Collin likes his new companion and area

We just got a new email from Collin! He sent pictures, too! That's his new companion, and a praying mantis they found in their apartment. Here is an excerpt from his email:
"Alright, alright. I'm sure you have many many questions, and I've read all your emails, and sorry I didn't reply very well last week, so you may have to ask me some of those questions again.
I just sent some pictures of my companion and moi, elder tekurio with his presents, which got there about an hour before he left (he was super super excited.. he's going to make a cake in Fiji. I didn't get to see what was wrapped in the green things though, he had to jet. Also the other picture is a praying mantis (religious mantis in french) that we found in the bathroom.

Anyway, Ducos is NOT by any means tiny or island. It's actually one of the biggest sectors here.. It's part of Noumea. I'm right in the city. Well, kind of the Ghetto of the city. but still city nonetheless. Also I have 2 sectors, Ducos and Valeé du Tir. 2 sectors, 2 appartments. there are only 22 missionaries in NC right now, and that's down from 36 so there are lots of sectors that they can't close, but don't have enough missionaries to cover, so there are 3 sets of missionaries covering 2 areas.But because we have a limited number of kilometres (miles they can travel), we can't be going back and forth between 2 areas all day, so we have another apartment so we can sleep there and work in that sector for a few days, then go back to our other sector and work there... make sense any? hope so.
Elder Manarani is really really really nice and awesome. I spoke almost 0 french with Elder Tekurio, so I think this is a punishment as well as a blessing. :D ha ha. I literally think I've learned more french in the past 4 days then in the past 3 weeks in Paita. Channing mentioned in her email asked me if I have noticed a sudden french improval.... Freak, totally. I have the gift of tongues for sure. I KNOW I do. I have no problems communicating with him and I'm so happy to be with him.

The sisters in Paita are doing really really well as well. I showed them their sector and stuff and I think they'll do tons of great work there. I think the sector and the branch were getting a little dry with Elders there. Everyone was so excited when we told them I was leaving and that sisters were coming. :D I thought that meant that they didn't like me, cuz that's the impression that I got and I was really really sad about it.. but then the sisters tell me everyone talks about me all the time and that they really miss me and stuff. So .. . yeah. Good stuff.

The branch in Ducos is really good and lots better than Tontouta branch. I think we'll do really good work there.

Um.... Let me think. I saw a crazy cat lady, for serious, I had another tim tam slam, Elder Manarani told me he's never had a clean freak companion like me besides Elder Tekurio so that's kind of funny.( Collin a clean freak?!? I think I  might faint! ) WE cleaned Vallee du tir appartment today and it was FILTHY and COCKROACHES EVERYWHERE so I was really glad to clean it. I don't think anyone ever cleaned it. We're generally just in the Ducos appartment though, which is generally fairly clean. We'll clean that more later today. Um.... Yeah. So I'm in Noumea these days and I miss all the stars you could see way out in Paita.. Freakin crazy out there, the amount of stars. so awesome. um... I haven't got your letter yet, that dad mentioned, but I haven't got the mail for 2 weeks cuz of a ridiculous stupid "because I said so" rule that the ZLs made that paita wasn't allowed to go to noumea for any reason, besides to kindof noumea/riverre sallee to do internet. that's why the package was so late. it was at the office sitting there for a whole week plus. anyway. i'm in the city now so no problems there... mail twice a week.

Um... quyestions? comments? I liked the pictures that mom and channing sent.. rad costume! we're going to carve some green pumpkins on saturday and i'll send you a picture! also i loved the talking cd and the package a lot lot lot!!! thanks!!!! also there is a very good chance you will meet Elder Tekurio!!! he's coming to utah for conference in april and i said he HAS to go see you guys and he says he will. he will at very least call the house, but he's going to try to come over! :)"

"I love you so much! See ya next week!"

Check out new video - Read on...

There's a link to a great video about missionary service ( don't click on a picture- they're just visual aids :). I saw this on TV and I got all misty-eyed thinking about Collin and all his friends and cousins who are currently serving missions, and his friend who just got his mission call to Oregon (good luck, Rylan! We're so happy for you!). I hope you enjoy watching this as much as I do :D

I put up the link over in the "Collin's mission-related websites" section. It's the Mormon Tabernacle Choir one, on the top of the list. Check it out - it's great!

Above are pictures of Elder Winget at the MTC, in Georgia, at the mission home with Pres. and Sis. Ostler, and teaching at a home in Paita :) 

Elder Winget's getting transferred!

We got email from Collin yesterday, and he had a pretty eventful week. Here's some of his email:

"Well I'll give you a rundown of my week...    Monday we had a zone p-day kind of thing and played ultimate frisbee on the beach in Noumea... it was so fun! It got CRAZY windy and rainy and impossible to throw the frisbee but it was still so fun. I saw a real life starfish in the wild, and I saw hundreds of tiny tiny crabs!! like...quarter sized! It's a shame I didn't have my camera with me :( Oh well. Tuesday I did an exchange with Elder Payne, who is a newer missionary than I am, and it was scary to be alone with someone who speaks less french than I do!! But we did alright! He thinks he speaks better french than I do, but he really really doesn't.

