Week 9

I'm forgetting all my song titles...! I'll try again next week

A Pretty Flower

Baptism this week!
Joseph is the one standing next to me.
Leonard is next to Elder Brewer

Hey hey hey! It's me again!

Another one of the baptism.

This week has been a busy week! We were making final preparations for Joseph and Leonard to be Baptized this week, as well as getting five others ready to go for next week! In the picture below you can see us at the Baptismal service yesterday. It was so awesome. I baptized Joseph (standing next to me). He's a great young man who was introduced to us by a friend. Leonard (standing next to Elder Brewer) cooks pork at the pub across the street from the church. His story is actually pretty interesting. He liked us and our message at first, but seemed to be lacking enthusiasm. By some kind of miracle we found him a Book of Mormon in his native tongue of French and his whole vibe changed. We see miracles so much in the mission field, I can't even explain it!

I have been pretty grateful for everything this week as back in the USA it was Black Friday! Er, I mean: Thanksgiving! I am super grateful for all of the blessings I see in my life as a missionary. We live really well here, and though it's nothing like life in America, Life is really good here.Thanksgiving is not a holiday here in Uganda, but Elder Brewer and I were still able to pull of a little bit of a celebration! Pictured below you see our feast of Cube Steaks with Biscuits and Gravy. I made Biscuits, and using the fat from the meat Elder Brewer fried up I made some gravy as well. We put it all together into a very nice Thanksgiving feast! It doesn't look like much, but we were stuffed afterword. I think it's because we don't eat that much meat here, so cooking up a half kilo of hamburger between us seemed like a ton!

Thanksgiving Dinner!
 Cube steaks with biscuits and gravy.
Elder Brewer made the Cube Steaks and
 I made Biscuits and Gravy!

For the most part the teaching this week has been pretty normal. However, there was one notable lesson worth telling you guys about! It all started with a nice lady named Passy. Passy invited us in and sent her daughter off to grab us a couple of Coke's. We talked happily until she got back with the drinks. When we asked the daughter if she would like to stay she kind of got a look of fear in her eyes and graciously declined. We thought that was funny. We got into the discussion and realized why....

 Our Scotty's (Security Guards) looking especially intimidating.
 We knocked on the compound gate and the one on the left answered
with his home-brew bow and arrow in hand and ready for action!

Passy (being a preacher herself...Baptist I think?) was pretty much just interested in arguing and proving to us that she had already found what was right for her. We couldn't hardly get a word in so after about an hour of getting roasted by Passy we kindly ended the appointment and got out of there. I can't even rightfully describe how this appointment went, so I'll let that suffice. It was an interesting and fun one though. Great learning experience.

Anyway, I am loving my adventures here in Uganda and I hope you all are enjoying life as much as I am. Have a wonderful week!

-Elder Winn

Foggy day.

Week 8

Whoa-oa-oa! Listen to the music. (All the Time!)

Kids fetching water way out in the bush

Hey everybody!

A guy buying Grasshoppers to eat

I am so happy to say that the internet is actually working half decent this week! I seriously love being in Uganda, it is such a great place to serve! I got to eat Grasshoppers this week! They taste kind of like potato chips!

I think I've briefly mentioned this before, but something I have found surprising about Uganda (at least Kampala and the surrounding areas) is the constant blaring music! Almost every little street stand has a great big speaker system complete with some booming sub-woofers. About 60% of it is American Pop/Hip-Hop (Justin Bieber is Huge here), and the other 40% is a very interesting Ugandan local music I will describe later, with the occasional exception of a local American Country Music station weaving through the air. 

You would think that this would be heaven for a music-lover like me, but the sad thing is that I have never been a fan of the very stuff people adore here! I am learning to tolerate it though. I'll admit that hearing Justin Bieber sing Despacito for the millionth time almost made me happy for a minute! Boy am I going to appreciate my Record Collection when I get back! If I am really lucky I'll hear one of my old favorites, not very often though. Rock is really rare here.

A Boda loaded up with Jackfruits. 

Now as for that special Ugandan breed of music:

There is really no description... It is like a strange mix of Reggae/island music, Hip-Hop, and Dubstep. Sometimes it is rapping/singing in the local language of Luganda. Now they like to throw in weird elements of other music at random. I even heard some Pedal Steel guitar thrown in one! It's weird.

