Week 44

Born to be wild -Steppenwolf

 Today President and Sister Collings came into town. We were looking for Adventure, so we

 Warthog runs into my shot!
I was trying to get the gazelles sitting in the corner.

headed on down the highway towards the Mbarara Game Park. We never actually made it into the game park before it became apparent that we needed to turn around for the sake of time... However we still saw a lot of wildlife in the surrounding area! (See the pictures) It was all legitimate WILD-life as we didn't get to the park, haha. I was the lucky one who was even able to snap a picture of the warthog running across the street!

Once we got back we all went to Cafe Frickadellen for lunch! (the super nice place with the big burgers) We are now Emailing... soon we will be having our interviews with President Collings as we have our Zone Conference tomorrow. Things are definitely turning this into a busy P-day, but it's worth it!

Lone Winn in a zebra field

As far as the week goes it's been a bit of a rough one... At the start Elder Weight was sick so we lost some proselyting time. Throughout the week as we attempted to make up for the lost momentum things just went slow instead. It sounds like we aren't the only ones who had a challenging week though, others in the zone said the same. 

A Zebra taking a peek at me

Things keep rolling on though. We won't let just anything stop us! We are especially busy getting Brother Paul ready for his baptism. I'll write more about him next week, but he is a brother to one of this branch's long-time members. It should be exciting!

Anyway, my time is small to write today as we need to get to our interviews, but I hope you guys have a great week! I love you all.

-Elder Winn 

A cool rockface! (rare here... it's all hills!)
(We think there is a giraffe face in the trees. 
What do you think?)

 Gazelle

Ugandan Longhorns

Before the Wild Adventure

During the Wild Adventure

After the Wild Adventure

We really were in the middle of nowhere!

Week 43

I am a rock -Simon and Garfunkel

Bye bye Goodrich

Amid the many changes around the mission and around our zone, I am staying right where I am for the next six weeks. I am a Rock!

I seem to go back and forth between weeks with many pictures, and very few. That's okay though because next week you are in for a little surprise, but I'll tell you about that next week!

Thank you, my Facebook daughter,
 for the pic of Elder Winn

This week was a bit crazy. Transfers have happened... Elder Goodrich is officially gone, and
Elder Weight and I are having fun, doing good work. We have some amazing Investigators progressing well. I got a bit carried away answering your emails and chatting with my family to write a lot of detail, but it's been a great week. I don't have a lot of news anyway. We've been doing a lot together as a zone lately with people leaving and coming, and the unity is growing strong. I love the Masaka Zone!

we are free from feeling his home-sickness. That's a relief! He left behind some super-ragged and stinky clothing that just needed to be burned, so enjoy a picture of that!

I love this work and being a missionary is such a great experience. Though things get hard sometimes, It is all worth the many miracles, and seeing people come unto Christ. I love you guys, and I hope you have a great week!

As I said before: Stay tuned for next week's email, it should be great!

Elder Jensen and Elder Denison enjoying a good read next to the stuff Elder goodrich left behind.

Week 42

You say it's your Birthday! -The Beatles

Making my Birthday Cake... Too many Elders around. The cake almost sprouted wings and flew away!

Firstly, Thank You all for the Birthday Wishes!

It was a pretty big week here!

Mormon Helping Hands project.

My Birthday was fun! We made a Birthday Cake with a mix that I bought Imported from America. We spiked it with a Red Bull as a bit of a crazy after-thought. It was super nice! The four of us Americans that live together went and got some nice pizza for lunch before the proselyting day began. Elder Weight and I found some powerful Investigators. At the end of the day we gathered together as a zone for a little birthday party. We sang and ate the Red Bull Cake. It was a Blast!

Slashing

On Saturday we had another Mormon Helping Hands Project at a school. We burned a whole ton of thorn bushes, and did some more slashing. A picture of me with the slasher this time!

This Wednesday (transfer day) we have a whole bunch of changes happening in the zone so we have been trying to do a lot together. On Sunday we took lots of pictures after Church with those departing. Elder Weight and I are staying. Many will be missed! (Especially Elder Goodrich who is flying home on Thursday). It was great listening to their testimonies.

