So, Winlock is a total culture shock. Just totally different from anything I've ever experienced.
But I have to tell you about my last day in Olympia and transfer meeting first. Then I will tell you about Winlock, and my new companion.
We had a really awesome Zone Activity on Monday. (It was my idea, and I think it turned out really well! :) ) We played dodge ball with flour-filled socks. It was so much fun. We started off pretty organized with two teams and a line that we couldn't cross. Then we started a free for all game where every man (and woman) was for himself (and herself) (except our zone really likes contracts and secret combinations, and then to betray those secret pacts, so there were a few "teams" formed. I stuck to myself though.) So that was a blast. I ended up winning. (I love how that happens almost every time we play sports and I don't even have to do anything to win!) Then we finished up and went over to our cars to clean up... however, the socks started being untied and then BAM there was flour everywhere. Right in my face especially. Then when we ran out of socks to untie, the extra bag of flour came out... The church parking lot looked like there were a bunch of hooligans hanging out... Hopefully they didn't think to blame the missionaries. ;)
I had flour in my ears and my nose and my eyes for the next 3 days. But it was totally worth it.
Transfer meeting was fun. We had 30 new missionaries come in! Which meant that we had 30 welcome skits! I thought mine was last, which was really awkward because mine was pretty lame compared to the other ones, but luckily there was one more right after mine that was pretty funny, so it ended on a funny note. I do not like participating in skits... I met Sister Philippi, my new companion and she is great. She is from Carson City, Nevada (Carson's favorite city!) and she has red hair! She went to BYU Idaho for a year before coming on a mission. I didn't realize Winlock was SO far away from Tacoma... but turns out it is a 72 ish mile drive. Hoorayyyy for milessssss. ( I have now driven over 6000 miles in the past 4 months. I think it's almost safe to say that I'm an experienced driver now. Right?)
So, Winlock. It's a different experience. It's the southernmost part of my mission. I drove to the edge of the mission boundaries the other day. Crazy. Living on the edge! (Literally!)
Things that I have been told about Winlock:
- "There's only three kinds of people here. Loggers. Rednecks. and Redneck Loggers."
- Winlock is the egg capital of the world. They have an egg festival every summer. And at that egg festival one lucky girl gets to be "Egg Queen". (This one cracks me up.)
- There is a big Meth Problem. We've had multiple people tell us to be VERY cautious. (You probably didn't want to know that did you?"
- And this town is considered "The Sticks" (Belfair was "The Boonies", Olympia was the town of "Hippies, Hobos, and Homosexuals") ((Please don't be offended, I love all of the people and places I've been! This is just what other people are saying!))
- We are the first sisters Winlock has had in 20 years.
- Winlock is a dying town. There aren't many people.
My area covers Winlock, Vader (the Stake President is mayor of Vader), Napavine, and Ryderwood.
Anyways, so that's more about Winlock, than you probably ever wanted to know. But, it's a great place to be. We've been keeping ourselves busy.
There's a lot of work to be done. It'll probably be an uphill climb... but it will be great! We met an awesome lady last night named Janice who let us teach her a part of the restoration and she was open to talking to us again. She let us pray with her, and I really hope that she will act on the message we shared with her and pray about it, and have a desire to learn more when we come back.
A good reminder to me, and to everyone else, if you've been trying to share the gospel with your family and friends and they haven't been receptive, know that even Alma the great missionary felt discouraged at times too. Sometimes success comes in ways that we don't expect them too. And know that you will be blessed for your efforts.
Alma 8:15 "Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him."
This is when Alma had just been kicked out of the city Ammonihah, and the people refused to listen to him, refused to accept the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ from him. They were mean to him and rude and kicked him out of their city. As he was walking away, discouraged, I'm sure, an angel came to him and told him, what this verse says.
I think I need that reminder so often. People have their agency. People have the choice to accept this good message. And we can try as much as we can to bless them with it, but ultimately we are only responsible for our own personal success. WE will be blessed for our righteousness, and our willingness to serve our God. But be of good joy. Be happy, and be grateful that YOU know the truth. Even if no one else does. And keep bearing your testimony. Because eventually, it will touch the heart of someone. Probably when you least expect it.
I love you all. Keep being yourselves....and know that you are beautiful, amazing, important children of God. Don't forget it. :)
Love, Sister Warburton
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| Sister Philippi and I. :) |
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| Sister Phillipi |
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| A bird of this lady that got mad at me my first day in Winlock. She got really mad at me. She's less active. I forgot to talk about it in my email. But she was talking about how she doesn't need to go to church so I, trying to be more bold, read Moroni 6:4-6 with her and asked her why she thinks the Savior would ask us to go to church. (In a loving, and not judgmental way) then she said the only thing she was missing was the bread and wine, so I told her that was the most important part of church, and then she got MAD and told me that I was a judgmental person and a bunch of other stuff. Good first day in Winlock. |
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| A llama. |
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| A bird that flew into our window while we were planning. I picked it up to see if it was okay. Just call me Snow White. |
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