Eating pork with brother Evander

The work out here is pretty routine. I see so many miracles every day, I could never fit them all into an email each week. One highlight for me this week (while we are on the fitting topic of music) was as follows:

There is a little shop across the street from our compound. As we headed out the other morning I saw a guy sitting on the bench in front of it playing a guitar. He was the brother of the shop owner, and he gladly let me play it for a minute. I grabbed a used Air-Tel Airtime card off the ground to use as a guitar pick. It made me super happy to just take a minute and strum away. The guy was amazed, he acted like he had never heard the blues! (He probably hadn't)

Anyway, It's been a really good week for me. Time is flying by so fast! I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving! I am truly grateful for all the blessings I have both here in Uganda, and at home in the US. I am especially grateful for the relationships I have with all of you. 

Have a spectacular week!

Week 7

The internet here is fake!

 Hey guys,

I've got to keep it short this week!

The internet failed on us yesterday so I have just a short time to give you all an update. Why does the internet have to be so fake on Mondays?

To make you guys miss me less I attached a photo of me next to the cow in front of our apartment! There is also a fun one of a Boda carrying one of those massive steel cabinets!

Anyway, I don't have a lot to say... It's great out here! I'll be back next week with some entertaining stories. take care, I love you all!

With Love,

Elder Preston Ray Winn

Uganda Kampala Mission

Yes! the Grasshoppers are nice!!!
That is what Elder Winn had to say about
these delicious??? insects.  I hear they are sweet.

Sunday Dinner.

Sunday Dinner.

Week 6

Celebrate good times! (Come on!)

Half a Jackfruit. Have I mentioned that this stuff is just amazing? maybe I will send you guys a better
 picture of me eating some sometime. It is really entertaining to watch.

This week has been very celebratory!

Just yesterday I hit my Two Month mark, and my first transfer is ending. 1 down, 17 to go! It's been a good two months. I'm excited to see what the next transfer brings!

Boda loaded up with wood

One thing I've learned this week is that when time comes to celebrate, Africans really know how to party! We were invited over to a Birthday feast for someone's daughter. The cake was good, but the food was better. They had some nice fried chicken, and strangely enough my favorite was the cabbage. There was music blasting, but that is normal all over Kajjansi. Yesterday after church, a little girl in our compound was having a birthday party. There was music (of course), a huge bouquet of pink balloons, and a bunch of pink tables. She brought us some cake, Yum!

Here is the fun story for this week:

We have had a mouse that we keep seeing run through our apartment. Unfortunately, each time we tried shooing it out, we narrowly miss. On Wednesday, however, we'd had it. We couldn't take it anymore. I saw it peek it's head out from behind the stove while I was studying, and World War 3 commenced. We ran into the kitchen, and searched everywhere to figure out where it could be hiding. We figured the only logical place was inside the stove, so we turned it on it's side (throwing all the crumbs and crap on the floor) and searched for it to no avail. We knew it had to be in there though, so we put it right side up, and cranked the propane oven to high in hopes that it would come scurrying out. 

Brother Evander's Picture of the week.

Sure enough it did... Just as soon as we let our guard down. This time, it's hiding place was the pantry. Even after tearing the pantry apart, and Elder Brewer breaking the broom trying to smack it, it still made it's escape under the kitchen door. We bought a trap that night, and found it the next morning. All it took was us buying a stinking trap. Figures.

This did give us an excuse to thoroughly clean the kitchen (as stove particles were everywhere). We gave everything a good scrub-down, and enjoyed the result, so we completely cleaned and re-arranged the whole apartment. It feels way good now!

I don't really have a lot to say this week. I hope my funny story was at least funny to you, and that you at least got a little entertainment from this weeks email. As far as Missionary work goes, I am working hard and learning lots. If I gave you the details of all that you'd just get bored though. That reminds me: We taught the drunk guy from last week! He was actually really fun to teach, and who knows; Maybe he will give up the Alcohol and get baptized!

Anyway, I love you guys. I am always so happy to hear from you all each week. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

With Love,

Elder Preston Ray Winn

Uganda Kampala Mission

The rain this morning after playing Basketball

Every time I check the weather in Uganda, it shows thunderstorms.  I asked Preston if it rained every day.  This is what he said:

The thunderstorms are pretty scattered. It is rainy season, so there has been lots lately. Maybe a trickle every day, but thunderstorms seem to be two or three times a week. They tend to be big and last through the night.

Jeri B.  This is what Elder Winn answered in response to your question about knocking on doors:

You can tell Jeri B that we do knock on doors. They are just doors inside large compound gates. We have to knock loud for it to carry into the house.