Christmas, Missionary Style!!

This is more of a recap of Christmas, missionary style, but it came today, hence the title!!

Christmas Eve in the mission field was an odd sensation...  Not doing any of the things you've always done before, and not being with your family is really different...but I've been having a great time nonetheless.  Christmas Eve was our prep day so Elder Davidson and I did some fun things like go to the mall, and then went to the church where we played music on the piano for the rest of the day. (I was able to write a new song that I really like.)     

Elder Davidson and I spent the night at Elder Sloan's and his companion's apartment in Dartmouth, and we opened presents there.  We had a conference call with President Leavitt and all the missionaries in our mission, so I was able to give a shout out to Elder Nzojibwami!  Then we had a brunch over at the Pinsent's house.  We had a lot of fun eating waffles, talking, playing music and singing.  In the afternoon we had dinner at the Kenny's home.  They made "Newfie Jigs" which is a traditional Newfoundland dinner of turkey, salted beef, potatoes, cabbage, vegggies, pea-pudding, and a few other things.  Then we had dinner-dinner at the Hatton's...another huge meal that was SO good!!

In the evening I got to Skype with my family!  It was so good to see everyone and be able to talk face-to-face.  The rest of the evening was spent with the Porter family.  Christmas in the field is very different, but I've loved it, and the members really made me feel at home.  (That makes THIS mom feel very happy!!)

On the 27th E. Davidson and I got to go to a temple session for someone from Bathurst who was receiving their endowment.  When I walked into the temple, lo and behold, there was Elder Nzojibwami standing in white!  I was so happy to see him!!   We had a great reunion and then had an awesome session!  Afterwards, President informed us that E. Nzojibwami would be staying with me for 2 days!!!  We had so much fun together with our companions.  That same day I was driving and hit some black ice.  We spun 360 degrees, but then I was able to straighten things out and we just kept driving.  Crazy experience!

It was great being able to spend the two days together and to get to teach together.  It was really sad to have to say goodbye, but maybe we'll get to catch up and teach together again!
We had a good district meeting where we discussed a big talent show we're putting on in March.  It's looking to be a huge community event and not just a church thing.  I also got to practice a musical number that I performed in church on Sunday.  Sister Bird accompanies me and does VERY well.  Her daughter was going to school at Tuacahn this last semester and is back now.  Turns out she knew Tino Smith really well...small world!!

Well, that's about all for now.  Thank you for everything you sent me for Christmas, and everything everyone else sent me as well!!  It was a great Christmas in the mission field!!

Love you all!

Love,
Elder Hunt

Getting Ready for Christmas!

On the 18th we had a dinner with a family who had a little girl named Nikki.  She reminded me so much of my nice, Nikki and how much I miss her cute, perfect face!


We had our big Christmas zone conference on the 19th (Wednesday) in Halifax.  It was good to see a lot of the Elders I've developed friendships with, but also a little sad because none of the Elders that were in the MTC with me were there.  I can't wait for the day when I see them again, especially Elder Nzojibwami.  I love that man like my brothers!

At the zone conference, we had a good training by President Leavitt, then we had a "white elephant" gift exchange.


I ended up with a giant (torso size) glass dolphin!  I loved it because Erika's and my thing is dolphins.  So, kind of ironic.





Then President Leavit took us out to eat at Swiss Chalet.  We came back and had a talent show.  I played one of the songs that I wrote for the piano...everyone seemed to like it.  I played a bit on my violin as well.  I got my Christmas package from my family as well.

Being on my mission hasn't caused me to be way homesick, but I'm just realizing the true blessing that family is and how much I cherish those relationships.  I would give all the presents in the world away if it meant I could spend Christmas with my family.

President Leavitt got this cool shirt!!

I'm getting to do a bit with my music which is kind of cool because my patriarchal blessing talks about using my talents to help others show theirs as well, and I think that's what I'm doing when I accompany people.  I'm playing the piano for the song "Mary, Did You Know" and Porter Nelson is going to be singing it.  He has such a good voice, so it sound great!  I really love accompanying, and can see why my mom does it and enjoys it so much.

I had a pretty rough day on Friday.  Sometimes it's easy to get discouraged and feel like you're not doing a very good job as a missionary, and sometimes you feel very alone and lonely.  I'm glad I don't usually have those feelings.

