August 18, 2016

Hello family! I was supposed to send this email yesterday but I have had hardly any free time. This email is also supposed to be just short and say hello and I'm safe, but I'm not very good at following the rules sometimes and this seems like something good to break rules for:) I am doing really well in here. The hardest things for me so far have been falling asleep last night and staying awake today. Other than that I am great! This really is a happy place and I like it here. The days are very long and hard but it’s been great so far. I've barely even been in here for 24 hours and I have already grown so much. I have read so much and for the first time I have really gotten into the scriptures and been able to use preach my gospel and the topical guide to find all kinds of awesome stuff. Today during one of our classes I started to read PMG and I found something saying explore the scriptures, so I went to topical guide and looked up prayer. I don't have my scriptures with me right now so I’m not positive but i think what i found was Mosiah 4:11-12. Awesome scripture I’m sure Dave knows all about it. It was really cool because it was the first time I felt guided to look somewhere and found something. Ever since then I have searched and found so much in the little time I’ve been here.

I’ve seen all of my friends that were already here and have had some awesome conversations and had the guys speak to me in their languages:) I had seen everyone but Connor up until breakfast this morning, when we walked in to the cafeteria we were greeted by good ol llama screaming our names and running to give us a big hug:) oh ya me and elder Parkinson share a bunk!!! its been so nice to have him because we are basically a companionship of four and it makes everything more fun. My companion is elder Edwards and he is from Provo. He went to a year of school at BYU and is a really nice guy:) he is a D1 and world class ballroom dancer lol he’s insane! He reminds me a lot of Keaton Wall and is super smart. He has been doing splits for the last year with a guy that had to come home because he got really sick so he knows a ton already. We work really well because he has a lot of good ideas and I’m good at speaking up so a lot of times i just say what he tells me to when we have to speak in front of a class of like 50 people. I really like him and we work really well together because our strengths complement our weaknesses. I already have a small list of things i would like you guys to send me but I don’t have it with me and I’ll just tell you when I email on Tuesday. that’s my P day:) this place isn’t as bad as I hoped but I’m already looking forward to leaving. Connor still has his sticker that you wear the first week, and I took mine off after like 10 minutes cause I was tired of EVERYONE saying welcome or bienvenidos. I have seen so many people from lacrosse and school its crazy. My companion tells everyone he thinks i have this place wired because everywhere we go i see someone i know. Guess bountiful just has a lot of people ready to serve!

I saw Preston, he was sprinting and screaming cause he left his laundry in the laundry room, great way to see him for the first time!! he seems to be enjoying it so that’s good:)

I know I’m not supposed to be focused on this but there are a lot of attractive girls here. too bad I’m only allowed to shake their hands and talk to them about the gospel, oh well ill change and get used to that soon:) love you guys so much.

Thanks for all the letters and gifts I have read all of them including all of Dave’s scriptures:)  love you guys see you soon!

Elder Winn