Doing Immensely Better

February 24, 2014

Dear Family & Friends,

Thanks for y'alls concern. I am pleased to write that I am doing immensely better. I have now been adjusted by Brother Lopez, a chiropractor in our ward, three times.  Almost all the ill effects of my bike crash on my back are near dissipated.  I can sleep on my left side just fine now; and I can almost sleep on my right side. When vertical, it feels as if nothing is wrong at all, so day to day missionary work is fine. I am not the first missionary that Brother Lopez has fixed.  The Elder that I "replaced" (Elder Sharp's last companion) had similar back issues and Brother Lopez helped him out, too. The most amazing thing: he does it as a service to us missionaries. Plus I have healed really quick, so thank you for your prayers each and every one of you!

Transfer calls are this Saturday. Elder Sharp and I will find out who stays and who goes. Elder Sharp thinks I am leaving and I think Elder Sharp is leaving- 

I keep hearing about droughts in California, is it really that bad or is it just media hype?

I hope y'all know I love you and pray for you

Elder Hunt

Angels to Lift Me Up

February 17, 2014

Dear Family & Friends,

I received the Valentine's Day package on Monday after I e-mailed and WOW it is so much more than I expected. I have a confession to make: I opened it that day! But I only opened the recipes and the special ingredients for okonomiyaki. We went shopping afterwards and I picked up the other necessary ingredients for the okonomyaki. I made it that day! I figured that the amounts called for in the recipe just wouldn't be enough, even though it was for two people. So when I made it, I doubled every measurement in the recipe- doubling the amount of okonomyaki.

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese dish that Sally learned to make on her mission in Japan.

I had Elder Sharp try one with the special sauces and fish flakes.  He liked it but said he wasn't very hungry so he only had one. No problem!  I then proceeded to cook the entire batch and eat it all at that one time. Nothing was left over. It was yum!

That day it had misted- sorta sprinkled the whole day. Preparation day ends at 6:00pm so we went out.  A cold front had blown in and with night coming on all the moisture on the ground froze. Ice.... As Elder Sharp and I were riding, I slipped on some black ice while I was making a turn. I felt my bike slip out from underneath me. I should have smashed my hip and chin on the concrete but (this is what it felt like) some thing lifted me as I fell, so that I was set on the ground rather than crashing to the ground. I landed on but did not hit the ground. I was still sliding so I scraped myself up a bit. I know that God was watching out for me there, that he sent one of his angels to bear me up so I did not crack my hip on the ice. Well, I picked myself up and had Elder Sharp put a bandaid on my bloody chin and we kept going. 

The next day my back started acting up. It had not felt great for about two weeks.  Earlier on P-day I had not participated in the volleyball or basketball games because of it. But the crash wrecked it. Each passing day it became worse and worse. During that time the Lord truly strengthened me, giving me the ability to carry on with the work. Thursday night we ate with the Bishop of our ward, Bishop Fredrickson.  He learned of my predicament and called a chiropractor in the ward, Brother Lopez, and set us up to meet with him Friday night.  

Friday morning however, the pain in my back became too much. When my alarm went off that morning I went to reach over and turn it off but could not due to the pain. It took me a couple of different approaches before I found a way to reach over to turn it off. Then I had trouble getting up. It took me four attempts to get out of bed before I managed. (The epicenter of the pain is between my left shoulder blade and my spine and is due to my back muscles contracting hard around my nerves and my nerves going ballistic.) Taking a shower was very difficult. 

By ten o'clock (the time we are to head out) I was feeling better enough to function and after a call to Sister Durrant to let her know of my predicament we left. I made it through the day but by dinner I was suffering pretty bad. Brother Bell and Elder Sharp gave me a blessing and then they were kind enough to drop us off at Brother Lopez's.  He was shocked to see the condition I was in. He worked on me and worked and like a miracle I drastically improved. 

During the exchange right after I felt uncomfortable but totally able to function. I was with an Elder Dudley, a great missionary. I learned sooo much from him, in such a short time too. We found one lady who had recently lost her grandson who was our age. We shared the message of the Plan of Salvation and she wanted to come to church with us! The next day (Sunday) after the exchange I was feeling great, even better than the day before. Elder Sharp and I were able to re-connect with a potential investigator AND I felt good at church. 