We had lunch at the Hampsons and talked about prayer.  It's always nice to be there.

The nativity pageant put on by the church is really cool.  And it has been COLD the last few nights we've been there!  Brrrrr!!  I gave my hat to someone who forgot theirs, so I wrapped my scarf up and over my head like an Israeli woman.  I'm sure it looked pretty strange!

Well, Elder Davidson and I love seeing our Christmas packages sitting on our table and we can hardly wait to open them!  We have lots of plans for Christmas day, AND I get to skype with my family in the evening!! It will be a great day!!

That's all for now!!  Love you!

Elder Hunt

Almost Christmas in Canada!

Found a bit of "St. George" in Nova Scotia!!

So this week was another steady-goin' week. 

I had a pretty cool experience with this guy named Mike. We were over teaching him a lesson, and when we were walking out the door, I felt prompted to tell him to read 2 Nephi 32. At that time, I had NO IDEA what was in that chapter...but I told him to read it anyway. I went and looked it up after the fact, and it talks all about receiving an answer that the Book of Mormon is true through the feelings of the Holy Ghost. Which was exactly what we were trying to help him understand at the time. So just a small example of the spirit working, and it's a pretty cool thing to see.

Clockwise:  Elder Hunt loves the Canadian Rugby ball he
received; found a cool looking Christmas display
at a part-member family's house; didn't win the
"UGLY SWEATER" contest; bought a unique gift for
his trainer, Elder Deems; and makes really good
breakfasts, like french toast with cinnamon syrup
and whipped cream!!  

I've been doing a lot of cooking. Elder Davidson and I like to eat good, so I've been making a lot of things... Meatloaf, burritos, stir-fry, chicken, steak, etc. One day some oil was burning some smoke into the apartment though, and our fire-alarm went sounding off, and we had no idea how to turn it off for like 5 minutes...worst moment ever! Thankfully the firetruck didn't come or anything...so that's always a plus.

(Mom, there is plenty more things that happened this week...but i forgot my little paper that i write all of those things down on, so that I remember what to write...so i will write the rest of those tomorrow morning to you!) sorry!!  (He knows his mother too well!!)

So for now, that's all I can remember...but i'll write more tomorrow! (:

Love you!

LOVE this face!!

Moose Meat in the Mission Field???

Good Morning!!

This week has been good. Tough because we haven't been able to see too much success, but we are working to build our teaching pool and have more people to find. (AND it's COLD!)

So I got a Canada rugby ball sent to me (Thanks, Kent!?!?).... safe to say I haven't slept a single night without it so far. Makes me feel at home (:  (Elder Hunt mentioned that he was going to be teaching his district how to play touch rugby on their pday.  I hope no one gets hurt!!!)   
(And they are obviously COLD...what with the blue faces and all!  Actually, Elder Davidson got carried away playing with some of his camera functions!!  I hope they get back to normal, SOON!)

We went over to Bill & Linda Thompson's house to have a lesson with them, and Bill cooked us up some fresh moose meat that his neighbor had just hunted. It was so good! There's no going back to normal meat after eating that. He also had these ice cubes that were made out of frozen wheat grass juice....yeah...those ones weren't so good. Smelled just like fresh cut grass.

Bruce and Sue Hampson with Elder Hunt...almost like
being there myself!!  *_*

 We had our Cole Harbour Ward Christmas party this weekend too. It was a huge success and really came together well as the entire ward put in the effort. Decorations were amazing, the food was fantastic, and the music was great. (other than the one that us Elder's did...) I accompanied the other elders on the piano as they sang Silent Night.

We're not terribly cold in our apartment!

But things are going good overall. 

It's weird actually BEING a missionary now and looking back/ remembering the times in your life when these were the days everyone talked about and that you thought about in the future...and now, I'm actually out here doing it. It's a pretty neat feeling.

Elder Davidson is getting into the work good. I hope I am training him well and that he learns at least one thing from me. He's legit though; we get along really well and have some fun times.

Hey Chap! Have YOU read the Book of Mormon?

Hey Senor!  Have you read the Book of Mormon?!?!

Pretty cool Maple Leaf!!

Let me get back to you on that question . . . 

Ohhhh, I get this one!!  But the hammer
in the background is a bit scary!  *_*

Love and miss you all!

