Elder Winget's on Youtube!

I have been working on a DVD for Collin to see when he gets home, using all the pictures and video clips he sends us. I have been having WAY too much fun with this! I decided to post one of the videos I made to Youtube, and I posted it on the blog as well before I remembered I didn't write any kind of explanation to go with it! So... this clip is made from the pictures we got from Collin around last Halloween. I paired it with our family's favorite Halloween song "Grim Grinning Ghosts" by Barenaked Ladies. He also had some footage of some huge and nasty bugs, so I thought that fit in with the "creepy creeps with eerie eyes" parts of the song. Also, I noticed Collin had way too many pictures of him with his big mouth gaping open, so those are thrown in there as well :D So, yeah. If you like it, leave me a nice comment or something. I'm really new at this stuff, so some feedback would be appreciated.

 So, I'm sorry many of you have been having trouble viewing this blog... I can't figure out what the problem is! Blogger doesn't seem to have a place where you can ask them direct questions and get help, but I will keep trying :) Here are some excerpts from his email this past week. I hope you all can read this!

So I have something interesting to tell you - So you know how my companion is from Colorado? Well his middle name is Kimball--- Wanna know why???? Well that's because his Grandpa, PRESIDENT KIMBALL was the first president of the DENVER TEMPLE! He married you guys didn't he!?? Awesome eh!? (Yes! Rusty and I were married by President Kimball!  Not the prophet though)

This week we worked really well with the members, but not a ton of progress. On the bright side, Atiu got the Aaronic Priesthood! It's awesome to see him progress in the church.. He's like my son- who's 10 years older than me. :)

This week, not a whole lot of exciting happened.. But this Saturday we'll be having a film night- we'll be watching The Testaments. I think it will be fun. I hope all our amis come. :)

People keep asking me over and over to direct the music in everything... Word got out that I know how to sing. Dang it! They better not ask me to sing any solos at any time.

And here's a funny story from the week before:Anyway, so this week it RAINED AND RAINED AND RAINED. Like pppooourrrring rain. Buckets and buckets of rain. I saw these people's yard and it was flooded like 5 feet deep. It hurt our porte a porte, but it turned out okay. Also here's a dumb story.. So we went to this weird area and there was this weird guy who said he knew this missionary before that married his sister- and I know that missionary and I'm pretty sure that's not true. Anyway, he was telling us all these weird stories about being in a gang in Leon france or something, and then the next yard over, there was this kid who starts singing that one Raspberries song - In your heaaaad in your heaaaad zombie zombie zombie ie ie ie in your head.... etc and I'm like ha ha. and then he starts singing louder and louder and LOUDER until he is litterally SCREAAAAAAAMING this song at the TOP of his lungs! the same thing OVER AND OVER IN YOUR HHHEAEEAADD IN YOUR HEADADDD ZOMBIE ZOMBIE ZOMBIE IE IE IE IN YOUR HEAAAAD.... I was like trying soooo hard not to laugh... then this guy was like yeah, that kid is a little weird. sometimes I throw a bottle rocket over there to scare him. So that was weird.

  I am having a few problems posting more of Collin's stories today... I don't know what's up with Blogger! Maybe I will try putting it in a new post.

a Baptism!

Collin took a picture of himself sending his email this week - I think he looks good! Here's the latest news from his email:

Well there were transfers again, and so me and my compy will be doing Ducos AND VDT again! Crazy. My district was the biggest in NC, but now it's just normal size. It got up to 10 people but now it's just 7. Cool. Anyway, I started out in Paita, went to Ducos/VDT, then Just VDT, then Ducos/VDT, then just Ducos, then Ducos VDT again! Crazy!!

So I'm going to buy a Fijian Sulu - the dress-skirt things that people wear there. They don't wear them here, but I'm going to wear it when I get home for sure.

So someone this week made fun of my French-- she asked us where we're going and i was like Kaméré. then I said something about the voiture (car). She was like Oh you're going to KamERRRRRe? where's your VoituRRRRRRR?? Ha ha! Jerk! I just said have a nice day and left.

Atiu is going to be baptized this Saturday.. No, I don't get to baptize him.. It's going to be his friend Brother Turi. So it's really better that way.. I'd rather him be attached to members than to me. Lots of people here get converted to missionaries and then when they leave they go inactive. But that won't happen with him.. He's just amazing. So i'm sad i don't get to baptize him, but it's better that way anyway.

Anyway, thanks for everything.. I love you!

love,
elder winget

I hope all of you can see this blog! Some people have reported that they can't access it for some reason. I wish I was a computer expert like Collin so I could get to the bottom of this :(

Crazy Lady Attacks Collin!

