Drum roll please.

After two short changes as a zone leader I.....

Have been transferred.

To Callao.

To Train.

WOOOOO!!!!!!

Hahahahaha you should be happy and not scared!!! Because my sector and my companion are really awesome!!!

Well....this week has been interesting to say the least.

So Monday night, we get the call for transfers. And to my surprise I was one of the few that had a transfer!!!

They told me I'd be heading to Callao, and I'd be finishing the training of Elder Castillo!

So Tuesday morning I grabbed my bags (They were still packed since we had moved earlier that morning) and headed out!

I'll be honest. I wasn't too keen on coming back to Callao. Less so when I knew it was the heart of the city...but I've got to admit. Coming back felt like coming home!

Everyone here knows the missionaries, and the majority respect them. Which means I always hear some form of "Hey Elders"! "How're you doing"?

Also. The work is moving faster here than in any other sector I've ever been in.

We've had a solid 25 lessons planned out this past week (as a point of reference in any other sector (Even Rimac) I only got to about 15 (Maranga was the worst with like 5 a week)). We find new investigators every day! It's great!!!

Also my new house is awesome!!! It's like....100 years old....but it's way big, and actually pretty clean (from a mission apartment standpoint. Not a United States standpoint).

So far that's about all I could tell you.....We live above a market in a street called Colon. It always smells like dead chicken.

Hahahaha so that's my life right now!!!

We're currently working with a couple named Mario and Marina. They're going to get married the 7th and baptized the 14th. We hope.

And there's a convert of 10 months in this sector! He's awesome! Elder Tasker (an elder who was in the MTC with me) baptized him. He's awesome, and leaves with us to preach like 3 or 4 times a week, despite the fact he's like 50 and has a full time job.

So, I'm great! The work's going great. And I'll leave you all with the recommend to read Elder Holland's talk 'Because of your Faith'.

I absolutely loved it.

Much love,

Elder Winn

Goodbye to a good friend, Elder Bates.

And Hello to my new companion, Elder Castillo!

Here's a scenic view from my new house.....oh wait....what's that?

Where we study.

Also the bathroom's gross. I'm well aware.

Big fridge. Entrance and Couches!

Kitchen

New bedroom

Oh.....This is what Europe is like....

Well, unfortunately this week’s subject line has to do with this week’s key indicators.....They were awful European.

I honestly have walked more this past week than I have any other week in my life!!!.....although it’s good exercise I suppose.

I can't really tell you about any great lessons or anything....although I can share with you one of those treasured "I can't believe that actually happened" moments.

- We were on our way to visit a less active family, when up ahead in the street we see two gentlemen having a heated discussion one in a wheelchair, and one with crutches....As we get closer, we still can't make out what they're saying, but it's apparent that the man in the wheelchair has had enough, and is now trying to run the man with crutches down.....and....oh wait....the man with crutches seems to realize he's got a much longer reach than the paraplegic....In horror we watch the man with the broken leg place his crutch on the paraplegic's chest, laugh like a madman, and push him over....We run over, help the man up, and before we can get a word out, the man we have just helped out has picked up a shard of glass and is going in for round two.........I'm pretty sure someone called the police.

So that was fun......

Jorge continues preparing for his baptism, which will now be taking place the 30th of this month! Woo!!!

We're currently working with Gisella and her family (they couldn't come to church this week, because Gisella and one of the kids were sick). With Danika (who unfortunately slept in this week, and also couldn't make it to church and with Claudio (who's really cool, and I would tell you more, but we don't really know him that well).....

We're currently in the process of weeding out true investigators from "investigators". So we're not in houses that much as of late.

But things are still going well!!!

Other than that, this week we moved into our new house!!! I'll try to send photos!!!!

#1-3 New apartment--It's the 3rd floor, with the spiral staircase!!! It's great

#5  I had the opportunity to go back and visit the Reyes family today!!! They're still doing great!!!

#6-7  We have Star Wars shirts in our zone.  Be jealous!

I'm doing great and still loving the work!!! I love you all!!!

