The Best Family Ever!

December 30, 2013

Dear Family,

Thanks for a wonderful time catching up a bit with y'all!  It was wonderful to see you on video in real time from across several states!  Truly technology is such a blessing from God; information can travel so fast! 

I have a funny story about our Skype conversation.  After we hang up, I went into the other room and the family hosting us said I was very enthusiastic during my call. They said that I must have the best family ever - these were their exact words.  I said, "Yes," to be polite but in my mind I said, "YEAH THEY ARE!  I HAVE THE BEST FAMILY IN THE WORLD AND THERE ISN'T A BETTER ONE TO BE FOUND!!!"  Of course I didn't say that out loud...

Love y'all! 

-Elder Hunt

Merry Christmas!

December 23, 2013

President Durrant said to give his love to y'all!  We plan to be calling at 11:00 am (Dallas time).  I will start with the home phone but only to set up FaceTime on an iPad or Skype or something.  I WANT TO SEE YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACES!! haha...  (One of the best parts of Christmas is each missionary calls home to their parents.  We had a wonderful visit with Graham via Skype on Christmas morning.)  

For most Christmas day is a day of celebration and gathering with family and friends.  However, for some Christmas is the loneliest time of the year.  It is a time when they should be with loved ones but instead find themselves all alone.  As representatives of Christ we will go out on the day we celebrate his birth and find those who are alone, to share some Christmas cheer with them.  We will set aside much of our traditions in order to (hopefully) bring that joy to others.

Last Friday, we had a training with President Durrant.  We practiced teaching and shared our prepared talks on what makes a successful missionary.  President Durrant gave us all a Christmas gift - an acorn!  He talked about the many things the acorn symbolized like the seed of faith and obedience to mission rules.  Well, it promises to be a great week!  I can't wait to speak to y'all!!

Elder Hunt

Elder Sharp is great!

December 16, 2013

My new address is 24222 Wallabie Way Sydney, Australia!!!!

 Just kidding..

This week has been crazy, going for the first time to a new area. Elder Sharp is a great, great guy and we get along very well. It is truly a blessing to be companions with him. 

Not only do we cover the Frisco 3rd ward but also the YSA ward too! We have two investigators, Tyler and Christian. We just set baptisimal dates with both of them in January!

Because we cover the YSA ward, our area extends beyond the borders of the 3rd ward, it includes Frisco, McKinney the Colony Little Elm and more, not that we tract or attend wards in those cities but we cover referrals there.

Most important however, we have a car!!! This is truly a blessing. I enjoyed the bike but it is good to be able to cover so much ground so fast.  Yesterday just before sacrament meeting started the Bishop of the 3rd ward, Bishop Fredrickson asked me to come up right after the sacrament and introduce myself and bear a short testimony. Talk about opportunity! I got to introduce myself and bear a heartfelt witness of the gospel of our Savior. That jumpstarted my quest to get to know everybody, rather than "oh- I didn't know we got a new elder" all day people knew that I had arrived and I wanted to learn their names and faces. 

Well, I hope to be sending more updates and writing more letters shortly. Dearest family of mine please, please, please know I love you and pray for you. Although it seems as if I will be gone a long time it will come sooner than any of us can imagine. The days and weeks fly by like a flock of Geese headed north for the summer. Time is very relative.

Elder Hunt
>

Ice Storm Adventures

December 9, 2013

So I woke up one morning to a beeping sound.  I got out of bed and searched for the source.  It was cold, quite cold and our heater had not been working for several weeks.  It was 5:00 am and the previous day we had heard much talk about an "ice storm" coming.  Well, turns out that it had hit and hard, too.  I went to flip on a light and nothing happened.  I went to other rooms and tried those but none of our lights would turn on.  In fact, there was no electricity in the apartment whatsoever and it was the first day after a raging ice storm.  Everything was covered in thick sheets of ice!