Here's the latest from Elder Winget:

We had Zone Conference yesterday... It was awesome. I had to translate into English for Sister Ostler and i did a really good job. I also had to translate in French for the French elders and sisters (cuz President Ostler does his speach in English) for some of the time, and they all said I did a really good job. I was really really happy and I know it was a direct answer to prayers. I prayed really hard that it would work out; I was scared of letting a bunch of people down. But it's going good.

So, cool story. So I was walking down the street and I said Bonjour to this lady, and she kind of looked down and pretended she hadn't heard me, so I'm like, meh whatev. Then I kept walking and right as she passes me she GRABS MY TIE and screams BONJOUR!!!!! And scared the crap out of me! I actually had this.. tie to shirt holder thing.. Hard to explain, but long story short she actually ripped it and a little bit my tie. And I was like WHAT THE!? So I look at her and she just keeps walking. Then she's like Elders! Venez! - means come, come over here, follow me, etc. And we're like um, Madame, uh.. And she just walked off. And I'm like okay, I am not following that absolutely crazy woman. And that's the end of my story.

Hey also I wanted to say I asked president if I was allowed to email my friends at all, and he said no, it would be better if i didn't, and just asked parents to email for me. So, could you tell everyone on the blog that I can GET emails, and I will read them, but i will not be able to respond. I might tell you to send an email to someone every once in a while. For instance, could you tell Brittanny and Ayisha THANK YOU I just barely got their pacakge. The reason why it took 2 months to get to me was because they wrote FIJI on the end of it. Could you just remind people of my address, and that they don't have to write fiji at all? cool. Thank you very much! I love you a lot and tell the family that I love them too. I'll send some pictures next week, k? Cool. I love you!

I will try to figure out how to keep Collin's address permanently on the sidebar of the blog, but until then here it is again:

for letters:
Elder Collin Winget
Bureau de la Mission
BP 15154
Cedex
98804 Noumea Cedex
NEW CALEDONIA
(it costs 94 cents to send a letter)

for packages:
Bureau de la Mission
BP 15154
98804 Noumea
NEW CALEDONIA
attn: Elder Collin Winget

* It's important to put the address on exactly that way, since the post office overseas is very, very picky!! We have been lucky so far, only 2 letters lost, but other missionaries haven't been as lucky :( If you have any questions at all, please call me or Channing!

The Latest from Collin

Well, Elder Winget has been doing well lately. He was recently called to be the district leader, and we got a nice letter from his mission president saying that he conducted a really good district meeting :) He told us last week that the water had been shut off in his apartment, and the only water they had was bottles of water that a former missionary there had filled up and left in the apartment- kind of like food storage, I guess! They have access to the other apartment, so they have been traveling over there to shower. He and his companion have been teaching a wonderful man named Atiu Atiu ( reminds me of a sneeze!) for a few months now, and it sounds like things are going very well with him :D
I have been very busy with Primary lately, so I haven't put up a new Picassa album yet, but I hope to sometime this week. Hmm... I'll put up a few pictures in this post. Remember a few months ago when Collin said he had octopus for dinner? Here's a picture of it! Yuck. And here's a picture of the view from his new apartment.

Here's an excerpt from his latest letter:


As for news this week... Hmm.. Last week was my first week in Ducos/VDT and we didn't get very many lessons and it was a little bit discouraging.. But this week we got almost double, found some new people that should be good, and talked to lots and lots of people. So I guess it just takes a couple days to get used to the sector. Also I think I will be keeping the car in Ducos, even when there are transfers. That would be really helpful with Exchanges and stuff. We'll see though. I did an exchange with the Senior Zone Leader - Elder Folkman and it went well. I think I learned a lot too, so that's what's important. Hmm.. Not a lot else has happened. Life is good. :) OH something did happen, Atiu told me at church "hey, could you give me a white shirt?" and I'm like yeah sure I'll bring some over tomorrow and he's like "cool, cuz I think i wanna be baptized!!"" And I'm like AH! Okay, we'll talk about that tomorrow, eh? So we have a lesson at 6 today with him... I think we'll have our first baptism date in Ducos! :D Also, about the water I talked about last time.. I called Caledonien des Eaux and they said that it is because the water bill has never been paid!! And so Elder Folkman figured it out and it was supoosed to be our apartment owner people and they just weren't paying it because of like a mixup somewhere.. Anyway, it's sorted out now and we SHOULD have water soon. Still not yet, but hopefully before Wednesday, cuz that's transfers. We'll see!