Love Elder Hunt

ELDER HUNT: FIRST-TIME TRAINER!!

Hello once again,

So this week just cruised by. It was transfer week, so things were a little bit hectic in getting switched around with new companions, area's, etc. I now have my new Elder, Elder Davidson. He's a pretty sweet elder from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. So he's pretty used to all of the cold that we've been getting this week. (Walked outside one day and it was -7, not including the 20mph wind chill....brrrzzzz!)

FIVE "Generations" PIC

Elder Biddulph, Elder Unger, Elder Deem, Elder Hunt, Elder Davidson

(Elder Hunt mentioned that during transfers he got to take one of his MTC district elders [Elder Diodati], upper left, to the airport when he flew up to Newfoundland.  Dallin loves getting to see some of his old MTC buddies!!)

But Elder Davidson and I are adjusting to each other, and settling in nicely. He's not afraid to get out and teach, so that's great. I'll learn just as much from him as he learns from me, so it will be a great companionship.

The Christmas Devotional  was last night. We watched it broadcast at the church with a few members there. I love listening to the First Presidency speak. They all have such strong testimonies and you can feel the spirit when they talk.  President Eyring's talk especially touched my heart. As he told his story about his family and mother sitting on the piano, with the kids singing hymns and Christmas tunes, It really brought me back to my own memories. 

I have that same amazing example in my mother. Maybe she didn't realize it at the time, but by gathering around the piano and singing songs, she helped to create some of my fondest memories. (I had always HOPED that the music in our home would have a big impact on our children.  I'm so grateful for a husband who loves music too, and was always a part of our family music time!)  I still miss those Sunday nights where we'd all get together and sing hymns, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, and many other tunes.  

I've realized that the things we come to miss are those things that have changed our lives. It's those little things that make all the difference, and I'm so grateful to Dad and Mom for providing a home and a life where we could do those things that truly matter. I wouldn't have it any other way, because those gifts I've received from my parents and family, I will carry with me throughout this life, and into the next. (Elder Hunt and Amelia Bruce [flutist] played Be Still My Soul for a baptism last week.  He said it went really well, but during the 3rd verse a HUGE flashback to Denzel's funeral hit him and "it was not fun."  I let him know I understood those feelings very well.  But I also was accompanying Natalee last Sunday evening, playing a Christmas song that Dallin used to always play {Coventry Carole], and I had a HUGE flashback of DALLIN and it made me really smile...as well as miss him!!)

So it's been a good week, and the missionary work continues to move forward. Especially with the Christmas season, everyone is so much more willing to listen and learn. I love it.

That's all for now! I love you all!

Love Elder Hunt

LOTS To Be Thankful For!!

Hi Family!

 This week, we had the opportunity to travel out to Sheet Harbour. It's in my area, but is about an hour and a half drive just to get there.... So that was quite fun. We got to see a lot of beautiful lakes and different places, and then helped a member that lives out there move a bunch of wood. I must've moved over 100 wheel barrels full of logs, so it was fun to work hard. (I HOPE they got to wear work clothes and didn't move all that wood in their suits!!  *_*  Just saw the pictures...they had work clothes on.  Hooray!!)

Elder Deem and I also managed to find a giant moose this week! Don't worry...it's not a real moose, but we did find it, and it's like a big statue moose. We managed to climb up on it with boosts to each other and to get some good pictures! Fun times.

So this week was American Thanksgiving! So much to be thankful for, but most of all i'm thankful for the Gospel and the opportunity to learn as a missionary. 

Bruce and Sue Hampson had us over for Thanksgiving dinner, and I was absolutely STUFFED after. Such an amazing meal, and she even made chocolate candy bar pie because mom told her it was my favorite! I'm living the life!! (:

We got transfer calls! I found out that I will be staying here in Eastern Passage (Dartmouth), and I'll be training a brand new missionary...It's crazy. I just barely finish training this coming week, and now I'll be training a new guy. Oh well, it'll be a good opportunity and I hope he will learn from me as I also learn from him.  (Elder Deem, Elder Hunt's companion, is being transferred to Kentville, as the Zone Leader there, and will be training a new companion.)

This week, spiritually, was amazing.... We had Stephanie's baptism over the weekend, and I couldn't be happier for her. We've become close and she really is such a great friend to me, so I'm happy that she has decided to do those things necessary to follow our Lord and Savior. Stephanie asked me to baptize her, and I loved being able to do it. 