We had no heat, so we were ordered to head to our zone leaders apartment and stay there until further notice!  As we waited for one of the members of the ward who had a four wheel drive truck to pick us up, we could feel the temperature dropping even as we spoke.  We were at the zone leaders place for about 24 hours with four missionaries in one apartment.  Although it was not cramped, we still got cabin fever.

Texan cows have too much grit to let a little ice stop 'em!

In Texas, there is humidity and wind, which means that when it falls to 20 degree weather, it renders your coats and windbreakers useless.  The cold goes right to your bones.  Luckily, there is now a thaw and the roads are [uhh..] "safe" and things are considerably warmer.

The pictures will look like snow, but it is all ice and it was dangerous! Both Elder Kowalis and I have fallen and hurt ourselves already!  I got pics of a few higher end nice cars covered in icicles.  I was like a kid, playing in the ice, sliding around, breaking rows of icicles with a swipe of my hand.  I have learned something about myself:  I love winter and I love the cold!  The colder it is, the more I like it.  The wetter it is the more I like it and the windier it is the more I enjoy it.  This is something I never realized while in sunny warm So-Cal.

So I am getting transferred!  I am going to Frisco Ward and WE HAVE A CAR!!  I also will be working  in the Young Single Adult ward and covering young single adults in all of Frisco.  Apparently, this new area is even more affluent than Plano, something I have a hard time believing.  I don't know my new address but I will send a letter ASAP when I get there.  I will be with one "Elder Sharp" and I have heard good things about him.

Hope y'all have a most meerrryy CHRISTmas!  Please know that I love each of you...

Elder Hunt

Post-it Note Nativity

December 2, 2013

The package was delightful, but something was missing.  A nativity!  So I made one by rolling up post-it notes and drawing on them - Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus.

However, the next day they unstuck and unrolled );  The tree also tilted over, so it was a fixable but rather dismal scene...


I had Thanksgiving with a family in the ward, the Bernfelds.  They are a younger couple and they have a two year old daughter.  They also had another family over, the Masons.  They have a five year old daughter, a three year old son, and a BIG baby boy!  As per tradition in the home of the Bernfelds, they choose one person every year to eat the leg.  They chose me and I chowed down on it hard.  I cleaned it to the bond, all that delicious dark meat!  Sister Bernfeld said that she had never seen anyone clean the turkey leg like I did.  Oh - I ate soooo much!

I love y'all, I pray for y'all, stay strong!

Elder Hunt

Feasting on the Word of God

November 27, 2013

I just received your package and am sitting here with a warm cup of peppermint herbal tea and I thought I would write y'all a letter with this brand spankin' new letter material!  Elder Kowalis and I loved this package, thank you for including him.

How did you get the Auzzie candy??? It was a treat to get it!  I have thoroughly enjoyed the Auzzie candy.  Please tell whoever sent that all over thanks on my behalf.  Tell the family down under Hi for me!

It has been quite chilly here.  Our heater in our apartment is broken, so we turn the stove top to high heat is we want to warm ourselves.  Because it has been so cold lately, I have resorted to putting on my bed my coat, towels and windbreaker/jacket to ward off the chill.  Last night, though, the wife of the Bishop of our ward lent me some blankets and I slept very warmly!!  It is amazing to see how much the Lord provides for me as a missionary.  That was yet another instance of blessing.

I have been feasting on the Doctrine and Covenants, eating something like unto 15 sections a day! Delicious!! Hope y'all feast well upon Turkey Day, the Day of Thanksgiving!

Elder Hunt

1,000 Turkeys

November 25, 2013

This week was amazing.  We lost all our investigators Thursday morning, with our last one dropping us.  We then had an appointment with George, a guy we talked to several days ago.  He took us to lunch and we talked about many things.  He had stage four liver cancer a year ago and by miraculous means we cured of it.  His body responded to treatment so well, that the doctors told him that is was not their efforts that were healing him but another power.  Our conversation flowed into the restoration of the Gospel and we related it to his life experiences.  We told him of the and testified about the Book of Mormon.  He seemed very interested in the Book of Mormon and said he was going buy one!  We quickly shared that we had one to give him.

