11/16/16 Letter

Hello! I'm on the east coast! More importantly, I'm an official missionary! I got to the airport at about 4pm local time, then went to the welcome meeting in the Scarsdale chapel. Believe it or not, it used to be Elder Rasband's home ward. We had a testimony meeting and slept in the mission home next door. The next morning, we had personal study time back in the chapel, then the real meeting, area and companion assignments. My companion is Elder Brower from good ol' Lehi, Utah. We are assigned to serve in the Norwalk area of the Stamford zone. We have a Spanish ward, the Stamford 2nd. I know of 3 progressing investigators, one of whom we had a dinner/lesson appointment with last night. We taught the third lesson, the Doctrine of Christ. We invited him to commit to be baptized, but he wants a big answer before he will commit. We also did some service at a food pantry, we had to park around the block, which presented us with a contact opportunity as well. We taught a kind woman a little about prayer. We had planned to introduce me to the ward elders' quorum president, but he wasn't home. So we knocked on doors for a little bit. It was really interesting. The first door, slam, take your message somewhere else. Each one improved though. By the 4th house, we had a referral for the sisters. I'm amazed at the variety of experiences I had on my first day. Today we unpacked, did a little laundry, and bought groceries. Oh and I learned a new game called gator ball. It's a mix of soccer and rugby played in a church gym. I love my comp so much. He reminds me a little of Adam Schulz. I will be his last companion, he goes home in February. So i better make it a good couple of cycles. Oh yeah, they call transfers cycles here. The roads are insane, and I have no sense of direction yet. Nothing is squared off, and you can't see into the distance because of trees. It's weird to me. The landscape is lumpy, but only enough to block the view. It was cloudy and rainy all day yesterday, and we've been inside most of today. The sun comes up and sets early here, so I feel like I'm always late. We have two English elders in our apartment with us, elders pulu (zl) and tanner. Sorry for being scatter brained, if you can imagine it's been a whirlwind. We forgot to take a picture until after exercise today, but we have our tags on, so it's legit.

I love you all, thanks for your letters and support!

Love, 

Elder Hunt

11/05/16 Letter

I'm so sorry about last week! I didn't feel like I had anything worth sharing, not even pictures. I still don't have pictures. But I can share some thoughts. Not much changes in the MTC after the first 3 weeks. We're pretty much just left to learn on our own for the most part.
So Sundays are the best. There are missionaries who will say they're boring. Not me. I love to learn on the Sabbath, in Sacrament, District, and Priesthood meetings. It's just different from usual classes and study time. I can't really explain it.
I love the scriptures. It's hard for me to get into a groove while studying, but when I do, it's amazing. Some things I've learned from the scriptures this week:
Man's opinion doesn't matter. God has the final say, especially about His kingdom and children. (2 Ne 7:11-15)
We are here for a reason. The challenges we face are intentional and God wants us to learn from them. (D&C 9:6)
(not from the scriptures) God loves us. I've known this, but this week I know it even better. We matter to Him. He cares, and wants us to care. He wants us back, more than we can understand in this life. When we know He loves us, we start to love Him, and this is what drives our improvement in every facet. 
(also not from the scriptures) Christ doesn't do a bad job, or leave a task unfinished. He puts forth His best effort (which happens to be perfection) and expects the same from us (not perfection). It's hard, but if we follow his example in everything, from cleaning our rooms to studying, from employment to loving our families, we will be successful. Please always do your best.
I expect I'll quote this talk again, but I'll share now because I love it. Elder Holland said that tomorrow will be wonderful, because God wants it to be. The first great commandment is to love God. The first great truth is that He loves us, with all of His being. And that changes everything.
I hope this finds a place in your heart. Keep studying, keep trying, keep trusting in God. He is cheering you on.
Love, Elder Hunt

10/29/16 Letter

Hi, Josh has not sent a family letter but in my letter he shared this little bit about class.  He began by talking about how easy it is to not work your tail off.  His teacher said that we don't obey because we have to  but because we want to!  then he said, "She also helped us learn a powerful lesson on prayer. we all have our habits with prayer, most of us say the same things, maybe in a different order. We need to talk to Him as if we are talking to our parents, with specific, heartfelt thanks and questions."  both good insights that are always good reminders of things we know but forget on occasion.

Of course being a missionary away from home He would love mail and especially to hear what you read in your scriptures this week, feel free to write anytime, we all love mail! jdhunt@myldsmail.com

-Mom's thoughts for the week October 29, 2016