As we were there in the water, and I brought her back up, you could feel the spirit so strong and we knew that what was happening was what God wanted. 

Stephanie also asked me to confirm her on Sunday in Sacrament meeting. As she received the Gift of the Holy Ghost, she began to tear up and continued to be emotional throughout the rest of the meeting. The Spirit will do that to you, and I am so grateful that she is able to be sensitive to the Spirit, and recognize the truth. Just overall such a great experience.

Later Sunday night, I exchanged with other Elders, so that Elder Thompson and I traveled down to Bridgewater with President & Sister Leavitt, and the Assistants. We drove down there, got set up quick, and put on a travelling fireside. I love being a part of it because I get to start the meeting off by performing a musical number on the violin, with Elder Thompson to accompany me. It really brings the spirit for the rest of the meeting and I'm grateful that I can use this gift Heavenly Father has given me. 

So we gave the fireside, ate refreshments and chatted with a bunch of the members there, and then packed up and drove through the night back to Dartmouth. Always on the go as a missionary, and loving every second of it!

So it's been a great week, and next time you hear from me, i'll have a new companion!

Love you all!

Love Elder Hunt

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!!

Hello everybody!

This week went flying by, and not too much to show for it. But we helped move some big furniture into a members home, and accidentally scratched up the walls of the home we were moving it out of. Thank goodness my companion did painting and such back home, so we putty'd and painted it and it looks good as new! (Is THIS where "the elder's quorum" gets their "skills" when helping people move???)

We've been teaching Stephanie, and her best friend Tia. They are both constantly progressing in the Gospel and it's great to have built relationships with them  where we are friends, and not just missionary/investigator.

Well, this week I hit my 3 month mark...crazy how time flies. Of course, there are those moments when it feels like time stands still...but for the most part, time is going really quick.

We had a chance to go to Institute in Halifax again this week. I love going there and learning. What really caught my attention this time was this:  while reading through the scriptures, put yourself in someone's position that you're reading about. So if you're reading in Nephi, put yourself in his shoes and try to see it from his view. Then the next time you read it again, look at it from someone else's point of view... EX: Lehi or Laman, etc. It really opens your eyes to new things that you would never think of before!

It was great to attend the YSA ward this week for church. It was nice to be around all people my own age again, but it also reminded me how much I love the family wards.

Stephanie has her baptism this coming Saturday! Exciting stuff, and we can't wait.

Other than that, not too much to mention. Sorry it's not very much stuff but it'll have to do! Mail has slowed down out here due to hurricane Sandy's impact on things...so i'm just finally getting mail now from October still. Woohoo!

Well, I love you all!  Thanks for your constant love and support...it really means the world to me. Take care!

Love,

Elder Hunt

ELDER DEEM,       STEPHANIE,         and ELDER HUNT

FUN EXPERIENCES!!

(Elder Hunt's view of Halifax. . . BEAUTIFUL!!)

Hello again from beautiful Nova Scotia!

This week, there were lots of different things that happened....so, here goes:

-I lost my USB drive that contained all of my pictures from out here, and from home, so I was feeling very depressed and sad. After searching for it and not being able to find it, I was able to kneel down and say a quick prayer. After that, we had the thought to go back and check at the library where we email from. We asked for the lost and found, and there it was. It was as simple as that. Whether it's something big or something as small as finding a flash drive, I know Heavenly Father hears our prayers and helps us always.

-One of the days this week, we had what is called "freezing rain." It's at the coldest point of temperature it can be at without the rain fully freezing into snow, so it's more of a freezing, slushy rain. We were out in it, and every time it hits your face, it just burns and is so cold! So now I actually can't wait for the snow!

-One day we got a call from a recent convert, saying that their laundry room had flooded. So we went right over, took off our shoes and socks, rolled up our slacks and sleeves, and then went to work cleaning it all up. Getting down and dirty is an interesting thing, especially while doing manual labor in a suit now, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Helping others out is what brings me the most happiness.

