Tee Time

Hello Dearest Friends,

This week was a real positive week. It brings me so much joy to be doing this work and the privilege I have of seeing how many different ways people's lives can be impacted by some pure love. 

I met so many cool people this week. It's really what made my week. Just the opportunity to interact with so many unique individuals really filled my heart. 

We met this gentleman who is currently homeless and has been through jail a few times named Jeremy. He introduced himself as a Muslim, specifically a Sufi, which was really interesting to talk to him about. He shared with us a lot about his life experience and we just listened. It was nice to just talk to him. By the end of our conversation he was the one asking us for a Book of Mormon in addition to some pamphlets. A little bit of love and respect goes a long way. Our mutual desire to understand each other exuded the spirit and character of Christ.

We met this cool man with a HUGE antique sword collection. It was pretty astonishing.

We visited a member of the ward who we had never seen before and we were definitely guided to be in the right place at the right time. He struggles with really severe mental health issues which are currently exacerbated by extremely difficult family situations. We let him vent and were just there for him. We shared a prayer and some scriptures with him and set up a weekly time when we'd come over and talk to him. I was just filled with compassion towards him. I hope he feels loved.

We had dinner with a lot of really cool families this week, one of which happened to be famous golfer Johnny Miller…

On Sunday evening we met the Hubbard family, converts to the church with a really amazing conversion story that may have involved a member of the first presidency...but aside from that they were just the most kind and engaged people I've ever met. I really liked them. 

As I've had the opportunity on my mission to meet people from every familial, ethnic, socioeconomic, political, and religious background, it had become all too clear that "the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one." God is not a respecter of persons. He doesn't care who you are or where you've come from, because he is our father and we are his children. 

When Christ came to minister among the people in Jerusalem, did he go forth and minister to the righteous well-to-do citizens of the community? No, he sought the sick, afflicted, poor, and downtrodden. He sought those who perhaps could only muster a seed of faith, and through his miraculous power made them whole. 

I testify with Nephi of old that God

"doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile."

Whoever you are or wherever you've come from there is a place for you in Christ's church and in the arms of his everlasting love. If you let him, by simply choosing to believe, he will help you realize a divine and magnificent potential that we can hardly comprehend. 

I miss you dearly and wish you a fullness of joy. 

Tee Time--Vulfpeck

Funky Galileo--Sure Sure

Peace 

Elder Winegar

Tee Time

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

I love you Jacob

 Oi, you lot,

How are ya? I miss you upon this day of love. I hope that you are all prospering. I've got some amusing stories this week so I hope that you find them as good as I did. 

We talked to this homeless dude named Jacob for like 30 minutes. He was kinda off his rocker but also like the sweetest guy at the same time. At first he didn't want to talk to us but after we pushed past initial hesitations he was actually super friendly and really needed someone to talk to. As we were walking away he said "I love you Jacob!" I'm super glad he felt loved by us and I think he really needed that. 

We were teaching a recent convert who lives in an assisted living facility and an interesting occurrence unfolded before my eyes. He stood up in the middle of our lesson, told us he needed to drink these fluids for a procedure, and left the room. He came back with a large jug of what he later told us was laxatives. Before my very eyes he guzzled, and chugged away ¾ of this container, a glass at a time. He just gulped 9 glasses worth of the stuff for basically 15 minutes straight. It was a spectacle.

We had a ward game night and we went and played a couple rounds of liar's dice with a member of the congregation who used to be a professional race car driver. T'was quite fun actually. Then afterwards, at the same party, I had an unexpectedly abrasive conversation with a fellow who wanted to...dissuade me from my work because of some issues he had with the facsimiles of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price. That was not quite as fun, and felt kinda personal. But he said he still felt welcomed and appreciated by the other members at the party so that's what matters to me. 

At Sunday dinner with an absolutely adorable family, the mother at one point made a mad dash to the door to make sure the suspicious figure she had spotted on the doorstep was her son and not a burglar. On her way she managed to catch her toe on a chair and bend it out of place at a pretty jarring angle. In our midst, the husband made his best efforts to move it back into place. Quite an amusing proceeding. 