Machete... or Panga.

We are getting lots of work done and we are seeing so many miracles. I am grateful to be serving here in Masaka. I love you Guys!

"Tall Man and Small Man", Elder Winn and Elder Obeng (Departing ZL)

Sister Chimfwembe, Departing

With the Sisters

 All Masaka Branch Missionaries

Week 41

I think it was the 4th of July (Saturday in the Park -Chicago)

Elder Weight and I looking like secret agents, or at least normal missionaries...

​This week has been motivating and hard at the same time. For those of you who know me

Bonus Picture from a member.

well, you know that my favorite Holiday is the 4th of July, and I love being patriotic. I spent this Independence Day a little different than most years: In a place where nobody has any idea what the importance of July 4th is! Luckily I live in a compound with three other Americans and together we wouldn't let America's Birthday go uncelebrated! 

We wore red white and blue, went and had a nice lunch, I ate Ice Cream for dinner because that's the way I roll. We started the day off with the Star Spangled Banner, ending it with the Pledge of Allegiance saluting the closest thing we had: a T-Shirt depicting Donald Trump standing on a tank surrounded by explosions... holding Ol' Glory. It was good to remember our roots and share our American Pride together. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir July 4th Special made it all possible. God Bless the USA!

As far as the work goes: 

We are really enjoying Masaka. 

The work is going good... It was a great week for our sister missionaries and thus I was pretty busy doing Baptismal Interviews for them. The service was great. Go Sisters! Big Shoutout. As for Elder Weight and I we have been progressing some people who should be ready for baptism soon. We (Our District + the Zone Leaders) had a really nice dinner with the Branch President's family. It ended with an impromptu dance party/lesson.

I got a suit this week, so now I look "Smart" as the Ugandans would say. 

Other than that... Things are just pretty normal.

Me trying the suit on

However, I hope you guys have an extraordinarily awesome week! I am going to make it awesome, as it will be a landmark. Last week was America's 242nd Birthday, but this week is my 20th Birthday: July 13th! In celebration I am holding a bit of a competition. This is a competition for glory and bragging rights, maybe some sort of a prize, I dunno... Just thought of the idea. The challenge is to celebrate July 13th in a way that most perfectly represents me... Make it wild, creative. Blow up a picture of me, I don't care. I just want to see what you come up with! Send me a picture or video of what you come up with. I at least expect a response from my family! ;-) I'll let you know the winner!

Anyway, have a great week!

Masaka Zone at the big Zone Conference in Kampala

Week 40

Crocodile Rock -Elton John

Careful... These ones jump!

It's P-Day.

A wonderful way to start off a zone activity.
 Glad we paid the entrance fee!

The cool breeze blows as we walk the humid path towards a gate marked Uganda Crocs. The scene felt familiar... Like something from Disney's Jungle Cruise Ride. Dis-surety welled through me as I read the words "Tresspassers will be eaten". Was it a corney Disney-esque joke? Or was it something much more sinister? Do Mzungus (White People) automatically count as tresspassers? 

Our zone trip to the crocodile farm went down pretty well. I have lots of pictures and a video to make up for last week. We had a blast! Before you get worried... I still have all my appendages. 

The zone at the equator

This week was pretty crazy!!

We had Zone Conference in Kampala this week so we spent three days out of our area. As such it doesn't feel like a lot of work has gotten done in Masaka. It felt super good to see Kampala again. Looking back I never thought it could feel like home! I also got to see a lot of missionaries I love dearly, not to mention President and Sister Collings. It was a great, uplifting time!

This work is so good and I love being involved! These experiences have meant so much to me! 

I hope you all have a rockin' week, but for now I guess it's "See you later Alligator!"

Love,

Elder Winn

Selfie with Benjamin​

My tag dangling dangerously close

Elder Goodrich and I looking like real Dads!
Elder Denison told me I looked like a Field Trip chaperone.

When you are the one working...

District cleaning out the Baptismal font.
 (No Alligators here!)