-We went with Stephanie, our investigator, to Institute this week over in Halifax. The teacher taught an amazing lesson about not judging others, and constantly being willing to help/serve them. It reminded me of earlier in the day when Elder Deem and I were driving somewhere, and we say a guy walking on the side of the road. He was wearing very ripped up skinny jeans, and everything he had on was black, with his hair all frayed in every direction. Right away, Elder Deem and I started talking/judging him. As soon as we started talking about him like that, I felt a major slap to the face from the spirit... reminding me that the guy was a person, too, the same as me, and Heavenly Father loves him just the same. So I've really been focusing and learning to not judge, no matter how small a matter it may seem.

-This week I had the opportunity to teach Gospel Principles class in church. It was good to be able to teach in that kind of setting, and I really enjoyed it, so hopefully I will have more teaching opportunities.

-Stephanie's Baptism date is now moved to November 24th. Not because she isn't ready...she is the most ready person I've ever met...but simply for fellowshipping purposes, so that she can get to know more of the people in the YSA branch before she's baptized. But it's still coming up soon so we're very excited! We found out earlier this week while we were teaching Stephanie that before we ever started teaching her, her mom and herself had been praying for more spiritual guidance for Stephanie. Then 2 weeks later, we show up on her doorstep. It's great to see the Hand of the Lord constantly in our work, and how he prepares the hearts of the people.

-So yesterday on P-day, we went over to a big park in downtown Halifax and played football with 8 of us Elders. It was a blast and we really had fun with it. Well, then we saw a group of people playing ultimate frisbee, so of course I went over and asked them if we could join them. They accepted and off the game went. It was 2 hours of hardcore, brutal ultimate frisbee. Now I can hardly move since my body hasn't felt actual physical activity for over 3 months now...I'm definitely paying the price because i'm walking like an old man and pretty much need a cane to even get around...just Heavenly Father showing me what I'll be like in a few years I guess!

-We had an amazing fireside put on by President Leavitt. It was titled "I'm a Mormon, and so what". Amelia Bruce and I performed our musical number again, with some people singing one of the verses in I Know That My Redeemer Lives. It set the tone for the meeting, and the talks were amazing. It is one of the times that I have felt the spirit the strongest in my entire life. Stephanie was there, as well as her mom, and her fried Tia. It's great to be out here and be able to meet amazing people like them and really to feel of their strong spirit and willingness to follow the Lord.

So in all, it was a fun-filled, exciting week. I'm grateful every day to be a missionary, and I can't believe I ONLY have about 21  months left...not very long at all! :(

Well, I love you all! Take care,

Elder Hunt

Halloween and other happenings. . .

New mission attire???  Just Halloween in the Mission Field!!  

Elder Deems as Brigham Young (I thought he was Abe Lincoln!), 

Elder Sloan as Superman, 

and Elder Hunt as the Newsie. . . aka cool pumpkin carver and motorcycle missionary!

======================================================================

Hey everyone,

Well, it's been yet another week. We were still without a car this week, making it tough to get to our area and do effective work. Then we were informed that it'll be yet another week without a car...joy.

Other than that, some great things happened this week. We visited a family in the ward, the Misners. As I was talking to Bro. Steve Misner, his little boy slipped his hand into my suit pocket and pulled something out. It was a picture of Denzel that I carry with me 24/7. So that sparked Bro. Misners interest, and we got talking about everything. 

Bro. Misner is in the military and does similar stuff with artillery as Denz did. So that night was good as we were able to talk about Denz and he was able to understand a bit. Well, after that first night visit, we stopped by their place again later in the week. As we sat and talked, Steve reminded me about Remembrance Day coming up (an equivalent to Veterans Day). He told me that he has a tradition to always have a certain someone in mind during Remembrance Day, and asked me if Denzel could be that person for this year because he'd been thinking of him all week. Of course I said yes and the night went on. But from something as simple as that, I felt so much love. Just the fact that he was thinking about Denzel and myself, made me feel so comforted that he truly cared about me. It's amazing to have felt those things, and I have such an amazing love and respect for Bro. Misner.

This week, we have continued to tech Stephanie. She is set to be baptized on November 17th. She attended church for the first time this week, and as we talked to her about it, she really just loved it. She told us how she didn't want to leave because of how good she was feeling. I love seeing the spirit work in others we deal with, and the changes that it brings.

