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!