That is not all.  Sam pulled over as we were tracking and asked us if we were Mormon missionaries.  We affirmed we were.  He said that we had talked to his son the day before and wanted us to come and visit him the next day.  The next day we met with Sam and he told us that he had read the Book of Mormon, knew it was true and asked us what was the next step he could take!!

Karl's baptism was last Saturday and I am so sorry I have not been able to send pictures yet.  We have had numerous p-day complications and neither Elder Kowalis nor I have our cameras with us now.

The weather over the past few days is bipolar with a dash of insanity.  It is in the 40's with much wind and rain.  If it isn't raining, it is wickedly humid which means that when the wind barely puffs at you it goes right to your bones.  We don't get snow - nice, fluffily docile snow...instead we get freezing rain!!

On Friday and Saturday, we did service at a food pantry.  They were giving frozen turkeys for Thanksgiving! Those also happened to be the most extreme days for the weather.  We unloaded the turkeys from the back of a freezer truck and we had not a glove between us elders.  Someone offered me a pair but they were too small and my hands were too wet/cold to put them on.  This weather was so bad that it was warmer to be in freezer truck than to be out of it!  All our pain did accomplish  amazing things. Being strong young men, we could work stronger and harder than anyone and we unloaded approximately 1,000 turkeys ranging from 35 pounders to ones the size of my fist.  (Yup, didn't give those away.)  The most amazing thing to me was that my strength was increased.  The Lord gave us energy to finish the job - well.  People noticed.

Well, I love y'all.  Stay strong in the way of the Lord for me!

Elder Hunt

The Great, The Grand, One Part of Sixth

November 21, 2013

Madre,  I'll be home before you know it!  Let the realization hit your head, permeate your personage because Elder Hunt is already one-sixth complete with his mission in serving the Lord.  Time is really flying by now, it is somewhat alarming.  I'ld lose track of days if I didn't have my planner.

Guess what?  On the 23rd of November, Karl gets baptized!!!!!  I'll send some pics via email so y'all can see it!  Elder Kowalis and I are getting along well.  We did a 75 hour week a couple of weeks back, but I forgot to mention it to y'all.  While still slow, the work is quickening its pace here.  I am a better missionary everyday.  There is plenty to master and skills to improve!

The whole minivan debacle is hilarious!  Much amusement and enjoyment out of that one!  I have read it over several times now.  (Our minivan, nicknamed the "white manatee" by Graham, finally had died.  To replace it, we purchased a Honda Fit that is also white.  Parked in the same spot in the garage, it looked like the "white manatee" had gone on a serious diet!)

I hope the family is doing well, extended and all.

Love, Elder Hunt

SUPER Day!!

November 18, 2013

Yesterday was a SUPER day at church!  Elder Kowalis and I have been working with the members of our ward to help them invite their friends to church.  Two people, a young man and a young woman were at church today invited by the youth in the ward.  What is more, a certain Brother Harris who has been inactive for some time (with whom we missionaries are good friends) came to church as well!  With his wife!!  I am really beginning to learn that the key to success is through members.  We are blessed with people to teach, friends gain spiritual truths and a chance to accept the gospel, and the members receive the blessing of being joined by their friends.  I think of Alma from the Book of Mormon, who did not have success until he joined with Amulek, a local man in the community whose testimony strengthened the message.

(Elder Hunt is 3rd from the left and Elder Kowalis is 4th from the left.)

Elder Hunt

Angels in Pick Up Trucks

November 7, 2013

Today Elder Kowalis and I went to bike to the top of our area to contact a less active member for Bishop Heilner.  It is a very long way to the top of our area.  It is also cold!  Cold enough that I don't break a sweat when wearing my winter coat over a sweater while biking across Texas!!  (Ironically, I am actually more cold tough than my companion from Utah!  Who knew a Cali-boy like me would enjoy the cold weather!)