On one of the nights we had a lesson with Stephanie, Porter Nelson (a member) came with us to the lesson and brought his daughter, Cocoa (about 2 or 3 yrs old) too. The lesson went great and as we walked back out to the car, Cocoa tripped over the curb, stumbled a few steps, then smashed her face into the bumper of the parked car. She, of course, was just crying and crying, but we got in the car to go home anyway. I sat in the back with her and thought she might like a hand to hold, so I put out my hand, and she held it. It was more like her holding my index finger, but either way it was the same. So she calmed right down, and we just held hands for the 20 minute ride home. As I rubbed her hand, she would rub mine back, and it was the cutest thing in the world. I think she may have done more for me that night than I did in comforting her...I love feeling the spirit that children have and can bring into our lives.

A few odds and ends things that happened this week:

-Halloween came and went...we weren't allowed to actually do anything on Halloween night, so we had to settle for doing it in our spare time on P-day and stuff.  (see pictures above!)

-I bought my first electric shaver...since my scruff is starting to grow in a ton more...woohoo! milestone in my life.

Well, that's it for now! Hope you all are doing well, and I love you!

Love Elder Hunt

A few side notes...I sent Elder Hunt the following email earlier this week:  
So Dal, (I mean "Elder Hunt"...)
I was outside hosing down the sidewalk (we have SOOOOO much dirt and dust from all the road construction!!) and  a lady stopped, got out of her car, and came over to talk.

Turns out her name is Susan Baker...mother of Stephanie Baker...who was on swim team...dated a guy on the swim team (can't remember his name), Stephanie is attending BYU, and she is good "friends" with your zone leader, Elder Hardy.  Better yet, Elder Hardy stopped writing so he could focus on his mission, his mom "stalked" me on Facebook, found you and your blog, and now knows more about Elder Hardy because of you.

Did you know any of that???

Love,
Mom
And his reply came back this morning:
That's pretty funny! Elder Hardy has told me quite a bit about it, so it's been pretty funny!
Soooo, Stephanie and Susan. . . Elder Hardy will be coming home the end of the month, and I'll bet he'll have some fun stories about Elder Hunt!!  You'll have to post them on Facebook!

Another week in the mission field!!

Hello Everyone,

Well this week was somewhat uneventful and frustrating. Our car was crashed, before we got into our area, and so we had to take it into the shop. So we're out of a car for about 2 weeks. We've been car sharing with a couple other Elders, but it's really just hard to get around to our area and do much effective work because our area is very spread out, and takes about 2 hours on public transportation, just to get to a part of our area that normally is a 20 minute drive...So it's been interesting, but we're learning to adapt.

On Friday, we went out to the Hampson's (Sue and Bruce) and helped them put in some rocks for rock walls. The work isn't finished, but it's coming along! In the process of lifting and placing some big boulders, I dislocated my pinky...since it's happened before, I just snapped it back in and kept going...No need to make a big deal of it and go to the hospital...so yeah, that was fun, especially since I had to perform a musical number two days after that.

The musical number in church went very well. I played the violin, and Amelia Bruce played the Flute. Her aunt accompanied us on the piano, and we played "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." I thought it went really good and it was great to be able to play again! The dislocated pinky didn't bother me too much either (: (I'm trying to find a way to link the audio file I have from their duet.  It was nice, and Amelia Bruce's mom, their accompanist, did a good job, too!!)

Earlier this week we had the opportunity to go over to a member's home, and cast out evil spirits. Although I don't want to talk too much about it, it was an amazing thing as you could feel the Spirit come right back into the home following a priesthood blessing, and dedicating the house. Definitely an interesting and different experience though.

We were able to travel up to Kentville for zone training...It's beautiful up there! We stopped at a graveyard that looks like it's straight out of a movie...It was amazing and again the colors you see on the pictures are not doing justice to the actual colors we are seeing out here.

Other than that, not too much else going on right now...Stephanie is progressing and working towards her baptism date coming up in November! She is amazing and is already a missionary, spreading the Gospel to all of her co-workers, family, friends, and everyone she meets. I love seeing the spirit work in her and her desire to become better.

I love you all!

Love Elder Hunt

Autumn in Nova Scotia

Hello Family and Friends!

Where does Elder Hunt find these signs???

This week was a busy one for sure. But I love being out here!

The weather has been beautiful, but is really starting to cool off. The colors are amazing! We definitely don't get this back home in Utah.  

