Amazing!

May 4, 2015

Hey Y'all!

Transfers have had things switched around. Over half of our zone was transferred out!  However,  Elder Lindquist was sent to Carrolton- the area next to Lewisville! He is with another missionary who has been out 3 months so they are quite the pair!! I am with an Elder Saxey, who has been out six months. He will probably be my last companion- I have only 3 months left now so the members have begun to give me grief about it. 

Kieth and Catherine are amazing us- we taught the law of tithing and the law of the fast and they accepted it outright.  Now they are seeing opportunities for new jobs and new promotions. Elder Saxey was sick for a few day with strep throat. Because of this I went on a few exchanges with the priests from the ward. It was great and something I plan on doing more of. 

Elder Saxey is from Seattle, Washington area. He actually lived in a town called Forks- I didn't know it but apparently that is the town the Twilight series is set in. I am very happy to have him as a companion- he is one of those people that often turns outward and serves others rather than the self. 

My family thank you for writing me, thank you for you pictures and words of encouragement. Please know I love you and pray for you often. 

Love ya!

-Elder Hunt

Missions are great!

Hey Y'all!

We had the Vern family over again to church yesterday. They really loved it. Please keep praying for them- that they will have a desire to change for Christ and commit to follow him. 

I really want to send y'all some good pictures.  I have many but I can't find a wifi network that isn't locked with a password. We have been holding our breath in anticipation of transfers coming up- we don't know what will happen. 

I love how much clarity and strength the Gospel of Christ has brought into my life. The Holy Ghost sharpens our minds so that we can penetrate the knots of confusion, deception, and misinformation - getting to the center of subjects many struggle with. Is there a God? Does he have a plan for me? What will happen to me when I die? What will happen to my family when they die? I know that God exists and desires for us to follow his plan for us. As we do so we secure the future of us and our families. I love you guys, there is much to catch up on and much to tell and relate to y'all. Missions are great!

Love y'all!

-Elder Hunt

Alelujah!

April 13, 2015

Y'all have commented in your e-mails to me that you pray often for Elder Lindquist, I and the people we are teaching. Thank you for doing that. Those prayers work!  Yesterday a family we are teaching attended church for the first time  - Kieth, Catherine, Trinity and Cody! They enjoyed it, even with the un-culturally long church meetings us Mormons have. 

They invited us over for dinner afterward too. It has been a very long time since I have had investigators at church. It is exciting and uplifting to work with this family. They have been reading the Book of Mormon, praying, coming to know God's will for them through the Spirit. 

I am so blessed to be here at this time, enjoying being a part of our Father in Heaven's work and glory. I have always marveled at how God could do it all himself, it would be easier if he did not involve us. We make mistakes, we sin, we are not perfect in this work. Yet he allows us the chance to help in his work and in the process we grow and we become more like him. The whole purpose of this work is for us. Our progression is the purpose of this work. 

The great plan, the creation and fall of man, the sacrifice of His Son and subsequent resurrection, all things that exist are given to us by God to help us improve ourselves. Without all He has done, improving ourselves is impossible. I love him for it. I love y'all too, thank you for your prayers of faith. Thank you for your constant support that flows without ceasing. I love you.

-Elder Hunt

Waaahooo!

April 6, 2015

Hello!

I really enjoyed listening to General Conference.  I was inspired to see that rather than wishing and hoping for different circumstances, I can be grateful for all I have been blessed with. I can rejoice in all that my God has blessed me to accomplish. 

Bishop Gerald Causee spoke yesterday of how all the prophets of old looked forward to today with great anticipation.  They anticipated the many countries the gospel would be preached in, the many temples that would be built, the many members all across the world, and the many missionaries out serving. Just like the Nephites who saw the sign of Christ's birth and only four years later reverted back to their old ways, no longer amazed at a sign or wonder from heaven, I realized I take all the success the Lord has blessed me with on my mission for granted. 

Bishop Causee invited us to never tire of discovery and rediscovery of the gospel. In other words- never take the gospel for granted. We have such great opportunities for joy in this life and eternal life in the world to come. We have clarity and understanding on so many topics confusing to the world. We enjoy an eternal perspective that allows us to choose to look unto Christ and find happiness in our hope in his divine atonement. 

We enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost, a great gift that allows us to be prompted at all time and in all places to do God's will. We have the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ and all He has done for us.  This book is filled with truth and learning that will help us if we receive and apply it. Kevin Pearson invited us to study the Book of Mormon every day, every day, every day. He promised that we would be granted strength to endure through dificult times.

I know that as we pray honestly and sincerly to our Father in Heaven, read diligently from the Book of Mormon, and obey his commandments so that the adversary has no power over us; we will have strength to endure. Simply going to church each week will not be enough. We must take this gospel into our hearts. We must live it individually, and in our family circles. I love y'all and y'all are in my prayers. 

 

Got to go y'all, 

Please know I love you.

 

-E Hunt

Powerful Lessons

March 30, 2015

Dear Family & Friends,

We have had quite a week.  Two main things have happened. 

First- we had an amazing training on planning and teaching. They had all the mission leadership go down to meet with two men from the missionary department who taught a new method of teaching/finding to us from the twelve. Apparently the bretheren really want missionaries to teach shorter, more powerful lessons and do less talking. We will go through and present a pamphlet asking questions, inviting people to read text boxes or paragraphs and have them do all the thinking and talking. We basically don't get in the Spirit's way of teaching and testifying. This isn't a complete overhaul of missionary work but is a new tool in our toolbox we can use to find and gather the elect. We have already seen an increase in receptiveness and others feeling the Spirit as we do this. 

Second - Unfortunately we have hit some roadbumps with the people we are teaching. Our dificulty is helping them to attend church. We had three families who said they would come yet not one person showed. So that is where we are at.

I love you guys. Have an awesome week!

Love,

Elder Graham Hunt

Long, Tall Elders

March 23, 2015

Hello All!

As we had transfers this past week, Elder Sorensen was sent to Idabel, Oaklahoma. I am now with an Elder Lindquist.  He is very young in the mission. Having played basketball in highschool- he is quite the shot.  I hope to learn and improve by learning a few things from him. He is the same height as me- we are both about 6'4 or 6'5ish so the drawback is that people can get kinda intimidated. Talking with ward members in the halls of church yesterday, I felt some people were. The good thing is he is about the same weight too, so we aren't too much Elder altogether! 

I love you guys, I hope yall continue to do well!
-Elder Hunt

Transforming Power

March 16, 2015

Hello!

So this past week we found two new people to teach!

The first is Ken.  Elder Sorensen was looking through former investigators and he felt prompted to call one person on it. It was Ken who he called. Ken had been meeting with the missionaries a year ago. He had been making changes in his life but some stuff in the past caught up with him and he was sent off to prison for several months. Now released, we were able to get in contact with him and start teaching him again. It has been a blessing to work with him, the spirit has been present in our lessons and he notices it. His wife's name is Amy and they have two children about two and three years old.

We also found JT.  JT was contacted by the missionaries two months ago- he was interested and set an appointment with them which fell through. Last Wednesday we were on exchanges and I was with Elder Rimer. We were contacting in an apartment complex and it was getting to be time for us to go. I felt we should do one more section before we moved on.  On the third floor we met JT. He let us in and we answered his questions and bore our testimonies before agreeing on when we could come back. 

It is cool to see the Lord using both of us as tools to find people. 

I do have some news- we found out this morning that Elder Sorensen is to be transfered. We are both sad to have this happen, but I know that Elder Sorensen is needed elsewhere and has much good to accomplish. I know this is Christ's work we are learning and doing. 

Following the Spirit's promptings to use the atonement on the mission is an amazing vehicle for conversion- taking immature young men like us and giving us purpose, helping us to develop maturity, allowing us to work through God's grace to merit the Spirit in all aspects of our work and lives. It transforms people. Then we get to go out and share that transforming power with every single person we pass by. Pretty good deal.

I love you guys, I hope you feel my prayers for you because I really feel y'alls prayers for me.

-Elder Hunt