Anyways, as we were biking a member of our church from the Frisco Ward drove by in his truck.  He was heading home from work, following the same route as always. He had been called in on Thursday, a day he generally does not work on.  He also happened to be driving a pickup truck!  So he pulled over and gave us and our bikes a lift.  (His name also happened to be Brandon!)  I know that the Lord works His ways not just through heavenly angels, but through earthly ones too!  So be on the lookout to help someone in need!

Love Y'all!

-Elder Hunt

Three Month Mark!

October 26, 2013

I can't believe it is my three month mark!  It feels as if yesterday was two months.  I look back on the calendar and wonder where all the time went.  Out the window!  I realized that I am 1/8th completed with my mission.  That makes it seem REALLY short.

The work is picking up now that Elder Kowalis is here.  He is a very good missionary and I have learned much from him.  Don't get me wrong, Elder Findlay was a good missionary but with Elder Kowalis, he has a different style approach to contacting that has seemed to be more effective.

By the way, Mission = Awesome.  It is what I am supposed to do right now.  I know this because I am so happy right now.  Yesterday, we met a new investigator, Andrew.  Today we met another new investigator Edward!  We worked a 75 hour week that I'll be writing more about...

I love you!

Elder Hunt

Halloween Happenings

October 21, 2013

Dear Awesome Family Back Home,

Thank y'all for the Halloween package!! I am enjoying licorice allsorts as I write.  All the extra stationary means I'll be sending a lot more letters your way!  It is so much fun to receive these creative and imaginative packages.  It really brightens my day!  Brandon, your gift I especially love!  (Brandon sent a four inch by four inch realistic looking plastic spider.)  Yes, you did scare me as I opened the box.  I have put it next to by bed so I see it often and it also creeps me out often - so I get the maximum enjoyment out of it!

I have interesting, ironic and funny news.  Last Wednesday, Elder Findlay was emergency transferred to Past Texas!  Elder Kowalis came in to replace him.  We do not know why these emergency transfers took place, only that they were very sudden!  We received the call after I had emailed!  So I barely missed being able to warn y'all.  So when the Halloween package came with stuff for Elder Findlay, I decided to mail it to him.  I split the candy between my current companion, Elder Kowalis, and my ex-current companion, Elder Findlay.

Elder Kowalis is a very talented Elder.  He is good at talking and starting conversations with people.  He also looks like he could be a Hollister model or something, so that doesn't hurt either.  Very cool guy.  I tell you more in my email Monday because I am running out of card!!!

Tell Grandma Pat I love her and that I am praying for her.

 - Elder Hunt

Texas Tracting

( I apologize for the lapse in blog postings.  Graham's grandmother (and my mother) Pat Green had major surgery on October 8th.  She spent 10 days in the hospital and is now recovering in a Rehab Center.  I am happy to report she is progressing well.)

October 14, 2013

Thank you for telling me about Grandma Pat.  I hope she recovers well from her ordeal.  I'll be praying for her.

It is so nice to hear that Brandon got three palms!!! That shows true commitment to scouting and a good work ethic because he is still working when he could just sit back.  (This is a special honor that scouts can earn above and beyond the Eagle Scout recognition.  Brandon received all three palms in October.)


America is an awesome place and the state of Texas especially.  I eat well!!  Currently, I am snacking on beef jerky as I write - it is soooo good!  Being in a bike area, I now have insanely caloused hands.  The other day I rubbed my hand on my arm and it felt like fingernail scratching!  Weird!

I am happy to report that I am doing amazingly well!! Elder Findlay and I have been working hard, and it is almost therapeutic.  You know what is awesome about missionary work?  The harder you work, the happier you are!  For the past few days I have worked hard, prayed hard and slept even harder!!!  It hasn't all been peaches and cream, though.  For the past two weeks, I was struggling on and off with discouragement.  I was pretty miserable at times.  But with God's help (He is all powerful, no?) I am so elated to be doing the Lord's work daily.  Tracting is notoriously awful in Texas, yet I find joy in doing it.

