause i have some packing to do.  Long story short we got our call last night and I am getting transferred to the Los Angeles 6th ward, opening a new area as district leader with my new companion being elder Stinson. it is called the Cimmaron area and i have no idea where it is so far except that it is south of the LA 3rd ward i started in. Also, elder palomino is getting transfered out so this area is also getting whitewashed.

....By Sister Missionaries....

soooo i will have a lot of cleaning and packing to do to take my apartment from terrestrial to celestial status. hence the short letter.

Yesterday morning we got to go to do temple cleaning as a zone.  Since i missed my last opportunity 6 months ago because of transfers it has been a year since the last time i went. I enjoyed it a lot. We had the task of vacuuming the Sealing rooms as well as cleaning the carpets in the garden room. The paintings are sooo amazing in there. it was a great chance to get a close look and really appreciate them.

I have a lot of people here in this ward who i am going to miss very much and i was thinking it would be cool to be able to come visit them before school. Mom, i don't know if you got my ticket to Hawaii yet, but i was thinking maybe you could have like a 3 or 4 day layover in Los Angeles. if you can and i could visit a bunch of people down here. I mean, if i am flying down here to connect to hawaii anyways it could work out. plus i have a bunch of friends down here who i could stay with for a few nights. one being the cordovas, they always have an extra couch. :)

Anyways, Sunday i received a bright surprise! My recent convert, the one who just got baptized in January and went on her mini mission, came and told me her mom and dad were getting married this week and they are getting baptized in like 2 weeks! I am soo happy. :) I will be going to their baptism and i am super excited for it.

I have seen many many blessings this month and i am super excited for the progress that has happened and i just really really hope that the sisters who take over the area can keep it going.

Next week i will send pictures of my companion and the people we get to visit.

Mom keep your chin up it's all going to pay off.
Dad, I love you and know you're the best dad anyone could have. Those kids are lucky to have a coach like you.
Brothers, It goes without saying but behave and have fun. :)

I love you all,
Elder Channing Winterrose