I finished the Book of Mormon this week! Took two months, but would be done faster if I had more time to study! I love reading the Book of Mormon.

This week was Erika's birthday, so my companion and I decided to give her a little shout-out on Lawrencetown Beach. Hope you had a great birthday Erika!

Elder Layton (with the heart hands), Elder Amaya w/
Elders Hunt and Layton...and others

This week, we also had a leadership conference, so I was able to be reunited with Elder Layton! I love that guy so much and it was so good to see him, and a few other Elders. Unfortunately, Elder Nzojibwami wasn't there.

Well, we have a new investigator, and she committed to Baptism on our second lesson. She is 22, and works at a beauty salon, and is a really strong person. She is so strong in her beliefs, which are pretty much exactly our beliefs as Mormons, so it's amazing to see her transformation take place and have the spirit in her life! Something great to look forward to with her upcoming baptism.

Well, this week was Stake Conference out here. Our stake covers all of Nova Scotia, So it was a pretty cool experience. It was also really cool because nearly every single talk was about Temples, and their importance, so I'm going to go over a few of the things which I learned, insights I received, and my own personal feelings. The temple is important. Though we can't discuss many of the details of what goes on inside the temple, we can know of the power that comes from attending, through experience. No, not just anyone can enter the temple. We must be worthy, and doing those things which we should in order to be able to attend. As we do this, we must lead by example. We need to teach our families and friends by our example about what we need to be doing with our lives, and what is truly important. We need to show God we are willing to come unto Him, and repent. Only then will He be able to help us, as we choose to follow Him. Always remember:    Stop. Think. Life is Eternal.

The temple is the House of the Lord, in which we can be married for Time and all eternity. It DOES matter where you are married, and it DOES matter by what authority it is done. Only in the temple can we do this in a manner that is pleasing to Heavenly Father. The Temple is a sacred place where Heaven and Earth meet. Marriage is ordained of God, and we know that families are essential. That being said, there is no greater place on Earth than the Temple. The veil is very thin as we attend the temple, and we can learn and grow in ways we could never imagine.

If it was so easy to live worthily enough to attend the temple, then what would we learn? As we strive to be worthy to attend, this worthiness gives us strength. We gain this strength by gaining a testimony and by being truly converted to the Gospel. The only thing that makes living the Gospel hard, is giving into temptation. It is ALWAYS our choice. Though we cannot choose the consequences or results of a specific decision, we ALWAYS have the ability to choose whether to give into temptation or not. It's just like a campfire. When we have the fire burning and there is plenty of wood on, it will burn well and continue to burn if we continue to add wood to it. But as soon as we stop adding wood, the fire may burn for a short time, but then quickly diminishes into coals, and soon, into nothing. This is like our lives in the Gospel. Our testimony can be burning very strong, but unless we continue to add wood (church attendance, scripture reading, prayers, temple attendance) our testimony will diminish and eventually fade into no testimony at all. We must always, constantly fuel our testimony, so that we don't lose it.

So as we continue to strengthen our testimonies, and attend the temple, I want you to remember one thing. Almost everyone knows the acronym of CTR. It normally stands for Choose The Right. However, it has taken on a new meaning for me. Now, it means: Come to the Temple Regularly. This is a great constant reminder that we need to not just attend the temple, but do it REGULARLY! If we don't, our campfire can begin to diminish. But as we attend, each time will fuel our testimonies and will enable us to receive the power, strength, and blessings of the temple.

Elder M. Russell Ballard said:  "I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don't set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life".  Let us all strive to have the Temple be our goal!

I love you all so much!

Take care,

Elder Hunt

Side notes from Elder Hunt's audio recordings:  The colors on the trees are BEAUTIFUL and the pictures just don't do the real thing any justice!  He's been writing in his journal everyday, and hasn't missed a day.  "Wow!  I think I understand why it's important to write in your journal.  Amazing what you learn on your mission!!"

Their new investigator Stephanie's mom is strong Catholic, but doesn't mind her having the missionaries.  

Lawrence Town Beach was pretty fun.  Lots of sand.  Since it was Erika's birthday when we were there, we drew all the stuff on the sand.  It was fun!

I wonder who THIS pic is for...Papa K?!?!?!

Hello family and friends!  