Dad, I hope you are doing well.  Being a Bishop must be rough, as you still have to work and do normal life activities while serving the Lord.  I couldn't imagine what mission life would be like if I had to work, take care of home and family, all while keeping up my appointments and tracting!  I admire you for your commitment to our family and the righteous way you preside over it.  As a missionary, I am seeing many, many households of every shape, size, description and dynamic.  It has helped me appreciate our home even deeper.  So far I have not found ONE home that compares with the one you and Madre raised Brandon and I in.  That loving home was the greatest gift any child could have ever received and you gave it to me.

Thank you for your weekly letters.  It is nice to hear from my family so consistently.  I love you Madre and Fadre.  Thank you for supporting me from home like you do.

Your son (forever!)
Elder Hunt

Rare Scriptures

September 30, 2013

Hello!

Yesterday evening, Elder Findlay and I went to a very interesting presentation by a man in our area.  This man used to own a bookstore, and is a collector of rare and old scriptures.  He had (every single one of these is original) a Wycliffe Bible, a Tyndale Bible, a Geneva Bible, and a King James Bible which weighed 40 pounds!  He also had a first edition printing of the Doctrine & Covenants and Pearl of Great Price.  He even had Napoleon Bonaparte's own prayer book!


He also had an original first edition copy of the Book of Mormon!  Most of all, he had Joseph Smith's personal thumb Bible.  A thumb Bible is an abbreviated version of the Bible.  This one was 2 inches by 3 inches long!  Tiny thing!  The thumb Bible had Joseph Smith's signature in the front cover and the back cover!  He also had Joseph Smith's own copy of the Book of Mormon.  Moreover, Elder Findlay and I got to hold Joseph Smith's own Bible and Book of Mormon!  What a rare experience!  Not to get all relicy, but Elder Findlay and I were ecstatic!

I love you all!

                                       -Elder Hunt

Bomb-Proofing the Book of Mormon

September 23, 2013

Elder Findlay and I are still in the same area, so you can order the shoulder bag and have it delivered to our address.  Thank you for taking the time to research and find me a good bag.  I cannot wait to bomb-proof my Book of Mormon!  Ballistic nylon...heheheheheh..... (I ordered Graham a shoulder/messenger bag that is made of ballistic nylon which is water proof and very tough!)

John is our only investigator.  He was brought to church by a friend.  Finding people to teach is difficult here.  I would imagine the same is true in Southern California.  My mission president, President Durrant, asked at a recent conference for every person to ask one person this: "Would you be willing to listen to a brief presentation about God and His plan for your happiness?"  I would ask you to do a favor for me by doing a favor for the missionaries in your area.

I love you!

                                    -Elder Hunt

9/11 Remembered

(This has been a difficult post for me to write.  My brother Andrew was killed in the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001.  He was in the first airplane highjacked and exploded into the World Trade Towers.  I think of my dear brother Andrew and all the years that we have lost with him with great sadness.  Through the years, my faith has been my anchor and my comfort and has given me strength beyond my own to help me through the grief and pain.  I am so grateful that my son carries this same faith in his heart because I know it will sustain and strengthen him in his journey through life.)

September 11, 2013

My Dear Mother,

Today is the anniversary of Uncle Andrew's passing and I thought I would lift your spirits with a letter, although doubtless this letter will not reach you the same day.  Today we went to the Fort Worth Mission to meet with Elder Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  The meeting was good and I know that he stands as a special witness of Christ and his atonement.

I admire you and Grandma Pat for forgiving those who killed Uncle Andrew.  I imagine if I had to forgive someone for killing Brandon, it would be the hardest thing of my life.  I pray that never happens.  I give you my testimony that through the atonement and Heavenly Father's plan of salvation, we will be united and gathered as a family in the Celestial kingdom of God.  Although there is temporary separation in this life, Christ's victory over death in Gethsemane trumps all.  How great is his victory!  I thank God for the peace of mind and spirit given by that joyous news!  I love you Madre!