Well, that's all. I love you!
Lv,
Ldr Wngt

Here's the latest from Elder Winget:

Let me tell you about what's going on... I did get transferred, but BACK to Ducos/VDT, so right now I am in the same thing I was before when I was with Elder Manarani. I have 2 sectors, and I'm in the same branch. I'm with Elder Wilcox, who has been here for about 3 weeks, so I'm more or less follow up training. He's a very great Elder, and he knows French a little bit already... Enough to understand and be understood. Not perfectly, but he's great either way. Also I'm now.... Dun dun dun... District leader!! Ah!! I don't know what the crap I'm doing as a leader, so it's interesting. So far it's okay. I have to do an hour district meeting every week and I have no idea what to do, but we'll see how it works out.. :) Also we have a car for as long as the two sectors are together, which looks like it will be only for about 2-3 weeks, after which Elder Troutman will go back there and train a new Elder. Also I think I told you about Atiu a few times, he is doing really well and we're debating whether to engage him to baptism this week, or wait a little longer. Crazy! We'll see! So basically, I have all the amis de l'eglise i had in VDT, just with a few more from Ducos. Ducos is a really great sector, and I get to stay in the same branch, so I'm happy to be there. I'm also the driver, so that's interesting. I suck at driving manual transmission.. but it's alright so far. Nobody is dead, and I only stalled a couple times on the way here. :) Um, other than that, I might have to lead the music at church on sunday. :) and.... hmm.. nothing else too crazy.

So here's a funny little video of Collin interviewing Elder Manarani. He asks him ( in french ) to say things to our family, and Elder Manarani says "they won't understand" and Collin tells him that his mother knows french (ha ha - I only took french in high school and I don't remember much) Then Collin tells him to speak in English, and to say the things he has taught him. You will hear exactly what Collin has taught Elder Manarani- it's funny. Then Collin does a crazy little dance at the end. I hope you like it.

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Hey everybody,
I'm sorry we haven't updated the blog for a while. We got Collin's memory card shortly after Christmas, but since there were a lot of pictures from other missionaries' cameras, our computer had a hard time reading them (because they were all in different formats). I finally sought professional advice, and after a lot of work, we got MOST of the pictures! some of the files were corrupted and wouldn't work :( So, I will be putting up new Picassa albums and other stuff on Monday. As you might suspect, there are a lot of funny pictures and videos. It's hard to know which ones to post first... but here is a funny story from one of his recent letters:

New Years here is HORRIBLE. All people do is get really really really drunk, pass out and pee their pants, litter EVERYWHERE, and scream WOOOOOO all night. and lots and lots of annoying loud fireworks. We got harrassed by lots of drunk people, and one guy said DONT LIE TO ME, I would LOVE to just punch you guys right now! And I said, you know what? You go ahead. and he was too chicken, and too drunk. Also some reallllly drunk guy came knocking on our door (we have a picture of Christ on our door) and he was like all mad and he said HEY. Who is that?! And we're like um, it's Jesus Christ. and he was like waht?! he goes on and on about how we don't worship images and that we don't really know what Jesus looks like and that we mormons imagine up all this crap and I'm like alright dude none of that is true. and he said you guys will take that off and tear it up RIGHT now! And we're like okay fine. so we took it off and said okay bye and he said i have to go by every morning and see your stupid picture and i'll be really mad if i see it again. and i'm like okay whatever bye. so we put up a Different photo of Christ, one where he's holding a sheep, and later he gets all mad and talks to us again and he's like... Who is that!! And Elder Troutman said um, He's a shepherd. Thanks. Alright we're late for something so bye. Ha ha.

Also, we did service for our area by picking up trash.. We spent about 1 1/2 hours on New Years Day, and filled up 5 garbage bags full... ABout the area of 2 blocks. It was ridiculous how much garbage came from New Years. we got a Really good response from it though, and we were really happy about it. We're going to have to do it again some time.

That's about everything that happend this week. OH i did get your other package, with all the food stuff. Thanks! We'll be eating it soon. :) oh so yesterday I fasted and I sweat sooooo much here cuz it's about 90 degrees here, including inside our house, and so.. yeah. we got home from church, finished our fast, and I drank 3 full liters of juice. Crazy, eh?

That's pretty much all that's happened as of late.

Thanks for the pictures... That's nuts how much snow there is!!!! I miss snow... I wish it would snow for just one day.. I would love it. I am going to FREEZE when I get home.. I'm used to 95 degrees 1000% humidity all day everyday and just a little crappy fan to keep me cool (doesn't really work) and i'm starting to get used to it. when I get home and it gets under 70 degrees my body is going to flip out. :D

Well I love you, thanks for everything. I'll see ya later. :)

Love,
Elder Winget

Now, here is a special video message to all of you from Elder Winget. He wants to thank you for the letters and things that you have sent...