In other news, I'm staying in Monterey for another 6 weeks.

I would've thought that since I've been a missionary for what seems to me a decent amount of time that I would be done with all the anxiety and turmoil within myself. But it always seems that right when everything is going our way, a wrench (or in many cases more like...a locomotive or something far greater than I wrench, I don't know) drops into our plans unexpectedly. To me, and I'm sure most of us, it can feel like we will never catch a break. That we just move from one difficult situation to another. But amidst what may seem to be a never-ending storm we must always remember that our savior has said:

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

When the path ahead may appear barren or gloomy, we need not search for temporary solace within the imperfect and temporary solutions of the world. We are offered freely the perfect peace of Jesus Christ. He will be out soother, our healer, and our rescuer in our very darkest hours.

I can promise that He offers freely the breath of fresh air that we are all searching for. Though he may not remove our suffering, he will always help us through it.

[Music Notes Emoji]

Under My Skin--Briston Maroney

Blue World--Mac Miller

For now, adieu.

Elder Winegar

I love you Jacob

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Charity Never Faileth

If you would like to email Elder Winegar directly, he can be reached at jacob.winegar@missionary.org Thank you for your love and support!

Whaddup

Wow. My heart is so full. I don't know what happened this week but my faith is so much deeper and my joy is so much more rich than ever before. 

The beginning of my week was honestly trash. And it was totally my own fault. I was in my head and wallowing about things that did not concern me or what I was doing here. It was quite selfish of me. And I wasn't any happier for it. Sometimes it feels good in the moment, but really self-pity is just another face of pride. 

To remedy the problem I just decided to work really hard and invest myself into the lives of these beautifully unique people that I get to be around. It really made all the difference. Seeing how the "news that [Christ] bore" can heal people in their darkest days is such a marvelous thing to witness. I am humbled that someone as imperfect as me would be given such an opportunity. 

We got to meet with our friend named Allan who is the sweetest man and one of a kind. Unfortunately he seemed half asleep for most of our visit, but his efforts are still greatly admired. 

Our friend Kanchan, who was adopted by her family from her previous home in India, met with us and shared a sacred experience she had receiving an answer to prayer. I am so proud of her and I happily add to her witness that prayers are answered, even when it might be in God's time and in his way. 

Our friend Jennifer, who we have recently been teaching, attended church with us and brought her friend Darla, who we had never met before. She later told us that, even though she is struggling financially and having difficulty finding work, she recently offered Darla and her daughter, who are currently homeless, a place to stay in her home. What an example to me of Christlike love and compassion. 

I worked the AT&T Pro AM at Pebble Beach ;)

Twas quite sick

Some Defense Language Institute students from the Young Single Adult ward gathered together Sunday evening and all shared their favorite scripture in the language that they are learning. We listened to the good word in languages like Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin, Tagalog, Russian, and Arabic to name a few. It was pretty amazing. Truly God is aware of all his children and will spread his truth to "every nation, kindred, tongue, and people."

As I near what might be the end of my time in Monterey, it becomes increasingly clear to me the deep love I have developed for this people and this community. My heart sorrows for my inevitable departure but I have been comforted as it seems I always am, by an insight in my studies. 

"But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever;"

Though I must leave these people, though our circumstances divide us, though our relationship may be over at this time and season, the pure love that I have developed for them truly "endureth forever."

Similarly, we learn that the prime expressor and even expression of this love, is Jesus Christ. His love for us is not imaginary, It is real. It is not shallow, It is infinitely deep, and perfectly personal. And most importantly it is not fickle, not in the slightest. "Charity never faileth." Christ's love is eternal and unfaltering even when everyone else's may be. His love for you will never cease and it will never fail. And as our Exemplar, Christ has taught us that love will not fail. Keep caring, keep loving, it will not be in vain. I promise you that, with all that I have and all that I am. 

I love you. I really do. You are my Brothers and Sisters after all.

Song?

Love Love Love--The Mountain Goats

Peace out,

Elder Winegar

Charity Never Faileth

Monday, February 7, 2022