                                                 - Elder Hunt

Liquorice Allsorts

September 9, 2013

My loving family -

I just received your "Gold" package and am writing this letter while enjoying liquorice allsorts.

I am so thankful you think of my companions as well.  Please send them something as well as I in each of these fun boxes.  Brandon, thank you for the artwork.  I have it hanging on the wall above my bed at my feet so I can see it when I go to bed at night.  My dear family, you have been so good to me.

Good news!  I have found my scripture for my missionary plaque. It is 3 Nephi 27:16:

"And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world."  

There it is.  Christ's own words plainly telling the simplicity of returning to live with God.  (Each of the missionaries from our congregation has a wooden plaque that hangs next to the Bishop's office.  This plaque has their picture, their favorite missionary scripture, and a map of their mission.)  

I am doing well.  There is a young man who we are teaching.  He is very sincere and he is a great kid.  The work is going slow but sure and I love it!  I love y'all and hope you are all doing quite well.

                                                                  - Elder Hunt

Texas Toast

September 2, 2013

My mission is going well albeit slow.  I am in the richest area of all of my mission and all of Texas, too.  The area has its drawbacks and benefits because of this.  Most of our area is untractable as we get thrown out by security guards.  But, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.  We have an amazing ward which is very missionary minded.  They feed us often.  Oh, man, I have had some goood food here in Texas.  I know I'll gain weight down here.  Although it is hard to effectively contact/tract here the Lord still blesses us and guides us to the right people.

Texas is toasty!  (Graham has been biking around in 100 degree plus heat and humidity for most of August!) It is so Texas toasty that Elder Findlay and I have our apartment at 80 degrees fahrenheit and it feels cold.  At 90 degrees fahrenheit it feels cool and at 100 degrees it feels comfortably warm.

I love the mission, it is awesome!
- Elder Hunt

I Hope They Call Me On A Mission

August 24, 2013

Hey Y'all!

Your young 18 year old missionary is doing well!  Fun Fact:  The man who wrote "I Hope They Call Me On A Mission" is in our ward.  It is funny I should meet him right as I begin my mission!

Today Elder Findlay has done some figuring and figured that today (8/24) is my one month day!  Since I have been out a month I figured I'd write to y'all.  I was doing some thinking myself and have determined that when I get home in 23 months the first thing I want to do is go with y'all to the beach and drink Bundaberg while watching the waves and the sunset.  I will prepare a spiritual thought to share.

This thought will be a culmination of all I have learned and experienced on my mission.  I don't know exactly what it will be yet, but after two years of learning and service for the kingdom of God, there WILL be something profound I will desire to share with you, my eternal family.

                                                    -Elder Hunt

Note:  Graham refers to watching the sunset and waves while drinking Bundaberg.  Bundaberg ginger beer is a family favorite soft drink from Australia.  The Bundaberg company is located in Graham's grandma's hometown in Australia.

What Is Love Anyway?

August 15, 2013

The mission is going well.  Today we had a special once-a-year Texas Dallas Mission Olympics!  Elder Findlay and I got the silver medal in the referral event.  YAY!!  So I'm sending the medal home for fun and a memento for you, family.

Madre, I love you.  It is because of your love and guidance to me that I can do the same for others.  Thank you for your loving, thoughtful and imaginative gifts and notes.

Fadre, I love you.  I know with a surety that you love me.  It is not just because you daily looked me in the eyes and said, "Graham, do you know I love you?"  "Yes, Dad," I would reply.  But now I better understand love.  When you have love for a person, you serve them, you make personal sacrifices for the other person's benefit.

