The LDS Winchester Church Building
About thirty years ago, a young missionary was proslyting in the Winchester, Virginia area. While walking along a road with his companion, a Baptism Minister drove up next to the two missionarys and asked them what they were doing. They explained what their mission was and who they represented. At that point the minister angrily stated that there would NEVER be an LDS Church in this area and they were wasting their time and they needed to leave. Last month, 30 years later, this same missionary stood before the congregation in the same building which we met in today told this story. The exact spot where this missionary and his companion were stopped and told to leave, is where the Winchester Church building stands today. Not only is there an LDS church in this area, but there are two LDS churches in this area. You just never know what the Lord has planned.
I want to introduce you to our mode of transportation when traveling between Zone Conferences, Training Meetings, Senior Outings, etc. Meet the “Bullet”. It is a 12 passenger van, which is very comfortable and enjoyable to ride in. Of course there are times when I feel like the Seniors traveling on the rest home bus, but other than that, it is nice not to have to drive. We just sit back and enjoy
The Bullet
(Sister Gibbons getting out of the Bullet)
After arriving at the Winchester building, we were greeted by all of the missionary's. The most wonderful feeling. They make us all feel so special, like we know what we are doing, and they are glad we are here! (We got ‘em fooled). Seriously, the greeting we get when we come to these meetings is one of the best. You feel so appreciated and loved. Beyond description. President Belliston told us today that if we hold regular Family Home Evenings with our family that our children will not stray and if they do go against the teachings you have given them, the day will come when they will return. This is so comforting for those of us who have or have had children who have strayed from the Gospel and the teachings that we as a family have raised them with. We do our best, our children have their agency, all we can do is pray they use it wisely.
As I spoke of yesterday, again today President Belliston told these missionary's that the church is going to explode with growth and questions and scrutiny and that is a good thing. This past Easter the church put out an Easter video. It received 13 million Utube hits; 12 million Facebook hits and 300,000 Mormon. org hits. The Lord is using these tools and electronics to further the work .
We had the most awesome lunch. My gosh, I am sure I put on weight these past three days, but it is like being in a great home cooked restaurant. Hard to pass anything by. The Relief Society sisters from the Winchester Ward made a meal like nothing we had seen so far and all of it was home cooked. I have included pictures of it below. Yes, yes, I know the Zone Conference is important, but hey, we have to eat
The Three Most Fantastic Cooks!!
As I am sure those of you who have served a mission will remember, part of being able to drive a car on your mission is making sure that you take proper care of it. Therefore, when we go to these conferences Elder Gibbons checks each of the missionary’s cars (this does not include the Senior Missionary's, just the young ones). If the missionaries take good care of their vehicles, then they get incentives such as being able to drive extra miles on their allotted miles for the month. It’s a stressful time for them because they have to have the cars clean and well maintained (especially for the boys). I have included pictures of the dreaded car checks. . .
