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!

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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!