 

So here are a few fun experiences I've had this week:

 

The weather is really starting to change...we were out dooring one night and it began to pour. Well, we had a 45 minute discussion in the pouring rain in just our suits...yeah, we were soaked. (what about the lady they were talking to???)

 

A bunch of the other Elders and I decided to have a Lobster Lunch. We bought the lobsters from the market, and brought them home to fry them up. Well, I thought I'd be exotic and try the lobster...yeah, I almost puked after my first bite. Never again.  (He sent a video of one of the elders killing the lobster before throwing it in the boiling pot of water.  UGH!)

 

So remember how I cut my own hair...? well, I did this week again, but ended up slipping with the buzzer....So i had a big bald patch in the back of my head, and had to have my companion cut my neckline really high to get rid of it...awesome...

 

We have a recent Convert we've been having a lot of lessons with. Her name is Griselda. She moves back to El Salvador after being here for 5 years, and we're going to miss her so much! She's such an amazing, strong person!

 

We had a fireside at the mission home on Sunday! It was really fun to get together with a bunch of Elders again. I've made some amazing friends, but some of my favorite are actually the senior couple! Elder and Sister Tiffany have become like my grandparents out here and I love them so much!

 

 

 

It's amazing to see the effects of the Gospel and the spirit in peoples lives. Linda Thompson, the lady we baptized a couple weeks ago, who has MS and is in a wheelchair, can't do anything for herself. She hasn't been able to move her arms, hands, fingers, or hardly talk. We've had to read her lips most of the time. She even wasn't able to scratch her own face if she had an itch. However, this past week, Linda was able to attend the temple and be apart of Baptisms and confirmations for the first time. It was a great experience and she really loved it. Well, the next day we received a call...Linda was able to use her arms, hands, and fingers to actually do something. She was able to hand some things to other people and was able to talk to us over the phone, to where we could actually understand her! Then at church, i sat across from her in Gospel principles class, and watched as she was able to lift her arm and hand to scratch her own face....I was overcome with joy from the work of the Lord. The effects of the spirit and the temple are an amazing thing, and I have truly been witnessing a miracle from the Lord this week!

 

After we did baptisms for the dead, we went back to the Stuarts (the ward mission leader) house and Griselda made us Papusas ( I think that's how you spell it). A really good tortilla and beans real Mexican dish. Yum!

 

(L-R) Elder Deem, Elder Jensen, Elder Wolsey, Elder Sloan, 

Elder Hardy, Elder Thompson, Elder Fisher (Elder Hunt on the floor!)

While planning one morning, we prayed about where to go that day. I really felt we needed to focus on a certain street. So we decided to go, and happened to door into a former investigator. We asked how she was doing, and she proceeded to tell us how crazy life is. So many things were going on, and on top of it all, her best friend had committed suicide the day before...We told her it was not a coincidence that we were there, and she invited us in. We taught her the plan of salvation, and I was able to relate my very personal experience dealing with that same thing with Denzel. The Lord works in mysterious ways, but I know that, had I not gone through that trial in my life, I wouldn't have been able to help Joanne with that same trial. I'm grateful for our trials and how they can bless us in our lives, even though we may not see the blessing come until far after the actual trial. Trust in the Lord and know that He will provide.

 

I love this missionary work, and I love all of you back home. This is where I need to be at this time in my life, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to serve. I know this is the true Gospel. I'm able to experience its truth and works every single day out here. If there is one thing I can tell you, it's to trust in the Lord and HIS will. Never let our own wants and desires push God's will out of the way...we can never go wrong with Him on our side.

Love you all! Take care! And write me... I love letters. (:

 

Love Elder Hunt

MTC INFO. . .

I didn't write anything about the MTC...I guess I was waiting for all the REAL missionary stuff to happen.  But I was a bit remiss.

Elder Hunt LOVED his MTC companion, Elder Nzojibwami...(and I didn't even have to look up how to spell his name!!)  They are both serving in the Canada Halifax Mission.  I received a letter from "your other son who's name you can't pronounce" yesterday!  It was great and VERY sweet.  I can hardly wait to write him back.  (AND I not only know how to SPELL his name, I know how to say it!!)

Anyway, here are some pictures that might talk a whole lot more than words!




And Erika's aunt happened to be at the airport for a flight out, right when Elder Hunt was ready to leave for Halifax.  She recognized him and went over to say hi!  Fun times!!