  BTW random side note .. some weird things I've eaten since I've been here: octopus twice, lobster once, and raw fish many times! Tahitians love this raw fish salad thing and always make it whenever we go anywhere. so yeah. Also people are obsessed with chow mein here. weird. Random NC word: Puree means mashed potatoes but also people use it like a swear like saying holy crap! ha ha! It's because it's kind of close to this other P word that is like an actual swear word. Meh, there's your random fact for the day...

  Saturday was Valerie's baptism, finally... the marriage and baptism went great and perfectly smooth. We had lots of fun at their party thing after the wedding and I got some pretty good pictures. Sunday was Elder Tekurio's last Sunday, so all the missionaries did talks (kinda) Me and Elder Payne just bore our testimonies, but lots of people came up to me and told me my french was perfect so that made me really happy.  French is still ridiculously hard for me but it's getting lots better. On Saturday night we were at the Dinne family house and they speak little little english and usually try to tell me stuff in english, but this time we all talked in french and it worked out really well and they said I'm "beaucoup mieux" than before :D :D :D"

  "OH I JUST GOT TRANSFERS. (like right when he was typing the email) I'm going to Ducos with Elder Manarani, a tahitian who doesn't speak any english at all. OH dear... Ha ha. They're whitewashing Paita and putting in Sisters!!!! Oh my its so scary. We'll I'll tell you how that goes next week!

Love much many moosen,

Elder Winget"

Here's some pics Collin sent us in email. The resolution wasn't very good, so they are small. He didn't have time to describe what's going on in the pictures.  He did say he and Elder Tekurio went to McDonalds for his birthday (Elder Tekurio's), so there he is standing by a McD. sign, but the others I'm not sure of the details.

Well, have a good week everyone!

Collin really doesn't spend all his time eating...

Okay, after reading that last post I realized you may be getting the impression that Elder Winget spends a great deal of his week  either eating, or planning to eat. Not true. Channing emailed him asking what his weekly schedule is like and when he eats so maybe they could plan to eat a poptart or something at the same time on the same day  :D 

 Just for fun, here's another video:

More about life in Paita, New Caledonia

I decided it's about time I updated the blog. 

  Here's some excerpts from last week's emails Collin sent to our family:

"we're progressing investigators for the Teigmoin Jehovah missionaries... ( that's Jehovah's Witnesses)... Ha ha ha. they come over every Friday, share with us a message, engage us to go to church and read in the bible... it's really funny to us that we're on the receiving end of the missionaries. We haven't yet gotten to the point that we send little kids outside to say "um, they're not home" or hide in the house and hurry and turn off the music and close all the curtains when their car comes around, like our investigators do to us  :D ha ha. "

 "I don't say too many french words forgetting that they're not really english... yet.  The only ones i do say have to do with mission stuff:

sector=area,   dirigent/chef=uh.. boss or leader, teigmoin Jehovah= Jehovah's Witness. and. i say a couple others but i forget. I'm pretty good at still writing in english."

"That's so crazy that it's snowing in Utah. I forget that snow like.. exists.  Its so warm here all the time. The only time I was cold was back in winter/July and last week when I had a fever. Then I was really cold. But for the most part it's hot all the time. And weird thing about european countries is that NOBODY believes in air conditioning. Nobody. Everyone just opens windows and doors and gets a fan. Even at church we just open all the windows and turn on the ceiling fan. Crazy, eh?"

"oh man conference was so amazing yesterday and Saturday. I did watch it all in english, so I actually got something out of it :D ha ha. And I did see Caleb :) crazy! He's leaving the MTC for Korea tomorrow, by the way!" (Caleb is one of Collin's friends who sang in the MTC choir in General Conference)

 "my schedule is pretty much Monday p-day, then dinner at the Aru family house

Tuesday, district meeting and then proselyting, and this week dinner at Soane's house

Wednesday, just port a porte (door to door tracting), and dinner at the Ahuroa family's house

Thursday is service in the morning, then dinner at Li-Khau family's house

Friday is finding (?) in the morning, weekly planning in the afternoon, then dinner at the Toyons house.

Saturday is just... whatever ( nothing is scheduled yet)

Sunday is church at 9, and then ... do whatever. sometimes dinner on those days too. We get fed every night! Basically, we eat lunch between 11:30 and 1 every day, and dinner is at someone's house... pretty much.

Um. Fabulous. I love you heaps and bounds and elephant pounds

love,

Elder Winget"

Here is a little video clip of some more of the "wildlife" in New Caledonia :) Elder Tekurio was lighting the water heater, then - Surprise!