One example of pure love is Jesus' atonement, which I am working to truly understand.  Another is your sacrifice to allow me to come on a mission.  You and Madre had me work hard in school so I wasn't able to raise a large enough sum of money to serve a mission.  Rather, you saved since I was a child, forgoing nice cars, a bigger home, better TVs all so that I might serve the Lord on a mission.  So when I wake up in the morning and think, "Ugh, I'm tired," I remember that I'm not the only one who's sacrificing for Elder Hunt's mission.  Thank you for that.

Brandon, my brother I love you.  You may not believe me but you are the one I miss the most.  This is true.  I am looking at the picture of our family.  I look at it daily down here in Dallas.  With me gone, you have to give twice as much love to Madre and Fadre.  But love is not just about hugs and verbal proclamations.  It is about reaching outward to others and fulfilling their needs as much as your own.  When Fadre comes in after a hard day at work and bishop duties, go greet him.  Do the dishes for Madre, unasked and uninvited.  Make these things not chores but expressions of love through service.

Your brother and son forever,
Elder Hunt

Howdy

August 12, 2013

Nobody has said howdy to me yet, but y'all is quite common.  I am in Plano, Texas!  I am in the wealthiest area of the entire mission in the entire state of Texas.  Most of our area consists of wealthy neighborhoods and nice apartments.  Sports cars and huge trucks are common.  There is a Ferrari, Audi, Lamborghini, and a couple BMW dealerships in the area.

Did I mention that I don't even get a car?  Elder Findlay and I ride bikes in the 90+ degree heat plus humidity every day!  Cars aren't the only expensive things around, most of the area Elder Findlay and I cover is high-end apartments and neighborhoods.  They say everything is bigger in Texas, and it is not a joke!  By the standards of Plano, our home in California is tiny!

I've seen incredibly gargantuan mansions in some neighborhoods, and with the heat and humidity of this area, the AC bill alone would kill most people's finances.  Air conditioning alone!  To appreciate the size of some of these mansions, take our church building, place a second one on top of it, then double the size of it all and put it on a yard the size of a football field -- I'M NOT EXAGGERATING HERE!  That is the size of an average mansion -- they get bigger than that.

Being in such a wealthy area does have it's difficulties, however.  Most of our area is not tractable; we cannot go around the wealthy neighborhoods door to door or else we get thrown out by security guards.  The same goes for the apartment complexes.  This leaves us with very few places to contact people.  Thus, the area I am in has the extremes of being the wealthiest area of the mission and on top of that the hardest area in the ENTIRE mission!!  Which is awesome!

Thankfully my trainer, Elder Findlay, is a great person.  He is optimistic, we get along very well together, and we have the best conversations - whether it be duck hunting or deep gospel doctrine, we always strike up engaging conversations.  Our ward is great, and the food they feed us is just as the legends describe.  I promise I'll be coming back much heavier and filled out than when I left.

We met a new investigator a couple of days ago.  Tracking out investigators is unheard of in Plano so we have truly been blessed to have found him.

I love you all.
Elder Hunt

Letter from President Durrant of the Texas Dallas Mission

August 12, 2013

Dear Brother and Sister Hunt,

We are grateful to have your son, Elder Graham Hunt, serving with us in the Texas Dallas Mission.  He arrived safely, and I have enjoyed interviewing him.  His companion is Elder Findlay.  We have given him a strong trainer to help him get off to a good start.  He seems happy and eager to do the work of the Lord.  We will meet with him regularly.

Our mission covers the northeast part of the State of Texas.  It takes in a little portion of Oklahoma and goes east to the Louisiana border.  Nearly three fourths of our missionaries are in the "Metroplex" of Dallas, serving a population of almost four million people.  The life of a missionary is not always easy, but it will be a growing experience for him, one that will set him on a firm foundation and help him gain habits that will serve him well for life.

We extend our love to you and thank you for sending your son into the mission field.  We unite our prayers with yours for the well-being, success, and happiness of your son as he serves the Lord in this great work.