However, after dinner that evening I set my bag down and got 3 pops in my back and pain flooded back. This was unfortunate as we were headed to the baptism of Christian (one of our investigators from the YSA). He had asked me to talk about the Holy Ghost and I was not in a good condition. Elder Sharp baptized Christian and I was just praying I would be able to deliver my talk. Not even three minutes before I gave my talk I had one pop in my back and it relaxed enough. I was able to deliver the talk without pain!! After I finished my talk, there was another pop and it went right back to awful.. haha-hehe-ugh... 

Well we went back to Brother Lopez's after the baptism and I had my back re-adjusted. Today, I am feeling all right. 

I guess the whole point behind this is to show how the Lord always provides. Right when I need to perform some task, I am strengthened.

Dad, thank you for taking time to answer my questions. I always enjoyed the talks we would have about doctrine, politics, and science as a family and I am glad we can still discuss gospel topics even now.

The longer I am on my mission the more I see and the more I learn and realize just how immensely blessed I am to have you. Not all families are like ours- 

I love y'all 

Elder Graham Hunt

Pirates & Snow Angels

February 10, 2014

Yaaargh!

Aye, me hearties, it be cold to the bone here! 

Yet but a few days hence, did the sun shine her golden face upon the seven seas!

I be well, a bit of surprising never did lax upon me..

(Hehehehe... Okay so these pictures were taken last Wednesday. By Saturday, it had all melted and was so warm we wore our short-sleeve shirts as if it were summertime!) 

Be here pictured, is me good hearty, Elderrrr Sharrrp, sharp like his cutlass!

Below, an angel of the snow, made by me onesie-savvy in a dock for cars and trucks!

Take care upon your voyages; I pray you endure all your storms wherever ye may be!

-Elderrr Hunt

Healing the Soul

February 3, 2014

Dear Hunt family,

Yesterday was such a wonderful day.  There are three less active sisters in the 3rd ward and Elder Sharp and I have been working with them for quite some time. All three of them showed up for fast and testimony meeting and what is more: two of them bore powerful testimonies of church attendance and how it strengthens us in our hardest times. The best part of being a missionary is to see the gospel and atonement of Christ change people. The physical miracles of healing in Christ's day are no longer so common; the miracles are instead miracles of healing the soul, mental and emotional ailments. Even though they are much less visible, they are no less profound. As a missionary, I feel like a catalyst.  I help people prepare themselves for the spirit of the Lord, which spirit converts and heals. 

We had some freezing rain yesterday. It was sissy stuff. There are baby icicles hanging from the trees and fences, but no ice on the roads or sidewalks. 

Hung a 'murican (American) flag over my bed- 'MURICA! (America!)

 -Elder Hunt

To Families of the Hunt Clan and other Kin

January 27, 2014

**Disclaimer** This is just me venting a little about weather; I really don't have anything to complain about.  Zak has been on a bike up in Idaho and it's MUCH colder up there.  After all, our cold comes from their cold moving south.  (Zak is Graham's friend who is serving a mission in Idaho.)

Dear families of the Hunt clan and other kin,

Yesterday was a warm, nice calm day with a high in the low seventies; the birds did chirp and the missionaries did enjoy.

Then a cold front approached from the north..

Today is a cold, windy day with a high of thirty-eight; the ravens screech as they are tossed to and fro and the missionaries don't enjoy it.

Something about being out in Texas' bipolar (summer one day and winter the next), hormonal (Texas is famous for lightning storms), moody (it's never in the middle, always going from one extreme to another), schizophrenic (once went from overcast and warm with no wind, to clear skies and cold wind in less than 10 hours. Yes, I counted) climate that has caused this Southern California boy (who always thought 66 degrees fahrenheit and sunny was SO FREEZING COLD) to not really care what it's like outside. 

Enough of that.

So last Saturday Elder Sharp and I were tracting and we started talking to one man and he let us in! He has a very interesting belief ideology. He essentially is a Jew (of Levite descent) who believes in Christ and the New Testament. He believes that when Christ said the law (of Moses) was fulfilled it referred only to part of the law (the various sacrifices symbolizing Christ as performed by the holders of the Aaronic priesthood) so the portions dealing with clean and un-clean foods and others he still observes. He also observes Shabbat which is the Jewish sabbath observed on Saturday. He loved talking with us and we will return Saturday to meet with him again! 