Well let's start off with a cool experience.   

*Rewind a week and a half to the run down gas station in our sector*

*a very white looking couple enters the gas station*

Me: "Woah....they look like gringos!"

Villarroel: "They are, I've heard the man talk in English before"

Me: "Let’s go talk to them"!

Villarroel: "no way, I'm not going to understand anything they say"

Me: "Well whatever I'm going in to see if they speak English"

*Missionaries enter into the gas station*

*hears pure Spanish*

Me: "aww, they don't speak English"

*Missionaries leave the gas station*

*White(ish) woman quickly follows suit*

White(ish) Woman: "Hey......uhh....could you two....uhh.....I don't know how to say this...."

White(ish) Man: "Well uhh......we were wondering if you two could come to our house and tell us a little about religion....Quite frankly we'd just about given up on organized religion....but we felt we should talk to you two".

*Missionaries smile at each other*

*fast forward a week and a half*

Missionaries: ......."So that's what you two need to do to have an eternal family"

Gisella & Cesar: “Sounds perfect! We're in!"

So......that was awesome. Sometimes sharing the gospel is as easy as wanting to hear two people speak your native language.

Hahahahaha really though! Gisella and Cesar are amazing!!!! They'll be coming to church this week and (fingers crossed) now have the goal of entering into a temple to be sealed about year and a month from now!!!

One just never quite tires of miraculous experiences....

Let’s see.....what else...

Danika is progressing! In case I have never mentioned her before, Danika is a reference we received from her nieces in LA, California about a month ago! She's studying to be a vet, and is super smart! She believes in God and wants to live according to His desires, so it's a good start!

Lately she's been devouring anything we leave her to read and looks forwards to our visits! She's great!

In other news.....I don't know why I didn't eat pineapple in the states. Like....I didn't know you could just buy one and eat it.....and then repeat the process. Pineapple is amazing.

Also I would like to know are the following fruits available to you guys?

-Prickly pear

-Custard apple

-Soursop

-Granadilla

-Passionfruit

-Starfruit

I love all of those and will miss them dearly if you can't find them back home.

Hahaha we've found a new house and will be moving in.....sometime.....hahahaha

So.....the missionary life carries on!!! I'm loving the service and am doing great!!!

Love you all!!!

This week I certainly noted the biggest change in me since I started my mission.

I can stay awake during all 4 sessions of general conference. (and I enjoy it!)

Hahahaha really though, I loved general conference!!!  I realized that I was watching it for the 4th and final time on my mission. Elder Holland took the prize for 1st place talk (not like it's a competition or anything).

I love the fact that this gospel believes in giving credit just for trying. That God is so willing to forgive us for anything and everything, just so that we can keep progressing.

Aside from general conference, this has been a fairly boring week!

First off.....I don't know if I ever told you about Jorge.

Jorge is a 60 year old gentleman who always sat in the back of the sacrament meeting. He didn't talk to many people. Just sat, listened, partook of the sacrament, and went his way after the meeting......Well, about 7 weeks ago I asked Elder Tonga who he was, I think his exact words were:

"He's the old guy who always comes....I don't know where he lives".

After asking around the bishop finally told us that he had been coming for several years but that he didn't know his name.....where he lived...or what ward he came from.

So we asked HIM. His words were:

"I'm Jorge, I've been investigating the church for a few years now. I want to see a baptism".

We told him we could arrange that, but that we would have to visit him. He politely declined.....several times.

Fast forward a few weeks.

While proselyting in our sector we come across Jorge! He says "Ahh.....you found me......yeah, I live in the blue house over there".....after visiting him a week or two, and taking him to Elizabeth's baptism, he said "wow, that baptism was great. I'll get baptized the 16th".

So that was cool.

Also Jessica the sister of a recent convert will be getting baptized the 16th....so that's cool!!!

I'll tell you a bit about her story next week!!!

This has been a week of ups and downs, but overall I'm really happy!!! I'm loving the mission and loving just about everything about it!!!

I love you all very much!  -Elder Winn