Sincerely,

Devin G. Durrant
Texas Dallas Mission

Wahw!

August 6, 2013

Wahw!!  There is no adequate one word summary of this my first day in the field, so I made one up.  My companion is Elder Findlay and we are in Dallas suburbs.  It is much like California except more hot and humid.  I am near one of the wealthiest parts of Dallas.  Some of the houses are HUGE.  I get to be on a bike and you sweat soooo much!

Today Elder Findlay and I taught a recent convert family.  We met with the Ward Mission Leader and he is an awesome man who has served in mission presidencies before.  He is going to push me to get to a higher level of teaching.  He also took us out for dinner - fried rice and stir fry.  Wow, is Texas food good!  Apparently, Texas Dallas Mission is a "40 pound mission" so I'll definitely gain weight!!

I love you and hope you are doing well.  God be with you till we meet again.

Elder Hunt

Your Missionary Has Arrived!

August 5, 2013

Just a quick note to let you families of our newest missionaries know that your son or daughter has arrived safely here in the Texas Dallas Mission.  A great group of twenty-one new missionaries were greeted today to a sweltering 105 degree, sunshiny Dallas day.

Thank you for sending us a wonderful missionary.  We know that this will be a great experience for them in the Texas Dallas Mission!

Sister Larsen
Secretary, Texas Dallas Mission

Fond Family Memories

August 3, 2013


My dearest Madre, I love you. I have realized since leaving that our home was a mini heaven. It was peaceful and happy and we lived with joy. Thank you for making our home Celestial. However I have no feelings of homesickness. I thought without doubt I would struggle with that, but I have been blessed so that I can concentrate on learning as much as possible. 

You have said a couple times I was in "spiritual boot camp."  I would not really describe it like that.  Instead, the MTC has been like a firehose of information and spiritual learning. I have wrapped my mouth around the spout and poured it all down my throat. There is so much to say about the MTC,  I cannot write about all the things that I am learning and experiencing.  I now kind of understand when they write in the scriptures that they could not write all things that were said. 

My dearest Fadre, While here in the MTC, I have realized how well I have been prepared for this. Our home was truly a Mini MTC.  Although I went to mission prep classes during high school, the real mission prep began at a younger age when you taught me obediance. You taught me about God's love for His children by your actions and the way you lived. 

I have greater respect for you and Madre.  People are not used to living 24/7 with another person and you can see it in how some companionships are breaking down. I have great respect for you and Madre's one-ness of heart.

My family I love you all so much. You have been a blessing in my life and a glimpse into the Celestial kingdom I strive to enter into. 

Your son and brother, Graham

MTC Miracles

Saturday
July 27, 2013

My dear family,

The three and a half days I have been in the MTC have flown by.  However each day seems to last an entire week as we learn and do so much. The days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days. 

I have learned how to pray to receive revelation, not just me talking at God but talking TO God and receiving revelation back from Him. This is hard work, but such a blast!  I am having so much fun and I know that I am blessed by my Heavenly Father for this sacrifice. Moreover, God has taken what effort I have put into this, doubled it, and handed it back to me in the form of blessings. 

I have such a great companion here.  Elder Smith is so spiritual and just as enthusiastic as I and our personalities click. I have learned that God gives spiritual strengths and weaknesses to each of us.  Together we teach very effectively and I know that our companionship is an inspired gift from our Heavenly Father. I feel that my sentences fail me and I cannot fully explain my amazing experence here. 

I took President Brennan's advice and shined the shoes of my Elder Smith (along with my own) this Pday morning. 

I challenge you to pray today to our Heavenly Father sincerely, with real intent, having faith in Christ. In your prayer ask Him something He can respond to. When you finish your prayer sit for a minuite and wait for an answer. We can talk to God but we must listen in order for God to talk to us. I cannot count the number of times I have already done this, for it is many. I used to think I had a strong testimony about prayer but now my testimony is tenfold greater.

Your missionary,

Elder Hunt