So life is great, the work is great, and God is great!

-Elder Hunt

Making a Difference

January 20, 2014

Here in Texas, Elder Sharp and I have been working with some great people.  We have two investigators: Carl and Tim who are both almost to the point of baptism and all the lessons have been taught to them. 

One of the cool things as a missionary is you get to see people learn of the Gospel and you get to see it make a difference in their lives! You see changes in people, although nobody goes around doing miracles like healing physical sickness.  The miracles today are emotional and mental wounds and diseases being healed, it is more subtle but just as profound. It is a blessing to my life to serve God. 

Brandon, I want you to make wise decisions and surround yourself with good people so that you can have this great opportunity of serving Christ should you choose to. If you have not yet decided if you want to or should serve a mission I would recommend that you ask God if you will not be happier in doing so. 

So I have some news for y'all! With transfers this week, some big changes have occurred with Elder Sharp and I . Elder Sharp and I are still together, but we have lost the YSA branch to another pair of elders. We are very sad about that. Furthermore, we lose our car and will be on bikes now. Even more sad. But enough of the downheartening news! Elder Sharp and I now get to focus on the Frisco 3rd ward, we are on bikes- so plenty of excercise and cardio! And Elder Sharp has been made district leader!!! So that makes every single one of my companions district leader while I was their companion (Elders Findlay, Kowallis, and Sharp). 

There are plenty of changes around in the district too. Elder Garner has left and a new elder (I forgot his name) replacing him will get here Tuesday. Carl and Tim (both in the young single adult branch) are both sooooo close to being baptized. Carl even has his interview complete! All that is needed is to make a program and fill the font. And Tim (who was previously fence sitting) told us he wants to be baptized and we are coordinating that. Unfortunately (for us) they are both in the YSA branch so we turn them over to other elders.  

We have no investigators in the Frisco 3rd ward despite spending most of our time this past 6 weeks doing work for that area. Well, I guess it is time to find someone - or be blessed with a miracle referral. 

I discovered something called Museli.  It is oatmeal but has many delicious things like rice puffs, sunflower seeds, almond bits, cranberries, raisins, various chopped nuts and much more! I put it in a bowl with milk before I go to bed,  it sits overnight in the fridge and I eat it in the morning and thus it is quick, cheap AND delicious! So life is great, the work is great, and God is great!

Ta-ta,

-Elder Hunt

p.s. Madre thanks for sending the little gift bag with the Mullins.  It was great talking with them. Thank you for sending me the okonomyaki recipe and other recipes too! I am so surprised that I could live off of oatmeal, rice and beans and spaghetti for 6 months and only just now be getting tired of it. (I exaggerate by the way.)  

Windy, Wet Weather

January 13, 2014

Dear Family,

The missionary choir sounds like fun, I wish I got to do that here in the Texas Dallas Mission.  (Yesterday, we had the most amazing sacrament meeting.  The California Irvine mission has started a missionary choir and the 60 member choir came to our sacrament meeting and presented the most inspiring program through song and testimony.  One of the choir leaders was Elder Risk, an Elder who had served in our ward and had encouraged Graham in his missionary preparations.)  I remember Elder Risk, he is the missionary I look up to the most of all I have ever met, both before and during my mission.

Texan weather is nonsensical.  We went from very cold, humid sprinkling rain that made my hands get thick and hard to move  to humid, almost warmish drizzling rain like Hong Kong during the monsoon rainy season. (Yes, I do remember the way the monsoon rainy season felt from when we lived there.) Then we had beautiful, even cool tempatures with a light breeze and yesterday we had winds so strong you had to brace against them as you stood or walked. Now today, it is not quite as windy, not quite as rainy, not quite as cold, not quite as humid, not quite as wet- back to normal? What even is normal? I don't even know what normal weather is here in Texas in January! 

This month of January is the month I hit my six month mark!  It has come sooner than I expected.  The last month with Elder Sharp has especially flown by.  Time goes by much faster than it did back home...

Love ya,

Elder Hunt

P.S.  On my P-day, we often play disc golf!  This picture is from last week:

From left to right Elder Garner (Frisco 2&6) Alex (from the YSA branch) Elder Sharp (my jolly companion) Elder West (Frisco 2&6 with Elder Garner)